A/N: Stuck at home by force provided me with more time on my hands.

Enjoy.


Chapter 42: Blossoming

I waited for Yaya-chan in Harajuku station. We agreed to meet up in the afternoon to enjoy a walk together in Yoyogi park, but I felt nervous and excited about seeing her that I arrived nearly an hour early. I wore a winter white cardigan sweater with a light blue long sleeve blouse underneath, blue denim jeans, and white low top converse. I had spent an hour or two last night trying to figure out what to wear until ultimately I gave up and chose something simple. I wanted to look nice for today, but I also didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, not that I was trying to impress anybody.

I looked at the time on my cellphone.

'I still have about 30 minutes,' I mentally said to myself. I waited in the lobby, flipping through pinterest, and messaging Sumiko-chan who was on her way to see her okaa-san and imouto-san in Hiroshima. Yesterday, when her otou-san came home from work, Sumiko-chan made up a lie and successfully convinced him to allow her to return. Afterwards, she spent a good hour or two searching for her train ticket she had carelessly tossed aside, thinking she would never need it again.

All morning, Sumiko-chan felt an array of emotions, and it was precisely for that reason why I didn't tell her about Yaya-chan. She had enough going on that the mere mention of Yaya-chan's name would probably cause a mental explosion of some kind. Thus, I decided to keep it a secret. Anyway, I didn't see the harm in it, Yaya-chan and I were only going to the park together and nothing more.

Sumiko-chan: I'm almost at Hiroshima.

Tsubomi: That's good, and is your okaa-san and imouto-san in the lobby waiting for you?

Sumiko-chan: Just Kiyo-chan. Our okaa-san will be at the apartment preparing lunch.

Tsubomi: Okay, and how are you feeling? You skipped breakfast.

Sumiko-chan: I wasn't hungry then. I was too nervous to eat and I still am. Don't worry Tsubomi, I'll eat when I get to the apartment.

Tsubomi: You better.

Sumiko-chan: I will. So, what you up to?

Tsubomi (lied): I am at home, exploring my obaa-san's house. My okaa-san and I want to change some of the furniture and whatever else she wants. She is at work with Atsuya-ojisan right now, so maybe we'll do that later.

Sumiko-chan: Sounds like the both of you will be busy. I'm sure you two will make the house even better than it was.

Tsubomi: Definitely. Oh, but not just the interior. I also have a gardening project in mind. My itoko-sans and I are interested in restoring our obaa-san's garden, but we will have to wait until the spring. All we can do for right now is clear out any dead material, and then scrub the water fountain clean from the mildew it accumulated in the past years. I'm totally looking forward to restoring the place.

Sumiko-chan: Wow, that's cool. Wish you all the best of luck!

Tsubomi: Thanks!

Sumiko-chan: I reached the station now, I'll talk to you later.

Tsubomi: Okay, take care!

I sat up still and stretched my arms behind my head. After I popped my back, I checked the time on my cellphone again.

Only 11:40am.

I cleared my throat, "Hmm, my throat feels dry. I need a drink."

I walked into a small shop near the main exit. I bought a water bottle and a small pack of mint gum. As I drank my water bottle, my phone vibrated. I looked at the screen and saw a text message from Yaya-chan.

Yaya-chan: In a couple of minutes, I'll be at the Harajuku station.

Tsubomi: Okay, I'm here at the station already. Just let me know when you have arrived.

Yaya-chan: You're already there? Mmm, someone is excited to see me~

Tsubomi (lied): I arrived early because I wanted to familiarize myself with the railways. It's been awhile since I last rode on one that I forgot how fast the railways are. Anyway, didn't we agree to meet in the afternoon? You are also early.

Yaya-chan: Lol, true and maybe it's because I'm excited to see you too, brat.

I blushed.

Tsubomi: Of course you are.

Yaya-chan: Haha! Hey, as much as I'm enjoying the view... turn around.

It was at that moment, all the hustle and bustle of the Harajuku station became quiet. All I heard, aside from the rapid increase of my beating heart, was the footsteps of a familiar brunette several feet away with a playful smirk. The same brunette who, after all these years since Astraea Hill, still managed to take my breath away.

"Y-Yaya-chan," I breathed. Not only did I feel speechless, but also frozen in place.

"Hey, Tsubomi," She smiled, now standing in front of me, her sweet perfume reached me immediately like a soft kiss on the nose. "Long time no see, huh?"

I finally snapped out of my frozen state and hugged Yaya-chan tightly. Her white hoodie felt like a soft cloud, but then again, mentally I was also kind of in the clouds myself.

"Too long, Yaya-chan," I said.

She chuckled, "Wow, you look amazing, Tsubomi. Not the little annoying brat I once knew."

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "And I see you're still the same baka."

She quickly released me and took a step back, eyeing me from head to toe with a satisfied mischievous grin.

"Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?" I blushed, looking away from her wondering eyes.

"I want to get a good look at you," She said. "Has, anyone ever told you that you look like eye candy? Before you were just a midget with a flat chest and bottom, and with hardly any curves to show for; but now you grew taller, got these breasts I wanna squeeze with an ass I wanna—."

"Shhhhh!" I quickly covered her mouth with my hand, embarrassed by the number of people who were staring at us, either shocked or confused. "Shut up, baka. People are looking at us."

"I don't care," She smirked, ignoring the stares from the people around us.

"Of course you wouldn't, but it's embarrassing, Yaya-chan," I frowned, completely disregarding the fact my face was beyond a bright pink.

"Which part?" She asked, still smirking. "The part where I was saying what I wanted to do to you? Or the part where everyone was looking at us?"

"The last one," I replied. "I can deal with whatever comes out of your mouth, well, most of the time."

"So, you're saying if people weren't already looking at us, you would be fine listening to all the naughty things I want to do to you?" She grinned mischievously, her eyes widening like a predator about to pounce on its prey.

"Hentai, that's not what I meant!" I huffed.

"Better keep your voice down, Tsu-bo-mi," She cooed. "Don't need the people listening to us."

"That is what I just said," I said exasperatedly, crossing my arms over my chest, annoyed by the fact she used my own words against me.

"You are so cute," She said, playfully pinching my cheeks, looking at me as if I were an adorable plush toy.

"Oh shut up," I said as I smacked her hands away.

"Haha, come on, let's get out of here before this place fills up again," She said, looking around and noticing the crowds growing bigger.

As we exited the station, I took a deep breath, and said, "Yaya-chan, don't ever change."

"I don't plan to," She winked, tossing an arm over me.

"Good," I whispered softly to myself.

The weather outside was slightly cold, but other than that it was perfect for today. The sky remained its humble blue with a cloud or two to join it. Not many plants were on display as it was winter, but nonetheless Yoyogi park was beautiful. We took a seat on a bench nearby the lake. The area wasn't as crowded as it usually was but no matter. My attention was entirely on the brunette next to me.

"And that is why my onee-san decided to never get married," Yaya-chan said, stretching out her legs. "Our ryoushin have crappy tastes in finding good suitors. The last one looked classy, yeah, but the guy was also a pig. I teased my onee-san about being his maid and possibly having to shower him. He smelled like ass."

"Eww!" I said in disgust. "He went to meet your onee-san and didn't think to shower? Gross."

"Yeah, it was bad, and we were eating lunch at that time too," She said. "My onee-san and I lost our appetites. We had to excuse ourselves and left the restaurant immediately. Of course, we paid for our half of the bill."

"And did the guy ever contacted your onee-san again?" I asked.

"Nah," She said. "My onee-san told me he told our ryoushin that she failed to meet his expectations. Full of crap, to be honest."

"Seriously?" I said.

"Seriously," She repeated. "I'm surprised the pig has standards. Anyway, he probably said that about my onee-san because he didn't like the rejection. The guy smelled, what did he expect? But even if he showered it wouldn't help much. His eating etiquette was sloppy, and he constantly chewed with his mouth open. It was getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, that's bad, but wait a minute, why did your go ryoushin send that guy if he smelled and lacked table manners?" I wondered.

"It's all business in matchmaking sometimes Tsubomi, you get what's given to you," She replied. "And like I said before, that's why my onee-san decided to never get married despite our ryoushin attempts. She isn't interested in the subject anyway."

"Ah, I see," I said. "And what about you?"

She snorted, "Never going to happen. It'll only end up in shit just like everything else given our history. Ha, my ryoushin have probably forgotten all about me which is great for all I care."

"Sorry for asking, Yaya-chan, I shouldn't have," I said, realizing how stupid it was of me to ask.

"Don't be," She smiled, patting me on the head as if to assure me. "I have the one person I care for in my life and that's my onee-san. My ryoushin can go fuck themselves honestly."

"Anyway, let's change the subject shall we?" She continued, placing her hands on her lap. "How was Canada? Did you have fun?"

"It was definitely fun," I smiled. "It was different from Japan of course, so it took me awhile to get used to living there. Overall I enjoyed myself, but nothing beats coming back home."

"That's good to hear," She said. "Do you miss it?"

"A little, yes," I said. "What I will miss the most are the people I came to know. Some more than others."

"You all can still keep in touch, you know?" She said. "A simple text message will do. It's not as if it's goodbye forever."

"It's not the same as talking in person," I said. "And... well, out of anger I deleted everything in the phone before I left Canada, so I didn't really save anybody's number. My itoko-sans would have to give them my current number."

"Wow, who pist you off?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ellie," I sighed as I turned away from Yaya-chan, staring at the smooth lake in front of us, flashbacks playing in my head like thousands of light switches turning on and off at each mental image, causing a mild headache.

"Who is Ellie?" She inquired.

"Ellie was... more than a friend..." I replied, carefully choosing my words. "At the beginning, I felt lonely. I didn't know anybody, and Ellie was the first to welcome me with wide open arms. We were inseparable, we did almost everything together. We grew used to being with each other that I guess that was why she fell for me? I always knew about her true feelings for me, but I wasn't able to reciprocate because I never felt the same way. When she finally confessed, it was too late. We broke into a huge argument, and then I told her I was leaving Canada and I wasn't coming back, she didn't take it so well."

"Sorry things didn't work out, Tsubomi," She said in a relived sort of way, if not entirely disappointed.

"Don't be, I already knew things were going to end badly," I said. "Things were terribly complicated, and a part of that was my fault. I led her on knowing how she felt for me. I don't know why I did that, but I guess the reason was because I liked the attention. I liked how she always made me feel special, made me feel loved; however, I wasn't the only girl she did that to, every week there was someone new. So when she confessed, I didn't take her seriously, and that was what started the whole argument. She blamed me for leading her on, for using her to satisfy my interests. Although what she said is true, I reminded her of all the women she played with, and how difficult it was for me to accept her confession. Unfortunately, it didn't matter if I did or not, I was leaving the next morning. She suggested a long distance relationship, but I told her it wouldn't work, if only one of us wants it. In the end, she walked away and I didn't stop her. If anything, she deserves someone better, someone who feels the same way; and once she finds the person, I can only hope she gives that person the attention without giving it to everyone else."

"No need for you to be jealous, Yaya-chan," I continued, playfully bumped her shoulder with mine, easing her doubts if she had any. "You can stop making that face."

"I wasn't jealous, just concerned, since you were pist off," She explained. "And what face? I wasn't making any faces."

Uh huh.

"Okay," I said, turning back to face the lake, catching a quick glimpse of a small smile developing on the corners of her lips.

"What about Astraea Hill's biggest player?" I continued. "I'm sure Spica still maintains it's adrenaline both off and on the field."

"Hahaha, damn right!" She laughed. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I have been riding solo actually, but don't get me wrong, I still enjoy teasing the ladies."

"Tease the underclassmen often?" I chuckled, remembering what she said about Chikaru-sama years ago during her mini series of jealousy episodes towards the Lulim's kaichou.

"Of course, the underclassmen are easy to tease," She said. "I would see them in their small groups giggling and blushing whenever I passed by."

"Yaya-chan is the new Chikaru-sama," I giggled.

"What?" She said, feeling confused. "I'm the new Chikaru-sama?"

"Do you remember back when I was still in Spica what you said to me about Chikaru-sama?" I asked.

"What did I say?" She asked, looking me curiously.

"A lesbian cougar hunting young pups," I grinned mischievously.

"Oh shut up, Tsubomi," She scowled.

I roared with laughter at Yaya-chan's reaction, holding my sides as my sides began to hurt, "You should see your face!"

She rolled her eyes, unamused and irritated.

After I had enough, I wiped my eyes from the tears, easing off the laughter, catching my breath. I corrected my posture, and with a smile, I said, "If it makes you feel any better Yaya-chan, at least you go one by one and not in groups."

"I am not like Chikaru-sama," She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't spend my time playing with first and second years. I don't even play with third years. Fourth and fifth years are an exception, those are closer to my age. "

"Haha, perhaps, but the both of you share a few similarities," I giggled.

"Oh whatever," She said.

"You know... I missed this," I said, looking down at the ground beneath my feet, softly smiling upon the realization of the reason behind it.

"You miss what?" She asked.

Smilingly, I looked up at her, and said, "I missed y—"

Before I was able to complete my sentence, Yaya-chan's phone went off.

"Sorry about that, Tsubomi," She said, pulling out her cellphone to answer it.

"It's okay," I said, annoyed by the fact I was interrupted.

"Hello?" She answered. "No, not at all, onee-san,"

"Today?" She said, sounding surprised. "Um, I am with a friend right now."

"Okay, what time?" She asked. "See you then, onee-san."

She hung up, placing her cellphone back into her pocket. She turned and looked at me, "Hey Tsubomi, my onee-san's furniture and the rest of our belongings have arrived. I'm sorry to have to cut things short, I wasn't expecting the items to arrive today."

"It's okay," I said, understandingly.

"Um..." She hesitated, as if trying to figure out what to say next. "My onee-san extends the invitation to you, if you want to come over."

"Um, okay," I smiled, feeling surprised and curious. "Where to?"

"Denenchofu," She replied as she stood up and stretched her arms above her head.

"Denenchofu?" I repeated in shock, standing up as well.

"Yeah, my onee-san bought a house in the area a few days ago," She said.

"Wow, that's cool," I smiled again, still processing the fact that Yaya-chan's onee-san bought a house in the same district as I.

"Why so surprised?" She chuckled.

"You'll find out once we get there," I said.

"Okay," She shrugged, walking back towards the station together.


After we finally arrived at Denenchofu station, we walked a couple of blocks within the neighborhood beneath rows of orderly lined ginkgo trees that were bared from the winter. As we approached a tall dark wooden gate, I stopped Yaya-chan, and said, "The house behind this gate belonged to someone once powerful."

"Oh?" She stared at the gate, studying its surroundings. "Who lived here?"

"My obaa-san," I said.

"What!?" She said out loud. "Your obaa-san lived here?"

"Welcome to the neighborhood, Yaya-chan," I smiled, amused by her shocked expression.

"What the fuck," She said, still taking it all in.

"Now you know why I was surprised when you told me where your onee-san bought her house," I said.

"Looks like my winter break is about to get interesting," She winked mischievously at me.

"Baka, this isn't an invitation," I blushed.

"Aww, but come on, Tsu-bo-mi, who's going to warm me up when I'm cold?" She cooed, feigning hurt.

"Your blankets," I said.

"Anyway, isn't your onee-san waiting for you?" I continued.

"She can wait," She smirked, taking a step closer to me. "Right now, I wanna play with pinky."

"Hentai," I frowned.

"Haha, okay, okay, let's go," She laughed. "My onee-san's house is just two more blocks down."

"Yaya-chan, is your onee-san anything like you?" I asked as we started walking again.

"No, why?" She said.

"Because it would be horrible having two hentais under one roof," I huffed.

"My onee-san isn't like me in that sense, but she can definitely turn you brighter than the color of your hair," She grinned wickedly. "It was thanks to her I learned how to become bold, though she is more calm than I am, but don't underestimate an innocent face. At least you know I will act proudly on it."

"Too proudly, Yaya-chan, and your boldness will one day get you in trouble, and I won't save you," I said.

"You say that now," She said, looking up into the sky. "I can already hear your lectures."

I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, this is it," She said, stopping at a white silver gate, pressing a button on a stoned pillar.

"Nanto Residence," Came a female's voice on the speaker.

"Yasuko-oneesan, I have arrived," Yaya-chan said.

"Come in," Nanto-san said as she unlocked the gate, mechanically sliding it to the side.

After we crossed the gate, it slowly slid back to its original position, locking itself in place. We followed up a concrete trail to the house. The house was a white two story building with an impressive european style architecture. As we approached the front door, there stood an elegantly dressed woman, wearing a white collared shirt tucked in her blue navy dress pants, and with closed toe black high heel shoes. The woman smiled, "Welcome, I do apologize for cutting your plans short. I didn't anticipate an early delivery. Oh, and Yaya, your hair dresser came in, have a look at it."

"Will do, onee-san," Yaya-chan said.

"My, and who is that lovely young woman?" Nanto-san asked, opening the door for us.

"Okuwaka, Tsubomi," I replied, entering the house. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nanto-san."

"Please, call me Yasuko, Tsubomi-san," Yasuko-san smiled, closing the door. "Hmm, your name sounds familiar, are you the mago-musume of Yamashina Aia-sama by any chance?"

"I am," I nodded, surprised Yasuko-san knew my obaa-san's name.

"Ah, I see," Yasuko-san said. "I send my condolences to you and your go Kazoku. The reason why I asked is because my otou-san often mentioned Yamashina-sama whenever he spoke of doing a business collaboration with your go kazoku in various places in Kyoto to start. We received the sad news of Yamashina-sama's passing, and then we were told that her ojou-san, Tsubaki-sama, has took over. I had the pleasure of speaking with Tsubaki-sama for my otou-san yesterday, since he was, and still is feeling under the weather at the moment. I saw a drawing in her office, of an okaa-san and her ojou-san holding hands. Their names were written on it. That's why your name sounded familiar to me."

"Wait," Yaya-chan interrupted. "So, this whole time Yamashina Inc. is Tsubomi's kazoku? How's that?"

"If only you paid attention to me yesterday during dinner you would have known about it already," Yasuko-san said, slightly irritated.

"You were talking about our ryoushin," Yaya-chan shrugged. "It was a boring topic."

Yasuko-san sighed, rubbing her temples as if massaging away the frustration caused by having such a difficult imouto-san.

"Alright then," Yasuko-san said, lowering her hand to her side. "There's boxes on your bed that need unpacking and as well as a new set of bed sheets for you to put on your bed, Yaya. Tsubomi-san, as our guest you're welcome to enjoy yourself in the living room where there is a television or, if you would like, books. If you want to go with Yaya, that's fine by me also, perhaps she could use a hand."

"I will," I nodded.

"I'll be in the dining room unpacking, if you two need me," Yasuko-san said as she walked away, picking up a pair of scissors from the counter top.

"This way, Tsubomi," Yaya-chan said, walking towards the staircase.

As we walked to the room, I saw several boxes outside each door, each labeled accordingly to the room they were for. Yaya-chan's room was all the way down the hall, next to the bathroom and across from Yasuko-san's room, according to the boxes on the floor. I asked her why her door was the only one without boxes sitting outside, and she explained she had previously unpacked the boxes left on her door yesterday, and that the boxes on her bed were from today, placed by her onee-san who wanted to protect her things from the delivery men who were carrying more boxes into the house, in case anything were to happen.

"This is it," She said as we stepped inside, approaching her bed filled with a couple of medium sized boxes on top, wondering which to open up first.

"Nice," I said, studying her room, impressed by the fair amount of light let in. "Your room is quite spacious."

"Right?" She said. "What I love most about my room is the balcony. Come, check it out."

I followed her across the room to a small balcony, big enough for two people to sit comfortably with a small coffee table in between. The view from the balcony overlooked the front lawn and the gingko trees from a distance. It was a perfect spot overall to view the tranquility of the gingko trees and the warmth of the cherry blossoms on the side.

"Wow," I said, completely mesmerized by the scenery. "This looks amazing, Yaya-chan. Not only do you get to see the gingko trees, but you also get to see cherry blossoms from your neighbor. Imagine when it is their time to bloom, what a beautiful sight it will be."

"Totally, and I can't wait for that," She said, leaning forward against the rail, resting her elbows on it.

After a few moments of silence, she stepped away from the rail and turned around, walking back inside. I took one last look at the view, then followed right behind her.

She pulled off the duct tape from one of the boxes, placing the tape on a lamp table next to her bed. Inside the box were several music boxes, each individually wrapped in protective plastic.

"These are so pretty," I said, after we removed the plastic wrap from all the music boxes.

"Out of all of them, my favorite is this one," She said, holding up a porcelain music box, decorated with mountains beneath beautiful skies, and a woman with a baby on her back. "It plays the song takeda no komoriuta. My onee-san gave this to me when I was younger for my birthday. I have always took care of it ever since."

"That's sweet," I smiled. "So, where will we put the music boxes, Yaya-chan?"

"We'll put them on the shelves with the books," She said, placing a music box on the top shelf, carefully positioning the item to where it won't fall over.

As I placed the last music box on the shelf, Yaya-chan tossed the empty box on the floor, and began to open the next one.

"Hey, do you remember this?" She asked, pulling out a familiar stuffed panda bear for me to see.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, hugging the panda bear. "I can't believe you still have it."

"I know," She chuckled, scratching the back of her head, slightly embarrassed. "After you left, I just couldn't throw it away for some reason. Heh, every time I look at it, it reminds me of you and I at the sport competitions several years ago. It brings back memories, you know? The good kind. Like how we spent that night watching the fireworks together with you leaning into my arms. Those are the kind of memories I don't want to forget."

I hugged the panda bear tighter, burying my face behind its head, blushing brightly like the neon pink LED lights in the streets of Shinjuku at night.

"Baka, you and sappiness don't go together," I said, hiding my face behind the panda bear's head.

"Well, duh, why do you think I prefer action to words?" Yaya-chan laughed, tossing the second empty box on the floor next to the first. "It makes things easier, and more... down to business."

"Eh!?" I jumped, feeling a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, nearly causing me to drop the panda bear on the floor.

"Yaya-chan!" I shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Hold still," She said.

"Why?" I asked, frowningly.

"Just hold still," She repeated. "I just want to hold you."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why all of a sudden?"

"Watching you hold the panda like that reminded me of when I used to hold you like that," She blushed, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"B-Baka!" I said, looking away, feeling both embarrassed and surprised.

She sighed, "I missed this."

"Missed what?" I snorted. "Teasing me endlessly? Or getting on my nerves?"

"Both," She laughed. "But that's not what I was referring to. I was referring to... something else."

"Like?" I said, curiously.

"It's nothing, forget about it," She chuckled, releasing me.

"Um, okay?" I said. "Yaya-chan, are you feeling okay? I think you might be getting sick."

"I'm fine," She shrugged. "I just wanted to hold you, that's all."

"Weirdo," I giggled. "So, what's in the last box?"

"I think it's the rest of my clothes," She said, pulling off the tape. "When I unpacked yesterday, I noticed some shirts missing."

She opened the last box and inside were graphic t-shirts and band t-shirts. She pulled out a t-shirt, and said, "This one is my favorite band."

"Band-Maid," I said, checking out the pink graphic artwork of a maid throwing a punch in the air, showing off her metal spiked rings.

"If you have the time, go check them out, I highly recommend them," She said. "Plus, it's not everyday you see a group of hot maids rocking out on stage. I introduced them to my onee-san a couple of years back, she thought the band was a kids group. Totally surprised her once she found out that they weren't."

"Haha, I will," I nodded.

I pick up a t-shirt from the box, and read, "Blue Encount."

"They're also good, I saw them in a concert once in Shibuya with Hikari back in August," She said, hanging a couple of her t-shirts in the closet. "I think they're playing in the Countdown Japan music festival on the 31st."

"That's cool," I said.

"Yeah, and [Alexandros] is starting off the countdown on the 28th," She said. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Ahh!" I beamed. "I love [Alexandros]. Take plenty of pictures, Yaya-chan."

"Haha, of course," She laughed. "I'll buy a souvenir for you, if you want."

"Yes!" I said happily. "I would be grateful for it."

"Alright then," She smiled, taking out the rest of her t-shirts from the box.

"Oh my goodness, Yaya-chan," I giggled, holding up a BABYMETAL t-shirt. "I never would have thought you were a fan of BABYMETAL."

She chuckled, "Yeah, nor did I, to be honest. When I heard about them for the first time I was like, whoa, three little girls rocking out to metal? At first it didn't get my attention, but then Hikari started playing some of their songs, thanks to Kizuna-chan and Remon-chan. Gimme Chocolate was an interesting song, later on I caught myself singing the song in the shower."

I laughed.

"And that's how it all started," She said, hanging up the rest of her shirts.

She picked up the boxes from the floor and folded them in half, then hid them away in her closet. She threw away the duct tape and picked up a plastic bag left on her hair dresser, inside was the new set of bed sheets her onee-san left her. She unzipped the bag and pulled out a smooth white fitted sheet, a satin dark gray flat sheet, and a light gray comforter.

"Ooo," I said, feeling the satin. "It's soft. Your onee-san picked good quality."

"I agree," She nodded. "My onee-san wanted to get rid of our old bed sheets and replace them with new ones once we moved into the new house."

"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed.

"Alright Tsubomi, help me pull off these old covers," She said as she began to pull the covers from her side.

"Okay," I said, pulling the covers from my side.

We dropped the old covers on the floor and placed the new ones on the bed. Sliding my hand across the soft comforter, feeling the squishiness of the bed, I said, "I'm tempted to fall on your bed, Yaya-chan."

"Go for it," She said, picking up the covers off the floor. "I'll be right back, I just need to toss these away."

As Yaya-chan left her room, I fell back on her bed and closed my eyes. Her bed felt soft like falling backwards into a pile of leaves during autumn. I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the smoothness of the comforter underneath me. I opened my eyes and rolled over, resting my head on my arm.

As much as I wanted to fall asleep, one thing kept bugging me.

What was she referring to? What was she trying to say? Did she feel the same as me? Did she miss me?

I laugh, and shook my head.

Why would she?

I traced my finger along the comforter, making small patterns of the number eight.

But... what if she did?

I sighed.

And I almost said it...

I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling.

Take the risk or lose the chance?

"Alright, I'm back," Yaya-chan said. "My onee-san just finished unpacking in the dining room, and she wanted me to ask you if you would like to have lunch with us."

"Sure," I smiled, sitting up.

"Okay, I'll let her know," She said, walking out of the room.

My eyes widened.

Oh my god, I'm having lunch with Yaya-chan and her onee-san!?

I blushed.

WHY AM I BLUSHING!?

I patted my cheeks, feeling annoyed.

Calm down Tsubomi, this is just lunch with friendly casual chit chat.

I took a deep breath, then released.

I'll be fine, nothing to worry about.

"Uh, Tsubomi, are you okay?" Yaya-chan asked, standing right in front of me, staring at me curiously.

"AH!" I shouted. "Where did you come from!?"

"Uh, downstairs," She said, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"

"Um, nothing," I said. "I just didn't hear you return."

"No kidding," She said. "Anyway, my onee-san is currently preparing something for us. Since you are our guest, she wants to show off her cooking skills."

"That's great," I smiled.

"Says you, you don't have to wash the dishes," Yaya-chan chuckled as she sat down next to me. "When my onee-san cooks, she really gets into it, sometimes using most of the pots."

"Haha, well, at least she enjoys herself," I said. "Some people lack the love they put into the food. I have been in restaurants where the food looks absolutely delicious, but lacks taste, and vice versa. It could look like a pile of mud and end up tasting surprisingly good. Unfortunately, the latter would hardly sell since it's not appealing to the eye."

"I agree," She nodded. "The food served at Astraea Hill is a good example of that."

"Oh, come on," I giggled. "Not everything they served was bad."

"True, not everything, just about most of it," Yaya-chan laughed. "Hey, do you remember the tofu in spicy black bean sauce they would serve us?"

"Yeah, I take that back," I said, making a disgusted look.

"Haha, see!?" She said. "Or how about the little bowl of natto? The sisters would always find a way to sneak that in our trays."

"I honestly don't know why the sisters kept trying," I sighed. "Oh! Speaking of sisters, is Sister Mizue still in Miator?"

"Ugh, yes," She grumbled. "The bitch made me and a couple of others mop the entire cafeteria."

"What did you all do?" I asked.

"We skipped our classes to head out to the festival that was going on in town," Yaya-chan replied.

"Yaya-chan, you know you're not supposed to leave campus," I said.

"Yeah, I know," She said, exasperatedly. "We could have gotten away with it, if it weren't for the fact it was Sister Mizue's turn to guard the gates. The woman basically covered all entrances, including the areas where one could sneak their way in. We had no choice but to face her directly; and then later on, Sister Mizue contacted our guardians. My onee-san gave me an earful."

"You were caught," I shrugged. "It's expected."

"What I don't understand is years ago, Shizuma-sama and Nagisa-chan were able to leave campus and return without getting punished," Yaya-chan said. "Hikari and Amane-san were able to leave as well, and they still do. The Sisters have hardcore feelings of favoritism to whomever is the new Etoile. Seriously, it's like as if they get to do whatever they want while the rest of us are just taking up space."

"Um," I said. "Have you ever considered that maybe the reason is because there were no classes in session when they left?"

"Ugh, maybe," She said.

"Was it worth it though?" I asked.

"Ha, totally," She laughed. "I managed to buy some souvenirs and eat some delicious food. I would totally do it again, but the idea of listening to my onee-san complain afterwards is dreadful. That woman can go for hours."

"Oh well," She said, falling backwards on her bed, crossing her arms behind her head. "One for the memories."

"Oikaze todokeru yo, bokura isshin'ni habataite, tōi kako o shotteta, anata o mirai e hakobu yo, wataridori!" My phone went off.

"Excuse me, Yaya-chan, it's my okaa-san," I said as I quickly got up, and walked out to the balcony.

"Hello, okaa-san," I answered.

"Hello Tsubomi," Okaa-san said. "I just got off from a meeting with your oji-san. I called to check on you and see if you were doing okay."

"I'm fine," I said. "I'm currently with a friend at the moment. Her onee-san is preparing lunch for us."

"That's good, make sure Hisako-san knows," She said. "She's been anxious since we first arrived."

"True, I have also noticed," I giggled. "She's really sweet."

"Indeed," Okaa-san said. "When you get home, check to see if there's any fugu left. I want to give it to Atsuya."

"Will do," I said.

"Take care Tsubomi, I must go now," Okaa-san said.

"Okay, Okaa-san, take care," I smiled.

I hung up, and returned inside.

"Is everything okay?" Yaya-chan asked.

"Yes, everything is fine," I replied as I sat down next her. "She just called to check on me."

"Oh, okay," She said.

"By the way, nice ringtone," She continued. "Wataridori is also one of my favorite songs from the band."

"I love the song, it reminds me to look forward even though the past clings on to me, and to embrace the unknown for it may bring me happiness," I said.

"Kind of like you when you left Japan," Yaya-chan lowered her voice. "Being burdened with the past, wanting to progress and grow, flying like a migratory bird on a journey towards the future."

"And just like a migratory bird, I came back," I smiled.

"Yeah, you did, and I'm glad you did," She smiled warmly.

"Um, Yaya-chan, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," I hesitated.

"What is it, Tsubomi?" She asked.

"I, uh... I don't know how to say it exactly, but... what I'm trying to say is...

...is that I missed you, Yaya-chan," I said softly, looking down at my feet as I struggled to put the right words together. "I almost said it in the park before your onee-san called."

"I-I don't expect you to feel the same way or anything," I quickly continued, feeling embarrassed. "I just wanted you to kno—"

She tilted my chin, forcing me to look at her; and suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed me.

I froze, my eyes widening as I felt her soft lips on mine. She pulled back a little and cupped my face with her hands, smiling, she said, "I missed you too, Tsubomi."

I blushed, "B-Baka."

"When I held you, I was thinking the same thing," She said happily, almost excitedly. "It was difficult for me to explain it, and a bit embarrassing I'll admit, but I missed you Tsubomi. I truly mean it when I say I am so glad you're back."

"...You're being a sap again," I said, blushing harder.

"Deal with it," She smirked, kissing me again.

After a couple of shared kisses, Yaya-chan's onee-san knocked on her door, "Food is ready."

"Coming onee-san," Yaya-chan said, smiling, leaning her forehead against mine.

"Ready?" Yaya-chan asked me, pulling away.

"Definitely," I smiled.


"Sukiyaki," Yasuko-san said proudly as she served us our bowls. "With tofu slices, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage, tong ho, and scallions. On the side, there is broccoli blanched with sesame oil, burdock root and carrot salad with a bit of chili peppers, and steamed rice. To drink, there is green tea that I made; but if you prefer, we also have lavender tea, chamomile, oolong, peach, Ramune melon soda, calpis, coffee, and bottled water.

"Onee-san, this looks really good," Yaya-chan said, happily looking over all the food in front of her. "I'll take lavender tea."

"I'll take green tea, please," I said.

Yasuko-san placed the tea cups in front of us with the teabags inside and poured the hot water.

"Enjoy," She smiled.

"Itadakimasu," We all said.

"How does it taste?" Yasuko-san asked.

"Wonderful," I replied happily.

"Really good," Yaya-chan nodded. "Where did you get the recipe from?"

"From Jiichirou-san," Yasuko-san replied.

"Did Jiichirou-san get the job at Umibe?" Yaya-chan asked.

"He did, and he now works under Nagata-san, preparing seafood dishes on the coast," Yasuko-san said.

"Nice," Yaya-chan said.

"Jiichirou-san is a friend of my onee-san," Yaya-chan said to me. "He sometimes helped our itoko-san take care of me during the summer whenever she had to work evenings."

"Oh, okay," I said.

"Yaya and Jiichirou-san would always end up competing against each other," Yasuko-san said. "The constant bickering, one after the other even over the littlest things."

"Yeah, I didn't like him at the beginning," Yaya-chan said. "He would often get on my nerves, and to get even I would purposely dump extra wasabi on his food when he wasn't looking."

"Yaya," Yasuko-san frowned.

"But did he die though? No," Yaya-chan grinned mischievously.

Yasuko-san sighed, then giggled, "You're horrible."

"I got it from you," Yaya-chan said. "Remember what you used to do to Kiyoko-san and Miku-san's drinks?"

"Ah, yes," Yasuko-san grinned. "I used to pop an alka seltzer into a cup of water, and then switch their carbonated water cups with the alka seltzer cups. Their faces said it all."

I smiled, listening to the Nanto shimai share their mischief.

They are definitely related.

After lunch, I stayed afterwards to help out Yaya-chan and Yasuko-san unpack the rest of the boxes. As we unpacked, Yasuko-san would share some embarrassing stories about Yaya-chan and her mischief when she was younger, causing Yaya-chan to blush and be embarrassed herself, denying all stories and claiming it all to be exaggerated. The relationship between the Nantos was pure and amicable, like two white doves in the sky, soaring across the open blue.

The thought alone warmed my heart.

"Thank you for inviting me today, Yasuko-san, I had fun," I said, standing outside the door, ready to go home.

"I'm glad," Yasuko-san smiled. "Hopefully, you and Yaya can enjoy the day together next time."

"Alright, Tsubomi, I'm ready," Yaya-chan said as stepped outside of the house, fixing her hoodie.

"Stay safe," Yasuko-san waved at us as we began walking towards the gate.

"Feels colder now, huh?" Yaya-chan asked, opening the gate.

"A bit, yes," I nodded.

"Good thing you live close by," She winked as we walked through the gates, closing it behind us.

"Yeah," I giggled.

As we began walking up the block, she reached out her hand towards mine and interlocked our fingers.

"Now it doesn't feel so cold," She smiled.

"Agreed," I blushed as we walked hand in hand, our arms gently swaying together.

Once we arrived at the gate, I turned to face Yaya-chan, and said, "I had fun today."

"Even though our plans were cut short?" She asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"I'm glad," She smiled. "And I'm even more glad you got to meet my onee-san."

"She's really kind, and funny," I giggled.

"Heh, and sometimes embarrassing," She chuckled, scratching the back of her head.

She placed her hand on my cheek, softly caressing it with her thumb in a circular motion, gazing warmly into my eyes as the dark gray overcast above filled the evening sky to a close, signaling the start of the glowing street lights around us.

She leaned in and kissed me, taking her time to pull herself away only to lean in again for another kiss, and then another.

"Have a good night, Tsubomi," She kissed my forehead.

"Good night, Yaya-chan," I smiled warmly, slightly blushing.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" She grinned as she began to head back, taking a couple of steps backwards first to look at me.

"Of course, neighbor," I giggled.

She winked at me, then turned around, happily walking away.

I entered inside the house and was greeted nervously by Hisako-san.

"Welcome home, Okuwaka-san," She said. "Your okaa-san has not arrived yet, but will soon."

"Thank you, Hisako-san," I said.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. "I prepared the items to cook for dinner, if you would like."

"I would like that," I smiled.

"I'll go and start your dinner," She said, walking hurriedly into the kitchen.

I chuckled and shook my head.

She's too adorable.

I entered my room and removed my cardigan sweater, hanging it in my closet.

I pulled out my phone.

Nothing.

Hmm, I wonder how Su-chan is doing? I hope things are okay.

I placed my phone on the lamp table and fell backwards on the bed. I sighed happily, then giggled like a schoolgirl who was just asked out by her crush, feelings of excitement, nervousness, and pure joy flew all over me as I tossed my pillow in the air, then catched it, hugging it tightly as if it were her.

Yaya-chan...


A/N: Whether it be months or years, this fanfic has not been abandoned. :)

e.l.84- Thank you for stopping by and enjoying this fanfic. I wanted to squeeze in as much fluff, with touches of gentle undertones throughout the chapter. Hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!

Denenchofu- I picked this district because of its atmosphere, its tranquility made perfect for a late night stroll (or day lol).

Band-Maid, [Alexandros], Blue Encount, BABYMETAL- Are a few of my [many] favorite jrock groups. Band-Maid is indeed my absolute favorite. Check them out whenever you can!

[Alexandros] Wataridori (Tsubomi's ringtone) English translation-

The tailwind will deliver us
We wholeheartedly flap our wings
I was burdened with the distant past
I will carry you to the future
Like migratory birds