"Thanks! I'll text you later" Takasaki says, walking away and waving. I wave back at her, a pleasant feeling coming over me. Had I just made a friend? Friends were… friends were nice!

Coming out behind a bush, Nejima wipes his brow, "whew! I'm glad she didn't see me.." He notices the light tears in my eyes, "ah? Why are you crying?"

Despite my wishes, the tears keep coming softly, "I made my first friend! She's really cool" I add distantly. At Nejima's confused look I add, "I mean, she completely sends the message of having her life together, she obviously studies and pays attention to detail, and yet unlike me she has completely no fears about socialization! Not to mention, pretty…." I sigh. Before Nejima can ask me another question though, my heart races and I start panicking, tears flowing faster than before. "Wai-wait a second! She didn't say we were friends! Maybe my first acquaintance then?" For whatever reason, I couldn't bear the thought of only being acquaintances with Takasaki, it was a horrible thought.

Nejima is helpful in reminding me that although Takasaki did not explicitly tell me we were friends, we did talk for a while and were probably friends because of that.

"Really?" I look up to him wondrously, "I'm so happy.. this is great!" Tears, this time of happiness, flow from my eyes. I can't believe it! My first friend! In this blissful moment; however, I seem to ignore Nejima's fidgeting, though I do hear his following statement,

"Aah… seeing you crying makes me nervous…"

After a few moments… A thought occurs to me. I read online that feelings of romanticism and "love" are often signaled by things like flushed skin, and a quickly beating heart, both of which were occurring with me. Logically it couldn't be towards Nejima, right? His behavior towards me hadn't changed and the only variable in the situation was Takasaki… wait.. "aah! My heart's beating really fast Nejima! Does this mean I like Takasaki? Eyy Nejima tell me how this works!" I can't see it, but I know from my emotions that my face is currently one of grave concern! This is very important to figure out!

Nejima's face contorts into something between a laugh and a grimace. "No, no, no, no, no! That's a completely different thing, Ririna!"

"Really? It is?"

His face almost one of worry now, "I mean, do you want to kiss her?"

I think for a moment. "I'm not sure! I don't really know what a kiss feels like, can I try it with you so I'll figure out if I want to kiss her?"

Now fidgeting all over, and looking very suddenly nervous, if not a little flushed, he agrees, but tells me that we should move out of public to do something like that. We go into a library and find a rather empty section of the learning establishing, with only a few people wandering between many shelves. I place my hands on his chest, "Is this how you do it?" I ask, leaning up to meet my lips with him. He holds me against him and in the first moments of the kiss, I imagine the same scene but with Takasaki instead of Nejima. I imagine her there and feel like I want to lean in, hold her against me. When the kiss ends I feel a little bit dazed out of my senses but have a definite answer. I grin at Nejima and say, "Yeah! I want to kiss her!"

"Eeeh!?" He says, much louder than one should in a library. Loud enough I have to shush him angrily. "But! But you're a girl and she's a girl!?" He says, confusion at the possibility of such a thing obvious in his mind.

"I.. yes. We are both girls. That is true Nejima, why are you stating the obvious?" I hadn't thought there would be anything wrong with that would there, after all the books hadn't said anything about it. I figured it was just an unpopular subject which was why we never saw it on TV or in movies… It wasn't wrong or anything was it? I didn't want to be wrong!

"Girls… don't usually like each other like that, neither do guys!" He adds hastily.

"But I want to kiss her like that. Never mind that 'usually' stuff, you're the one who asked!" I pout at him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Aaah, what do I do now…"

"Well, we know that you want to kiss her, but how does the thought of being around her, holding her hand, talking to her make you feel?" As if on cue, my entire face lights up red and I start stammering,

"Well…. Fine I guess. Nothing too out of the ordinary,,, really really nervous and flustered honestly."

"Well, I guess you have a crush then on Takasaki…" Nejima puts his hand on his face and sighs, "So that solves… that mystery. I've got to head home for the night, so I'll see you later Ririna!" He walks off.

"Huh… I have a crush on Takasaki…"