Complicated love
Chapter 1 : The beginning
"Alright, that's all for today. Good work everyone." Eli claps her hands.
"Yay! Today I think I did pretty good! Right? Eli-chan." Honoka said cheerfully.
"Yea…Yea" Nico made a tiresome face as she can't handle Honoka's cheerfulness.
"AH! It's almost five! I have to go!" Honoka quickly ran to the door as she speaks.
"Where are you going?" Eli asked seeing the leader is too rushing and not waits for the others.
"Ah you see I have to meet with Tsubasa-san. Anyway I have to go. Bye guys!"
Umi and Kotori watched her childhood friend ran out from the door but no one stopping her. This is not the first time that Honoka left them behind. In fact, it happens for a month now.
"Umi-chan….Can we?" Kotori asks shyly. Even the bird girl name didn't say it fully but Umi knew what it means.
"Ah…okay…" Umi nodded her head sadly before both of them walk straight to the locker room without waiting for anyone.
When they got inside, Kotori locked the door and moves herself into Umi's arm.
"Honoka-chan…Honoka-chan… I want you to be with me. Will you be with me?"
Umi watched her friend sadly while her right hand puts on the Honoka mask. When she is done, Umi snakes her arms around Kotori's waist firmly.
"Yes…I will, Kotori-chan."
1 month ago
"Honoka-chan! let's go home together." The taupe hair girl linked her arm to the leader of the idol school group as she said cheerfully.
"Oww sorry, Kotori-chan…today is no good. I promise someone that I will go see her today." Honoka puts her hand together before bowing her head in apology.
"Eh…again?" The bird name girl still clinging on to the orange hair while they didn't notice that Umi was watching them the whole time.
Honoka's phone is ringing so the orange hair girl quickly releases herself from the Kotori's grip. "Oops I have to go sorry, Kotori-chan…Maybe next time! Bye Kotori-chan and bye Umi-chan too!" Honoka got out from the classroom quickly not even looking back to see that her friend didn't smile anymore.
"Bye Honoka…" Umi said softly then look at the gray hair girl nearby who still look down on the floor.
"Kotori…If you like…shall we go home together?" The archer offers her hand to her friend.
Kotori nodded her head with smile but Umi could tell that it's not the same smile that Kotori had awhile ago. Not like when she was with Honoka. "Okay…Umi-chan"
Umi packed her books in her bag then walks to Kotori who is still standing at the same position. If Umi look at the bird girl's eyes carefully she could see a single tear in the golden eye. Yes Umi knows what is wrong with Kotori. The gray hair girl doesn't even try to hide it. She is in love with Honoka but it seems that the leader doesn't have a clue about it.
"Kotori…here…" Umi offers her handkerchief to the girl. Kotori was about to protest but suddenly her tears just came out a lot more than before.
"Th..thank you Umi-chan…This is so embarrassing…I didn't mean to cry like this." Kotori took the handkerchief to wipe away her tears while smiling sadly. Umi can't bear to see her childhood friend cry like this and hope that she can make her happy but she knows that she isn't the one for Kotori.
"No problem…Do you want to talk about it?" Umi patted her friend's back.
"It's fine, Umi-chan…I just happen to remember something sad that's all." Kotori smiled sadly.
"I see…" That's all Umi said.
"I mean…Honoka-chan is popular…and I was afraid that she might forget about me." Kotori started to spill out what is on her mind.
The blue hair girl just nods her head. "She is a leader after all…but I don't think she will forget about us, Kotori. We are her childhood friend."
Kotori bit her own lips in bitterly. "Yea…just her childhood friend right? There is no way we can be more…"
Tears started to flow again and Umi knew that it's her this time who caused this. The archer was panicking for awhile until she saw something on Honoka's desk. She left her friend's side for a bit then came back behind Kotori quietly.
"Kotori-chan, I am here."
Kotori gasped and look back to the source of the sound. What she saw is her blue hair friend holding a Honoka mask on her face.
"U…Umi-chan?!"
"No…Kotori-chan…It's me…Honoka and I am sorry for leaving you alone. From now on I will be by your side and never leave you again." The archer tried her hardest to make her voice as cheerful as her friend. Even though she knows she can't be the real Honoka but she only wants Kotori to smile again.
The silence had taken in the room, Umi thought that this is indeed a stupid idea after all. So the archer puts down Honoka mask on the desk.
"Sorry, Kotori I just…"
Umi didn't get a chance to finish the sentence, the taupe hair girl dive in Umi's arms then cried out loud.
"Honoka-chan! Honoka-chan! Honoka-chan!"
Umi was stunned at first before embraces the girl in her arms. She thought that Kotori will laugh it off as a joke at her for pretending to be Honoka but it turned out somewhat unexpected.
"Honoka-chan! I love you…I love you…" The love words came out from her childhood friend but it's not for Umi and she knew it so well. The blue hair girl gently rubbed Kotori's back before whispers to Kotori's ear softly.
"I love you too, Kotori-chan…"
Back to present
After a long hug, Kotori broke it off and wipe her tears in her golden eyes. "Honoka-chan…today too is that okay?"
The girl behind the mask blushed madly. She knew what Kotori wants to do next. "Eh…alright then…if that's what Kotori-chan wants."
Kotori smiles as she close the gap between them "I love you so much"
They kissed but not directly. Umi watched her friend kissing her while she puts on the mask for many times. Even though it is a fake kiss but Umi's heart always pounding all the time thinking that maybe they have crossed the line but it's her own fault for not stopping her friend from the start anyway. Not like Umi can refuse when the grayish hair girl begged with teary eyes.
"Do you want to go home together?" The designer broke off the kiss and starts a random conversation.
"Of course" Umi nodded while sits on the bench nearby.
"Want to stay over at my place too?" The bird name girl followed and sits on Umi's laps while facing her. At first, Umi was not use to it but they have been doing this for month so Umi started to get use to it by now.
"Yes…" Umi tries to make her voice more like Honoka.
Kotori giggled. "That's great! I will prepare cheesecake for you!"
"Ah great… I love to eat your cheesecake." Umi smiles.
"What about me? Do you love me?" Kotori circled her arms around Umi's neck.
Umi gulped down her saliva and nods.
"Mou…say it please….?" Kotori begged while unconsciously kisses on Umi's cheek and this time her warm lips touch the skin directly.
The blue hair girl noticed the touch and tried her hardest not to lose control luckily the lips were not on her skin for long. "I…I love you."
Kotori happily smiles while nuzzles herself in the nape of Umi's neck. "I am glad! I love you too, Honoka-chan!"
After hearing Honoka name, Umi's smile fades away. The affection that she got from Kotori isn't for her. It's all for Honoka. The lily white member shed a single tear behind the mask but she will not allow her voice to crack. She knows that she only got these love because she is a substitute. Even it is painful but it's the only way that she will get Kotori's love.
Yay! another story from me. I am still working on the Otonokizaka Kingdom Love Story and I will release another chapter soon...(maybe) Anyway I am sorry for the grammar error and hopefully that someone will like this story as well. (Spoiler alert : grammar error is over 9000!)
