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Once, Chisato had dragged her out to eat crêpes.
It had been during work hours.
“Takina! Get changed, we’re going out in five minutes!”
“What is it? Is there a job?”
But she hadn’t gotten a reply; instead, a whirlwind of red had brushed past her into the changing room.
The café hadn’t been particularly busy at the time, but it still felt immensely wrong to leave without any explanation in the middle of their shift. But Takina had no chance to protest. Five minutes later, she was being pulled along the street, Chisato effortlessly dodging oncoming pedestrians while looking backwards at her.
“Where are we going? Why are we in such a rush?”
“We’re going to eat crêpes!” Chisato sang out, that ever-present sunflower smile blooming on her face.
“H-Huh? Crêpes? Chisato, we’re still at work! And I thought we had a mission!”
“We are on a mission,” corrected Chisato. “A mission… to eat crêpes!” She let go of Takina’s hand to twirl in the middle of the street, flinging her arms out in an extravagant fashion. “This café is hugely popular right now, and I have to try them out! And what better way to experience delicious crêpes than with the best partner in the world?” She stopped rambling to check her watch. “Oh no! Takina! Hurry! We have to get there before the lunch crowd!” She grabbed Takina’s hand and set off with renewed vigor.
Takina was pulled down unfamiliar roads, Chisato weaving up and down side streets without even stopping to look at signs for directions, as if she’d walked this path a hundred times already.
When they eventually arrived at the café, it was crowded as predicted, but Chisato wasted no time in finding them a table and flagging down a waiter. Takina sat quietly as her partner rattled off the name of some dish without even needing to look at the menu.
When the waiter had left, Chisato leaned back on her chair, finally taking a breath, and smiled winningly at Takina. “We made it! I was worried they’d already be out of stock, but it seems we got here fast enough!”
“What exactly did you order?”
“The one that’s most popular right now! Look, Takina, look!” Chisato grabbed up the menu that was still sitting on the table and flipped it open. “I just know from the pictures that it’ll be delicious!” She pointed.
Takina scrutinized the glossy image. It did look quite appetizing. There were several types of fruit scattered atop the fluffy pancakes, and small swirls of cream were arranged in an artistic way throughout. (The whole thing oozed of carbohydrates. Takina recalled the last time Chisato brought her to a café like this. That one had been good, too.)
“From appearance alone, it does seem to deserve its popularity,” Takina mused, almost to herself. “I wonder if Café LycoReco were to concoct something similar, perhaps we would…” She trailed off, interrupted by the waiter setting down a heaping plate.
“Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!” The waiter bowed once and backed away.
“Oh! Takina, Takina, look!” Chisato’s voice was high-pitched with excitement. “The photos don’t do it justice at all, look!”
Takina glanced up. The plate was indeed even better looking than the menu photo, if that was even possible, and she felt her mouth water despite herself. As a Lycoris, Takina usually abstained from snacks and desserts like this. (Although she had been indulging herself more, now that she was around Chisato almost every moment of her days.)
While she was lost in thought, Chisato had already picked up the knife and fork, eyes sparkling in anticipation as she prepared to slice into the dessert. She made sure to get a piece of fruit on the fork as well, but to Takina’s surprise, Chisato reached out, and she found the fork with the bite-sized piece hovering right in front of her mouth.
“Open wide!”
“I… um—“ When she opened her mouth to protest, the fork was already shoved in, and the delicious, completely unhealthy taste of sweet pancake and crisp fruit filled her mouth.
“Is it good? Is it? Do you like it?” Chisato demanded from across the table, still holding out the fork.
Takina chewed and swallowed. “It… is,” she admitted, surprised at herself, then being surprised she was surprised. Chisato had made her try many desserts and snacks in the time they’d been together, and there had never been an unpleasant experience. Despite herself, Takina always ended up enjoying them. Or maybe she was just enjoying the experience of trying something new with Chisato? After all, if she were alone, she would never have touched anything like this… or something. Probably.
“Yahoo! I knew it!” Chisato cheered. She quickly cut up another piece and brought it to her own mouth, eagerly gulping it down. “Oh, that’s amazing! So delicious and amazing and nutritious— well, maybe not that last part, but that’s not important! I could eat this every day~”
“Lycoris shouldn’t be eating this sort of thing every day,” Takina began to say, but stopped herself. Chisato probably wasn’t listening anyway, and she realized if it meant coming here with Chisato every day, watching her devour that sweet concoction with that glorious sunflower smile on her face… Then maybe the carbohydrates wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Once, they had gone to the aquarium together.
It had been during their regular day off.
When Chisato had brought it up the day before, Takina pointed out, “Why would we go to the same place again? We’ve already seen the exhibits once.”
Chisato stomped her foot on the floor. “That’s not the point! I want to go to one of my favorite places in the world, with my favorite person in the world!” She went on to argue that the aquarium had opened a new exhibit, so it would not be the same old exhibits again, thank you very much… Or something like that, probably. Takina had stopped listening after the phrase “My favorite person in the world.”
It felt good. Really good. To be wanted in the way Chisato wanted Takina. Not just needed, the way she’d always thought would be enough for her; needed by the DA. Being wanted in a place instead of just being needed. Being wanted by Chisato. The thought made Takina feel bubbly inside.
“Also!” She was jolted out of her thoughts by Chisato’s exclamation. She was standing in a comical pose, one hand on her hip and the other raised high in the air like she was holding the Olympic torch or something. “It would be a waste if we didn’t use those annual passes! Remember! You have one, too, Takina! So! You’re a certified aquarium enjoyer now, just like me!”
She was right. After the last time, Takina had indeed applied for an annual aquarium pass. Because Chisato had refused to shut up about it as they’d walked out of the double doors, and she’d only turned around and done it to avoid her causing a scene in public. Or maybe, she’d wanted to do it. To come back with Chisato and experience the magical world under the wavering blue lights, of the fish that were shaped in funny ways, of the fish that weren’t even classified as fish sometimes. To come back with Chisato and watch… Chisato. Not even the fish. Because to be honest, Takina wasn’t really all that interested in weird-shaped fish anyway, she just wanted to see Chisato’s sunflower smile as she ran from exhibit to exhibit… Or something. Probably!
Takina shook her head to get rid of those cloying thoughts—she didn’t need to be having them right now—and interjected Chisato’s monologue. “Yes, yes, you’re right. So, when are we going?” That same bubbly feeling spread inside as she watched Chisato’s face light up even more than usual, if that was even possible, and the way she clasped her hands to her chest and hopped up and down on the spot in glee. “Yes! I’m going to the aquarium with Takina!” she cheered, loud enough for the entire café to hear. Then she turned around, redirecting that smile towards her partner. “What about… tomorrow?”
And Takina thought to herself, she wouldn’t even need to go to the aquarium to see that smile on Chisato’s face. Thinking back, she noted how lucky she was to work with Chisato, to be her partner, to see that expression of hers all the time for free. To have that expression directed towards her, most of the time. She really was lucky.
She held onto that thought all the way through the rest of their shift, as she and Chisato walked part of the way home together through the darkening streets, like they always did. She held onto it as they parted ways at the intersection, then the rest of the way home by herself, not really paying that much attention to her surroundings in an uncharacteristically inobservant way. Which, to be honest, wasn’t very Second-Lycoris-esque of her, since it was completely dark by then, but the thought was only a tiny one in the back of her head. She held onto the thought of Chisato’s smile as she got ready for bed, and all the way up until falling asleep. Imagining her partner’s sunflower smile that was unmatched by anyone else, and enjoying the unfamiliar bubbly feeling that rose up inside her.
(Kurumi squinted at her tablet screen. “Why is she smiling to herself in that dopey way?”
Mizuki shrugged. “Beats me. Hey! Focus on piloting your drone! We’re not done spying yet!”
“It’s very unlike Takina to not even notice this drone, huh? I’d expected her to have shot it down the second it left my charging station.”
“Yeah, me too. But it’s not just that. Did you see the way she almost bumped into that salaryman just now? What’s she so distracted by that she couldn’t even avoid that guy?”
“She’s been acting weird all day. Didn’t you notice how she was smiling to herself in the break room when she thought we weren’t looking?”
“Right!? It’s weird. I’ve never seen Takina like this.”)
The next day, she was greeted by a glowing Chisato at the train station, who commented with way too much excitement on Takina’s choice of casual clothes. (She’d chosen to wear the clothes they’d picked out together that time.) She leaned against Chisato as the train rattled along towards their destination, enjoying just listening to her partner’s endless chatter about how excited she’d been about today. Favorite place. Favorite person. Takina couldn’t keep the smile off her face when Chisato mentioned those phrases again.
Just like last time, Chisato had her by the hand, pulling her around all the exhibits in that classic unmatched Chisato way, heedless of the PLEASE DON’T RUN signs scattered about, pointing and exclaiming at all the old exhibits before dragging Takina along to find the newly-opened display. And later that night, as she arrived home, Takina realized she couldn’t even remember what the new exhibit had been displaying. She’d been too busy observing Chisato’s expressions instead. Oh well, that had indeed been the best part of the trip, anyway. Of any trip, aquarium or not, really. Of any day spent with Chisato. She had a way of lighting up anything, glowing so bright that everything else paled in comparison.
Once, they had watched the sunset together.
It was when they were still in Hawaii.
It hadn’t been planned. They had been too busy with the logistics of running the truck; the whole crew was still new to the job and there had been so many things to iron out to get it running as smoothly as the café back in Japan. Most of the logistics tasks had fallen to Takina, and she didn’t mind. She was good at it.
She was putting away the folding tables and chairs for the night. She first wiped them down with a damp cloth before dismantling them into a neat pile to be stored for the night. They were quite heavy, and the hinges were old and rusty from the sea air. It really was a job for two people, but everyone else was busy too. Mika was tallying up the stock and figuring out what they needed for the next day. From the truck close by, she could hear the faint shouts of Mizuki and Kurumi; they were probably bickering about something again. And Chisato… Chisato was probably doing something, too. Her partner wasn’t lazy by any means; she could be a troll at times, but she always pitched in to help when she was needed.
Takina knelt to undo the hinges on the underside of the table. The asphalt was cooling off. It got pretty hot during the day, baking under hours and hours of direct overhead sun. But the sun was setting now, and a fresh sea breeze was blowing along the coastline, tickling Takina’s twin tails as she fiddled with a hinge.
The setting sun was pretty. The LycoReco truck was parked just a few paces away from the beachfront and got a direct view of the sunset every night. The sun splashed both the darkening sky and the waves with shades of orange and red. It really was a spectacular sight, one you couldn’t see back at the café in Japan. Takina paused her work to appreciate it.
“Hey, hey, Takina! You need any help with the tables, partner?” She was surprised by Chisato coming along the pavement behind her. Chisato carefully set two glasses of something on the table and knelt down beside her.
“Oh… I was just taking a break, but yes, I could use your help,” Takina replied. “What’s this?” She picked up one of the glasses.
Chisato grinned. “It’s some of that new drink Mizuki came up with the other day! Mika said we have leftovers, and I thought we might as well eat it up instead of throwing it out!” She picked up the other glass and clinked it against the one Takina was holding. “Everyone who ordered it had great things to say, so I have high expectations!”
Takina nodded in agreement. “I see.” She took a sip. The drink was cool and refreshing, fruity and sweet but with some other tangy layer underneath that she couldn’t quite place. “Um, did Mizuki put alcohol in this?”
Chisato giggled at the question. “Wouldn’t it be strange if Mizuki came up with a drink that didn’t use alcohol? But it’s fine, Mika gave us the green light!”
Takina took another sip. “Well, either way, it’s quite good. Anything cold is welcome.”
Chisato hummed in agreement, and they lapsed into comfortable silence. Down on the beach, the waves washed against the sands and the sun sank ever closer to the horizon.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Takina broke the silence.
“Hmm? Oh, Takina, you can’t possibly be talking about me, can you? Takina, what a charmer you are!” Chisato cooed, setting down her empty glass and striking that same stupid model pose from their first aquarium outing.
“The sunset! I meant the sunset!” Takina quickly backtracked, feeling her face go pink. She hastily turned back towards the coast and took another sip to hide her cheeks.
“Aw, Takina, you’re so cruel! You don’t think I’m pretty?” Chisato continued, oblivious to her embarrassment. She was so over the top sometimes. Well, all of the time. But Takina didn’t hate it.
“No, I do! I mean, I—” Takina cut herself off, even more embarrassed at her own outburst. Next to her, Chisato was going off into peals of laughter, delightfully high-pitched.
“Don’t worry, Takina! I know what you mean!”
“Huh?”
She finally turned to see Chisato gazing at her, with a more serious air than just a moment ago. The setting sun, sinking closer and closer to the horizon, bathed her face in a gorgeous golden light. The stupid sunflower smile was gone from her face, but there was another expression there. The same gentle smile Chisato had smiled when she’d found her in Okinawa, the same stars in her eyes. The smile Takina had almost forgetten about, being too preoccupied with the sunflower smile Chisato wore every day. The mature smile that she had only seen Chisato smile once before. Both times directed towards her. Both times on the beach, as the sun set. Both times incredibly pretty, and attractive, and… what? Or something! Probably!
“Oh, I— um…” Takina stammered, feeling her cheeks heat up again when Chisato leaned gently against her shoulder in response, uncharacteristically quiet. She clamped her own mouth shut tight lest she said anything else embarrassing.
They lapsed back into silence again. Seeing Chisato’s gaze not leaving the horizon, where the sun was slowly bleeding its last golden rays into the waves, Takina felt comfortable enough to let her own gaze linger on Chisato’s face. The light changed ever so slightly with every moment, as the sun sank deeper and the sky grew darker, but somehow every shade of light on Chisato’s face was perfect. Or maybe it wasn’t the light that was perfect at all, but Chisato instead?
Of course it was. Chisato glowed without even trying, lighting up Takina’s world effortlessly, outshining everybody else and making them all fade into the background. Chisato’s sunflower smile, the one Takina was lucky enough to see every single day. Her rarer gentle smile, the one Takina had only seen twice, which made it even more special. Her sparkling eyes, which held all the stars in the universe, and then some. Her stupid cheerful perfect personality that had picked Takina up like a whirlwind against her will. Chisato, who had changed her life irrevocably.
Words from a long-ago time echoed back in her head. “There are things you can gain from losing something.”
Takina reflected on how things had gone since she’d met Chisato. I wouldn’t wish for things to be any other way.