A/N: Here's a more lighthearted chapter for those who requested it.
Nibutani grabbed the chains attached to the swing she was seated on. She twisted her body to the left, making the chains wrap around each other. The chains continued to curl until they were unable to go any further. Nibutani leaned back and picked her feet up off the ground. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to focus solely on the feeling of being swung around in a circle. It wasn't until the swing rested back in it's original position that Nibutani reopened her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure that isn't how a swing works." Nibutani looked over to the source of the voice. Dekomori was sitting on top of the monkey bars, gazing down at her.
The younger girl had insisted on coming to a playground after class had ended. It was only a short five minute walk away from their school, and Dekomori apparently visited it often. Nibutani had initially been averse to the idea, afraid that classmates would find her spending time at a playground, but with some coaxing from Dekomori, she eventually gave in.
When they had arrived, the younger girl had immediately made her way to the monkey bars. She had managed to pull her body through one of the spaces between the bars and was now resting comfortably on top.
Nibutani sighed, "I know how a swing works. I just like spinning around on it. It's fun. Plus, that's definitely not how monkey bars work. You're supposed to swing from bar to bar, you know." Dekomori grinned at the retort.
"I have a better vantage point from here," Dekomori said. "I can see the entirety of the battlefield, so that gives me the upper hand. It's also a good place to assess any situation I might find myself in. In fact, this whole area suits that purpose." Nibutani knew that was probably Dekomori's fancy way of saying that this playground served as the place she could go to think. She wondered why the blonde girl was so keen on bringing her here.
Nibutani had to admit that this was a nice spot to go to think. Despite it being quite close to the school, it was a relatively quiet area. Not many people were around, save for those passing by. The trip to the playground had been a nice break from what had been happening lately. It had been a week since Nibutani had her run in with Aya, and she spent a lot of time feeling wary and restless.
Mitsuki was acting twice as clingy as normal. There wasn't a second in the day where she left Dekomori's side, which frustrated Nibutani to no end. Not only was she unable to get any alone time with her new girlfriend, she also had to worry about Mitsuki being around Dekomori as much as she was. Nibutani hadn't taken Aya's warning lightly. She intended to reveal the information to the twin tailed girl, but she couldn't find any time to do so, considering Mitsuki's clinginess. It was almost as if the purple haired girl realized that Nibutani knew things she wasn't supposed to know.
"Why did you invite me here?" Nibutani asked. "One would think you would want to keep this as your personal spot." Regardless of the reason, Nibutani was glad that the first year had decided to take her here. They had skipped club today, which gave them the alone time they so desperately wanted. Nibutani wasn't sure how Dekomori managed to dodge Mitsuki, but she was impressed with the first year's ability to sneak away.
"Well, I've been busy training my servant this week, so I haven't been able to see you much," Dekomori replied. "I wanted to go somewhere with you after class, and this was the first place that came to mind. It's quiet because not very many people come here, so I thought it was the best place to go." Nibutani smiled. She got up and walked over to the monkey bars.
Nibutani held her hand up towards Dekomori. "In that case, there's no use in us being split apart. It's actually counterproductive. Let's find something we can do together." Dekomori grabbed Nibutani's outstretched hand with her own and slowly slid her body off the edge of the monkey bars. She dropped to the ground, using Nibutani's body to stop her momentum.
Dekomori pointed over at a rotating net structure. "Let's play on that!" The younger girl rushed over to where she was pointing. It was a circular platform, about a foot off the ground, with a pole at the very center. The pole ran all the way to the ground, holding the platform in place. There was netting attached to the edges of the platform, and the it came together at the very top of the pole, creating a cone shape. There were square openings on the netting, large enough for a person to climb through.
"What's it supposed to do?" Nibutani asked. It wasn't big enough for people to climb very far, so it didn't seem particularly interesting. Nibutani had to remind herself that she was at a children's playground, and smaller kids probably found the structure to be quite entertaining.
"It's for climbing on," Dekomori explained. "Oh, and you can also spin it!" Dekomori grabbed onto the net and pulled as she walked around the platform. The structure spun with her, and after a few moments, Dekomori leaped onto the netting, grabbing it with both hands. The younger girl grinned as she spun around. When it finally stopped, she beckoned for Nibutani to come over.
"You should spin me!" Dekomori suggested excitedly. She squeezed through one of the openings and sat on the other side of the net. She looked at Nibutani eagerly. Nibutani was amused at the first year's excitement, but the younger girl seemed to forget one very important thing.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Nibutani hesitated. "You're prone to motion sickness, remember? I don't want you throwing up. I also don't want to be stuck spinning you all afternoon."
Dekomori pouted, "I can handle it. I have been highly trained, so this machine is no match for me. I am not that weak. You can also do what I did and jump onto the platform after it's spinning enough." Nibutani rolled her eyes and smiled. Once the blonde girl had her mind set on something, it was hard to get her to change her mind. It was something they had in common.
Nibutani approached the structure and grabbed onto the netting. She pulled it slowly at first as she walked. She gradually increased her pace to a light jog. Dekomori, who was standing on the inner part of the platform, held on tightly and let out a squeal of delight as the structure spun faster. Nibutani let the net go and watched the structure spin until it stopped.
Dekomori crossed her arms. "You were supposed to jump on with me. Are you afraid? How lame can you get?" Dekomori hid a cheeky grin behind her hand. Nibutani growled. She walked over to Dekomori and poked at her through the net.
Dekomori grabbed the net with her right hand. "Spin me again, but this time grab onto the net where my hand is. If you don't jump on, I'll pull you up myself!" Nibutani sighed. She doubted the younger girl would be able to pull her up, but she decided to comply. Nibutani held onto Dekomori's fist which was grasping the net tightly. She repeated her earlier actions, slowly spinning the structure and then picking up speed. When it reached a suitable speed, she jumped onto the platform.
The first thing Nibutani noticed upon landing on the platform was how close she was to the younger girl. They were standing face to face, the net being the only thing standing between them. She could feel Dekomori release the net and move her hand to intertwine their fingers. Dekomori held her other hand up, which prompted Nibutani to grab that one as well.
Nibutani leaned into the net, wishing it wasn't there to keep her from reaching her girlfriend. She tilted her head down, pressing her forehead against the other girl's. The gaps in the netting were large enough so their noses could touch. Dekomori stared at her, determination flashing in her eyes. Nibutani could feel her cheeks heat up. They had never held such a close proximity for this long before.
Nibutani had to admit that it was nice. They didn't feel comfortable with being affectionate around their friends, so the most they ever did was hold hands underneath the table in the club room. Being this close to her made her happier than she had felt all week.
Nibutani felt her pulse quicken as she noticed Dekomori's chin lift slowly. Almost instinctively, Nibutani lowered her head. Their lips barely touched before Dekomori keeled over. Alarmed by the sudden reaction, Nibutani jumped off the platform and slowed it to a stop. She climbed through one of the gaps in the net, having a more difficult time since she was bigger than the other girl, and hurried over to Dekomori.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nibutani asked. "What just happened?" She kneeled down next to Dekomori, who was laying flat on the platform. She looked sick.
"It's nothing," Dekomori whispered. "I just got a little dizzy. Have no fear. I have been trained to handle this." Dekomori groaned and closed her eyes, feeling the result of spinning in the pit of her stomach.
Nibutani sighed and laid down beside her. "I told you it was a bad idea to go on this. You never seem to take your motion sickness seriously." Nibutani couldn't help but smile. The younger girl was so unwilling to slow down and take time to evaluate her decisions before making them. Nibutani remembered how much she used to hate that aspect of Dekomori, but as they grew closer, Nibutani found it more amusing than annoying.
Looking back at the time she'd spent around the first year, she was surprised how much she had changed. When she first met Dekomori, it wasn't in the most pleasant of ways. She had been desperately searching for the Mabinogion, which held everything about her past within. The younger girl, upon learning that Nibutani burned what she had thought to be the only copy, had flaunted her ability to plan things out by explaining that she had multiple copies. At that moment, Nibutani has been positive that she would never see the twin tailed girl as anything more than a nuisance.
It surprised her how wrong she had been. It was true that for a while, she had detested the presence of the blonde girl, but the more time she had spent with Dekomori, the more she had enjoyed her company. The major turning point had been seeing Dekomori's reaction to Rikka giving up on her chuunibyou. It had broken the younger girl, and Nibutani remembered that being the first time she felt truly empathetic towards Dekomori.
Nibutani had taken it upon herself to comfort the other girl, and as a result, a connection was made. Ever since that incident, they had begun to spend more time together. Most of it was spent fighting, but it never really mattered. Nibutani hadn't even been aware of her growing feelings for the girl until that night on Christmas when they accidentally kissed. Though instead of pursuing a relationship, she hid from her feelings despite her heart telling her otherwise.
Nibutani wished she could go back in time and change that. Things probably would have been a lot different if she had accepted her feelings at that very moment. Nibutani tried to not worry about her behavior in the past since everything had worked out and she was now dating the first year, but she had a hard time stopping herself from over thinking about it.
Her repressed emotions had been a great source of weakness. Everyone had seen how they had affected her, and now that a new threat had arisen, Nibutani was afraid of that being exploited. Mitsuki was apparently very good at manipulating people. If Nibutani truly was her next target, then she wouldn't be surprised if the purple haired girl used her past insecurities against her. No matter how much she tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever was coming, the anxiety never seemed to go away completely.
I need to tell Dekomori about all of this sooner or later. I haven't really had the opportunity since Mitsuki has been clinging to her, but we're alone today, so now might be my only chance. How do I bring it up? I can't just suddenly say 'hey, your servant might be plotting to kill me in my sleep, so you should keep away from her.' This situation really sucks…
Regardless of how she did it, she needed to resolve the issues with Mitsuki before they got out of hand, and telling Dekomori about everything seemed like the quickest way to do it. The twin tailed girl was apparently the only person Mitsuki actually cared about, so she would probably be the only one who could get through to the purple haired girl.
That's why Nibutani knew she needed to tell Dekomori now. It was the only way to proceed, and she treasured their new relationship far too much to let things simmer any longer. Mitsuki put everything at risk, and Nibutani wasn't about to lose the bond that had been built up over her high school years. She wouldn't let Mitsuki destroy what she's desired for so long.
"Hey…" Nibutani began. Nibutani turned her head to the side to look over at Dekomori, who was still laying beside her. She paused immediately when she noticed that the younger girl had been staring at her. Brown eyes met blue, and they held each other's gaze without uttering a single word. Nibutani blushed. Dekomori had the same intense look in her eyes when they were spinning around earlier.
"What were you thinking about?" Dekomori asked, finally ending the silence between them. Nibutani didn't respond. She was still recovering from the prolonged eye contact, which had seemingly sent her into a trance. Nibutani had to pull her eyes away to successfully focus on the other girl's words.
"Your face kept changing expressions," Dekomori continued. "One second it looked like you were really happy, then you looked scared, and then you looked determined all of a sudden. It reminded me of those performances you gave for your theatre club." The girl smiled at Nibutani, her eyes sparkling.
The theatre club often held small performances that people could come see, and Nibutani remembered Dekomori talking about how much she enjoyed seeing them perform. The twin tailed girl had said that it was a way for her to observe the skills of her rival without having to battle. Whatever the reason was for Dekomori's attendance to the theatre club shows, it had always made Nibutani happy to see her among the audience. It wasn't until recently that she realized why she had felt that way.
"Don't worry about it," Nibutani replied. "I was just thinking about some stuff I need to deal with later on." Dekomori nodded. The younger girl turned on her side, reached over and grabbed Nibutani's hand.
Nibutani felt a familiar feeling bud in her chest. It was the same feeling she got whenever she came into contact with the other girl. Whenever they held hands, hugged, or even just stood next to each other, Nibutani felt her heart race. It was a kind of feeling that she would never be able to properly explain to anyone.
Nibutani looked back over at Dekomori and their eyes locked for a second time. She needed to talk to Dekomori about everything, but she was finding it difficult to get the words out. Nibutani found herself getting lost in the other girl's gaze once again, and before she realized it, their faces were only a couple inches apart. She had turned on her side, now facing Dekomori, their bodies almost touching. A crimson hue spread across Nibutani's face. The last time they had been this close, they had kissed. It had been brief, however, so it had barely felt like anything at all. Nibutani suddenly longed to discover what it felt like to kiss her properly.
Dekomori didn't move from her place, her eyes fixed intently on the older girl beside her. Nibutani's heart pounded. It seemed like the blonde girl was waiting to see if she would actually do something, though it was hard to tell what she was really thinking. Nibutani felt her body move on it's own, her head slowly inching closer to the other girl's.
Nibutani closed her eyes as she felt their lips press against each other's. An electric current shot through her. She tightened her grip on the younger girl's hand. After a few moments. Nibutani broke the kiss, an audible smack disrupting the silence as Nibutani pulled her lips away. She didn't move her face more than an inch or two away from Dekomori's, and she could feel the shaky breath of the girl laying next to her.
Nibutani's heart thumped rapidly. That kiss had definitely been better than the first. The silence that followed it felt awkward, and just as Nibutani was about to open her mouth to speak, the twin tailed girl leaned over to kiss her again. Nibutani felt Dekomori's lips move against hers. She was initially unresponsive, surprised by Dekomori's sudden kiss, but quickly reciprocated the action as she snapped back to her senses.
Nibutani heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She attempted to lift her head to locate the source of the noise, but the first year released Nibutani's hand and put her arm around the older girl, effectively draining any motivation Nibutani had to move.
"Oh my," A voice said above them. This time Dekomori was the one to pull away, and as she looked toward the voice, Nibutani saw the blonde girl's eyes widen and the color drained from her face. Nibutani finally looked up and noticed Kumin leaning against the net, smiling down at them.
Nibutani shot up. "W-what are you doing here?!" Her face was beet red. Nibutani wanted to disappear. Nothing was more embarrassing than getting caught kissing, especially by someone like Kumin. There was no doubt that she'd tease them about this for a while.
"Well club ended a little while ago, and we were passing by. Rikka said that she thought she saw you two, so we came over to investigate," Kumin explained. She pointed over to the edge of the playground where Rikka, Yuuta, and Mitsuki stood waiting. Nibutani buried her face in her hands. They had probably seen too. She was so embarrassed.
"We were curious since you two didn't show up this afternoon, but it looks like we interrupted something," Kumin giggled. Nibutani and Dekomori shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, now that we've all come together, we should at least walk home together," Kumin suggested.
Dekomori cleared her throat. "Very well. Our training here has reached it's conclusion anyway. We shall join you." Dekomori hurried through one of the gaps in the net. She held her hand out to help assist Nibutani. When both girls were out, they walked over to join the rest of the group.
Rikka, who looked flustered, shouted, "I-I hope your training outside of our headquarters was satisfactory!" Nibutani thought she was going to perish right there. She wasn't sure if this situation could get any more embarrassing. Dekomori looked equally as uncomfortable. She blushed and chuckled awkwardly.
Yuuta sighed, "You really don't need to say things like that. I told you guys that it was a bad idea to approach them." He threw a pointed look at the third year, who giggled in response.
"It doesn't matter. Let's just go home," Nibutani said, already feeling exhausted. She wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
"Yes, let's do that. This whole situation is silly," Mitsuki agreed. Nibutani looked over at the purple haired girl. The shock of what happened had momentarily made her forget about the younger girl's presence. She immediately felt uneasy. The other girl was glaring at her, obviously displeased with what the group had stumbled across.
Nibutani inwardly cursed. She had forgotten to talk to Dekomori about what she had learned about Mitsuki. Considering the girl's recent clinginess, Nibutani wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have another opportunity for a while. She hoped she would be able to keep the other girl at bay until she found another way to proceed.
As the group started walking away, Mitsuki linked her arm with Dekomori's. It annoyed Nibutani, but there wasn't much she could do without coming across as jealous. She was the only one who knew about Mitsuki's foul intentions after all. Nibutani didn't want to drag anyone else into it either, so causing a scene wouldn't work in her favor.
Nibutani sighed. A storm was definitely coming. Despite failing to achieve what she set out to do, she was glad that she got to spend time with Dekomori. She wasn't sure if they'd have time like this again, at least for a little while, and Nibutani was happy that she had this opportunity before her situation turned sour.
Nibutani looked over at the twin tailed girl. She was smiling and laughing along with the rest of the group, oblivious to what was happening behind the scenes. Nibutani was struck with a bolt of confidence as she remembered why she was doing all of this. She would put a stop to whatever Mitsuki was scheming, and she'd do it to make sure that smile stayed on Dekomori's face.
