Chapter 1: EliMaki
"Are You Kidding Me?"
Eli couldn't believe the situation she was in. She had gotten home rather late from her night shift and had wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep.
However, now, she was standing in the parking lot of her apartment complex, watching firefighters checking the apartment next to her own.
The culprit, a quite obviously embarrassed and guilty looking girl stood next to her, shifting anxiously from foot to foot.
Eli had seen the girl several times while living there. She was a very pretty girl with vermillion hair and eyes seemingly sculpted from amethyst. Eli had never seen anyone like her; she was very distinguishable.
However, Eli had always thought this girl to be cool, collected, and graceful. How wrong she was.
"How did you even manage to set your stove on fire?"
The sudden question caught the other girl off guard. She stuttered and covered her face with both of her hands.
"I was trying to make scrambled eggs…"
Eli felt her eyes widen and her jaw slacken, but couldn't keep herself from grinning.
"Don't you dare laugh."
"All of this over some eggs?"
"Stop right there."
"Not much of a cook then?"
The girl groaned. "I can't believe this."
"To be honest, it doesn't seem that bad. Just the stove, right?"
"...Yeah."
Eli looked at the girl and took a second to think of where else she knew this girl from. Obviously she'd seen her around the complex several times, but Eli could have sworn she'd seen her somewhere else.
"Do you go to the college close by?" she asked the girl.
"Hmmm…"
Eli still couldn't put her finger on it. She hadn't seen the girl around any of the third year facilities, so…?
"Are you not a third year?"
"No… I'm a first year."
A first year!?
"Oh."
"Why do you seem so surprised?"
Eli looked over the girl again. Long, slender legs, a beautiful face; the girl could give Eli a definite run for her money in both maturity and looks.
"You just look a bit older is all."
"Oh."
"What's your name? I know the plaque on your door says Nishikino, but…"
"Maki."
"Ah, nice to officially meet you, Nishikino Maki. I'm Ayase Eli."
The girl blushed and shifted to her other foot.
"The Ayase Eli?"
"Umm… yeah?"
"Pretty much all of the girls in my year have a crush on you," she explained at Eli's confused expression, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
It was Eli's turn to flush a bright red.
"I-is that so?"
"Yeah I understand what they're talking about now," Maki murmured, eyes looking anywhere but her, "you're very pretty."
Eli couldn't handle this and her mind blanked. "You wanna go out some time?" she heard herself blurt out in panic.
The younger girl squeaked and glowed a pretty pink. Her rosy lips were parted in surprise.
"I mean, if you don't want - " Eli began panicking before Maki cut her off.
"I… I'd love to."
