Yukiho Hagiwara flopped back into her chair, letting out a dejected sigh. It was almost Valentine's Day, and she still had no idea what to give her girlfriend, Makoto Kikuchi. Yukiho had known she was gay for a while, but had only recently had the courage to confess to her crush. "Why is this so hard?!" she said out loud.
"What's wrong, Hagiwara-san?" said a voice. Yukiho looked up, and saw that it was none other than Chihaya Kisaragi, another girl from the talent agency Yukiho belonged to.
"I've been trying to come up with a present for Makoto-chan, but nothing seems right…" Yukiho sighed.
"Well, I mean, why not just get her a box of chocolates?" said Chihaya.
"N-no! That's what girls are supposed to get their boyfriends, not girlfriends! Mako-chan's already so insecure about her femininity, why make it worse?!" said Yukiho, panicked.
Chihaya sighed. "Well, whatever you do, I'm sure she'll love it, as long as it comes from the heart," she said, walking away.
"Maybe some music will clear my head," thought Yukiho, getting up from her chair and sitting down near the grand piano, tapping out a simple melody. "Suki, suki…do you love me? Being with you is like a roller coaster…" she sang, absentmindedly. Suddenly, it hit her. That's what she could do for Makoto! She could write a song! She instantly grabbed a sheet of paper and started to scribble down some lyrics.
An hour later, Yukiho had made almost no progress. She let out a sigh. The melody was practically complete, but the lyrics were nowhere near done. She slumped down into her seat, playing out the melody once again. "Suki, suki, do you love me? Being with you is like a roller coaster…"
"Sounds nice," she heard. Yukiho instantly turned around, and saw that it was Ritsuko Akizuki.
"Oh, Akizuki-san, it's just you…" she said. "Thank you…I'm trying to write a song for Makoto-chan, but the lyrics just aren't coming to me…"
"Well, maybe I could help!" Ritsuko said. "I do have a bit of songwriting experience, you know. What do you have so far?"
Yukiho's face turned red. "It's kind of stupid…"
"I'm sure it's not that bad!" said Ritsuko. "Come on, let me see it…"
Yukiho shoved the crumpled-up lyric sheet into Ritsuko's hands, before hiding her face.
"Happy, happy, get up early, I look in the mirror and blow a big kiss…well, it's certainly cute…" said Ritsuko.
"You…you think so?" said Yukiho. "I was worried it was too cute and fluffy…"
"No, no, if I know Makoto, then I know that she likes that kind of thing. So, you need help writing lyrics? Well, why not just write about how you feel?"
"Eh?! It's just so difficult to get it onto paper…"
"Well, then, try saying it out loud first. Then we can try to fit it on paper," said Ritsuko.
"Okay…" said Yukiho, taking a deep breath. "Well, I'm always wondering if she'll notice the little things…like if I cut my hair, would she notice the new style? Or how just being around her is great, even if it's just simple small talk…"
"Hmm…try something like this," said Ritsuko. "Maybe if I cut my hair, I wonder if you'd ever notice it…oh hello! It's a lovely morning," she sang.
"That...that's not bad!" said Yukiho. "Ritsuko-chan, you're a lifesaver!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the bespectacled girl.
Ritsuko let out a chuckle. "Hey, now isn't the time, we've got a song to write!"
It was February 14, and the day had finally arrived. "Happy Valentine's Day, Yukiho-chan!" said Makoto Kikuchi, beaming widely and holding out a small red box. Yukiho cautiously took it, and opened it, to see a beautiful silver necklace inside. The pendant was shaped like a snowflake.
"M-m-mako-chan, it's amazing! Thank you!" said Yukiho, her face turning bright red. "It puts my gift to shame…" she muttered.
"Oh, come on, Yuki-chan, I'm sure it's not that bad!" said the dark-haired girl. "I'll like it regardless, ya know…"
"Well…um, I actually wrote you a song…well, Akizuki-san helped me out…" said Yukiho.
"A song? Let's hear it!" said Makoto with a smile. Yukiho nervously made her way over to the piano, and pulled the crumpled lyric sheet out of her pocket. She took a deep breath, and began to play.
Happy, happy, get up early!
I look in the mirror and blow a big kiss
Suki, suki…do you love me?
Being with you is like a roller coaster!
Maybe if I cut my hair, I wonder if you'd ever notice it
Oh, hello! It's a lovely morning
You've always been my best friend
But will we ever be much more than that?
Well, who knows? It's a lovely feeling, though!
On that day we rode our bikes, it was late in August
I looked up in the sky at the clouds that drifted by
On that day I told you just how I feel!
But will we ever close the distance between us?
Suki, suki…do you love me?
Being with you is like a roller coaster!
Your presence, it makes me feel so happy
And so whimsical too! We're so close!
I'm enchanted by your gentle tenderness!
Don't you know that you are my best friend?
I really love you so…
Makoto was speechless. "Yukiho-chan…you wrote that song for me?" she said.
Yukiho instantly blushed bright red. "You…you didn't like it?" she said, hanging her head.
"No, actually, I didn't like it," said Makoto. "I LOVED IT!" she said, running over to Yukiho and embracing her.
"R-really? I was worried it was too fluffy…" said Yukiho.
"Of course not! You know I love that stuff!" said Makoto. "But not as much as I love you!~" she added, giving Yukiho a small kiss on the cheek.
"Eh?! Mako-chan, quit it!" said Yukiho, turning away. She smiled. "But…I love you too…" she added, before kissing Makoto on the lips.