Firstly, I want to thank the person who pointed out my mistake in my summary. I was too much of a lazy shit to change it immediately but I have changed it now. Next, I would also like to give a big shout out to all of you who followed, favourited or reviewed. It's so great to see lots of people reading and enjoying my story. Thanks for sticking with me. From now on, I will try and reply to reviews as much as possible. You guys deserve that and more.

Matsuri: Glad you're enjoying this. I agree that Umi is gay and awkward. Eli is also gay and awkward. They're just a pair of super gay and awkward siblings and they just give me joy.

Adri-VolKatina: Thank you. :) I hope you're going to like this chapter.

pumpkin513: Their relationship will continue to grow, if you get my drift... ;) Haha, I'm joking. Anyway, thank you for your support!

Crimson: More Kawaii-ness is coming, don't worry ;)

"How are things going with your fiancée?"

Kotori looked up, her cheeks immediately tinging with a light shade of pink as she heard the word 'fiancée'. It was already three weeks since she had met Umi and she still couldn't get used to being called a fiancée. It was still embarrassing to be reminded that she was soon going to be married with the dark haired girl whom she had grown surprisingly attached to in the mere span of three weeks. Despite accepting the situation, Kotori had always worried that she would be stuck in a loveless marriage for the rest of her life but she was pleasantly surprised to find a great friend in her fiancée. If nothing else, Kotori at least would not be unhappy and miserable. She knew that regardless of love, Umi would be loyal and a great partner and Kotori would still care for the girl.

Kotori quickly recovered from her embarrassment and smiled brightly at her mum. "It's going great. Umi-chan's kind and sweet and we're getting along really well. Honoka-chan and everyone else have really warmed up to her so now Umi-chan and Eli-chan are truly part of our friendship group," she said.

Kaori smiled knowingly. "That's great, Kotori. It's good that you two are getting closer since you're moving into your new apartment tomorrow. Are your friends still planning on having that house warming party?"

"Yeah, everyone's going to help us move in and then we're going to have a small party at the new apartment. They're really pumped up for it," Kotori said with a small smile. Although she was nervous about moving into an apartment and living alone with Umi, she was also excited. Not because she wanted to get away from her mum but because she would be spending a lot more time with her new friend. She would miss her old home and she would miss living with her mum but she knew she would adapt. Besides, she was only moving a few blocks away so she could visit her mum anytime she wanted to. The only thing she did not look forward to was the inevitable awkwardness of their first week of living together.

"Just make sure they don't stay too late," Kaori said. "Have you finished packing?"

"Mostly," Kotori replied. "I just need to pack my sketchbooks and one more box of clothes and then I'll be done."

"Okay Kotori, just don't stay up too late packing. You need to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow," Kaori said with a smile. She kissed her daughter on her forehead. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, mum."

000

"Finally, we're done!" Honoka cheered, throwing her hands into the air before wiping the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Why the hell…" Nico panted, dragging in the final box into the apartment, "are there so many boxes…?" When the box was inside, she promptly fell to the floor in exhaustion and continued to lie there, catching her breath. "I'm dead," she moaned.

"How unfit are you?" Maki commented. She was sitting on a small plush armchair in the living room drinking a cup of tea.

Nico got up and pointed an accusing finger at the first year. "What is this injustice?! Why isn't she doing any work!" she cried indignantly.

"Maki-chan brought in a box," Hanayo defended her friend in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, ONE box! I dragged in like, twenty!" Nico exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Ma, ma, Niccochi, calm down and have a cup of tea," Nozomi offered with a patient smile. One could tell that she was used to her friends' usual antics and had built immunity to their bickering.

"The tea is really good," Eli praised, taking another sip.

Nozomi beamed. "Thank you, Elicchi. I just have a lot of practice making them."

'Elicchi?' Umi thought to herself in amusement. She would definitely bring back that nickname later on when she was alone with her sister. As she observed the two third years, she wondered when Nozomi and Eli had grown so close. Eli, just like Umi, was awkward and was terrible at making friends. She usually came off as stand-offish and gave off an aura that made it very difficult for people to approach. She did not let people in very easily and with the exception of their family, Eli did not like attaching herself to anyone. She knew that deep inside, Eli was afraid of losing more loved ones, which was why she didn't let anyone get close in the first place. Eli had lost her both parents and her beloved grandmother and this had carved a deep scar in the older girl's heart. Eli was afraid of hurting again so she withdrew herself from other people. Her walls were thick and hard to break, perhaps even more so than Umi's, but here was Nozomi, Kotori and their group of misfits, easily breaking down their walls as if they were made of paper-thin material.

It made Umi both incredibly relieved and happy to finally see her sister having fun and making friends. She had always worried that Eli would never heal and although she had tried to reach out to her sister, she knew deep inside that her words of comfort wasn't what Eli needed in order to heal the scar in her heart. Thankfully, Arisa wasn't as affected as Eli. She was, and always would be, the lively, cheerful, bright and adorable younger sister of Umi and Eli.

She glanced at Nozomi and Eli one more time. She really hoped that Nozomi would be that person for her sister. Eli deserved to be happy.

"Hey, Kotori-chan, let's eat the cake nya," Rin suggested enthusiastically.

"A-and the rice!" Hanayo added, her eyes bright and intense.

"And the dangos!" Honoka said. She dug into one of the plastic bags and brought out sticks of sweet dangos.

"Honoka-chan, how many bags full of bread did you bring?" Kotori asked with wide eyes as she looked at the pile of bags on the living room table.

Honoka shrugged. "Eh, only about six. Don't worry, there's plenty for everyone!"

"Who's going to eat all that bread?" Eli asked with an exasperated expression.

"Don't underestimate my stomach capacity!" Honoka cried.

"…I wasn't"

"We have more tea," Nozomi said with a smile.

"Hey, why are there bottles of wine in this bag," Nico asked, holding up the bag.

Everyone paused and slowly turned to look at Maki who was looking away with a flushed face, rapidly twirling a strand of hair.

"Mama forced me to bring it okay! It's not like I wanted to bring it," Maki defended.

Everyone promptly burst out into laughter.

"Anyway," Honoka announced, clinking her teaspoon against a glass cup to catch everyone's attention. "we will now begin the official 'congratulations-in-moving-into-your-new-apartment-Umi-chan-and-Kotori-chan' party! Let's give our hosts a round of applause!"

Kotori smiled sweetly and waved as her friends clapped loudly. Umi looked as if she wanted be anywhere but there at the moment.

"Now, you guys can explore your new apartment while we get the food ready," Honoka said, shoving the two girls away. "Come on everyone! To the kitchen!"

"Yeah!" the other girls cheered as they followed their leader into the kitchen to start preparing for the feast.

Kotori watched her friends with a smile before turning to face Umi. "Then, shall we explore our new home?" she asked.

Umi blushed when she heard the words 'our new home'. She thought that it had an incredibly nice ring to it. Yes, it was their home now and they would be living here alone together until the end of graduation. "Y-yes."

The apartment was spacious but not too big. The front door immediately led to the open and rather wide living room where there was an armchair as well as two comfy sofas with a wooden table placed between them. On the left, there was a white door that opened to their shared bedroom. Considering that it was going to accommodate two people, it was very large and had lots of free space to move around even with the furniture. There was a single, large queen size bed at the centre of the back of the room and on either side of it were two work desks, closets, drawers and bookshelves. There was a bathroom attached to the room and a foldable table tucked into the corner of the room. There were also large vanity mirrors near the closet and everything put together gave the room a very homely feel. The colour scheme of the wall was a neutral white and the furniture was all made of expensive looking wood. They walked out of the bedroom and back into the living room once more. The kitchen slash dining room was on the right of the living room and it was big enough to fit all their friends comfortably. There was another separate toilet next to the kitchen.

"This is nice isn't it?" Kotori said, looking at Umi for approval. The dark haired girl nodded. Umi had to give points to both their parents for putting effort into this arrangement. However, she seriously wanted to kill them for only providing one bed. What were they thinking?!

"Our parents have put a lot of time effort into this," Umi agreed.

"Then it's our job to make sure that it doesn't go to waste!" Kotori declared with an easy smile.

They decided that they had seen enough of the apartment and decided to join their friends in the kitchen. When they entered, Umi could see that their friends had been busy in the meantime. On the table, there was a large chocolate cake in the middle and around it were dozens of snacks and various food and drinks. Nine plates were set up with utensils placed next to each one.

"Welcome back!" Honoka greeted. "Now let's eat!"

"Yeah!"

The party was joyful and filled with loud chatters. The girls were able to finish most of the food and by the end, everyone was absolutely stuffed. They stayed until the evening, talking and enjoying themselves. Eli had taken this chance to tell several embarrassing stories about Umi, much to the dark haired girl's embarrassment. Kotori had giggled at all the stories as if they were the cutest and most hilarious thing she has ever heard. Umi made a mental note to pay Eli back with her own collection of embarrassing stories in the future. She was sure that Nozomi would appreciate them. Rin and Hanayo were being cute as usual, constantly cuddling and hugging each other. If they had been anyone else, Umi would have been irritated with the excessive public display of affections but they were Rin and Hanayo. She just couldn't bring herself to be annoyed with the first years. Honoka had stuffed herself with bread and she could barely move an inch by the time the party came to an end. However, her satisfied face told everyone that she regretted absolutely nothing.

As evening approached, they cleaned up the plates and tidied the kitchen. Working together, they were able to quickly get the task done and now it was time to say goodbye.

"Goodnight nya! Rin had lots of fun today!" the energetic girl waved happily.

"M-me too. The rice was very delicious. Thank you for having us," Hanayo added.

"See…ugh… see you tomorrow," Honoka called out weakly as she was led out of the front door by Nico and Maki who were supporting her on each side.

Kotori smiled sweetly. "See you tomorrow, Honoka-chan."

Umi smiled as well. "Have a nice evening."

"Well, I'll be going too," Nozomi said in her usual cheerful voice. "Have fun tonight, you two." She winked at them mischievously before leaving.

Umi immediately grew bright red as she caught the older girl's implications. Kotori also blushed as she discreetly peeked at her fiancée's reaction.

"She's certainly something," Eli said with a chuckle as she watched Nozomi walk out.

"Does someone have crush?" Umi said with a light grin.

"N-No! Geez!" Despite her words, the red colouring the blonde's face was very telling. Eli cleared her throat, attempting to gain back her composure. She smirked at her sister and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Now, I know you two are going to be alone tonight and sleeping together in the same bed, but try and control yourself okay? Girls like Kotori enjoy being wooed. Just take it slow sis."

"Y-y-you! Argh! I don't… what, I mean, we're not going to…I seriously hate you," Umi muttered darkly. "Mark my words, I will have my revenge."

Eli laughed, waving her hands dismissively. "Sure, sure. Anyway, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The door closed and silence filled the room. A thick and oh-so-incredibly-awkward silence.

"So…" Umi started.

"So…" Kotori echoed.

They stared at each other with blushing faces. Another long silence stretched between them as they stood frozen on their spot.

"Would you like to take a shower first?" Umi asked awkwardly, gesturing towards the bathroom.

Kotori smiled. "If you don't mind."

"Go ahead, I'll quickly get changed."

Together, they went into their shared bedroom in silence. Kotori grabbed a large towel and a change of clothes before entering the shower. As Umi listened to the sound of the shower being turned on, she sat on the bed, patiently waiting for her turn.

With a glance at the bed she was sitting on, she instantly became nervous once again. She cursed her parents for the hundredth time for only giving them one bed. They probably thought they were being clever by doing this. Before Umi had left her house with her belongings in the morning, her mum had walked up to her and said, 'This will be a great chance for you and Kotori-chan to get to know each other as friends. Or something more than that, who knows.'

Really subtle, mum.

Couldn't they take her feelings into consideration? She could barely talk to her fiancée without stuttering and looking like an idiot. She had only just become close friends with Kotori so she felt like she was skipping some very important steps by sleeping together in the same bed so soon. She hoped that the awkwardness would not kill her.

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Kotori walked out. She was already changed into her pyjamas and she was using the towel to dry her hair. Umi froze as she took in the sight. It was both adorable and sexy at the same time and she had no idea how to react.

Ok, Umi. No need to panic. Stay cool and collected. Cool.

"I-I'll go in now! To the bathroom, I mean! Well, of course to the bathroom…uh…I'll be going," she practically muttered to herself as she dashed into the bathroom. She ignored the amused expression on Kotori's face. Once the door was closed behind her, she groaned and slumped to the floor.

Not cool, Umi, not cool.

000

"Which side of the bed would you like?" Kotori asked. There was a small blush on her cheeks but otherwise, she was doing incredibly well at hiding her awkwardness.

Umi on the other hand…not so well. "Huh? Oh! Um…either side is fine with me."

Umi, calm down. This bed is big so there's going to be plenty of space between us. It'll be just like sleeping together with Arisa or Eli. Well, except for the fact that this is your fiancée, not your sisters.

…

Oh my god! We're actually engaged! And we're going to be sleeping in the same bed! What am I going to do!

Calm down. Everything will be fine.

How am I going to calm down?!

Umi kind of felt like a crazy person for talking with herself. She didn't understand what it was about Kotori that made her into this stuttering, panicking and blushing mess. She was usually much more composed and calm. Her personality wasn't usually so weird. Sure, she was shy and awkward but not this shy and awkward. Although, currently it would be more accurate to say that she was awkward and awkward. She felt bad since she could tell that Kotori was doing her best to act normal and casual about all of this for her sake. Instead of helping her, Umi was only making things more awkward and uncomfortable.

"Then I'll take the right," Kotori said, climbing under the duvet on her chosen side. There was a moment of shuffling before the room became quiet. Through the dim lighting provided by their bedside lamp, Umi could see the other girl staring at her and it was then that she realised she had been unresponsive for a few solid minutes. Embarrassed, she quickly sprang into motion and slipped under the duvet and as she did so, she made sure to put as much distance between her and Kotori as possible. As she finally settled into her bed, silence once again took over the room.

"What time would you like me to set the alarm?" Umi asked, praying that Kotori wouldn't notice the slight tremble in her voice.

"Is seven a.m. okay? I don't like being up too early."

"Of course. However, I will be getting up at six a.m. so I hope I don't accidentally wake you," Umi apologised in advance.

Kotori smiled. "That's alright. I sleep like a log most of the time. Even if you wake me, I'll just go straight back to sleep. You don't have to be extra quiet because of me."

"Still, I would feel guilty for waking you up. In any case, I will be turning the light off now, if that's fine with you," Umi said.

Kotori made a sound of agreement and soon, complete darkness swallowed the room.

"Goodnight, Kotori," Umi whispered into the darkness.

"Goodnight, Umi-chan."

A few minutes later, Umi heard Kotori's breathing slowly evening out, indicating that she was fast asleep. She somewhat envied the other girl's ability to fall asleep so quickly in this situation. Umi's heart was pounding in her ears and her hands were clammy with sweat. Every time she was close to falling asleep, she was reminded of Kotori's presence next to her, causing her to become nervous and unable to enter the world of dreams.

As she mourned her tragic predicament, she felt movement from the girl lying next to her. She immediately stiffened as warm, soft skin came into contact with her own. Kotori, in her sleep, had wrapped her arms tightly around Umi's left arm and was nuzzling her face against the dark haired girl's shoulder. Umi gulped as she felt something soft pressing against her arm. Her mind flew to places she couldn't believe even existed within her own thoughts. The images she was picturing were decidedly not innocent in nature. Her face grew bright red as she desperately tried to calm herself by repeating formulas and facts and going through the exercise routine for the next morning.

Okay. This is perfectly normal between friends… I think. Besides, you should be used to this, Umi! Eli always clings to you and you've never really had a problem with that.

(Yes, contrary to her cool and mature image, Sonoda Eli was a cuddling maniac and had a bad habit of latching to anything and anyone during her sleep.)

I'm seriously not going to get any sleep tonight. All these sleepless nights are going to be bad for my health. I should really try and get used to this.

Umi silently groaned when Kotori murmured something before squeezing Umi's arm even tighter against her chest.

No. Sleep. At. All.