Umi ran circles around her apartment the next morning, along with her surprise guests, she was struggling to get food ready and clean at the same time. Her apartment was usually very neat, but being able to work from home caused her to break out of her usual cleaning routine.
By the time she finished, her apartment was spotless and neat while a plate of sandwiches were sitting on the kitchen counter, the time was almost 11 and she needed to hurry to get ready on time for the both of them.
She grabbed a clean pair of clothes and hopped into the bath for a quick shower. After she finished there was knock on her front door, "Come in!" she yelled.
The door creaked open and a head poked through the crack, "Umi!"
Kotori was the first to arrive and she brought along the dress as well as a small box containing slices of cake she had bought from the Kousaka Bakery.
Umi smiled and welcomed the ash haired girl into her apartment. Kotori handed the box to Umi and she set it on the counter next to the sandwiches, "Please take a seat, Kotori," Umi offered her desk chair to her first guest.
Now that she realized it, she didn't even have any other chairs to sit on other than her bed, "I should have bought chairs..." she muttered to herself.
"Your apartment is so clean, Umi... Its totally the opposite of my room," Kotori laughed.
"Y-yeah, I guess so..."
"Hey! So I was thinking that after we get you to try on this dress, we can go shopping together for your cell phone!"
"That sounds like a great idea, would you like some sandwiches I've prepared?"
Kotori nodded and Umi walked over to her kitchen counter to grab two sandwiches for the two of them. A knock on the door echoed around the apartment and Umi bit onto her sandwich so she could open the door, "Umi~! I have arrived!"
Tsubasa practically forced the door open the second it budged and it caused Umi to fall backwards, "Shubasha?!" Umi mumbled in panic with the sandwich trapped between her lips.
"Oh Umi, what're you doing down there?" Tsubasa offered a helping hand and Umi took it without a second thought, "Why are you holding a sandwich? Is this for me? You shouldn't have!" she snatched the sandwich out of Umi's hand and bit down on it, "Now we mash!"
"Umi? Who's at the door?" Kotori poked her head out to see what all the fuss was about.
She grasped the sandwich and pulled it away from her mouth, "Oh, this is-"
"I thought you were single, Umi," Tsubasa called out.
"Oh no, this isn't what it looks like Tsubasa, Kotori is a friend," Umi turned her attention back to her boss.
The woman grinned in response and sharpened her eyes at Kotori who nodded along with Umi's explanation, "Hmm... Okay then..." she took another bite of the sandwich and walked in after taking off her shoes.
Umi followed behind and grabbed another sandwich for Kotori, "Here's a sandwich, Kotori."
"Thank you, Umi!" Kotori smiled and bit down on it, "Wow, this is good!"
"It's just a regular sandwich, it's not that special," Umi blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.
"It's still really yummy!" Kotori ate the sandwich happily and Umi couldn't help but smile.
"So how are the lyrics?" Tsubasa asked out of the blue.
"Oh let me get my laptop, take a seat on my bed since I don't have any chairs around," Tsubasa sat on Umi's bed like she suggested and waited for her to return with her laptop.
Once Umi plopped onto her bed, she flipped the laptop open and Tsubasa scooted in closer than Umi was used to, "Umm... Tsubasa?"
"What is it, Umi?"
"You're a little close..."
"Well I can't see the screen if I'm not,"
"I guess you're right..."
Umi pulled up the document with the lyrics on them and Tsubasa read them quietly to herself, "Hmm... Can you play the music? I want to try singing it."
"Sure."
Umi pressed play on the mp3 file and Tsubasa sang along with it. Her voice was very soothing and it matched the tone of the song extremely well, Umi and Kotori watched in awe as Tsubasa sang. She was on a different level.
After the song was over the two girls clapped for Tsubasa's performance and she bowed in response, "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week!"
"You have such a lovely voice, Tsubasa!" Kotori cheered.
"Well I don't mean to brag but… Yeah I'm pretty good," Tsubasa brushed her hair like a model and posed.
Kotori continued to clap until she gasped, "Oh! Umi, I almost forgot, you have to try on the dress!"
"Dress?" Tsubasa questioned.
Kotori stood up and pulled the dress out of the bag she brought with her, "Yeah! Hurry and try it on, Umi."
Umi blushed and grabbed the dress before sheepishly walking towards her bathroom, after a few minutes the door creaked open and she spotted two eager women waiting for her to present herself.
"Come on, Umi! Show us what your momma gave you!" Tsubasa hollered.
"Don't be shy, Umi, come on out!" Kotori beckoned.
She felt like a child hiding from her relatives that she hadn't seen in a long time. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and shuffled childishly into the middle of the room. She listened as gasps of awe echoed around and bounced into her ear, "I look weird… Don't I?"
Umi peeked one eye open to see the two women staring with their jaws dropped, "I knew it… I DO look like an idiot!" she screamed in her head.
"Umi… Wow you look… Wow…" Kotori gawked.
"Umm… can you excuse me? I have to use the bathroom…" Tsubasa took of her hat and hastily jogged her way into Umi's bathroom. After locking the door behind her she tossed her hat on the counter and loosed up her collared shirt, "What just happened? Umi looked so…" Tsubasa stared at herself in the mirror to catch herself blushing. She touched her cheek and her eyes widened, her heart started to beat irregularly, "What is happening to me?"
Images of Umi in the dress flashed across her thoughts, "Her slender arms, her leg that poked out of the dress… and the way the dress wraps around her body!" Tsubasa felt something tug her chest and she clutched it as if it would calm the raging fire in her heart, "She was so… beautiful…"
This feeling, she had felt it before but it burned with more desire than she had ever experienced. It was the feeling of want, the desire to have something she could call hers, she wanted Umi.
"Umi! You're so pretty, oh my gosh! I expected it to look good but holy smokes! You're like a top model!" a light voice chirped.
Tsubasa broke out of her trance and pushed her ear against the door to listen in on what the two were going to converse about next.
"Y-You're just saying that to make me feel better, this dress is embarrassing…"
"What do you mean by embarrassing? You're beautiful in that dress, Umi!"
"S-stop flattering me so much, Kotori…"
"Hey can we go shopping for your phone now?"
"Now? But I have to get changed."
"There's no need to, you're already dressed!"
"But what about Tsu-"
Tsubasa took that as her queue and she walked out of the bathroom as nonchalantly as possible, "I couldn't help but overhear shopping, may I come along?"
"Umm, yeah sure, do you mind Kotori?"
Kotori flashed an expression of grimace before turning away, "I guess it's fine… Tsubasa, your collar is undone."
Tsubasa stared in confusion before looking down and seeing that she hadn't fixed herself up before leaving the bathroom, "Ahem… Sorry about that."
"Do I really have to go out with this on?"
"Yes," Kotori and Tsubasa answered in unison and they glanced at one another, approving of the answer the other gave.
The walk to the shopping district was odd, at least to Umi she thought it was. Kotori and Tsubasa were acting strange ever since she had put on the dress. The eyes of pedestrians fell upon the trio as Kotori latched onto Umi's right arm, and Tsubasa on the other.
"Umm… Can you two let go-"
"No! I have to protect you from any boys that want a piece of that jelly," Kotori cried.
"As your employer and boss, I must insure my employee's safety," Tsubasa replied.
"I can defend myself, you know?"
"Don't you have some songs to record, Tsubasa?" Kotori asked.
"No, not at all. Besides, I still have to pay Umi for her work this week. And what a better way to pay than having ME buy her cell phone?" Tsubasa barked back.
Kotori puffed her cheeks, "W-Well that doesn't change the fact that Umi and I are picking it out."
The two women glared at each other before jerking their eyes away from each other in opposite directions, "What's gotten into you two?"
"Nothing, let's head into the A-Risen Wireless store," Tsubasa replied.
Umi felt her arms getting pulled towards one of the more popular phone services in Japan, inside were a few number of customers looking for phones but it wasn't crowded which relieved Umi. An employee instantly walked up to the trio of girls and gave them the rundown on how to pick a phone and what came with one.
"Umi, get the ShyPhone! We can match!" Kotori pulled out her own cell phone which looked identical to the one displayed.
"No way! Umi you have to get a reliable one like my Cyborg!" Tsubasa pulled out her phone to match the other "popular" phone in the store.
"Girls…" Umi looked at the two phones, she didn't really need anything as fancy or famous for her to use. She wanted something durable and reliable, that's when a phone caught her eye, "I think I want this Makiya."
"What? Makiya?!" the two women questioned together.
"But Umi, those phones are like… Behind." Tsubasa mentioned.
"Yeah, don't they use the Windshield OS?" Kotori asked.
"It says here that it's the first to use the Cyborg OS," Umi answered.
Kotori glanced over to see Tsubasa with a wide grin across her face, "Well… If that's what you want, Umi."
"Let's bring it up to the front so I can pay for it," Tsubasa suggested.
Umi nodded and the trio made their way to the nearest employee to inform them of their decision. After a 10 minute activation process, Umi finally had a cell phone in her hands.
"Aaaaand since I paid for the phone, I get to be the first contact on Umi's phone!" Tsubasa attempted to snatch the phone but Kotori got to it first, "Hey!"
Kotori quickly typed in her name and number before returning the phone with an innocent smile. Tsubasa grabbed it next and entered her information in, she would have deleted Kotori's contact information, but Umi had her eyes on the screen to see how to add contacts.
After getting her phone back she held it close to her chest, "Thank you two for helping me choose a phone," Umi smiled and the two women lit up around the cheeks, "Excuse me, I have to add my Mother as a contact."
Umi turned away to enter her mother's info and Tsubasa leaned in closer to Kotori, "Look Kotori, I need you to back off of Umi."
"What? No way! I need YOU to back off of her."
"I'm her boss!"
"I'm her only friend!"
"Umm…?"
The two froze and turned their heads toward Umi, "I forgot how to add a contact already…"
The two women sighed in relief and disappointment, "We'll teach you again…"
Umi walked happily while toying around with her phone, Tsubasa and Kotori had to make sure that she wouldn't run into any people while she was preoccupied with the device.
"I should be getting home, thank you two for everything today" Umi cheered.
"No problem, you deserve it," Tsubasa replied.
"Let me walk you home!" Kotori blurted out.
Tsubasa and Kotori made eye contact and sparks flew between them, "I should make sure you get home safe too…"
"It's okay, I can get home on my own," Umi answered.
"No, I'm taking you home!" Tsubasa and Kotori grabbed onto Umi's hands and started pulling her back.
"Don't you have an album to record or something?" Kotori asked.
"Don't you have a job or something to do?" Tsubasa asked back.
The two women glared at each other during the entire trip back to Umi's home. After stepping inside, Umi offered more sandwiches while they sat around and conversed. Umi spent most of her time familiarizing herself with the newly bought phone while Kotori and Tsubasa hovered around casually.
"It's almost the evening, shouldn't you two be heading home?" Umi set down the phone and looked at her guests.
Kotori looked around nonchalantly before shrugging her shoulders, "Today was my day off so I can stay a little longer."
Umi smiled and nodded before facing Tsubasa, "Tsubasa? Don't they need you back at the studio?"
"I've got until like 4pm, don't worry about it," Tsubasa replied with the dismissal of her hand.
"But it's 3:30 and way past lunch time," Umi pointed towards her wall clock.
Tsubasa practically jumped after seeing the time, "Oh jeez! I have to hurry back before Dad finds out what I'm doing!" Tsubasa quickly dug into her purse for an envelope, "Here's your check for the week, don't forget to email me the lyrics."
Umi grabbed the envelope and watched Tsubasa scurry out of the apartment almost as quickly as she came in earlier today, "Well… it sure has gotten quieter already," Kotori commented.
"You should probably leave soon too before it gets too dark out," Umi suggested.
Kotori frowned before giving an answer, "And what if I don't want to leave? What will you do then?"
"Umm…"
"Will you walk me home and protect me from the dangers of the night? Or maybe let me spend the night here?" Kotori asked.
"It's only 3:30, Kotori…" Umi rubbed the back of her head. The girl was obviously going to get what she wants, one way or another, "Fine… Let's just watch some videos on my laptop and finish the sandwiches."
Kotori smiled and nodded, "Sure!"
Umi brought over the plate of sandwiches and held onto them before taking a seat and turning on her laptop, "Oh I know what we should watch!" Kotori announced.
"Hmm?"
"Here, let me sign on to Nestflix, there's this web series that I've been wanting to watch and I think you might like it," Kotori pulled the laptop to face her and began typing in what was needed.
After a few minutes, Kotori was able to pull up and episode of the show and the two girls sat back and watched it together. They snacked on the sandwiches and laughed at the funny moments of the show together.
"Can we watch another one?" Umi asked.
Kotori smiled and clicked on the next episode. Before they could realize it, it was already 8pm, "Oh shoot, I got distracted with the show."
Kotori giggled, "Yeah, sometimes watching shows online makes time fly by so quickly."
Umi looked at Kotori and back at the clock, "Umm… shoot… are you tired?" Umi asked.
"A little, I guess," Kotori replied.
"Can I walk you home?" Umi offered.
"Hmm… I kind of want to stay the night," Kotori said bluntly.
Umi blushed, "I-I don't exactly have any extra pillows or futons…"
"We can sleep on your bed," Kotori suggested.
"W-What?! No way!" Umi objected.
"But I'm sooooo tired, Umiiiii," Kotoro dragged.
Umi knew what Kotori was trying to do, and she had no idea what to do about it, "U-Umm…"
"Pleeease Umi? If I go out by myself I might get attacked," Kotori reasoned.
"I offered to walk you home though," Umi reasoned back.
"You obviously haven't seen how bad it can get at night..." Kotori replied. It was a lie.
"R-Really? Then I guess there's no choice…" Umi hung her head and cleared her throat, "U-Umm… You can sleep on my bed and I'll just lay down on the floor."
"What? No way! You'll get sick without a blanket or pillows!" Kotori objected.
"T-Then…"
"Let's just sleep on your bed together," Kotori suggested again. Umi blushed and reluctantly nodded.
"Plus, we can lay down and keep watching the show too!" Kotori added. That seemed to make Umi smile a little.
"Let me go get changed for bed, I don't like sleeping in clothes like this," Umi stood up and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom.
Once the door shut, Kotori cheered to herself, "Yes! This will definitely put me ahead of Tsubasa!" She stood up and dove onto Umi's bed, it was a lot smaller than it looked, but at least it was comfortable. Kotori buried her face into Umi's pillow and took a whiff of it, "It smells nice, just like her…"
The bathroom door creaked open and Kotori sat up quickly on her bed. Umi walked out wearing a loose crop top and athletic shorts that covered all of the important parts of her body.
"Hmm? Is something wrong, Kotori?"
Kotori didn't even notice herself staring at Umi's exposed skin, especially her well toned stomach and her legs, "N-Nothing! Just spacing out…" Kotori darted her eyes away to keep herself from staring too long.
"How's the bed? It's a little… small isn't it?"
"It should be fine as long as we lay on our sides, that way we won't bump each other off," Kotori suggested.
Umi blushed, "W-Well can you move over a bit?"
"Going to sleep already?" Kotori asked.
"I like to sleep early so I can wake up and get my workout done," Umi answered.
"Aww, I wanted to watch some more episode with you," Kotori pleaded.
Umi blushed again, "W-Well… I guess I can squeeze another episode or two in…"
Kotori clapped and smiled, "Great, let's get started then!" She quickly laid back into Umi's bed and pat the spot next to her causing the blue haired girl to blush even more in response.
Umi grabbed her laptop and reluctantly climbed into bed, turning her back away from Kotori and continuing with the show. She felt Kotori lean on her back and her head resting on top of her arm, they looked like a new couple.
"Umm… Kotori…?"
"What's wrong?"
"You're a little close…"
"I can't see the screen if I don't get close though," She responded.
Umi blushed and decided to tough it out until she started to doze off. After an episode she had already passed out.
"Umi? Umi are you awake?" Kotori lifted herself up to pause the episode before looking down at Umi's sleeping face, "She's so pretty, even when she's sleeping…"
"Umi… are you asleep?" Kotori poked Umi's cheek and got a short but cute response from her. Kotori giggled before she started blushing, "Would it be wrong for me to kiss her right now?"
Kotori leaned back and pulled on Umi's shoulder to get her to lay on her back. Once she was settled, Kotori brought her face closer to Umi's. She couldn't tell if her cheeks were hot because of her blushing, or because of Umi's breath.
"Just… go for it, Kotori…" she whispered to herself. She gently grasped Umi's chin with her fingers, she couldn't help but press her finger against Umi's lips. They were rosy, soft and every passing second they became more and more alluring to her.
Kotori closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips against Umi's as gently as she could. Heat surged from her lips to her entire body, her face burned as her blush grew redder in color. Umi's lips were soft and they had a sweet taste to them, Kotori wanted to keep their lips locked just a little longer.
Kotori reached down and rubbed her hand against Umi's stomach. Ever since she saw it for the first time, she had been dying to get a feel for them. They were toned and had a great shape to them that felt good to touch.
"I wish this could last forever… at least for tonight…" Kotori separated her lips from Umi before kissing her once again. She had no idea how much time had passed before she fell asleep, but it was worth it.
Umi awoke the next morning and looked down to see Kotori's head rested on top of her chest. She blushed and jumped in her spot when she heard a knock on the door.
"Uh… Coming!" she called out in response.
She looked down at Kotori, it looked like she would be waking up any time soon since she didn't react to Umi calling out just a second ago. She moved out from underneath Kotori carefully and answered the door, "Who is it?"
The door swung open after she released the lock and Tsubasa strutted her way in, "Good morning Umi-" Tsubasa stopped in the middle of her sentence after seeing Umi in her sleepwear, "Why hello…"
Umi blushed the moment she realized she wasn't dressed, "U-Umm will you excuse me?!" and rushed to the bathroom quickly, leaving Tsubasa alone in the room.
Tsubasa set down her bag and unconsciously licked her lips, "Good god, she's perfect…" Tsubasa stepped in and stood in front of the bathroom door, "I'll do it, I'll make her mine today."
Tsubasa waited until she heard the door unlock, "I'm coming in," and pushed on the door. Umi was pushed back into the bathroom and Tsubasa closed the door behind her.
"T-Tsubasa?!"
Tsubasa pushed Umi against the wall and placed a finger over her lips, "I haven't been able to get you off my mind ever since I saw you in that dress yesterday."
"A-and?"
"I'm saying that I'm interested in you," Tsubasa replied.
"I-interested in me?! B-but why?!"
Tsubasa pressed her finger against Umi's lips again and leaned in closer, "Your hair is pretty, your face is beautiful, and your body is sexy. I can't resist."
"H-Huh?"
Tsubasa smiled mischievously and suddenly pressed her lips against Umi's, catching the girl off guard. Tsubasa opened her eyes to see the girl's reaction. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shut so tightly that her face scrunched up in a very cute way.
"T-Tsubasa, please sto-"
"No~" Tsubasa kept their lips locked together for a little longer before backing away for a few seconds, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend? B-but I don't think I'm ready for a relationship," Umi replied.
"You don't have to be ready, I'll give you everything you could ever want," Tsubasa reasoned.
"B-But…"
"Even if you don't like me yet, give me a chance," Tsubasa insisted.
"W-Well… I… guess if you're okay with someone like me…" Umi answered.
"Its official then! You and I are now girlfriends!" Tsubasa announced.
Umi blushed and escaped from Tsubasa to open the door, "What happens now?"
"Hmm, how about I take you on a date today!" Tsubasa suggested.
Umi blushed again, "S-Sure, just let me actually get read-" She stepped out and noticed that her bed was empty,
Kotori was gone.