"H-Hey! What are you doing?" a woman's voice cried out.
"What do you mean? I was trying to kiss you," a man's voice responded.
"D-Don't do that! I'm not ready for something like that yet..."
"What!? How could you not want to kiss such a handsome man!" I shout at the TV.
This show's been running on this one TV all week. A beautiful romantic drama about two people falling in love with one another, even though their parents won't allow it... What a tragic love story! Whenever my break time comes, I stand by this TV to watch this show that always happens to be on whenever I take a break. Quite convenient, eh? I've been doing this all week, and it looked like they were finally about to kiss! But what's this? The girl doesn't wanna kiss! I don't get it! She's been in love with this guy for so long, how can she not want a kiss already!?
"Not ready? What do you mean?" the male actor on TV asked.
"Um... I... I love you, I really do. But I'm not sure if we should go that far yet..." the female actor on TV responded.
"I... I don't understand. We've been dating for so long. Our parents didn't allow us to be together, but here we are! We've been dating behind their backs after this whole year! Why...? Why won't you kiss me!?"
"I... I want my first kiss to be something special. And... I-I don't think right now is the right time."
"First kiss...? But you told me you wouldn't mind if your first kiss was with me! Why do you not want us to kiss now?"
I'm with the guy on this one! What's so special about a first kiss anyway? I'd say you should kiss anyone you love, no worries! You kiss people because you like them and stuff, right? Well I wouldn't go as far as wanting to kiss Yosuke. Or Sensei. He almost kissed me once, I couldn't believe it! My charms were a bit too strong for him! But still, everyone around me treats kissing like it's the most important thing to them. I mean, I think I kinda understand why kissing is so important, but from what I've seen, the first one is always the most important one of them all. I don't understand that at all... Is it some sort of ritual that people go through to climb the steps of adulthood? Oh well, I'll think about it later. This show is getting juicy!
"Oh man, this show is so cliche..." a feminine voice rang next to me.
"Hm?" I turned my head to my right and noticed that voice came from Rise-chan. What's she doing here?
"It'll probably take about another few seasons before they actually kiss. Maybe near the end. It's usually how these silly romance dramas go," she said.
"Rise-chan? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Oh, hey Teddie," she greeted me with her usual bright smile. "I was stopping by to run an errand for my grandma back at the tofu shop. Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"I'm on break right now! I'm always standing around here when I'm on break. That's when the best shows come on TV!"
Rise giggled at me. "So you're into those kinds of shows huh? I didn't expect you to like this sort of thing."
"There's a lot you don't know about me!" I winked. "But you know, I'm a little disappointed by the girl here not wanting to kiss the guy because it's her first kiss and stuff. They bearly hugged too! What's up with that?"
"Well it's only natural. A girl's first kiss is the most important one after all."
"What's so special about a first kiss anyway?" I tilted my head and folded my arms. I really didn't understand the big deal behind that.
"A first kiss is important because a kiss is something you'd only do with the one you really love above all others. That means the first one you give to someone has to count, because it's the kiss you're going to remember for a long time."
"Oh... I see..." So it had nothing to do with adulthood after all. It's something a lot of people hold near and dear to their hearts. That means my first kiss with someone really has to be with someone I like tons! But who? Chie-chan and Yuki-chan wouldn't even dare go near me for that sort of thing, and from the looks of it, Nao-chan seems to have a thing for someone else! So who could I try out this first kiss thing with...?
"I gotta go get back to my errand. I'll see you later!" Rise began walking away from me and waving goodbye.
"Wait!" I shouted at her.
"Huh?" She turned her head towards me.
"Say, how about you and I share this first kiss thing?" I asked while sparkling. I don't know how I do that, but I look fabulous when I do.
"Huh?" Rise widened her eyes, then shook her head. "No thanks. Like I said, I want my first kiss to be special. You're not the one I want to share it with." she continued walking away from me, but I think I heard her mumble to herself, "Not yet anyway..." I dunno. My ears aren't as sharp as my nose.
Oh! Break time is over! I put on my comfortable bear suit as usual and did my part to greet the customers as the store's mascot with a big smile! Nothing interesting happened for the whole day It was same old usual routine I go through; be the mascot, help Yosuke stock and organize the merchandise, that sort of stuff. When it was time for closing, Yosuke asked me to carry some huge boxes home with him. It was a bit heavy, but nothing I couldn't handle. What was inside these things anyway?
When we got home, Yosuke asked me to take the boxes into his room. Once all the boxes were inside his room, I decided to take a peek inside one of them, but not before Yosuke planted his hand on the top of the box.
"Yeah, no. You better not open these things." Yosuke demanded.
"Aw, why not? What's inside these boxes anyway?" I asked.
"Nothing you should know about!"
Yikes... Whatever's inside, he really doesn't want me looking into. I wonder if it's more of those pinup books. Guess I could take a look when he's sleeping, that is if I don't fall asleep first.
But you know, there's one thing I've been curious about since earlier today. Sure Rise-chan already explained it to me, but it wouldn't hurt to ask Yosuke either. He's laying on the bed trying to relax. I approached the bed and hung my head over him.
"Say Yosuke, what's so special about a first kiss?" I asked him.
"Wha- whoa!" He sprung up and leaned his body away from me. "Dude, don't put your head so close to me!"
"Sorry about that! I just wanna know what's so special about giving your first kiss to someone."
Yosuke sighed in relief. "Geez... That's all you wanted to know?" He folded his arms. "I guess you could say that a first kiss is the most important one to any person. It's the kiss you will never be able to forget even when you get older."
"Hey, that's the same thing Rise-chan told me earlier today!"
Yosuke raised an eyebrow at me. "Rise was with you earlier today?"
"Yeah! She told me she had this errand to run, but she was next to me for a little bit when we were watching this TV show together. It's about these two lovers in their forbidden romance that-"
"I know what show you're talking about Ted, you've been ranting on about it non-stop this week." Yosuke said tiredly. "Is that why you're asking me about a first kiss?"
"Yeah!" I nodded. "I thought today would be the day the beautiful woman would allow that devilishly handsome man to finally kiss! But no! She said she wasn't ready for her first kiss yet! So I got curious and asked you and Rise-chan about it."
"Is that so..."
"But I don't get it! She loved him didn't she? So why didn't she want to kiss him yet?" I furrowed my eyebrows to ponder such a mystery.
"It's complicated... It's not that people don't want to kiss the ones they love, it's sort of like... Well, you want to wait for the right time to kiss someone, you know? It can't be out of nowhere."
So this first kiss thing really is something special. And here I thought you could kiss anyone you like! That means I really gotta choose which girl I wanna kiss. I think I already know who.
"Hey, Yosuke."
"What's up Ted?"
"I want Rise-chan to be my first kiss!"
"Wha-!?" Yosuke choked a bit. Did I say something weird? "D-Dude! Seriously!?"
"Yup." I nodded.
"Like hell Rise will ever wanna kiss you! I've known her longer than you have! What makes you so sure she even likes you!?" Yosuke sounds freaked out about this...
"I remember Sensei told me the other day that Rise-chan was the only one who still looked for me back when I was suddenly gone. And I remember when I came back, Rise-chan ran up to me and hugged me while crying and stuff! That means in some way, she does like me!" I can't believe Yosuke didn't even bother trying to find me! How rude!
"That's because we looked everywhere for you and didn't see you anywhere! Besides, we had important business to take care of too, like finding out who the killer was! You're not the only one we were concerned about!"
I frowned and gazed downward. "So why did you stop looking for me...? Rise-chan still tried, why didn't you...?"
"I didn't stop looking for you Ted. I couldn't stop thinking about where you were either." Yosuke looked away from me. "But we had to find out who the killer was... If we didn't... Then I'd lose more people that I cared about. First Saki-senpai, then you were missing... Do you think I'd live it down if I couldn't find you!? If I couldn't findwho the killer was for everyone's sake!?"
"Yosuke..." He really does care...
"Teddie, you're a pain in my side. But you're like a little brother to me. You really think I wouldn't care about someone who's pretty much like family to me?" He smiled and patted my head. "We all cared about you. Rise wasn't the only one."
"So... she doesn't like me like that after all...?" I asked somberly.
"Well... I can't be too sure with her. I don't really talk with her that often, so who knows what's on her mind. But don't forget, you're the one that saved her, partner, and everyone else when we fought against her shadow. I don't think any of us would want you seriously gone." Yosuke tried his best to reassure me, but I had a feeling he still thought I didn't have a chance to get a kiss from Rise-chan.
"Do you think I have a chance?"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask her. Maybe if you talked with her more? I guess you could give it a shot." Yosuke yawned and stretched his arms. "Well I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, you hear? I'll know if you took a peek in those boxes!"
"Yes sir!" I cheered. I scurried to the closet where my bed was and tucked myself in.
Morning came by and when I woke up, Yosuke left me a note next to my bed. The note read "Hey Teddie, I'm letting you have the day off today. But you better work hard and not screw up next week!" Yosuke giving me a day off? Now that's beary strange... Oh well, I'll think about it later. If I get a day off today, then what do I care about what goes through Yosuke's mind? Time to wander around places! I think I'll take Yosuke's word and visit Rise-chan. Maybe I could have her go on a date with me!
After going through my usual morning routine of eating, brushing my teeth, getting myself dressed, that usual routine, I headed out to the shopping district. Rise-chan should be at the tofu shop right now. When I arrived at the shop, I saw Rise-chan in her usual working outfit, helping her grandma run that place. She's so thoughtful, helping her granny out like that!
"Hey Rise-chan!" I called out to her.
"Hm?" Rise stood straight and turned towards me. "Oh, hey there Teddie. What are you doing here? Don't you have work?"
"Yosuke said I could take the day off today!" I exclaimed.
"Really now? That's beary unusual for Yosuke to let you take a day off." Rise giggled. Did she make a bear pun? I thought she didn't like those. But who am I to complain? That makes me love her even more! "So what are you doing here?"
"Let's go on a date!"
"Wha- huh!?" Rise took a step back and widened her eyes at me. Yeah... I kinda expected this to happen. This happens a lot when I ask anyone out... "Um... I'd love to, but I'm kinda busy right now..."
"Hm? What's wrong?" an old lady walked out from the back of the store. This must be Rise-chan's granny.
Rise turned to her and smiled. "Oh, it's nothing grandma. I'm only talking with a friend of mine."
"Did I hear your friend ask you out on a date? Well I'd say that's sweet of him! He does look quite charming." Rise's granny glanced at me and chuckled. "He also seem like quite the feisty one."
"But grandma, I can't leave the shop. I don't want to leave you here all on your own..."
"Oh, nonsense. I'll be fine on my own. You go have fun with your friend today. You've helped me more than enough this week." Rise's granny gave Rise-chan a sweet, reassuring smile. You go, granny!
Rise sighed but still smiled back. "Okay, if you say so." She walked to the back smiling wryly. Does she not want to go on a date with me? Usually she would say out loud that she doesn't. I'll think about it later.
It's probably going to take a while before Rise-chan gets fully dressed. I know it did for me. I walked in and looked all over the tofu store. I don't go in here often, mostly because Yosuke told me he's allergic to tofu. He told me it means tofu can make him sick and die and stuff. I sure wouldn't want that for Yosuke! But wow, who knew there were all kinds of tofu? It all tasted the same to me so I never really saw the difference.
It was really silent in the tofu shop for a while. Rise's granny was smiling at me. "Are you a good friend of Rise-chan?" she asked me, breaking that silence.
"Yup! Sure am!" I responded as gleefully as ever. "We've been friends for a loooong time!"
"Is that so? Well, I'm glad you and her are getting along just fine." she nodded. "She's told me she had a hard time making friends when she first moved here. I'm so glad she's found her place here. It warms my heart to see her having so much fun with her friends."
Huh? She had a hard time making friends? But she's an idol, isn't she? You'd think being someone so famous and cute, she'd have tons of friends! Does she really only have us? Yikes... I wonder what happened. I gave Rise's granny a wide smile. "Rise-chan's amazing! She's so smart and kind, and she's so caring too. There was one time when I ran away, and I thought no one cared if I was gone. But when I came back she ran up to me all crying and stuff! I didn't know she missed me that much..."
"Oh my. Rise-chan can get quite emotional over people she cares about. That's her way of saying she cares about you." She chuckled.
She cares about me... Yeah, even though she kinda hits me a lot, she still sees me as a friend doesn't she? I think she does, but she should try talking to me much more often!
*creak*
"Huh?" I heard the floorboards of the store creak and glanced behind Rise's granny's back instinctively. Is Rise-chan done dressing up? Looking a bit more closely, I could see Rise's hand on the edge of the doorway. How long has she been standing there anyway? "Oh! Rise-chan!" I called out to her.
Rise-chan stepped out from the back, wearing her usual orange shirt and turtleneck underneath. She seems to be smiling as warmly usual. "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's hang out, okay?"
I smiled back. "All righty! Let's get going! How's about some topsicles?"
"This early in the year?" she giggled. "Hm... Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt."
I marched over to Rise-chan and grabbed her hand, then began tugging her out of the tofu shop. I think I heard her shriek a bit and go all like, "H-Hey! Teddie!" but I couldn't wait. I get to finally spend some time with Rise-chan!
"Have fun you two!" Rise's granny cheered from behind. Don't worry, today will be lots of fun!
We bought the topsicles from one of the stores in the shopping district and we decided to sit down on the steps in front of the shrine. That was the best place we could find at the moment since there aren't any benches around. As we sat down, Rise-chan widened her eyes at the handful of sealed topsicles I bought.
"Huh? You bought that many for yourself?" she asked. It sounded like she was impressed by how much I could eat.
"Yup!" I began opening one of the topsicles. "I can eat a bunch of these things no problem! But uh, Yosuke banned me from the topsicle stand at Junes for eating too much..."
"I can imagine why." Rise-chan chuckled as she opened up her topsicle. For a moment, neither of us were talking. We were only eating the topsicles we bought for ourselves. I wanna say something, but I can't! For some reason, the air feels weird... How do I put this... It's like that feeling you get when you open up your bear suit only to find out your clothes are gone and you can't get changed, so you're standing in the suit bear naked and stuff. Kinda like that, you know? But then again, I always feel so naked without that bear suit on. Only this feeling is even weirder than that.
"So why did you ask me out on a date anyway?" Rise asked, finishng up her topsicle.
"Hrm?" I gulped down my second topsicle and sighed. "It's because I wanna spend time with you! What other reason does a bear need?"
"Hm..." Rise-chan stared into my eyes for a bit. Was she trying to analyze me like in the TV World? I don't know why, but it kinda feels scary... But it didn't feel as scary anymore once Rise-chan smiled again. "Okay, fair enough. We don't spend too much time together so today's okay!" she gently patted my back, probably to reassure she isn't gonna do anything. I dunno. But the topsicle I was holding bumped against my mouth in the process, leaving some of its stickiness on parts of my mouth. "O-Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that..."
"Oh it's fine, I can just- Mmph!?" Rise-chan took out what appears to be a napkin and rubbed it against my mouth. She told me to hold still so she could clean it up properly. It was a little rough, like a toothbrush rubbing against your mouth than your teeth, but it wasn't rough enough to actually say it hurts.
"There, all cleaned up." she gave me another smile.
I licked my lips a bit, hoping to get a bit of whatever stickiness was left on my mouth. I smacked my lips a bit. "Aw... I wanted to lick it off..."
"Come on Teddie, there are better ways to clean up your mouth than that..."
"Mm..." I felt a little dejected by this. But... this gave me an idea...
I told Yosuke earlier I wanted my first kiss to be with Rise-chan, so all I gotta do is get her to kiss me, right? We're on a date, so today's the perfect day to get that first kiss! If I make it look like I bumped the topsicle against my mouth, then she'll clean it up by pressing her sweet lips against mine! No way she'd use the same napkin! Okay, it's go time.
I leaned back, stretching my arms. I gotta say something before I do it. "Say, Rise-chan. I heard that you- Mm!" I bobbed my head forward to bump my mouth into the topsicle, letting its sticky sweetness cover my mouth again. "Whoa, my mouth's all sticky again..." I turned my head to Rise and grinned. "Rise-chan, you think you can clean it up for me again?"
"Again?" Rise-chan sighed. "Geez, you're such a klutz, you know that?" she shook her head and smiled. Okay! Here it comes! I closed my eyes, expecting her lips to be pressed against mine, only to feel a soft piece of cloth connect instead. I opened my eyes and saw she used a handkerchief. Aw, I thought it would work! "You really gotta watch where you put that thing, you know?" she giggled a bit.
Rise: 1
Teddie: 0
Well that didn't work. I could try accidentally putting the topsicles against her mouth, but now that I know she has that handkerchief, it's not going to work again! What could I do to have her kiss me?
"So what were you about to day?" she asked me, tilting her head.
"Oh, uh..." I pondered for a moment. I didn't think she'd wonder what I was about to say! "Um... Oh! That's right! I heard you were uh... I heard you didn't make that many friends when you moved here from your granny. What's up with that?" There we go!
Rise-chan stared at me for a bit, then looked straight out in front of her. "Oh... About that..." her eyes gazed at the ground. "When I moved here, I had all these people surround the tofu shop, telling my granny they wanted to see Risette. The police had to ward off all those people for me."
"But that doesn't sound like a bad thing. If all those people wanted to see you, then that's good, right?" I asked, just finishing up the topsicle I had in my hand.
"It's not as great as you think, actually..." she frowned a bit and folded her hands together. "None of these people were really here to see me to be friends with me or anything. They were only here because they wanted to see Risette, that famous idol all over TV. They never really wanted to be friends with me at all."
"What's the difference?" I asked, resting my head on my hand.
"Well... how do I put this..." she looked at me, still frowing. "Let's say there are a bunch of people at Junes who want to talk to you because you're the mascot of the store, right? They all like talking with you and such, but they never really want to know you as well... Teddie."
I scratched my head. "I... don't understand?"
"What if people didn't like you because you were you? What if people only liked you because you're Junes' mascot? Wouldn't you feel bad that they don't understand you? Wouldn't you feel awful because no one around you is thinking about how you feel?"
"Hm..." I folded my arms. "Well sure it feels kinda bad if no one really cared about what I thought or how I felt. But I make people smile because I'm the mascot, right? I like seeing people smile! If they're happy, then I'm happy! Isn't that all there is to it?"
"..." She didn't respond to me. For a moment, we sat in silence again. What was I supposed to say to her? Did I ask a bad question? But it sure sounds like her emotions are a bit hard to understand. If people like her, shouldn't she be happy? Risette is still Rise-chan isn't she? So why would she get all gloomy about it?
Rise-chan stood up and lightly slapped her cheeks. She turned to me and smiled. "Sorry, I kinda made the atmosphere a bit gloomy. Mind if we go somewhere else to spend time?"
I nodded. "Of course!" I stood up alongside her. "So what place did you bear in mind?"
"Hm..." Rise pondered for a bit. "Hey, let's go to the hill, the one that overlooks the town. Does that sound good to you?"
"Mmhm! That's fine with me! Lead the way!" Rise-chan guided me to the place she had in mind. On the way there, I thought about other ways I could get her to kiss me. Well, Rise-chan's a caring person, so she'd have to take care of me if I get hurt. I know! If I trip over, she'll run to me if I'm hurt, then I can take advantage of that moment and boom! I steal a romantic kiss from the lovely Rise-chan! And there's no way she can use that handkerchief if I'm not dirty!
We climbed up the steps and were almost about to reach the top. "Whoa!" When my foot was about to reach the top of the steps, I turned my body around and fell over on my back and on the ground, making sure my face isn't dirtied. "O-Ow..." I rubbed the back of my head. The ground is a lot harder than I thought, I didn't think this through at all. Now I really wish she'd check up on me!
"Whoa, Teddie!" She ran over to me and kneeled down. "Are you okay?"
"I... think so..." I was still rubbing the back of my head.
"Geez, you gotta be more careful. You could have been seriously hurt from that...!" she lifted my head a bit to ease the pain. "You gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine... I've taken more pain inside the TV, hee hee..." This was my chance! Her face is close enough for me to lean up and give her a sweet kiss! But as soon as I sat up, she stood up.
"Phew. You had me worried for a second there." Rise-chan smiled and walked towards the fence nearby. "Come over here, you gotta check this out."
My attempt to kiss her has failed again...
Rise: 2
Teddie: 0
Oh well... I brushed myself off and stood up, walking over to her like I didn't fall over, but I was still rubbing the back of my head.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked with a concerned tone.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" I said as I waved my hand and gave her a wide smile.
"If you say so..." she shrugged and turned back towards the view. I turned my head towards the view myself. The sight was a sight to behold. The town never looked this beautiful before. It felt so wide and open, and it's even starting to bloom into a lot of colors! Was this really the same place I live in?
"I love this place... It's where I grew up..." she said in a nostalgic tone.
"Yeah, it's also the place that Yosuke let me stay in. I'm glad I came over to this world..." I commented.
"Oh yeah..." Rise turned to me and looked me in the eye. "Back then you never really knew about our world did you? You were like a big child in a candy store, running around grabbing everything you saw. It's kinda funny seeing you now, all used to how this world is."
"W-Well... I'm still not used to it now. All these things around me is quite a pawful, you know?" I chuckled. I made so many memories here in this world. Sensei, Yosuke, everyone... They all helped me get used to this world. I can't thank them enough for showing me such a wonderful place!
"Still think no one cares if you were gone?" Rise asked abruptly.
"Huh?" That was sudden... Where did that come from?
"Sorry, I guess I kinda overheard you talking with my grandma..." she turned her head back towards the view. So she was standing there the whole time after all. "I had a feeling you felt like that when you came back, but I didn't know how much it meant to you. You must be holding all of us near and dear to your heart, huh?"
I nodded. "Of course. You're all my friends. I'm so glad I have people that accept me for being me, even when I'm not all that human. Why wouldn't I hold you all close to my heart?"
"That's good." she giggled a bit. "I'm glad I found people that accepted me too. I thought I'd be alone here with no one to talk to."
"Alone...?" That's right... Rise-chan said she felt alone before moving here and meeting all of us... I still don't understand what she meant by that. "Rise-chan, about earlier..."
"Hm?" She turned her head towards me.
"I still didn't get it. What you meant by how no one wanted to know you, but Risette. I don't understand. Isn't Risette Rise-chan too?"
"..." Rise fell silent again. Was that a bad thing to bring up? "I didn't think so at first. I thought if I quit being an idol, then people would have to get to know me as Rise Kujikawa and not Risette. But the more I looked around me, the more I felt sad. When everyone was talking about that new idol Kanami, I thought to myself, why do I feel so bad about that?"
"Maybe you were jealous?" I answered.
She smiled wryly. "Maybe. I wouldn't call it jealously. More like... I felt a bit empty inside, like I lost a part of who I was. Now I kind of find it silly to think I needed to lose Risette. Like you said, I made a lot of people happy being Risette, and that made me happy. That side of me helped me become who I am now. I couldn't give it up, you know?"
"Mmhm! Now that's more like it!" I nodded.
"Hey, don't forget we all like you for you too. I mean, sure you're pretty useless sometimes, and you can kinda get annoying and pushy at times..."
"Hey!" I shouted. Now that's just rude!
She giggled. "But you did save all of us multiple times, and just being around you can make anyone smile, you know? So don't think you're not wanted around either, okay?"
"Mm... Okay." I smiled again. There's no way I could be upset at her for saying that.
But this scenario... we're facing each other. We just shared a heartwarming moment together... This is it, a perfect moment to lean in for a kiss! There isn't a more perfect time than this! I leaned forward, closing the distance between our heads and... Mmph?
My lips were blocked by her hand.
"... Were you trying to kiss me just now?" Rise asked, letting her hand go.
"Uh..." I've been busted! And another attempt has fallen down the drain!
Rise: 3
Teddie: 0
Rise sighed. "I knew you were acting a bit strange earlier... The topsicles, the tripping, and now this... I didn't think too much about it, but I had a feeling I knew what you were doing. You were trying to kiss me, weren't you?"
"Huh!? I, um..." I couldn't think of anything to claw my way out of this one!
She shook her head. "Teddie, were you still thinking about the whole first kiss thing?"
"Well, I um... Maybe...?" I said, stuttering a bit.
"Listen, it's not enough to just find the right moment to kiss someone. If you're going to give your first kiss to someone, it has to be with someone you truly love. And right now that person is Senpai, okay?"
"Okay..." I gazed at the ground, feeling a wave of disappointment and sadness crashing in my head. "I just wanted to know what that felt like."
"Why did you want to know how it felt like so badly?" she asked me.
...
... Why did I want Rise-chan to kiss me so badly?
"Well... I... I'm afraid of being left behind. Seeing everyone thinking about their future, everyone thinking about where they'll be... I'm afraid they'll be able to enjoy life, but leaving me and everyone else behind." I don't know if what I'm saying is right, but this is the best answer I could think of. "At least, before I get left behind, I wanted to know what a first kiss felt like. That moment where you're one step closer to adulthood... I want to catch up with everyone too." I paused for a moment. "... I don't want to be left behind."
Rise patted my shoulder. "Come on Teddie, no one's going to leave you behind. Even when we're all over the place, we'll still be friends you know. No matter where we are or what we're doing with ourselves, nothing will change the fact that we're all friends. We'll always be able to see each other again. So don't think of us moving forward as an end to our friendship, okay? Think of it as a new beginning. For all of us."
"..." I couldn't respond to her. I was still looking at the ground. If everyone already has their own beginning, then where is mine? When will it come? Will I even have a beginning for myself, like everyone else?
"... If you're still unsure, then think about it like this." she tilted my head up and made me look into her eyes. "We've all grown. Some of us later than others, others more quickly. No matter how you look at it, we've all grown haven't we? But we're still spending time with each other. We're still talking with each other. We still see each other as friends. None of us had truly changed, only the way we see life. So our friendship won't change either, okay?" she gave me a warm, reassuring smile.
"..." I still couldn't say anything. My eyes were watering a bit.
We'll always be friends, right?
We're connected, aren't we?
Things change, but that doesn't mean our friendship has to change, right?
"... So I won't be left behind...?" I asked somberly.
"Of course not," Rise responded warmly. "None of us will. So cheer up, okay?"
"..." I wanted to smile, but I couldn't force a smile on myself this time. I don't know why. I guess... I still have my doubt...
I heard Rise sigh and mumble to herself, "I can't believe I'm doing this..." I wasn't sure. Like I said before, my hearing isn't as good as my smelling.
"... Rise-chan, I-" Before I could say anything, Rise-chan pulled me close by the waist. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine... Her lips felt so soft and tasted so sweet. Her lips were gently sucking on my lower lip.
This sensation... This was a kiss, wasn't it? I wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned a bit forward, trying to do the same for her. So warm... so delicate... I closed my eyes and felt my cheeks flush from this. It felt like a long time passed since our lips connected. I felt like I was standing on a bunch of fluffy clouds... I... I've never felt so happy in my life before!
Slowly, she pulled back and gave me a soft smile. "Will that cheer you up?"
"I... um... uh..." I was blushing quite a lot. I couldn't do anything but nod over and over again.
"That's good..." she giggled a bit. But then began wagging her finger and pouting at me.. "Now, promise me one thing. That wasn't our first kiss. I didn't initiate the kiss. And we won't speak of this to anyone, okay?" That sounded more like an order than a promise.
"U-Um... Y-Yes ma'am!" I gave her a salute.
"Good bear." she smiled again. "But remember what I said. We'll always be friends no matter how far apart, okay?"
"Okay!"
Rise-chan started to walk away from me and stepped down from the hill. "Come on, let's get back. It's starting to get late." I nodded and followed suit.
Rise-chan and I waved goodbye to each other once she got back to the shopping district. As for me, I headed back home. And by home, I mean Yosuke's house. Once I got there, I immediately jumped on the bed and laid down, smiling and blushing. I can't believe it... Rise-chan actually kissed me today! Oh, but I can't tell anyone. She'll be all over my bear hide for sure! But now I'm feeling kinda sleepy... I might as well take a nap.
Hours later, I woke up from the nap. Just as I sat up, Yosuke walked in, sighing and sitting against the door the moment he closed it. "Man, today was a rough day at work..."
"Hiya Yosuke!" I greeted him, sparkling as usual.
"Oh, hey Ted." Yosuke wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "What were you doing with the day off I gave you today?"
"I hung out with Rise-chan today!"
"Oh really?" he smiled wryly. "And how did that go for you? Did you get your 'first kiss' from her?"
"Uh..." I want to say something. I wanted to tell Yosuke so badly and be all 'In your face, Yosuke!' But I can't break the promise I made to Rise-chan. I shook my head instead. "... Nope."
Yosuke scoffed. "I knew Rise wouldn't kiss you. I mean there's just no way." He stood up and streched his arms while yawning. Oh how I wanted to tell him so badly. He approached the bed and kneeled down. "Hey you think you could get off? I need to take a nap..."
"Okay!" I sat up from the bed and leaped off.
"But man... imagine if she did kiss you..." he mumbled. "It would be my worst nightmare..."
... I really want to tell him now. It's not like he'd believe me. But I still don't want to break that promise after all. I'm not that kind of bear!
...
...
...
"Aw man..." I planted myself on the bed face first and stuffed my face into my pillow. "I can't believe I kissed Teddie! Now I'll never be married to Senpai..." Ugh, that bear really is a handful. I couldn't think of anything I could say that would cheer him up. There was a lot I could have done, but of all the things I could do for him, I gave him a kiss of all things! What was I thinking...? I clenched the pillow I was holding and rolled around on my bed. Knowing him, he probably already told Yosuke about it. I don't think either of those two guys are ever going to let me live that one moment down!
I uncovered my face from my pillow, laying down with my back towards the ceiling. "I'll admit something though..." I covered my mouth with the pillow. "... He was a surprisingly good kisser."