The week flew by for the two red-headed women. And both were experiencing two different types of nervousness.
Maki's mind was plagued with how she was acting. 'Am I taking advantage of Riko? She's such a nice girl, and I don't want to hurt her. But…is it just because I'm lonely? Because I'm stressed? I do admit that I get tired because of all of this work. But, am I really going to treat Riko like just a way to relieve myself? I wouldn't want that…but I'm scared that it could happen.'
Riko's thoughts were about her being not enough. 'I know that Maki asked me to hang out…but just an ordinary girl like me? She must have other friends. Hell, she was part of Muse. She should be with them. I'm just going to be a bother to her, and I might even distract her from her work? Making this plan was a mistake…but I can't help but want to be closer with her. It's selfish, but I want to be with her.'
Their thoughts wouldn't make time stop, and Saturday came quickly.
They decided to meet up at the local coffee shop close to the Nishikino hospital. Maki was the first to arrive; she was able to get the rest of the day off, leaving quite a bit of time to be with Riko.
Maki was at a table close to the entrance, slowly sipping her cup of coffee. 'I know I was worrying about this, but I have to admit that I am excited for this…is it a date?'
Maki couldn't ponder on that for too long as the girl in question emerged from the entrance. Maki motioned the girl over, who quickly took a seat across from her.
"Hello, Maki-senpai." Riko slightly bowed, but was struggling to contain her emotions.
"Hey there, Riko-chan." Maki replied coolly. "How was school today?"
"Umm…I didn't have any classes. It's Saturday."
'Great way to start this off. Smooth, Maki. Smooth.'
"R-Right." Maki tried to play that embarrassing moment off by coughing, but she already knew that she was too embarrassed to recover. She could hear small laughs coming from the other girl. "No need to laugh at me!"
"S-Sorry, Maki-senpai. You just seem a bit nervous. I was nervous for this…get together for the entire week." Riko wasn't sure she could say this was a date (despite how much she hoped it would be), so she used "get together" to be subtle.
"Well, we're both here. What do you want to do?" The doctor asked.
"Is it okay to take a stroll in the park? Just to talk about ourselves?" Riko nervously asked.
"Sure, that sounds nice." Maki smiled.
The two girls walked out of the coffee shop and headed for the park.
"Maki-senpai, what made you want to be a doctor?"
The red-head smiled at Riko's innocent question. "Well, I think you know that my parents own the hospital. So, I guess I was expected to keep it going. I didn't mind being a doctor, but it felt like I was being pressured by my parents. So, I still did well in school, but I was loving being an idol. Once Muse disbanded, I focused more and realized that being a doctor is kind of like being an idol."
"How did you figure that out? Idol are there to entertain and make people happy."
"But you can see that for doctors as well. We don't entertain per se, but we do make people happy. When someone is able to live and to be with their families…" Maki had to wipe away a tear. Just thinking about all the lives she saved…it's breathtaking. "We see them smile and be happy, just like idols do."
"That…That is amazing to think about." Riko said.
"It is."
The two were still walking, a comfortable silence shrouded the two of them.
"Hey, Riko-chan." Maki said, catching the attention of the college girl. "I'm curious about your friends. I know about Hanamaru-chan being an idol. And she has Ruby-chan as her seamstress. I want to know about your other friends."
"R-Really?" Maki nodded. "Sure! Let me ask Hanamaru-chan something."
Receiving another nod, Riko pulled out her phone and texted Hanamaru.
Riko:
Can I tell Maki-senpai that you and Ruby-chan are dating?
The response was immediate.
Hanamaru:
Sure!
Riko:
Thanks!
Riko sighed. "Well, Hanamaru-chan and Ruby-chan are dating. Just…don't tell anyone!"
Maki looked at the girl with a puzzled look. "Why not?"
"Huh? Idols aren't supposed to be dating anyone, or at least not have it in public. Right?"
"You must be living in the past, my friend." Maki giggled. "With all of the fans shipping girls together, the idol industry just decided to let idols be free with who they date and let it be public knowledge. Have you not been paying attention to the obvious displays of affection?"
"To be honest, I only pay attention to Hanamaru-chan, Nico-senpai, and Honoka-senpai."
"When A-RISE is in Akihabara again, and they have a show, I'll bring you to one. You'll see how flirty Anju and Erena are. And besides, a lot of people know that Nico and Rin are dating. As are Honoka and Umi."
"Really? I…have seen that…" Riko wanted to die. Embarrassing herself in front of Maki only made her obvious blush bloom. She remembered reading a magazine with an interview from Nico and Honoka. "I read about it…"
"Now, now. No need to be embarrassed. Everyone makes mistakes. Now, can we talk about your Aqours friends?"
Riko laughed. "You're really eager to know about them. Alright, I will. As long as you tell me about Muse."
The other red-head laughed. "You got me. Alright, deal."
They got to the park as they had their agreement, so they started to walk steadily on the path.
"Just like you guys, we had three girls from each grade. My juniors were Hanamaru-chan, Ruby-chan, and Yoshiko-chan."
"Didn't she always call herself Yohane?"
Riko laughed at that. "Yeah, she was always like that. She was…addicted…to video games, I guess. But, she's now a professional Street Fighter player."
"Wow, just from playing video games, she got a career from that?" Maki said in amazement.
"Yeah, I didn't believe it either. You already know about Ruby-chan and Hanamaru-chan. Speaking of which, Ruby's sister and her girlfriend are from the Kurosawa and Ohara families, respectively. So, they're business people. Their friend is also working at her father's diving shop after she finishes her business degree. You-chan is an athlete at one of the more popular universities, and Chika-chan is starting her year for teaching."
"Wow, you guys had your lives set. And you're…"
"I'm just in an arts school. I'm continuing piano playing, and I dabble in cooking or drawing."
"Sounds fun. I want to see your drawings later." Maki said.
Riko was flustered that Maki wanted to hang out again (at least, she inferred). "Alright, those are my friends. How about yours?"
"I wasn't going to leave you hanging, don't worry." The older girl laughed as Riko pouted. "Hanayo and Kotori are dating. They should be studying fashion in America, so I haven't seen them for a while. Umi and Rin are working at the dojo. They like to stay there so that they can be close to their girlfriends, who are obviously still idols. And Eli and Nozomi-"
Maki's phone went off. She pulled it out and saw that it was Eli calling her. "I just need to tell Eli to not interrupt us, sorry." She was looking at Riko, puzzled as to why she was blushing and quiet. But, she picked it up as soon as she saw the nervous nod.
"Eli, I'm with Riko-chan right now. Why are you calling?"
"Oh, two girls in love! Isn't it nice, Maki-chan?"
She whispered into her phone, not wanting to worry Riko. "Shut up, Nozomi!"
"Ignore her. I just wanted to invite you two to the diner. We're going to close up a bit early today, but we wanted you guys to have a nice meal." Eli suggested.
"For real? Are you sure?"
"Of course, you're our friend." Eli said. "Just bring your friend along and we'll have a nice table for you."
"Thanks, Eli."
Maki could feel the smile on Eli's face. "No problem."
As she was about to hang up, she heard Nozomi's voice. "You still have to pay for you and your date!"
Maki sighed as she hung up the phone. "Sorry about that."
Riko only nodded her head.
"Hey, Riko-chan. What's up?"
The nervous girl raised her hand up. Well, raised their hands up; the pair's fingers were interlocked.
"Wha…I…" Maki was fumbling over her words to spit out an apology. "I'm sorry!" She retracted the hand and tried to bury her hand that was holding Riko's.
However, Riko reached for it and grasped it again.
"Is it okay…if we stay like this?"
Maki's heart was pounding and she was blushing furiously. 'She's so cute!'
"A-Are you sure you want to stay like this? I mean, it was just an accident. I never meant to-"
"Yes, I do. Is it okay?" Riko timidly asked again.
Maki felt her heart melt at the cuteness Riko was putting on display. "I-I guess it's okay."
The two stayed in a comfortable silence, only interrupted by Maki's request. "You…You want to go eat? Eli said that they'll serve us, if that's okay."
Riko smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice."
The two walked the short distance to the restaurant, hands still intertwined with each other.
…
"Hello!" Eli and Nozomi called out from the kitchen when the door opened. "Ah, Maki! Just in time!"
"Hi, Maki-chan!" Arisa cheerily greeted the red-head. "A table for two?" The young blonde saw Riko and felt like she had seen her before, but she couldn't figure it out.
"Yes, please." Maki giggled at Arisa's stares. "And Riko-chan was from Aqours."
"Ahh! That's where I've seen her before! Hello, Riko-chan!"
Riko nervously giggled. 'I'm just a stranger to these people, while they seem so comfortable. It's unnerving, to say the least.' She bowed to the blonde waitress. "Hello, Arisa-senpai!"
The blonde giggled. "Let's get you a seat."
The restaurant was basically empty, just a couple of customers left, but they already had their food. So, it was only Riko and Maki who had to get their orders.
"Hello lovebirds!" Nozomi gleefully said, causing both red-heads to blush.
"Nozomi! Are you always going to be like that?" Maki asked, her tone was irritated.
"Sorry, Maki-chan! You know how I am." The purple-haired girl smiled and looked at Riko. "Hi there, Riko-chan!"
"H-Hello, Nozomi-senpai." Riko was very nervous, and the purple-haired girl teasing about their relationship wasn't helping.
"So, you're the girl that Maki wa-"
"Honey, you have to go cook for them." Eli surprised the teasing woman. Her expression was terrifying, and Nozomi didn't think she would be on the end of it. At least, not that often.
"Yes!" Nozomi quickly ran to the kitchen and started prepping the food.
Eli sighed. "Sorry about her, she's always like that."
"Oh, trust me. I know." Maki said with a pout on her face. Riko just laughed nervously.
"Anyways, you're here now. How about some food for you guys? What would you like, Riko-chan?" Eli brought out her notepad, pen ready to jot down the order.
Riko scanned through the menu, looking specifically for the sandwich section. One caught her eye, and her mouth started watering.
"I'll have the beef and fried egg sandwich, please!"
Eli giggled at how eager Riko was to have the sandwich. "And the regular for Maki?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I'll get you drinks. Anything in particular?"
Riko spoke first. "I'll just take a Coke."
"And I'll have some beer."
Eli smiled, and wanted to tease the two girls before she served them. "Alright, I'll get the drinks. Make sure you take care of Maki, Riko-chan." The blonde smirked and winked at the table before she left.
"God! Why are my friends so annoying?" Maki complained.
"It's okay, friends tease us all the time." Riko smiled. 'To be honest, I would love to take care of Maki-chan.'
"Well, it's still annoying." 'Since I'm feeling something towards you. Eli making fun of that isn't helping.'
Before the two of them were under an uncomfortable silence, Eli came out with their drinks. "Here ya go, girls! I'll get your food out soon." The blonde turned around and started to walk back to the kitchen.
"Wow, Eli-senpai is so graceful." Riko said in awe. She was startled by the empty beer mug being slammed on the table.
"Who cares about that?! You should be complimenting me! I'm your date!" Maki was clearly drunk, as she wouldn't be so blunt about calling this a date. Hearing those words brought a blush to Riko's face.
"D-Date?"
"Well…hic…it's me and you, alone, at a table. What else could it be?!"
Before Riko could…well, not respond, Eli was coming with their food.
"Someone's a little tipsy, aren't they?" Eli smiled as she set down the food. "Riko's beef and egg sandwich, and a spaghetti Neapolitan."
"S-Shut up, blondie." Maki groggily said.
"Umm, Eli-senpai." Riko motioned the blonde to whisper in her ear. "Does Maki always get drunk after just one beer?"
"Yeah, and it takes a while for her to sober up. Don't worry about her, I'll just serve her root beer. She always falls for that." Eli patted Maki on the shoulder. "She'll be fine. Just…help her out, okay?"
"Stop flirting with Elichika, I'm your date!" Maki whined.
Eli laughed. "She's all yours, princess." Maki stuck her tongue out at the blonde as Eli left the two alone.
"Are you okay, Maki-senpai?" Riko asked.
"No, because I'm DAMN hungry!" Maki exclaimed. Riko softly laughed at Maki's drunk behaviour. The girls started to eat their food, loving every bite.
"Wow, this sandwich is delicious!" Riko happily said. She was happily humming and enjoying the sandwich. She had her eyes closed, but she decided to open them. She was feeling confused, embarrassed, and surprised when she saw Maki leaning over and attempting to take a bite from her sandwich. "M-Maki-senpai?"
"What? It does look good. Can I, Riko-chan?" Maki cooed.
"H-How could I say no?" Riko nervously said. Maki proceeded to take a bite from the sandwich, savouring the taste. Riko peered into the kitchen and saw Nozomi sticking her thumbs out with a goofy smile on her lips. The younger red-head started to blush.
Eli came back with a beer mug filled with the root beer. "Aww, you two are looking cute. Here, Maki."
"Thank you, Elichika." Maki took a healthy swig of the root beer. "Ahh! It's that tasty sweet beer."
"Always the best for our friends." Eli smiled and winked at Riko. "I'll be back if you want dessert."
The blonde walked away. When Riko turned her attention to the table, she saw a forkful of spaghetti in front of her.
"Huh? M-Maki-chan?" Riko asked nervously.
"I want you to taste it! It's freaking amazing!" Maki enthusiastically said.
"Is it okay to take it from-"
"It's not going to be here for long. Eat it already!" Maki was moving the fork around, wanting Riko to take a bite.
"Al-Alright, then…" Riko took the bite from the fork. She savoured the tastes; one of delicious food, and one of Maki's indirect kiss. 'Man, I am weird.'
"It's amazing, right?!" Maki was drifting to sleep.
"Yeah, it's good. A-Are you tired, Maki-senpai?"
"M-Maybe…" Her eyes were struggling to keep open, and her head was dropping down.
"Umm, Arisa-senpai! We'll take the check!"
Arisa came over, but she had a smile on her face. "It's okay, Riko-chan! This was for you two to have fun. Don't worry about the cost."
"Really? Are you sure? Because I can-"
Eli started to walk over. "It's fine, Riko-chan. We're friends, and it's okay to treat them once in a while. Maki will probably sober up when she wakes up, so don't worry about that. Just take her to your apartment and let her relax there."
"And let her regret her actions when she wakes up!" Nozomi walked out of the kitchen and went to the group of women. "She always does."
"I guess Nozomi is right. Whenever Maki gets drunk and she sobers up, she usually remembers what happened. I don't know how she does it, but that's how she works. You'll be fine." Eli explained.
"Alright. Thank you, senpais!" Riko stood up and bowed.
"Don't worry about it." Eli said.
"Just take care of her, I can see how much you like each other." Nozomi said. It sounded like teasing, but Riko had a feeling that Nozomi knew what they were feeling.
"Yes!"
