Nozomi woke up to the sound of her phone's alarm blaring on the dresser besides her. She reached over to turn her alarm off, the phone glowing brightly in her room only lit by the early morning sky flooding in through the shutters. She yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she made her way to the light switch. She flipped the switch on then walked to her closet to pick out her outfit for the day.
Alright! Today's goal: Find out if Elicchi's gay. Nozomi thought to herself. She began to look through her closet to find a certain outfit. This should be good for the first 'test.'
Nozomi replaced her pajamas with the clothes she had just picked out, a loose white crop top and a pair of denim booty shorts. Afterwards, she brushed and put up her hair up in its usual fashion. Nozomi looked at herself in the mirror. She had attempted to pull off a sexy, casual look and succeeded. In the first place, she was already good-looking to most people, having a desirable body figure and pretty face. Her choice of clothing seemed to multiply her attractiveness.
If she is gay, it'll be simple to tell with this outfit. Nozomi made her way to where her phone was and went to Eli's number.
Nozomi: Good morning, Elicchi! Would you like to come to breakfast with my friend and I?
Nozomi sent the text and waited. She looked at the time. There was about 30 minutes until 8, which is when the dining hall opens. She looked back down at her text to see the ellipsis chat bubble, showing Eli was texting back.
Eli: That would be nice. Give me a minute to get ready and I'll be at your door.
Eli: Two doors down to the right of my room, correct?
Nozomi: Yep! I'll be waiting!
Nozomi turned the screen of her phone off. She looked back into her mirror, wanting to make sure she looked the best as possible for Eli. She began to spin around, looking to see if everything was straightened out and nice. Seeing that she looked fine, she came back to her phone and sent a quick text to Nico, telling her she'll be down soon, then she placed her phone in her bag. When she heard the faint knocking at her dorm room's door, she left her room, grabbed her school bag, and answered the door.
"Hi Elicchi!" Nozomi answered, smiling at the girl in front of her.
"Good morning, Nozomi. Are you ready to go?" Eli asked from the opposite side of the door.
Hmm... Seemingly casual first response after seeing me... I won't give up just yet, though!
"Of course. Let's go pick up Nico then!"
Nozomi stepped outside of her dorm room, locking the door behind her. She went on to walk ahead Eli, making sure to put a little more sway into each step. As she stepped down the stairs, she glanced back at Eli. Her eyes were still planted forward. Nozomi looked back in front of her and continued to walk down the stairs.
Now on Nico's floor, Nozomi began to search for Nico's room number, Eli still following behind. Once she found Nico's door, she began to knock. The door flew open instantly.
"What the hell took you so...long..." Nico's voice lowered as she noticed the blonde standing behind Nozomi.
"Good morning to you too, Nico." Nozomi said jokingly. "Now, let's get the introductions out of the way. Eli, meet Nico. Nico, meet Eli." Eli held her hand out to Nico, who grabbed and shook it
"It's nice to meet you, Nico-san."
"Drop the formality. Since you're friends with Nozomi it's not needed, Eli."
Nozomi smiled at the two. "Alright, let's go get breakfast!"
The dining hall was roaring with the conversation of other students. Though Nozomi and Nico were used to the populated room, Eli wasn't. The trio grabbed a tray each and began to search for their meal.
"There's quite a number of people here." Eli said to Nozomi, following behind her in the buffet line.
"Mm. After a while you'll get used to it. Besides, you have Nico and I to sit by, so you don't have to worry." Nozomi responded, taking an apple from the food tray. Eli did the same.
When they sat down to eat their breakfast, their trays consisted of miso soup, rice, fruits, and yogurt. They sat down at a bench-like table, the seats being connected and not individual. Of course, Nozomi made sure Eli was sat by her with Nico sitting parallel to them. Nico picked up her chopsticks and went straight for her food.
"So, Eli, I know you've only been here for a day, but how are you liking it so far?" Nico asked as she finished the first bite of her rice. Eli picked up her chopsticks and miso bowl and began to swirl the soup together.
"Based on what I've seen so far, I find it a really nice place. The food is nice for its low price and the people are welcoming as well." She ended her sentence by placing a small cube of the soup's tofu into her mouth.
"Well, who wouldn't be welcoming to the new foreign blonde beauty." Nozomi half-joked. This earned a shy chuckle from Eli.
"I wouldn't say that..." She commented bashfully.
"Well, it's true!" Nozomi giggled back. Nico just stared at the two, slightly sick from their act but, at the same time, amazed with Nozomi's abilities.
Unfortunately for Nico, this continued throughout breakfast.
Once the dishes were empty and their stomachs were full, the trio left their trays in the designated area and headed out.
"When's your first class, Elicchi?" Nozomi asked out of curiosity. Eli took her schedule out of her pocket.
"I have my first class at 9." She answered, showing Nozomi her schedule.
"We'll walk you there then since it's your first day."
"You mean you'll walk her there. I'm heading to my class now to finish up anything I didn't yesterday." Nico corrected. She turned around and walked away, waving her hand once. "See you two later."
"Is it just me or does she seem annoyed?" Eli asked Nozomi.
"That's how she always is. What she lacks in height, she makes up for in anger." Nozomi explained. Eli began to laugh at the description. Nozomi could've sworn only angels were able to make such a beautiful sound.
"Okay, let's go Giggles-san, you've got a class to get to."
Nozomi's classes were as uneventful as they could ever be. They seemed to go slower because all Nozomi could think about was Eli. Finally, she was halfway through her day. She walked out of the building, greeted by the bright, warm sun. She took her phone out of her bag so that she could meet up with Nico and Eli. She was surprised to see Nico already sent her a text.
Nico: i wont be eating with you guys today because something came up. sorry.
Nozomi: Okay, Nicocchi. See you later then.
Nozomi closed out of her chat with Nico and opened her chat with Eli.
Nozomi: Are you out yet?
Nozomi waited for a response, and when she didn't get one, she assumed she was still in class. This left her all alone for over an hour. Nozomi, seeing that the sun felt nice, decided to lay against the wall on the grass and relax. She shut her eyes, taking in the feeling of the sun.
When Nozomi opened her eyes again, Eli was by her side.
"Oh, are you awake?" Nozomi yawned and stretched her arms up in the air.
"Was I asleep? How long was I out?" Nozomi asked Eli, still stretching her arms. She looked over to Eli who quickly turned away, looking forward once again.
"W-Well, when I checked the text, it was sent about twenty-five minutes before and I've been here for a bit, so I'd guess maybe forty or so minutes?" Eli answered.
This is a good sign. There's a great chance she was just checking me out there.
"But what were you doing, falling asleep in such a public area? Something could've happened to you, especially with that clothing." Nozomi looked at Eli's face. The blush on her face was obvious.
Bingo. It's go time.
"You were here to make sure nothing happened, so thank you." With that, Nozomi placed her head on Eli's shoulder.
"Geez, Nozomi... What about the time when I couldn't watch you?"
"Nothing happened so it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you stayed by my side all that time afterwards just to make sure I was safe."
The two stayed like that in silence. It was beginning to get a bit awkward until Eli spoke up.
"Nozomi, I-I have a question." Nozomi sat back up straight and looked at Eli. She looked troubled, which worried her slightly.
"What's wrong? You can ask anything." Nozomi comforted, even though she was worried herself.
"These girls in one of my classes said something, but I want to hear it from you..."
Oh no.
Eli turned and looked her in the eyes. "Are you a lesbian?"
Nozomi stared back at Eli before breaking eye contact and looking back forward.
"Yup. I've never once been sexually attracted to a man and I've only been in relationships with women." Nozomi started to play with the grass besides her. "I'm sorry you had to find out by someone else." Nozomi looked back up to Eli.
"A-Alright... I think I need some time to think about this..." Eli stood up from her spot. "Sorry, Nozomi."
Nozomi smiled. It was a mixture between sympathy and pain. "I understand."
Eli walked away without another word. Nozomi sighed. Before she knew it, the blonde was gone.
Dammit. That may be it.
Nozomi was upset. It felt like a bad heartbreak even though she had only known her for literally less than a day. Instead of focusing on her throbbing heart, Nozomi decided to focus on the growling in her stomach. She made her way through the college's halls until she reached the student store. She was lucky enough to get ahold of a red bean bun, being so late into lunch already. She paid for her food and began to walk in the general direction of her next class, art history with Nico, while munching on her food.
When she entered the art history room, there were already some students in there, mainly sitting down using their laptops. Nozomi sat down close to the middle rows in the farthest chair. She took her phone out of her bag, planning to waste time on a simple mobile game. The first things she saw were the messages sent by Eli earlier in the lunch period when she was asleep. Nozomi unlocked her phone and closed out of the messenger app, opening in its place a tile-matching game. Nozomi rested her head on one propped arm and played the game with the other.
Nozomi sat there, playing her game, trying to forget about everything that happened the past day.
Oh, look. New high score.
Nozomi looked at the time. She had actually managed to waste twenty minutes of her life on the game. As she began another round, she heard the rustling of someone sitting by her.
"Hey, Nozomi."
"Oh, hi Nico. You're here early." Nozomi said, still matching her tiles.
"Well, I've been trying to find you for the past fifteen minutes. I only found you because someone saw you walk this way."
"Couldn't you have just text me?"
"I did. Check." Nico's tone hinted at annoyance. Nozomi followed what she was told and checked her texts, forgetting about her game. Nico did send her a text. Multiple texts actually.
"Hm, I must've been too into my game that I didn't notice them." Nozomi stuck out her tongue.
"Anyways, where's Eli? I would've thought that you were hanging out with her." Nico questioned. Nozomi felt her heart drop once again. Nico must have noticed something was wrong because her expression softened. "You can tell me what happened if you want."
Nozomi let out an airless laugh. "Nothing happened. She just found out I was gay and then walked away."
"If you want, I'll kick her ass. I won't let anyone, no matter how tall or gorgeous they may be, leave my friends like that." Nico joked in a dry attempt to cheer Nozomi up. Luckily for her, it worked a bit.
"Thanks, Nicocchi. It's not really a big deal though, so don't worry." Nozomi replied, cracking a small smile. At this point, students slowly started to fill up the lecture hall. Before they knew it, the class had started. Nozomi managed to space out most of the lecture, though she did get the notes.
"That's all for today. You're dismissed." The professor stated as he tidied up the papers on his desk.
"Wanna go to the café today?" Nico asked from beside her as she put her things away. Nozomi placed her laptop in her bag and stood up.
"I think I'll pass. I feel like I should take my afternoon easy, so that I can rejuvenate my spiritual power for work later today." Nozomi responded, walking with Nico out of the room.
"Fine... Talk to you later then. Bye!" Nico and Nozomi walked in opposite directions to get to their final class of the day. That class for Nozomi was a math class, wanting a more well-rounded degree. Her math class was five minutes away from her history class if she didn't waste any time. She left the building she was currently in to walk back into the building that had her math class. She walked down the hall, once again looking for her class. She turned into the open doorway, walking into the room. A few people were already settled in and Nozomi chose to sit in the chair closest to the doorway. She opened her bag, taking out her laptop and looking at the notes she took the previous day. People were talking in the hallway, but Nozomi wasn't bothered by it. Or at least she wasn't bothered by it until they got louder. Nozomi stared at the doorway. Two people passed by, but they weren't the ones talking so loudly. The noisy people were almost passing the room, though they were still a little bit behind by the volume of their voices. Nozomi's eyes widened as she saw a familiar face. Right there, entering the room, was no other than Ayase Eli. Being in plain view of the door, Eli noticed Nozomi as well. The two made eye contact, but Nozomi couldn't handle it. She quickly looked back down at her laptop screen, her heart pounding hard against her chest.
Why? This must be a cruel joke made by Fate.
Nozomi glanced back up to Eli. She walked past Nozomi, taking a seat on the opposite side of the classroom in the front row. A group of people followed her, filling up the seats around her. They began to talk again, messing around with each other, but Eli seemed to ignore them. She took out her laptop and opened up a notepad. Nozomi quickly averted her eyes back to her screen when she thought Eli began to look towards her.
Elicchi really is something to have that big of a following already. I guess she fits in easily...
When the class started, Nozomi couldn't focus. While she looked like she was paying attention to the professor, she was actually just stealing glances at Eli. It was in the middle of the lecture when Nozomi knew it was getting out of hand. She put her laptop away and placed it in her bag, slinging it on her shoulder and walking out the door. She wasn't just about to ditch the remainder of the lecture, but she did need to get her mind back on track. Nozomi strode down the hall and into the girl's bathroom. She walked to the sink and leaned her bag against the wall underneath. She cupped her hands under the automatic water faucet, collecting the water and bending over to splash it in her face. She repeated the process a couple times before grabbing a paper tower to dry her face. As she patted her face, she heard someone's footsteps as they walked on the bathroom's tiled floor. Nozomi looked up from the paper towel only to have her head guided up by a slender hand and lips forcefully pressed down against hers. Nozomi's eyes widened, surprised by the kiss but even more surprised by the one kissing her. Her heart sped as she saw Eli's blonde hair. Eli began to walk forwards, still continuing the kiss, making Nozomi walk backwards until she was pressed against the wall. Nozomi felt like she was dreaming as she finally closed her eyes and began to reciprocate the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Eli's neck and Eli wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling Nozomi closer. When Eli finally stopped the kiss, they both were out of breath. Eli rested her forehead against Nozomi's and slowly opened her eyes.
"That's something I wouldn't have been able to do in Russia." Eli got out between breaths. Nozomi smiled.
"Japan isn't Russia so you can do that whenever you want." She replied, her voice husky from the kiss. Eli hugged Nozomi and buried her face in her neck.
"Nozomi, I'm sorry about earlier, I just didn't know how to react. Russia is a place where people get killed because of this and I was scared with how I felt about you. I walked away because I was scared, but I really just wanted to stay by your side." Nozomi felt a droplet of water hit her neck as Eli's eyes began to water. She stood Eli back up, cupping Eli's face and using her thumbs to wipe away the tears that formed. She planted a soft kiss on Eli's lips.
"I was scared too. I thought I'd lost you forever. But right now, we both have no reason to be afraid of anything because we have each other. Elicchi, I love you."
"I love you too, Nozomi."