"Ice skating?" Yuuta looked at Nibutani incredulously. "Exactly how is ice skating going to improve my relationship with Rikka?"
It was no secret that the relationship between Yuuta and Rikka was one of the slowest moving relationships ever witnessed at their school. Nibutani had tried countless times to push them in a direction that would make things progress faster, but Rikka was too shy, and Yuuta was too stubborn for any of her advice to work.
That day, while staring absentmindedly out the window during class, Nibutani had come to a sudden conclusion that the way her two friends could speed things up was through romantic dates. That's how these things usually went anyway. The guy would take the girl on several romantic dates, and their relationship would blossom over time. Every manga she read and every TV show she watched illustrated that repeatedly.
"Ice skating is so romantic," Nibutani urged. "It's a perfect date for a young couple. You'll walk hand in hand onto the ice, illuminated by the glittering lights surrounding the rink. Rikka will have trouble balancing, so she'll need to cling to your arm to make sure she doesn't fall. You'll skate side by side, arms linked, feeling each other's presence in every fiber of your being."
Nibutani sighed dreamily. Despite her adoration for all things romantic, she had yet to experience anything of the sort. She had never been in relationship before, and even though she often told herself that she didn't need to be in one to be happy, she found herself longing for that connection. As a result, she lived out her romantic dreams through Yuuta and Rikka. Unfortunately for Nibutani, this had proven to be incredibly disappointing considering their snail pace relationship.
"You've been watching too much TV," Yuuta sighed. "Plus, with those rolling shoes of hers, I wouldn't be surprised if Rikka ended up being really good at ice skating. If that's the case, your plan already failed."
Nibutani huffed, "Why can't you ever take advice when it's given to you? You always have some reason why you think it won't work." Nibutani was aware of her own tendency to be stubborn, but sometimes Yuuta made her look like the most accommodating person in the world. He always seemed to prefer to handle things himself, especially regarding his relationship with Rikka.
"Because you have had about as much experience as I have," Yuuta retorted. "Actually, you've had even less experience. You've never been in a relationship before. The most you've done is kiss your rival when she was drunk."
Nibutani's face flushed red. That moment on the boat last Christmas appeared in her thoughts quite often. She couldn't think about it for more than a few seconds before she'd reel in embarrassment. Nibutani was surprised by how much she actually thought about it considering how she'd react to that memory.
"T-That was an accident," Nibutani stammered.
"That just furthers my point," Yuuta said. "You're not really in a place to be giving relationship advice." Yuuta shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around at the students occupying the hallway that they were standing in.
Nibutani sighed, "You two are my friends, so I care about what happens with you. I don't want things to end up badly. I'm just trying to help you out. You don't have to be a jerk about it."
Nibutani understood that it was probably just as, if not more, frustrating for him as it was for her. It made sense that he didn't want to get lectured by someone outside of his relationship. Still, they were both incredibly important to Nibutani, so she would do whatever she could to help them out.
Yuuta looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. His brow furrowed which Nibutani assumed meant that he was actually thinking about her idea. That was good. She hoped that she was successful in breaking through his stubbornness, even if it was only by a little bit.
After a few moments, Yuuta ran a hand through his hair and spoke up, "If you really think this will help, then I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it out." Nibutani's eyes gleamed in excitement, and a huge grin spread across her face. Before Nibutani could say anything, Yuuta put up his hand to stop her from speaking.
"I have one condition though," Yuuta said. "You have to come with us."
Nibutani raised her eyebrow, "You want me to... third wheel on your date with your girlfriend?" The idea seemed beyond ridiculous. Most people found third wheels to awkward, and they tended to create uncomfortable situations, but Yuuta wanted her to act as one?
"No, not like that!" Yuuta exclaimed, "I meant that I want you to bring someone else with you. It'll be like a double date."
Nibutani's eyes narrowed, "Why can't you just go alone with her? What are you afraid of?" A double date didn't seem like something that would go well with her plan. They tended to be a lot more casual than a normal date. If Yuuta and Rikka wanted to quicken the pace of their relationship, they'd need to actually go out and be with each other without anyone else around.
"It's not that I'm afraid of anything," Yuuta mumbled. "It's always been hard for Rikka to be alone with me without feeling really embarrassed. I thought it might help if another pair was there. It would feel like we were a bigger group, and it might put her at ease. You and whoever you bring can go off and do your own thing once Rikka is more comfortable."
Once he explained it, Nibutani had to admit that the idea wasn't half bad. He was right. Rikka's shyness made it nearly impossible to get anything done. Despite the casual nature of a double date, it might be exactly what they need. Plus, it would end up being a normal date disguised as a double date if she ended up ditching those two at the rink. That just left one more problem.
"Who exactly am I going to bring?" Nibutani asked. "I'm not interested in any guy right now, and there's no one in our class that I would be willing to go out with anyway." Nibutani had decided that the moment she found out about the poll taken by all of the guys in her first year. She had ranked first, which had admittedly boosted her ego a bit, but the fact that they felt the need to rate the girl's attractiveness had rubbed her the wrong way.
"Dekomori," Yuuta answered immediately.
"What?" Nibutani wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. Did he actually suggest that she should bring that brat along? There was no way that was going to happen.
"You should bring Dekomori with you," Yuuta repeated. "She's really close with Rikka, so it would probably help with the awkwardness. Plus, I think it would make Dekomori happy. And it would definitely help the tension between you two."
Nibutani opened her mouth to speak, but promptly shut it when no words came out. Her brain was still trying to sort through his suggestion. The thought of bringing someone like Dekomori on a double date would have never crossed her mind if Yuuta hadn't brought it up. She couldn't see how that was a good idea. That tension he spoke of was exactly why something like that would never work.
"First of all, no," Nibutani started. "Secondly, no. And lastly, what makes you think I would ever want to do something like that?" Nibutani thought he knew her at least a little better than that. Dekomori had been her rival for about a year, and in her opinion, nothing about a rival screamed "dating material."
"Well you said that there's no one in our class that you'd want to go out with, so I just came up with someone outside of our class," Yuuta replied. "And considering the way you two act around each other, I thought you wouldn't mind."
"What do you mean? There's absolutely nothing going on there. You're stupid for even thinking that." Nibutani crossed her arms and looked away. She was painfully aware of heat coming from her face. There were times when she caught herself thinking about the first year more than she expected, but she never really put too much thought into why it happened.
"Your blush suggests otherwise," Yuuta pointed out. "But anyway, that's my condition. It's up to you if you want to do it. I'll leave the decision making to you since this whole date plan was your idea to begin with."
Nibutani sighed loudly, "Fine. I'll bring the little idiot with us, but I'm ditching shortly after I get there. I'm not spending an entire evening alone with her." Nibutani's eye twitched in annoyance. She supposed that this was what she gets for meddling in someone else's business.
"Great," Yuuta smiled. "I'll text you the details later. Oh, and you might surprise yourself. You could end up enjoying this a lot more than you think you will." Yuuta waved goodbye and walked down the hallway. Nibutani watched his retreating form until he was out of view.
Nibutani's shoulders slumped. Regardless of what Yuuta might think, she wasn't going to enjoy this at all. She could tell that this double date was going to be a total disaster. Rikka and Dekomori were bound to run off to do something chuunibyou related. She foresaw a lot of disgruntled people who would become unwilling victims of their chuunibyou chaos.
At this point, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference if she went or not, but she didn't have a choice. She already said she would go, and Yuuta wouldn't go otherwise. Nibutani pinched the bridge of her nose. She would need to go inform Dekomori about their plans. Maybe if she was lucky, the younger girl wouldn't be able to make it.
Nibutani made her way down to the first floor where the first years had their classes. Dekomori was in the same classroom that she was in last year, so she knew the way there without having to think about it. Dekomori often stayed behind after class to tutor her classmates, so Nibutani was sure that she would be in there.
When she reached the classroom, she opened the door and looked around. She spotted Dekomori sitting with two other students in the back. They were all huddled around what looked like a math textbook. Dekomori pointed to a problem and watched as her classmates scribbled down their work in their notebooks. They all looked like they were working hard.
Nibutani hated to have to interrupt such a serious study session, but there was no other time to talk to her. She walked over to their desks. One of Dekomori's classmates noticed her presence first, and she tapped on Dekomori's shoulder with her pencil to get her attention. The girl pointed in Nibutani's direction, which caused the twin tailed girl to turn her attention towards Nibutani.
"What do you want, Fake Summer?" Dekomori asked, irritated at the sudden interruption. "I don't have time for you. There is a very important exam at the end of this week, and I need to make sure my companions are ready."
"I just need to ask you something," Nibutani answered. "It won't take long." Dekomori nodded. Her friends jabbed at her with their pencils, sly grins on their faces. They snickered as Dekomori swatted at them, a clear blush developing on her cheeks.
When they had moved a sufficient ways away from her classmates, Dekomori asked, "Okay, Fake Summer, what is it?"
Nibutani shivered. It was nearing winter, so the temperatures had begun to drop dramatically every day. She was glad that she had chosen to dress well. She looked down at her outfit, and grimaced. It was perfect for the weather, but she had ended up wearing the exact same thing she wore during that day on Christmas. By the time she noticed, it was too late to change. She was already out the door.
Nibutani had received a text from Yuuta shortly after talking to Dekomori. It read: "I talked to Rikka. We've decided that tonight at 8 would be a good time. There's an outdoor rink near Dekomori's house, so dress warmly. We'll all meet up at her house and walk there together. Rikka is happy that you two are coming along. See you there." An outdoor rink was perfect. She was glad that Yuuta had decided on that one.
Nibutani checked the time on her phone. It was 7:45, and she was nearing Dekomori's house. She wasn't sure if Yuuta had arrived yet, so she lingered outside of the gate once she reached it. She was about to call him when she saw his approaching figure in the distance.
"You haven't gone in yet?" Yuuta asked as he walked up to Nibutani.
"I wanted to wait for you to arrive. I think it's better that we went in together," Nibutani stated. It is a double date after all. It would have been awkward if she had been stuck there with Rikka and Dekomori waiting for him to show up.
Yuuta merely shrugged in response and rang the buzzer on the gate. After a few seconds, a loud buzz sounded, and the gate swung open. They walked up the long driveway to Dekomori's front door. Nibutani had forgotten how massive the first year's house was. It was just as overwhelming as the first time she had been there.
When they reached the door, Nibutani rang the doorbell. She had expected the family's butler to answer, but when the door opened, he wasn't there. Instead a tall woman with long blonde hair stood at the doorway with a warm, welcoming smile on her face. Her eyes were a familiar blue, so Nibutani assumed that the woman in front of her was Dekomori's mother.
Nibutani suddenly felt shy. The few times she had been over at Dekomori's house, her parents hadn't been around or had been too busy to entertain guests, so she had never gotten the opportunity to meet either of them. Dekomori's mother was gorgeous, which seemed befitting of someone as well off as she was, and despite the friendly demeanor, Nibutani found the woman's presence to be slightly intimidating.
"Don't be shy," the woman smiled, "Come in! Those girls should be out any minute now." She moved to let Yuuta and Nibutani in and shut the door behind them.
"Thank you for inviting us in. I'm sorry for the intrusion," Yuuta said politely with a slight bow.
Dekomori's mother laughed, "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I told Sanae to be ready before you got here, but you know those two, always getting distracted by some adventure." Nibutani knew that all too well. It was always a chore trying to keep them on task and under control. She wondered how Dekomori's mother dealt with it every day.
The tall blonde woman looked over at Nibutani and held out her hand, "You must be Nibutani. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." Nibutani shook her hand firmly.
"Yes, that's me," Nibutani replied. "I'm Shinka Nibutani."
"Shinka... What a pretty name."
Nibutani flushed at the compliment. She gave a quiet thanks in return.
"I'm glad you all have the opportunity to go out like this together," Dekomori's mother continued. "I know Sanae and Rikka are excited. They've been talking about it all afternoon. This is the first time my daughter is going out with someone like this, so please take care of her," The first year's mother looked equally as excited. Nibutani now knew where Dekomori got her high energy from. She felt a little guilty that this double date was just an excuse to help Yuuta and Rikka. She couldn't bear the thought of bringing that up now.
From a hallway on her left, Nibutani could hear the sound of muffled shouting and rapid footsteps. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw Rikka and Dekomori burst from around the corner at the end of the hall, armed with model guns that were eerily similar to an actual gun. The two girls ran down the hallway until they reached their companions.
"The Mjolnir Hammer, servant to the powerful Wicked Eye, has arrived, ready for battle!" Dekomori made a v sign with her right hand, winked, and slightly stuck her tongue out, a signature pose for the young blonde.
Yuuta sighed, "Should I even ask why you two have model guns with you?"
"Tonight is a full moon, so the power of otherworldly beings will reach top potential," Rikka answered. "They'll be able to disguise themselves among the masses, so we cannot let our guard down. We will not fall tonight." Dekomori nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining in admiration for her master.
"It's ice skating, not war. You'll be fine," Nibutani commented. "Plus, you can't bring them with you anyway. Imagine the trouble we'd get in if you were found with those in a public place."
Dekomori's mother spoke up, "You can hand them to me, dear. I'll take them back to your room for you." As soon as Dekomori registered her mother's presence in the room, her excitement turned to horror.
"Mom! I told you not to answer the door! You always say embarrassing things!" Dekomori exclaimed.
"I know, but I couldn't resist," her mother laughed softly, "I just had to meet your date, and I must say, she's as pretty as you made her out to be." Dekomori looked horrified. Her face, and even her ears, turned bright red.
"Mom, no! Leave!" Dekomori covered her face with one hand and shooed her mother away with the other. Nibutani was hit with intense secondhand embarrassment.
"Alright, alright. You all have fun!" Dekomori's mother waved goodbye and walked off further into the house. Dekomori, eager to leave the scene of that unfortunate occurrence, practically shoved her friends out the door. She hid her face behind a white scarf that hung around her neck.
They walked in pairs down the street in the direction of the skating rink. Yuuta and Rikka were walking in front of Dekomori and Nibutani, quietly chatting with one another. Nibutani noticed that the two were holding hands. She sighed in relief. At least they were comfortable with something small like that.
Nibutani looked at the small blonde girl walking beside her. She was wearing a light pink jacket, its hood up to hide her face from view. Dekomori was silent, obviously still recovering from what had happened. Her mother's words rang in Nibutani's head. 'She's as pretty as you made her out to be.' Did Dekomori actually think about that kind of stuff?
Nibutani shook her head. It's not like it mattered anyway. They were rivals, destined to fight each other for the rest of their school days, and that's all they would be. Plus, if she was going to have the perfect high school life that she desired, there was no way she could entertain the thought of going out with someone like her. She was the embodiment of every bad memory from her middle school days.
"The full moon is powerful tonight," Dekomori suddenly mumbled. Her voice was so low that Nibutani barely heard her.
"Huh?"
"The full moon has enough power to pierce through the protective shield that surrounds my abode," Dekomori continued. "It even affected my own mother, hypnotizing her to say things that suggest that I see you in any other way than fake Mori Summer. I'll have to be careful tonight. If I let my guard down, I'll surely be defeated." Dekomori lifted her scarf up to conceal her flushed cheeks.
"Hmm, is that really what it was?" Nibutani asked. Dekomori was acting unusually shy. A small part of her hoped that Dekomori was just making up excuses to hide behind, but Nibutani pushed that part aside before her mind dwelled on it too much.
"Of course!" Dekomori shouted. "Don't flatter yourself! I would never look at an imposter like you in that way! I agreed to come with you, so I could spend more time around my master!" Dekomori's loud outburst caused Yuuta and Rikka to turn around and look at them.
Nibutani sighed and flicked the first year's forehead, "If you say so."
Yuuta gave her a look that asked 'is everything okay?' Nibutani gave him an okay sign. She suddenly remembered why she had come along in the first place. Her fist priority was to make sure this date went perfectly for Yuuta and Rikka. If things went awry, this whole evening would be pointless. She pushed her thoughts of Dekomori to the side, and focused on the next stage of her plan.
"This next part is really important, so pay attention."
Being a popular place for couples, the ice rink was packed with people. Nibutani and Yuuta, who had already rented their skates, stood near the entrance to the rink, waiting for the other two. Several trees covered in lights were scattered around the area making for a charming atmosphere.
"Alright, lay it on me," Yuuta said halfheartedly. "What's your master plan?"
"The key to making this a successful date is contact," Nibutani replied. "You need to make sure you're by her side the whole time. It's preferable for you to be connected to her in some way. For example, offer to let her hold your arm if she's finding it hard to balance. If she is somehow already good at skating, offer anyway. Close contact in a romantic atmosphere like this will really set the mood!"
"Set the mood for what exactly?" Yuuta asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Nibutani rolled her eyes. Why were boys always so oblivious to all things of a romantic nature?
"A kiss, of course!" Nibutani answered. "That's what you two are lacking. Physical intimacy!" Yuuta, embarrassed by the suggestion, momentarily lost his balance and had to grab the wall of the ice rink to stabilize himself.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, we already hold hands..." Yuuta mumbled.
Nibutani put her hands on her hips," That's not good enough! Trust me, it'll work out for you. I won't stay the whole time, but I'll hang around for a little while to make sure everything is going smoothly." Nibutani planned to keep a close eye on the couple and watch their progress. She wouldn't leave until she was satisfied with what she saw.
"What about Dekomori?" Yuuta asked. "Did you tell her all of this too?"
Nibutani hadn't been overly specific about her plan when she asked Dekomori to accompany her, but she did tell her that this double date was to ease the pressure off of Yuuta and Rikka. She assumed that Dekomori knew what she meant.
"I didn't tell her all of the details, but I'm pretty sure she understands," Nibutani said. "She knows this isn't actually a serious thing."
"You really haven't thought this through," Yuuta groaned. "I took your advice, so now you should take mine. Don't ditch. Stay for the duration of the date and spend some time with her. Trust me. You'll end up regretting it if you don't." Nibutani really didn't like the sound of that. It was already tiring having to deal with her every day at school. She didn't fancy spending a whole evening dealing with her chuunibyou.
Before Nibutani could reply, Rikka and Dekomori walked up to them, now wearing their ice skates.
"We're ready to brave the icy terrain," Rikka said, pointing down at her feet. "With this new battle attire, I estimate a fifty percent increase in speed. This will be perfect training!" Dekomori nodded in agreement.
Yuuta held out his hand, "Rikka, take my hand. I'll help you onto the ice." Rikka blushed slightly and nodded.
Nibutani shot him a thumbs up. This was already starting strong. If he kept this up, she was sure that this would end well. Nibutani watched carefully as the couple took their first steps on the ice. Her intuition had been right. Rikka stumbled clumsily, and she grabbed the side of the rink almost immediately. She hoped that Yuuta had enough sense to do what she told him to do.
"Are we going or not?" Dekomori asked, interrupting Nibutani's thoughts.
"Yeah, lets go." Nibutani walked onto the ice. She had always loved ice skating as a child, so she felt quite comfortable with it. Her muscles remembered the sensation of being on the ice, so her balance was perfect. The same couldn't be said for her companion though.
Nibutani noticed Dekomori's hesitance to move even a single inch. The twin tailed girl had barely moved from the entrance, and she was clinging to the side as if she would fall to her death if she let go. Nibutani had to admit the sight was kind of cute.
"Do you need help?" Nibutani asked. Dekomori shook her head vigorously. The younger girl attempted to take a step forward, but slipped as soon as she placed her foot back down. If it weren't for her quick reflexes, she would have fallen. Luckily for her, she had managed to tighten her grip on the side before that happened. Nibutani fought to hold back her laughter.
"Are you sure? You look like you're having some trouble there," Nibutani pointed out.
Dekomori shook her head again, "The mighty Mjolnir Hammer doesn't accept help from fakes! I cannot submit myself to stooping low enough to accept your offer." Nibutani's eye twitched in annoyance. That chuunibyou pride of Dekomori's never failed to tick her off.
"Fine," Nibutani growled. "Suffer alone. I don't care." With that, Nibutani skated off to locate the other two, who had managed to make it halfway around the rink. When she got closer to them, she noticed that Rikka had taken to holding the side as well. Yuuta was slowly skating beside her as she inched along the edge.
Upon further inspection, Nibutani saw that Yuuta had failed to listen to her. He was simply standing next to Rikka as opposed to actually helping her out, and Nibutani felt her annoyance levels rise. She moved a bit closer to the couple and waved her arms in an attempt to grab Yuuta's attention. When he finally noticed, Nibutani pointed at Rikka and mouthed "help her."
Yuuta pointed at Rikka, made an x with his arms, and shrugged. Nibutani assumed that it meant that Rikka had refused an offer of help, much like Dekomori had. Nibutani pinched the bridge her nose. Those two shared the same annoying similarities. He would need to try harder if he wanted to make some progress. She jabbed her finger in Rikka's direction several times and mouthed "try again."
Nibutani saw Yuuta sigh heavily as he turned back to Rikka. He said something to her, though Nibutani couldn't hear him due to her distance, and he held out his arm. After a few moments, Rikka linked her arm with his with slight hesitance. She looked flustered, something which didn't surprise Nibutani at all considering how shy Rikka was.
Yuuta led Rikka away from the wall. He moved slowly to make sure she didn't fall. Rikka's legs were shaky and unbalanced, so she was forced to hold onto him with both arms. Nibutani felt confident that things were going well with them once again, so she turned her attention back towards the entrance.
Dekomori had made some progress, though it was very little. Nibutani sighed. She knew she couldn't leave her there. Nibutani made her way around the rink until she reached Dekomori's position. She crossed her arms and waited for the younger girl to notice her.
The puppy eyed look Dekomori gave her when she finally looked up was enough to make Nibutani's legs turn to jelly. She had to grab the wall to stop herself from losing her balance as well. Taking a fall in front of Dekomori was not desired at all.
"Help me," Dekomori whispered, her eyes betraying her fear of moving on her own.
Nibutani smirked, "I thought you didn't want to stoop low enough to ask for my help." Dekomori growled in frustration. The blonde was prideful, so asking for help from her rival was probably difficult for her. Despite knowing that, Nibutani couldn't resist the temptation to mess with her.
"I'll help you, but on one condition," Nibutani said. "All you need to say is 'great and powerful Nibutani, please help me for I am too weak to make it on my own.'" Dekomori swiped at her, and Nibutani moved away from the wall, chuckling at the first year's reaction.
"You cannot hope to manipulate me in such ways, fake Mori Summer," Dekomori said. "If you will not cooperate, I will have to force it out of you." Dekomori pushed off from the wall and collided into Nibutani, wrapping her arms around her. Nibutani, having been used to being on the ice, managed to keep them upright.
Dekomori held onto Nibutani's waist tightly, and Nibutani flushed at the sudden close contact. She tried to pry the young blonde off her, but Dekomori refused to budge.
"H-Hey, let go," Nibutani stammered. "We can't just stand here like this... It's embarrassing." The people around them were beginning to stare, and some even smiled. Nibutani could of sworn she heard someone say "how cute."
"I can't," Dekomori stated. "I'll fall." Nibutani hadn't seen someone as unconfident on the ice as Dekomori was. If she wanted Dekomori to release her, she knew she would have to find some way to change that.
"Let me have your arm." Nibutani grabbed Dekomori's left arm, and despite her companions protests and resistance, she managed to remove Dekomori's arm from around her waist. She grabbed Dekomori's significantly smaller hand with her own.
"I'll hold your hand and drag you along," Nibutani explained upon seeing Dekomori's confused expression. "That way you can get used to balancing on the skates without really worrying about falling. I'll be holding you the whole time, so you won't fall." Nibutani looked at Dekomori for approval, and when the other girl nodded her head, Nibutani started to move around the rink.
She moved slowly at first but eventually began to quicken her pace. She felt Dekomori's grip tighten on her hand. She looked over at the first year and noticed she was wobbling slightly. Nibutani quickly removed her hand from Dekomori's, which caused panic to flash in the tiny girl's eyes, and put her arm around Dekomori's shoulders to stop her from losing her balance.
Nibutani was relieved to see that it worked. Dekomori stopped wobbling and was now gliding as smoothly as she was. Now that she was much more secure, Dekomori looked as if she were actually enjoying herself. The tiny girl grinned as they circled the rink again and again. Nibutani smiled. Her earlier embarrassment was replaced with a sense of satisfaction.
As they circled the rink, Nibutani found herself relaxing. Being in the other girl's company wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She was actually enjoying it. Dekomori was too preoccupied with focusing on her skating to make any sort of commotion, so the evening was turning out to be rather peaceful.
"I want to try it by myself," Dekomori said. "I think I've gotten used to traversing this kind of terrain. If I wish to better myself through training, I need to maneuver on my own."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nibutani asked. "We've only gone around a few times." Dekomori nodded in determination. Nibutani didn't think for a second that this was going to end well, so she was going to make sure she stayed close to Dekomori.
Nibutani slowly removed her arm from around Dekomori's shoulders, and the twin tailed girl held her arms out to try to keep balance. She wobbled slightly but eventually fell still. Feeling confident, Dekomori took a step forward. For a moment, Nibutani thought that the younger girl would actually succeed in her endeavor, but sure enough, the blonde slipped once again as her foot hit the ice. Dekomori grabbed the nearest thing to her, which happened to be Nibutani. The two girls fell to ground.
Nibutani laid there staring up at the starry sky. She let her situation sink in, and she suddenly burst into a fit laughter. Nibutani couldn't pinpoint one particular reason she started laughing. It was all too funny. She laughed because she had known all along that Dekomori was going to fall eventually. She laughed at the very idea that she was here with the first year. And she laughed at the fact that she was enjoying herself far more than she ever thought she would.
"Shut up!" Dekomori shouted. "It's not funny!" The blonde girl pouted as Nibutani laughed even harder. She was practically in hysterics. Eventually, Dekomori's pout turned into a small smile, and she started giggling along with Nibutani. The two girls laid on the cold ice, laughing, oblivious to the weird stares they got from people around them.
Nibutani clutched her sides. "Oh man, it hurts. I laughed too much." She looked over at Dekomori, who was beaming at her. The younger girl was radiating happiness. Nibutani felt a warm sensation in her chest and butterflies in her stomach. That things that she was feeling felt like something straight out of one of her romance mangas. She always thought she had some idea of how she would feel during a moment like this, but she never imagined it would make her feel as good as she felt right now.
"I think we should get up," Nibutani murmured, not taking her eyes off of the girl laying beside her. "People are probably staring. Maybe it's time we take a little break outside of the rink."
"Yeah," Dekomori agreed. Nibutani got up first and helped the other girl to her feet. They returned to their prior method of skating, with Nibutani's arm around Dekomori's shoulders, and slowly made their way back to the entrance of the rink. As soon as they exited, they found the nearest bench and plopped down on it.
"I truly am ashamed that I failed my training," Dekomori mumbled. "Master will be disappointed that I failed in such a disgraceful way." Nibutani didn't see her time on the ice as a failure. She may not have been able to stand on her own, but being able to skate in each other's company had been enough of a success in her mind.
"It's funny, you know," Nibutani mused.
"My fall wasn't that funny," Dekomori grumbled.
"No, not that. Well, that was kind of funny too," Nibutani admitted. "But that's not what I meant. This whole evening was meant as an excuse to push Yuuta and Rikka closer together. I came here with every intention of formulating the perfect scenario and then leaving when I felt my job was done." Disappointment flooded Dekomori's eyes. Nibutani put her hand on top of Dekomori's, which was rested on bench, and Dekomori looked up at her in surprise.
"I originally wanted those two to come alone, but Yuuta insisted on a double date," Nibutani continued. "He was also the one who told me to invite you to come with us. I didn't really understand it at first, but now I think I get what he meant. I really have had a lot of fun so far. I'd like to do it again. But maybe it'll be just the two of us next time."
Dekomori looked at her wide eyed, "R-Really?" Nibutani nodded.
Dekomori broke out into a grin, but quickly hid her smile underneath her scarf. "I-I suppose I can tolerate another evening with you, Fake Summer. But only because I know you'll be sad without me." Nibutani rolled her eyes and smiled. That was exactly the way she thought Dekomori would react.
"But speaking of your stupid plan, I think it might have actually worked." Dekomori pointed in the direction of the ice rink. Nibutani looked over and spotted Yuuta and Rikka resting by the wall. They were chatting and laughing with each other. Nibutani scrambled out of her seat and ran towards a section of the side that was near the couple. She crouched down and peered over the edge. She felt Dekomori settle next to her.
Their chatting died down for a split second, and Yuuta used this as an opportunity to put his hand around her waist. He slowly inched his face closer to hers. His lips brushed Rikka's lightly, and both Dekomori and Nibutani leaned over the side in anticipation. Yuuta suddenly pulled away and looked in their direction. His eyes narrowed when he spotted them.
"I can't do it if you're watching me like that!" Yuuta shouted in annoyance.
"I think you may have already done it," Nibutani said, pointing in Rikka's direction. Rikka's face was bright red and she brought a hand up to touch her lips. She swayed in place, dizzy from the light kiss she just experienced.
"I barely even felt it..." Yuuta mumbled.
"Well, it was good enough for me to feel like my plan succeeded, just like I thought it would," Nibutani cheered. "I think it was good enough for her too." Nibutani and Dekomori snickered at the scene before them.
"You've sealed your contract with a kiss," Dekomori stated. "I fully expect you to stand by my master for the rest of time. If you fail to do so, I'll be forced to kill you in her honor." Yuuta chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Now that this has been sufficiently awkward, how about we all go back in the rink and skate together as a group," Yuuta suggested. "We've been split up for the most part, so it hasn't really felt much like a double date." The others voiced their approval.
"Master! I require your assistance! I have not yet mastered the skill of walking on these lands. Fake Mori Summer failed to teach me," Dekomori said. Nibutani sighed. She wasn't surprised that she was blamed for Dekomori's lack of skill when it came to ice skating.
"Of course," Rikka nodded. "Come with me. We shall train together and prepare to fight any entity that chooses to battle us during this full moon." Dekomori grabbed onto Rikka's arm and the two girls awkwardly stumbled around the ice rink with Nibutani and Yuuta following close behind.
"I hate to admit it, but you were right," Yuuta said. "This date really did help. It was a great way for us to bond. I haven't felt this close to her before." Nibutani smiled. She was glad that things were going well for her friends. Much to her surprise, tonight had helped her figure out a few things as well.
"You were right too."
"What do you mean?" Yuuta looked at her in confusion.
"You were the one who told me to bring Dekomori here," Nibutani explained. "You knew exactly how it was going to play out, didn't you?"
"Ah, I take it things went well. Actually, they must have considering that you're still here. You were planning on leaving early right?" Yuuta asked.
Nibutani nodded, "I was, but I'm glad I didn't. You were right, I would have regretted it if I had. Tonight made me realize that maybe, just maybe, there's something good there. I'm interested to see where this could possibly go."
"I'm glad," Yuuta smiled. "We can all see it, you know. Even Dekomori. She's liked you for ages. I think you're the last one to really understand how close you two actually are."
Nibutani laughed softly to herself. That didn't surprise her. She's spent many years of her life with reality clouded by delusion. Mori Summer, a being made up of her own ideals, made her blind to how the real world was. Her desire to live out the perfect high school life complete with perfect grades, friends, and love life prevented her from seeing what was directly in front of her.
Yuuta had used her own plan to bring him closer to his girlfriend, and made it so it would help her as well. It was clever, really. She supposed that her friends were just as tired of seeing her ignore reality as she was seeing Yuuta's and Rikka's relationship fail to progress.
Tonight had gone better than planned, and Nibutani knew that things would only get better from here on out.
A/N: Yeah so I wrote this oneshot instead of working on my next chapter for my other multi chapter fic because I have literally zero self control.