"Once again, I must marvel at the wonders you can create, Asahina," Celestia Ludenberg whispers elegantly before she takes another sip of the heavenly delicious Royal Milk tea the other girl had made. With her layered lolita dress and noble composure, the gambler seemed like she would fit in more at a Victorian tea party than a school cafeteria.

"You're complimenting me way too much, Celes!" Aoi exclaimed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly as her face began to turn a bit pink. With her casual attire, just a tank top and some shorts, and humble attitude, the swimmer was probably the one least likely to be seen with Celestia, let alone having tea parties together.

"Nonsense. I know quality when I see, well, in this case, taste it," Oh, Celestia knew all too well. Her first attempts at the delicate art of tea brewing were... abominations to say the least. She still hadn't quite grasped the more complicated aspects, but at the very least, her current efforts were worlds away from the horrible pond scum of the past.

"Well, I'll trust your tongue then!" Asahina smiled, warm as the tea in her cup.

'I wonder if that's her secret. A cheerful disposition and good attitude.'

Celestia had first approached Asahina out of jealousy. In spite of all her effort, her smashed cups, frustrated tears, and broken teapots, Celestia could only make a tea slightly better than boiled water. And despite that, Asahina was brewing every type of tea under the sun, offering them to anyone who seemed like they needed a mood booster. Back then, Celestia had feigned interest and friendliness, trying to learn the swimmer's secrets.

Instead, she learned about a girl whose smile was warmer than her favourite type of day, a sunny summer day spent lazing about, dreaming of the future. A girl who had accomplished so much and wanted to accomplish so much more. A girl who extended the hand of friendship to even the most hostile, a girl who looked wonderful in a swimsuit...

Ahem. The swimmer got an S-rank for defying all expectations, which was very difficult for someone with standards as high as Celestia's. Naturally, Celestia had become ...friendly with such an exemplary individual over the course of time. They enjoyed each other's company very much. Celestia always loved the time spent drinking tea with Asahina, discussing any matter that came to mind.

But even though they were on good terms, Celestia had not forgotten her original motive for growing closer to the brunette. Spending time with Asahina was just a bonus.

Celestia had the feeling that she couldn't even fool Yamada with that lie, let alone herself. Her Queen of Liars title was surely in danger.

'Gah! It's so darn frustratin' that's what it is! She's just so darn beautiful and better than me and-and how in the hell did I manage to become her friend?! A liar like me don't even deserve to bask in her glow, let alone drink tea with 'er!'

Someone give Celestia Ludenberg the title of Super High School Level Actress, because despite her desire to scream and pull her hair out, not a hint of it showed on her face. She feigned polite interest as Asahina prattled on about so-and-so, keeping her calm composure-

"-so I asked Naegi to be my pretend boyfriend and he agreed!"

Celestia began choking on her tea.

"OhmygodCelesareyouokaykeepcoughingokayI'llgethelp!" Asahina yelled, panicking. The only thing stopping her from running off was a small tug on her wrist.

"Forgive me, I simply got choked up for a moment," Celestia covered up her jealousy, pain, and slight anger with a small smile. "I'm alright, please, what were you saying?"

"Are you sure?" The swimmer asked, eyes the colour of the sky staring at her in concern. "I can take you to the nurse's office if you want."

"I'm fine, Asahina. Please continue."

"Well..." Asahina hesitated a bit, before resuming her tale. "I just wanted to boost my femininity, so I thought acting out the role of a girlfriend would be a good way to do it!"

Celestia Ludenberg had a plan.

"My, my, Asahina," Celestia covered her smile with her fingers, her voice taking on a slightly amused tone. "You wanted to 'boost' your femininity, so you went to a boy?"

"H-hey! Naegi's pretty feminine!" Asahina protested, already flustered. Good.

"He might be similar, but he would never be as good a teacher as an actual woman," The gambler reasoned, taking another sip of her tea to add suspense to her next words. "Allow me."

"H-huh?!"

"My lady, you are simply radiant today. Your very being seems to shine like the sun. My, at this rate, you may very well be the sun!"

Asahina gaped, mouth opening and closing to form a reply, but she made no sound. Her face was turning red at an alarming rate, and Celestia would be concerned if she weren't having so much fun.

"Oh my, what's this?" Celestia gasped with faux shock. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Er, no, why?"

"Ah, I've been mistaken. There was a long fall between here and heaven, and I believed you might have been injured, angel."

"A-a-a-angel?!"

"Of course. After all, your smile brought me to heaven," Celestia added a flirtatious wink to finish off Asahina's HP.

The swimmer let out an incomprehensible whine, before covering her face with her hands. Even with her face covered, Asahina's ears were redder than her favourite jacket (that Celestia may or may not have borrowed indefinitely) and Celestia deduced that the swimmer's face must be roughly the same shade of tomato.

Even though Celestia would honestly love to keep teasing the other girl, well, even gamblers had their rules, and one of them was 'Don't kick them while they're down.' She kept drinking her slightly cool but no less delicious Royal Milk Tea instead.

"Alright, now it's my turn!" Asahina declared, having recovered from her embarrassment. Celestia didn't visibly react, still intent on finishing her tea before continuing. The teacup at her mouth kept Asahina from seeing the borderline-sadistic grin on Celestia's face, and thus kept the swimmer in the dark about the teasing she would endure.

"You're hotter than a furnace in the middle of July!" Asahina exclaimed, winking and pointing finger guns at the gambler. She was confident.

How cute.

"Then wouldn't you be dead, darling?" Celestia retorted simply, setting her empty teacup on the table and snatching Asahina's. She wouldn't notice. Plus, the swimmer could always make some more.

"U-um," Asahina was thrown off guard, before trying again, determined as ever. "Well then Babe, you're sweet as pie and I want to try!"

"That's cannibalism."

"Wha- no it's not! I mean a kiss!"

"Oh really? Are you sure about that, Aoi Asahina?" Translation: Now's your time to refuse buddy. Any objections or are we heading forward from here?

"Yeah!" Asahina exclaimed, pumping both her fists in the air in her perceived victory. "Thanks Celes, you're really-"

She didn't expect her lips to meet Celestia's while she was talking, eyes going wide and arms falling to her side, limp. Though the gambler pulled away after a few seconds, Asahina didn't change her shocked expression at all. Celestia smiled at her, before turning around one hundred and eighty degrees and leaving.

It wasn't until after Celestia reached her room that she realized what she had just done, reaching the same catatonic state state that Asahina was in. Both girls blushed bright, bright, bright red, fingers tracing at their lips to see if they could still feel the warmth from the kiss.

In the anime, Aoi mentions making Royal Milk Tea, the same tea Celes yells at Yamada for messing up. I couldn't help myself after noticing that.

I hope you enjoyed this oneshot, and have a nice day/night/whatever!