Chapter 33 (Miki)

Miki wasn't blind, as she liked to tell her brother. Her loud declaration of going to see the fireworks was precisely because she had noticed the sadness in Aria's eyes, the slightly tense set in Hijirikawa-san's shoulders, the manner in which Aria had smashed the shells on the seafood she was cooking...

...and if the celeste-hair thought she missed the bruises on her wrist, she was so wrong. Being her roommate meant Miki got used to the other's style, fast. The fact that she wore long sleeves and used accessories she normally didn't use rang warning bells in the brunette's head - one she confirmed when she spied the bruised skin when Aria helped Yuiren adjust her obi.

"I'm so going to lock those two in a broom closet," Miki muttered darkly. The two blondes with her shared an odd look before Syo-kun decided to voice their confusion.

"Lock which two in a broom closet?"

"Hijirikawa-san and Aria," Miki answered with a huff, lightly tugging the sleeves of her yukata back - she hated long sleeves during summer. "Just when I thought things were fine between the two of them, shit hits the fan."

"Miki?" That was Natsuki-san, who sounded confused at her crude usage of the language. Miki shook her head and smiled back at them.

"Sorry. Don't worry about it," she said, willing herself to cool down. "Let's play some games!" she declared, forcing herself into a facade in an effort to ease their minds. "Syo-kun, if I beat you in a game, you're buying us all cotton candy!"

That made Natsuki-san chuckle and Syo-kun spluttered indignantly. "Why is it-oh fine!" he yelled right back. "You're buying the cotton candy if you lose!"

Miki couldn't help the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Have you ever beaten me?" she asked sweetly, and the strawberry blonde shuddered. Nope, he never won against her. Ever.

The light-hearted laughter from Natsuki-san lifted her mood a little, and Miki found herself smiling a little more genuinely. Perhaps she could actually enjoy the festival despite the dark thoughts that weighed on her mind.

"Hey guys!" she called to the rest of the gang lagging behind, "Syo-kun and I will play a game, and the loser buys everyone cotton candy!"

"I can't wait!" came the answer from Ittoki-san, and laughter accompanied his declaration. Spying Aria giggle softly, Miki couldn't help but smile.

Here's to hoping nothing else went wrong.

"Miki, you... you... cheater!"

The brunette blinked at her childhood friend innocently. "I did nothing!" she answered with an innocent smile. The fedora-loving teen growled lowly at her.

"Then how did you hit all the high point bottles!"

Miki couldn't help her smirk. "Magic," she deadpanned, and Syo-kun graced her with a blank stare. Behind them, the rest of the crew were laughing at their exchange.

"That would explain how her triggers come like water," Yuiren muttered softly, and Miki regarded the dark-haired teen with a smile.

"So you don't think I'm a stacker anymore?"

There was a pause. "Nope," she responded, "you still stack. Openly." Miki groaned in mock-disappointment. They walked towards the closest cotton candy stand, and Syo-kun grudgingly pulled out his wallet as sticks of cotton candy went around their rag-tag group.

"Okay, I've had enough of being cheated by Miki," he declared, pulling a fluff from his own stick of cotton candy and sticking it in his mouth. "Natsuki, you deal with her. I'm going to enjoy the stands without that cheater bullying me."

The rest took that as their cue to split as well, each one saying they wanted to see different areas of the festival themselves. Miki nodded understandingly, all of them waving and promising to meet at a clear spot Ichinose-san and Nanami-san were in-charge of finding (they'd call them, apparently).

"So, Miki-chan," Natsuki-san said when the group had split up, "What do you want to do?"

She hummed in thought. "Honestly, I never thought about it," she answered, and Natsuki-san laughed. "Let's just wander around until either Ichinose-san or Nanami-san calls you. They don't have my cell number, I think."

"True that," the bespectacled teen agreed as they started walking. "I don't have yours either, now that I think about it..." he added as an afterthought. Miki giggled.

"If you wanted my number, you could always ask," she told him, jabbing his ribs with a finger teasingly. The taller teen flushed slightly, but he laughed.

"So I've been found out," Natsuki-san said with a chuckle, and Miki giggled. She held out a hand, and he looked at it inquiringly.

"Your phone, Natsuki-san," Miki told him. "You wanted my number, did you not?" Feeling childish, she paused and mock-pouted, turning away from him. "Of course, if you changed your mind..."

"Wait, what, no!" went a confused Shimoniya, and Miki turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. It was then he caught the mischievous look in her eyes, and he groaned slightly. "I've been had," he said, huffing even as he smiled and pulled out his phone.

Miki giggled as she took it, expertly navigating the smartphone the taller teen used and keyed in her phone number. "There," she said when she was done, handing the phone back to him. Natsuki-san took it with a smile, and was then surprised when he saw his phone was dialing a number.

"Wha-"

The question was cut short when Miki's own phone rang, and the brunette laughed at the embarrassed look that came over his face when he recognized his own voice singing the B-side to his solo single. The shorter teen cut the 'call' and smirked at him.

"Now I have your number, too," she said, keeping her phone within the folds of her yukata sleeve. Giggling at the stunned blonde, Miki grasped his hand and pulled him along the many stands that has opened for the festival.

Natsuki wondered if there was anything the petite brunette couldn't do - besides swim, of course. From the day Syo-chan introduced her to him until now, he had found that not only was Miki capable of the singing and dancing required from an idol course student, she could play multiple instruments, have the energy to participate in nearly all the events in a sports festival, and she could cook.

Briefly, the blonde pondered the possibility of asking Miki to bake something.

He had been surprised to find that the brunette had used his song as her phone's ringtone - and she had a good laugh at him for that. Blue eyes had looked into his own green ones with amusement and cheekiness that reminded him of a playful cat, and he was further surprised when Miki grabbed his hand pulled him along.

Without them realizing, the duo had went from stand to stand with their hands still linked, and Natsuki had laughed at the joy on the smaller teen's face when he had won her a stuffed dog plushie. "A companion for your Popiah," he said, chuckling as Miki hugged the brown thing to her chest.

"Natsuki-san," she called, and he tilted his head at her in question. She gestured for him to bend lower so she could whisper in his ear, and found himself flushing red when he felt soft lips pressing against his cheek instead.

When he looked at her, his eyes wide in surprise, Miki's cheeks were a little red, but she grinned. "My thanks to you," she told him before she grabbed his hand again and continued dragging him along.

When the phone call finally came for them to meet up again, Natsuki found it hard to let go of the smaller hand he held.

Author's Note: Ah Miki, making a nervous fool out of our resident bespectacled blond, haha! Gotta love that!

Please R&R if you like and do stay tuned!