Honestly, Aoi wasn't the type to get crushes. She loved Tenma, sure, but not that way, and it had never once crossed her mind that she might be sort of different than her friends who would gossip and giggle about the boys on the team.

It was no wonder that it took her a while to figure out her feelings towards her mysterious partner, a girl no less, were more than just casual interest. She probably wouldn't have realized at all if she hadn't begun to find herself staring at the strangest of times. She sometimes would end up looking at Minori instead of watching the games, and have to remind herself to cheer the boys on.

If that hadn't clued her in, nothing would have.

Now, only a short time after coming to terms with her own "crush," so to speak, Aoi found herself in a…compromising situation.

Minori was staring at her, unreadable as always, expecting an answer to her recent inquiry, which had been something along the lines of "Please explain your interest in my personal life."

Okay, so maybe it wouldn't seem compromising from the outside, but how was Aoi supposed to explain to this girl, of all people, why she always asked questions? Anyone else would easily tell her they where just trying to be friendly. Aoi, however, did not have the slightest idea on how to handle such a situation. She didn't like to lie, but the truth was…well, it was a little more than just being friendly lately.

Nervous laughter was probably out of place, wasn't it? Oh man, she was totally starting to look suspicious.

"Well, Mizukawa-san, you see…" thinking, thinking, thinking. What could she tell her that wasn't a lie, but wasn't quite the truth, either….?

Aha!

"You're so mysterious…I can't help but be interested…!" That would work, right? She nervously watched Minori process her answer, facial expression not changing at all.

After what seemed like an hour, but actually was only a few minutes, she answered.

"Interesting." And that was all. After such a pause, she only managed one word. It was a little frustrating sometimes, to tell the truth. Aoi was relieved, definitely, but she couldn't help but hope for something more. A few answers, maybe? Anything? No?

The way Minori was looking at her was starting to make her uncomfortable, not necessarily in a bad way, just…open. Like she was being read, or something silly along those lines.

"…Okay, that wasn't the complete truth."

Huh?

"You're so pretty, Mizukawa-san! I can't help but want to know more about you!"

Aoi wasn't sure why she suddenly was blurting this out, while her mind rushed a million miles an hour in the opposite direction. This wasn't what she wanted at all! It was like Minori drove it out of her or something, as impossible as that was. Were all crushes so hard to lie to?

The girl in question looked mildly surprised now, albeit a little confused. Somehow she still managed to be unreadable, though.

Aoi had stopped talking and was turning more and more red by the second when Minori took a small step forward, leaning in and lightly pressing their lips together.

If Aoi hadn't been blushing before, she sure was now, her face feeling like someone was holding a match to it as the object of her affections pulled away and watched her, reading her expression.

"…I also can't help but want to know more about you, Sorano-san." She said quietly, and smiled.

Aoi had never had a crush before, but by this point, she felt like she knew what to do.

It was almost simultaneous when they leaned in to kiss again.