Kumiko was standing in the kitchen having a quick drink of water before heading out when she received a text message from Reina.
"I've finished getting ready. Are you leaving soon?" it read.
Kumiko typed back, "I'm about to! See you in a little bit!"
"Okay. Don't keep me waiting too long."
Kumiko's heart fluttered at the heart emoji at the end of that message. They still hadn't said 'I love you' yet, but a lot of their text messages recently had plenty of hearts attached to them.
She scrolled up higher to revisit the conversation they had last night, which consisted of a variety of cute animal pictures they started to send back and forth along with combinations of other silly emojis. Their text history would look completely incomprehensible to anyone else, but somehow it made sense to the both of them.
"What's with that face? Are you texting a guy or something?"
"Geh," Kumiko vocalized, startled out of her happy reprieve by the familiar and annoying sound of her older sister's voice. "No way."
Mamiko replied with a hum and sly smile, clearly not believing her. She shuffled closer in her slippers and clad in pajamas, as she had been for the past few days ever since coming home for Christmas break. Their father had given her a hard time for appearing so slovenly lately, but she ignored his complaints. As she had put it, her vacation was well-deserved after 'busting her ass' at school. "You also look dressed up, like you're going on a date."
"I'm not," Kumiko immediately denied, unconsciously smoothing out her skirt. "Just meeting friends."
"Come on, Kumiko," Mamiko singsonged. "If there's someone special in your life, you can tell your beloved big sis."
Kumiko wondered how Mamiko would react to the news of her having a girlfriend, but that was a conversation for the distant future—if she felt like having it at all. "There's nothing to tell," she responded with deliberate flatness. "I've gotta get going."
"Drive safe." Mamiko followed her little sister to the front door, continuing to bug her. "Don't speed. Don't talk to strangers."
"Whatever, mom," Kumiko grumbled, sitting on the bottom step of the stairway, pulling her boots on over her tights.
"Don't stay out too late."
"I won't," she said as she opened the door.
"Make sure you practice safe sex."
"Shut up!"
Kumiko dashed out to her car in an attempt to get away, but couldn't escape the impure thoughts now placed in her head due to that last piece of unwarranted advice.
"Have fun on your date!" Mamiko called after her.
Kumiko yelled back, "It's not a date!"
Technically, it was a double date.
Azusa was back in town visiting family that still lived in the area for a few days, and she had brought her girlfriend with her. So, it was the perfect opportunity for her and Kumiko to hang out, catch up, and also introduce their significant others.
Kumiko and Reina were waiting outside the entrance of the food court at the local mall. With Christmas only a week away, the place was extremely busy, hustling and bustling with cars and patrons coming and going. There was an obvious energy buzzing in the air, and from Reina as well.
"Somebody's excited," Kumiko teased, playfully nudging the girl hanging onto her.
"I'm looking forward to meeting your friend and her girlfriend," Reina explained, balancing on the balls of her feet. "It's also our first double date with another couple."
"The one with Natsuki and Yuuko didn't count?"
"Nope," Reina responded, then looked up at Kumiko fondly. "Even if it did end well."
"It did," Kumiko agreed with a smile. Sometimes the level of cuteness that Reina emanated could be overwhelming. She was about to lean over to affectionately kiss the side of the shorter girl's head before a pair of slightly scandalized stares from an older couple passing by reminded her that they were indeed in public.
Kumiko put a bit more physical distance between them, but didn't let go of Reina's hand. The other girl didn't seem to notice or care about the looks that had been directed their way during the time they had been standing outside. Kumiko internally sighed, thinking at that moment that it would be nice to be a guy. Not that she wasn't content with being a girl or anything, but it would give her the privilege of being close with her girlfriend in public without a looming sense of paranoia and the habit of constantly glancing over her shoulder.
"Where is Azusa anyway?" Kumiko asked rhetorically as she pulled out her phone to check for any new messages, trying to redirect her attention back to more pleasant thoughts. A perfectly-timed new text then popped up. "Oh. She said they're here. Her mom's dropping them off… Hey, maybe that's them."
A navy van pulled up to the curb and two girls stepped out of the back of the vehicle, one familiar and the other unfamiliar. "Thanks, Mom! See you later!" Azusa bid farewell to her mother before spotting the pair approaching them. "Kumiko!" she cheered, bright recognition crossing her face.
"Hey, Azusa—aaa, oof!" Kumiko's greeting and body were thrown off-balance from Azusa's fast and fierce embrace knocking the wind out of her.
"Long time no see!" Azusa smiled, stepping back and holding her friend at arm's length. "You haven't changed a bit! Oh, wait… You have," she said, realizing that she had to look upwards to now make eye contact with the other girl. "You've gotten a lot taller!"
"Heh, I guess so."
"We should do some introductions, huh?" Azusa let go of Kumiko to drape her right arm over the shoulder of the small girl standing next to her, pulling her close, proud to show her off. "This cutie pie right here is my girlfriend, Amika."
"Hello!" Amika greeted, full of bubbly energy. Her wavy strawberry blonde hair was adorned with a pink handmade accessory that reminded Kumiko and Reina of something Midori would wear. She seemed to be a fan of pink in general, if the rest of her adorable outfit was any indication. "It's nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too," Kumiko replied.
"I'm Reina," she introduced herself, clinging to Kumiko's arm again to cutely add, "Kumiko's girlfriend."
Hearing Reina refer to her as her girlfriend still made Kumiko feel all warm and tingly inside, so she couldn't help giggling and nervously scratching the back of her head.
"Ha! Look at her getting all embarrassed!" Azusa laughed, pointing out her friend's blush. "Classic." Obviously assessing Reina's appearance, she added, "Man, Kumiko said you were pretty, but I wasn't expecting you to be this pretty! Don't you think so, Amika?"
"I do," Amika quickly agreed. She placed a hand on her chin and thoughtfully looked between the two dark-haired girls a few times, coming to a conclusion. "Especially since you and her look alike."
"Oh… I suppose we do," Reina also agreed, then turned her attention to Kumiko, who now looked sheepish. "I think I've finally learned your type, hm?"
"A-anyway, let's head in!" Kumiko tried change the subject from her apparently obvious tastes in girls. "I sure am hungry!"
Azusa chuckled. "That's also classic Kumiko."
Entering the food court was like being hit with a wall of noise, due to the combination of conversations from shoppers taking a break to eat with classic Christmas music playing over the speakers.
"They've got some new stuff in here," Azusa commented halfway through their meals.
"I hadn't really noticed," Kumiko responded.
"Well, yeah, 'cause you live here. I like my current town and school fine, but it's nice to be back around here for a bit."
"I would hope you like it," Amika teased. "It's where you met me!"
"Of course, sweetie," Azusa responded, petting the petite girl's head.
Amika giggled at the contact before joking, "Sorry, Kumiko, but Azusa's all mine now!"
"Oh," Kumiko said, coming to understand that Azusa must have mentioned their 'history' to Amika. She had honestly forgotten about the pain she used to experience from being apart from Azusa and how much she desperately missed her affection. It had felt like so long ago, and now that she had Reina to kiss and consume her waking moments, those past thoughts about Azusa no longer even occurred to her. "Right. Azusa and I used to be girlfriends."
"What the heck's with that, Kumiko?" Azusa laughed, and dramatically stated, "I thought I was your first love. Don't tell me I was so easily forgotten."
"I guess I did forget," Kumiko laughed as well.
"Unreal…" Azusa amusedly rolled her eyes. "How do you put up with her, Reina?"
"It's quite difficult sometimes," Reina joked.
"How long have you two been together?" Amika asked them.
"Almost 2 months, on January 5th."
"Oh, it's on the 5th?" Kumiko asked, pretending not to know. "I'm just kidding!" she laughed when Reina glared at her, raising her hands up in defense.
"Terrible."
"You guys are cute," Azusa smiled. "I can totally tell you've got that 'new couple' vibe going on, acting all giddy and stuff."
"It reminds me of our past selves, Azusa," Amika fondly reminisced.
"How long have you guys been together?" Kumiko asked.
"It's been a little over a year now!" Amika brightly smiled. "We met in band, like you guys. I joined freshman year with no musical experience and decided to pick the trombone, 'cause it seemed interesting, and that's how I got to know Azusa."
Azusa continued the story, "I decided to take her under my wing and teach her 'cause I thought she was super cute, and before I knew it, I ended up falling for her. Somehow she wound up liking me too."
"It's because you're so cool, Azusa! Especially when you play," Amika fawned, hanging onto her girlfriend's arm.
"Aw, thanks, sweetie," Azusa giggled, trying to act humble, but clearly loving and desiring more praise.
Kumiko and Reina glanced at each other, feeling mildly awkward, thinking that the pair in front of them also had that 'new couple' vibe despite the length of time of their relationship. As the trombonists continued their cutesy flirting, they also understood how all their friends must feel when they were around.
Speaking of their friends, Reina spotted a familiar pair of them entering the building. "Oh my god," she suddenly said, gripping onto Kumiko's sleeve and pointing. "Is that Natsuki and Yuuko?"
"What?" Kumiko looked in that direction. "Holy shit, it is!"
"What are they doing here together?"
"I dunno... Oh, crap, they're coming this way!" Kumiko freaked out, leaning down in an attempt to partly conceal herself under the table, only looking more conspicuous in the process. Reina, having a bit more sense, moved her left hand up and looked in a different direction, hoping not to be spotted.
Natsuki and Yuuko passed by without incident, seemingly with a purpose, not noticing their friends and their poor efforts to hide themselves. The group could overhear bits of their current conversation.
"So where are you taking me next, pipsqueak?" Natsuki asked.
"We're the same height," Yuuko immediately retorted. "Anyway, there's that store near Spencer's that has some cute clothes…"
As the pair continued walking, whatever Yuuko was talking about quickly got drowned out by the din of noise surrounding them. Kumiko and Reina breathed out a sigh of relief once they were out of earshot.
"Ooh, what was up with that?" Azusa asked, immediately intrigued by their extreme reactions. The girl lived for gossip. "Why is it so shocking for them to be together?"
Reina answered, "They're our best friends who hate each other… or so we thought."
"Since when do they hang out without us around?" Kumiko wondered.
"I have no idea. This must be a new development."
Azusa suddenly stood up, the legs of her chair loudly scraping against the floor, and proclaimed, "We should follow them!"
"What?" Kumiko asked, taken aback.
"You wanna find out what they're up to, right?" Azusa reasoned.
Kumiko knew that Azusa was also curious to find out herself, the girl always loving some good drama. "Well… I guess…"
"Come on! Let's go!"
The tactical espionage action began, and the girls quickly located the pair in the clothing store that Yuuko mentioned while passing by. Kumiko and Reina peeked around the wall to observe their targets through the large glass windows of the shop, slightly crouching. Kumiko was watching over Reina's shoulder, her hand resting on the girl's upper back.
"You guys are so obvious, in more ways than one," Azusa told them, her and Amika standing behind them.
Inside, Natsuki was trailing along behind Yuuko, apparently content to go along with whatever the other girl had planned. Yuuko grabbed a couple of vests off a clothes rack and alternated holding them up in front of Natsuki, apparently trying to conclude what looked best on her.
"Wow, look at them," Kumiko softly said near Reina's ear, even though she didn't need to be quiet. "They're actually getting along."
Reina whispered back, going along with the sneaky vibe, "They couldn't be on a date, could they?"
"No way… Oh, Natsuki did mention that she wanted to get something new to wear for Asuka's 'classy Christmas party.' Maybe that's what they're doing."
"Yuuko is pretty fashionable. It would make sense for her to ask for help," Reina noted. Her friend loved to shop, and would often drag her around the mall as well.
Their observations continued, and amazingly, the normally combative duo did not ever break out into an argument. In fact, the interactions between them actually seemed quite pleasant.
"I guess they're friends now," Kumiko concluded.
"This is weird."
"Y'know… it's been a while since I've hung out with Natsuki," Kumiko recalled, eyebrows furrowing, having to think hard about the last time she spent some quality time with her best friend. "I've only really seen her lately in the mornings when I pick her up for school."
"Same for me and Yuuko," Reina realized.
"Do you think they've been lonely since we've been so busy with each other lately?"
"Maybe…"
"That's a 'new couple' problem, that's for sure," Azusa informed them, to which Amika agreed with a nod, both having accidentally neglected their friends during the first few months of their relationship.
Kumiko and Reina felt a twinge of guilt at that, but it was then immediately replaced with panic once Natsuki and Yuuko began walking out of the store, finished with whatever business they had inside.
"Ack! Hide!" Kumiko yelped, grabbing onto Reina's hand and scrambling behind a nearby vending machine.
"Should we hide too?" Amika asked, unsure what to do.
"It's fine, they don't know you!"
Azusa and Amika leaned against the storefront, trying to appear inconspicuous as possible by looking at their phones as the other girls moved past.
After about thirty feet, Natsuki turned to look back over her shoulder, unable to shake the strange feeling that had been lingering around.
"What is it?" Yuuko asked, noticing that her companion had stopped walking.
"That girl back there looked familiar…" Natsuki answered, squinting her eyes, trying to relocate the girl with the ponytail that jogged her memory. "I swear I've seen her somewhere before."
"She probably goes to our school. Come on," Yuuko tugged Natsuki along by her sleeve.
"Alright, alright, no need to rush me, squirt."
"Again… we're the same height!"
The couples reconvened once Natsuki and Yuuko were fully out of sight. Azusa seemed greatly entertained, but suggested, "Maybe we should head out now, if you don't want your friends spotting you."
"Yeah," Kumiko agreed with a relieved sigh. "I don't want this double date turning into nothing but stalking them."
"I'm having fun, though," Amika chirped.
"Me too," Azusa chuckled. "But what should we do next…? Oh, hey, Kumiko—is that bowling alley near downtown still open?"
"Yeah, as far as I know," she answered.
"We should go!"
"Right now?"
"Yeah! It'll be fun!"
"You would want to go bowling… You're way too good at it."
"Azusa looks so cool when she bowls," Amika fawned and clung to her girlfriend's arm yet again.
"I guess that's fine with me," Kumiko relented with a smile, then asked Reina, "What do you think?"
"Yes, that sounds fun," Reina replied, staring down Azusa with a challenging smirk, her competitive nature taking over. "I'll take you down in one strike. …No pun intended."
The four of them enjoyed a couple of games at the bowling alley. Reina gave Azusa a run for her money, but ultimately Azusa came out in the lead, years of practice on her side. Eventually, their fun hang out had to end as the evening approached. Kumiko dropped off Amika and Azusa back at the latter's family's house, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and hugs.
"Don't be a stranger!" Azusa had said to her dear middle school friend, making her promise to message her more often and to plan on hanging out during spring break when she would be visiting again.
Checking her mirrors and backing out of Azusa's driveway, Kumiko grumbled, "Man, I suck," referring to all her gutter balls.
"You put up a good fight," Reina attempted to comfort her while also giggling at her ineptitude.
"Yours was a lot better."
"I nearly had her."
Kumiko snickered at her fierce tone, smiling fondly. "That's another thing you two have in common—you're both super competitive."
"Oh?" Reina had a glint in her eyes that was both dangerous and playful. "I don't know if I like being compared to your ex, especially if I look like her."
Kumiko laughed. "C'mon, don't call her my 'ex.' That sounds so dramatic. She's my friend. And… no offense to Azusa, but I think you're way prettier."
"Really?"
"Of course." Kumiko pounded a fist on the steering wheel to emphasize her next words, "You're, like, the prettiest girl I've ever seen! In my whole life!"
"Focus on the road, please," Reina warned, redirecting Kumiko's attention away from looking at her face.
"You might even be the most beautiful girl in the whole world."
"Flatterer," Reina hid her blushing face in her jacket's collar, feeling herself falling for Kumiko's silly charms all over again. "I think you're beautiful too."
"Ahaha, no way…"
"It's true."
They both smiled, a comfortable silence passing over them. Reina looked out the window, watching the way the street lights reflected against the glass, happily reminiscing over the events of the day and past few months.
Ever since getting to know Kumiko, she not only gained a wonderful girlfriend, but even more friends who were all quite interesting in their own ways. She had spent most of her life dedicated to the trumpet and not much else, previously content to go through life on a solo journey to success in music. While she was still determined to be a professional player, of course, she couldn't deny that it was nice to now have more people to spend time with when she wasn't practicing.
For the first time in forever, she didn't feel so lonely anymore.
"You've also got bigger boobs than Azusa…"
"What was that?" Reina asked, not sure if she heard that right, but she did.
"Ack," Kumiko jolted, eyes widening, resembling someone with their hand caught in the cookie jar. "Uh oh. Did I say that out loud?"
"You did," Reina sighed, shaking her head in amusement. "What am I going to do with you?"
If there was another thing Kumiko was also good for, it was ruining the mood, but Reina knew that she wouldn't have her any other way.