Hi, everyone! I'm here with a new oneshot. WarpedCognition469 has been challenging me to write a comedy fic for ages and this is what I finally managed to come up with. I know this isn't the same style of comedy that WarpedCognition469 writes but I think this fic of mine is at least somewhat funny. And it most certainly is different from all the hurt/comfort I usually write. So I hope you all enjoy this new fic of mine!
Disclaimer: I do not own GochiUsa. It belongs to Koi.
A Bolt From The Blue
Syaro resisted the urge to break into a wide grin as she walked out of the university building. Classes were finally over and she had no work today. So what was she going to do now? She'd spend the rest of the day teacup shopping, of course!
A giggle escaped Syaro's lips despite herself. If there was one thing she absolutely loved about moving to the city to go to university, it was all the spectacular ceramics she could find here. Beautifully designed, finely polished and just so magnificent in every single way... Simply thinking about them made her heart flutter!
Softly humming to herself, Syaro made her way toward the gates. Those towering gates which were a symbol of freedom. Which she simply had to cross to leave her worries behind. In front of which was standing a beautiful girl with flowing purple hair.
...Wait, what?
Syaro stopped dead in her tracks. Oh, great. She was in such a good mood today. Why did this have to happen now?
Syaro looked away with a pout. If there was one thing she absolutely despised about moving to the city to go to university, it was how badly she missed everyone. She missed how adorable the six high schoolers were. She missed Cocoa's antics and her ability to brighten everything around her. She missed Chiya's constant teasing. Hell, she even missed Yura's teasing.
And much more than all those combined, Syaro missed her beloved senpai. It had been over two months since she'd left the wood-framed town she called her home and not a day had gone by when she hadn't thought of Rize. She couldn't stop thinking about Rize. It wasn't possible. Not when she still loved Rize so much she sometimes felt like her heart would burst.
Syaro let out a sigh. She didn't have the courage to tell Rize how she felt before she came here. She didn't want to ruin their friendship. She couldn't afford to lose what they had. Even if what they had was nothing more than a short phone call once in a while. And being able to see each other for nowhere near long enough the two times she went back home to visit everyone.
Syaro pinched the bridge of her nose. She knew nothing was ever going to happen between them. And yet here she was, hallucinating in the middle of the day. She knew she missed Rize like crazy but imagining her to be here of all places was ridiculous.
Syaro gave her head a shake to clear her thoughts. What was she supposed to be thinking about again? Oh, right. Teacups. That was what she should be focusing on right now.
Syaro squared her shoulders and turned her head to look at the gates, confident that she wouldn't see any illusions anymore. Confident that she'd be able to go about her d-
Oh, come on! Why could she still see those purple tresses? Those beautiful locks she dreamed of running her hands through... Syaro gave her head a vigorous shake. Oh, damn it. What on earth was wrong with her? She was going crazy, wasn't she?
Syaro's shoulders drooped. This was ridiculous. She could still see that girl standing there. Syaro rubbed her eyes. Maybe that would help.
...Or not.
Syaro pursed her lips. What a persistent hallucination. Maybe she should give Rize a call tonight. Just to ask how she was doing. Surely, Rize wouldn't mind. And then maybe, just maybe, Syaro would get back her sanity.
Syaro watched as the girl checked her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She watched the girl look around. And then she watched a student walk up to the girl and hand her a flyer.
Syaro blinked in confusion as the girl took the flyer with a smile and talked with the student. Wait a minute. If she was talking with someone else... Then didn't that mean that the girl was real?
Huh. So she wasn't hallucinating after all. Well, that was a relief. But then who was that girl? Some student who looked like Rize?
Syaro walked closer to the gate to get a better look at the girl's face. She didn't have to walk too far before it became apparent that it really was Rize. Not someone who looked like her. She was the real thing.
Syaro's eyebrows shot up. Seriously? Rize was here? Why? This made even less sense than her hallucinating!
Syaro looked around. Maybe Chiya had come to visit her and had dragged Rize along with her? But she couldn't see Chiya anywhere. Or anyone else for that matter. Then maybe Rize came to visit Cocoa and decided to visit her too since she was already in the city? No, that didn't make sense either. Rize and Cocoa were close but not that close.
But... Didn't that mean that Rize was here to visit her? That was the only option left. But how on earth did that make any sense? Syaro could only dream of her and Rize being so close but she knew for a fact that they weren't!
Syaro had never been more puzzled in her life. But it didn't seem like she could solve this mystery herself. She might as well just go and ask Rize what she was doing here.
Syaro made her way toward Rize, noting how Rize seemed to be carefully eyeing all the students walking out the gates. Rize seemed kind of nervous too. Syaro quickened her pace. She was way too curious now.
Syaro walked over to Rize and cleared her throat. "...Rize-senpai?"
Syaro wished she didn't sound so hesitant but she still wasn't entirely convinced that this girl wasn't Rize's doppelganger or something. As the girl spun around to look at her, Syaro looked up at the all too familiar face. The face that popped up in her dreams way too frequently nowadays. The face that made her heart beat faster than ever even after all these years.
No, not even a doppelganger could look so beautiful. This really was Rize. Standing here right before her. And as exhilarating as that was, it also made Syaro very, very confused.
Rize's lips curved upward into a huge smile. "Syaro! Oh, I was beginning to think that you'd already left."
Syaro blinked. The way Rize was brightly smiling at her... That was also something she saw in her dreams. But to see it in real life was a bit... Since when was Rize so happy to see her? Wasn't it usually the other way around?
But Rize really did seem happy. Way too happy, in fact. The sparkle in her eyes was unmistakable. Syaro bit her lip. Was this happening for real? Maybe she had fallen asleep in class and this was all just a dream.
Syaro bit her lip a bit harder. Ouch. Okay, so this wasn't a dream. She was awake. And Rize had apparently come to visit her. All the way to the city.
...Why?
Rize's eyebrows furrowed in what seemed like concern. "Syaro? You okay?"
"Ye-Yeah. I'm okay. I'm just..."
Rize gave her a sheepish smile. "Surprised to see me?"
Oh. So even Rize knew this was surprising.
Syaro's lips quirked upward in a small smile. "Yes, I'm surprised. And it's not like I'm unhappy to see you but what are you doing here, senpai? Also..." Syaro's eyes drifted around. "Are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone. And I came here because I wanted to talk to you."
Syaro tilted her head to one side. "To talk to me? You could've just called me, you know?"
"Uh... What I need to tell you is..." Rize averted her eyes. "Important. I couldn't tell you over the phone."
Syaro was even more confused now. Something Rize couldn't tell her over the phone? What could possibly be so important?
Rize glanced at Syaro. "Do you have work today? I can wait if you do."
Syaro creased her eyebrows. "You'd wait until I finish work?"
"Yes."
"Even though that could take a few hours?"
"Yes."
"...I don't understand."
Rize's cheeks turned slightly red. "Well, I don't have a choice! This is super important!"
Syaro wasn't sure how to react. She thought she was going to de-stress today by buying some fancy teacups. That clearly wasn't happening anymore. And with how Rize was acting, she wasn't sure whether she should be excited or plain worried.
Syaro gave Rize a small smile. "Well, you're lucky, senpai. I don't have work today."
Rize let out a sigh, a look of relief washing over her face. "Oh, good. Waiting a few more hours wouldn't be good for my nerves."
Syaro knitted her eyebrows. "Your nerves?"
Rize let out a nervous sounding laugh. "Oh, it's nothing. It's nothing." Rize looked away. "...It's nothing."
Syaro raised an eyebrow. It obviously wasn't nothing.
"So, senpai..."
"Yeah?"
"You came here to visit me without knowing whether or not I had work today. And you were willing to wait a few hours in case I did, right?"
"Yes."
Syaro creased her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't you just call and ask me?"
"I couldn't wait any longer."
"...What?"
"You'll understand when I tell you what I came here to tell you."
Syaro stared up at Rize wondering what on earth she could possibly have to say. Was Rize here to give her some good news? Maybe something amazing was happening at Rabbit House...?
"So... What do you want to tell me, senpai?"
"Uh..." Rize looked around. "Could we go someplace a bit more private?"
Syaro blinked. Rize wanted privacy. With her. Now that was new.
Rize rubbed her arm. "What about where you live now?"
"Well, my roommate will be there. So..."
Rize shook her head. "That won't work."
"Then... Oh! There's a park nearby. Let's go there."
"Sure." Rize gulped. "Let's go."
As the two of them headed for the park, Syaro threw Rize a furtive glance. That gulp made Syaro suspicious. Seriously, what was going on?
Apparently, Syaro would not be leaving her worries behind as she crossed the gates today.
It was a lovely day to be outside. Bright and sunny but not too hot. The park was beautiful and lively as always. The lush green grass, gorgeous flowers and huge trees never failed to bring a smile to Syaro's face. Standing in the cool shade of a tree at the edge of the park with a soft breeze blowing against her face, Syaro felt at peace.
And most importantly? There were no rabbits here. Not a single one!
Syaro glanced at a girl sitting on one of the park benches with her boyfriend. She seemed to be enjoying herself but with how her cheeks were glowing, she was clearly embarrassed. As her boyfriend took her hand in his and said something to her, the blush dusting her cheeks grew a bit darker.
A cute scene, indeed. But... This only served to make the sight before Syaro all the more perplexing.
Before Syaro stood her cool and reliable senpai... Whose bright red cheeks were a few shades deeper than that girl with her boyfriend. Syaro stared at Rize, unsure of what to make of the situation. For some reason, Rize couldn't even bring herself to look her in the eye.
Syaro threw another glance at the girl on the bench. She was looking away, apparently too embarrassed to look at her boyfriend. Syaro returned her gaze to Rize only to find her doing the same thing.
Syaro blinked. This was weird. Way too weird. Why was Rize acting like a girl in love? This made no se-
Wait.
Rize hadn't fallen in love with someone, had she?! Somebody cool and awesome who she met at her university, perhaps? And maybe that was why Rize came to visit her. To tell her about how she was now dating somebody amazing and incredible and perfect. Somebody who wasn't her.
Syaro struggled to keep a straight face. She knew this day was coming but damn it, why did it have to be so soon? She should have never come to the city to study at such a faraway university. She should have stayed at home where she could be with Rize and...
...And what? Who was she kidding? Staying back would have done nothing. If she couldn't get Rize to love her back in three years, then there was nothing else she could do anyway. It was a hopeless battle to begin with. And today, she had officially lost.
Syaro let out a sigh. She felt kind of numb. But that was okay. It was actually a very good thing. Because now, no matter what Rize said, she wouldn't feel much at all. Perfect.
Rize finally looked at Syaro but there was a strange sense of concern in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Syaro. I'm boring you, aren't I?"
Syaro blinked. Why did Rize think- Oh. She just sighed right now, didn't she? Probably not the best move.
Rize's eyes dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you waiting any longer." Rize took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I think I've kept you waiting for far too long anyway."
"What? It's been like two minutes. It's okay, senpai."
Rize shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about."
"Then what are you talk-"
"S-Syaro." Rize looked up at Syaro, a steely look of determination in her eyes despite the obvious hesitation in her voice. "I thought which university you decided to go to was none of my business. Well... It actually isn't any of my business. So I wasn't exactly wrong. I mean, it's not like I have any right to tell you where you should study. That's up to you. And I'm not trying to be an overbearing senpai or anything. I mean it! It's not like I was expecting you to study in the same university as me. That would be ridiculous. But now that you've moved away so far, it's... Well, I wish you hadn't. And I wish I had stopped you. But I also know that wasn't possible. I couldn't possibly ask you to sacrifice your career because of me. So it's actually a good thing I didn't stop you back then. But I... I..." Rize let out a groan as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh... What am I saying...?"
Syaro silently stared up at Rize, her mouth slightly agape. What was going on here? Whatever her senpai came here to say had somehow managed to reduce her to a bumbling, rambling mess. And her voice sounded so weak at the end. But one thing was abundantly clear. Whatever Rize had come to say had something to do with her. Not somebody else Rize met back home. She was here for Kirima Syaro.
And that was a huge relief. Rize wasn't dating someone else. She came all the way here to the city because for some reason, she didn't like that Syaro was so far away. And that made Syaro feel more smug than she had ever felt in her life.
As Rize let out a whimper, Syaro's eyebrows shot up. Was she hearing things now or something? Seriously, what was bothering Rize so much? Syaro bit her lip. She really needed to stop feeling so smug and try to help her senpai out instead.
"Rize-senpai, are you okay?"
Rize simply moaned in response. Syaro blinked. That most certainly wasn't a reaction she was expecting. Today was a very strange day, indeed.
Syaro briefly considered pulling Rize's hands away from her face but she knew she didn't have the heart for it. The mere thought of doing something like that made her head spin. It was funny, wasn't it? It was funny how staying away from Rize for a few months did absolutely nothing to dull her feelings for the girl.
"Um, senpai? You can tell me whatever you want to, you know? You don't need to hesitate."
Rize slowly lowered her hands from her face, her cheeks an amazing shade of red. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I... I just... I wanted to tell you that... That..."
Syaro furrowed her eyebrows. "Tell me that...?"
"That I..." Rize squeezed her eyes shut. "That I love you!"
Syaro's jaw dropped. She stared up at Rize, a million questions racing through her mind. She was sure she'd heard right. And she was sure that Rize wouldn't prank her about something so serious. Which meant that Rize was actually standing before her, saying that she loved her. That was... That was... Well, Syaro didn't know what it was.
All Syaro knew was that she had way too many questions right now. Questions she really wanted answers to. All she had to do was ask them. Simple, right?
Apparently not. Because the only thing that came out of her mouth was...
"...Huh?"
Rize's eyes snapped open. She stared at Syaro with wide eyes for a good three seconds before turning on her heel in what Syaro assumed was an attempt to run away. Syaro's eyes widened. She couldn't let that happen!
"Rize-senpai!" Syaro grabbed Rize's hand with both of her own to stop her. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have reacted like that."
Rize gave her head a vigorous shake. "No, no. It's not your fault. It's my fault. And Yura's. I should have never listened to her!"
Syaro blinked. "Yura-senpai?"
"This was all her idea. I'm such an idiot for listening to her..."
Syaro held Rize's hand a little tighter and gave it a small tug, well aware of how an act so simple caused her cheeks to heat up. "Rize-senpai, please look at me."
Rize didn't react. But she wasn't running away either so that was a good sign. Syaro could, however, feel Rize's hand becoming sweaty. Rize was growing more nervous, wasn't she?
Syaro put on a small smile and gave Rize's hand a squeeze. "Talk to me, senpai. I promise you won't regret it."
A few moments passed in silence before Rize let out a sigh. As she slowly turned around, Syaro let go of her hand. Rize could barely keep her eyes on Syaro for a few seconds before dropping them to the ground.
Rize bit her lip. "Yura told me I should come and tell you how I feel so that I don't go crazy or something."
"And how you feel is...? Seriously?"
Rize pouted. "I knew you wouldn't be happy to hear me say I love you..."
"What? Of course I'm happy!"
Rize looked up at Syaro, genuine confusion splayed all over her face. "You are?"
"Yes!"
"But... You don't seem happy."
Syaro waved her hands in front of her. "No, no. I'm happy. Trust me. I'm just confused."
"Confused? Yeah, that was probably the sloppiest confession in history..."
"No, that's not it. I mean... Why now?"
Rize creased her eyebrows. "Now? Just after your classes are over?" A look of realization washed over Rize's face. "Oh, you mean I should have asked you out somewhere fancy on the weekend, right?"
"What? No, I mean-"
"Oh, right. You never liked all the fancy stuff at our school, did you? But you act like such a perfect ojou-sama. I really like that about you, you know? Did I ever tell you that before?"
"Eh?" Syaro could feel her cheeks heating up again. "Senpai, I-"
"Ah!" Rize lightly hit her fist into her palm, looking like she just had an epiphany. "I should have told you when you came back home, right? Because that town is where we first met. And it's where we got to know each other."
"Senpa-"
"But waiting for you to come back home would be so painful. I couldn't possibly wait that long! Yura wasn't wrong when she said I'd drive myself nuts thinking about you all the time."
"All the time?!"
"I even saw you in a dream once. Is that creepy? That's definitely creepy. Oh, I'm such an idiot. You hate me now, don't you? Yeah, I'm sure you-"
"Senpai! Please stop!"
Thankfully, Rize did as told. Syaro stared up at her, sure that her exasperation was written all over her face. Rize stared back, her expression a mix of disappointment and embarrassment. Syaro let out a sigh. Which one of them was the senpai, again?
Syaro gave Rize a soft smile. "Calm down. You don't have to look so upset."
Rize looked away. "I wish I was better at this. But it's all so new for me."
"Well... This is new for me, too."
Rize gave Syaro a sideways glance. "You... Nobody has ever confessed to you before?"
"Huh? No, of course not."
Rize turned her head to properly look at Syaro, her eyebrow raised. "Of course not? Why would you say that?"
"Uh... Do I seem like the type of girl people would chase after?"
"Of course! You're amazing!"
"Wha-?" Syaro's cheeks flared. "Senpai, you're the one who had a fan club at school!"
"So what? All those girls simply looked up to me because they thought I was cool. But you?" Rize grinned. "You're more amazing than I'll ever be! I could never be as elegant and beautiful as you are."
"Beautiful?!"
Syaro couldn't understand how on earth Rize could say all that with a straight face. She wasn't even blushing anymore! Where did all that nervousness of hers go all of a sudden? Syaro couldn't believe how... How confident Rize looked right now.
"Senpai, please... I'm not... Beautiful."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"You are. Trust me, Syaro. You are."
The warm smile that spread across Rize's face made Syaro feel light-headed. There was way too much... Love in her eyes!
"Th-Th-Then, you're a m-million times more beautiful, s-senpai!"
Rize chuckled. "Fine, we're both beautiful. Happy?"
Syaro buried her face in her hands, utterly mortified. This was not how she thought today would go. But she should be happy. Very happy. And in all honesty, she was happy. But the whole situation was simply so overwhelming that Syaro wished she could disappear into a rabbit hole.
"Hey, Syaro."
"Hmm?"
"So what did you mean by why now? I still don't understand."
Syaro lowered her hands from her face and slowly looked up at Rize, feeling pretty weak in her knees. "...We've known each other for over three years. Lived in the same town for so long. And you come to confess now? After I left that town and moved to the city?"
Rize chewed her lip. "Uh... Well..."
"You couldn't have told me before I left?"
Averting her eyes, Rize rubbed the back of her head. "I... I didn't know."
"Didn't know what?"
"Didn't know that I love you."
Syaro's eyebrows shot up. "You didn't realize it in the three years we were together but you realize it now? After I left? How? How is that possible?"
Rize looked back at Syaro but she didn't say anything. She seemed like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should. Rize bit her lip, clearly uncertain about something.
Syaro's features pulled into a slight frown. "Please don't tell me you don't know the answer yourself."
"I... I don't know why I didn't realize earlier, Syaro."
Syaro's shoulders drooped. "Seriously?"
"I just..." Rize let out a sigh. "It's been hard for me to make friends all my life. But things changed after Cocoa came to our town. And I think I was so incredibly happy to have made some friends that I just didn't think about anything more."
"...And now?"
Rize gave Syaro an awkward smile. "You left town and I miss you like crazy."
Syaro blinked. "You miss me?"
"Yes."
"And that's what made you realize your feelings?"
"Yes."
"So if I hadn't left you still might be oblivious?"
"...Yes."
Syaro gave Rize an incredulous look. Seriously? Seriously?! In three years of being with Rize, nothing happened. Nothing at all. And then it took merely two months of her not being with Rize for something like this to happen. If she'd known leaving town would be so... so effective, she would have left ages ago!
...Okay, maybe not. She couldn't have left without completing high school.
But even so, this was absurd. She achieved more in much less time by not being around than actually being around! And she didn't even have to do anything. She left town and her hopeless-crush-on-her-cool-and-awesome-senpai-who-never-seemed-to-notice situation magically resolved itself!
Syaro pinched the bridge of her nose, her happiness starting to feel bittersweet. "So, senpai, let me get this straight. You recently realized your feelings and Yura-senpai told you to come here to tell me. And you actually listened to her?"
Rize nodded. "She was right about me going crazy if I didn't. So..."
"So you picked a day when you had no classes and-"
"Oh, I had classes today."
"...Huh?"
"I just didn't go to my university today."
"Huh?!"
"Why are you so surprised? I had to skip classes today if I wanted to get here in time."
Syaro's jaw dropped. "You skipped classes? To come and talk to me?"
"To confess to you."
Oh, right. To confess. That was important, right? Important enough to skip classes for an entire day. This was all normal. So perfectly normal. So incredibly common, right?
...Then why was her head spinning, again?
Rize creased her eyebrows, her expression morphing into a worried one. "Hey, are you okay, Syaro? You don't look too good."
Syaro's mouth went dry, the gravity of the situation finally hitting her like a rock. Or maybe a boulder. A gigantic boulder falling on her head from the skies.
"Syaro?"
The sheer concern in Rize's eyes was enough to overwhelm Syaro. This was what she had always dreamt of. And now she was finally going to have it! This was amazing. This was perfect. This was all she had ever want-
"Syaro!"
Syaro snapped out of her thoughts to find Rize very, very close to her. Gripping her shoulders. Staring deep into her eyes. The anxious concern swimming in Rize's wide eyes was honestly making it hard for her to breathe.
Syaro gulped. "I-I'm okay, senpai."
Rize didn't seem too convinced but she let go of Syaro's shoulders and took a step back. "I'm sorry, Syaro. I surprised you too much, didn't I? This probably wasn't the best idea."
"It's okay, senpai. Don't apologize... But yes, I'm surprised."
Rize averted her eyes. "Yura said you like me back and so I should tell you straight away. I shouldn't have listened to her."
Syaro furrowed her eyebrows. "Why not?"
Rize gave Syaro a look. "You don't actually like me back, do you?"
"...You seriously think that?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Syaro pursed her lips. "Rize-senpai, have you honestly noticed nothing in all these years?"
Rize looked genuinely confused. "Noticed what?"
"Noticed how I feel about you."
"Um... Well I know you admire me."
"And?"
"...And you adore me?"
Syaro gritted her teeth. "And?"
"And... I don't know...?"
"You don't know?" Syaro threw her hands up in the air. "How can you not know?!"
Rize flinched, clearly not expecting the sudden outburst. "I... I... I'm sorry, okay? Just making friends took me so long to figure out. This is way harder! I don't understand this stuff at all."
Syaro let out an exasperated sigh. "But you've finally understood your own feelings, right? How can you still not understand how I feel?"
"Well, I know you admire me. So I'm not a complete idiot."
"And why do you think I admire you?"
"Because I'm your senpai...?"
"Oh, my God, Rize-senpai! How can you be so utterly clueless?!"
Rize's expression went from confused to very, very confused. Syaro's shoulders drooped at how puzzled Rize looked right now. This senpai of hers who she was absolutely crazy about was a hopeless moron. For real.
Rize bit her lip. "I, um... I don't know what to say, Syaro."
"I don't admire you just because you're my senpai!" Syaro let out a loud groan. "It's because I love you! You hear me? I love you! I've had a crush on you for three years, senpai. Three years! How on earth do you not know?! Everyone knows. Even Cocoa figured it out ages ago and that girl can barely think of anything but how to be an onee-chan! I can't believe you, senpai!"
Rize didn't respond. She simply stared at Syaro with wide eyes. She was shocked, huh? Oh, wow. She seriously didn't know a thing.
Rize opened her mouth, finally seeming to have overcome her shock, only to close it again. Rize gulped. "...You love me?" she squeaked out.
"Yes! I can't believe I actually have to spell this out for you but yes, I am in love with you. Hopelessly, madly in love. Do you get that, Rize-senpai? Do you finally understand?!"
Rize stared at Syaro for what seemed like an eternity before giving her a slow nod. Her eyes darted around and she bit her lip, her expression morphing into one of discomfort. Syaro creased her eyebrows. What was wrong? Syaro looked around and...
Oh. Oh, no.
Everyone was staring at them. All these strangers at the park had stopped what they were doing to stare at them, clearly surprised by her outburst. And what did she say just now? Oh, right. I am in love with you. Hopelessly, madly in love.
Syaro's cheeks, no, her whole body was on fire in an instant. She forgot they were in public and said all that embarrassing stuff! Oh... She was feeling very dizzy right now. She wanted to run away from here and hide somewhere no one would ever find her but her feet remained rooted to the ground. Her mind was going blank. Now really wasn't a good time for her brain to be shutting off...
Syaro felt Rize grab her hand and tug her away. In her dazed state, Syaro barely registered what was happening as they walked out of the park, out of everyone's prying eyes and down the street. Syaro weakly glanced up at Rize to find her staring straight ahead, a stern look of determination on her face.
A small smile pulled at Syaro's lips. Rize looked so cool. Amazing. Bright. As beautiful as a shooting star. And it made her feel so very special whenever Rize protected her like this.
The warmth spreading through her chest made her feel fuzzy. This was true bliss. She felt so incredibly safe with Rize that she didn't even bother to look ahead. She was absolutely certain Rize would lead her to safety. That Rize wouldn't let her get hurt no matter what.
The strong yet gentle way Rize was gripping her hand felt like a dream. But it was real. All so very real and oh, so tangible.
Syaro's smile grew wider as she found herself falling in love with Rize all over again.
Syaro sipped her ice-cold drink, making sure her eyes stayed on the table. She was afraid to look up. Because sitting across from her was Rize. And after the scene she had just created at the park...
Ugh. Just thinking about it made her want to disappear.
"Hey, Syaro. You feeling better now?"
Syaro chewed her lip. She had to look up now, didn't she? It'd be rude if she didn't. And this was Rize, after all. As if Syaro could bear to be rude to her.
Syaro slowly looked up to find Rize's eyes focused on her, nothing but pure concern splayed across her face. Syaro gulped. Rize looking at her like that was going to take some time to get used to. A lot of time, actually. She wasn't used to seeing so much love in her senpai's eyes.
An awkward smile made its way to Syaro's face. "Y-Yes, Rize-senpai. I'm feeling better now. Thank you for bringing me to Bright Bunny. This is nice."
Rize's lips curved upward into a small smile. "I figured the air conditioning here would help you cool down. And that drink too."
"They really are helping. A lot." Syaro glanced at her drink and then back at Rize. "You really didn't need to buy me this, though. I could've bought it myself."
"Oh, come on. It's the least I could do. It's my fault you even need it."
Syaro furrowed her eyebrows. "How is it your fault?"
Rize chuckled. "My sudden confession is what led to this, isn't it?"
"Eh?" Syaro shook her head. "This is all my fault, senpai. Don't blame yourse-"
Syaro shut up as she felt Rize's hand on her own. Warm and soft and gentle and... Her head was starting to spin again.
Rize gave her hand a light squeeze. "It's okay, Syaro. You don't have to defend me all the time." Rize averted her eyes, her cheeks turning pink. "You don't have to do that just because you love me. I know I can be an idiot sometimes."
Syaro drew in a sharp breath. Because you love me. After all these years, Rize finally knew. For real. She knew exactly how Syaro felt. She understood. She finally understood.
Rize looked at Syaro and gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for loving me in spite of all my flaws, Syaro."
"Eh?" Syaro's cheeks flared. "Why would you thank me for that?"
Rize giggled as she let go of Syaro's hand. "Because you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you for loving this idiot senpai of yours. I mean it."
Syaro bit her lip. "Well... Thank you for loving me back."
Rize's grin widened. "You make it really easy, you know?"
Syaro buried her face in her hands. This was going to take a long time to get used to. So long. She'd seen Rize's cool side, her cute side, her surprisingly childish side and so much more. But this? This was totally new. This was a Rize in love. And it was all for her and her alone.
Syaro heard Rize let out a laugh. "You really are way too cute, Syaro."
Syaro lowered her hands from her face and tried to throw a glare at Rize. Tried. Because with how Rize was beaming at her, Syaro didn't think she'd succeeded. "P-Please stop teasing me, senpai."
"Eh?" Rize blinked. "What makes you think I'm teasing you? I'm just telling the truth."
Syaro bit her lip. It was pretty obvious that not even an iota of Rize's previous nervousness was left. The moment she told Rize she loved her, all of Rize's uneasiness vanished and her confident Rize-senpai was back in an instant.
"So, did you have any plans for today, Syaro? I didn't ruin anything by suddenly showing up, did I?"
Syaro shook her head. "You didn't ruin anything, senpai. I didn't have anything to do today so I was going to go teacup shopping."
"Oh. Well then, let's go together now!"
Syaro furrowed her eyebrows. "Together?"
"Yeah. It'll be our first date!"
"Eh?!"
"What's wrong? We're dating now, right? I mean, after that outburst you had at the park..." Rize let out an awkward laugh. "Uh... You must have been holding that in for a long time, huh?"
Syaro felt her cheeks heat up. "Y-Yes. But... We're dating?"
"Aren't we?"
"I think...?"
Rize put on a thoughtful look. "Oh, right. I never exactly asked, did I?"
Syaro let out a yelp as Rize reached over and took both of her hands in her own. A warm smile spread across Rize's face as she looked into Syaro's eyes. Syaro couldn't look away, losing herself in the kindness in Rize's eyes. The gentle look on Rize's face radiated care and affection. It was different from any expression Syaro had ever seen on Rize before.
Rize's smile grew a bit wider. "Syaro, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?"
Syaro's heart swelled, a huge grin spreading across her face. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for for so incredibly long that she had honestly given up on it ever happening. But it was finally here!
"Yes, senpai!"
Rize chuckled. "Thanks, Syaro. I promise I'll try my best to make you happy."
Syaro giggled. "You've already made me happier than I've ever been in my life."
"Good. I'm off to a great start, it seems."
Syaro resisted the urge to let out a dreamy sigh. And whoa, was that urge ridiculously strong. She was Rize's girlfriend now. Her girlfriend. And to think such an important moment of her life just happened at Bright Bunny of all places. She had a feeling Chino and Chiya wouldn't be too happy if they heard that...
Syaro snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Rize's chair scraping across the floor. She looked up to find Rize standing. "We're leaving?"
"You finish your drink. We can leave after that."
"Then where are you going?"
"Outside. To call Yura."
"Yura-senpai?"
Rize nodded. "She told me to tell her everything and seeing how she's the reason I actually came here, I owe her that much."
Huh. Rize wouldn't have come here if it weren't for Yura, would've she? Syaro made a mental note to thank Yura the next time she saw her. Maybe she should buy her a thank-you gift. Yeah, she really ought to do that.
Syaro eyed Rize as she walked away from the table. Rize barely took a few steps before she slowed to a stop. Syaro creased her eyebrows. Was something wrong?
As Rize stood there in silence, Syaro considered getting up to check on her. But before she could actually stand up, all of a sudden, Rize whirled around. In the time it took for Syaro to blink, Rize was already at her side. Syaro's eyes widened as Rize leaned down close to her face.
Syaro froze at the sensation of something soft and warm pressing against her cheek. It lasted for a mere second at most and the feeling was gone as quickly as it had come.
Syaro stared at Rize's quickly receding form with blank eyes. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the plastic cup sitting on the table before her. She pushed the cup away with weak hands and let her head fall onto the table with a thud. That should have hurt. But it didn't. Syaro couldn't exactly feel her body right now. All she could feel was the lingering sensation of Rize's lips on her cheek.
Forcing herself to not let out the loudest squeal in history was decidedly the hardest thing Syaro had ever done in her entire life.
So, what did you think? Please let me know. And I'm curious whether this made anyone laugh even once…
BTW, Syaro thinks Rize is as beautiful as a shooting star at one point in this fic. If you didn't get that reference, go check out Syaro's character song 麗しのShooting Star (Uruwashi no Shooting Star). The lyrics are quite sweet.
Read and review, folks! I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism.