Tomoko begrudgingly dropped herself onto her bed, plotting for the thousandth time on how to bolster her popularity.
"But it would seem every time I try something; I get embarrassed further…" Tomoko awkwardly laughed out while staring emptily into the ceiling.
"That's no good… I have to try something less obvious maybe?"
Staring at the game cases of her dating sims littered about, Tomoko cursed how those situations depicted will never see the light of real life.
"No good… what do I do…" scratching her already messy hair frantically, Tomoko paced around the room.
She repeated her steps for so long she lost track of time, it wasn't until her phone ringing loudly that finally brought her back down to reality.
Scurrying forward curiously, she picked up the phone. "It's Yuu-chan…"
She mumbled.
Before the black haired girl even had the chance to say a word, she was bombarded with the crying voice of her best friend.
Why the innocent and naïve Yuu-chan never sounded like this before!
Tomoko thought, more overwhelmed by surprise than sympathy.
Yuu-chan's crying voice made Tomoko thought she was even more alluring than usual.
Heh, if I was a boy…
Shaking her mind to clear her impure thoughts, Tomoko stammered, "Yuu-chan, what's wrong?"
"Mokochii…"
The response wasn't what Tomoko expected. The normally calm girl quickly blurted out her desire to come over.
"Ahh…" Tomoko's meek voice was barely audible, but Yuu Naruse took that as a yes.
The phone call died shortly after, leaving Tomoko little time to process what just occurred.
…
"Really this is strange, I wonder what happened?" Tomoko pondered aloud, pacing back and forth in her room once more. Naturally, her mind wandered off to the worst case scenario. Maybe her parents died?
The sound of her ringing doorbell broke her train of thoughts.
Frigidly, Tomoko made her way downstairs, making sure to delay her journey as much as possible.
Wracking her brain hard in an attempt to remember the last time Yuu-chan came over.
…But to her horror, she can't remember.
"O-Ohh…" was the only word she came up with when the door swung open.
Now normally, Tomoko does not usually find herself in such an anxious manner, but she had never seen her friend crying before, much less actually dealing it with in person.
Straightening herself in the most awkward fashion, Tomoko beckoned Yuu-chan towards her room.
The potential possibility of having her mom or brother find out about a crying girl put too much pressure on her. Who knows what bullshit they will blame me for!
Tomoko mumbled incoherently, as she played out all these scenarios in her mind.
"Y-Yuu-chan, you're always so cheery and simpleminded, eh heh, what hap—"
Tomoko paused herself prematurely upon realizing the word she said, simpleminded? "I-I didn't mean you were—"
"Ohh… Mokochii…" she sobbed hugging and bringing Tomoko close.
"Geh hehe…" Tomoko couldn't help but chuckle at a stray thought that wandered innocently into her mind. She smells good… that slut smell, even crying to me like this…
She must have been pumped and dumped to be like this…
Although she realized it wasn't the best assumption, Tomoko couldn't help but believe this nonetheless, only due to the fact that Yuu-chan's appearance hinted it to be so.
Such a beautiful girl is crying on my shoulders… if I were a guy what would I do? Gihihi…
Her long smile, however, dropped midway through, the realization that she wasn't offering anything to her long time only friend dawned on her.
"H-Heeeey, Yuu-chan… w-what happened?" her voice was frigid and awkward, but of course Tomoko thought it went smoothly.
Yuu turned up to face her, her eyes puffy with tears, the mascara she put on was also starting to dribble down.
She looks like a mess but she's even cuter this way!
Tomoko didn't even realize she was staring at her crying friend, jaw agape.
"I'm sorry Mokochii… it's just that…"
Shaking her head back and forth, Tomoko turned her face away in a dramatic fashion.
"Let me guess… you, got dumped?"
It wasn't until the words left her mouth that Tomoko realized it might not have been the best thing to say.
Pulling herself away from Tomoko with a small sniffle, she shook her head.
D-Damn her, even in this pitiful state she is able to do such a girly nod…! Did she fully train herself to be a slut!
Of course Tomoko's expression did not betray her thoughts, she kept up her passive smile, while Yuu went into detail about their relationship.
So they did break up… the route of being a slut only leads to tears.
"Eh..—Eh..? Cheating…?" Tomoko repeated, after the surprising word left Yuu's lips.
Looking to the side, the blonde haired girl nodded sadly.
Ohh… this development I did not foresee, but it is to be expected in this world of being popular!
Tomoko's lack of experience did not let her comfort her only friend in any way.
Thankfully though, Yuu only seemed to need someone to talk to.
Oh but why me? Being so popular… surely she has so many other bitches to talk to… unless… I'm special?
Absorbed by her own delusions, she pulled Yuu-chan up by her shoulders.
"Eh!? Mokochii?"
"Yuuuu-chan, you do not need a guy like him, you can do so much better." Staring into her friend's eyes hungrily, she continued, "But guys are all pigs! The flashy ones anyway…"
Yuu found herself lost for words at her friend's sudden speech. Though, she wrote it off as simple comforting words. Still she found it surprising, the often timid Tomoko would come up with such an insult.
Tomoko continued staring at her friend intensely, not because it was out of passion but because she had long since lost track of what her own facial expression was doing.
This is what she wanted to hear right? Recalling the overused lines often found in shoujo manga and visual novels.
The evening dragged on and on and it was only exacerbated by Yuu's long list of complaints, of course she was a gentle girl by heart so she did not air any dirty laundry, much to Tomoko's disappointment.
Is this now what a bitch does? Ratting out their ex? Tomoko thought with a wry smile.
Finally, Tomoko decided to stop zoning out, dashing her eyes left and right rapidly, she quietly asked her blonde friend, "So what did you do, break up with him…?"
"I didn't say anything yet… but I have to now…"
"Ah..hah..hah…" Tomoko relished in the bask of warmth when Yuu-chan pulled her into a hug.
"But… there is more…" Yuu-chan's quivering voice whispered out.
"What?" Tomoko blinked in confusion, all the while trying to suppress her blush.
"He… blamed me for cheating on him first…" it was evident that Yuu was trying to hold back tears as she forced her voice to continue, "my reputation will be ruined…!"
Dumb girl, why are you worried about reputation now!?
Although she did not say it aloud, Tomoko did feel sad for her friend being hurt. Not fully understanding her misery, she could only sympathize with her sad abandoned puppy-like appearance.
Taking a napkin to dab her eyes free of tears, Yuu stood up, "Thank you for listening to me Tomoko…"
"Uh-Uhh?" Tomoko did not know what to say, she almost expected Yuu-chan to ask her for her opinion or advice, but the question never came and it looks like it won't be coming either.
Though she kept her usual forced smile, Tomoko could not help but feel insulted at that.
Yuu's face was still forlorn, but it was not unlike how their first meeting was since high school. Not exactly cheerful but not exactly depressed either.
The skill of masking one's emotion! I must master it!
As the two parted ways, Tomoko came into a sudden frenzy, mercilessly attacking her own bed, rolling back and forth. The hug from Yuu was almost too much for the short raven haired girl, one could say it overwhelmed her senses.
"I…I want more!"
She repeated this sentence again and again as she continued rolling back and forth.
It wasn't until the loud knocking radiating from her brother's room that she stopped.
Pulling herself up, she stared intensely into the floor, thoughts rushing into her mind faster than blood was rushing into her heart.
Imagine if I was a guy, I could take the saddened Yuu-chan under my care… eheheh.
Clearing her mind of the sudden spike in erotic thoughts, she went back into imagining the hypothetical scenario.
I could surely be popular, imagine if I was dating a hot bitch like her, everyone would flounder to me! I would be the center of gossip…
However, her thoughts stopped halfway, when she realizes the likeliness of her being a male is even less than her finding popularity.
Thinking it over, Tomoko doesn't quite understand why she wasn't popular, all her attempts were sound… up until someone makes a comment indicating the exact opposite.
But surely, if she was dating someone like Yuu-chan, this wouldn't be the case would it? She would be popular by the virtue of Yuu-chan being her girlfriend, right? There's no way those bitches and playboys can spin it in any other way…
Or so she assumes, but as typical of Tomoko, she did not see any flaws in her plans.
Plus, the addition of have Yuu-chan's delicious cuteness was almost too much for the drooling high schooler.
"I-I have to have her!"
…
"But how? I'm not a guy…"
Having no other options, she googled lesbian relationships.
The rather conservative Japan did not seem to take lightly to such behavior, as expected. Although in the anime/manga industry, it was quite the opposite, as well as the pornography industry.
But one wouldn't take any of the two seriously when it comes to real life.
Tomoko recalled how the younger generations seemed to be more liberal, or so she assumed, she can't really know, after all she had not contact with anyone in high school besides Yuu-chan and the odd chance she bumps into Imae.
And so naturally her course of action would be…
Pestering her brother.
Once more she found him looking at her like a piece of annoying trash. Of course she could feel it, not that she cared. Her smile did not wane as his glare intensified.
He didn't say anything, typical of Tomoki, he was waiting for her to say something, then give a quick response shortly followed by "get out."
Though naturally, Tomoko does not care about how he felt towards her actions, "Hey little brother, what do you think of lesbians or bisexuals?"
Eyes twitching, once again Tomoki found himself at a loss for words, she always finds a way to surpass his expectations of her. "What kind of question is that!?"
Maybe he should have said something like, I don't care or something to that effect in order to kick her out his room, but his curiosity got the best of him this round.
After a minute of awkward forced chuckles from his sister, Tomoki realized he wasn't actually going to get an explanation.
"Lesbians, huh?"
"Yeah."
"is this related to that girl earlier?"
Naturally he would ask that, it has been a long time since Tomoko brought a friend home, hell, he doesn't remember if she ever did once.
And unsurprisingly, his sister started to flog around crazily, god why does she overreact to every little thing? Tomoki bitterly thought, while having his eyes glued to his sister manically waving arms.
"Surely, surely her bizarre behavior will end soon…" He muttered under his breath. Clearing his throat, "Fine, I get it don't tell me anything, just leave my room."
She stared at him awkwardly, before finally turning away.
Though he did decide to spare her a portion of his good-will, "Don't think lying about your sexual orientation will make you a special snowflake, spare yourself from that embarrassment."
Tomoko paused her steps for a brief moment.
Damn, I said too much! Tomoki feared for the worst; she will actually stay and say some more inane things.
Thankfully, she resumed her steps, leaving his room in a surprisingly normal fashion.
But surely, she doesn't plan to actually lie about being bisexual or whatever to get attention, right? He shuddered at the thought. She was certainly kind of dense when it comes to people's image of her, recalling how she put on pigtails thinking it would make her appear attractive.
"Meh, why do I care? She has friends herself." He mumbled softly to himself, the images of that really cute girl flashing through his head. Based on her appearance, he can safely assume she's really popular, and if Tomoko has a friend like that then he has nothing to worry about. And with that he shut out any thoughts regarding his sister, hopefully for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Tomoko was sitting down on her legs, as if meditating. Usually her plans only require a little influence and even less planning. But this one she actually put in time.
It wasn't because she was afraid of failing or the consequences of her actions, rather it was because it would be extremely difficult to convince Yuu-chan to agree to her plans.
Tomoko realized she had two options, either she could actually attempt to seduce Yuu-chan or she could ask her to play along in order to bolster her popularity, but clearly neither of these options were viable…
In the end, Tomoko concluded that Yuu-chan was probably her only chance at ever having any 'skinship.'
The next day, Tomoko began putting her frivolous plot in action. She began to call Yuu-chan, coming into a quick conclusion that whatever attempts her bimbo friend has at mending her relationship; it must be stopped.
Although it may appear evil, Tomoko argued with herself that separating from a douchebag like her boyfriend would be for the best. A cheater and a liar, one does not need to excel in social skills to know a person like that cannot be associated with.
But unfortunately, her plans were as usual, forced and thought of quickly.
So when Yuu Naruse finally answered her call, it was awkward for the two of them. Of course the usual go-lucky girl responded sweetly, masking any hints of sadness. While Tomoko jumbled her words trying to find an excuse to keep her busy. Obviously it wasn't due to any embarrassment, she was not embarrassed when around her friend; Yuu-chan. Rather it was hard for Tomoko to come up with something reasonable that would distract Yuu. So when she said one thing, she ended up changing her mind and said something else, at what she thought to be an even better idea.
"So the movie, or maybe…?"
Then Tomoko realized that it might be a bad idea to say a movie, Yuu-chan might prioritize her bitch friends over her; whom she thought would be typical bitches that play the role of a sad sympathizer and convince her to stay with her scumbag boyfriend. And of course, an even worse situation, she decides to go back to her boyfriend.
Having no other options in her mind, she thought of something quickly.
"I-I might be leaving for a vacation soon, I wonder if you want to come...?"
Replaying that sentence in her mind seemed reasonable, but how will she not appear to be on vacation so it doesn't seem like she was lying? Make sure to not bump into Yuu-chan probably…
Or just say the vacation was cancelled. Laughing eerily to herself, she decided on her lie.
However, just as she was about to open her mouth, Yuu said, "Sorry Tomoko-chan, not today, I'm thinking of getting a haircut."
Just as Yuu-chan finished her sentence, Tomoko could not help but visualize the new Yuu.
And as usual, her imaginations took its liberties.
"WHAAAAT? You absolutely cannot!"
"E-Ehh? Mokochii…?"
Stuttering incoherently, Tomoko tried to come up with another lie in order to stop her. But no matter how hard she wracked her brain, she could not find an excuse, so in the end she settled for the truth, "Your hair is too beautiful… ehehh, you cannot do such a thing!"
"M-Mokochii… I-I…!"
Her embarrassed voice made Tomoko absolutely giddy, as she once more envisioned how cute Yuu-chan was by being all embarrassed.
But then an epiphany hit her. She recalled watching a love drama with her mother at one point, she remembered an explanation to a strange phenomenon that happened in that movie. The main heroine had a haircut just shortly after breaking up with her lover. And her mother answered it in an overly complex manner, so she never understood it fully, but it has something to do with being a new person.
And typical of Tomoko, when a new thought raced through her mind to the finish line, she will instantly put it into action, "I know how you think a haircut will be a new beginning for you, but I'll tell you it won't! That douche will still lie about you!"
"A-Ahh… Mokochii…" Yuu-chan's voice wavered, taken by complete surprise at her friend's sudden enthused response.
Normally she would have brushed it off as her friend being extra weird that day, but with how passionate she sounded, Yuu decided to delay her haircut for another day.
"Alright then… I will see you tomorrow at 4?"
"S-Sure."
And with that the two hung up, it came to a surprise to Tomoko how easily that went. And then another revelation came to her, the fact that Yuu-chan might have only said that to avoid her.
I must make sure I convince her for good!
Her eyes blazed at her new objective.
As Tomoko slept, she can't understand why she was so fired up over a simple haircut herself, but then she settled on the looming subconscious thought in her head; I want my girlfriend to be the most beautiful she can be.
