Chapter 7

The week of winter exams at Aihara Academy began and ended seemingly in one fell swoop. All that had been stressful for many was now over, a palpable sense of tranquility washed over the Academy, as all the various students' efforts were left in the hands of their correctors. Matsuri trudged to her locker, a sigh slipping from her lips. Saying she was pleased that the testing period was over would be an understatement. . It hadn't been easy for her, but it was far from hopeless; she was a little more academically inclined than many would credit her for being. As she approached her personal compartment, a pair of familiar faces were waiting for her.

Harumi and Yuzu stood at Matsuri's locker, waiting for their underclassman to arrive, giggling to themselves as the hustle and bustle of home time flourished around them. "There she is! So…how did you do?" the brunette asked, smirking at her pink haired friend. Echoing the sentiment back, Matsuri would nod. "It went alright. Better than how Yuzu's went when she took it, anyways." she said, letting out a chuckle. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I did ok on that test last year too!" Yuzu would quickly retort, her face squishing up into her best approximation of a glare. Harumin would laugh alongside Matsuri at their friend's reaction, as the junior girl tended to her locker and retrieved her outside shoes. She was about to leave, before her eyes caught sight of a note that had been placed under them,quickly stuffing it away from a certain blonde's prying eyes.

"Alright, are we ready?" she'd ask, placing a dark gray beanie on her head and changing into her black and white tennis shoes. The trio left the school in unison their joint stroll taking them home. There was a slight chill to the air as the wind blew sharply against the girls' faces, whipping their hair around their heads

"So, any plans for Christmas?" Harumi asked as she walked in the center of the other two girls, taking control of the conversation. It wasn't clear if she was trying to find out about Matsuri's plans or if it was just a normal question, maybe it was even a bit of both, or so the shortest of the three thought. "Nothing really, Mei and I are probably going to go see the lights in the park and the ice rink." Yuzu answered, excitement clear in her voice.

A small nod of approval came from Matsuri and Harumin. After all, the pair had been there together before and enjoyed it quite a bit. "I don't really have much planned. Mom will be away again, I think." A slight sadness washed over the group at Matsuri's response. While Yuzu and her were somewhat used to such things, it didn't take much of the sting out of it. "What about you, Harumin?" Matsuri asked, trying to lift the mood after her revelation.

"Oh? Well, I'm pretty sure my sister will be home for it, at least for a few days."

The trio meandered through the streets, hoping to spend as much time together before they parted for the holidays. But, soon came that time, and Yuzu was the first to split off, hugging her friends before making her way to the train. Now, just the two, strolled home, the quietness between them drowned out by the dull roar of everyday life.

"So, if you're free one of the days, would you want to do something over the break?" the girl would ask. A noticeable look of surprise would register on the visage of the other, clearly not expecting the question to be asked of her. A smile would form across Matsuri's face as she'd nod back at her upperclassman. "I'd love to. Any ideas?" she'd quickly respond, tilting her head to the side. Matsuri did remember that she proposed they would both choose the next spot, so her goal was to see if she could tease some sort of answer out of Harumi.

"Well, how about a café and just hang out?" She'd propose, a small grin appearing on Harumin's face as she spoke, soon, replaced by a large one as Matsuri responded with a, "Sure, that sounds really nice."

The pair would soon part, a smile being their chosen way of a goodbye. Although they had kissed on their first date, neither seemed to want to rush into another one just yet. As Matsuri stepped into her home, she'd jump onto the bed with glee. She hadn't been able to stop smiling after leaving her Senpai.

She spent much of the night on her phone, scrolling through different sites, watching a myriad of videos, and catching up on some anime, hoping to make the time between now and that Café date come ever quicker.

The pair would text here and there over the Christmas break, Each day learning a little bit more about one another. Soon, a date had been set for their joint trip to a Café. Under Harumi's pushed suggestion, they'd meet at Udagawa's Café, the very one that Yuzu had worked at before, and Matsuri had become a regular patron of.

That Saturday afternoon, the pair met outside the Café. There was a faint snowfall trickling down from the sky, glistening the streets and peppering the coats of the girls. A smile formed upon the kohai's face at the arrival of her senpai. "Hey!" she called out, with a slight wave received back. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, Matsuri." She would reply softly, the pair entering the warm Café. "Not at all." is all the pink hair girl would say, although she had been standing there for about ten minutes.

The Café had a casual and cozy atmosphere to it. The aroma of fresh food and coffee hit both of them as they entered. Udagawa would greet the two with a warm expression. "Hello you two. I'll be with you in a moment, take any seat you wish." His words were more spoken as a formality, as Matsuri had a preferred seat in the café anyways, the same place she'd always sit. Even from her countless trips here, that one was her favorite.

As they took their seats, the Café owner approached them, placing a pair of glasses on the table for the couple. "So, what will it be?" Harumin looked at the small menu, peeking up to see Matsuri had likely already decided. After all, that girl could probably recite the menu with how often she came here. "I'll take a tea and a hot scone." Harumin would say, finally making up her mind. As Udagawa wrote down the order, he began to preemptively write Matsuri's usual down as well, before being taken a little by surprise as she requested the same thing as her date. A sly smile would appear on the waiter before he'd nod and head out for the kitchen, getting ready to prepare the girls' orders.

"So, how has your Christmas been going so far?" Harumi would ask, opening the conversation up rather easily. "It's been ok. Not too much happening, how about yours?" The pink-haired girl says in return, wearing a smile that simply wouldn't fade. Her glee was displayed somewhat proudly. "Well, it's alright as well. Mitsuko is home for the holiday, so you can guess how that's going." Harumi said, a roll of her eyes and a slight sigh accompanying her words.

Soon Udagawa would return with a tray containing two tea's, some sugar, milk, scones and some butter and strawberry jam. "Enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else."

And with that, he would disappear behind the counter yet again. The pair began to dig in, sipping their tea and enjoying their scones with a rather tame bit of conversation. There was a slight awkwardness to it, almost as if neither of them believed it really was happening.

The sound of soft Jazz smoothly filled the gaps in the conversation. It wasn't going poorly per say, but it was a little less organic than the last date at the park, which caused a tinge of anxiety to flare up for Matsuri, fearing she was screwing it all up. Harumi excused herself, standing from the table and heading towards the restroom, giving Matsuri a little time to breath, recompose, and prepare herself. Soon, she was joined by Udagawa who stood at the table's side.

"You need to relax Matsuri. Don't work yourself up too much over it. She seems to be feeling similar." Matsuri's eyes would widen a little. Is it that obvious? She'd think to herself, looking back at her friend. "So you guessed what this was then?" she'd say, a little meekly. A chuckle came from the manager along with a smile. "Of course I did. You rarely come here with anyone other than the entire group, so just you two was a bit of a strange sight. And knowing some of your group's relationships, I put the pieces together." He began to clean the table a little, taking empty plates and cutlery as he spoke.

"Just breathe and know that you aren't the only one nervous, and that's ok." a warm smile flashed at his customer before he'd lift the tray of dirty dishes, returning to his workstation, only to be replaced by Harumin a few moments later, who took her seat and smiled at her date.

The rest of the date did seem to go over a little better, as both girls were able to recompose themselves and adjust to the situation, with Harumin taking a breather in the bathroom and Matsuri getting some advice from her friend. The pair paid their bill before leaving the comfortable café and embarking into the blistering snow, strolling about the streets slowly and just enjoying their time together.

As they parted yet again, as often before, a smile was wide on Matsuri's face, happy to recover after the slight stumble in the café. Meanwhile, Harumi wore a small grin as her heart beat returned a little more like itself. Could this be the start of her feelings for her junior?