"Ahh, jeez!"

Maki complained amidst heavy breathing, water splashing on her legs with every step she ran. The book she was using to cover her head was thoroughly soaked, a groan escaping her lips as she wondered why she even bothered with it at this point.

That morning, her mother warned her to bring an umbrella, but she was already running late so she didn't listen.

She wanted to kick herself for it.

As her breathing became more pained, her eyes widened as her goal came into view.

…

She slowed down to a jog, letting out a sigh of relief as she reached shelter from the downpour. A bus stop wasn't an ideal location, but she'd take it.

Water splashed the ground near her feet as she wringed her shirt and skirt, another sigh escaping her as she frowned. She was already extremely busy with a different problem. Being stuck in heavy rain wasn't helping.

As her mind began to wander, her eyes panned down to her uniform. A deep blush quickly rose to her cheeks.

She quickly covered her chest with an arm as she frantically scanned the area. If anyone saw her now, she might die of embarrassment.

As she mentally yelled at herself, her eyes locked on to a figure standing still in the distance and her thoughts stopped.

"Honoka?!" Maki yelled as she stood up from the bench.

Honoka jumped slightly, startled. A small smile appeared on her face afterwards.

…

…

"So, you didn't bring an umbrella either, huh?" Honoka asked after taking cover under the roof of the bus stop.

Maki wore an irritated expression.

"Never mind that, why were you just standing out there?!" she yelled, earning a wince from Honoka.

"H-Huh? Well, I-"

"What if you collapse again?! That wasn't that long ago, you know!" Maki cut Honoka off while stepping toward her.

Honoka stepped back, a look of surprise on her face.

"…I didn't know you cared about me that much, Maki-chan," she murmured, half-teasingly, half-serious.

A blush rose to Maki's cheeks as she froze.

"Wha-?! I…not really. I'm trying to be serious, idiot." Maki mumbled, calming down as she sat on the bench again.

Honoka laughed quietly while scratching the back of her head.

She still felt bad about their performance of 'No Brand Girls.' It wasn't as recent as Maki had made it sound, but she'd vowed to never repeat that mistake again.

And she felt a bit guilty for making Maki worry about it.

"Sorry, sorry. But this isn't like that time! I promise!" Honoka assured with a smile as she sat next to Maki.

Maki raised a brow.

"Then why? I don't think you're stupid enough to do it for fun," she said as she turned toward Honoka, her gaze traveling a bit before she blushed and turned away again.

Honoka tilted her head curiously but chose not to ask about it.

"Well…I thought you'd feel awkward, you know? So, I wanted to find a different spot…but you saw me," Honoka said while scratching her cheek.

"…awkward? Why would you-" Maki started, but cut herself off as she connected it. She was silent for a few moments before continuing. "That's still a dumb reason."

"Wha-?! I was trying to be considerate!" Honoka complained lightheartedly while leaning toward Maki.

Maki's blush deepened.

"H-Hey! Don't move closer! I can see!"

Honoka paused.

"See…?" she mumbled to herself, confused as she gazed down.

The top of her uniform was almost completely see-through. Honoka smirked as she brought her attention back to Maki.

"Ohhhh…so that's why you're looking away. You can look, you know," she said teasingly while poking Maki's side with an elbow.

"H-Huh?! Don't be ridiculous! Just cover yourself with something!"

"Hmm? Are you embarrassed, Maki-chan?"

Maki turned her head away even further.

"Of course I am!"

"But we change in front of each other all the time before practice!"

"That's completely different!"

Honoka laughed a bit. Seeing Maki so embarrassed was extremely cute to her. However, she was worried what would happen if she teased her even more.

"Well…there is something I can use." Honoka said playfully.

"Then use it!"

At Maki's request, Honoka quickly hugged her.

"There! Nobody can see it this way, right?" Honoka said happily with a smile.

"T-T-That's even worse!" Maki protested with a deep blush while trying to squirm out of Honoka's grasp.

…

After a few long and embarrassing moments, Maki finally escaped from Honoka.

She gently rubbed her arm as she peeked at Honoka's face.

An expression of carefree bliss, as if she couldn't be happier and nothing could bother her. No worries to cause her emotions to go wild. Probably thinking about what she'd eat for dinner instead of having a million thoughts jumbled in her head.

Seeing Honoka like that made Maki relax a bit. But she also felt jealous that she was the only one worried about their 'predicament.'

She blushed as she averted her gaze.

"…so…you'd let anyone in μ's see you like this, right?" she mumbled.

Honoka gave her a blank look.

"Huh?"

Maki sighed quietly. She couldn't believe she was asking such a childish question. But…it was on her mind.

"You said we change in front of each other all the time, right? So, you'd be okay with anyone seeing you right now?"

Honoka paused for a moment as she blushed.

"Well…not really."

Maki turned toward her with an incredulous look.

"Huh? But you just said-"

"I know! But it'd still be embarrassing, I think. I can't really explain," Honoka said with a quiet laugh. "It's fine if you see though, Maki-chan."

Maki tried to ignore the teasing tone in Honoka's voice. She knew what the answer would be, but she asked anyway.

"And that's because…?"

"I like you!" Honoka answered cheerfully.

Maki paused for a moment to calm her fluttering heart before quietly sighing.

There it was. The 'problem' she was having.

"It's embarrassing if you just say it like that…" Maki complained as she rested her cheek in her palm and gazed into the distance.

"Ehh?! But it's true!" Honoka pouted.

"Still…"

The conversation stalled for a while, Honoka still having a carefree aura while Maki struggled to look in her general direction.

Things have been awkward for Maki for the last few days. She knew things would be better if she finally answered one way or another, but…

"…aren't you going to ask?" Maki asked vaguely.

"Hmm? About what?" Honoka asked with a smile.

"My answer."

Honoka paused to put a finger on her chin as she thought.

"Hmm…not really!"

Maki couldn't help but take advantage of that kindness. Honoka was willing to wait for her answer to the confession, so now she had too many thoughts running around in her head to think about it properly.

"Are you sure you're fine with waiting?" Maki asked quietly with a hint of guilt in her tone.

Honoka laughed softly with a bashful expression.

"Well…I'd like to hear it as soon as possible! But I want to give you time! I'll still like you a week from now, you know?" Honoka answered happily.

Maki blushed a bit as she leaned closer.

"How about a month from now?"

"I'll still like you!"

"Two months?"

"Yup!"

"A year?"

"A whole year?! Well, that's a little…" Honoka trailed off as she thought about it, but quickly pouted instead.

"Hey, Maki-chan, you're just teasing me!" she complained while Maki smirked.

"Well, I don't think I'll wait a year. But who knows…" she murmured teasingly as Honoka began to look restless.

Honoka squirmed for a bit, making sounds of frustration as she attempted to convince herself to be willing to wait a year for a response.

…but she failed.

"I can't wait an entire year, Maki-chan! Tell me now!" Honoka pleaded as Maki quickly leaned away from Honoka.

"E-Ehh?! I can't tell you right now!" she stuttered in a panic.

"Please?!"

"What happened to giving me time?!" Maki reminded her, and Honoka paused for a few moments as it clicked in her head.

"Oh! That's right! I'll still wait for now!" Honoka finally said, giving up as quickly as she started as she turned her eyes toward the street.

Maki let out a sigh of relief, peeking at Honoka afterwards.

That energetic and cute attitude. How she was always so earnest. Her constant smile that'd make their clubroom instantly lively. The warm voice that could be a bit too loud at times.

Maki sighed as she accepted a fact in her mind.

…

The two talked for a bit longer until the heavy rain quickly turned into a light sprinkle, at which point Maki stood up.

"I should be going," she said quietly, and Honoka gave her a small smile.

"Mhm! See you at school tomorrow, Maki-chan," Honoka said with a wave as Maki returned the smile.

Honoka watched Maki's figure shrink in the distance. She also could've sworn there was a blush on Maki's cheeks, but she wasn't completely sure.

After Maki turned a corner, Honoka stood up to leave. However, she was sidetracked by the sound of her phone vibrating. Curious, she pulled it out and her eyes widened when she gazed at the screen.

A message from Maki.

'I like you too.'

A bright smile appeared on Honoka's face as she felt butterflies in her chest, and she immediately looked toward the corner Maki had disappeared behind.

Without a second thought, she started running.

"Wait up, Maki-chaaaannn!"

Ending Notes:

I just wanted to do a short HonoMaki thing. I know it's not the most popular pairing but I think they can be pretty cute together.

Thank you everyone for reading!