Part I: Discipline and Delinquency

The sound of shuffling papers filled the room with monotony, a familiar rhythm that soothed Umi's ears. Looking over a few myriad complaints and concerns, she nodded her head once before putting the sheets neatly into their proper location. There was nothing pressing on the docket at the moment, so she stood up from her chair, preparing to leave for the day.

"Ayase-san, I'm leaving for the day." Umi bowed slightly to a tall, imposing blonde: Ayase Eli, captain and leader of the Disciplinary Committee at Otonokizaka Academy. As the head officer, Sonoda Umi reported to Eli personally, and she felt honored and privileged to be the third year's right hand officer. Of course, it was a high school disciplinary committee that only had five members, but that was the kind of information Umi specifically left off on her business cards. No one had to know those little tidbits.

"Alright, Sonoda-san." Eli looked up from her own paperwork, giving Umi a small smile. "Good work today. See you tomorrow, then." With a nod, Umi gathered up her things and left the room, shutting the door gently behind her. Another successful day of keeping her schoolwork and club paperwork in check. It was hardly work to her, though. She loved keeping things neat and orderly, plus her innate sense of justice kept her ever-vigilant for rule breakers and other ne'er-do-wells. That's what convinced her to join the Disciplinary Committee: she wanted to keep her fair school safe and secure.

It wasn't that the school was a hive of scum and villainy: far from it. While the committee obviously had a hand in keeping all the students safe and orderly, Umi knew that, overall, the student body was proper and well-educated. They knew better than to break the rules that the school had put up. Well, most of them anyway.

Just as Umi was about to take a step forward, someone zoomed by with an excited shout, nearly knocking the bluenette over. Eyes wide in shock, Umi immediately frowned when she recognized just who had passed her by. There was no mistaking that wild head of ginger hair, nor was there anyone else so bold, so foolish as to ride a skateboard down the halls.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she began to run down the halls after the culprit. "Honoka..."

Laughing freely, Honoka sped down the hall, nearly falling right off her skateboard after taking a particularly hard turn. "Ohh man, that's gonna leave a mark! Hate to be the janitor around here." If there was any reason why the Disciplinary Committee needed to exist, Kousaka Honoka would be exhibit A. As far as she was concerned, the rules were just a suggestion, though apparently detention wasn't.

With an attention span as short as her disciplinary record was long, Honoka had never had a firm familial voice trying to keep her out of trouble, and trouble naturally seemed to find her. It was something she embraced, and she seemed to always be able to make friends with the wrong kind of people. At least, that's what Umi had once said, but Umi was a big wet blanket, always trying to douse their fun. That was one firm voice that Honoka took great pleasure in ignoring.

As she made her way down the next hall, an arm suddenly stuck out from one of the classrooms. Yelping, Honoka had no time to get out of the way before she ran right into it, her skateboard flying into the air and nearly crashing through a window as she fell to the ground. "Owww, ow ow ow!" She hissed in pain, rubbing her sore backside. When she finally looked up, she was met with a pair of very unamused amber eyes. "Umi. What a surprise."

"Same to you." Umi crossed her arms and glared down at Honoka. "What's your excuse this time?"

"What, no helping hand?" Nope, none at all. Not that Honoka was expecting one anyway. Laughing, she hopped back onto her feet, wincing at the pain in her back. "I'm tired of wasting my perfectly-crafted excuses on you. You always dismiss them immediately."

"Because they're ridiculous."

"Maybe if you weren't so boring, you'd find more enjoyment out of life."

"That has nothing to do with your casual disregard for the rules." The two of them glared at each other, sparks nearly visible in the connection of their gaze. "I think a week in detention is in order."

"I guess this'll be the detention that turns me around, huh?" Honoka rolled her eyes, smirking at Umi. "Why don't you give it a rest?" Umi, however, refused to budge.

"I would give you directions, but I'm sure you already know how to get there." With that, she began walking off, noticing Honoka's skateboard still lying in the middle of the hall.

"Intimately. Hey, give me my skateboard, will ya?" Umi halted, glancing down at the offending object. Looking over at Honoka, who was already tapping her foot impatiently, she placed her foot on the board, showing an intention to roll it over towards the ginger delinquent. Instead, she lifted her leg up and slammed her foot back down, cracking the board in half. "My skateboard! What the fuck, Umi?!"

"You're not allowed to bring skateboards into the school, or is that another one of those rules you chose to conveniently ignore?" Smirking slightly, Umi picked up the two pieces of Honoka's broken transporation and threw them at the ginger's feet. "See you in detention." She turned back around and walked towards the exit, leaving Honoka staring after her, mouth hanging slightly open.

"I'm pretty sure you can't break others' property either! God dammit..."

Throwing the remains of her skateboard dejectedly into the trash, Honoka started walking home, grumbling under her breath about Umi and her totalitarian regime. Along the way, she was pleasantly surprised to find a familiar face walking further ahead, grasping an ice cream cone in their hand. Hurrying to catch up, she shouted and waved at her classmate and best friend. "Hey! Kotori-chan!"

Turning around at the sound of her name, Kotori smiled brightly at the sight of Honoka running towards her. "Honoka-chan!" She stopped and waited for Honoka to catch up, always excited to see her energetic friend make an appearance. "Did you just get out of school?"

"Mhm!" Leaning in, she caught Kotori by surprise as she took a lick of her friend's ice cream. "Yum, cheesecake!"

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori laughed, sighing good-naturedly as she allowed Honoka another lick. "I'm surprised you're not riding your skateboard today." She knew how much Honoka loved riding that thing around, a hobby she had picked up a few years back. Using her still-improving art skills, Kotori had even drawn a design on the underside. Sure, she wasn't exactly proud of drawing a crude representation of an axe murderer with a baguette for an axe handle, but Honoka seemed to like it, so it was alright.

Immediately Honoka's mood turned sour, a shift that did not go unnoticed by Kotori. "Umi broke it," she spat out, kicking at the ground in anger. Kotori gasped, unable to believe Umi would do such a violent thing.

"Maybe it was an accident," she offered, putting a hand on Honoka's shoulder, which helped to dispel some of the tension housed inside. It didn't stop her from being angry, however.

"Oh no, she did it on purpose. I watched her." Kotori squeezed Honoka's shoulder reassuringly as she pouted grumpily, only losing the heavy frown when she was offered another lick of Kotori's ice cream. "I can't believe her! I loved that board too..."

"Don't worry, Honoka-chan. I'll help you get a new one." That seemed to help a bit, though she could tell that Honoka was still miffed. Suppressing a sigh, Kotori smiled and subtly changed the subject to get Honoka back into a happier, more animated state.

It was tough to balance the varying emotions of her two best friends, but Kotori did her best. Ever since they were little kids, she had been the wall between the strict Umi and the lax Honoka. Unfortunately, even she couldn't keep two people with such different views on life together, and halfway through middle school they separated permanently.

Still, she tried her best to keep things together, refusing to take sides in their weekly conflicts. All she saw was the best in them, and she just wished they would see the best in each other as well, but she wasn't going to force them to do anything they didn't want to do. That did, however, make for some awkward conversations.

They reached Kotori's house first, and they said goodbye with an exchange of kisses on each cheek: Honoka said it was a European custom. With a final wave, Honoka turned around and walked to her own house, sighing as she tried to kick a pebble all the way to her door. It ended up leaving a mark on somebody's car after she kicked it too hard. Whose car, she wasn't aware, as she ran the moment it made impact.

Getting home, she unlocked the door and stepped inside, calling out her arrival. She didn't meet anyone until she reached the top of the stairs, where her younger sister Yukiho greeted her with a black eye and a grin. "Holy hell, Yukiho! What happened to you?"

"I got in a fight!" She replied proudly, jabbing her fist in the air victoriously. "You should've seen what I did to the other girl."

"Ooh, did you get 'em in the nose?" Honoka easily got swept up in her sister's enthusiasm, temporarily dispelling her previously negative thoughts. "That'll make anyone bitch out!"

"Of course! They got me in the eye, but she went home crying after I bopped her in the nose. You were right, Honoka-chan: it does bleed a lot!"

"That's my Yukiho!" Grinning, Honoka ruffled Yukiho's hair, impressed that her teachings had actually turned out to be useful. They talked about proper fighting techniques for awhile longer.

Part II: Gathering Courage

Sitting on a bench beneath the big tree on school grounds, Umi stared down at her lunch. She had barely been able to eat anything, her stomach churning uncomfortably. It was Friday already, which meant that she was mere hours from a task she promised herself she'd do back on Monday. Now the day was upon her and she felt like she had set her own self up for humiliating failure. How was she supposed to ask Kotori out on a date?

These feelings had been brewing for years, even when they were kids, though she hadn't a clue what it was at the time. She had just wanted to be closer to Kotori, a perpetual ray of positivity and kindness, and those feelings of friendship had grown to an awkward, confusing crush as middle school was coming to an end. Now it was worse: it was a full-blown, no-denying-it crush, and it terrified her. A single misstep could result in the complete dissolution of their friendship, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Caught up in her own mind, Umi didn't realize that someone had approached her until a tap on her shoulder startled her enough to nearly knock the lunch out of her lap. Looking up, she found Eli looking down at her with a concerned smile. "Spacing out, Sonoda-san?"

"A-Ah, Ayase-san." Her first instinct was to deny the accusation, but she didn't want to lie to Eli, either as her superior or her friend. "I... guess I was spacing out."

Eli took a seat next to Umi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's going on, Umi?" They didn't need the formal greetings when off duty, allowing Eli to drop the normal honorifics and address Umi as a friend.

"I told myself that I would do something today, but I'm just... nervous about it, that's all."

"If I may ask, what are you planning on doing?"

"I... I'm planning on asking out Kotori."

"Oh." Eli's eyes widened a bit, but her facial features relaxed as she smiled. "Then you have nothing to worry about. There's no way she'd say no to you." Umi furrowed her eyebrows in thought, staring down at her feet. It was nice of Eli to say so, but there was still that niggling sense of doubt burrowing around in her brain. If things went south, there wasn't much that could savage her shattered pride.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Eli's smile was reassuring, and Umi found herself smiling along with the blonde. All she needed was a little push, and she knew that she could do it. "You can do it, Umi. I know you can."

"Th-Thank you, Eli." Further emboldened, she was finally able to eat some of her lunch before the next class began. There was still time before she would be able to speak with Kotori.

The nerves returned as the final bell rung, Umi's steps heavy as she went to find Kotori. It didn't take long, as she was gathering her things from her locker. Taking a deep breath, Umi made her way over and tried to put on her most realistic smile, one that did not show off how nervous she was. "Kotori."

Kotori turned around, a big smile on her face when she saw who it was. "Umi-chan! You don't have committee work to do?"

"Ah, yes, but I... I wanted to talk to you before you left."

"Oh? Well, I'm all ears!" That smile of hers warmed Umi's heart in ways she couldn't even begin to describe. She had to force the words out, lest she end up standing there like an idiot for the rest of the day.

"W-Well, I... I wanted to know if... i-if you would go to dinner with me tomorrow night!" She hadn't meant to shout those words, but luckily for her dignity no one else was in the halls with them. Kotori seemed surprised, looking at Umi with wide eyes.

"Like a date?" Umi could feel her heart start to sink down into her stomach. With trembling lips she nodded slowly, watching as Kotori's surprise turned right back into a warm happiness. "I'd love to!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah!" Letting out a sigh of relief, Umi agreed to pick up Kotori tomorrow at 6:30, then they parted ways with a hug and a wave. On her way back to the committee room, there was a big smile on Umi's face as she practically skipped the entire way there.

It wasn't that it was unusual for Honoka to be distracted. After all, that's what the medication was for. Still, it was clear that there was something else bothering her, and not even skipping class to spray graffiti on the back of the school was able to snap her out of it. Her strange behavior was even noticeable to her partner in crime, who paused her tagging to look over at Honoka with concern.

"Honoka, is something bothering you? Your lines are almost illegible." Looking over Honoka's half-finished handiwork, a woman saluting with some kind of pastry in her hand, Maki tapped gently on the bread with the bottom of her spray can. "Is this a baguette or a croissant?"

"It's a baguette..." Honoka muttered crossly, though she wasn't upset with Maki. The redhead was right, as usual: something was bothering her, and it caused her to make mistakes uncharacteristic of her. What was she, twelve? "Ugh, I just can't concentrate!" Frustrated, she tossed her spray can into the air, only to have it fall back down on her shoulder. "Ow, holy shit! Dammit!"

Sighing deeply, Maki lifted Honoka's shirtsleeve up and inspected the damage. "It's just a bit of reddening. You'll be fine." Maki watched as Honoka picked back up her spray can, placing a hand on her hip. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on or what?"

"Uh..." It wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with speaking out loud. Hell, she wasn't even sure of her feelings herself, but some of the pieces were falling into place. If there was anyone she could confide in, it would be Maki. "Well, y'see, I kinda... sorta... have a crush on someone."

Maki's eyes widened at first, but then a smirk played on her lips. "Really? So someone's got their claws in the great Kousaka Honoka, huh?"

"It is not like that at all!" Except it totally was. Maki's smirk wasn't fading anytime soon, making Honoka pout fruitlessly. "Okay maybe."

"Well? Who is it then?" It was obvious, wasn't it? There weren't many people who could catch her eye, but someone had, and lately it had become harder to hide those feelings. If she thought about it objectively, this was something that had been going on for some time now: years, even. Maybe being constantly distracted had kept her from the truth, but now it was increasingly jumping up and down right in her face. There wasn't any way to escape it now.

"It's Kotori-chan."

"Really? Well, she is your best friend, right? And she's pretty cute, in a homely kind of way." Maki tapped her chin in thought before shrugging. "Doesn't she like the officer, though? Sonoda?"

"No way!" Honoka practically growled at the thought of her best friend and crush having feelings for that straight-laced snitch. It was inconceivable. She didn't even want to dwell on the chance for one more second. "She wouldn't go for someone so... boring. In fact, I'm going to ask her out after school!"

"Today?"

"Yeah today!" She faltered the moment those words left her lips. What had she just agreed to do? "Wait, I mean-"

"Don't chicken out, Romeo." Maki laughed as Honoka glared at the redhead and stuck her tongue out. "You said she wouldn't like Sonoda, right? Then you've got no competition." Giving her friend the closest thing to a sympathetic smile she could manage, Maki gave Honoka's non-injured shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Once you do it, you won't be so distracted with your art." She pointed at the graffitied wall with a smirk. "That hardly looks like a baguette."

"You're so mean, Maki-chan!" She knew that Maki wasn't being mean with her critiquing though, and she was able to laugh it off. "Alright, alright, I'll ask her today. On one condition, though."

"Hm? And what's that?"

"If you ask your crush out too." Immediately, Honoka could tell that she had gained the upper hand in their conversation. Maki's face very quickly turned a bright, burning red, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to say words that refused to come out.

"Wh-What are you talking about? I don't have a crush!"

"Uh huh, and I guess you were just staring at the ginger tomboy by accident?"

"Th-That... I-It's not what you think." If anything, Maki was turning even redder by the second, a perfect compliment to her hair. "I-I-I was just g-getting intel on the enemy! I would never have a crush on someone in the disciplinary committee."

"Even if she was cute?"

"Even if she was cute... which she is not." Honoka snickered, leaving Maki to just scowl and stew in her own embarrassment. "W-Worry about your own love life, Honoka." There was no small degree of irony in that sentence, but Honoka decided to surrender the point for now. There would always be another opportunity to give Maki that big push she needed.

They decided that until Honoka went and asked Kotori on a date, they would be forced to abandon their current mural, as now Honoka was distracted for an entirely different reason. Tagging their handles on the wall - 'Breadwinner' and 'Scarlet' - they hid their spray cans and waltzed on back to class. For Honoka though, class was just one obstacle in the way of her asking Kotori out. She had never felt so nervous about anything in her entire life.

Her footsteps slapped against the concrete and rang in her ears as she ran down the familiar path home. Just as she thought, Kotori was already walking just ahead, and it didn't take long for Honoka to catch up. Placing a hand on Kotori's shoulder, she got the ashen-haired girl to turn around in surprise, though she had to catch her breath before saying anything. "Honoka-chan?"

"H-Hey, Kotori-chan!" Smiling, Honoka could still feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, though it wasn't only from all the running she'd been forced to do. It was now or never. When had she ever chickened out of something? "Listen, you wanna get lunch or something tomorrow? My treat!" She had to borrow money from a reluctant Maki in order to even suggest it.

"L-Like a date?" Kotori's eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly ajar, making Honoka wonder if she should've been more subtle with her asking. Still, there wasn't any going back now.

"Y-Yeah! Like a date. You and me, Kotori-chan." She flashed Kotori her biggest smile, hoping that her charm could pull out the game winner here. Still, she couldn't help but worry as she watched Kotori deliberating for what felt like an eternity. Finally, to her great relief, Kotori smiled and nodded.

"Sure! That sounds lovely." Honoka pumped her fist in the air, unable to keep the smile off of her face at the sound of Kotori's polite giggle. They agreed to meet at noon for lunch, and then the two of them walked home together, with Honoka's spirits soaring higher than she'd ever thought possible. The moment she got home, she shouted and danced victoriously through the house, alarming her family. She had to explain that the house wasn't on fire.

Laying down on her bed, Kotori covered her face with her pillow, sighing into the material. What was she supposed to do now? Her two best friends had both asked her on dates, for the same day no less. She couldn't say no to either of them, but this was a dangerous road she was traveling on. Even though she had strong feelings for both of them, the only feelings they had for each other was great enmity. It was a rather untenable situation.

There was no easy way to choose between them, and she didn't want to hurt one by picking the other. She loved how polite and proper Umi was, but she also loved how wild and carefree Honoka lived her life. Umi was too strict and severe sometimes, and Honoka was easily distracted and did some bad things, but she knew that both of their hearts were good. It wasn't fair that she had to choose.

The sound of her phone vibrating next to her startled her out of her confused reverie, and hurriedly she grabbed it to see who was calling. With a smile, she answered it and put the phone to her ear. "Hey Hanayo-chan. What's up?"

"Nothing really. Hey, did you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Y-You're asking me out on a date too?"

"Wh-What? N-No!" Kotori could practically feel Hanayo's embarrassment radiating through the phone. "I-I just thought you'd want to see the new birds they got at the pet store."

"O-Oh." Now it was Kotori's turn to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Hanayo-chan. I've got plans tomorrow."

"Oh, that's okay then." There was a short pause before Hanayo spoke again. "Why did you think I was asking you out on a date?"

"Ah... Honoka-chan and Umi-chan both asked me out today."

"Wow..." Wow indeed. The pillow had fallen off the bed when Kotori started talking on the phone, so she settled for throwing the covers over herself and letting everything be swallowed by darkness. "What did you say?"

"I couldn't say no to either of them, Hanayo-chan. I love them both." This was something that Hanayo was at least somewhat familiar with, as Kotori had divulged this particular bit of information to her. She had needed someone to talk to about this specific subject, and clearly the subjects in question were out of the question, and Hanayo was more than willing to listen and keep it all a secret.

"You have to pick one of them though, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know... I just can't, though!" Kotori pouted into the covers, closing her eyes somberly. "I'll hurt one of them if I pick the other, and I can't do that. They both mean so much to me." A question hung on the tip of both of their tongues, a question neither of them could voice aloud: why not both? Of course, the answer was clear why that wouldn't work: Honoka and Umi couldn't stand each other. Not anymore.

"Maybe you should've told them both no?"

"But that would've hurt them too. Ohh, what am I going to do, Hanayo?" There didn't seem to be any options that involved no one getting hurt. "How long do you think I can get away with dating them without the other noticing?"

Hanayo thought about it for a minute. "Maybe a week." Kotori rolled over and groaned into the bedspread.

"That's what I was afraid of."

Part III: Soaring With Beauty

Honoka hummed a tune to herself as she made her way to the restaurant she and Kotori had agreed to meet at for lunch. In her hand was some light-colored flower, its true name unknown to her. She had swiped it from the flower shop on the way there, thinking it was pretty enough that it didn't matter that she wasn't aware of what exactly it was. Getting the flower had successfully distracted her from any worrisome emotions, but the moment she saw Kotori standing outside the restaurant, it felt like an entire garden of butterflies had been let loose inside of her.

A vision of loveliness in an autumn dress of her own creation, Honoka didn't even realize she had stopped moving in order to properly stare. She was more beautiful than the most majestic bird, and there was no denying that she'd gotten her talons in deep. It took nearly two minutes for Honoka to realize that she was just standing there, and quickly she got her ass in gear, hurrying over to where Kotori was waiting.

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori waved in greeting, though all Honoka could think of was how underdressed she was. Maybe she should've gone with a skirt rather than skinny jeans. "You made it on time."

"Of course, ahaha. You expected me to be late?" She wouldn't call herself 'tardy', but in all likelihood she was late to her own birth. Then she remembered that she was specifically holding something. "Oh, right, this is for you!" She handed the flower over, which Kotori took and gave a light sniff.

"Oh Honoka-chan, it's lovely. Thank you!" Her smile made everything worthwhile. It even temporarily squashed the tidal wave of nerves running rampant in her stomach. "Shall we go inside?" Nodding, Honoka followed her inside, slowly but surely feeling the nerves return. Damn, could she catch a break or something?

Once they were inside, Honoka sat down and immediately began tapping her foot against the floor. She had been sure that she would be able to keep it under control until they finished eating, but without her pills it was increasingly harder to concentrate on any one thing. Desperately she attempted to keep her attention focused on Kotori, but it was tough. Her eyes kept darting from Kotori to other tables, down to their own table and the waiter who came to take their order.

"Are you okay, Honoka-chan?" Kotori was looking at her with concern, concern that Honoka tried to dissuade with a big smile.

"Y-Yeah! Of course!" Her concentration was suddenly on keeping her foot tapping in rhythm with a random song that popped into her head, and her smiled weakened as she started to play with the silverware.

"Did you take your pills today, Honoka-chan?"

"Well, I... N-No." Honoka hung her head, fishing her medication out of her pocket. "I was going to take them after our lunch, but I can't concentrate." They hadn't even gotten to order their food yet, and the struggle was all-too-real.

"Don't worry, Honoka-chan." With a wave of her hand, Kotori called over a waiter and asked if they could have some breadsticks real quick. The waiter nodded, and it didn't take long at all before Honoka was nearly salivating over a basket of bread. "There you go." With a grateful look, she grabbed a breadstick and began to chow down. She'd nearly eaten the entire basket - actual meals be damned - before being satisfied enough to take her pills.

"Thank you, Kotori-chan!" It took less effort to keep her attention on Kotori now, and their lunch continued on smoothly after that. There wasn't even much nervousness, as long as she kept in mind that it was just like talking to a friend. A friend she just happened to be on a date with. It went smoother than expected.

She didn't really think much about it when Kotori said that she had to head home after lunch. Honoka was too happy to pay it much mind, humming cheerfully on her own way back home. She wondered if that night was too soon to ask her on another date. Should she do it through text or in person? Maybe Monday would be better, since they'd be at school together. She resolved to call Maki that night and ask her. It would probably also behoove her to bug the redhead about asking out her own crush.

Dating was not Umi's strong suit. The closest she got to romantic knowledge was reading the first few pages of a cookbook that turned out to be a romance novel with a misleading title. She hadn't been able to go back to the library for days after that. Now she was about to pick up Kotori for a date. No amount of mental preparation was enough to ready her for this moment.

The place that they had agreed on was fancier than their usual fare, and it was far enough away that she had to convince her dad to drive them there. Of course, it became a bit obvious what her intentions were, considering that two friends were being what basically amounted to chauffeured to a higher-class restaurant. She would never live down the embarrassment of having to admit to her parents that she was taking Kotori out on a date. A real, actual, romantic date. It had taken a lot of pleading to keep her mom from trying to get a picture of them for 'posterity'.

In the car, it was quiet and tense: at least it was to Umi. While Kotori looked absolutely stunning in her dress, she felt way too overdressed in what basically amounted to a business suit. Tugging at her collar nervously, she wondered if she should hold Kotori's hand, or if that was too fast for a first date. Was this too formal? What if Kotori felt uncomfortable and decided they'd be better off staying friends, or worse: not wanting to be friends at all. She could feel a cold sweat down her neck by the time they reached the restaurant.

When they got out of the car, her dad bade them farewell before driving off, leaving them alone in front of the restaurant. Looking towards the door, Umi wondered if it was alright to hyperventilate on a first date. The feeling of someone grabbing her hand jolted her back to reality, and she looked down to find Kotori's fingers entwined with hers. Seeing her smile was swoon-worthy.

"Don't worry, Umi-chan. You're doing fine." That helped assuage some of her worries, and things proceeded smoothly from there. She greatly enjoyed talking with Kotori about anything that came to mind, and after dinner she took Kotori's hand and led her into a nearby flower shop. Despite her protests - "You already paid for dinner, Umi-chan! You don't have to do anything else for me! - Umi insisted on bequeathing unto her a rose: a pretty flower for a pretty girl.

The light blush on Kotori's face was worth every cent she had spent. Well, every cent her dad had spent: she didn't really have any money. While they waited for Umi's dad to come back and pick them up, Kotori stood next to Umi, looking at the flower with a contemplative expression. Slightly concerned, Umi took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hey, are you okay?"

"H-Huh? Of course!" Quickly any strange emotions were gone from her face, replaced by a warm smile. "I had a lot of fun, Umi-chan. Thank you!"

"I-It was no problem." Umi rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment, trying to build up the confidence to ask something important. "D-do you... Do you think we can... w-we can go out next week too?"

"S-Sure!" Kotori's answer was rushed and high-pitched, but Umi chalked it up to nerves, though she was surprised that Kotori would be nervous. She figured she was going to shoulder all that for the night. When her dad came back and took them home, the silence wasn't as tense. It was more of a easy understanding, and that night she slept easily, falling into her favorite dream, where the heroic knight saved the beautiful princess from the clutches of an evil, bread-loving dragon.

In her room, staring at a vase on her desk, Kotori sighed softly. Two flowers were housed within, both beautiful in their own rights. Could they both really fit together in one place, though? Placing her head in her hands, Kotori wanted to scream, but couldn't conjure up the energy. The friendships she had with Honoka and Umi were going to crumble right in front of her, and it was all her fault. Hanayo had guessed that she could keep this up for a week, but she was wrong.

It lasted six days.

Part IV: The Knight and the Dragon

She had heard the rumors. As an officer of the Disciplinary Committee, not much within the school was hidden from her ears. So she wasn't the only one courting Kotori, huh? The anger that she tried very hard to repress boiled up inside of her, and despite Eli trying to calm her down, she stormed out of the clubroom with fire in her eyes. She was going to kill Honoka.

After searching all over the school, her feet had led her to the park. It didn't surprise her to find Honoka standing there, as if the other girl had been waiting for her. The two of them and Kotori had been familiar faces at the park, but that was a long time ago. What once was a time of playful adventures now simmered with great tension.

"Honoka!" Umi roared, startling a flock of birds as she stomped across the playground, glaring at the ginger with malicious intent. "You thought I wouldn't find out?" They stood toe to toe, neither one willing to blink and concede even the tiniest of battles. "I know everything."

"Hardly," Honoka snorted dismissively, smirking. "Gonna throw me in detention for some trumped-up charge? Banish me from ever seeing Kotori again?" Mockingly placing a hand over her heart, she pretended to faint on the spot. "My poor heart!"

"Not quite." Now it was Umi's turn to smirk, especially when the white-knuckled clenching of her fists got a glimmer of fear to flash in Honoka's eyes. "We're going to settle this, right here, right now. Whoever wins gets Kotori's hand. The loser gets nothing but shame." There was a slightly hesitant, deliberating look on Honoka's face, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a confident grin.

"You're on, bitch. Just so you know, I've never lost a fight."

"Except with your diet." With locked eyes and tense fists, they both waited for the other to make the first move. It was like a old western, where two duelists held their breath, ready to whip around and unload their bullets into the other. They acted simultaneously: Honoka threw a punch at the same time Umi kicked out to sweep the leg. Both of their preferred methods of attack connected.

Umi reeled back, her cheek stinging from where Honoka's fist had connected with it. Meanwhile, Honoka was pushing herself back to her feet, launching at Umi for another attack. Easily dodging the wild assault, Umi slammed her elbow down on Honoka's spine, getting a loud cry out of her as she fell back to the dirt.

"Come on, get up!" Her veins were pumping with adrenaline, watching as Honoka struggled a bit to get back on her feet. As soon as she did, Umi knocked her right back down. "You don't deserve Kotori! How is she going to take it when you end up in prison because of your troublemaking ways?"

Breathing heavily, Honoka gingerly got back on her feet, dusting dirt off of her clothes. Umi was surprised to find that there were tears in her eyes. "Honoka...?"

"You're a jerk, Umi!" Taking advantage of Umi's momentary surprise, Honoka tackled her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her former friend as she threw a punch, then another. "All you care about is being Kotori's stupid little knight! What about me, Umi?! You never gave a fuck if I was okay!" There was blood trickling from Umi's nose and a cut on her lip, but she stopped trying to defend herself, only able to stare up at Honoka with wide, confused eyes.

Tears were streaming down Honoka's cheeks, which she made no attempt to hide or wipe away. Her punches no longer held any weight, and eventually she just gave up trying to inflict any more pain on Umi, her emotions easily overwhelming her. "You said I was stupid! That I wasn't ever going to amount to anything... What the fuck was I supposed to do?!" Bitterly, she grasped onto Umi's shoulders, but the blue-haired girl easily shrugged her off, anger returning to her eyes as she flipped them over, regaining the advantage.

"Don't blame me for your attitude problems!" There was no way she was going to feel guilty for Honoka's bad behavior. She didn't tell Honoka to do any of the juvenile shit she did. That was all on her. "You chose to be a delinquent! Be a better person if you're so hung up on it!" Rage fueled her as she got in several revenge punches before Honoka was able to shove her off.

"You abandoned me!" She tried to lunge at Umi again, but her energy was thoroughly sapped, and it was clear that Umi, while in better shape, wasn't doing much better. The battle had devolved into the two of them yelling at each other from the ground. "What kind of friend does that?! If Kotori-chan did something wrong, would you abandon her too?"

As if her name was a long-range bird call, Kotori ran into the park, clearly out of breath as she stumbled towards them, nearly falling over before reaching the scene of the battle. "H-Honoka-chan! U-Umi...ch-chan! S-Stop!" Shocked, they both turned and stared at Kotori, who looked liable to fall over at any second.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Heavy sobs wracked her body as she fell to her knees and wrapped Honoka and Umi into a hug. "D-Don't fight over me! P-Please don't fight!" It wasn't like they had a choice: seeing Kotori crying drained the will to fight from their bodies. They both looked at each other awkwardly, then back at Kotori.

"Kotori, we know that..." Umi started, but she felt awkward finishing it.

"You went on dates with both of us." Honoka finished for Umi, leaving Kotori to sniffle guiltily.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt either one of you..." She glanced between them earnestly, acting as a sort of barrier between them, lest they start brawling again. "But I love you both so much! How can you expect me to choose between you two?" The two in question flinched, embarrassment and guilt evident on their faces.

"Kotori, a relationship is just between two people-"

"Why though?" Kotori locked eyes with Umi, grabbing her hand tightly. "I love both of you. I'm not going to sit here and allow you two to kill each other just because of me."

"Does that mean you don't want to date either of us?" Honoka looked crestfallen, but Kotori quickly turned around and grabbed onto her hand as well.

"No, that's not it at all! I want to date both of you."

"Both?" Honoka and Umi looked at each other, then at Kotori, then back at each other. "You and... her?" They pointed at each other. "And me?" Then at themselves. Kotori nodded, holding both of their hands in her own.

"I can't choose between you two. I never could: that's why I've never taken a side, even when you both stopped being friends. You're both too important to me." Honoka and Umi looked at each other again, weighing the consequences of what Kotori was suggesting.

"I... I've wanted to go out with you for years, Kotori."

"So have I!"

"And I... guess I can tolerate Honoka."

"Excuse me? I'm the one who has to tolerate you!"

"Oh no, not like this." Kotori released their hands and instead grabbed them both by the ear, getting a yelp out of them. "Honoka-chan, I don't want you getting into trouble. It worries me when you're always in detention. And Umi-chan, don't be so dismissive of Honoka-chan. If she needs help, we both need to help her. Okay, you two?" When neither of them answered, she yanked on their ears. "Okay, you two?"

"Ow ow ow, okay okay! Jeez, mom." Honoka pouted, which got Kotori to laugh. Soon they all were smiling, something that hadn't happened with all three present in several years. The two combatants, having laid down their arms, leaned closer so Kotori could lay her head on their shoulders, smiling against the material of their shirts. Not many people were lucky enough to date their best friend, much less two best friends. Lady luck really was smiling down on her.

"Well, as long as we're all together here, maybe we should go get patched up," Umi suggested, wiping off some blood onto her arm.

"Good idea! I'll call Maki-chan!" The three of them stood up, entwining their fingers together as they left the park. "Then maybe you can help get her to talk to Rin-chan. She has a major crush on her."

"Huh, really?" Umi mused over it, shrugging slightly. "Well, I can probably get her to go after Maki tomorrow. She seems like the kind of challenge Rin likes."

"I don't think Maki-chan will like you two interfering." There wasn't any disappointment in Kotori's words, though. Seeing Honoka and Umi actually able to talk without saying something angry to the other was an improvement already. Closing her eyes, she happily hummed as Honoka led them to Maki's. It didn't take long for her new girlfriends to hum along with her.