Author's Note

I take back my words. Irregular updates will be the way I go. Let's hope it's a good irregular then :P

Eri lay back down on her bed after finishing her new book. Her weekend was uneventful so far. Aside from going out with Arisa on Friday night to shop more, she didn't leave her house at all. It just felt like she could pretend to be a normal girl in her house. There was no need to constantly worry about whether her voice was too high or having to bind her chest, which she still hadn't gotten used to. It was a good thing her uniform was tailored to make it difficult to see her chest and most of her other clothing were looser. When she thought about all the trouble she had to go through, she wondered if it really was worth it. Then she would remind herself of her mother's elated expression when she found out that Eri could save the school.

I wonder when I can stop pretending though. When I graduate, maybe?

It seemed like an awfully long time to go. What would everyone that knew her think of her then? She didn't particularly mind if the other girls thought badly of her, as long as it didn't affect her future in Japan, since they seemed would be staying for the next couple of years, 'til Arisa graduated, at the least. But what about her newest friend, whom she had a feeling may become quite important in her life from now on? Would Toujou-san understand? She sighed. This was exasperating and she figured it was better to just not think about it now.

Thinking of Toujou-san made her recall that Friday afternoon. Seeing her introduce herself so confidently and comfortably made Eri feel the same way, too. At that moment, she forgot about her current predicament, and it felt as though befriending Toujou-san was something she should have done all along. Good thing she recovered and corrected her name. Had she stayed any longer then, she may have given away her secret. Something about Toujou-san just made her feel so comfortable. It was probably the same for Toujou-san, too. Eri didn't miss the slight surprise on her face when she teased her. Usually, she would feel uncomfortable if someone that had just introduced themselves to her had teased her right off the bat. She did feel uncomfortable at that moment, but it was... a good uncomfortable. Eri decided not to ponder over it too much and just made a mental note to be a little more careful. It was great that she had made (or was making?) a new friend though.

"Thinking about your new friend?" Eri jolted out from her thoughts and was met with Arisa's teasing face.

"Ohh? Our cold, awkward and stoic Erichika actually made a friend in one week?" The surprise in her mother's tease was not lost on her and Eri didn't know whether she should be more upset by that fact or over the both of them teasing her again.

"I'm not that unsociable! I had friends back in Russia... It's just that it's harder to make them in this situation and in a new environment..." Eri tried to defend herself, even though she knew they were right.

"Friends that you made after two weeks of school, and they had to approach you multiple times before you even started getting closer to them! I would have thought that it would be easier to make friends here though, since you're the thorn amongst the roses and all," Arisa countered.

"I don't think being a thorn is a great thing... Besides, it's hard because I don't know if they would mind me basically lying to everyone," Eri replied melancholically.

"If they're real friends, they'll understand and be with you for who you really are. Eriot and Eri are the same person anyway; the only difference between them would be how they are dressed," their mother soothed her worries.

"I'm sure your new friend would understand it in future! What's her name?"

"Toujou Nozomi. She sits behind me in class."

"Nozomi-san, huh? Is she pretty? What's she like?"

"Very. She's the miko we met at the shrine last weekend. She's kind of quiet but still friendly to others. Everyone likes and looks up to her. I haven't heard her say anything bad about anyone yet and no one seems to have shown any dislike towards her. She seems really smart too. All the teachers love her," Eri rambled on.

"So many good things to say and you've only spoken ten words to her. Someone's getting it bad, huh?" Arisa teased once more.

"Harasho! Could our little Erichika possibly be having a small crush? I guess she isn't an ice block after all!"

"M-mom! Arisa! That's not how it is! Besides, you both make me sound like I can't interact with anyone at all..." Eri sulked while the other two simply laughed. "Anyway, what are the two of you here for?"

"Oh yes! Could you go to the store to pick up some vegetables? Aki-san forgot to get some and she needs it for tonight's dinner. I'm going to have a conference call soon and Arisa still has a lot of homework left to do." Her mother directed that last comment to Arisa, who cringed slightly and gave a sheepish look.

Aki-san was their house chef and it was really unlike her to have forgotten something.

She must have been busy picking out the beef. She did mention yesterday that there was going to be a prime selection today.

Eri agreed and went to get changed. She then remembered about having to bind her chest again. She sighed.

Can't go back on my word though... Mou, this is such a hassle.

Deciding on just wearing a sports bra, a loose grey hoodie and some denim shorts, she headed towards the general direction of the supermarket. As she walked down the streets, her thoughts drifted back to Toujou-san.

Exactly a week ago, Arisa and I met her at the shrine. I wonder if that's her permanent job. Does she need help financially, and that's why she has a job? Or is she just helping out on some days whenever she's free? When does she go to the shrine, then? Maybe she's there now?

As Eri let her thoughts flood with Toujou-san, she didn't notice that she had completely forgotten to turn at the junction, carried on turning at different junctions and was now completely lost. The sounds of a Pachinko Palace as someone exited the place snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked around bewildered. She had no idea where she was.

In the first place, I'm not even that great with directions... I should have just made Arisa go instead and help her with her work later.

Eri decided to just walk back to where she came from, figuring that she would find something familiar that way.

How horribly wrong she was.

Due to her being so consumed by her thoughts just now, she had no idea if she had just walked straight all the way or turned at some junctions. As she came to the first fork in the path, she had no idea which way to go. She reached into her pocket for her phone to check Google Maps, only to find that she had forgotten to bring it along.

Just great. Well, I suppose if I just keep taking the path on the right, it'll lead me somewhere... Maybe I could find a public telephone somewhere.

As she continued walking on, she made sure to take notice of her surroundings, just in case. Maybe she could even find a nice shop or cafe. Perhaps a chocolate shop? The thought of her favourite food lightened her mood. Maybe if she saw this as an adventure, it would be better. She could tell Arisa and her mother that she went to explore the streets and save herself from the embarrassment of admitting that she had gotten lost. She continued taking the path on the right at every junction with a slight spring in her steps and soon came to the familiar long staircase that led to the shrine. Her thoughts immediately shifted from chocolate to Toujou-san.

I wonder if she's there now...

Eri contemplated climbing up. She'd get delayed even further and the massive amount of steps was still slightly daunting. However, her curiosity as to whether Toujou-san was there grew stronger and she found herself conquering the steps once more. Slightly winded, she looked around, hoping to catch sight of the miko.

"Oh, Ayase-kun? What brings you here?"

Eri turned and was met with the pleasant sight of Nozomi in her miko outfit once again. She gave a small smile in greeting.

"Nothing, I just happened to be passing by," Eri lied smoothly, internally doing a fist pump for having said that convincingly.

"I see. I was just about to end my shift. Care to keep me company for a while, then?" Nozomi sat down on the steps and patted the space beside her.

Eri blushed slightly and took her seat on the steps, slightly further than what Nozomi hoped. An awkward silence fell on them as they stared ahead at the skyline.

"Err... So, do you work here, Toujou-san?" Eri decided to initiate conversation.

"Yup, it's my part-time job. The pay isn't great but I do enjoy it. It makes me feel like my spiritual power is enhanced and all."

"Why do you need to work, though? Do you need help financially?" Eri asked out of concern, only to realise that she may have offended her as some people didn't like to be seen that way. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be so forward. You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. I like that about you anyway. I live alone. Even though my parents send me money every month, I feel like I shouldn't keep relying on them and should at least settle my own bills for small things like food."

Eri blushed at the first comment and being in her flustered state, the next question just slipped out without her thinking that it may have been insensitive.

"Why do your parents live separately from you?"

And she just apologised for being too direct. She slapped her hands to her mouth and gave Nozomi an apologetic look.

"We'll save that for next time," Nozomi simply gave a wistful yet determined smile with her reply.

Thinking that she may have just killed her budding friendship, Eri decided to play it safe and not talk anymore.

Maybe I do need to brush up on my social skills...

Nozomi sensed the change in the blonde's attitude and decided to bring the mood back up.

"Let's play 20 Questions! You can start, Ayase-kun."

Eri simply stared at her for a while, trying to figure out what game she was talking about. After a few seconds, Nozomi got the hint.

"No way, you don't know how to play it? Guess you really are socially awkward, huh?" she teased.

"That's rich, coming from you..." Eri mumbled, hoping the miko wouldn't catch what she said.

She did, though. Nozomi looked over in surprise that Eri had responded to her tease and laughed. Eri felt heartened that she didn't take any offence in her comeback and chuckled along. Nozomi then explained how to play the game. It was simply just asking each other questions and both of them would share their answers to it. Since Eri was starting, she decided to go with the typical questions first.

"Favourite colour?"

"Red, I suppose. It's just such a passionate colour. There's something about it that makes me feel all fired up too."

"Is that why your skirt is red?"

"Nah, that's just the normal uniform here. What's yours?"

"Blue, I guess. Or maybe green. Purple is quite nice too. They all have this calming feel about them. Pink is cute too."

"Wow, that's a lot of colours. Is that why your shoes are blue and pink then?"

Hearing that question, Eri wondered if it seemed too girly to wear pink. Then again, some guys do wear that colour, so she decided to just go along with that and hope that Toujou-san didn't think much of it.

"Yeah. They match really well. Your turn now."

They continued playing the game, asking each other simple questions like their hobbies, favourite song and all. Eri found out that Nozomi started with her tarot cards in the beginning of middle school and she was really fascinated with the supernatural. She woke up early often, liked playing tennis and hardly went shopping. ("If there's no need for that item then there's no point in buying it, right?") Nozomi found out that Eri loved sleeping and usually woke up later into the mornings ("Well, that's unexpected, Mr. Diligent."), liked any sport in general and would buy items that were on offer even if she didn't need it. ("You never know when you'll need it! And when you do, you'll be glad that you got it at such a good price." "I don't think I'll ever find myself really needing so many key chains, Ayase-kun.") They found themselves slowly opening up to the other and playful comments—mainly from Nozomi—were appearing more often.

"Hmm... Favourite and most disliked food?"

"Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. That rich, sweet and creamy taste is simply amazing. It goes well with anything! Everything tastes better with chocolate. It's even used as a spice at times. Chocolate is..." Eri trailed off as she slowly noticed that she was rambling.

She turned to her right and saw Toujou-san stifling her laughter and wearing a very amused expression on her face. Eri blushed deeply.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on."

"No, it's really fine. It was cute," Nozomi chuckled, a genuine smile on her face. Eri noted for the 7623852th time that she looked really beautiful when she smiled for real. "I love chocolate too. But I must say: Yakiniku beats everything. The slightly smoky taste, juicy meat and the whole idea of making your own food is so fun. It makes the food taste even better."

"Ah, speaking of which, I was supposed to buy some meat! I think our chef is making that tonight."

Nozomi's eyes widened at two facts. One, that Ayase-kun had a chef and two, Yakiniku.

"Oh man... I'd love to have some. Anyway, were you on your way to the store?"

"Yup, I was on my way there when I got... umm passed by," Eri tried to cover up.

"Oh, really, now? The store is kind of in the opposite direction from here, you know," Nozomi teased with a devious grin on her face as she realised what had actually happened.

"I... came from that direction? I-it's not like I got lost, I'm not that clumsy," Eri stammered, trying to preserve her image.

"Oh, I see, I see. Well if you need directions to the supermarket, I could always give them to you," Nozomi's grin widened.

Eri pondered over her suggestion. She did need some help finding her way, but admitting that she had gotten lost was just embarrassing. Sensing the boy's thoughts, Nozomi decided to just help him out.

"I kind of need to go there too, anyway. Would you come with me then? Just let me get changed," she bluffed.

Eri gave her a grateful look for not making her say it out and agreed.

She waited a while on the steps while Nozomi went to get changed. When she came back, they resumed their game of 20 Questions and walked towards the supermarket. Eri made sure to take note of how to get there too, just in case she wanted to go to the store in future (or go to the shrine).

"So you just took the paths on the right and ended up at the shrine?"

"Yeah, pretty magical, huh?"

"Well, looks like you definitely took the right path." Nozomi smiled a little at her pun while Eri just laughed. "Anyway, we're here, so I'm going to go off now. Happy shopping and don't buy everything on offer!"

Eri shot her a confused look. "Didn't you need to go to the store too?" She felt slightly disappointed that their time together was coming to an end.

"I told a white lie just so you would go along with me. Wouldn't want you getting lost again, right?" Nozomi teased.

"I-I wouldn't! And I didn't get lost the first time!" Eri blushed and hopelessly tried to cover up.

"Whatever you say~ Look; the sun is setting."

Both of them looked towards the sky and watched the evening sun set. It was exceptionally clear this evening which made the scene even more beautiful. Once the sun couldn't be seen anymore, they turned back to each other.

"I'll be going now. You should get your stuff quickly too. I'm sure your family doesn't want to wait any longer."

"Are you sure you'll be okay, going back on your own?" Eri asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine, my house is pretty near the store. Besides, I don't think you would be able to find your way back to the store this way," Nozomi teased once more.

"H-hey! I'm not that bad with directions..."

Nozomi gave a hearty laugh which Eri slowly joined in on. When it died down, they said their goodbyes and Eri watched Nozomi's retreating figure till she turned out of sight.

I'm glad I let her in.

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed the NozoEri interaction! This turned out longer than I had expected o.o Thanks for sticking with this as always!

hikarigranger: Oh gosh, maybe I'll add that in future if it fits heh ^^ (Or maybe Nozomi could tease her about it, that'd be gold) Thanks for the comments!

LiulfrKeahi: Can I start off by saying that I really love your Tumblr. Not a crazy stalker but it's really nice ^^ Also, is this about why there's a need for sample male students first and all? My Beta pointed it out too and it only occurred to me then that's it's kinda weird (;A;) It's kinda normal in my country to have a small batch of students of the other gender first though, I think. So I figured since one is better than none, Principal Minami allowed her to be that one male student and all. It's still pretty iffy though T.T Nonetheless, thanks for pointing it out!