Author's note: This is part four of five.

Chapter 4: Naming Conventions

When you get to know someone better, you find things about them that you didn't know before. And you discover that your earlier impressions might have been inaccurate. Maybe they put one face for the world to see and then discard it in private. Or maybe they only wear one face, but that face turns out to be far more complex that you might realize. Those two might amount to the same thing, really, even if they're objectively different.

In getting to know Toshino Kyouko better, I came to see her as more than just the girl I had a crush on, the girl who seemed to want to do nothing more than slack off and pursue her own hobbies and antics instead. Her laziness about her schoolwork aside, I came to really appreciate her passion for her hobbies and her intents with her silliness and pranks and such. That doesn't mean I was willing to put up with anything (though I did put up with quite a bit and still do) – I just came see it all in a slightly different light than I did before.

The rest of our school trip passed me by in a blur. With Toshino Kyouko at my side, things never slowed down. She didn't do anything halfway, and most girls would have had trouble keeping up with her. I sure did at times. Whatever we saw, she was ready to run around and take it all in as quickly as she could, pulling me along as she did. From shrines to Osaka castle, from shops to meals, our trip became a runaway roller coaster ride. I loved it, of course, as much as I complained about the breakneck pace of things.

On the last evening of our trip, I sat with her as we worked on our trip report. Technically, it wasn't due until after we were back, but she and I had additional work due to our earlier misadventure outside the National Museum. We were to reflect on what we had both done and then write about it and why we wouldn't repeat such actions in the future. Seated next to each other in our hotel room, we worked on writing out just that. Yui and Chitose had gone off to play cards and visit with some other girls in our class. Kyouko had wanted to join them, but with some effort, I convinced her to stay and finish her work instead.

"I think this should be fairly easy," I said as I began writing. "We simply write about the importance of following the rules, why they're in place, and why we should have followed them, especially since we're in an unfamiliar, far-away city."

"And okonomiyaki!" Kyouko declared. "Let's not forget about that! I mean, that made it pretty worthwhile, right?"

Of course. She had gotten food, so why should she have cared that we had gotten in trouble and had been given extra work? I sighed and kept writing. "No, Toshino Kyouko. I think we should leave that part out."

"Fine, fine. But what about the most important part, Ayano?"

How long was she going to keep this up? When would she stop dawdling and work on her assignment? "What's the most important part?"

"That we got to spend time together, just the two of us."

I stopped writing and looked up at her. I don't think that was her original intent when she ran off the first day of the trip, but I was touched by her reply. I smiled at her. "I liked spending time with you too, Toshino Kyouko. Let's try not to get in trouble next time."

"That would be boring, Ayano. Don't worry; with the two of us, I'll make sure that things are never boring!"

"Okay," I said. "But for now, please work on your essay."

"Roger!"

I was left wondering what exactly I had said or done to get actually get her to focus on her work.

In the morning, we lined up and boarded our busses. It was time to leave.

As we rode the bus home, I stared wistfully out the window, watching the scenery roll by. Next to me, Kyouko was fast asleep. I guess all the excitement and frenzy and non-stop activity had finally caught up to her. It was reassuring to me that even Toshino Kyouko needed to recharge from time to time. I was tired myself, but couldn't fall asleep as easily as she did. I looked over and noticed that, across the aisle from us, Yui and Chitose had both fallen asleep as well. They were leaning against each other with Chitose's head resting on Yui's shoulder. It was an adorable sight to see. I pulled out my phone and made sure to capture a picture of the pair of them sleeping like that. For posterity, of course. How often did opportunities like these come along anyway? I looked at the picture on my phone and smiled happily.

To pass the time, I was skimmed through the rest of the trip photos I had taken. I had gone through half of them (smiling to myself again at a few of Kyouko and me) when my trip partner stirred from her slumber. Kyouko yawned as she woke up. "Good morning, Ayano."

"Good afternoon, Toshino Kyouko."

"Hey," she said, rubbing sleep from her eye. "Why do you always call me by my full name? Just Kyouko is fine, you know."

Why did I always call her that? To be honest, I wasn't sure. That's who she was to me, and she had been that since I had first met her.

"Because you're Toshino Kyouko," I replied as though that explained everything.

"Right, but you don't have to call me that. You can just call me Kyouko. Or Kyo-chan! Or K-Chan! Or…" She rattled off a long list of nicknames. Had she really been called all of those, or was she just making them up?

"Toshino Kyouko works for you," I chuckled. I tried to think of another name for her. "Though I could try…um…."

"Sweetie Ice Cream!" Kyouko suggested.

"What? No! What in the world sort of nickname is that?"

"A cute one! And a pretty sweet one, if I do say so myself. C'mon, try it out!"

"I'm not calling you that." I couldn't believe we were having this conversation.

"Aw." She really sounded disappointed. "But you're just calling me like so many other people do. I wanted something special for just you."

"Toshino Kyouko is special." And she really was too. That statement worked in multiple ways.

"I guess…" There was that disappointment in her voice again. Was she upset? I couldn't quite tell with her. I had finally come so far with where I wanted to be, and I felt like I was messing things up. I needed to think of a better strategy here.

"But," I said, trying to think of what else to say. "I could try just…Kyouko." It sounded weird coming out of my mouth. Had I ever called her just that? Well, there was a first time for everything.

"That works!" she smiled. "Say it again!"

"K-Kyouko." Why was this so awkward for me to say? It was half of what I had always called her!

Kyouko giggled. "I like hearing you say that, Ayano."

"I'll keep that in mind." This was mortifying. It was clearly time for a change of subject. "So, it's hard to believe our trip is over. It just flew by, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but it was memorable though, don't you think?" Kyouko put her hand over mine.

I nodded. That it was. That simple gesture and that moment shared between just her and I was all that I needed to assuage any anxious feelings or lingering embarrassment or whatever. It calmed me and at the same time, made me feel like running and shouting. I smiled at her as the bus rolled on.

When we were back at school, Kyouko grabbed me by arm while I was preparing to set off for home.

"Ayano," she said. "Why don't you sleep over at my place?"

"S-sleep over at your place?!" I asked. Her invitation caught me off-guard.

"That's what I said, silly," she giggled. "You sound nervous. Why would that make you nervous? I promise there's nothing bad there."

"What about Yui and Chitose?" Wait, why did I say that? Kyouko was right about one thing, I was nervous. Every time I felt calm and okay, things just like to randomly bubble up out of me. Would it continue to be like this?

"What about them?" Kyouko shrugged. "They both have their own things do, I bet. We'll have a sleepover with all four of us another time. This time, it can be just you and me."

"Well, if it's okay…" Sure, I'd need to check with my mother who might wonder what I was doing after several days of not being home, but what was one more day? And tomorrow was her day off, so I'd see her then.

"Of course it's okay!" Should she just have just okayed that without checking with her mom first? Well, maybe that was the way they did things.

"Then I'd love to sleep over," I finally said. That was good, I figured, taking another step.

We set off from the school together, though we needed to stop by my own house first. For one thing, I needed to get some of my own things for staying over at someone's house. And for another, I needed to say hi to my own mother, having not seen her for several. Plus, she could meet Kyouko. Our mothers knew each other a little, so introducing my mother and Kyouko would be logical. Thankfully, Kyouko was not wearing her t-shirt that proclaimed 'I am idiot' in English (something I knew she owned and was proud to wear). That would have made things awkward. From there we set off again, talking and laughing the whole way. I was still a little nervous, but also excited. I was going to a sleepover for just Toshino Kyouko and me.

When we arrived at Kyouko's house, she introduced me to her own mother (who looked quite a bit like her, truth be told), and led me upstairs through a door at the end of a small hallway. I looked around, taking in where I was.

So this was Toshino Kyouko's room? It looked as though a tornado had touched down in it. Clothes were tossed all over the place. There were stacks of manga next to her bed and more next to her desk. Art supplies, pens, papers, and brushes were strewn here and there. Aside from the mess, Kyouko's room did have other things I'd have expected to find there: a poster of Mirakurun hung on the wall, while a matching Mirakurun figure stood on her desk, striking a battle pose. Her Mirakurun outfit hung on the wall near her bed. I knew Mirakurun was her favorite series; in wanting to get closer to Kyouko, I had actually started reading it. That, of course, prepared me to be able to discuss it with her if the topic arose, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the chaotic clutter in which I'd spend the night with her. Didn't people usually clean before inviting someone over?

"Toshino Kyouko," I said with a frown after my survey was finished. "Your room is a mess. How do you live here?"

Kyouko laughed at my question. "Pretty easily! C'mon, please sit down. Uh, let me make a space for you."

She picked up an armful of clothes and added it to a pile in the corner next to her bed. She sat down and patted the floor. I took the hint and sat down across from her. She grinned at me, and I wondered what else I should say. The nervous feelings returned. What were we supposed to do? Fortunately, Kyouko was kind enough to answer that question for me.

"Let's play Pepper!" she said, producing a deck of cards from nowhere. Maybe it had been hiding under some of the nearby clutter.

"Pepper?" I hadn't heard of that one. "Do you play that with your club?" I knew they spent a lot of time playing games. The Nanamori Middle School Amusement Club seemed more like a social club than an actual school club; still, there were many times I had wished I was with them instead of on the Student Council.

"No, not yet," Kyouko answered, shuffling the cards. "I only just learned the rules to it. This would be my first time playing it with someone else, so I figure, why not play it with somebody special?"

I felt myself blush again. "Thanks. Alright, let's play that. But you'll have to tell me how to play."

"The first rule is that when you lose a round, you have to declare that Toshino Kyouko is the greatest girl who ever lived and when you win a round, you have to list all of Toshino Kyouko's best qualities."

"What kind of rule is that? Don't make things up. Just tell me the real rules."

"It was worth a try. Okay, listen closely…" She began dealing the cards, explaining the rules all the while. Once I felt sure I had them down, we played.

After hours of playing cards and laughing, I noticed that it had gotten very late. I pointed this out to Kyouko who shrugged, but understood that we'd need to sleep at some point. We both changed into our pajamas. Kyouko, of course, wore the same tomato pajamas that she so loved. And she looked adorable in them. Still sitting on the floor, I watched Kyouko as she reached behind her and pulled the ribbon from her hair.

"I don't wear this when I sleep," Kyouko explained, noticing my gaze.

"I see." That made sense, though it wasn't entirely why I had been watching her.

Kyouko sat back down and leaned very close to me. Suddenly, without offering any explanation, she took her red ribbon and tied it around my head as though it was a bandana. I was too confused by this act to respond and simply sat there stupefied while she did it. When she was done, Kyouko leaned back, put her hand to her mouth, and smiled mischievously.

"Heh, you look funny, Ayano," she snickered.

My words finally found themselves. "What did you do that for, Toshino Kyouko?"

"I thought we could swap hairstyles."

Oh, was that the game we were playing now? The fun never ended. Some advance notice would have been nice, but expecting Toshino Kyouko to be predictable was like expecting the weather to be predictable. Anyway, if we were going to do that, why did she tie around it my head like as she did?

"That's fine but, you don't wear your ribbon like this." I reached back and untied the ribbon. While pulling it off my head, I thought of the time I had accidentally yanked it off of hers. Was this the same one? It seemed like it, but I couldn't be certain. Maybe she had a lot of ribbons that were all the same. I set the ribbon down on the floor next to me then reached back and pulled the rubber hair band from my own hair. Holding it out to her, I said "Here, if we're going to do this, then you can put your hair up in a ponytail."

Kyouko took the hair band and held up two fingers. "Just you wait and see, Ayano. Ponytails look fantastic on everyone's favorite character, Toshino Kyouko!"

She was certainly a character. There was no doubt about that. Of course, that was one of the things I loved about her. Truth be told, I was curious as to how she'd look with it. I wasn't sure if I had ever seen her hair done any other way besides having that red ribbon tied in it, aside from when she had dressed up like Mirakurun. I briefly regarded the ribbon I held in my hand, then reached back and tied it into my own hair. I was pretty certain I did it the same way Toshino Kyouko wore hers. Finished, I looked at her and smiled.

"That looks really cute on you, Ayano!" Kyouko exclaimed. She sprang up and retrieved a hand mirror from her desk. She back down and held it up for me to look into. Sure enough, a purple-haired girl with a red ribbon looked back at me. It really did look okay, I thought. I might have considered wearing a ribbon in my hair more often, but I wasn't sure I wanted Kyouko and me to start matching. That would feel a little silly.

"Thanks," I replied. "Here, hand me the mirror. You can do your hair now, and we can see how you look."

Kyouko handed me the mirror. Quickly, she reached behind her and tied her hair back in a ponytail similar to the one I usually wore. Did she do that often? She seemed experienced at it, at least, though maybe it was from doing her hair different for her cosplay. I held up the mirror for her to see and commented "You look nice too, Toshino Kyouko. It really suits you."

Kyouko grinned at her reflection. "Eheheh."

"So, we both look cute," I said, setting the mirror down on the floor. "What's next, then?"

"Hmmm." Kyouko scratched her chin. "I know! Now we swap everything else."

"Everything else?" I was wary about what direction she was going to take this.

"Yeah!" Kyouko started counting off on her fingers. "Clothes, shoes, hobbies, personalities…"

"This getting silly, Toshino Kyouko." I shook my head while smiling at her. Where did she come up with this stuff? I was briefly reminded of the time when Sakurako, a first-year on the Student Council, had tried to imitate me, though hadn't been a swap per se. This situation was different too, of course. For Toshino Kyouko, it was just another way for her and me to have fun. That was fine. I could go along with her joking, and I liked that she was trying to make me laugh and smile. And I was enjoying myself. That said, it still felt like my role to play the serious one here (not that I could have helped doing otherwise), so I added "We can't switch personalities."

"Sure we can," Kyouko replied. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Ahem. Toshino Kyouko, you didn't hand in your form! Pay attention, because this is important Student Council business! Oh no, Chitose's nose is bleeding! Someone get a tissue. Hey, who ate my pudding?"

"Huh? What was that?!"

"Personality swap," she giggled. "That's you, Ayano."

I felt my face glowing red. I didn't really sound like that, did I? Granted, I was pretty certain I'd said all of those things at one point or another, but still.

"That's not what I'm like!" I protested.

She sat back down. "Sure it is."

"Is that so?" Fine. Two could play this game. A little surprised at my own boldness, I tried imitating her voice, just like I'd heard Yui do. "Ahem. I'm Toshino Kyouko. Look at me eat everything in sight! Let's all dress up like anime characters! Speaking of which, I haven't watched anime all day, time to watch hours and hours of it! Whoops, I watched too much and didn't do my homework again. But that's okay. I'll just copy someone else's."

I suddenly stopped, feeling worried that I had gone too far. I hadn't meant for all that to sound as bad as it might have sounded. But Kyouko simply laughed. "You know me really well! You're good at this."

I laughed too. I couldn't help it. Her laughter was contagious. The trepidation I had felt vanished instantly.

"I'm not sure I could handle being you, Toshino Kyouko," I said, catching my breath. Boy, was that the truth.

"In the end, I couldn't be you either," Kyouko replied. "You know why, Ayano? There's only one you."

I felt my heart flutter every time she said something like that to me. "T-thanks. There's only one of you as well, Kyouko." That, of course, was for the best. The world wouldn't have been able to handle more than one Toshino Kyouko.

"So for sleeping," Kyouko said, pivoting to a new topic. "I have a futon I can put on the floor for you…"

"That's fine."

"…but," she continued. "We can work it out so that neither of us has to sleep on the floor."

"How do you figure?"

"We can share my bed! There's room enough for both of us."

"I-I don't know." I wouldn't have minded doing that, but the very idea made me nervous. I felt my face grow warm just thinking about it.

"It's fine!," she insisted. "I've slept in the same bed and the same futon with Yui loads of times."

"I see." That made me a little jealous, even though I knew Kyouko liked me and that there was never anything between her and Yui. Still, my nerves got the better of me. "But really, I'm okay with sleeping down on the floor. You sleep in your bed."

"Oh, fine. I'll make sure to not roll out of my bed and crash into you then."

"Uh…thank you." Was that something she was worried about happening? Maybe she was a restless sleeper in her own bed. I tried to remember if she was like that back when we slept in the hotel for the trip, but couldn't.

Kyouko retrieved a futon and set it up on the floor next to her own bed. It was the standard size for one person, the same kind you'd find pretty much everywhere. It was comfortable though, and while I still felt pretty excited from everything that had happened, I was sure I'd sleep just fine in it. From the door of her bedroom, Kyouko smiled at me.

"I'm turning out the lights now!" she called.

"Okay." Click. In the dark, I heard Kyouko step over me and climb back into her bed. Laying myself back, I began to wonder if sleeping on the floor was really the best idea. The days were comfortable enough lately, but the nights were still cold. And I was definitely feeling that cold. I shivered a little, muttering "Brrr."

"Are you cold, Ayano?" I guess Kyouko had heard me. She sounded concerned.

"A little," I admitted.

"Then we'll fix that!" Kyouko declared. I looked up. I could see her outline as she hopped up out of her bed and got down on the futon next to me. She wriggled under the covers before I had the chance to say anything. Snuggling up against me and grinning, she added "There, together we'll stay warm."

So, Kyouko and I ended up in the same bed regardless. She put an arm around me as though I were a pillow you'd hug while sleeping. As usual, I felt a mix of nerves and exhilaration. My heart was once again beating hard, and I think my breathing sped up. I could make out Kyouko's face slightly in the dark. She looked at me and asked "Something wrong? Still cold?"

"No, I'm okay now," I replied. I could be okay with this, I decided. I just needed to calm myself some. "Really. Thank you."

"Of course! You know, this reminds me a bit of when Akari and I were stranded in the cold and were trying to keep warm. We had to huddle together to keep warm." Kyouko remarked. Akari? I assumed she was one of the girls in the Amusement Club with Toshino Kyouko. Which one was she? I tried to remember who else had been in the Amusement Club room all the times I had gone to see them (well, all the times I had gone there specifically to see Kyouko). There was Yui, of course, and a pink-haired first-year girl whose name was Chinatsu. There was another girl too, I think, but I couldn't quite recall her. Was she Akari? I definitely needed to get to know Toshino Kyouko's friends better, aside from Yui, of course, whom I already knew fairly well.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't even considered that Kyouko was probably telling me another one of her jokes or absurd stories. I decided to play along some. "How is it you and she were stranded in the cold?"

"There was a broken kotatsu! Everything was going dark, and we almost froze to death," Kyouko replied. "Fortunately, Chinatsu and Yui saved us."

I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but this indeed sounded like another one of Kyouko's inane, nonsensical stories. Humoring her, I replied "Well, that certainly sounds scary. I'm glad you survived."

"Me too!"

We lied there, saying nothing for a bit. I suddenly wondered if I'd even be able to fall asleep. For one thing, I was too excited and happy. Also, my heart was still going pitter-patter very quickly. Could Kyouko feel that? Having her cling to me would make sleeping difficult too, not that I necessarily minded her doing that. I wondered if Kyouko was nervous. Probably not, I decided. Hardly anything ever seemed to bother her.

Finally, as she was fond of doing, Kyouko broke the silence. "Ayano, what do you think we are now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you and me. What do you call us?"

Huh? I had no idea what she was asking. Was this a trick question? Another joke? "We're Sugiura Ayano and Toshino Kyouko. Right?"

"Right. Are we a couple now?"

I finally understood what she was getting at. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure either. That's why I asked you."

I didn't know what to say. I hesitated and nearly hoped for the awkward moment to just pass by. Then I realized that, just like Chitose had done the first day of the trip, Kyouko had given me an opening. And I needed to take it. If I said nothing to her, then nothing would change. I couldn't just wish and hope that someday something would happen. I had taken a lot of steps over the previous few days, and it was time to take one more.

"I see," I replied. Mustering up my courage, I quietly added "I'd really like for us to be a couple."

Kyouko's face was close enough to mine for me to see it light up in the dark. She smiled widely at me and said "Me too, Ayano."