"Looks pretty barren now, doesn't it?" Nozomi mused, leaning partially out of the window. The grounds below, which had been bathed in color and festivities earlier, were now fairly empty.

"Don't say that."

She turned and offered her companion an apologetic smile. "You know that's not what I meant."

Eri glanced up from the form she'd been working on and scowled. "Still, don't say it. We haven't completely succeeded yet."

Nozomi chuckled. "Oh, but from watching you I'd call it wonderful progress."

The blonde sighed. "This isn't about me."

"Sometimes you should let it be." The brunette turned back to the window. "There's a far better future in that."

Eri cracked a smirk. "Is that what your beloved cards tell you?"

"I don't need cards to believe that."

"Then your cards also didn't inform you of your new...habit?"

Nozomi turned and raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "What do you mean?"

Eri frowned, put down her pencil, then held up both hands and made a grasping motion.

Nozomi burst into giggles. "Oh, no...I don't mean anything by it though. Besides, it motivates them, so what's the harm?"

"I'm just surprised you haven't tried that on me at least once," the blonde answered, returning to her work.

"You'd be the only one among them to give me an earful about it."

"Because that's stopped you before, hasn't it."

"Okay then, how's this..." She strode across the room and wrapped her arms around the girl. "It's because I don't want Ericchi to think I'm just fooling around with her too."

Eri leered at her with a slight blush. "It's amazing what you can say with a straight face."

Nozomi grinned. "Doesn't make it any less truthful."

The blonde cast her eyes downward again. "Nozomi..."

"Hm?"

"I...probably don't say this enough, but...thanks for looking out for me all this time."

The brunette hugged her a little tighter. "Somebody's got to. Unless you really, really don't want me to."

"Ah, no, I-" She paused for lack of a full sentence.

"Okay then," Nozomi answered, leaning over her shoulder, "what does Ericchi want, right now?"

Eri stared down the form in front of her, tapping the pencil twice before flipping it away in favor of turning and pressing her lips gently against Nozomi's. For today, work could wait a bit longer.

A/N: Don't tell me it's short. I know it's short. I'm working on longer things too.