It was an elegant night.
The air was cold enough for her to be at ease, enough crowds for her favored peace, resulting to less distractions in her reading, along with plenty of glittering stars and a bright moon beautifying the night.
Everything was definitely in her favor, her daily student council meeting finished faster than the usual, assignments fewer than usual, reading a more interesting novel than usual,
Walking side by side with someone she can't take her eyes off than usual,
Yes. She was convinced. It was an elegant night.
Until a large, frustrated grunt crawled all the way to her ears.
Temporarily leaving her book unattended, Mei narrowed her eyes to the young blonde scratching her head due to her frustration beside her.
"Aargh, what kind of a math test is that?! It's not even taught to us! That damn teacher..."
Their last class was the older girl's greatest enemy, Algebra. Despite the quiz announced and a whole day given to prepare, Yuzu still devastatingly experienced hell for the whole period.
Mei heaved an exasperated sigh. This woman is really hopeless in terms of academics.
"Yuzu, the lesson was taught to us. If you listen to our teacher carefully than sleeping in class and if you study at home than manicuring your nails, I'm pretty sure you can answer all the questions next time."
"But it's filled with x's and y's, that's not even math anymore!" Yuzu childishly stomps her feet as they cross the usual bridge on their way home, which Mei resumed her reading and silently listened, much to her amusement.
"It's almost a punishment!" The blonde motioned her hands angrily up and down on her side. "It's... It's ruthless! It's like, the greatest evil in the world mixed alphabet and numbers for his own pleasure to see every student in the world su...ffer..."
"...?"
Mei noticed the other stopped on her rant and tracks. This is unusual for someone so energetic and enthusiastic. The blonde just stood motionlessly. "...Yuzu?"
No reaction.
Mei closed her book and moved a little bit closer to the older girl.
"Hey. Yuzu." Still, no response.
Cautiously, she reached Yuzu's shoulder. Wondering what just happened, her heart beating faster and faster, she doesn't like it in the slightest. She is getting worried every second passing and she can feel her fingers slighty trembling as she almost touched -
"Woooooooooooooow!"
Until an excited shout again almost wrecked her eardrums.
Yuzu suddenly sprinted and rushed to the left side of the bridge. Gripping tightly while lifting her right foot to the highest railing, her body floated like a leaf, she aggressively jumped out of the bridge while grinning like a mischievous little kid.
Mei felt like her heart stopped beating.
"Yuzu!"
Mei hurriedly raced to the left railing, anxiousness slowly filling her heavily beating heart.
Seeing Yuzu jumping out of the bridge, seeing Yuzu disappearing suddenly in her eyes,
'What the hell is that crazy woman thinking!?'
Her heart was thumping so rapidly that she can hear the blood pumping through her ears.
'Is she trying to kill herself?! Does she not know how dangerous that was?!'
Mei can feel a terrifying chill engulfing all over her body. Only one thing is processing in her mind right now.
'If Yuzu disappears from me, then I…'
Reaching the rails, clinging with the mixture of all her fear and the thin line of hope, she desperately shouted.
"Yuzu!"
Her eyes were greeted by something breathtaking.
A riverbed filled with beautiful colors, filled with beautiful fireflies floating around everywhere.
It's easy to spot the person of her concern with the sticking hair color even from a distance. Yuzu turned around in response. Flashing a tender smile while waving her hands up in her head like having no care in the world,
"Mei! Look, look, look! Fireflies!" Yuzu exclaimed.
Mei stared at the other in a dumbfounded manner. Her eyes wide in disbelief, her mouth hanging open like crazy. She can't believe it.
"Hah…"
Along with the cold sweat sliding from her forehead, she buried her face in both of her arms currently resting on the rail.
"…I feel like an idiot worrying." She murmured, after a little while, it was followed by a small, happy sigh of relief.
Mei slowly raised her head and straightened her posture after hearing series of giggles and footsteps all around the riverbed. Mei, despite being extremely frustrated, calmly joined the blonde in a 'proper way' by crossing the remaining steps of bridge and descend the stairs provided, eyes never leaving the other girl.
'This woman is really unpredictable.'
Mei massaged her forehead while nearing the vicinity of the blonde. "I am really amazed of how you can act so rashly without even thinking once of the possible consequences."
"Hehe, sorry!" Yuzu jogged all the way to the raven-haired while her hands cupped, like it's holding something fragile. "Mei, Mei, Mei! Here, a compensation! Look at this, look at this!"
She placed both her hands near to their faces and released the single captive firefly, illuminating a little bit of their small space.
"…Look at the way they sparkle…"Yuzu tenderly watched the twinkling light of the firefly. "The way they lit in the middle of the night… It's so beautiful." She whispered.
Mei silently observed the person in front of her.
Yuzu at first was watching the fireflies surrounding them, then, after a while, she jogged and she was gently smiling as she danced and swayed along with the floating fireflies.
The way she plays with the lights, 'It really is beautiful. It's so natural, almost like a perfect scenery.
Like a collection of the beautiful rays of warm light in the middle of a dark night.
Before, Mei personally preferred a darker environment. She preferred sleeping without lights than lights on, she preferred reading with a lamp beside her than a well-lit room, and she also preferred chilly night rather than a hot summer day.
She had a notion that living in a darker environment will have her more privacy. She doesn't want anyone to witness what she was doing, what she was seeing and what she was feeling.
That is why when she heard that her father had remarried and she will have a step sister, she was at first displeased. She was having a hard time dealing with her own world, and now another problem arises. She also needs to deal with a certain blonde individual who did nothing than forcefully infiltrating her cared and treasured world.
Their first meeting, she considered Yuzu as a nuisance for ruining her precious comfort zone.
But now, she considered Yuzu as the most important person in her life.
Then suddenly, Mei realized why Yuzu can effortlessly blend with the group of twinkling fireflies.
For not giving up on her, for loving her, for treasuring her despite her horrendous personality,
Because she is her light herself.
Mei silently strolled around the riverbank as she lessens her distance with the blonde. In an arm's length, she called. "Yuzu."
Catching the attention of the smaller girl, before she can answer, Mei suddenly pulled Yuzu's arm and softly rested her head in her shoulder.
Yuzu instantly blushed. "M-M-Mei?!" Completely vulnerable with the sudden interaction, Yuzu trembled and tried to lean down to see the face of the raven-haired-
"Don't move."
"Y-Y-YES!" Yuzu blushed harder as Mei moved her body closer, feeling more warmth from the other.
Mei nuzzled her nose against Yuzu's neck. She was warm. Mei buried her face more.
Hers was the most comfortable warmth that she had ever felt. She had never been this comfortable before.
At that moment she felt like she can face anything in the world.
She wants to own that warmth, she was determined.
She won't let that warm disappear from her again.
Ten-odd seconds had passed and none of them have no plans of moving. Yuzu watched the fireflies in awe as she felt the raven-haired smiled from her shoulder.
"A-Are you okay?" Yuzu nervously inquired. "Did I do something wrong? Should I c-call mom or-"
"Mmm… it's nothing." Mei interrupted. She doesn't need anything else right at the moment.
Right now, she is contented.
"…Just found something worth fighting for."
"Hmm?" Yuzu peeked at the other in curiosity. "What is that?"
Fireflies continued to beautifully swirl around them, humid grasses swaying, the cold breeze of spring slowly enveloping them,
At that moment, Mei was sure.
It was truly an elegant night.
"You."