Time flew by and before they all knew it, it was time for school again. It was hard. Their normal routine was gone. It was hard not to fall into it like they always had. It would leave an ache whenever they did start to do that. Knowing they wouldn't see those two here still stung at times.

And now came the hard part, finding two new edels. Yachiyo wasn't sure what to look for in the students. There were so many things they had to keep in mind while testing everyone. This was going to be hard.

At least Mei Fan and Shiori were helpful. With them there to also watch the students, it was easier to find anything worth noting. But, in the end it fell on Yachiyo to choose the two students who would become the new edels.

It took them a week. Longer than normal for the selection. But, they wanted to really look things over. They couldn't have anything conflict between the members. They had to make sure everything was good. That was tough, but they managed.

And now they had a first year and a second year joining them as edels. Both were eager to appease their senpais. It was an honor to get this position, after all.

DIVIDER--

School was going well. The three of them were managing to adapt to the change. It had taken a while, but they had figured out what to do now. It was a struggle to include the two new edels occasionally.

But with all of that going on, none of them had gotten to talk to or see their girlfriends for long. Yachiyo especially. Them and Akira still didn't have a consistent schedule for talking. It was all just random. So, they got to talk to her the least. It sucked a lot.

"Hey, Yachiyo? Do you have a minute?" Mei Fan pulled them aside one day.

"Sure." Yachiyo replied, "What's up?"

"Well, I spoke with Michiru yesterday." Mei Fan said, "After tomorrow, Akira has a break for two days. It's the weekend, so why don't you go spend it over there?"

Yachiyo's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah. Though, from how Michiru was talking, I think she wants it to be a surprise."

"So, Akira won't know until I get there?" Yachiyo asked.

Mei Fan nodded, "Seems like it. But, she wanted you to come after class tomorrow. So you can surprise her after she gets home from work."

Yachiyo thought about it. They just wanted to make sure that everything was done that needed to be. They couldn't leave work behind if it had to be done. But, they couldn't think of anything.

"Alright. I think I can work with that."

"Then you should let her know. She may need to coordinate things still."

"What about you? Are you able to hang out with Michiru this weekend?" Yachiyo asked.

"No. She has work. And it's a busy week. They're doing a lot of schedule planning so..." Mei Fan said.

"Hmm... it sucks. I just wish they had more consistent hours."

"Yeah..."

"What about Fumi? What is she doing? It seems like Shiori is always hanging out with her now."

"I think her and Tomoe have started taking over Tamao's family business." Mei Fan replied.

"There you guys are." Shiori found them, "Where have you been? You left me alone."

"Sorry. We got caught up talking about stuff." Mei Fan apologized.

"You promised we'd have a game night." Shiori pouted.

"I know. We can go do that now."

DIVIDER--

That night, Yachiyo told Michiru they were in agreement with her plan. The conversation lasted longer than expected. Michiru was at work. She had to stay late. So, between doing work she was replying.

Eventually they got everything planned out. So, after Yachiyo finished class, they could go over as long as it was before seven. That was when Akira was supposed to get home at. They needed to be there before then if they wanted to surprise her.

Well, technically they could still surprise her by just showing up, but this way was more fun. Now it was just the waiting game. Yachiyo was a bit anxious. It had been so long since they had actually seen Akira in person. They had only talked over the phone, and that was very rare.

They really wanted to see her again. The wait was honestly the hard part now. They just wanted to see her now.

DIVIDER--

"Have fun. Stay safe."

"See you Sunday night, Yachiyo."

It was time for them to go. They were very eager. After saying goodbye to Shiori and Mei Fan, they headed for the bus stop. It was a little bit of a trip. But, it would be worth it. They got to see Akira again. And honestly, seeing Michiru again was also nice.

The trip went by extremely slow. Because they wanted to be there, everything felt like it was taking ages.

Eventually, they got to the stop and got off. It was a few minutes of walking to get to the house. Walking would do them some good after sitting for so long. They were starting to get stiff from the seats of the bus.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the house. They rung the doorbell and waited. It didn't take long for the door to open. Michiru smiled at them.

"Welcome. You made it. Come on in."

Yachiyo entered the house. They looked around. It had been a while since they had seen the inside. It seemed the same as they knew it from before.

"How was the trip? Any problems?" Michiru asked.

"It was fine. Just long." Yachiyo stretched.

"Want a drink?"

"Sure."

They sat down in the kitchen and talked. It was nice to reconnect again. Sure, they got to talk over the phone too, but it wasn't the same as seeing each other in person.

"So, how is school going?"

"Alright. It's really busy right now." Yachiyo sighed, "There are so many things people want done and not enough time..."

"It is tough. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon." Michiru reassured them.

"I hope so..."

"How are Mei Fan and Shiori doing?"

"They're alright."

"I'm sad that we can't talk as much. Work has picked up."

"Do you like it?" Yachiyo asked.

"Yeah. It's fun. I like being behind the scenes." Michiru nodded.

"So... how is Akira?" Yachiyo was hesitant to ask. From what they heard from Mei Fan and Shiori, it sounded things were still tough.

"Eh... she's okay. It's still a lot for her." Michiru replied, "I'm sure seeing you will really cheer her up."

"I hope so."

"Well, we have some time until she gets home. Unfortunately, I have to go to work myself in an hour. We had a problem that I need to come in and fix. I shouldn't be home later than eight, though"

"So, I'll be all alone when she comes home?"

"Yes. Sorry. I only found out a few hours ago." Michiru apologized.

"It's okay." Yachiyo replied, "No big deal."

DIVIDER--

Yachiyo was quite bored waiting. Now that Michiru was gone, they were all alone in the house. It seemed her parents were on a business trip so they wouldn't even be home. It was just them.

Finally, the door opened. Yachiyo hesitated. Should they wait a moment or just go now? They walked over toward the front door.

Akira wasn't looking at them yet. She was putting things away. Yachiyo didn't know if they should say anything or not. They didn't really get the chance to think that one over.

Akira finally faced them. Her eyes widened. Yachiyo nervously smiled at her.

"Hey... um, surprise?"

"Yachiyo...?" Akira couldn't really believe her eyes.

Before Yachiyo could say anything else, they were engulfed into a tight hug. They were slightly caught of guard by how fast it happened. They hugged her back.

"I've missed you so much..." Akira whispered, her grip getting even tighter.

"I have too." Yachiyo replied.

They stayed like that for quite a while. It seemed like Akira really didn't want to let go of them.

"Akira? Um... wouldn't you rather sit?" Yachiyo asked.

Akira finally let go of them and nodded. They went back to the living room and sat down.

"So... why are you here?" Akira asked.

"Michiru suggested it. Since you don't have work this weekend, she thought we could hang out." Yachiyo replied.

"And why wasn't I told?"

"Because we decided it would be better to surprise you." Yachiyo said.

"Well... I'm glad you're here." Akira smiled at them.

"And I'm glad to be here. It's been so long since we've gotten to meet in person." Yachiyo returned the smile.

Once again, they were hugged. Yachiyo didn't mind at all. They would take any type of affection they could get for the next two days. Who knew how long it could be until they could meet up again.

"Yachiyo... can I have a kiss?"

"Sure." Yachiyo smiled, "Anything for you~"

Akira pulled back enough so she could face Yachiyo. She didn't really want to let go of them. Yachiyo decided one kiss wasn't good enough. They instead started by kissing her cheek and then her forehead. Eventually they kissed her on the lips.

"I love you." Yachiyo whispered as they pulled away.

"Love you too." Akira tried to hide a yawn.

"Tired?"

"Mmhmm..." Akira nodded and proceeded to rest her head against their shoulder.

"You can take a nap."

"I'd rather be in my room."

"We can go there."

"But I don't want to move..."

"Well, one, I don't know that I can carry you. Two, I don't know where your room even is." Yachiyo stated.

"Fine..." Akira pushed herself up.

They went to her room. Yachiyo tried to take note of where things were in the house. They would be here for two days so they better learn where at least some things are.

Soon enough, they were on her bed. Akira pressed herself against Yachiyo almost immediately. Yachiyo hugged her back.

"You're so cute when you're needy." Yachiyo teased.

"You always say that."

"Because it's true."

"If you expect a reaction, you aren't getting one. I've gotten used to it."

"How about this then. When you're like this all I wanna do is smother you in kisses."

"Yachiyo!" Akira groaned.

"What? It's true too." Yachiyo smirked, "Do you want more kisses?"

"I'm trying to sleep."

"Fine. Fine. I'll shut up then."

"One kiss?"

"Hmm... no. Say please."

"Yachiyo... I swear..." Akira grumbled.

"I'm trying to cheer you up." Yachiyo pouted.

"Then just let me indulge myself for once."

"Fine. I'll lay off." Yachiyo promised, and then kissed her on the head, "That better?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead and take a nap then. I'll be quiet."

DIVIDER--

"Hey, sleepyheads. Wake up."

"Michiru...? What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty."

Yachiyo sat up and stretched. Akira didn't move. She was pretty much dead to the world right now.

"Honestly this happens a lot. She comes back and just sleeps until morning." Michiru stated, "If you wanna try and get her up for dinner go ahead. I'll be downstairs finishing it up."

"Okay." Yachiyo nodded.

They laid back down and snuggled up to her. They kissed her on the cheek.

"Akira~ Time to get up~" Yachiyo hummed as they poked her cheek.

That didn't seem to have worked. Yachiyo pouted. They pinched her cheek.

"Yachiyo?"

That woke her up.

"Hey. It's time for dinner. Get up." Yachiyo stated.

Akira grumbled something and shook her head. She buried her face into the pillow. Yachiyo sighed.

"Please?"

"Tired."

"But you should eat something." Yachiyo reasoned.

"Don't care."

"I'll drag you out of the bed if you don't get up."

"Good luck with that."

Yachiyo stayed true to their words. They threw off the covers and then proceeded to pull Akira toward the edge of the bed. They made progress.

"Alright. I'll get up." Akira sat up.

"Yay! Come on."

Yachiyo drug Akira to the kitchen. From the look of it, Michiru had just finished cooking. She was surprised to see that Yachiyo got Akira to come down.

"How on earth did you manage to get her out of bed?" Michiru was too curious not to ask.

"By quite literally dragging me out of it." Akira grumbled.

Michiru giggled, "Well, shall we eat?"

DIVIDER--

Right after eating, Akira vanished into her room again. Yachiyo stayed down with Michiru for a while.

"So, how did she react?" Michiru asked.

"She hasn't let go of me except for now." Yachiyo replied.

"I expected that." Michiru stated, "Well, goodnight? I'm wiped."

"Goodnight."

Yachiyo returned to the bedroom. It looked like Akira was already fast asleep again. Yachiyo turned off the lights and then climbed back into the bed. They pulled Akira into an embrace.

"Goodnight, Akira." They whispered.

They smiled as she hugged them back. Yachiyo couldn't help but kiss her again.

DIVIDER--

They were woken up by a lot of noise. Yachiyo yawned and moved to curl closer to Akira, only to find she wasn't there. Yachiyo opened their eyes. Yep. They were alone on the bed. Where was Akira?

Yachiyo sat up and stretched. They got out of the bed. Guess it was time to get up. They coukd still hear noise coming from somewhere else in the house. They were guessing it may be related to breakfast.

Yachiyo headed down to the kitchen. As they got closer, they could confirm the noise was coming from there. And they could hear talking too.

Yachiyo entered the kitchen to see Michiru and Akira were there. They were cooking something together.

"Good morning~" Yachiyo hummed as they walked over to see what they were doing.

"Oh. Morning, Yachiyo. How did you sleep?" Michiru greeted them first.

"Okay." Yachiyo replied, "What are you doing?"

"Attempting to make pancakes. Someone's not being a good help." Michiru frowned at Akira.

"I'm trying. You're making this complicated." Akira replied.

"How am I making this complicated? We are going by the box recipe." Michiru questioned in a defeated tone. She was giving up on this. Trying to teach Akira to cook was not going well.

Yachiyo chuckled and pat Michiru on the head, "You're brave trying to teach her that."

"Yachiyo!" Michiru groaned.

"What? Just saying?" Yachiyo shrugged.

"I feel like that was an attack." Akira commented.

"Maybe it was?" Yachiyo replied, "You've never been a good cook. Why would that change now?"

Akira pouted, "I'm not that bad!"

"Says the girl who can't even make pancakes without messing up every step." Michiru snorted.

Akira gave both of them a look of distain. Why were they both ganging up on her?

Yachiyo chuckled and then gave Akira a hug. Akira sighed and returned the hug.

"Alright. Can we get back to cooking? I have work in two hours." Michiru huffed.

"Okay. Okay." Yachiyo back off, "Need my help at all?"

"No. I think we can manage." Michiru then added, "Hopefully."

Akira sent her a glare. Michiru shrugged and returned to doing what she was doing. Yachiyo stood back and watched from the sidelines. It was entertaining to say the least.

Eventually they succeeded and breakfast was done. That had been an adventure. They sat down at the table and ate, having a few conversations here and there. There wasn't too much to talk about at the moment.

"So, what time do you work till?" Yachiyo asked Michiru.

"Six. Unless they need me for other things." Michiru replied, "I'll text if I have to stay late."

"Have all the problems been fixed yet?" Akira questioned.

Michiru shrugged, "I don't know. There always seems to be something else going wrong right as we fix the other stuff."

"Sounds frustrating." Yachiyo commented.

"It is at times." Michiru agreed, "Speaking of jobs... have you thought about what you're gonna pursue after school?"

"Well... I was thinking of starting commissions for outfits. Since it's something I really enjoy, it would be fun work." Yachiyo said, "But I'm still trying to figure out if that would be enough or if I'd need a job on the side too."

"I think you would need more than that. Incase you get a bad month and can't get enough to cover bills." Michiru said thoughtfully, "If you can get a stable enough income after a while, then you could switch to full-time."

"That's what I kept reading." Yachiyo said, "It will be interesting. The main thing would be figuring out how much money rent and stuff would cost first."

"Hmm... well, I'd assume you two would immediately move in together once you graduate." Michiru commented.

Yachiyp blushed and looked down, "Maybe?"

"Embarrassed? Come on, that's not even an embarrassing question." Michiru teased.

"What about when Mei Fan graduates?" Yachiyo asked, "Is she planning to move in with you?"

"I don't know yet. We haven't agreed to anything about it."

DIVIDER--

After two hours, Michiru had to go. She said goodbye and exited the house. Now it was just the two of them until the evening.

"So... what do you wanna do?" Yachiyo questioned.

Akira shrugged, "I don't know."

"Do you want to go out or just stay here?"

"Stay here."

"Is there anything on you want to watch?" Yachiyo was trying to come up with ideas.

"I don't really watch much TV." Akira replied.

Yachiyo sighed, "You're making this so much more complicated."

"Cuddle?"

Yachiyo didn't get a chance to give their answer. Within seconds of saying that, Akira had pulled them into a hug. And then pulled them down onto the couch. Yachiyo was bright red as Akira did all of this.

"A-Akira?" Yachiyo squeaked out.

"Hmm?"

"Y-you're a lot more clingy than usual." Yachiyo mumbled, avoiding direct eye contact at all costs.

"We haven't gotten to see each other in months. What did you honestly expect?"

"You've never been bold like this before."

Akira pouted. Yachiyo poked her cheek, and chuckled.

"Do you have a problem with what I'm doing?"

"No. Not at all."

"Then how about you stop talking and show me you want this?"

"Fine. Challenge accepted." Oh, Yachiyo was going to make her regret those words.

They grabbed her and pulled her into a deep kiss. Akira let out a small noise that Yachiyo couldn't describe as anything other than an inhuman squeal. Looks like they had succeeded in catching her very much off guard.

"I'm going to make you regret your words." Yachiyo stated as they pulled back to breathe.

"Are you?" Akira challenged.

"Yes. I am." Yachiyo kissed her on the cheek, "Hmm... what to do next...?"

"How about instead of thinking you just kiss me again?" Akira teased as she got extremely close to their face.

"H-hey!" Yachiyo yelped.

"You know, you fell right into my trap. I wanted you to do something like that."

"You're playing dirty, Akira!"

"How? I meerly challenged you. You accepted it without thinking it over at all."

"Just for that I'm not kissing you again. You have to earn it." Yachiyo huffed.

"Hmm... then I'll just do it myself."

Before Yachiyo could say anything, Akira had pulled them into a kiss. That wasn't fair. She was really playing dirty now.

As Akira pulled back, Yachiyo pouted, "You're so mean! You can't just avoid the consequences like that!"

"I can't? Well, too bad. I already did." Akira replied with a smug look on her face.

"Maybe I'll forgive you if you kiss me again..." Yachiyo mumbled.

Akira chuckled, "Very well."

DIVIDER--

Most of the day after that ordeal was spent lazing about. They talked for a while about everything going on. And then before they knew it, Michiru was back.

"I'm home~" Michiru hummed as she entered the house.

She entered the living room to find that was where those two still were. They were still cuddling on the couch. Yachiyo was watching something on TV. Akira had her back to it and seemed to be asleep.

"Welcome back, Michiru~" Yachiyo greeted her, "How was today?"

"Thankfully not too busy." Michiru replied, "What have you two been up to?"

"Just catching up on things and cuddling." Yachiyo looked down at Akira, "And catching up on sleep, I guess?"

Michiru rolled her eyes, "It's to be expected, I suppose. Anyway, anything in particular you're thinking of for dinner? I'm out of ideas."

"I'm not picky." Yachiyo replied, "But... hmm... what options were you considering?"

"Honestly I don't feel like cooking so I was thinking ordering something instead."

"Fine by me."

"Well, wake her up and we'll find a place."

"Okay."

DIVIDER--

The rest of the evening was peaceful. Michiru decided they should have a movie night. After that, Michiru vanished, saying she was going to talk to Shiori.

"So... when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Surprise me."

"Alright. I'll do my best."

"It's getting late. Ready for bed?"

"Yeah."

At some point during that process, Akira vanished. Yachiyo got confused. Where did she go? They weren't sure they could find her. They still didn't know their way around the house yet.

Eventually she returned to the room. Yachiyo immediately pouted at her.

"Where'd you go? You left me." Yachiyo demanded.

"I went to quick talk to Michiru. I ended up talking to Shiori and Mei Fan for a bit." Akira replied.

"Fine. Come on. I wanna cuddle already."

"And you called me the clingy one today..." Akira rolled her eyes.

"Akira~!" Yachiyo whined.

Akira chuckled and sat down on the bed. Not even a minute later Yachiyo had drug her down and had locked her into a tight hug. Akira ruffled their hair. Yachiyo looked at her.

"You're always so hyper."

"And?"

"Nothing. It's cute."

"Can I have a kiss?" Yachiyo asked.

"Of course." Akira nodded and kissed them on the cheek.

Yachiyo smiled, "Thank you~"

Akira rolled her eyes, "You're strange."

"You're dating me so that means you're strange too." Yachiyo shot back playfully.

"Did I ever say I wasn't?"

Yachiyo pouted, "Meanie! You're supposed to disagree with me."

"I know. But I like throwing you off." Akira had a smirk on her face.

Yachiyo huffed, "Fine. Then I'm gonna smother you in kisses."

"And that's a bad thing, how?"

"Did I say it was a bad thing?"

"Is this you getting back at me?"

"Maybe?"

"Very well. Come on then."

"Okay!"