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Ever since she and Haruka started dating, Minori thought that life was pretty good. There was one problem, though:
The two of them hadn't kissed yet.
Timing wasn't the issue. Minori had plenty of opportunities to just smush her face against her girlfriend's, but whenever she thought about that sort of thing, she hesitated. After all...
Haruka-chan is perfect, so she deserves the perfect kiss!
Especially since it would be their first kiss. She couldn't ruin a special moment like that by just going with the flow! No, this needed a plan.
And that was how the brunette found herself awake at five in the morning, rapidly pacing her room as she went over her strategy in her head. She had a date with Haruka in about three hours, and it was during this date that she would strike.
She pumped her fists in front of her energetically. No matter what, she would sweep the idol off of her feet and give her the best first kiss ever!
Phase 1: Morning
"Haruka-chan! Good morning!"
At 8 o'clock sharp, Minori greeted her girlfriend at the front of the Kiritanis' residence. As always, Haruka looked stunning, even if the blue dress she was wearing was one that the brunette had already seen a hundred times before.
"Good morning, Minori," the other girl smiled at her, "I hope I didn't make you wait?"
"N-no, it's fine! I just got here."
That was a lie. She had gotten here 30 minutes earlier to psyche herself up for the rest of the day, "A... anyways! Should we get going?"
Haruka grinned as she took the brunette's hand in her own, "Sure. Lead the way."
Minori stared at their hands dumbly before nodding. It wouldn't do her any good to get distracted now. She needed to focus!
The first phase of the Give-Haruka-The-Best-First-Kiss-Plan (title pending) was at a nearby park. The plan was simple: The two of them would have a lovely morning stroll before sitting down on the grass to have a picnic and take in the scenery.
Thanks to her research, Minori knew that there wasn't many people who visited this particular park in the morning. And so, they would be able to enjoy a quiet, peaceful moment in the midst of the noisy city.
It was a foolproof strategy to soothe Haruka and put her in a good mood for the rest of the day!
"I didn't even know there was a spot like this in Shibuya," the blue idol marveled at their quaint surroundings, a small smile on her face, "It's nice."
"Ehehe," Minori moved closer to the other girl, linking their arms together, "Do you really think so?"
"Mhm. It's perfect."
Haruka's voice was as soft as rain as she leaned into the younger idol, her head practically resting on her girlfriend's shoulder. Minori had to stifle a squeak. Even though they had already been dating for a couple of weeks, she still wasn't used to how clingy Haruka could be.
Panic aside, though, it looked like Phase 1 went off without a hitch! If the rest of the day was going to go as smoothly as this, then she really had nothing else to worry about-
Drip!
Suddenly, she felt something cold tap her shoulder, leaving that part of her dress wet. And then,
Drip! Drip! Drip!
It began to rain.
"That's odd," Haruka hummed, putting her hand in front of her to catch the raindrops, "I thought the weather forecast said it wouldn't rain today."
Minori thought so, too. But of course, her bad luck seemed catch up to her, as always.
Still, she wouldn't let a setback like this discourage her. She was going to give Haruka the perfect morning stroll, and a little drizzle won't stop her from getting what she wants!
"Here, Haruka-chan!" The brunette took an umbrella out from her bag. With it, she shielded the both of them from the rain, a self-satisfied smile on her face.
And then, the wind picked up, forcing her umbrella to the side and spraying the two of them with a barrage of droplets.
"I don't think that helped much," Haruka giggled, fixing her hair after the wind attack, "Should we stay at my house until the rain stops?"
"N-no, it's fine!"
Right! Even if they couldn't take a stroll, they could still have their picnic. They just needed to find a big tree that could protect them from the rain. They would sit under it and eat the snacks that Minori prepared beforehand, all while the ambience of the morning shower played like music to their ears.
A scene like that was actually... pretty romantic! Maybe she should thank the weather report for being wrong, actually.
"Why don't we go over there? That looks like a good spot for a picnic!" Minori pointed at the big tree she deemed as their savior.
Haruka raised an eyebrow, "A picnic? In this weather?"
"If we go under that tree, I'm sure we'll stay dry!"
"Minori, I don't think..."
The brunette wasn't hearing it, her arms practically pulling the other girl towards their picnic spot. Swearing on all the idol deities in the world, Minori promised that she would give Haruka Kiritani the best date ever. She couldn't let something like this stop her!
"Here! Now let's-"
Trip!
And that was when she tripped on her foot and fell onto the wet grass.
"M-Minori!"
Haruka was at her side in an instant, kneeling down to check on her fallen girlfriend. With a groan, Minori got up, flustered, "S-sorry, Haruka-chan. I didn't..."
Her eyes widened. While the fall itself wasn't painful, she realized that her dress was now covered in mud. As she tried to stop a squeak of despair from escaping her, the other girl sighed.
"I guess the rain made this place wet, too... Are you alright, Minori?"
"Y-yeah, but..."
The brunette frowned as she glanced at her clothes. She looked like a total mess.
"Minori," Despite that, though, Haruka still clung to her with a smile, "Let's go back to my place, alright? We can fix you up there."
Defeated, the younger idol could do nothing but sigh, "Okay..."
Just like that, Minori's preparations were foiled by her own clumsiness. Even so... her battle wasn't over yet. Yes, she may have failed to give Haruka a calming morning, but she was still only on Phase 1 of her First-Kiss plan. Minori nodded to herself, pumping imaginary fists in her head.
It was still too early for her to give up!
Phase 2: Lunch
"We're here!"
The rain stopped as quickly as it began, which meant the plan was once again underway after they left Haruka's house. Originally, Phase 1 was supposed to last them until noon. Their morning stroll and light picnic would've left them hungry, which was where Phase 2 came in!
The older idol's eyes widened as she recognized the restaurant in front of them. It was one of the places she reviewed when she was still in ASRUN, and it had some of the best dishes she'd ever tasted. She was always meaning to visit it again outside of work, but she never had the time to.
She turned to the girl standing beside her. Minori flashed her a wide grin.
"Minori," Haruka could only stare at her, "You really shouldn't have."
"Well," the brunette shrugged, "You said you wanted to come back here, right?"
"But isn't this place really hard to get into?"
It was. Not only was it almost always fully-booked, but its reservations were way too strict. If you weren't at the front desk 10 minutes after your appointed time, then they'd just give your seat away! How mean was that?!
But as always, Minori was prepared! If people were always ready to grab a seat, then she just needed to be ready-er!
And so she decided to make her reservation a month in advance, scheduled for exactly 12 o'clock today. It had been a long time coming, but finally, her efforts were paying off.
"Don't worry, Haruka-chan!" She shook her head at her girlfriend, "Seeing you look so happy right now made it all worth it!"
A pause. And then,
"If you say so," the other girl giggled, "Thanks, Minori... I really appreciate it."
"Ehehe, don't mention it. Now let's line up!"
As the brunette skipped happily towards the back of the restaurant's waiting queue, she couldn't help but feel good. The smile on Haruka's face was something she wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.
Minori only hoped she could keep this momentum up until later. The rain in the morning had reminded her that no plan of hers was foolproof. And so, she needed to stay vigilant. No matter what, she would-!
Thud!
The brunette snapped out of her internal monologue as she bumped into one of the nearby passersby.
"Ah! Sorry, miss!" The man who bumped into her bowed slightly.
"N-no, I'm sorry for not paying attention!" Minori bowed back.
At the very least, the stranger didn't seem to mind her clumsiness. With a nod and a smile, he stepped away from her. The brunette could only sigh. So much for being vigilant...
No, she couldn't start feeling down now!
This time, for sure, she'll remain on guard in case anything-
Hey why do my pockets feel lighter?
Freezing, Minori reached for her pockets, and lo and behold, she couldn't find her wallet. It took her a moment to connect the dots, and with a gasp, she turned to the man who bumped into her.
Sure enough, she saw her wallet in his hands just as he was about to disappear into the nearby crowd.
"THIEF!!!!!!"
Her voice attracted the attention of everyone nearby, including the thief. With a start, the man scrambled away, but Minori wasn't letting him go so easily!
Immediately, she broke off from the queue and chased after the criminal. After all, that wallet had a picture of her and Haruka's first date (and also their money for their lunch, but that wasn't as important)! She couldn't just lose it!
"Stop, thief!"
Burning with righteous anger, she somehow kept up with the man even as he turned from city block to city block. One time, the thief even looked back at her, fear clearly shining in his eyes as he saw the literal high school girl getting closer to him.
"Stop!!!!"
She was getting closer now. Just a little more, and she could finally-!
Trip!
And that was how, for the second time today, Minori tripped and fell to the ground.
Luckily, she was left with no bruises. Still, her momentum had stopped, and all she could do now was watch in despair as the criminal-
"Don't worry, Minori! I'll get him!"
A familiar voice rang out in her ears just as a blue-headed blur ran past her, moving with unimaginable speed. The thief looked back again, and somehow he looked even more afraid than before.
His fear didn't save him, though. In seconds, the blur closed the distance between them, tackling the man and pinning him down onto the sidewalk.
As Minori regained her footing and ran towards the pair, she could only gape at the sight of her girlfriend, her wallet in hand.
"Phew. That was close," Haruka let out a sigh as she smiled at the other girl, "Are you alright, Minori?"
The younger idol didn't know what she was feeling. Gay? Yeah, that was probably it. She just saw her girlfriend in perfect form literally catch up to the thief and take him down like a dashing detective from one of those cop movies.
"Y-yeah," Minori nodded. Now was not the time for those thoughts, though, "I didn't know you followed me, Haruka-chan."
"Well..." The blue idol looked at the wallet with soft eyes, "Our date picture's in here, right? I'd never forgive myself if we lost it."
And somehow, somehow, Minori found herself falling harder for the idol. Honestly, she would've walked up to her and kissed her on the spot if she wasn't sticking to her plan.
Wait, the plan!
The brunette took her phone out of her pocket and looked at her clock. She paled.
It was 12:15 pm. More than ten minutes past their appointed time.
"T-the reservation..." The staff had probably given their seats to someone else in the waiting queue already. She had planned this for a month, and now...
"I... still appreciate the effort, Minori." Haruka seemed to read her mind, giving her girlfriend a kindly smile, "It means a lot that you tried this hard to get us in."
"But I didn't get us in, though," The brunette frowned, "And today was supposed to be perfect..."
A pause. And then, the other girl shook her head, "Well... it's still only noon. That still gives us plenty of time to make it perfect, doesn't it?"
'Plenty of time,' huh...?
Yes... Haruka was right. Phase 2 may have ended in failure, but her plan was still salvageable! She still had all of the afternoon to look forward to, and this time, she wouldn't mess up!
For the third time today, the idol pumped her fists in her head.
"You're right, Haruka-chan!" Finally, she was back to smiling, "Now let's go find somewhere else to eat!"
"There's the Minori I know," Haruka giggled, "Ah, but we should probably deal with this man first."
"Hmm? What ma-"
In her energy, the younger idol forgot the thief still pinned to the sidewalk.
"A-ah, right."
Phase 3: Afternoon
Here it was. The final phase and climax of the Give-Haruka-The-Best-First-Kiss-Plan (title pending)! And already, things were off to a good start.
"Minori, look! The penguins are waving at us!"
For the last part of her plan, Minori had gotten them two tickets to the nearby aquarium. Not only did the place have a penguin exhibit, but they also had a water show starting later, which the brunette already booked seats for.
She replayed the scenario in her head over a hundred times now. They would wander the exhibits, watch the show, and after that... That would be the moment of truth.
Their first kiss. Minori was planning for it to happen while she was walking Haruka home. A perfect end to a perfect day.
Yet sometimes, the brunette wondered if she could still pull off something like that. She had messed up both her morning and lunch plans. Could she even still call this a perfect day? Or was today nothing more than just pretty okay?
"Minori!" Haruka was clinging onto her arm again, her eyes sparkling, "Minori! I think that one just said hi to me!"
The younger idol blinked before breaking into a laugh. She couldn't be second guessing herself now. Not while the other girl looked at her with eyes so happy she could die.
And so, she just cast all of her worries to the wind. Just wandering the aquarium's exhibits with her girlfirend... that was enough for now. Everything else could come later.
"Ah, it's almost time for the show," Minori checked her phone and hummed. She wouldn't let them miss an appointment twice! "Let's go, Haruka-chan!"
It didn't take them long to find their seats at the front row, giving them a clear view of the pool where the show would take place.
"Do you think they're going to have penguins, Minori?"
"Ehehe, we'll just have to wait and see."
As if on cue, a voice suddenly boomed from the speakers above the audience.
"Welcome, everyone! Are you ready?!"
And just like that, the show began. One by one, differently colored spotlights shone on the aquatic stage, their radiance reflecting off of the water to create a kaleidoscope that glistened like a rainbow.
The aquarium's animals appeared in the water not soon after. They were mostly dolphins, but there were some other animals too, like penguins (to Haruka's eternal delight). Music began to play through the speakers, and spouts of water shot out from the middle of the pool in time to the beat.
It was like a wonderland. No, that wasn't right. To Minori, it was more like...
An idol performance.
It was bright and colorful and musical. It was a silly comparison, but she couldn't fight the smile off of her face if she tried.
"It's pretty, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Haruka spoke as she placed her hand over Minori's. The brunette reddened, yet the smile on her face remained, "It is."
The past few hours may have been rough, but this? This moment was as perfect as can be. Finally... things were finally looking up for her.
"Minori, look!" Haruka pointed at a dolphin that was getting close to their side of the pool, "It looks like that dolphin's greeting us!"
"You're right," Minori grinned, waving at the animal, "Hi, Dolphin-san!"
For a moment, it looked like the dolphin waved back at her. Then, it leapt into the air, spinning around as if it were showing off to its human onlookers.
"Woah! Dolphin-san looks so coo-"
SPLASH!
And then, it landed back into the pool, making a wave that soaked everyone sitting in the front rows of the audience.
Needless to say, those in the splash zone began to panic, their shirts and dresses now dripping with water. Immediately, the nearby staff ran to them, apologizing for their nautical friend's recklessness.
"Dolpin-san..." Minori stared blankly, still processing what just happened. And then... "HOW COULD YOU?!"
She stood up as she cried out to the fleeing dolphin. However, the mammal showed her no remorse, his back still turned as it sank into the depths of the pool. The brunette felt true betrayal from that gesture.
"Minori," Haruka was trying to suppress a laugh as she tugged on her girlfriend's sleeve, "The show's still going on."
"R-right, sorry!" Then, she shivered as a breeze passed through the audience, "A-actually... We should probably change."
"Ah, you're right," the blue idol giggled, as if she had only just realized that she was drenched in pool water, "It wouldn't do us any good to get sick."
Minori sighed. Just like that, Phase 3 of her plan blew up right in her face. She should've known better than to book them front-row seats for the show. If only she had thought about it a little more, maybe...
"Minori?"
Again, Haruka was holding on to her arm, "What's wrong?"
Leave it to her girlfriend to know when she was feeling down. The brunette just gave her a weak smile, "It's... nothing, Haruka-chan. I'm just..." She bit back another sigh, "I'm sorry. Today was supposed to be the perfect date, but I kept messing it up."
The older idol stared at her, her eyes widened.
Still, she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned away, letting the two of them walk in silence.
"You said that back at the restaurant, too," Finally, Haruka spoke, "Why do you want today to be perfect so much?"
"Because I..." Even now, with her plans up in flames, Minori still couldn't help but blush, "I-I was planning to... to kiss you after this."
...
"Oh."
"Y-yeah," Minori averted her eyes from the idol, "I thought that... since it would be our first kiss, it needed to be special. That's why I was trying to make today perfect." Then, she muttered to herself, "So much for that, though."
Another beat of silence. And then,
"Today was perfect, though."
Minori froze. Haruka was smiling at her. After everything that happened... she was smiling, "B-but... today was a mess."
"Well," the other girl tapped a finger on her chin, "I think we have different meanings for perfect. Because to me..."
She turned to face Minori, taking her hands in her own.
"Perfect is just... whenever I'm with you."
The brunette could only gape at her girlfriend's words. It took her a moment, but she finally found it in herself to laugh, "That was so corny, Haruka-chan."
"It's true, though. Here, let me prove it."
"Huh? What do you-"
And just like that, Haruka pressed her lips against Minori's.
The kiss itself was electrifying, but more than that, Minori just felt... warm. It was as if all of her worries, all of the doubts she had were just swept away. For a moment, everything felt so simple, as if the world had been reduced to nothing but the two of them. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the girl in front of her, and somehow... that was enough.
And then, the moment passed, and Haruka pulled away from her, slightly red but grinning all the same.
"See? That was perfect, right?"
Was it? Their clothes were still soaked, they were shivering in a damp corridor, and the show was probably going to finish while they were gone. It should've been the most unromantic first kiss ever. And yet...
"Yeah," Minori smiled back, "It was."
After everything that's happened, she wouldn't have it any other way.