Chapter Text
Shizuku Hinomori is one of the most popular students in her high school. She's smart, athletic, elegant, and even the captain of the cheer team. Lots of girls and guys in her school admired her, all in all, she was a school icon. There's always something about her when she steps into a room, some sort of strange aura. Which was pretty strong, like an unusual power over everyone..
But moving on, what she usually experiences is lots and lots and LOTS of confessions, she's exhausted by it. She never told this to anyone, but she's actually pretty tired of people only interacting or knowing her by her popular status. She understands that because of being the cheer captain and everything else that made her popular, most people would only know her of that status, nothing else. She wishes others could treat her equally like everyone else, instead of just being known as the “popular, gorgeous cheer captain.”
In Shizuku's school, comes another student whose name is Mafuyu Asahina. She and Mafuyu were opposites, since Mafuyu is more quiet and not very known despite being one of the top students, or as people like to call her, a “nerd” with the look of her glasses and casual outfit.
She usually stays in the library or in class, buried in a book or doing work, not a lot of people want to hangout with her because of that. Mafuyu doesn't mind it, since —of course— she can't change how they think of her, and got used to being alone. With these differences between her and Shizuku, they don't really know each other that well, and only pass by each other at the halls. Though for Shizuku… She's always been curious about Mafuyu, wondering what she's like when she's not sticking her nose to a book or studying.
Today, Shizuku was sitting with her friends at lunch. But it's more like sitting with popular kids than friends, since she basically got adopted by them after being the cheer captain and all. She chats and laughs along with the others as usual, who were mostly talking and gossiping about recent school events. The cheerleaders talking about cheering, jocks talking about sports, Shizuku felt like they've already repeated the same stories everyday by now. The blue-haired cheerleader averted her gaze from them, then spotted Mafuyu there at a table by herself. She was focused on a textbook so she didn't notice Shizuku's stare. She was most likely studying again, occasionally adjusting her glasses when it slid a bit down her nose.
Shizuku kept staring at her quietly until one of her friends, another cheerleader, waved a hand in front of her, and she spoke to her..
“Hey~? Shizuku?? Were you even paying attention?” The other cheer leader said to her captain.
Shizuku blinked a bit before shaking her head slightly then answered with a small laugh, “Haha, sorry. I was just… A bit distracted, but I didn't quite catch what you just said though..” Shizuku said softly, she rubbed her neck with her hand as she gave the other a smile.
The other cheerleader was skeptical, even her other friends were, too. Another one of the kids, a jock, leaned back on his chair while crossing his arms as he looked at her. “You aren't staring at that nerd freak again, are you?” The jock asked with a smirk and had a mocking undertone to his voice. That statement made Shizuku a bit uncomfortable, the nerd wasn't a freak at all, what are they even talking about?
But Shizuku didn't say anything, she just averted her eyes away from the others as she replied to him, “No, no.. Nothing like that. Just spaced out a bit, you know how I am.” She said hesitantly, hoping that could get the others off her back, which it did. Although they gave her weird and curious looks, they continued their conversation again without a care, Shizuku joined in occasionally but still stole a few glances at Mafuyu..
After Shizuku ate lunch with the other kids, she headed to her locker to grab a few books for her next class. That was when she spotted that familiar purple hair in a ponytail and those thin glasses of Mafuyu's at the hallway, also heading to her locker. Shizuku thought she could just walk away and move on with her day, like she usually does, but this time she wanted to… Do something different for a change. She's always been curious about Mafuyu, maybe this could be her chance!
Shizuku closed and locked her locker, she put her keys back in her pocket while holding her books in her other arm. She then walked over to Mafuyu's locker and leaned against it as she waited for the other girl to notice her.
When Mafuyu closed her locker and picked up her books, she glanced to the side and noticed Shizuku standing right beside her. There wasn't any expression on Mafuyu's face, except for a hint of confusion. She looked up at her while holding her books against her chest, “... Can I help you?”
Mafuyu's voice sounded soft and quiet, which to Shizuku, was a bit surprising. She thought her voice would've sounded more elegant and deeper, but right now it sounded like a narrator's voice for a children's lullaby, or maybe even a picture book.
Shizuku shook off the thought, as she smiled at Mafuyu while also handling her own books, “Hey, you're Asahina, right? That one girl who does nothing but read all day?” Shizuku tilted her head, looking back at Mafuyu with what could be a charming expression as others liked to call it.
Strangely, Mafuyu seemed unaffected by it, and simply nodded as if she wasn't talking to some sort of popular girl out of the blue. She locked her locker again while she answered, “Yes. That's me. I'm assuming you're Hinomori?”
Shizuku was caught off guard before quickly replying, “Uh… Yeah, that's me. I'm pretty well known, huh?” Shizuku said lightly with a chuckle, but Mafuyu stayed quiet like some sort of statue. It felt odd to Shizuku, but at the same time, it felt like a nice change from the usual approach other kids give her. “I take it that you aren't much of a talker. Or… you're intimidated?” Shizuku teased lightly.
Mafuyu responded once more, “I just don't feel the need to chat a lot.” Mafuyu stated like it was the obvious, which was technically true.
Shizuku started to think about how painfully awkward this conversation is, she chuckled a bit again as she put her hands in her Letterman jacket pockets, her books tucked under her arm, “True, true… Then I must be annoying you a bit, sorry… I'll go to my class now, see you!” The cheerleader heads off without hearing another reply from Mafuyu (but it didn't seem like the nerd really did reply), she reflected on how differently Mafuyu treated her compared to others… Quiet, straightforward, and had that soothing and soft voice…
Shizuku tried not to think about it too much, although she wouldn't mind speaking to Mafuyu again sometime.
— ♡ —
Today, Shizuku was walking to the library to extend her book due date, she talked with the librarian for a bit then thanked her as she took the book back.
She glanced around the library, searching for that bookworm once more. And there she was, Mafuyu was currently sitting down with her face buried in a book. Shizuku lit up at the sight of her, and headed towards her direction. She took a few steps, and made it to her table.
She hovered over her while supporting herself up with a hand on the table, “Fancy meeting you here again, Asahina.”
Shizuku waited for a reply from Mafuyu, the other girl just glanced up briefly then returned back to her book, “Good afternoon, Hinomori.” Mafuyu responded quietly.
Shizuku can't help but feel a bit happy how Mafuyu remembered her name— Wait, why is she, anyway? She's a well known student here, of course Mafuyu would remember. Oh darn, get yourself together, Shizuku. “... Do you mind if I sit next to you? If you're planning to read alone though, that's fine.”
Shizuku asked Mafuyu, the other girl responded with a nod shortly after, and went back to reading and replied, “Sure.” Shizuku hummed at that, and sat down next to her. She opened up her book and started reading alongside Mafuyu. For a moment, Shizuku felt a little more at peace. She wasn't the type of person to read with others since her friends or the other popular kids were either too busy or weren't bookworms like her. So it was a refreshing change for Shizuku to read with Mafuyu like this.
Minutes passed, and the silence lingered on, Shizuku had this urge to speak and chat with Mafuyu again but she figured she'd be too engrossed in her book right now. Shizuku fidgeted a little with the small corner of her book, trying to think of something to say and start up another conversation.
She didn't notice how Mafuyu glanced at her briefly, and as if she read her mind, Mafuyu spoke up to her, “Do you want to talk about something?”
Shizuku's eyes snapped to her direction, seeing those violet eyes with light blue accents looking right at her. She fumbled a bit with her words since she got caught off guard, “Uh… Well, I suppose I do want to chat with you, Asahina. Maybe even get to know you a little better.” Shizuku said truthfully, just how is Mafuyu so perceptive?
Mafuyu observed her briefly, then spoke up again, “What do you want to know about me?”
Shizuku then replied, “Just how you are overall. You're a lot different, at least in my opinion… Mostly others would be either nervous to talk to me, converse with me with a lot more excitement than they do with others, all that. But you're just… There. Like nothing really phases you, from what I've seen and heard.” Shizuku explained to Mafuyu.
The nerd then replied to her shortly after while still keeping her eyes on the words in the book, “I just think you're still a normal human instead of a supernatural cheer captain or popular girl everyone says. We're all human with feelings just as important as others, so I'll treat you equally. No matter our status,” Mafuyu then added on as she looked back at Shizuku, “Just as long as you're worthy to be treated as such.”
That reply made Shizuku lose her words for a moment. As long as you're worthy, huh… Shizuku's not sure if she'd fulfilled that criteria already. But if Mafuyu's still talking to her then… “...You think I'm worthy?”
Shizuku waited patiently for Mafuyu to reply, then the other girl responded without breaking eye contact, “Yes.”
Shizuku turned silent. To anyone, it could just be a regular statement that doesn't mean all that much. But just something about Mafuyu saying that simple word with a complete dead face and quiet voice… This response made her feel a little better.
“...Hehe… Thanks.” Shizuku chuckled a bit, she watched as Mafuyu continued reading, then she looked back at her own book to do the same.
After a while, they were both now walking out of the library. Shizuku glanced down at Mafuyu, smiling at her, “We should spend more time together, you're nice to be with.”
Next to Shizuku, Mafuyu considered it for a bit, before nodding. “...Sure.”
Shizuku's lips curled into a wider smile, having this unusual giddy feeling in her chest. She waved at Mafuyu goodbye, “I'll get going now, bye, Asahina!“ Shizuku left Mafuyu once more, she walked back to her dorm with a satisfied feeling.
During the next few days, Shizuku kept hanging out with Mafuyu, at least in secret. When they're in the halls, Shizuku shares a smile with Mafuyu. When Shizuku notices Mafuyu in the library, she gives her a small wave. Shizuku would even eat with Mafuyu in secluded places, with just the two of them. Every chance she gets, Shizuku always finds a way to spend time and interact with her.
Why is she doing this in secret? Well, if she were to do all of that publicly, she wouldn't hear the end of it from the other kids in school, so she settles in for the private hang outs they do.
One day in particular, Shizuku was walking with the popular kids through the halls. She looked around for the familiar shade of purple hair, and when she did, she asked to excuse herself from them, “I think I'll be going somewhere else for now, I'll make time tomorrow, promise!”
Shizuku tried to walk away, but was interrupted as one of the kids spoke up, a cheerleader. “Ugh… Seriously? You're always off somewhere else, it's like you don't even care about us anymore.” The girl scoffed as she crossed her arms, the others also agreed with her.
“Yeah, what's your damage?”
“Do you not like us?”
“Where are you even going, anyway…”
Shizuku was surprised at the sudden intrusion and comments the others made, she started feeling a bit nervous and self-conscious about it. She did feel like she hasn't been spending time with them lately…
“Um… R-Right, sorry! I've just… Been doing other things.” Shizuku hoped that would be enough to convince them, but she still felt some guilt at lying on their faces. She hoped she could have the courage to tell them—
“Tch… What? You're ditching us for that nerd again?” Another cheerleader said, breaking Shizuku's thoughts briefly. That sentence made her freeze a bit, she stuttered as she tried to come up with a reply.
“What… ?” Shizuku said quietly. “Don't play dumb, you always half-ass your conversations with us since you keep ogling at that four-eyed freak. Hehe, it's like you'd prefer being with a loner than being popular.” The cheerleader replied with a smirk. Which was… Honestly more true than Shizuku wants. She felt even more guilty because of that.
She rubbed her arm with her other hand, looking down at the floor, “Sorry, I've… Been wanting to get to know her better—” “Oh shut up, yeah? If you want to leave this group you coulda said it. We'll just tell everyone how much of a bad captain you are for not paying attention to your team.” The girl claimed, the other cheerleaders also nodded their heads with smirks of their own.
Shizuku felt stuck in this situation, she tried not to let it get to her, considering this was a common occurrence for her to stay in the group. Shizuku tightened her grip on her own arm, before loosening it and looked back at the other girls, “... Right… I should've realized that I wasn't being a very attentive captain. I apologize, I'll try to balance my hangouts now.” Shizuku smiled reassuringly to the girls.
Though for them, it only sounded like another half-assed excuse to get out of this conversation. “Uh huh. Sure. If you're really the captain, I think you should know by now what Asahina's reputation is like. You'll be disappointed in how awkward and uninteresting that little glasses girl is like. Just saying, maybe it's better to leave that loner alone~” Another girl said in particular, resting her hands on her hips.
Shizuku bit her lip slightly as she struggled for a response. The only other way she could get them to leave this conversation alone is to say she won't bother with Mafuyu anymore… But her two decisions are fighting whether or not she should do so, or continue hanging out with Mafuyu and lose her friends. She figured the former would be the most ideal one, as she didn't want her reputation to go to waste. She sighed as she put on her smile again as she answered, “Alright, I'll just stay with you girls.”
The cheerleaders in response smirked and some chuckled at that, they continued walking along the hallway. While they were talking, Shizuku still thought about Mafuyu, and how she could still hang out with her now. Shizuku silently walks with her friends, feeling conflicted now…
—♥︎—
Shizuku was currently walking out of class, she saw Mafuyu leaning against the wall while looking at her phone. Shizuku debated whether or not to approach her, but she didn't see anyone noticing or looking at her right now. She inhaled and let out a short breath as she walked over to Mafuyu.
“Hey! Asahina.” Shizuku waved at Mafuyu, the other girl looked up from her phone as she replied quietly, “Hinomori.”
“Sorry we didn't get to eat today… I was with my friends. We can still hangout now though. Just somewhere else.” Shizuku offered it to Mafuyu.
Mafuyu thought about it, before nodding at that. They both were now walking together, and made it to a secluded staircase with no one else around them. They sat together, and silence fell between them as Mafuyu was still looking through her phone.
Shizuku then breaks the silence shortly after, “Hey, Asahina… When I said I couldn't join you today, how did you feel..?”
Mafuyu looked away from her phone again, she pondered on it as she put her phone in her pocket. “I felt normal. I understand you don't always have time for me,” Mafuyu said with an understanding tone. “Is it because of school? Or cheer practice?”
Shizuku fidgeted with her fingers, she shook her head timidly. “No, it's just… My friends, or the other cheerleaders, don't really like the thought of us hanging out and all… I did try to keep our time together a bit hidden, but I guess I wasn't too discreet about it…” Shizuku said with a guilty expression.
Mafuyu just stared at her, seeing her in this state made her feel… Some sort of emotion she can't put a finger on. But it didn't seem pleasant. Shizuku then realized how her words sounded, then laughed it off nervously, “Sorry…! I must've sounded weird, sorry I brought this up so suddenly, I—”
“You don't need to apologize. It's fine.” Mafuyu cuts her off before Shizuku can continue, “It's just that not a lot of people like me, like I've said before."
Shizuku had that familiar guilty feeling in her, and it can't help but grow when Mafuyu said those words. She didn't want her to feel that way, but what could she do? Mafuyu already got used to the feeling, so she doesn't know what to do about it
“... That's really unfair… They don't even know you properly, and they're only assuming things about you. Couldn't they at least give you a chance..?” Shizuku said to Mafuyu.
The other girl stayed quiet, but had a bit of tension in her fingers while holding her phone. “They don't care. I'm just a girl who likes to read and barely interacts with anyone. And even if I did, I would only creep them out because of how I speak. That's what they all think.” Mafuyu continued, “And that's all I am...” She added quietly.
Shizuku looked at Mafuyu with a concerned and worried expression, she contemplated her words before speaking out to her, “I don't think that,“ Shizuku timidly said to her, “You're more than just a… Nerd, like how everyone perceives you.”
Mafuyu's eyes darted to Shizuku, “... Really?” She asked quietly to the other girl. Shizuku smiled at her, “Yes. I mean, I don't really know you that well yet but I can tell you're a pretty blunt type. You're very direct, too.” Shizuku placed a hand over Mafuyu's, “And I like how true you act to me. You don't care at all if I'm popular, and I like that.”
She softly tightened her grip on Mafuyu's hand, “So I want you to keep being… You. And if you ever need to talk about something, or ever need help, please do rely on me.” Shizuku looked down at Mafuyu with a gentle expression.
As Mafuyu heard that, she felt… Speechless. She didn't know how to feel about that, or the strange but warm feeling in her chest as she heard those words that came out of her mouth. But it made her feel… A bit more comfortable, even when those words held a foreign feeling in them, or foreign to hear in general.
She opened her mouth to say something, but all of her thoughts went away as she did. She closed her mouth again, then murmured a quiet, “... Thank you. For not… Judging me.”
Shizuku smiled as she heard the quiet response from her, “Of course. That's what friends are for.” She said to her with a joyous expression, she's just glad Mafuyu will be able to feel comfortable with her.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have any plans for the next few weeks?” Shizuku asked, Mafuyu thought about it before replying, “I will be busy on the weekdays, but I suppose I will not be doing anything on Saturday. Why?” Mafuyu told Shizuku with a curious tone.
Shizuku then beamed at that, she leaned closer to her with light in her eyes, “How about we go out to that nearby arcade then? We can play, take pictures, and eat together!”
Mafuyu was a bit surprised at the invitation. Going to an arcade… ? It's been a long time since she's gone to one, considering how busy she was all the time at school. Mafuyu figured this could be a nice break from all of her work.
Mafuyu nodded, “Okay, I'll go. What time?” She asked the other girl, “We can go at 4:00 pm since I'll have practice that day. I'll be right at your dorm door, okay?”
Mafuyu hummed in agreement, she looked at her phone again as she took note of it. “Alright. I'll see you then.” Shizuku nodded her head. Mafuyu looked down at their hand again, and noticed they're still touching, with Shizuku's hand right on top of the other girl's. Shizuku's eyes widened before quickly taking her hand off of hers.
“Haha, sorry! I didn't realize I was still touching your hand…” Shizuku said with a slight blush on her face, feeling flustered. Mafuyu's eyes darted to Shizuku, then back at her hand. Without Shizuku's touch, her hand seemed… Empty, like she's wishing Shizuku's hand would touch hers once more.
But she shook off the feeling and shook her head as well, “It's fine.” Mafuyu said. Shizuku nodded again, and sat back normally with her hands on her lap. Silence continued on between them, but within it, was a mutual feeling they both had. A feeling where their presence didn't seem so bad to each other.
—✩—
Days passed, now it’s finally Saturday! Shizuku had just finished up some cheer practice at 3:00 pm, and she is now heading to her dorm. When she arrived at her room, she quickly began getting ready, picking out clothes for the upcoming hang out with Mafuyu.
She didn't even notice that her roommate was there, sitting in bed while doing something on her laptop before she spoke up, “What're you in a rush for?”
Shizuku jumped a bit and let out a surprised sound, she looked back at the roommate before smiling nervously, “I'm just getting ready to go out with a friend! We're going to an arcade later.”
Shizuku's roommate looked up from her laptop, seeing Shizuku preparing herself so hastily. “Well you don't need to hurry, dude. You look like a messy puppy.” Her roommate teased, which made Shizuku a bit flustered.
“I know, but I'm just too excited! She's really nice to be with…” Shizuku said with a slight pout while picking out her clothes. It made her roommate curious, so she closed her laptop to look at her.
“Who are you even going with, anyway? Another one of your cheerleader friends or… ?” She asked the other girl with a raised eyebrow, “Well… I'm going with Asahina, actually!” Shizuku said cheerfully, she didn't register the surprise in her roommate's face and just held up an outfit in front of her. “Do you think this outfit will look good?”
Shizuku's roommate broke out of her daze before replying to her, “Uh, yeah, it does… But you're going with Mafuyu? Seriously? I thought she disliked going out or something. Or with people in general…” The roommate said to Shizuku, to which the other girl replied, “Well, that's because you don't know her that well. She's actually really nice.” Shizuku continued, “Just because she seems that way doesn't mean she actually does hate people.”
Her roommate wanted to protest, but then again… Shizuku was right, she didn't really know her and just made assumptions of her. She sighed as she spoke, “I guess so… Then, have fun.” The roommate said while watching Shizuku finishing up her outfit. She puts on her letterman jacket over her shirt and starts putting on some makeup.
Shizuku's roommate then went back to working on her laptop, while the other was now finished. Shizuku grabbed her bag, put on her shoes, and walked to the dorm door. She opened it and started walking to Mafuyu's dorm.
Shizuku finally made it to her dorm, then knocked on the door. She waited for a bit before it finally opened, and was met with the sight of Mafuyu, who was dressed in a casual collar shirt, a hoodie jacket , and jeans. Shizuku smiled as she greeted her
“Hey, are you ready to go?” Shizuku said to the other, Mafuyu only nodded in response as she slung a bag over her shoulder. “Yes. Let's go.” Mafuyu walked out of the door and closed it, then walked along with Shizuku to the arcade. With Mafuyu walking in a poised manner, while Shizuku walked with elegance but casualty, putting her hands in her jacket pockets.
During the walk there, there were sounds of the streets bustling and people walking past them. The walk was silent before Shizuku spoke up again, “I like your outfit, you look great.” Shizuku hoped that it didn't seem too awkward to Mafuyu… The other girl only glanced at her before nodding back, “Thank you. You look good, as well.”
Shizuku chuckled lightly while scratching her head, “Hehe, thanks. I think I rushed a little bit while getting ready since I was too excited to see you.” Shizuku told the other girl, letting the last part slip out of her mouth.
Mafuyu only looked back at the girl with a curious look, “You were excited to see me?” She asked the other, which made Shizuku a little flustered. “Oh! Uh… Yeah, I guess I was. Since this is technically our first time going out together. So I couldn't wait at all.” Shizuku said with a smile.
Mafuyu stayed silent, but only hummed in acknowledgement. “That makes sense. I think I was also a bit… Excited. To hang out with you.” Mafuyu said, and Shizuku felt a little giddy feeling in her heart at the response. “Well, let's hurry to the arcade!” Shizuku smiled wider when she suddenly grabbed Mafuyu's hand and dragged her to the arcade, which caught Mafuyu by surprise.
Despite Mafuyu getting dragged to the arcade, she followed behind Shizuku as she allowed the girl to lead her (definitely not because she likes the feeling of her soft hands against her own). After a few minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the arcade. Shizuku opened the door to let Mafuyu in first, and they were met with the sight of various games and bright lights, with a bunch of people playing games and collecting tickets.
Mafuyu was aware of how loud the place was, but didn't comment, and followed Shizuku to the cashier and exchanged her money to fill her game card. All while they were still holding hands which Shizuku hadn't noticed. After she paid, she looked back at Mafuyu with excitement.
“So, what game do you want to play first?” Mafuyu asked Shizuku, in which the other girl looked around for something to play with. The cheerleader’s eyes lit up as she saw a game in particular, a claw machine! She dragged the nerd there with eagerness. “Oh, let's try this one! It has so many cute plushies!” Shizuku said, while Mafuyu got caught off guard again by the sudden pull. This girl seriously needs to stop dragging her around…
In their whole hangout, they played all sorts of games together, ranging from claw machines (in which Mafuyu managed to successfully achieve a plushie for Shizuku), to car games, rhythm games, aiming games, the likes. Shizuku has been having fun the whole time, genuinely happy playing games with Mafuyu… The other girl even noticed how lively the girl was, and it made her feel a weird sensation in her chest…
Right now, they had tons of tickets at this point, “Hehe, you're pretty good at these games, Asahina!” Shizuku said with a cheery expression, her arm holding the plushie Mafuyu achieved for her, and her other hand still holding Mafuyu's.
While they were walking around with an absurd amount of tickets—because of how ridiculously lucky Shizuku was—Mafuyu looked around, and saw a group of kids who were actually the popular kids from school… Mafuyu was surprised, and tugged on Shizuku's sleeve to get her attention.
“Are those your friends?” Mafuyu asked Shizuku. She let out a hum of curiosity and looked at where Mafuyu was looking, and there she saw the popular kids in the arcade with them. They haven't noticed her and Mafuyu yet since they were busy playing a game, but the sight of them made Shizuku’s eyes widen. She then panicked as she scrambled for an escape by looking around her.
“Uh— Um… L-Let's go somewhere else.” Shizuku started leading Mafuyu to another area at the arcade, far enough so the popular kids won't find them. As they reached a decently quiet part, Shizuku then sighed in relief, grateful that the popular kids hadn't noticed them.
“Good.. They didn't see us… Haha, if they did, I probably wouldn't hear the end of it!” Shizuku chuckled awkwardly, she faced back to Mafuyu. “Oh, sorry about that. I was just worried they'd notice us… And they'd be pretty confused why I'm here with you.”
Mafuyu was still processing the sudden change of areas, but she shook her head lightly, “It's fine. I understand… It'd be weird to see someone like me be with you. At least to kids in our school.” Mafuyu spoke gently to Shizuku, which made the other girl upset that Mafuyu could just deal with it like that… But then again, she's Mafuyu.
Shizuku sighed, then looked back at Mafuyu with a smile, “Maybe… Then we'll just keep this as our secret, hm? Hehe…” Shizuku held up a pinkie to Mafuyu, in which the other girl inspected it first before slowly raising her hand. Mafuyu held up her pinkie, then wrapped it with Shizuku's in return, “Very well.”
Shizuku nodded in approval, feeling happy with Mafuyu's reply. She noticed that at her side there was a photo booth, and Shizuku figured this would be the perfect time to take some photos with Mafuyu. She took Mafuyu's hand to the photo booth.
“How about we take some pictures to remember this moment?” The cheerleader asked. Mafuyu looked at the photo booth, before nodding at her, “Okay.”
Shizuku smiled as she took the nerd closer to the booth. Once they made it, she sat down first and patted the spot next to her for Mafuyu to sit on. Shizuku was smiling really widely as she got ready to take pictures with Mafuyu, not registering how ridiculously close they were right now.
The camera turned on to indicate the photo being taken soon, and Shizuku quickly got into a pose along with Mafuyu. The cheerleader snapped a cute pose by holding up a peace sign and a bright smile, while the nerd just made an awkward pose with a peace sign as well.
In the second pose, Shizuku had the end of both her palms below her chin and winked at the camera, while Mafuyu had her knuckles below her chin to mimic Shizuku's pose.
In the third pose, Shizuku made a heart cheek, Mafuyu did the same. And throughout the three photos, Mafuyu still kept the same blank expression.
Except, in the fourth pose, Shizuku smiled as she suddenly held out a half heart hand, which was waiting for Mafuyu to finish it. It caught the nerd off guard that it took her a short while to register what it meant. She followed after Shizuku to finish the heart, but the photo was already taken mid-way of completing the heart.
Mafuyu silently cursed herself as she sat back on the seat, while waiting for Shizuku to finish editing the photos. She watched as Shizuku took the pen and added a few things, saying things such as “We look so cute!”, “This filter's gorgeous…”, “The stickers fit so well.”
But Mafuyu was still thinking back on the sudden half heart gesture Shizuku made, she figured she was overthinking, and shook her head as she waited for the cheerleader to finish.
After a while, the photos were finished being processed, and they both took the two copies of their pictures. Shizuku laughed lightly when she looked at them, “I just realized you've been copying my poses even with that blank face… A smile would've been better. But oh well, these turned out so cute~” Shizuku said, meanwhile Mafuyu continued staring at the photo strips.
She started thinking about how different they both looked while taking the photos, but still held that familiar warmth Shizuku gives her. Mafuyu hummed in acknowledgement as she tucked the photos in her small bag, “Yes, they turned out better than I expected.” Mafuyu said blankly.
Shizuku noticed the last photo in the photo strip, “Oh…? You didn't fully complete the heart, it looks like you were paused mid-pose.” Shizuku mentioned it to Mafuyu, it made the other girl surprised that Shizuku had noticed that.
“... Yes, I was just caught off guard by your pose. I suppose I was too slow to finish…” Mafuyu answered quietly, feeling awkward at admitting this to her. But the other girl only responded with a giggle.
“That makes sense… You looked a little lost during the whole photo booth session, I don't blame you. Thank you for agreeing to take photos with me, anyway!” Shizuku said to Mafuyu with a soft smile. It made the other girl contemplate her words, before settling with a simple nod and hum. “Of course.”
After the two of them finished playing some games and taking photos, they were heading to the food court by the arcade to find something to eat. Eventually, they found a stand that sells ice cream, and Shizuku thought about getting some. The cheerleader tapped the nerd's shoulder as she pointed at the stand.
“Do you want to get some ice cream? They have a lot of flavors. And I'll treat you, just like I said..” She asked Mafuyu. The other girl only observed the stand for a bit before shrugging, “Sure.” Shizuku pouted a little bit at Mafuyu's nonchalant response, but decided on ice cream in the end.
They walked to the stand, as Shizuku placed her order. “Hello! I would like two scoops in a cup of… The matcha ice cream, please.” She watched as the worker nodded, and turned back to Mafuyu. “What about you, Asahina?”
Mafuyu looked over at the flavors, trying to figure out a flavor she could get (since she basically has zero preference), then settled in for the most amazing and unique flavor ever. Vanilla.
“Two scoops of vanilla in a cup, please.” Mafuyu added on to the worker. They both finished taking their orders, and Shizuku finished paying for it as well. Shizuku took the ice cream the worker gave them after. Shizuku and Mafuyu nodded, and Shizuku muttered an extra “thank you” before leaving to sit down.
Shizuku and Mafuyu sat down together by a quiet and peaceful bench, and they both started enjoying their sweet, cold treats. After a moment of silence, Mafuyu spoke up, “You've spent a lot on me today.” She said, it was a pretty direct statement, it almost made Shizuku get caught off guard.
But the cheerleader just laughed awkwardly and rubbed her neck, “I guess… Sorry about that! It's just been so exciting being with you here… I can't figure out why, but I just feel a lot more loose with you, you know?”
That made Mafuyu a bit surprised… But again, it was true. Shizuku seemed to be a lot less composed today, since she's mostly been dragged around by the cheerleader, anyway. “... Yeah, I think I get it.” The nerd said as she took a lick of her ice cream. “I'm glad you feel comfortable enough with me.”
“No, thank you. I'm just happy you even agreed to hang out with me, hehe…” Shizuku replied, taking another lick of the ice cream and letting out a hum of contentment. “This ice cream's really good… Maybe we should buy it again from here sometime, if you want to go out again.”
Mafuyu stared at Shizuku as continued enjoying her ice cream, and her eyes darted down to the sweet treat, then to… Her lips. She stared at them for a brief second, before looking back up at Shizuku's face.
“... Sure.” Mafuyu replied quietly.