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Never before had a middle school girl been so intimidating to Tsubasa. However, under this set of circumstances, Yukiho Kousaka was one of the three most threatening people in the world. The way she looked at Tsubasa wasn’t even aggressive, or disapproving, it was hardly a negative look at all, it was a look of curious judgement that managed to send shivers creeping down her spine. Honoka greeted her sister cheerfully “Hey Yukiho! This is my girlfriend Tsubasa!” she beamed, looking between her girlfriend and her sister.
Honoka had decided that she should introduce Tsubasa to her family, a decision which up until she actually got into it, Tsubasa approved of. She had expected it to be casual, calm and certainly unintimidating. But at the first hurdle she had already fallen. Although she could perform in front of tens of thousands, one middle school girl had managed to bring her to her knees and drain her of her confidence.
“I know who she is, Honoka. She’s the most famous school idol in the country.” Yukiho responded sarcastically, before turning to Tsubasa. “Hi, obviously I’m Honoka’s sister. It’s amazing to meet you Kira-San.”
“Hello. You can just call me Tsubasa by the way..” she replied, deciding the best course of action was to get personal with them as soon as possible, not only to make them more accepting of her but also for the satisfaction it gave her, it made her feel more like part of their family. The thought wouldn’t leave her, her confidence bloomed the more she explored it. She turned her head to look at Honoka, not smiling was impossible.
An amazed smile crept over Yukiho’s face “O-okay, Tsubasa-San.” just saying her name excited her, “Uh, our parents are just through here. So… Um. Yeah.” she stuttered, turning and walking into the living room being overwhelmed at having met Tsubasa, bewildered at how Honoka of all people was dating her, and frustrated with herself and how awkwardly she had ended their conversation.
Letting out a sigh, Tsubasa felt Honoka hold her hand firmly. “She’s a huge fan.” she giggled, “How’re you feeling?” she asked, leaning into her girlfriend happily.
“Well, it’s a bit more stressful than expected.” Tsubasa admitted, smiling nervously at Honoka “First impressions are a big deal, and I want their approval. So this sort of feels like a big deal.” she continued, playing with the hem of her shirt slightly.
Honoka outright laughed at her “You’re being ridiculous Tsubasa-Chan.” she kissed her lightly on the forehead. “They’re gonna like you, don’t worry. You’re charismatic, smart, funny, and you make me happy.” she kissed her once again “What more could they want in a daughter-in-law?”
Tsubasa’s confidence was thoroughly restored, she kissed Honoka back softly. “Thanks, Honoka-Chan.” she said, looking to the door before them with an odd form of excitement.
It was at this point they realised they had taken so long to follow Yukiho that she had come back into the room and was watching them for nearly the entire time. “U-um. You can come in you know…” she said, her tone a chimera of teasing, embarrassment and impatience.
“O-oh. Sorry!” Honoka responded, taking Tsubasa’s hand and pulling her into the room with her as she swore under her breath.
Honoka’s parents loomed like monarchs, their presence was overwhelming to Tsubasa. As she stood utterly paralysed Honoka passed her, walking up to her parents and hugging them both in greeting. Honoka looked back at Tsubasa expectantly as she released her parents from her embrace. Realising what she had to do, she stepped forward “Hello, my name is Kira Tsubasa. It’s nice to meet you both.” she bowed to show her respect, before offering them her hand to shake.
Honoka’s father took it, his hand eclipsing hers entirely. She examined him, he seemed colossal. He towered over her, his face nearly expressionless. His mouth curved slightly downward however it wasn’t quite a frown, there was no sense of sadness to it. Tsubasa never saw his eyes, her gaze always cut short at his nose for some reason she just couldn’t look him in the eye. From what she could see, his expression was stern, with a hint of judging disapproval. Tsubasa had never expected Honoka’s father to be intimidating, she had always imagined him as a soft, easygoing man that somewhat reflected his daughter. In reality, he seemed to the opposite.
He let go of Tsubasa’s hand, looking her over the way she had to him. He sat down. Whatever he was thinking was an enigma to Tsubasa. Deciding not to stress on it anymore, Tsubasa turned to Honoka’s mother who had been politely watching with a smile on her face. The sight of her was refreshing to Tsubasa, she looked a lot more like Honoka. She made her feel more at ease. “It’s nice to meet you Kira-San.” she said, sitting down next to her husband. “Honoka’s told us a lot about you.”
Glancing at Honoka, Tsubasa blushed, she couldn’t imagine what Honoka could have said about her, with her complete lack of restraint and frankly big mouth. “She has, has she?” Honoka sank out of her view.
Her mother giggled. “Nothing bad, I assure you Kira-San.” she smiled fondly at Tsubasa, it made her feel accepted already, however as her eyes drifted to the left; she caught sight of Honoka’s father, his stern silence reminding her that she had not yet won. “At first it was all “Wow, look how amazing these idols are!” and then once she had met you it was just, Tsubasa this, Tsubasa that. She just wouldn’t stop!” Immediately Honoka blushed, looking away from her in embarrassment.
“Hm? Is that so?” Tsubasa leaned into Honoka, taking on a teasing tone. “I never knew you were such a big fan.” The blush on Honoka’s face only grew. From the corner of the room Yukiho snickered, suddenly reminding everyone of her presence. Immediately she matched her sister.
“Oh! Where are my manners! Yukiho, could you fetch Kira-San some tea, please?” Honoka’s mother said. “Sorry about that. Anyway, where was I?”
“When Honoka and I first met.” Tsubasa responded, eager to hear more. As much as she knew about her girlfriend she couldn’t help but be curious about her home life.
“Oh, yes. Whenever you two went out together she’d spend so long getting ready, she’d go through her entire wardrobe before finally choosing what to wear.”
Tsubasa snickered. “Really? She’d put that much thought into something?” she joked, looking over to Honoka staring at her and pouting. “I’m kidding.” she smiled, kissing Honoka on the cheek.
She then realised where she was, blushing excessively and clearing her throat. “A-anyway. Uh. What were we talking about?”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter. We’ve got some things we want to ask you, is that okay?” We. The word we dragged Tsubasa from her daze, she had forgotten the entire reason she was there. She wanted to impress Honoka’s parents, especially her father, who remained eerily stern and silent. His expression seemed to have eased slightly however, the sense of disapproval that had been plaguing Tsubasa was near entirely gone, hints of it however still lingered.
“That’s fine.” she mentally prepared herself, considering every question they could ask and how she would answer them.
“Well, Kira-San. Why do you like Honoka? Why’re you dating her?” she asked, surprisingly formally. Leaning back slightly and judging Tsubasa as she waited for her response.
She had never really thought about it before, why she loved Honoka. It was always just something she felt, it had been there since she had first laid eyes on her. Of course, it wasn’t as extreme until she met her, but there was always a lingering sense of interest toward Honoka. Her mind began to wander, exploring all of her memories with Honoka, investigating and trying to figure out just what made her love her. There were her looks, how energetic she was, that magnetic presence she held that exemplified itself in performances and managed to draw her in no matter what else was going on around her, the way she managed to surprise and shock her how no one else could, in the end there were too many reasons. Tsubasa could have spent hours upon hours considering and figuring out each one, but the sudden clink of a teacup before her tore her from her thoughts and back into reality. “Hm. Well. To start with, how energetic she is-” Tsubasa just ended up reiterating what she had thought aloud, however she took a while longer talking about Honoka’s looks, unable to stop herself from rambling about every aspect of Honoka she loved. Eventually she felt Honoka tap her on the shoulder, indicating that she should probably stop. “A-anyway. Do you want to know anything else?”
“Do you plan on moving with Honoka anytime soon?” immediately her mother shot out the second question, it hit Tsubasa like a truck. She had never really thought about it realistically before. She had fantasied about it, being able to live with Honoka and come home to her every day, but she hadn’t even began to plan for it.
“Well, I’d love to someday. But it might be a while before we do…” she replied, finally taking a sip of the tea in front of her. Immediately she was surprised by the taste, she was used to the tea Honoka made. Which, while drinkable, certainly wasn’t good. “It seems all the tea-making genes went to Yukiho” she thought, sniggering to herself before returning her attention to Honoka’s mother.
“Oh? Why? You’re both old enough to, why wouldn’t you?” she asked, a sense of genuine curiosity about her. “And I doubt it’s a matter of money, Honoka’s already told us about how lucrative the idol business is for you.” she joked. It struck a chord of truth with Tsubasa despite it being a joke. She began to wonder why she didn’t just move in with Honoka, she had the money and the capability, what reason did she have not to?
“Well. Would you want to Honoka?” she turned to face her, the concept making her heart race faster and faster. Although she had only begun considering it she was already absolutely enamoured with it. Deep down she knew Honoka would say yes, but she couldn’t help but feel tense as she waited for Honoka’s response.
Joyful tears clung to the corner of Honoka’s eyes, she could barely hold them in. She pulled Tsubasa into her arms in an instant. “Yes!” she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. Unlike Tsubasa, she thought about it a lot. A short while after they started dating the idea came to her and never really left, she never brought it up to Tsubasa. She just couldn’t quite find the confidence for it. It felt like a dream was coming true; She held Tsubasa tight, refusing to let go even when Tsubasa and her mother began talking again.
“Well, I guess Honoka and I will start organising that.” she smiled, lightly stroking Honoka’s hair, she felt at peace. Sighing as if all of her stress were leaving her body in a single breath.
“Okay. I think we’re about done with questions now.” Honoka’s mother looked at Tsubasa, there was a warmth about it that felt welcoming and inviting. From the corner of her eye she could see Honoka’s father, his expression had changed. The slight curve of his lips had gone from downward to upward. Tsubasa almost did a double take. He was smiling. His hands had moved from their solid, unmovable position too; Instead he had his thumbs up. With that one, minuscule action Tsubasa knew she had finally gotten the approval she had desired. Honoka’s mother held her hand outstretched, Tsubasa took it. “Welcome to the family, Tsubasa-San.” she said. Tsubasa had never felt happier.