Why are you so soft?
By: Escarlata
Precure belongs to Toei, the plot is mine
===o===
"Come on, it will be fun!" Said an excited Hasekura Kazuki, he was walking in front of his girlfriend. "My senpai will be there and he'll bring some friends!" He added. His smile was big as always.
Nagisa sighed but still smiled. She wanted her boyfriend to relax a bit, just for five minutes, he always seemed to be in a hurry, sometimes Kazuki's energy was too high for her to handle. But she still found him funny, he was fun and they both shared a lot of common interests like sports, moving around, eating a lot, laughing, and hanging out with friends and more. They look alike and everything and everyone around them said they made a great couple.
Kazuki was fun to be with, but sometimes Nagisa just wanted to lie down and take a nap after a busy day, but her wish was impossible to fulfill with an energetic boy by her side. High school was hard, lacrosse practice was harder, but Nagisa couldn't tell him 'no' when he always did everything to make her feel good. Nagisa couldn't say that she was in love with Kazuki but she liked him enough to deal with him and his infinite energy pool.
"A group date with people from your senpai's high school, right?" Nagisa asked. He nodded. "When?"
"Today, we're leaving right now."
"What!?"
"The others are waiting for us at the entrance."
"I can't believe this!"
Kazuki smiled and laughed again, Nagisa just grunted. He had always been like that and she learned for good that getting angry with him was useless. Kazuki was a walking disaster, almost like her but he was ten times worse than her. "Okay, let's go. I just need to text my mom", Nagisa took out her phone from her pocket she had to tell her mom just in case she got home later than the usual.
Nagisa and Kazuki joined their small group of friends, all of them from sports clubs, and left school to go downtown. Nagisa couldn't stay mad at him for long, he was funny, nice and a great guy, the right reasons she needed to accept his confession and become his girlfriend. After all, it was normal for a boy and a girl very similar to each other to be together, right? They're both freshmen, but everyone admired their relationship. Everything was right with their relationship, right? She believed so.
Meanwhile, the other group of high school students waited at the meeting place. Fujimura checked his phone and smiled. "They'll be here soon," he said, and the group nodded. "Thanks for coming guys."
"This will be fun!" Kimata exclaimed and then placed his hand on the head of the girl next to him. "Thanks for coming, Honoka."
"I'm here because you guys are worse than kids and you won't leave me alone if I refuse," Honoka told them with a sigh and then a small smile. "And you two promise me an expensive book in exchange for coming," she added with a bigger smile now.
The other students laughed, they all knew about Yukishiro Honoka's special behavior, she was only close friends with Fujimura and Kimata, after all, the three of them were childhood friends and the boys always cared a lot about the younger girl. Still, she was really beautiful, popular with the boys, the best student in school, and an active member of the science club. Many boys confessed to her since her first day in high school and she rejected them all. Honoka wasn't interested in boys. Honoka had her own tastes in people.
"You'll have fun, I promise," said Fujimura with calm voice.
"Still, you can leave earlier if you want, okay?" Kimata told her in a serious voice. They knew that Honoka could be weird to and with new people. Honoka was able to socialize properly, like a normal girl, but as soon she felt comfortable, her charms would always take over and make her impose her good will on the person she felt needed it, regardless of whether she knew them or not, or if they wanted any advice or not.
"I am already here, so I better take advantage of this, maybe I can learn something new," said Honoka and her friends just smiled.
Twenty minutes later both groups met in the shopping street, a popular place full of trending stores, fast food stalls, arcades, coffee shops, karaoke and more fun places to go.
Nagisa froze when she saw a familiar face among the other group: Fujimura Shougo. He moved to another district last year in his third year of junior high school and left Verone, Nagisa used to have a huge crush on him back then, she was ready to confess her feelings to him, but the boy left before she could even get closer to him. Nagisa felt heartbroken for a few months. So Hasekura Kazuki confessed to her and Nagisa dated him since she didn't have anyone else and it was fun to have him around her.
By the way, Kazuki wasn't helping her; the excited guy walked up to Fujimura and Kimata and bowed to them. "Senpai, I'm glad to see you two again!"
"Me too, Hasekura," Fujimura replied with a pleasant smile.
"You're full of energy like always", Kimata said and gave the younger boy a strong pat on the back.
"Senpai look! This is my girlfriend, Misumi Nagisa," Kazuki said with the biggest smile of his.
"Nice to meet you," both boys said and so did everyone in their group.
"Nice to meet you," Nagisa replied quietly. The thought of being an unknown face to Fujimura Shougo didn't help. She just sighed. I can't believe this.
Honoka noticed the girl and dared to think that she seemed really uncomfortable with the sudden rough hug from the loud boy, her boyfriend. On the other hand, she found the girl, Misumi Nagisa, really pretty and good-looking. Honoka smiled. Oh, she has a boyfriend, what a shame, she thought.
Soon it was her turn to introduce herself. "Yukishiro Honoka at your service," she said, bowing politely, "I'm a childhood friend of Fujimura and Kimata. Nice to meet you," of course, she was a proper girl.
Ten minutes of introductions and chatting later, the entire group went to the arcade first. After all, teenagers liked arcades, right? Well, everyone was having fun playing and laughing. Almost all of the students were having fun. Nagisa felt weird after meeting her ex-crush again, he looked as good as ever. She wondered if Fujimura had a girlfriend and then she remembered that the boy didn't introduce anyone as his girlfriend, if he had a girlfriend then said girl must be there with him, right?
Still, Nagisa didn't feel like asking Fujimura anything personal, after all, she was a stranger to him. Nagisa sighed and looked for her boyfriend; Kazuki was playing with the boys in a punching game. Nagisa shook her head and smiled. He was having fun, so she wanted to have fun too. Nagisa inserted a coin into a classic beat' em up game and chose the biggest guy with the strongest punch from the character menu.
The game started and Nagisa slowly smiled as she progressed through level after level, but it got harder and she lost at the third stage.
"Man that was hard!" Nagisa exclaimed. She was ready to try again and then someone sat down next to her.
"Can I join?" Honoka asked and showed her a coin.
Nagisa shrugged and nodded. "Go ahead," she said and inserted another coin. The other girl did the same and Nagisa chose the same big guy.
A smiling Honoka chose the skinny guy with the fastest kicks and the game began.
Then something strange happened.
The moment Nagisa's big guy was in problems, Honoka's fast guy came to the rescue with a throw or a kick. Nagisa smiled every time Yukishiro Honoka made it easy for her to attack her enemies and finish them off with a powerful charged blow. Honoka also smiled as Misumi Nagisa helped her out of a crowd of enemies and cleaned her path. Both girls played in perfect sync, level after level, and their characters making a path of destruction.
Curious teenagers gathered around them to watch, they were really hot! Just one coin and the girls were winning the game like no one before. They were silent, their eyes fixed on the screen, their hands pushing buttons rapidly. About forty minutes later they reached the final stage, the big boss and their minions waiting for them. A short cut scene and both girls shared a look, smiled and nodded before starting the last level.
Their audience cheered them loudly; happily, even their schoolmates joined in and watched them play like champions. Fujimura and Kimata smiled, their dear Honoka had found someone to have fun with. Kazuki cheered them louder, especially his girlfriend, she was the best!
Nagisa and Honoka were having a lot of fun playing together. They fought the final boss after a large crowd of minions, the last wave before facing the Boss. The last fight was tough, their characters almost died, but a combo attack did a last minute miracle and the Boss went down. The public burst with joy and applauded loudly. Nagisa cried out in happiness and great excitement then looked at the girl. Honoka just smiled a big smile this time and looked at the other girl. Both girls then jumped up at the same time and held hands while happily shouting their victory.
"We did it!" Honoka exclaimed very excited. "Nice job, Misumi!"
"I can't believe it! We really won the game!" Nagisa jumped up again and sighed to calm down. And then she looked at their clasped hands. Something strange happened inside her head. What was the girl's name? Yukishiro Honoka, right? Her hands were warm and so soft. The two of them were close enough that Nagisa could smell a nice river-like scent all over the girl. Why were her eyes so big and beautiful? Nagisa swallowed hard.
Kazuki somehow saved her when he put his arm around Nagisa's shoulders. "You did it great, Nagisa!" the boy exclaimed.
Nagisa laughed nervously.
Honoka smiled and let go of the girl's hands, even taking a moment to look at her own hands. She could still feel the warmth of Misumi Nagisa in her hands. Honoka wasn't used to physical contact, only her childhood friends and her family were allowed to touch her, her friends just a pat on her back or head, a quick hug if the moment required it and her parents a crushing hug. Honoka smiled and looked back at the girl.
She has a boyfriend, what a shame, she thought again.
"Thank you for let me play with you," Honoka said with a small smile. "It was fun."
Nagisa bit her lip and sighed, then smiled again. "Wanna play that with me?" Nagisa asked loudly and pointed to a shooting game.
Kazuki smiled. "I'll be with the guys, have fun Nagisa." He smiled at the other girl, "take care of her please," and he left with his friends.
Honoka's smile widened and she nodded.
Nagisa felt really happy for some reason.
===o===
What happened?
None of the girls had a clear answer to solve the mystery, but they only knew one thing: they were really comfortable with each other.
After the group date, Nagisa and Honoka exchanged phone numbers and texted each other every day since then. Nagisa loved to send her photos of food, selfies of her eating said food, funny pictures she found around on the internet. On the other hand, Honoka shared with her photos of nature, beautiful images of the universe, photos of rock and plants, insects, and her own lab accidents that never failed to make Nagisa laugh.
The main reason Nagisa liked Honoka more every day happened: a picture of the math homework she sent her. Her homework was unfinished because Nagisa had no idea how to solve it. Honoka quickly video called her and helped her with her homework, all of her homework. Nagisa was so happy! She even asked her if it was okay to call her by her first name. Honoka agreed if she could do the same.
Three weeks after their first met, Nagisa and Honoka planned to meet again at the park after school.
Nagisa was ready to go and Kazuki stopped her for a second, he took her hand. Nagisa stared at him and then their hands, his big hand taking hers. To tell the truth, Nagisa didn't have much physical contact with Kazuki. Just a few quick hugs and he kissed her cheek twice. Sometimes, Nagisa would hold on to his arm, but since Kazuki couldn't sit still or keep a slow pace for so long, Nagisa never got a chance to sit with him for more than five minutes and enjoy the simple closeness.
Kazuki's hand felt strange in her hand.
"Where are you going?" Kazuki asked with his big smile. "My practice is about to start," on the days Nagisa didn't have club activities, she would go to the gym to watch his basketball practice. There was no lacrosse practice that day.
Nagisa shrugged and let go of his hand. She had just told him her plan that morning! Nagisa sighed. "I need to do something, I already told you," she said and kindly smiled at him. "I'll meet Honoka at the park; I promise her an ice cream for helping me with my homework."
Kazuki was confused, he didn't remember anything she said to him that morning and felt embarrassed about it. He even blushed. "Sorry, I forgot," the boy cleared his throat and then got confused again. "Honoka, who is she?"
Nagisa sighed again. It was strange that he couldn't even remember the girl his girlfriend shared the whole afternoon with a couple weeks ago. She couldn't believe it! Yukishiro Honoka was the prettiest girl in the entire group. What a dork. "Yukishiro Honoka, your senpai Fujimura and Kimata's childhood friend." I'm talking about the beautiful girl with them, you big fool. "Do you remember her now?"
"Yes, I just remember her," Kazuki laughed again. "I'm sorry."
Nagisa scratched the back of her neck. "I have to go, okay? I don't wanna be late. Good luck in your practice."
The girl left with no further words and the flustered boy joined his teammates at the gym for his afternoon practice.
Meanwhile, Honoka was reading a book under a tree. She was happy, she felt so happy! Nagisa might have a boyfriend but no one could stop her from becoming her friend, maybe a close friend! Honoka found Nagisa really funny and fantastic, also cool. Nagisa was funny, her face was so cute and her smiles (even in photos) always made Honoka smile.
Honoka sighed. Both were sending texts messages during these weeks, they even spoke on the phone before going to sleep. Now she really wanted to see her and talk to her normally. Honoka really wanted to see Nagisa.
Okay, calm down, it's just a walk in the park and some ice cream. Calm down Honoka, she could be a closer friend if you act like a normal girl. She told herself and repeated it over and over inside her head. She has a boyfriend, she likes a boy. Be a normal girl like her and…
"Ho~no~ka~!"
A happy Nagisa came out of nowhere and jumped on Honoka. The latter cried out cutely and her body moved on its own. Learning self-defense and basic martial arts from her grandmother allowed her to grab the arm of the person she had on top of her and try to knock them to the ground. The moment she recognize Nagisa, Honoka stopped herself in time before something dangerous happened.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Nagisa!" Honoka exclaimed as she held Nagisa tightly in her arms so she wouldn't fall off and hurt herself. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Honoka failed in her first attempt to behave like a normal girl, she was so embarrassed! Honoka just wanted to go home and feel miserable, but Nagisa in silence confused her. "Nagisa?"
Nagisa blushed brightly as she felt Honoka's unexpectedly strong arms around her body. How could such thin and delicate-looking arms be so strong? She couldn't explain it but she didn't feel uncomfortable in those arms. They weren't like her boyfriend's strong arms. Honoka's arms held her tightly but were gentle at the same time, while Kazuki's was rough. Nagisa knew that she herself was rough sometimes, like she had just thrown herself on top of Honoka to surprise her and earned that judo hold on her own.
Nagisa felt an intense tingling in her chest, the heat continued to take over her body. The girl could only look at Honoka in surprise. Her friend's cute nervous gesture only got a reaction from Nagisa. The lacrosse player laughed out loud, she didn't expect such a welcome but it was amazing. Her own laughter helped calm her own nerves. Nagisa had no choice but to hold on to Honoka's shoulders, she didn't want to fall to the ground.
"Okay, I'm fine," Nagisa laughed again. "I can't believe it! That was amazing!" She tried to stand on her own but her movements with Honoka's arms around her body were difficult. She smiled. "Help me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
Honoka helped her up again but they didn't let go of each other right away. Nagisa kept a big smile on her lips, she needed it to hide all the reactions that Honoka provoked in her. On her side, Honoka was embarrassed but she smiled a few seconds later. Nagisa's body felt warm, she liked it. On the other hand, Nagisa's hands were still on Honoka's shoulders. Nagisa could feel the tight hug and the warmth and scent on Honoka's body. Nagisa sighed. Why was she so soft?
"It was my mistake, sorry for scaring you," Nagisa said and smiled when she saw Honoka raise an eyebrow.
"You didn't scare me," she said with a cute angry face.
"I scared you, and you almost killed me," Nagisa laughed happily again and finally released her. She felt weird after the distance. "Your grandmother is a great teacher."
Honoka took a deep breath. "I'll tell her, I promise," Honoka smiled and cleared her throat. "Ready?" She didn't even think about it, Honoka just offered her hand to her companion.
Nagisa looked at Honoka, then at her hand, and back at Honoka. Nagisa didn't even hold hands with her silly boyfriend, but she was genuinely interested in the idea of holding hands with Honoka. After all, they were both friends, right? So it was okay to hold her hand as friends, right? She thought so. Nagisa cleared her throat and took her hand. Honoka happily smiled.
"I promised you ice cream for your help, so let's go!" Nagisa exclaimed with a big smile on her lips and started walking. Nagisa felt happy and she didn't understand why but she enjoyed it anyway.
"I'm glad I helped you. We're in the same grade and we have the same school subjects, so I'll help you when you need it," Honoka said with her sweet voice and soft smile of hers.
"You're the best, thank you Honoka!" Nagisa playfully bumped her forehead with Honoka's head. She couldn't help it.
Honoka blushed slightly and smiled. Nagisa has a boyfriend, don't forget, she told herself but still she enjoyed the moment. "Where do you want to go after our ice cream?" Honoka asked and squeezed Nagisa's hand with gentle strength. She could help it. Honoka really liked Nagisa's hand.
"How about we go to a yakitori stall I know? The food there tastes really good!" Nagisa said and drooled just thinking about it.
Honoka laughed sweetly. "I was thinking of going to the library."
This time Nagisa laughed out loud. "The library? How can you have fun in the library?"
"I love to read and learn new things. I really enjoy myself," Honoka replied with a happy smile. "Right now I am studying the human body and its chemical processes at the molecular level. The chapter explaining about the human brain is fantastic!" She exclaimed excitedly.
Nagisa looked at Honoka and then laughed, Honoka was funny. "You're weird," she said with a big smile. Nagisa wasn't making fun of her friend. She really found Honoka funny and interesting.
Honoka pouted. "I'm not weird. You're the weird one. We can't have a proper meal after dessert.
"Of course we can if we want!" Nagisa responded quickly. "No one can stop us anyway."
"You're right," Honoka nodded seriously. "I'm aware of your big appetite from the photos you send me, but I still can't believe how your stomach can handle so much food."
"Oh, is that a challenge?" Nagisa smiled widely. "Are you challenging me, Miss Mad Scientist?" Of course she remembered the last lab accident that Honoka told her about two nights ago on the phone.
Honoka laughed and her eyes met Nagisa's eyes intensely. "Are you going to show me the best of you?" She really liked the intense and fierce look on Nagisa's face. How could she look so good?
"Just look at me. But our ice cream comes first."
"Okay let's go."
Her hands tightened a little bit more without both of them being able to contain that small desire and both girls smiled at each other as they went for their planned dessert.
===o===
Honoka couldn't believe it, but she still accepted defeat after Nagisa gobbled down a ridiculous amount of food: three orders of yakitori, two chocolate parfaits, three slices of cake of different flavors, two orders of yakitori, two cans of soda; and a last ice cream cone. Nagisa's iron stomach won the duel and Honoka bought her a bottle of water to crown her victory.
They were sitting on a large bench in the park after the food parade.
"Are you sure your stomach is okay?" Honoka asked. She was only able to eat one order of yakitori and drink a can of soda. Honoka was fascinated for Nagisa's abilities. She also felt happy because Nagisa smiled a lot as she enjoyed her meals.
Nagisa drank more water and smiled at Honoka.
"I'm sure. I still have room for mom's dinner," Nagisa replied happily. She stretched out her arms and sighed. "I feel tired," she said. Nagisa was used to walking with Kazuki after eating so much, she was about to standing up again but remembered that her companion was Honoka, not Kazuki. Nagisa was ready to say something about her physical state but Honoka spoke first.
"It's normal for you to feel tired after eating so much, your stomach is digesting the food right now and that's why you feel low of energy," Honoka explained in a serious voice. "Take a nap if you need to. You'll feel better."
Nagisa looked at Honoka for three seconds and then laughed out loud. She was very funny! How did Honoka know that she really needed a break? Nagisa took a deep breath and smiled at her friend. "Thank you, I'll do as you say. I'm really tired right now, I trained all week", but Nagisa didn't mention that her boyfriend also asked her out every day after school and she didn't really get a chance to take time to relax because Kazuki didn't know how to rest.
Nagisa really needed to rest. Honoka understood her. "Let's go there, under that tree. We still have time," Honoka said with his sweet smile.
"I really don't want to sleep in the middle of our walk, but I feel tired," Nagisa quickly excused herself.
"Don't worry about me," Honoka smiled at her and took her hand. "Just rest, I'll take care of you, I don't want you to pass out from exhaustion," the girl led Nagisa under the big tree. The cool grass beneath them was comfortable to sit on and enjoy. They sat against the tree and Nagisa sighed and yawned.
Nagisa was surprised by Honoka's response. "Are you sure? I don't want you to be bored while I sleep", she still tried to resist Honoka's good will.
"I never get bored, trust me," Honoka smiled. "Take your nap. I'll be here with you when you wake up, okay?
Nagisa blushed and didn't even know why. Perhaps Honoka's warm gaze, her soft smile and her sweet voice were the reason. Nagisa was not used to being spoken to with such affection. Even Kazuki wasn't that romantic or sweet, he always smiled at her, but Nagisa couldn't feel the warmth in his voice, only his infinite energy. Nagisa's heart was pounding. The lacrosse player shook her head and closed her eyes.
"Thank you Honoka." Nagisa took a deep breath and let her body rest.
Honoka smiled and took a book out of her bag. She always carried a book to read on her way, she wasn't a big fan of reading on her cell phone. Only five pages and Honoka felt something on her left shoulder. Nagisa's head rested on it. Honoka couldn't help but blush and smile. She happily continued reading as she basked in Nagisa's warmth and allowed her to rest.
Twenty pages later, Honoka felt Nagisa's body drop into her. Nagisa was so sound asleep that her body couldn't hold her position. Instead, Nagisa fell into Honoka's lap. Nagisa made herself comfortable into Honoka's lap in her sleep and even sighed, her face was on Honoka's stomach.
Honoka nearly passed out from the excitement.
Calm down, Honoka, she has a boyfriend and maybe she always sleeps like this with him. Just calm down and take it easy, just-
Honoka's train of thought suffered a spectacular accident. Nagisa mumbled something in her sleep, words that Honoka couldn't understand at first. She brought her ear a little closer to hear Nagisa better and what she heard made her whole face go up in flames.
"Honoka…" Nagisa mumbled.
"How am I supposed to resist you, huh?" Honoka said quietly, smiled and combed Nagisa's front hair with her fingers.
A cool breeze blew through the park, Honoka noticed some uncomfortable gestures in Nagisa and her first reaction was to take off the light jacket she was wearing to cover her friend. Honoka smiled as her companion relaxed once more. Her best option was to enjoy the moment. Honoka sighed deeply and went back to her book. She was happy to give Nagisa some comfort. That means Nagisa trusted her, right? Honoka liked the idea.
Forty-five minutes passed.
Forty-five minutes of peace, silence and comfort.
It was almost six.
Nagisa was still asleep when she smelled a pleasant aroma around her, the same river-like scent that she already knew from someone. Nagisa smiled, she felt better but she didn't want to move yet. Did she have a pillow under her head? The most comfortable pillow ever! Nagisa even smiled when she began to move with the intention of making herself more comfortable. Her nose touched something and Nagisa pressed her face against whatever it was, it was something soft, it was so warm.
A soft voice close to her ear made her smile widely, the voice asking her something.
"Do you feel better?"
"Yes, thank you," Nagisa answered and then hugged what she felt right in front of her.
Wait a minute…
Nagisa felt what was serving as a pillow with her hands and frowned. The moment her fingers touched something, she heard a cute laugh come over her.
"Ha, ha, ha! Nagisa, you're tickling me!" Honoka said between laughs. "Please stop!"
Nagisa got up too quickly and her face smashed into Honoka's face. The two of them took a good blow to the forehead that forced Nagisa to lean back on to Honoka's lap as she touched her forehead. Honoka rubbed over the bruise with her left hand. Nagisa's eyes widened as she saw where she was, who she was with, how she was doing, and what had just happened.
I can't believe it! I can´t believe it! I can't believe it!
"I can't believe this! I'm so stupid!" Nagisa yelled and finally sat down next to Honoka. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" Nagisa tried to do something to help Honoka. Instead, she heard the same cute laugh again. "Honoka?"
Honoka laughed happily.
"Do you have stones in your head or something?" An amused Honoka asked her. "That really hurt," she continued with a laugh. "Are you okay?" It was her turn to see Nagisa. She removed Nagisa's hands from her face, grabbed her cheeks and looked closely at her bruise.
Nagisa blushed furiously. Honoka's pink lips were so close to her nose, Honoka's hands felt nice and warm and soft against her skin. She quickly turned around to escape Honoka's touch.
"I'm fine! My head is hard as a rock!" She said in a loud and proper voice. Then she remembered that Honoka also got hurt with her head made of rock. Nagisa turned around back and looked at Honoka. Nagisa did the same and took Honoka by the cheeks to take a closer look at her. "Your forehead is red."
Honoka's forehead wasn't the only one red. Her entire face was red as well.
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore," Honoka replied trying to regain control. "What about you? Does it still hurt?" She escaped from Nagisa's hands as well.
Nagisa frowned and blushed even more.
"No. I'm fine." She wasn't fine, but Nagisa was too nervous to feel any pain. "By the way," she cleared her throat. "Sorry for sleeping like this- I just-"
Honoka interrupted her with a soft voice and a smile. "Did you feel better?"
"Yes, I feel better", Nagisa finally recovered and looked at Honoka with her best smile. "Thank you very much, Honoka."
"You… You can sleep like this again if you want. It doesn't bother me, really.
"I'll take your offer, thanks."
The girls took a deep breath at the same time and then smiled at each other.
"It's getting late," Honoka said and stood up to stretch her arms and body.
Nagisa did the same. "Yes, let's go home," the girl sighed. "Sorry for sleeping so much. I can finally see you again. And I fell asleep," she was embarrassed.
Honoka licked her own lips. "I liked it… I mean! Knowing that you trust me enough to fall asleep made me happy," she quickly explained to Nagisa and then blushed. "Does that sound weird?"
Nagisa smiled happily at her. "You're weird, Honoka. I like it."
Honoka smiled too. "I'm not weird. You're the weird one. I like it too."
They laughed.
===o===
Honoka mastered the ability to walk and read at the same time since middle school. The girl was walking to the main hall after Science Club activities and reading some texts on her phone. Honoka couldn't help but smile, the messages were from Nagisa. Her friend wanted to go out together again, but they had exams all week and didn't have time to see each other again. They could until next week.
Honoka hanged out with Nagisa once a week.
They had known each other for about two months and already felt like close friends. They both had activities on their own, Nagisa had her affairs with her boyfriend, but both girls found at least one afternoon a week to hang out together. Still, Honoka felt guilty for having such an intense crush on Nagisa despite knowing that her friend had a nice boyfriend. She couldn't help a few touches and cuddles that weren't entirely befitting two friends, but Nagisa didn't seem to mind.
Or maybe she didn't notice them at all.
Honoka didn't want to ruin Nagisa's romantic relationship. She could never forgive herself if that happened. She had to learn to control her impulses and desires even if Nagisa didn't mind them. That was a good idea.
The young scientist was thinking about that when Nagisa's newest message made her notice something strange. The messages, the words, something in the text messages that she Nagisa sent her felt weird. Honoka couldn't stop thinking about it and she decided to do something about it, Honoka quickly texted her.
[Can I call you?]
Nagisa's immediate response was a phone call. Honoka answered the call immediately, now she felt worried about her.
"Nagisa, are you okay?" A worried Honoka asked her. The girl wouldn't let go of her phone even though it made it hard for her to change her shoes.
"I think so. I mean… I feel upset," Nagisa's voice sounded tired. She was tired. Even her walking was slow and heavy.
"Can I ask you why?"
"I can tell you why. Can I?"
"I'm here, Nagisa. Tell me only if you want, okay?"
Honoka was finally able to put on her shoes and walk out of the school. Honoka had classmates that she got along with, her older brothers Fujimura and Kimata for example, but Honoka was the lone wolf who moved on its own without waiting for anyone. Instead, right now she was waiting to hear Nagisa's voice.
Ten seconds of silence passed and Honoka could hear Nagisa sigh.
"It's stupid. It's just stupid. I don't even know why I'm so upset about it." Nagisa tried to laugh but failed.
"It's not stupid if you feel that way, Nagisa," Honoka said quietly, softly.
"I tried to do something different with Kazuki," no details were necessary, "but he said I was being weird and immediately took me elsewhere to do what he wanted. He didn't even listen to me!"
Honoka knew very little about Nagisa's boyfriend. She asked his older brothers about the boy a few days ago and they told her that Hasekura Kazuki was a very energetic boy with a lot of friends who liked basketball a lot and could always be seen with a smile on his face. From the description her brothers gave of the boy, it sounded like he was very similar to Nagisa. Nagisa liked to play lacrosse a lot, she had a lot of energy and she was always smiling.
But it seemed that the energy levels between Nagisa and her boyfriend were very different.
"Thanks to that I was almost late for the math test, but he didn't care, he just said it was normal that we both didn't get good grades," Nagisa sighed. "I hope I answered my exam correctly. After all you helped me a lot to study and I really want to get good grades this time, but I wasn't feeling well." Nagisa added with a deep breath. "Is it stupid, right?"
There was silence.
"Honoka? Are you there?"
Honoka felt her blood boiling. Among the things that could make Honoka really angry, insensitive and rude people came first. She didn't want to be angry but she couldn't help it. Honoka had to take a deep breath to keep her tone calm and normal.
"Yes," the girl cleared her throat. Honoka learned the hard way that meddling between two people, a couple, even if she had good intentions, always ended badly for her. Honoka made a fool of herself and the couple she had tried to help reconciled in no time.
Love affairs were always between two people.
Honoka swallowed all the bad words she could say about Nagisa's boyfriend. It wasn't her business. Honoka wanted to say something about it but she had no right to. She tried, but the young scientist couldn't keep quiet for long.
"And it's not stupid that you feel that way," she quickly said. Honoka bit her tongue to keep from exploding, but at least she could try to make her opinion more delicate, without seeming too nosy. Honoka could at least tell Nagisa one or two things directly. "I don't want to meddle or say anything in a matter I know nothing about. I don't know how things are between you and your boyfriend."
Honoka was telling the truth. Nagisa said almost nothing about her boyfriend. Nagisa didn't tell Honoka about what she did or didn't do with her boyfriend. The closest they had had to a conversation on that subject was Nagisa telling her that the two of them hadn't even kissed on the lips yet.
"The only thing I could tell you is to try to be more firm with him."
Nagisa sighed deeply and Honoka could hear her. The young scientist immediately thought that maybe this was something Nagisa already knew she had to do. Surely there was some reason why she couldn't or didn't want to.
More silence from Nagisa's side. Honoka panicked.
"I'm sorry, Nagisa! I want to say something else to make you feel better but I can't. And I don't want to insult your boyfriend," she said without thinking. And the girl panicked.
"Are you angry?" Nagisa asked her.
Honoka confessed. She felt embarrassed. "Yes. Sorry."
Nagisa couldn't help it. She laughed out loud for no reason. Honoka getting angry for her sake made her feel good. Her friends from her school always said that Kazuki was cool and nice, they always told Nagisa she was a lucky girl for having such a great boyfriend. Nagisa couldn't tell the girls that she felt uncomfortable with him dragging her around even without asking her first. Kazuki even got confused when Nagisa kept going out without him after school to meet Honoka.
Kazuki always pointed out "their" plans together after school, but Nagisa never knew about said plans until the last minute. Kazuki's spontaneity was somewhat amusing at first and Nagisa had a good time, but now she felt the pressure to always follow his last minute plans. Kazuki never asked her if she wanted to go or if she had any other plans.
Nagisa was afraid that if she said she felt uncomfortable, it would be very weird. It was obvious to everyone at school that the couple was having a lot of fun and they really liked each other. If she suddenly said that the image of the two of them together was not completely true, it would seem that she was just playing with him.
Nagisa wanted to let go of all those thoughts, she wanted to vent but she also didn't want Honoka to seriously get mad and break her boyfriend's nose as soon as she met him. Besides, Honoka couldn't solve her problem; the one with the solution was Nagisa.
"Honoka."
"Yes?"
"Did you think it would be weird if I suddenly said that something that I seemed to enjoy before, I didn't like doing it anymore?" Nagisa asked trying to not sound weird but still trying to get a neutral opinion.
"No." Honoka quickly answered. "It's normal," she took a deep breath and continued. "No matter the reason why you like something or not anymore, all people continue to grow and change, we all learn new things every day."
"What if I make someone feel bad for being selfish?" That was the part that worried Nagisa the most.
Honoka smiled. "Nagisa, it's statistically impossible to make everyone happy with our decisions," the girl sighed and lean against a tree in her way. "I understand that you don't like the idea of making someone you appreciate feel bad, but you can be selfish too. You have the right to be happy. There is nothing wrong with thinking about your own feelings."
Maybe she had said too much, but Honoka could read between the lines what Nagisa didn't tell her. Honoka kept walking. Nagisa bit her lip to keep from saying something she shouldn't, but Honoka's words made her think about the situation she was in. Honoka's next words made her smile.
"If you speak clearly and directly what you feel, surely you'll reach an agreement," with him. But Honoka didn't say the last two words in her mind.
"I understand," Nagisa deeply sighed. Honoka was right.
Besides, making Kazuki believe that she was okay when she wasn't, was also hurting the boy. Maybe that was why he was trying so hard to make Nagisa laugh. Or maybe Kazuki was just dumb and he wasn't really listening to anything but his own thoughts.
Whatever the correct answer was, Honoka was right, Nagisa had to be honest with him.
As the two girls continued to talk on the phone, they didn't realize that they were going straight downtown and not home. They were on their way to their usual meeting place. Meanwhile, Nagisa hinted to Honoka that she would work things out with her boyfriend and the two of them would be better off as soon as she could talk to him.
After all, it was normal for a boy and a girl to fight sometimes, right?
Honoka kept a resigned smile the whole way. Nagisa cared about her boyfriend, it was normal for her to want to improve her relationship with the boy. Honoka was happy to have helped Nagisa get off her chest and the advice she gave her was neutral, right? She wasn't prying too much, was she?
Little by little the topic of conversation changed to a less tense, more pleasant one.
"Did you like the insect photos I sent you last night?" A happy Honoka asked her.
"Butterflies are great, but why do you like all of these bugs?" Nagisa complained.
"They're cute."
"No, they aren't."
And then Nagisa and Honoka laughed at the same time, but their laughter for some reason sounded too close. The two girls turned a corner and nearly collided. Nagisa didn't even think about it, she directly hugged Honoka tightly. Honoka didn't think too much either, she also hugged Nagisa.
"Can I stay like this for a while, Honoka?"
"Yes Nagisa."
"Thanks."
Honoka managed to get the two of them to move out of the way of people, and also to have a little more privacy. Both ended up in the garden of a small local temple, under a tree, Honoka's back against the tree. They said nothing. There was no need to say anything else.
Their embrace was tight, comfortable.
You're so soft. I like it. Nagisa thought.
You're so warm. Honoka thought. I like you.
===o===
Nagisa was waiting for Honoka in the park, she looked impatient because she wanted to tell her everything that had happened lately in her life. They didn't talk about the issue anymore because Nagisa wanted to deal with it first. Her candid talk with Honoka helped her patch things up with Kazuki. It was difficult but Nagisa managed it. Getting him to hear her was the hardest part.
The moment Nagisa pointed out that she didn't feel comfortable every time he dragged her everywhere without asking her first, Kazuki got confused. Kazuki was sure that Nagisa was having fun all the time, so he brought it up and Nagisa told him that she thought it was better to take it easy and try to have a good time, but Nagisa admitted that was her first mistake. She should have told him from the start that she didn't agree with his actions.
Kazuki frowned at first but Nagisa didn't hesitate. Nagisa couldn't retract her own words to not making him upset, that would be the biggest mistake ever. Nagisa kept talking. Nagisa told him everything and also mentioned when she almost got late for her math exam and he didn't care about her worries.
The boy asked her why she hadn't told him all that before. Nagisa's simple and direct answer made him lower his face: he didn't listen to anyone, he didn't know how to listen.
Nagisa sighed when an annoyed Kazuki left her alone, but Nagisa wasn't worried or sad, in fact her heart felt lighter. Nagisa felt as if she had lifted an enormous weight off her shoulders. She even smiled.
Her boyfriend was mad at her, but Nagisa knew that she had done well to be honest with him. Not saying what she really felt was cruel to him and to herself. Letting go and being surprised by something new was normal, experiencing new things was good, but for him to decide for himself everything that happened between them without her having an opinion was not good.
Nagisa gave Kazuki time to think things over. They didn't speak for two days.
When the two of them finally spoke, Kazuki was a bit calmer. Only a little. The boy apologized to her for being so insensitive and looked for the best way to apologize. He did something unexpected like always.
Kazuki tried to kiss Nagisa.
The kiss didn't take place. For some reason Nagisa didn't want her first kiss to happen like this. Kazuki's apology was fine, the atmosphere felt good, but the kiss was something that Nagisa didn't see as appropriate at the time.
The boy apologized again for being insensitive once again, but Nagisa calmed him down with a smile and told him that they needed to work together to make their relationship work. A part of Nagisa was angry, but she stopped the kiss in time so there was nothing to regret. Nagisa wanted her first kiss to be special.
The next few days were weird but at least Nagisa was no longer being taken anywhere without her permission. She even started coming home in daylight and was able to spend more time with her family. Since Nagisa started dating Kazuki she would come home around dusk and her mother used to get mad at her sometimes; but now that Nagisa was free to decide whether or not to go out with her boyfriend somewhere, she could come early to home.
Those small and significant changes were thanks to her talk with Honoka.
And Honoka arrived.
"Honoka!" A happy Nagisa hugged Honoka. All the thoughts she had before Honoka arrived, everything she wanted to tell her as soon as she saw her was replaced by a single thought. You're so soft! Why are you so soft? I like it!
Honoka hugged her too. She thought the same as Nagisa and enjoyed the softness of the hug. It had been about ten days since Nagisa told her about her relationship problems, but she felt calm because Nagisa seemed calmer since then, or at least she could tell from her text messages and phone calls before sleep.
Nagisa didn't mention any more details and Honoka didn't ask any more questions either.
That tight and affectionate hug told her that everything was going well with Nagisa.
"I'm happy to see you," Nagisa said with a big smile.
"Me too."
They keep hugging each other. Nagisa was so happy that she couldn't help but let her heart speak out loud. The same thought in her mind every time they met.
"Why're you so soft, Honoka? You always feel good!" Nagisa said with a happy voice.
"What are you talking about?" Honoka asked with a sweet laugh. "You're the soft one. Your body is strong but you feel soft and warm."
They enjoyed the hug and didn't seem to want to let go. Honoka ended up leaning against a tree again. There was no one else around in that part of the park.
Nagisa completely ignored everything she wanted to tell Honoka, something went through her head when Nagisa was near her and her thoughts were reduced to one or two. For some reason, there was only one thing Nagisa wanted to tell Honoka.
"I was able to talk to him and things are going better," Nagisa said that in a low voice.
"I'm happy for you," Honoka answered and hugged Nagisa's body tighter. She felt that taste of resignation in her mouth again as she said that. Of course Honoka was happy for Nagisa! She wanted Nagisa to be happy! But it was ridiculous to feel defeat in a fight she wasn't fighting. Honoka had to take a deep breath to calm her foolish thoughts.
"But Kazuki tried to kiss me to apologize with me," Nagisa continued, she put her face onto Honoka's neck.
Honoka shivered. "I see."
Nagisa shivered too. "I didn't let him."
"It's important that you feel confident and safe with the person with whom you're going to have your first kiss," Honoka said and sighed deeply. "There'll be a next time."
"Just now a feel confident and safe," Nagisa just told her and then blushed. With you.
Honoka really tried to resist herself, she didn't want to do something stupid, but her heart was asking for more. Her heart was asking for the girl in her arms. Honoka hugged her so tight that Nagisa could feel the change.
Nagisa didn't know where she got the courage to say all that, but she already had one foot in her grave and Nagisa wasn't one to back down. "Do you feel confident and safe with me?"
Yes. Honoka bit her tongue and didn't answer her.
"Please tell me," Nagisa insisted her.
"Nagisa, don't do this to me, please," Honoka squeezed Nagisa's sweater in desperation. She was holding on to what sanity she had left. The moment Honoka took that step, she couldn't go back.
"Honoka please," Nagisa also felt desperate. Honoka awakened something in her chest that she had never felt before. What Nagisa felt was pure passion. Everything that no one had ever aroused in her before, Honoka brought to her just with her smile and her unconventional personality.
"I don't want to ruin your relationship with him. Don't make me do this, please." There was still a common sense voice inside Honoka's head.
"If you don't want to do it, I'll understand, I don't want to give you any trouble," Nagisa felt weaker and hugged Honoka tighter. I'll take care of my business with him, you are what I want now.
"That's the problem. I want to do it, Nagisa."
"Do it. Just do it, please."
And they kissed.
A soft kiss. A sweet kiss. A long and tender kiss.
Their bodies pressed closer to each other. Her lips kissed almost without interruption, her brief pauses allowing their hearts to speak.
"Why are you so soft? Why are you so warm?" Nagisa asked her between kisses. I like it.
Honoka smiled and kissed Nagisa's nose, and her lips again. "You're warm too." I like it. "I like you."
Nagisa's response was to kiss her deeply. Why did everything feel better with Honoka? Why did she want to share more with Honoka? Nagisa didn't understand, but she still accepted everything that Honoka provoked her.
The kiss lasted long enough. Neither of them would have stopped the kiss but the girls heard footsteps going in their direction. Nagisa y Honoka looked at each other with a smile and flushed cheeks. They separated enough to make it look like everything was normal, but they held hands as they stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
"I like you too, Honoka."
Honoka smiled. Nagisa smiled too.
It wasn't long before Nagisa spoke to Kazuki and asked him to remain friends, the boy accepted. The main reason why Kazuki accepted was that another girl was piquing his interest. He started to talk more with that girl when Nagisa left without him. Nagisa wished him luck, the boy was going to need all the luck he could get, but at least he was learning to listen and understand.
Nagisa and Honoka still had a long way to go, but it was worth it if they could be together.
FIN
