"I wonder which one she'd like," Honoka muttered to herself.

She was looking over a small selection of stickers that were stuffed into the back corner of a very empty shop. The dingy wooden shelves and the dim lighting were all too familiar, and she felt at ease in the small hobby store.

Honoka had made a quick stop before meeting up with Nozomi. She had big plans for their day together and wanted to make sure that there was something for the both of them to remember it by, and hopefully it would help with the big surprise that she had planned for Nozomi at the end of the day.

The selection was limited, and Honoka picked through the meager offerings. Most of the selection was typical childish fare, a few cute little animals and other simple things directed toward children, it was an aspect of the hobby that she had slowly become used to over the years. Flipping through a few of the single stickers on the far corner of the shelves, Honoka spotted something that was closer to what she was looking for.

"I like this, but would she think it's cheesy?" She asked to no one in particular.

Honoka picked up a glossy pink heart about half the size of her palm and ran a finger across the smooth surface. It was simple and a little plain, but seemed to be the best of her very limited options. None of the other stickers seemed to carry the same feeling that she wanted to convey. The heart seemed to be the most obvious way to get her point across, and certainly the most direct as well.

"I hope Nozomi-chan likes this."

Coming to a decision, Honoka paid for the single sticker and scurried out of the shop. She stuffed the newly purchased gift into one of her jacket's pockets and hurried to her destination to meet up with Nozomi.

Honoka was confident that things would go her way today. It was a mild winter day, a cloudless blue sky and a shining sun paired with the bustling shopping district set the perfect backdrop for a day with a friend, and maybe more. She had planned out their entire day together from start to finish and was eager to finally get to set her plans into motion.

"Honoka-chan!" A voice called out.

Honoka saw Nozomi sitting on a nearby bench waving to catch her attention.

"Hi Nozomi-chan," Honoka greeted with a wide smile as she approached her friend.

"You're late."

"Huh?" Honoka's smile dropped.

"I said you're late," Nozomi again admonished as she stood up.

"Wait really," Honoka frantically dug into her jacket pocket, fishing out her phone. Sure enough, she was thirty minutes late for her own plans. "Oops."

"You invite me to go see a movie and you show up fifteen minutes after it already started."

"I'm so sorry Nozomi-chan," Honoka rushed out her apology, bowing a few times for good measure. "I stopped on the way here and I lost track of time. I'm sorry."

Honoka mentally slapped herself for forgetting about the time. Her carefully planned day had crumbled before it was even given the chance to take shape.

"So?" Nozomi quirked an eyebrow.

"So… what?" Honoka tilted her head to the side.

"What's the plan now," Nozomi's voice held no anger, just a hint of annoyance. "We already missed the movie, so now what should we do?"

Honoka quickly scanned around the immediate area, looking for something to salvage their day. None of the shops stood out from the rest, but the weather was unseasonably nice for a winter day and Honoka enjoyed milling about the crowds, so she would make due with what she had.

"Well the weather is nice, and since we're already here. Why don't we just go and looked around all the stores?" Honoka asked with a shrug. She figured it was the best they could do considering the situation.

"That sounds fun," Nozomi smiled, Honoka let out a long held sigh. "You know you're lucky it's such a nice day."

Honoka chuckled. "Well come on. We've got a whole day to spend together." She pulled on Nozomi's jacket sleeve, urging her into the crowd. Honoka's giddy smile never wavering for a single second, even with her own plans falling through.

"I'm coming I'm coming," Nozomi responded. She never once let her smile falter as she let Honoka guide her to wherever the cheerful girl felt like going.

The first place Honoka lead the pair to was a simple clothing store. The signs on the windows advertised all of the latest winter styles and all sorts of different sales and deals. Once inside, Honoka was quick to start picking out different things that she found cute and started pushing them onto Nozomi.

Nozomi got caught up in a whirl of different outfits all handpicked by Honoka. None of the outfits looked particularly good, but Honoka had such a joy about her as she chose different styles for her new found model to try on. Nozomi got sucked into the happy atmosphere and decided to play along, doing her best to model and show off to her one person audience who cheered on each different outfit, even with the stifled giggles of the store staff in the background.

Honoka continued to cheer on each different outfit Nozomi tried on, snapping a few pictures here and there to save for later. Quickly running out of different outfits, and with some eventual protest from Nozomi, the two left the store without either of them buying a single item.

"I don't think those people working liked us too much," Nozomi muttered, walking alongside Honoka as the two searched for a new store.

"Why not?"

"We tried on like every piece of clothing in the store, and we didn't buy anything."

"Oh," Honoka continued smiling. "Well I had a lot of fun."

"And that's all that matters to you, isn't it?" Nozomi teased, one eyebrow raised just a little higher than the other.

"No it's not," Honoka quickly answered. "You have to have fun too Nozomi-chan, or it's just not worth it."

Nozomi didn't expect such a blunt answer and looked away, one hand slightly covering her face to hide the light blush in her cheeks. But she had to admit, she did enjoy herself.

"So where to next?" Nozomi asked, regaining most of her composure.

"Ooh, let's go in there," Honoka pulled Nozomi along with her.

The store's windows were tinted a dark black and the exterior was all painted in a mixture of blacks, purples, and dark blues. A large sign right above the entrance mentioned the store was home to all of your mystical, spiritual, and occult needs.

"I didn't know you liked this sort of stuff?" Nozomi was surprised, she always fancied herself as a purveyor of all things spiritual, but never pegged Honoka as someone with an interest in that type of thing.

"This looked like a place that you would like Nozomi-chan," Honoka opened the door to the store, pulling Nozomi in with her. "And I want to like the things that you like."

The words were simple and direct, as were most things that Honoka did, but Nozomi loved hearing someone take an interest in her hobbies, especially if that person was Honoka.

The inside of the store was much like the outside. Dark colors painted onto the walls were paired with black shelves lined with all manner of goods ranging from tarot cards to out of season Halloween costumes. It was a veritable wonderland for someone as spiritual as Nozomi thought herself to be.

It was Honoka's turn to be pulled around, letting Nozomi lead the way this time. She let Nozomi go on and on about all of the different items they ran across. From giving introductory lessons on how to give proper and accurate tarot card reading, to discussing all of the different constellations and their origins as they looked at a large picture book of the night's sky. Honoka loved seeing Nozomi get so engrossed in the things she enjoyed, it helped reaffirm her plans for after the day was over.

The two quickly found racks full of different costumes and clothing that Honoka was quick to pick through. They held all sorts of different accessories for any kind of costume or outfit.

"Nozomi-chan look at this. Isn't it cute?" Honoka held a large stereotypical witches hat, it was a dark purple with a slight bend in the middle of the pointed top. "You should try it on."

"Why do I have to wear it?" Nozomi asked, but took the hat anyway.

"I think it suits you."

"What do you mean?" Nozomi put the hat on, tilting it back just a bit.

"Because you're like a witch."

"Is that a good thing?" Nozomi narrowed her eyes at Honoka.

"Of course it is!" Honoka flailed her arms about, trying to get her point across. "I mean, witches are really cool. They can do a bunch of magical stuff and you always talk about your 'spiritual power' so I think it's a good fit. Plus I thought it would look cute on you."

Honoka's straightforward answers were something that Nozomi figured she would have to start to get used to. They seemed to be the only things that could make her even a little bashful.

"Well," Nozomi again tilted the hat back, giving a small pose for her audience. "Does it look cute?"

"Hmm," Honoka had a hand on her chin, inspecting Nozomi's new look. The clashing styles of the hat and Nozomi's street clothes just looked strange to her. Honoka turned back to the rack of costume accessories, finding a simple black cape that reached all the way down to the floor. "Here try this too."

Nozomi took the cape and fastened it around her neck, internally giggling the entire time at how silly this all was.

"So," Nozomi did a small spin that ended with a flourish of the cape. "Now how do I look."

"Your so pretty Nozomi-chan!" Honoka's shout drew the attention of everyone in the store. "But it does look a little silly."

"This was your idea you know," Nozomi unfastened the cape and took off the hat, setting both of them back on their racks.

Both of them fell into a fit of giggles and laughter that continued until they left the store, earning some hushed whispers and odd looks from everyone else in the store.

The pair again found themselves wandering from storefront to storefront, looking for something to catch their attention. Both of them pulling each other along to whatever they wanted to see next.

"Look at this Honoka-chan," Nozomi pointed at a plush tanuki sitting in the corner of a crane game that sat just outside an arcade. "Isn't it cute?"

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Honoka puffed out her chest with confidence.

"I don't know," Nozomi smirked. "It looks like it would be really hard. I'm not sure you could get it."

"Of course I can do it!" Honoka shouted, her drive had been fully ignited. "Nico-chan taught me how to win at these games."

Nozomi took a few steps back from Honoka and chuckled to herself. It was easy for her to set the ever energetic girl off, but she always liked when Honoka was fired up. It seemed so natural, and Nozomi had to admit it was rather attractive.

Honoka rolled up one of her sleeves to her elbow and stuck out her tongue slightly, she was prepared to win. Sliding her coins into the machine and grabbing the controls, she steadily guided the claw just above her target and dropped it. Tense seconds went by as the claw wrapped around the tanuki's head, lifting it slowly out of the pile of plushies and carrying it to the chute at the other end of the machine.

"I told you I could get it, and on my first try too." Honoka pulled her prize out of the chute with pride and offered it to Nozomi. "Here."

"Thank you Honoka-chan," Nozomi happily took the plush tanuki from Honoka. "Now it's my turn to get you something."

"What do you want to get me?" Honoka's eyes sparkled as the two started walking.

"I was thinking we could stop and get some parfaits before it gets too late."

"Good idea," they walked for a bit before Honoka turned to Nozomi. "Those are the ice cream things, right?"

"Yes Honoka-chan. Parfaits are the things with ice cream and fruit that we talked about before." Nozomi answered in a slightly mocking tone, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.

Honoka stuck out her tongue and sped up to walk ahead of Nozomi, despite not knowing where she would go to get a parfait.

After some quick direction from Nozomi the two finally found themselves sitting in Nozomi's favorite place to get parfaits. The cafe was sparse, only a few random customers and couples sitting about made it easy to take a booth against the front windows,

"They have so many different kinds, and they all look so good. I'm not sure what kind I want." Honoka muttered, flipping through a menu as she sat across from Nozomi.

"They're all good." Nozomi had already set her menu to the side. "Just get whatever you think sounds the best."

Honoka flipped through the menu a few more times before coming to a decision and calling someone over to take their orders. Their server quickly took the order and left.

"You know there's not very many people here," Honoka wondered out loud, looking at all the empty booths and tables in the small cafe.

"Most people don't get parfaits in the middle of winter."

"Why not? Ice cream is good all the time," Honoka stated as if what she said were some unwritten fact.

Nozomi was going to interject but was cut off by their server returning with the parfaits. Honoka's was a multilayered confection made up of strawberries, oranges, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream all layered neatly in tall glass cup. Nozomi's parfait was much more modest, a simple combination of ice cream, whipped cream, and blueberries all sat in a much smaller glass.

"This is so good," Honoka had already begun attacking the treat. "We should come here more often."

Nozomi sat and watched Honoka eat her parfait while slowly digging into her own. She had never expected to be in this situation with anyone other than Eli. Eating parfaits together like this had been something the two had shared together without anyone else interfering, but something about being with Honoka felt right. There was a happiness that Nozomi felt when she was with Honoka that was unique to anything she ever felt with Eli, but it was paired with a feeling that took hold in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling that had been ever present since she had gotten closer to Honoka, and it was something that scared her.

"Ahh," Honoka let out a happy sigh as she scooped up the very last of her dessert. "So good."

"I told you they were good," Nozomi finishing the last of her own parfait.

"I never doubted you," Honoka answered with a smile.

"Well I think we should get going. It's getting late," Nozomi looked out the nearby window at the slowly setting sun. "I'll walk you home Honoka-chan."

"Thanks," Honoka blushed.

The two gathered up their things and Nozomi paid for their treats before exiting the cafe.

The walk to Honoka's home was lively with laughter and much teasing as Honoka tried to build the courage for what she had planned for the end of their day together. She knew that she had to make sure she got her feeling across properly this time, she did not want a repeat of the last time she felt this way toward someone.

"Did you have fun today Nozomi-chan?" Honoka asked as they arrived in front of her home. "I know I sort of messed up a bit, but I hope you still had fun."

"Today was really fun," Nozomi turned to face Honoka, she noticed the light blush on the girl's cheeks. "We should do this more often."

Honoka felt a surge of joy and stuck a hand into her jacket pocket, finding the heart-shaped sticker she had bought earlier. She grabbed it and rubbed a finger over the smooth surface, trying to pull some form of courage out of the inanimate object.

"We definitely should!" Honoka's voice was much louder than she had intended, her nerves had started to sink in.

Nozomi watched Honoka begin to turn into a bit of a nervous mess. It was so uncharacteristic, but Nozomi always prided herself on her intuition in situations like these so she quickly began to realize what was causing this change in character. It caused that scary feeling in the pit of her stomach began to grow.

"I have something important I want to ask you Nozomi-chan," Honoka's voice shivered slightly. Her palms had gotten just a little sweaty and she could feel the edges of the sticker in her hand began to crumple just a bit.

Nozomi stayed quiet and silently urged Honoka to continue. She couldn't trust her voice now, that feeling in her stomach had started rising into her chest and had gotten stuck in her throat, preventing her from saying anything.

"Well you see. We've been getting a lot closer ever since all that stuff happened with Eli-chan and Umi-chan, don't you think?" Honoka asked in her usual bubbly way, Nozomi could only nod in response. "I've really liked all the time we've spent together, and I want to spend even more time together."

Honoka took in a deep breath, the moment she had been preparing for was here and she had to muster up any courage she could to overcome any possible lasting feelings she still held for Umi. She knew she had to be as upfront and open about just how much Nozomi meant to her

"So Nozomi-chan," Honoka stiffened her back and looked directly into Nozomi's eyes, her conviction not wavering for a single second. "Will you go out with me?"

"I-I'm not sure what to say Honoka-chan," Nozomi looked into Honoka's eyes and could see just what this meant to the girl. She watched Honoka's eyes pour out all of her emotions and she could see it clear as day, but all of the joy and elation she felt from Honoka's feelings were being overshadowed by a deep-seated and irrational fear of possible future rejection and loneliness that held complete and total control over her.

"Well, a yes would be nice," Honoka laughed awkwardly, her joke doing nothing to dispel any of the tension. Her hands tightened around the sticker, she could feel the edges crumbling more and more in her grip as it tightened, fear of rejection lowly starting to set in and tears threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry Honoka," Nozomi watched Honoka try and stifle her tears and wanted so badly to say anything else, to tell her that it was all a lie, to not let such a wonderful day end like this. Because the truth was she desperately wanted to say yes, to accept Honoka's feelings and let herself embrace how she felt, but memories of a broken heart were hard to get over. Even if she knew that Honoka's feelings were nothing but genuine. "I just can't say yes. I'm so sorry."

"Oh," It was all Honoka could get out, her hand crushing the sticker she held, forming a hard crease down the middle. She just looked down at the ground, her vision foggy and her legs growing weak.

The silence was thick, neither Honoka nor Nozomi knowing what to do in order to break it. Silent sobs began to shake through Honoka's body, she couldn't take much more. She had to leave, even if it meant running from the situation.

Without any form of goodbye, Honoka quickly ran inside her home. She closed the door behind her never once looking back at Nozomi, not caring if she stayed or left, none of that mattered to her now.

Honoka stood in the entryway, trying and failing to regain any modicum of composure. It was all crashing down on her at once, the rejection cut so deep. She had put herself in such a vulnerable position after everything that had happened, and it all backfired immensely.

Rubbing away her tears, Honoka hobbled her way out of the entryway, up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door behind her with an unceremonious thud. She looked around the room covered in just a bit of sunlight of the setting sun, but none of it did anything to heal the roughly stitched wound inside of her that had just been violently reopened.

Digging into her jacket pocket she pulled out the sticker she had bought only a few hours earlier. She looked at it, what was once a pristine light pink heart was now tattered and beaten with a sharp line down the middle. Looking at it only continued to make Honoka think about what could have been. They could have been happily sitting in Nozomi's apartment adding another memory to their book, but all she had now was a battered and worn sticker even she wasn't sure if she wanted.

Honoka pulled her school bag off of her bed and opened it. Taking one last look at what could have been, she stuffed the sticker deep into her bag and tossed it into the floor. Not caring at all where it landed or what she hit.

Letting out a long held sob, Honoka fell face first into her bed and cried. She pulled her blankets up over her head and let everything come out in a torrent of tears and cries.

Never once did Honoka think it could turn out like this. To be rejected without anything that seemed like remorse. She wondered if maybe she looked to far into it, that maybe she was the only one who had been developing feelings like this. That maybe it wasn't worth it to start developing these types of feeling in the first place.

Honoka turned her face into her pillow, soaking the casing in fresh tears and snot. It was such a different feeling, being rejected rather than just having your feelings go unnoticed. She put herself in such a vulnerable position and got burnt for it, and she didn't even know how Nozomi felt, she didn't have the will to turn back and look. It was all too much for her to take in, she couldn't handle it. Even if that did make her a little rude, what Nozomi felt didn't matter, she was the one who caused all of this pain. Honoka pushed those thoughts back, it wouldn't do any good now to blame Nozomi, and she cared far too deeply for her to ever resent her.

Part of her felt like maybe she was being selfish again. Pushing her feelings into to someone who she knew was still dealing with a heartbreak of her own. She knew not everyone dealt with things like this in the same way, and maybe she shouldn't have even asked, maybe she was just being a burden again. These thoughts only made her feel worse and worse, forcing more and more of her emotions to the forefront. Her body continued to be racked with sobs again and again.

She rubbed at her eyes which had already started to turn a dark red, and wiped at her nose which was already rubbed raw. Sleep had finally started to come, she wasn't even sure how long she had been home for, she wasn't even sure if that mattered. Her lasts thoughts were of her wonderful day with Nozomi. All of the wonderfully cute outfits that she forced Nozomi to wear, all of the laughter and joy the day brought, and the delicious parfaits they shared. All of it overshadowed by the heart wrenching rejection that finished the day. It was the last thing on Honoka's mind before she fell into a regret filled slumber.


Chapter Album - Look Closer by Saun and Starr