"You have a nice place, Yan-chan!" Osana-chan gushed cheerfully, looking around the bright, airy living room, sleek and modern with an open-concept design. Glossy hardwood flooring and sophisticated wooden furnishings echoed the warm, creamy highlight tones from the kitchen and played well against the more neutral, lilac-y off-whites of the large central area rug and deceptively decadent sofa set. Her mother's classic minimalist decorating sense only added to that wide, open feeling.
"Thanks."
Her rival turned back to her with a friendly, inquisitive tilt to her head, "Where are your parents?"
"Overseas."
"So you take care of yourself?" she asked, slowly, expressive features shifting into a fascinating combination of surprise, sympathy, and respect. "That must be hard."
"I manage," Ayano replied...stoically. Internally, however, she dropped her head to her hands with a frustrated scream.
She had impressively extensive vocabulary as well as an entire catalog of bubbly, endearing personas at her disposal, any one of which would earn her that bonus she coveted, and yet...here she was, standoffishly grunting out mostly monosyllabic responses to all of Osana's cheerful attempts to deepen the friendship.
She let out a mental groan; she was supposed to be making an impression; that was the plan, after all. And sure the...details...of this last step were yet to be...finalized, and she hadn't taken drastic measures off the table, but for now she was sort of playing things by ear and following Osana-chan's lead. Luckily, the other girl just seemed grateful enough for Teketeke's ("...You named your cat after a murderous urban legend?" "She sucks in air and clicks her teeth against the bowl when she eats, makes the sound." Sure enough, much of their initial conversation was accompanied by a chitter-y chorus of teketeketeketektektek.*) safe return to overlook Ayano's chilly responses and refusal to engage.
Aoh, the prospect of her name floating around Senpai's circles, settling sweetly in his ear, whispering in the back of his mind...the thought made her cheeks flush and her heart race. She couldn't not make the attempt. There was just one...little...problem because, in order for that to happen...she needed more than just his...oldest. Closest. Friend's...warm thoughts and eternal gratitude; she needed the other girl to like her.
Ugh, there was just...something about this particular girl, though. Just her existence pissed her off, and having her in her home...she'd felt herself get defensive the moment she'd opened the door.
Resentment simmered beneath her skin as she considered the other girl's history with Taro-senpai, a priceless boon Ayano felt she hadn't earned and failed to properly appreciate, and she envied the time-hardened bond they shared. Something similar settled solidly in her chest at the thought of those overblown tsundere tendencies that she feared Taro-senpai might...appreciate. He'd weathered them his whole life, after all, and if they hadn't chased him off yet...
Well, equal parts annoying and endearing, her well known outbursts were always dramatic and explosive but never failed to highlight all the sweetest, most vulnerable parts of her. Her insecurity was adorable, her attempts to cover it unpredictable and exciting...guys just loved that, didn't they*?
Especially, Ayano grumbled to herself as she 'politely' listened to her rival blather on, when it comes in such a pretty package.
Osana-chan was tall and slender with perfectly proportioned curves in all the right places and legs forever. And, just at the moment, was seated opposite Ayano on the couch across from her mother's ridiculous 'statement' window, caught in a convenient ray of sunlight like a freakin' shojo heroine, that brilliant mane of fiery orange gloss spilling down her back and pooling around her on the couch, all lit up in the sun and highlighting the warm, coppery undertones of her soft peaches-n-cream complexion and absolutely igniting those gorgeous sun...set ey-
"-ving me from that stalker." Ayano stiffened at the turn Osana's gratitude had taken, no better than her own thoughts, really, and suddenly found herself paying the conversation a little more attention than she thought she really wanted to.
She had, of course, known that, logically, despite the other girl's obvious attachment and concern for her safety, last night's mission had never really been about her beloved pet*. At...least not completely. Nonetheless, she'd elected to narrow her focus and blur out the bigger picture.
But with Osana sitting there, all helpless and vulnerable with her watery gaze dropped to her lap, stating it so explicitly...it was harder to ignore.
Sharp, narrowed features and hollowed cheeks.
"That was a horrible experience," she confessed, her voice trembling with a thousand emotions Ayano couldn't hope to identify as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
Shadow smudged eyes and a sloppy ponytail.
She hugged herself tighter.
Dry, cracked lips. An unsettling smile.
"I'm so glad it's all over!"
Hikkikomori. The face in the funhouse mirror.
A shiver crept up Ayano's spine as the images began to twist and blur into each other until she-
A familiar, watery squeal in the other room helpfully interrupted those unwanted thoughts, and Ayano grabbed the distraction with both hands. "The tea is ready," she announced with a little more enthusiasm than the event really warranted, and clamored to her feet, assuring Osana-chan of her continued attention with a bland, "I'll be right back. Feel free to keep talking," thrown carelessly over her shoulder as she practically sprinted to the kitchen.
And the other girl must have needed a moment to vent because she quickly came back with a subdued, but fiery, "I can't imagine what it's like to become obsessed with someone after meeting them for the first time..." an uncharacteristic note of venom spiking her disbelief. "It doesn't make any sense!"
"I'm shocked," she continued, hostility and fury overtaking that little tremor of fearful confusion with every word, "that there are people in this world-"
And Ayano just tried to keep her hands from shaking while she sloppily filled the pretty sakura patterned tea cups she'd laid out, suddenly questioning the early-morning decision she'd made to impress the other girl with her family's heirloom tea set inherited from her father's deceased great-grandmother.
"That's insane!"
You don't understand! she mentally growled back. Something about the other girl's pent up emotional rant was beginning to feel more and more targeted.
Her rival began to quietly speculate on the differences between 'love' and 'obsession', and Ayano found herself reaching for the innocuous, little green jar she'd laid out beside the tea things...just...in...case...
"-isted obess..." that obnoxious, overbearing voice faded to a background hum. The whole world dimmed and faded, washed out colors blurring around the edges as her focus narrowed to the prescription label with her father's name* clearly printed in blocky pharmacy text just below the words Eszopiclone (Lunesta).*
We are MEANT to be together!
Her grip tightened, free hand folding firmly around the lid...
"It makes me feel SICK!"
"Hauh!"
...The pill bottle hit the table with a gentle, rattling plthump. It...sort of...bounced once before wobbling neatly into place next to the tea pot as Ayano picked up the tray and headed back to the living room, managing far more composure in her step than when she'd left.
"-ry about it anymore." The understandably volatile emotions that had been roiling in the room seemed to have blown themselves out; Osana-chan's voice had lost its bite, tone soft and docile, once more laced through with bright little notes of hopeful gratitude and relief. She beamed over her shoulder at Ayano's empty, stoic approach, "It's all thanks to you!"
...It...was just...there was...just...something about the way that...that wide, innocent smile just lit up her face...the soft caramelly undertones coloring her cheeks, pretty sunset eyes all agl-
"Here's your tea." The words just...kind of...spilled out, flat and far too quickly, as she practically shoved the steaming cup under the other girl's nose!
"..." Osana blinked for a moment, startled by the suddenness of the otherwise thoughtful gesture...or perhaps just the oddly robotic quality of Ayano's voice but quickly shrugged it off, melting the awkwardness of the moment with a dazzling smile and brightly chimed, "Thank you!" as she gratefully reached out to accept the cup.
And something...unpleasant...stirred in Ayano's stomach, crawled up her throat at the gentle scraping sensation of Osana's long, perfect nails against her lightly marred skin as the other girl politely plucked the tea cup from her from her hands...
She quickly retreated to her seat.
"Oh-" One hand politely covering her mouth as Ayano perched stiffly on the corner of the sofa, her rival somehow managed to avoid outright choking with an annoyingly charming and feminine clearing of her throat, exclaiming around a mouthful of tea, "I just realize I've been rambling this entire time." Laughter lilted her voice as she set the cup on the coffee table and turned to grace Ayano with her complete, undivided attention. "You said you had something important to tell me."
"Yes," she confirmed softly, almost bashfully, and kept her gaze low, implying she found the topic intimidating...hence not broaching it herself.
Internally, of course, she was squealing. Her hands itched, and she folded them demurely in her lap, tucking one foot neatly behind the other to keep herself from leaping to her feet and clapping with childish glee. All those...messy feelings and confusing, unsettling thoughts withered and faded in the light from the opening for the conversation she'd orchestrated this entire event around as she finally slipped into character.
With a slight incline of her head, Ayano made a point of briefly meeting that pretty, pink-orange gaze before subtlety -though not so much so as to go unnoticed- averting her eyes back to the coffee table and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "It's about the boy from class 3-2." She bit her lip awkwardly before continuing, "The boy..." a brief pause. A shy, anxious glance shot from beneath her lashes...Osana never stood a chance.
Heh, Ayano swallowed a self-indulgent giggle that would surly raise even Osana's trusting brow as she watched her carefully choreographed movements and projected discomforted pluck the other girl's heartstrings and stroke her softer side. Her sweet, naïve rival leaned forward instinctively, angling herself in a little closer with an elbow popped up on the arm of the couch. Chin casually settled on her palm, she encouraged her visibly uncomfortable classmate with kind eyes and a sisterly smile.
"You have a crush on."
"H-huh?"
Osana's palm dropped against the arm of the couch as she sputtered and blinked...and puffed...up...twice her size...
"I don't have a crush on him!" she rapid-fire denied in obvious overcompensation, nearly spilling over the side and onto her floor in her...energetic...haste to 'set the record straight'. "He's just my childhood friend, that's all! I-I don't have feelings for him at all!"
"If that's true..." Ayano responded slowly, refusing to be distracted or intimidated, least of all by her own mind, and that one wayward thought crumbled and died with it's predecessors. Throwing in a long, careful blink for good measure, she fidgeted in her seat a bit, looking for all the world like she'd never expected such an outburst and it had surprised her. "Then you wouldn't mind if I confessed my love to him, would you?"
"...huh?"
The question was clearly something of a blow to the gut; Osana-chan even hunched subtlety in on herself, eyes wide and face blank with painful shock, whimpering in its aftermath.
"Con...fess your...love?" she repeated haltingly. Just like the wind had been knocked out her and she was struggling to breathe, let alone speak. All that forceful bravado from just a moment ago seemed to sort of...drain out of her...and, for the first time, Ayano didn't see her as some massive, looming threat to her happiness. She was just another girl with a crush, uncertain of her place and small. Harmless.
"Are you saying that...you have feelings for him?"
"Yes. Deep feelings," she breathed, allowing all that desperate adoration she usually tried to suppress in company to seep into her voice.
Her mouth swept up in a sweet little curve even as she looked shyly to the side...only to coyly glance back over her shoulder as her fingers laced and her arms stretched and curled with giddy energy as thoughts of her senpai began to flood her mind. The delicate upward sweep of his smile. His elegant manners and the princely way he carried himself. That gentle, worldly attitude... "I've never felt this way about anyone before..."
The breathless, dreamy notes in her voice faded into heartache as her hands settled despondently back in her lap. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and choked out, "And I can't bare the thought of seeing him with anyone else."
"I know that you love him," she admitted softly, head hung low in apparent...guilt...shame. She curled her shoulders subtly forward, like she wanted to crawl into a hole; like she couldn't believe she was asking this of someone. "And I know that this is a selfish request...but...
"Please...don't take him away from me. Let me try to win his heart."
An imploring look capped her speech, all wide, wet eyes, and pleading fidgety fingers twisting into her ascot with anxious longing as she made a show of forcing herself to meet her rival's shell-shocked eyes, nervously awaiting her response...
It was the final nail in Osana's romantic coffin.
Those tense shoulders and downcast eyes were a masterpiece of disillusion. Her skirt wrinkled and bunched in a clearly emotional grip as she stared at the coffee table, cowed in face of Ayano's devotion.
"...You got me..." she finally mumbled after a few false starts "...it's true...I do have feelings for him...but..."
She took a breath.
Closed her eyes.
And...ripped the bandage off with a smile, "After everything you've done for me...I-I could never take someone away from you..."
Ayano caught that cue, and her jaw dropped in a cute, unexpecting gasp. The corners of her mouth began to lift and twitch with a disbelieving, hopeful smile and her features carefully arranged themselves in mask of rueful delight as she watched her rival bow out as gracefully as she could.
"Okay..." she swallowed thickly, determined to speak around the lump in her throat, "I'll do as you've asked..." soft and halting, each word a struggle, pried from her unwilling lips. But they were spoken with steel, as permanent and binding as her signature red and wet with blood.
"I'll stay away from him."
"Thank you-"
"But..." she hissed, back almost seeming to arch as all that fiery hair pricked up and stood on end...
But that, of course, was just the finicky morning light.
"You better take really good care of him okay!?"
"Don't worry," she smiled reassuringly and soothed her (former!~) rival through that initial, blistering wave of loss, "I will."
A cold comfort to be sure, but Osana-chan took it with one, final searching look and a short nod before dropping her sorrowful gaze back to her feet, unsure of what -if anything- was left to say.
Coincidence or intuity was anyone's guess, but Teketeke still chose that moment to abruptly abandon her investigation of the highly suspicious remote that she may or may not have been attempting to paw off the table in favor of prancing right up to her heartbroken owner.
"Mew! Mew! Mreow! Mrreow Mrreeow!" she reared back on her haunches, cycling her front paws as she shrieked, demanding attention and cuddles.
Osana-chan blinked at her suddenly disruptive pet and, to her credit, pantomimed an attempted reprimand with pointedly still fingers and a stern look-
"Mreow!"
-that she couldn't keep up for more than a second. Her lips twitched, creeping into a fond smile as she reached out to scritch her nails into the fluff of her cat's neck and velvety fuzz around the back of her ears.
Ayano's felt her face scrunched up in confusion as she watched that little paw lash out, claws extended, at the hand that touched her so gently. She caught her just below the wrist turned her head in quick little snap.
But, of all things, it made Osana smile.
"Hah!"
In a sudden flurry of bubbly energy, she bounced to her feet and scooped her cat up off the table. Teketeke purred and squirmed happily, briefly suspended in midair as Osana-chan gazed at her fondly.
It was adorable, endearing, and...and something in Ayano wanted to keep it...
"Time to go, I guess," Osana-chan chirped and tucked Teketeke into her shoulder as she snagged the carrier from the coffee table, though Ayano noticed she made no move to secure her cat inside.
"Hmm?" She tilted her head and slipped her phone back into her skirt pocket. She'd been considering inviting the other girl to walk to school together; something friends did. They were friends now, after all, and it important Senpai know that.
"I'll have to stop back at home," Osana explained, with a quick nod to her cat now hopelessly entangled in her hair as she butted her head against her cheek and chittered in her ear; Ayano imagined she was relating her terrifying ordeal. She smiled, free hand coming up to rub Teketeke's side as she turned her head in awkward but adorable nuzzle, "Not exactly on the way."
"Oh, right. Of course," she stood and gestured to the door. "I'll see you out."
Osana-chan smiled and the girls fell into step together, but Ayano couldn't help but notice that everything about the other girl suddenly seemed exaggerated and hollow. Her smile too wide, the bounce in her step...a forceful cheerfulness that left Ayano with the impression that if she so breather too hard the other girl would shatter.
What do you say to someone when you've just ripped the world out from under her?
But Osana-chan was too soft-hearted and innocent to blame her. Her cat and her life; the price was fair. If there were something malicious or manipulative lurcking in a promise made and kept...well, Osana didn't see it; she didn't even look.
All the more reason, Ayano decided as she watched Osana-chan purposefully skip the few steps to the sidewalk, that Taro-senpai should be with me.
"I'll see you in class, okay!" she called, turning back in a cute little pirouette.
Ayano smiled dimly, nodding robotically with a cheerful wave even as something hot and rancid burned at the back of her throat.
All that glossy hair flying out behind her, form sort of blurred and fuzzy, engulfed as she was by the red, half-risen sun...
The elusive, nagging thoughts she couldn't pin down the night before...the dark, unsettling things she couldn't escape this morning...so eloquently and poetically given shape in the bright morning light...a sound like broken glass ringing in her ears.
"Tch," she scoffed and purposefully shook her head as she stepped back inside.
We are MEANT to be together!
Set about gathering the tea things into sink.
It's our destiny!
Collected her bag for school.
It makes me feel sick.
...And tried not think about how much Osana reminded her of a cat.
NOTES
*My cat did this when she was kitten, (And if I had known the legend at the time...) but the story is actually paraphrased Rudyard Kipling's Rikki Tikki Tavi.
*Which she proceeds to ignore entirely throughout the duration of the cut scene.
*I feel like Jokichi may have some trouble sleeping...
**Also, this was a very quick google of' heavy sleeping medication', and, I admit, it may not actually do what I think it does.
*Poking a little fun at 1980's Mode. Is there a feminine character type Jokichi is can resist...I mean, you know, aside from Ryoba.
