Chapter 1
The front door shut with a tone of finality to it that all but Minori would have not picked up on. She stood there next to Kawashima Ami, her hand still raised in a goodbye while her other arm was resting on Ami's shoulder.
The taller girl, who had picked up on the slight tightening of Minori's arm around her neck earlier, finally asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"Man… I'm so tired I can't even stand…" Ami heard Minori say in a slur as she slumped to the ground.
"Hey, what are you-"
Ami suddenly cut herself off when she saw Minori crying on the ground, her happy façade having faded away like footprints in a blizzard.
"Wait, why are you crying?" Ami asked, very confused.
"Tears… just mean that your heart…. has a nosebleed…" Minori managed to say between sobs.
"But why are you crying? Is it because Taiga was taken from you by Ryuuji?"
"I don't know. I had promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore…" Minori had pulled her knees to her chest at this point.
Ami gave her a sad smile and said, "Pathetic," as she moved to sit down next to her.
Minori sniffled and said "But I learned something."
"What?"
"If you trip running through the halls, your nose bleeds. When you trip in life, you cry."
Ami gave a blank look for just a second, like she didn't know how to respond to this. Then she regained her calm demeanor and threw her head back, saying, "Baka. We're too young to go all philosophic on life. We still have many years ahead of us."
Minori shifted her gaze even lower. "But my heart feels like it's gone through that many years already." "And look where it's gotten me. Nowhere but heartbreak and nosebleeds."
Though the redhead could not see, there was internal struggle evident on the model's face. "It's obvious that she's still crushed over losing both her love and best friend. For some reason I want to be the one who pulls her out of this. Why? Why do I care so much? Why is my heart aching over her like this?"
The model then decided that until she understood the feelings that were dominating her thoughts, she would play it cool with Minori and not let her catch on. But that doesn't mean that the bluenette couldn't show Minori some compassion, one of the many things she had gained from her friendship with the redhead and the others in their group.
Ami wrapped her arms around the strawberry head's shoulders and pulled her in close.
Thump, Thump. Thump, Thump.
Minori felt her heart start thudding in her chest, not loud enough for Ami to hear but just enough to make Minori confused. "What? My heart is beating fast. What is going on?" Minori felt a blush creep onto her face, so she hid it into Ami's chest.
Ami felt a similar redness come over her face.
"Well, whatever this is, I know that I want more of it."
The model let this thought envelop her mind as she sat there comforting Minori with a small smile on her face, content with sitting like this forever.