She had thought about it. When she wasn't busy comparing herself to the other two, when she was relaxed, she felt somehow safe. It was nice to be in the company of other girls. She couldn't let her guard down around guys — she was busy trying to impress them, to be attractive. During those times she couldn't stand the other two for being so gorgeous. But other times — when they were alone — she liked her friends. She could even admire their beauty instead of being jealous of it.
Koto had thought most about it when the three of them were unwinding in a hotel after a long day of shopping — a girl's day out — and sat around drinking a little and chatting. Juri was watching TV and Ruka was playing with new makeup and talking about something — Koto was pretending to be attentive, but she was bored, truthfully, just sipping on another screwdriver and zoning out. She kept staring at the both of them, but they were so focused on what they were doing that they didn't notice. Ruka kept making faces at herself and turning her head this way and that — Koto gave up on looking at her expression, gaze flicking to Juri. Her eyebrows were a little raised — something dramatic must have been happening on whatever show she was watching — and her lips were parted just so. Her hair was down, wisping all over her shoulders and curling into the hollow of her throat. Ruka's hair was down, too, as it usually was, draping over her cleavage as she leaned in for a closer look at the mirror.
They looked so soft and sweet, like pretty little desserts, girls did — touchable and delicious but probably terrible for you in the end. But she saw another side to these girls, a comforting side when they didn't necessarily have to think about being girls and they could just be. It was times like these when they looked sweetest.