Thank you for waiting!
Here is the next chapter~
also, thanks to crimson for edits,
thanks to you all for comment/reviews/faves/follows!
Waking up for class has never been more hard for her,
The sun is still dim—the cold colored in blue and the gravitation felt stronger than it usually is. She found herself on the bed alone, but all the dirty stains still remained on her sheets, her legs are slightly numb, and the pain between them still remained…
A part of her is scared that yesterday was just another realistic dream, with a solo-play of some sort. When she looks into the hand mirror that she kept next to her bed, she could see a lot of red marks around her neck.
She smiled to her satisfaction, but also cringed at what she discovers under her nose—where she found herself to be nose bleeding greatly as well yesterday. She wished that she could look better for her first time... but, Eli was so lustful of her. She could care about nothing, but it still bothers her in a way.
Nozomi decided to hurry herself with all the cleaning she needed to do this very early morning. She goes around the house—ignoring the tiredness that still lingered in her body. She knows that she will need a lot of vitamin consumption from this day, but that will be worth it if she gets to do what she did yesterday again in the future.
Maybe every adult that knows about this will protest—and maybe they will say something along the line of, "you're still young and naïve, it's not ok to do that before the right age". But what makes one's age matter for the case? Is it the understanding? Is it the maturity? What is mature and what is immature?
Either way, she just has to make sure that this secret romance is not known by anyone else, else they won't get to do their secret rendezvous without feeling guilty about it, but now that she said that to herself, did Eli feel guilty about this…?
Maybe she did… but maybe she doesn't….
Nozomi just wanted to know how Eli would treat her today. Will it be different? Or perhaps things are worsening for them?
Perhaps it doesn't matter of what she will do to her today, she promised to herself to keep being confident and do what she wants to do, even if it will make her seen as a weird person.
Nothing wrong from being different, right?
At school,
Nozomi tried to walk as normal as possible with a scarf wrapped around her neck, but it seems that her attempt makes her become somewhat the center of attention—the "normal" walk is so much different than her usual walk, but thank God, the scarf is completely ignored because it's still spring and it's pretty normal if someone wears a scarf.
"Is she strutting…?" a girl said to her friend as she passes through them. Nozomi tried to not listen to what they might assume about her….but…
"I don't know… Toujou-senpai is a random person so I think that's not so surprising…"
"Yeah…who else is weirder than her among the third years…?"
They can't be blamed to judge that way, but somehow it makes Nozomi's confidence slightly drop, but doesn't change the way she walks since it's the best she can do with the pain between her legs.
Suddenly, a very loud and confident shout was heard from the gate,
"Heeeelllllooooooooo! Gurrrlllsss!"
A woman—with Otonokizaka High School uniform strides playfully in along with a similar faced woman. Nozomi feels like she know them, it didn't take long until she figures out…she met them at the Inn before! Are they even actually studying here though? She doesn't think she ever saw them here before…
"Sister, please…. Calm your tits and act like an actual school girl!"
"Ohohohohohhoho….!Gooooooooddddd Mooooorrrnnninnnnnnggggggggg!" she continued to shout again as she waves to the other students and a few teachers, staring at her in awe…
"God! Sister! You're embarrassing me!" the other woman—the one with short hair puts her palm on her own face.
"Ok…who's weirder than her…?" said the girl who said Nozomi was weird.
"Not even Toujou-senpai can beat that…." the other girl replied.
The crowd watched her maneuvering playfully into the school building, followed by the short haired one who keeps bowing and apologizing for the weirdness of her sister. Nozomi is quickly forgotten, but she is glad that someone did that. Still though, how did they even get here….?
"Oi…!" A voice that Nozomi knew, said
"Niko-chan…?" She replied as she turns around at the little girl who gets closer to her,
Niko remained silent for a moment, her eyes focused on the scarf around her neck. Soon, the black haired girl blushes madly, realizing the reason why Nozomi wore a scarf today…
"H-hey! I don't even want to know why you have all those markings!"
"Say what?" Nozomi flustered, she knows what Niko is talking about, but she absolutely has no idea how Niko knew the situation so fast.
"Heh! Putting that aside, I need to talk about something with you, when are you available to do that today….?"
Nozomi looks around for a moment, wondering if Eli is around right now…
"What do you need…? I can't really hang out with someone else for now…"
"Because of her? Sheesh… why are you dating a prison anyway…"
"It's not like that, it's just that I need to make a little confirmation, maybe I'll have to be busy with the council work."
"Hmmph…fine then, what about a phone call?"
"Tonight…?"
"Are you busy by then too?"
"I honestly don't know…" Nozomi replied,
"Ah—screw that, let's talk while getting our ass to class."
The two walked up to their class on the third floor,
Niko explained everything that she saw last time, Nozomi seems to be not surprised, but she is glad that someone confirmed it for her.
"…..that's why, I was wondering, what you think about this…?" Niko asked.
Nozomi smiled faintly at her,
"First, I really appreciate it that you decided to postpone the information to the group for me…but… honestly, if you ask me about what I think…. I have nothing…." Nozomi replied.
"Huh? Nothing? Don't you feel uncomfortable if they somehow make her their enemy…?"
"What about you now? Do you take her as an enemy….?"
"Me…? Well… I don't know…I don't like the way she sees the world, of course, judging everyone as unworthy to live… I wonder what kind of childhood she had… it's too extreme…"
"I'm sure she went through something really bad… but does that even matter? All we have to do is make sure she feels comfortable… it will need extra effort, but I guess if no one wants to do it, I'll do it…"
"I don't get you… hanging out with a person like that, do you even understand that she could be dangerous?" Niko said.
"It's not too late…she hasn't turned herself into a super villain…" Nozomi replied jokingly.
"Huh? I didn't mean it to that extreme, I was just saying that she could hurt you…."
"It's not that I wasn't used to that sort of thing…, either way, that's how it works, Niko-chan… you can't just hate someone because of her surface... Ericchi could be cold and all, but she actually has a great heart…"
"Hm…sure… I can say that about any rude ass trying to make themselves look good…"
"I've been with Ericchi for like...what…. three years? I know her as much as I know myself…"
"So she is actually your type… huh? You're crazy… "
"Are you interested in me?" Nozomi said teasingly.
"No way—ew! Not you!"
"Why? Jealous of my size?"
"Yes! I mean… No! You have oversized breasts! Not the point! What I wanted to say is, if I were you, I'd rather get out of her life, find someone else who is safe enough to hang around with… like, Maki?"
"So you're after some nice sugar…"
"W-what?! That's not what I meant, you idiot..! I mean….! Honoka and friends are good to be with too, they always give this positive atmosphere for life… good for motivation…"
"If I always take the positive side, will that be any different…? Ericchi always helps me learn and she learned from me too…or at least that's what I believe… we're not going backwards… and I know she might be stubborn…though there's a slow progress that I pay attention to… soon enough, you'll thank me for making Ericchi the warmest and fluffy friend…"
"Hmmph! Alright, but take care of yourself, ok? We're here to support you…"
"My, you're pretty sweet… I didn't expect that…"
"Hmmph! What are you saying—I'm always sweet! You never knew that?!" the little girl said arrogantly,
"But it's not like I actually care about you or anything, ok? It just that I'm worried that you stumbled yourself into deep hell… I bet the others will do the same with me…"
"So your point is…is not like you care but you worried? That's really nice of you…maybe you should be my girl…"
"Your…girl!? Are you nuts?!" Niko protested.
"Well, you're small and you seem nice, I'd like to have a daughter like you…"
"No thanks! I don't want a mother like you! Especially because you are stingy!"
"Stingy of….what?" Nozomi asked,
Niko remained silent, her eyes hinting to her breast…
"Actually, never mind, I don't think I want to have a pair of explosive balloons hanging on my chest…"
"Oh…well then…." Nozomi smiled mischievously.
"Let me—…" she raises both of her hands…
"—help you expand it!"
She quickly grabs both of Niko's breast and squeezes it really hard. Niko was screaming in pain as curious eyes watched and passed by them,
"God-Damn-it! Nozomi! That hurts!"
"Don't worry Niko-chan! Soon enough, your breast will be a few millimeters bigger…!"
"…and bruising?! You crazy woman! Get off me!"
A few second passed with Niko struggling to release herself, It was too hard until Nozomi finally stopped when she noticed a specific blonde passing by—and ignoring them completely.
Oops….
Nozomi quickly pulls both of her hands away from Niko.
This is bad…
Nozomi glanced at Eli, who didn't even bat her eyes at her, and coldly walks away as if she never knew her.
She must've seen that….
The purplenette bit her lips.
Ah…shouldn't have done that.. I mean… I knew it's too dangerous to be playful around someone else for now… we're still recovering…
She quickly hid her hands and made distance.
Is she seriously going to be angry from this though? Maybe I really need to hurry up and explain…
Nozomi is about to catch up with her, but….
There was someone else—not a real person…but a soul…
She has never seen her before…but…from the description that she often heard….
Black dress, hint of beauty, slim, tall…and pale white skin….
She is somewhat creepy…
Especially when she is just following Eli around with that smug smile on her face…
Is this the person who she needs to challenge…?
Spiritual Power-wise, she indeed looks very powerful…and the most important detail for Nozomi right now…
She now knows everything she did around Eli….
But maybe that soul doesn't know that Nozomi could see her.
Surely, if that's the case, it's an advantage for her…
"Oh—Oi! Eli!" Niko tried to approach her, assuming that she realized something and attempting to explain the situation to Eli.
Nozomi remained silent, she walked into classroom with her eyes always set on the creature behind Eli—who slowly approaches the blonde and places her long skinny fingers upon her shoulder. While listening Niko trying to explain, the creature is heard to say something…
"…..my…did that girl just get some nice touches from your crush? And now she is trying to explain everything as a misunderstanding….? What a loser…we all know that she enjoyed getting touched, you can see it with your own eyes…just ignore her and stay true to your heart…"
Eli remained silent.
Nozomi frowned slightly, she really wants to make this damned creature shut her mouth, but she knows better than to play her cards too soon…
Like what Eli said, everything needs a plan—and being spontaneous is not always fine….
This creature is strong…and this creature seems to know a lot about Eli….
It will be stupid of Nozomi to try attacking without any back up…
"Can you shut your mouth and return to your seat? I don't even care about what you did…" Eli said coldly.
"Huh? Sure! But you got to believe me, ok?"
"I said, I don't care… get away from me…" Eli replied coldly again.
Niko smirked and decided to return to her seat, glancing at Nozomi and signing to her about how annoying Eli is…
Nozomi can understand something, but she might have to share this understanding to the group somehow—maybe they will help…. But maybe they will take it as a warning instead…
She will have to try either way…
"Tsk-tsk…humans are surely worthless, why don't they just kill themselves for the sake of better earth…but maybe, that's what made you exist…a population controller…." The creature said to Eli, but Eli seems to keep quiet.
"I'll meet you again later at midnight… also, make sure you get my messages… then maybe you can finish the task before midnight as well. If you do that, you'll get some nice bonus from me…"
Nozomi swears, something in her ears burned, she was so close to roaring her heart out at her…even though humans aren't supposed to roar when angry…
"…hmm...what about…I'll teach you about how to manifest your power aura? If you do that, you can eat a bigger soul….or even, intimidate your enemy…." The creature said as she brushes her fingers on Eli's chin.
"Then maybe, you can aim for a bigger target for me later…..I don't mind if you bring me some nice ogres…they are strong, best for consumption too…" she chuckled,
Again, the heat on Nozomi's ears began to get hotter and hotter….
Is this what someone calls as Jealousy?
That surely is a strong impact for her….
Maybe this is what Eli felt before…
And that was getting worse because of Nozomi's spontaneous ideas….
This kind of mistake shouldn't be repeated again later…
Nozomi said to herself.
It feels so uncomfortable…I should've understood that…
She continued with a small sigh. The creature finally left Eli…though Eli seems to be still unmoving and the cold aura is still around her. Nozomi feel like she shouldn't try to communicate for now…
Lunch Break,
Honoka, Umi and Kotori took their time to eat their lunch under a tree. Not many people like going to that spot since it's pretty far from the classroom or the school's canteen. The lesser the people, the better place for them to discuss their activity…
"…and then, that's how I realized that we should become a school Idol!" Honoka finished her story.
Umi sighed heavily…
"Honoka, I don't think…becoming a school idol will—…."
"Waaah! That sounds interesting!" Kotori cuts in.
"K-Kotori!" Umi exclaimed in her agitation.
"I mean… you say that you saw school idols helping huge amounts of souls go into the light, right?"
"Yeah!" Honoka nodded cheerfully.
"I honestly think it's not because of the idol-ing! It doesn't make any sense!" Umi exclaimed.
"We're in! Honoka-chan!" Kotori said.
"W-wait-wait! I never said I agree with this!" Umi said.
"Ok! Let's talk to Eli-senpai!"
"Ok!" Kotori replied.
"Wwaiiitt! Listen to me! Kotori! Honoka!"
Meanwhile….
"Hey, Rin, Hanayo…Why do you think Niko decided to keep the information from us…?" Maki started as she opens her lunch box, with Hanayo and Rin doing the same while sitting next to the redhead.
Rin and Hanayo paused for a moment, they seem to be troubled with the question…but….it's Maki who asked them…she will really need the answer….
"I don't know… maybe she has a reason….but…should we just leave it at that….?" Hanayo replied.
"Heh—I don't think so… maybe she is trying to protect someone… else, what other reason can that be…?"
"Hehe…maybe she didn't intend to hide it from us, maybe she just doesn't know how to tell us…" Hanayo said.
"That's possible too…but it's not really like her to try speaking of something properly…her mouth is pretty loose…."
"Then maybe it was because we're underage-nya…?" Rin said.
"Huh? Under-age?!" Maki exclaimed.
"Yeah-nya! Hehe…we're still the youngest after all…my parents often hide somethings from me because I'm still too young!"
"Oh….well, alright….I think I can get that…but really…does she has to keep us hanging…?"
"We should just wait…" Hanayo said.
"Yeah-nya!" Rin agreed.
The three walks to the canteen, Maki had to make a stop near the entrance as she started to hear something…
"…yes...exactly what I was talking about!" a girl said.
"…so you basically saw someone that looked like Ayase-senpai at midnight, except she was able to pass through walls which you automatically assumed that as the reason why the lady died the next day…?" the other girl replied.
"Yes! Quite like that!"
"Are you sure that's ayase-senpai…?"
"Well, she has this pale skin, honestly I'm not really sure about the color though, it was too dark and all I could see was the face… she really looked like Ayase-senpai…"
"How far were you from her…?" she asked.
"Like a few floors away? I often look at Ayase-senpai from afar so I know…."
"Then maybe it's just your delusion… you must be sleepy…." Said the other girl.
"Huh...really? Maybe that's the case… oh—by the way…..!"
And the two girls started to chat about something else…
Maki felt slightly bothered after eavesdropping on the conversation, she knows that some part of the story seems to be believable… not by logic, but by the knowledge she has….
This might be a real deal…
"What's wrong, Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked.
"Hmm…we might need to do a little investigation…" she said before she walks away from the two...
"Maki-chan…?" Hanayo and Rin flustered, but the two decided to follow her anyway….
The student council room,
Silent is upon the place, Eli and Nozomi quietly worked on their council work. For Nozomi, she has never been in the mood to be this serious before, but thanks to the drama—now she's stuck, keeping up the serious act, too serious….
Her eyes always stealing a glance to her surroundings—it's close to a hunger created by her own mind. She really wants to throw out her challenge immediately, though still having no plan of how she will deal with her if she was to be a lot stronger than she thought she keeps trying to convince herself to stay calm.
After a while, the blonde suddenly stopped working. It was enough to take the purplenette's attention,
"You're done…?" Nozomi asked.
Eli remained silent before a raven flew in through their window, landing a letter to Eli. Then for a moment, Eli read the letter before she write a quick reply—letting the crow fly again as she sighs.
"…..this is just the beginning of our work, Nozomi… we're never going to be done with this until the end of the semester…"
"Sheesh…I know that part, what I meant is… are you done today…?"
"I'll continue this in five minutes…"
"I see…." Nozomi replied as she gives a slight nod to her.
"…and I want to talk to you in that five minutes… can you stop working…?" Eli continued.
Nozomi stopped immediately to listen…
After confirming that Nozomi stopped completely…Eli began to talk…
"….There's a powerful soul sitting at a zoo…"
"A zoo….?"
"Yes… I don't know where that might be… but I'll be going there tonight…"
"At night…. You know how unreachable that is…"
"Nothing is not reachable for me…not anymore… that's why…if you want to come… you should only bring necessary people with you… else, we will have a hard time getting there without being known…."
"Ericchi… I think it's also impossible for me to not bring everyone… each of them has their own abilities…and they are all still learning—taking away their chance to study is not something I can do…"
Eli sighed heavily…
"Fine… then I'll just do this myself… go find something else to do with everyone…."
"It's not like I'm trying to brush you off like that…. why can't you think of a way to bring everyone…? I thought you will need just a small effort to do that, right?"
"We need people who are quiet… the animals could make a very loud noise—and will attract the guard as well…so if you're still insisting on bringing everyone… that also means that you want to have us deal with all those guards…"
"I'm very sure they can do you the favor… you just have to believe them…."
"I only have time until an hour before midnight… after that, I don't want any of you to stick around me…"
"I'll talk to them… we will arrange it and we will do you the favor…but say, what do you plan to do to the soul?" Nozomi asked.
"…..you know what I will do… but what about you…?"
"I will have to see this soul myself and get to know them… everyone will want to do the same before deciding…"
"Very well…we will see…." Eli replied plainly before she returns her eyes to the pile of work on her table...
Nozomi smiled at her,
"But seriously…if you have to choose who needs to be pleased first…Ericchi…will you choose her over me…?"
And with that, Eli stopped again. She took her time to glare at Nozomi—seems to be less amused, but Nozomi knows that there will be a very serious answer coming her way, not long after the phrased question.
The blonde stands up from her seat, and moves towards the purplenette, placing her fingers to the tip of her chin,
"Don't you dare ask me such a foolish question…" Eli said with a hint of anger in her voice before she pushes her lips into her lover's and releases it in a gentle motion….
"Is that you telling me that you will choose me…?" Nozomi asked teasingly as their eyes met the beauty.
Without any words of response, the blonde once again presses her lips, playing in more depth inside her. As the game became more intense, Eli pulled her girlfriend all the way back to her seat. She remembers that she has done something like this in bed before—but when she was about to undo the latter's coat button, Nozomi quickly grabs her hand..
"Wait… we're at school, shouldn't we limit our actions…even if we are…currently in a private place?"
Eli remained silent… she knows that what she said makes a lot of sense….
"Not that I mind some nice challenge though…." Nozomi smiled mischievously before she shoves her face closer to the blonde.
"You…" Eli smiled faintly before the two started to be passionate with each other once more…
Hallway,
Maki briskly walks—aiming to the council door while Rin and Hanayo followed after her. As Maki was about to turn the knob upon reaching the door, they hear Honoka calling out to them with Kotori and Umi walking alongside her…
"Oh! Oiiii! Everyone!" she said loudly. Maki turned her gaze to them,
"Huh…? You're all here too…?" suddenly someone else, other than Maki replied. Who happened to be right behind Rin and Hanayo.
"Oh—Niko-senpai! That's surprising-nya!" Rin said.
"Heh—what are you all doing here…?" Maki asked.
"Well—I got an idea that I want to share!" Honoka said,
"I have something to ask Nozomi…." Niko said.
"…and I have an information that I need to confirm…" Maki said.
"W-wah…everyone has their own business…" Kotori said.
"Ours is not that important, so you can go ahead…" Umi said.
"Well…mine is not that important either… but it got me serious…" Niko said.
"Then I'll go ahead first…" Maki goes in without a second to delay, not a minute passed when she quickly shuts the door again and turns around to the rest with a bright red face.
Everyone looked flustered, wondering what might be inside the council room,
"Actually… Niko, you go first…" Maki quickly pulls the little girl and pushes her into the room.
Everything was quiet for a while, until Niko opened the door, confused,
"Oi! Where are they?" Niko asked.
"Huh? Shouldn't they be inside?" Maki tried to confirm.
"Nope… check again…" Niko said as she opens the door wide, confirming that no one was inside.
"W-What?! I swear I saw them before…" Maki said as she quickly enters to the room to check.
"Hmm..Maki-chan, are you tired…?" Kotori asked.
"No way, I'm fresh and healthy!" Maki said.
"Like a vegetable-nya?"
"Rin! You know it's not necessary to say that!"
"Were they really here…?" Umi asked as she tries to peek in along with Honoka and Kotori.
"I swear I saw them!" Maki exclaimed as she keeps searching.
"Weird, are they hiding or something…? What did they do when you saw them?" Niko asked.
"Well, they were—…"
And before Maki was able to continue….
"What are you all doing here…?" Eli—appeared right behind them along with Nozomi behind her. Maki swears to herself, confused of what just happened. Who did she sees before…?
"Oh, Eli-senpai! Nozomi-senpai! I have an idea to share!" Honoka said.
"Wait…where did you all go before…? I swear I saw you two here before!" Maki said.
"We were just gone to have a little demonstration done… is there anything you all need…?" Nozomi replied.
"There are things we need to talk about…" Maki said boldly as her eyes set on the specific sapphire eyed blonde.
"Sounds like it's something serious…we should talk inside…"
They invited them inside the council room,
Maki started first—telling everyone what she had heard after interrogating the witness.
Eli—seems to be very calm despite the suspicions thrown at her, while Nozomi knew that this sort of thing would eventually come up…
She tried hard to find a reason that can make them try to forget about that and focus on the new mission that will be given to them. But before anything could escape from her lips…
"So…what are you trying to ask me…?" Eli asked coldly…
"Did you really do something? I know a few of us have the ability, if they wanted to harm someone—so I doubt you can't do what we can do!"
"….life is hard, there's a start and an end…so it's normal if someone finds their end…" Eli replied.
"You know well that it's not normal for someone to have their life end before the time…"
"What is this 'time' you're talking about here... If they end, then it's truly their time to end…"
Maki frowned deeply at her,
"So you really did something!" she said angrily.
"I-is that true? It's kind of cruel and twisted to take someone else's life…." Hanayo said.
"Maybe there's some sort of misunderstanding in the information? Or perhaps, just because she has a foreign face, she automatically assumed her to look like Eli?" Umi said.
"Y-yeah, maybe that was it…" Kotori said.
"Now-now…. Everyone…." Nozomi stood up to calm the situation.
"...it's not nice to accuse her with that sort of thing…" she continued,
"Well…what if I really did something?" Eli asked with an arrogant smile.
"Ericchi! Just—shut up! Let me handle this…"
Eli chuckled to the statement, averting her eyes away in amusement. Returning her attention back to the others, Nozomi took a deep breath…
"Ok…so…everyone… instead of….thinking too much of the past—….."
"Hey…listen…." Maki cuts in, Nozomi took a pause as her eyes set on Maki.
"….remember, that I agreed to do this kind of thing because I wanted to help you all to save the innocent from evil souls…not taking an innocent soul out of their life… if you continue to do this, I might have to work against you…." Maki said bravely as her finger points to Eli.
"M-maki-chan! She is a senior! Put that down!" Honoka said as she pushes her hand down.
"I don't know, but this is rare for Honoka to be able to read a situation…" Umi whispered to Kotori.
"I know…I thought so too!" Kotori replied.
"Well…we can make sure of where she is siding to if we try to…work again… I know that Ericchi is a little suspicious...but you can't just accuse her like that especially when you didn't see it for yourself…" Nozomi said.
"Fine... I'm up for it... but if someone is going to bail out again in the middle of the mission—I'm not going to look for her…" Maki said.
Eli smirked at the statement,
"M-Maki-chan…." Hanayo tried to calm her down.
"Hey….truly…I have no idea why you're so worked up from that sort of information. Even if there is truth in it, but I can assure you….it's not Eli who did it…" Niko said.
Eli seems to be slightly surprised from what Niko said.
"Then, probably just a foreign faced soul…?" Kotori asked.
"There's a lot of foreign people around Japan, she is not the only one…" Umi said.
Maki bit her lips,
"Hmmph!" she decided to throw her sight away instead of apologizing…
"So we're good to go…?" Nozomi smiled wryly, hoping that Maki isn't hurting too much…
"So what's the plan…?" Honoka asked.
"We're going to the zoo this afternoon…and hopefully we will be able to finish the mission before midnight…"
"The zoo?!" Everyone seems to be surprised.
"Yes… our next target is lingering around the zoo…we haven't learned the details yet but source says that it's a pretty strong soul…we should deal with it before it's too late…" Nozomi said.
"This is not the weekend, I'm not quite sure if everyone can join in…" Umi said.
"What about you though, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked.
"Fortunately, I'm free of all activities today…so I can give my support…"
"Well, I have nothing in schedule today either, so I'm good to go…" Niko said.
"We're always free, so we're good too-nya!" Rin said.
"Hehe..yup!" Hanayo replied.
Maki remained silent as she twirls the tip of her hair.
"Uoooh! We're all good to go then!" Honoka said cheerfully.
"Then…should we make a quick plan and preparation for this…?" Nozomi smiled to them,
"Yeah!"
It takes just about a few minutes for them to finish planning,
Also not to forget to tell their parents about where they were all going to go this afternoon—with a little lie about each one stay over at a friend's house. It also takes about two hours for everyone to get ready with what they need—snacks, purse, and some drinks, along with other personal goods.
Eli and Nozomi hasn't yet presented themselves at the designated area. So Niko took charge to check on everyone—a responsibility as the oldest one, she says... but while checking on them, she also explained something that she has been considering… some seem to grasp the idea, but….
"….heh…you want us to try to be friendly with her…? We did before…yet she acted that way toward us anyway…." Maki scoffed,
"….Well…continue to be kind… soon enough, she will remove that barrier…." Niko said.
"Why though? I don't get it… I mean…won't that just get us into more trouble…?" Maki said.
"She is an ass, sure, but really, you're an ass too… but you want us to accept you the way you are anyway, right?" Niko said.
"Y-yeah…but….I don't act like her…." Maki replied as she began to twirl her hair tip.
"Seriously… just try to understand that it's hard for her to remove her barrier if we always act like a jerk towards her, especially with the fact that you all often hog Nozomi around just because she is exciting to be around…"
"Hmm…I see…. so we're also the cause of her anxiety…" Umi said.
"Yep… and it's not that I want to tell you all to stay away from Nozomi or anything… I want you all to show that you're a friend for her, not an enemy or a rival that's going to steal Nozomi away from her…" Niko said.
"Actually we've been told and planned to do that as well, but we didn't really know how…." Hanayo said.
"Really-huh? Well, maybe this is a good chance, just anything friendly could work, you know…pretend that she has been your friend or something…" Niko said.
"I-I'm a little scared of her too…." Hanayo added again.
"What? You're not scared of ghosts, why would you be scared of her…?"
"I have to say, Eli-senpai is scarier than ghosts…." Kotori said.
"I Agree!" Honoka said.
Umi sighs softly,
"Honestly, no matter how hard I try, I still can't think of how to approach her either…"
"I told you, just anything that comes up to mind should work…just try to act like yourself… how do you usually treat your friend…. And if needed, be a little aggressive too…."
"A-Aggressive?!" Everyone flustered.
"Yep, just like Nozomi…." Niko said.
"I don't know…but I don't feel like doing that… maybe I'll just stay down and act as usual…?" Maki said.
"Yeah, just whatever. I know you wouldn't do anything anyway…." Niko replied.
"Good…."
And as Maki responded, Kotori noticed Eli and Nozomi heading towards them, the first thing she noticed is that they held each other's hand. Realizing it, Kotori signaled the rest to look at the two.
"Oh, there they are! Nozomi-senpaaaii! Eli-senpaaaii!" Honoka shouted and waved at them.
Immediately, Nozomi releases her hand from Eli's grasp to respond to Honoka's wave.
"Oooouu! Honoka-chan! Everyone!" Nozomi shouted back.
Once again, Kotori noticed how Eli began to look less amused, even though she's probably trying to not be upset towards such a minor thing. Quickly, Kotori shoves Umi gently with her elbow, having the bluenette give all the attention to her.
"Umi-chan-Umi-chan…" Kotori whispered to her,
"Yes…?" Umi replied softly,
"I know we're all supposed to be working on befriending her, but…can we also work to…uhm… stop Honoka's third wheeling ability from skilling up…?"
"T-third wheeling ability?"
"Y..yeah…I get the feeling she will be too honest about everything—and..maybe..it might naturally make her closer to Nozomi than to Eli…which will only make things worse…so…." Kotori pauses.
"Understood… then I should try to make her do something else…"
At the zoo,
The dusk is almost set and they just managed to get into the zoo after the long queue in the ticket booth…
"The zoo is only open until 9 PM, I think we should consider getting an event that's closest to our target area…" Hanayo said.
"Don't worry… our target is placed in one of the night events…" Nozomi replied as she looks into the brochure.
"Oh, what event is it…?" Kotori asked.
"The Circus…." Nozomi replied.
"Circus….?!" They all replied in shock except for Eli.
"That's actually interesting-nya!" Rin said.
"Y-yeah…I've never seen a circus before…!" Hanayo said.
"I don't mind…." Maki said—with a slight blush on her face, clearly showing that she is somewhat excited to the idea.
"I want to see their bear walking on a ball!" Honoka said excitedly.
"Me too, I want to see those animals playing!" Kotori said.
"I heard there used to be a monkey who was able to do archery, I'm up to look for that one…" Umi said.
"Yup! But remember everyone, pay attention to any strange details!" Nozomi said.
"Hey, maybe we should just split our seating this time, to get a better look from every angle…" Niko said.
"Sure, but then we have to hurry up before we run out of seats in every section…" Nozomi replied.
They all lined up in each of the sections,
First year's are headed towards section A, second year to B and third years to C. Rin and Hanayo stayed on the bench near the line up, while Maki—who said that she wanted to be the one getting the tickets, waited in the queue, the second year lined up together while chatting, then the third years….
"…sheesh…she is really such a troublesome one…" Niko said to Nozomi, who sat next to her, waiting for Eli who said that she can get the tickets for them.
"Hmm…I think I'm a little worried of something…." Nozomi said.
"What…?" Niko asked.
"Not sure…I feel like…she was planning out on something—as the reason of why she insisted to buy the tickets…"
"Like…what? Placing me away from you two?"
"Eh….maybe…?" Nozomi said.
"hmmph…I've prepared to deal with that, but at least I can focus that way…"
And after a few seconds, Eli returned with three tickets…
"Here…" she said plainly as she handed them to Nozomi and Niko. The seats are actually placed next to each other—and no one is separated away.
"Oh…wow…didn't expect you still let me sit next to you both…." Niko said.
"I didn't appreciate what you did last time, but I don't hate it…" Eli said with a slight blush on her face, looking away from both of them.
"Because I lied to everyone about you…?"
"You knew what I did… yet you said I didn't do it…."
"…and what's wrong with that? I mean, you're just trying to do your job, right? Besides, how did you even know that I knew…?"
"I can see what you did to me, you were reading my past through spiritual power…"
"…and you didn't attempt to block it…" Niko said.
Eli remained silent, pouting as her eyes were set somewhere else.
"Sheeesh….really, I understand that you just want someone to understand you, right? I knew that… heck, I knew someone like that…but for real, you don't have to act like a villain…. You're a terrible fail at being a villain…" Niko said.
Nozomi seems to be questioning the fact that the two seems to listen to each other.
"….just be yourself. What do you want for yourself and what do you really need… stop being shy….and stop thinking bad about yourself…have some confidence!
"I don't need to listen to your lecture…" Eli replied somewhat coldly.
"Hmmph… now, we should go to our gathering points…let's see if everyone got their tickets…" Niko said before she walks away first. Nozomi remained silent, her eyes always set on Eli who seems to be actually listening to what Niko said.
I guess… I'll just have to do my job now…
She said in her mind before she touched Eli's hand, holding it gently—which apparently was enough to surprise Eli. Now that she reacted that way, Nozomi understand her a little deeper...
She has a fear to get over… and she tries…
"Ericchi…" she whispered.
Eli glanced at her slightly.
"Just hold my hand when you're scared, ok?"
Eli remained silent, but tighten her grip on Nozomi's hand. Realizing, Nozomi smiled at her and decided to walk off with her toward the gathering point.
After a while,
They all finally managed to get all the tickets. Apparently, Maki bought the VIP tickets for both Hanayo and Rin—said that it's on her this time, while on the other side…
"And we ended up with wrong seats…." Umi said sadly,
"Hnng…I told Honoka to tell me the number…but she read me the wrong number!" Kotori said.
"….A-At least Umi-chan and I will sit together!" Honoka said as she shows her ticket—which is somewhat also way different than the other's tickets…
"Ah…right…I forgot to mention— you got the wrong ticket too…Honoka…." Umi put her palm on her face.
"D-Did I….?!" Honoka tried to read her ticket…
It's not for the circus…it's for the joy ride in one of their kid entertainment…it does contain an element of circus, but still….
"I can't believe this…." Eli mumbled, seems to be annoyed.
"Guess you will have to line up again…." Nozomi said…
"Haaaaaaaa—this is so tiring!" Honoka whined,
"It's because you're really lacking of discipline!" Umi yelled at Honoka.
"Don't waste any more time, go line up before the tickets run out…" Maki said.
"Yeah..go-go-go! Honoka-senpai!" Rin said
"Oo…ok!" Honoka said loudly before she runs to line up again.
Umi sighs heavily.
"We could've enjoyed a nice stroll around the zoo at this time…" she said.
"Yeah…. But things like this tends to happen…so I guess it's fine?" Kotori said.
"On the good side, maybe we should just use this time to hang out?" Nozomi asked.
Everyone looks at each other—realizing an opportunity that Nozomi mentioned,
"Oh! Right nya! Well… this day should be Eli-senpai's special treatment day, right?!" Rin said.
Eli once again, surprised by the statement, wondered what's with her today…
"O-Oi! Stupid! You shouldn't say that! It was supposed to be done naturally!"Niko said.
"But we're now near a nice big tree, how much more natural can we be-nya?"
"R-Rin-chan…it's different kind of natural…" Hanayo said.
Nozomi chuckled,
"There-there…we can't hide anymore…" she said as she keeps holding Eli's hand,
"….What is this thing you're planning to do with me…?" Eli asked—somewhat furiously.
"Well, you see Ericchi… they wanted to be friends with you too…but they didn't know how and decided to ask me to help them…" Nozomi said.
It's not quite the truth, but everyone seems to not object to the idea.
Eli remained silent for a moment, her eyes set on everyone's eyes—noticing that they seem to worry about the latter's response.
"What's so good about me…why are you all giving this much effort…" she said coldly. Once again, the atmosphere which was light suddenly burdened… an awkward silence is set up to them…
"Nothing…. there's nothing good about you…" Maki said, breaking the silence.
Everyone seems to be surprised—and again, this looks like it's not going to do well…
"….M…Maki-chan…!" Hanayo tried to suggest her to tone down her words.
"What…? It's the truth, isn't it? She is such an asshole, no matter what she is…" Maki continued.
Eli remained silent with a deep frown on her face.
"….but do you really think friend's are just going to accept you when you're an angel? One who did nothing wrong in all her life…?" she continued.
Everyone was quiet, awkwardly staring at the tension between the two.
"….tch… I'll be blunt, if you're expecting us to treat you special because of anything good from you, you're wrong. We're not a complete worthless bunch of garbage… we're all here to live our own life. Not for you, not for anyone else…" the red haired girl said again without a single eye contact made with the blonde.
"Hell… let me tell you that you're not the only person who lives with hate and anxiety, some might be acting like a total jerk like you, some might be trying their best to get rid of it, and some might have even gone off to do something more positive than to care about what part of them tells otherwise…"
There was an awkward silence… though the purplenette could feel that there is something sharp and deep wounding her dear friend as the grip strengthens. Realizing that she might have been scaring the others, the red haired girl tried to end the conversation.
"….I don't even want to continue telling you all my thoughts, it's up to you to think of what I just said….plus, I have no intention to humiliate you—especially with the fact that I'm younger than you. Not to mention, I'm not even proud of telling all that to you…all I know is that you're pissing me off with that attitude, I've tried to understand you before and yet you acted like I never tried…so…" she takes a step away,
"I'll be off now… get some fresh air…meet you again after the circus…" she continues before walking away from the group.
"M-Maki-chan…." Hanayo said in a worry,
"S…Scary-nya…" Rin whispered softly.
Kotori and Umi seems to be silenced, they have no idea of what to say to break the ice.
The two youngest juniors bowed politely before they head off to catch up with the red-head, while their other two juniors decide to leave the area as well to get some nice fresh air—and perhaps have a small talk with each other.
Nozomi and Eli are left with Niko….
"So…. This is awkward…right? We could've used this to walk around and have some fun…" Niko said before she sighed,
"…really…that girl doesn't know how to be friendly… but then again she is not the only one… I have to say though, there's a lot of truth in her words…maybe because she had the same experience… or perhaps someone else has told her that before she lost her friends. Who knows….?" Niko shrugs.
Eli was still quiet, with a hint of tears in her eyes as her cheeks flushed a light red—showing how hurt she felt from the speech…she tried her best to look tough though…
"Well…I don't think I can do anything… just think about it before it's too late for you…alright? I'm sure everyone is still up to be your friend at this point…" Niko continued again before she also walks away—probably just to catch up with the first years.
Once Niko finally left, Nozomi looked into her girlfriend, with a gentle gaze and a stroke to her hair…she knew that Eli wanted to cry it out, though maybe it's best to not mention since Eli is probably didn't want to make that sort of expression.
"Now…. is there any place you want to visit with me Ericchi?"
And just right after, Eli quickly pulls her away—to somewhere unknown…
Further away,
Near the insect exhibition area…
Maki finally made her stop. Hanayo, Rin and Niko also stopped right behind her…
"Sheesh…Maki-chan…slow down a bit…" Hanayo said.
"...why are you all following me anyway…." Maki replied.
"Just because you hurt someone, doesn't mean you have to run away, you know… sheesh, you're not that different from her…" Niko said.
"Yeah! Like father like son-nya!" Rin said.
"Rin-chan… I don't think that's the right thing to say! They're both females…." Hanayo said.
"Heh—what do I care now. She's probably just taking that as an offense…" Maki said.
"See…? This is really why you're not that different… I'm sure she isn't a stupid ass who prefers to hold her pride up than to fix herself…she heard you, ok?"
"I'd place a bet for that…" Maki said.
"Hmmph…whatever…. Now…you know you have that same anxiety too, right? That's why you seemed to not mind being around her before… until this one specific point where you felt like you two have gone into a different path—you wanted her to realize something and walk together again…?" Niko said.
"What about you…? Aren't you not that different than me? I knew you had anxiety too…"
"Me…? Well, I do… but as you said, some people can get over their anxiety and move on to something better—such as, how great and cute I look…" Niko said.
Maki smirked at her,
"Alright...point, you are over confident now…" she said.
"Hey-hey, but it's not like I didn't have those voice that tells me how people will think so bad about me anymore…they're still around and it feels realistic… but because I'm awesome—I completely ignore them… and became as strong as now…!"
"Err…we don't really get it, what is this voice and anxiety-nya…?" Rin asked.
"Huh…? Well…how do I put it…" Maki tried to think.
"…it feels like every time you look into someone or at least socializing with someone, you feel like they're always trying to chew you out, thinking bad about you, your face, or simply mocking you. Maybe it's true at some occasions, but it's not always the case and we tend to over think it…" Niko said.
"For me, it feels like everyone is making fun of me…even though maybe they don't actually do that…. but every time I try to deny that thought, I end up acting the opposite of what I actually intend to do…" Maki sighed…
"Maybe….that's why I can't be gentle…" she continued again.
"That sounds pretty tough for a struggle…" Hanayo said.
"Really…? But what about you two… what are the thought you have when you're looking at someone…?" Maki asked.
"M…me…? Well… I think I'm just scared of everyone in general… or perhaps I just don't like too much attention… but it's not that bad now since I met Rin-chan…like I said, she is sort of, building my confidence…hehe…." Hanayo replied.
"For me-nya… Everyone looks ok! But sometime I do feel like they're laughing at me…but maybe I don't really care that much when I'm around Kayo-chin!"
"Hmm…maybe that's right…having someone we are close with will build our confidence…" Maki replied.
"Yep…and that's why I thought, Nozomi's intention to unite us all makes senses…we all have anxiety inside of us, Eli especially, need to be reached out… we shouldn't make an enemy with her…even if it will take much effort, I'm sure it will be worth better if we make friends…"
Maki sighed to the statement,
"Easier said than done, but then again, it's just all about effort…right? I'll try to be calmer next time…"
"Yup! Hehe! Let's try again after this circus-nya!"
At the other side of the zoo,
Kotori and Umi waited for Honoka lining up—it's a little further than their gathering points, but close enough to look at the locket and Honoka who seems to be eager to get her right ticket…
The two are quiet until Kotori decided to start a conversation…
"Umi-chan…" she called,
"Yes…?" Umi replied formally.
"….how does it feel for someone to have anxiety…?"
"Uhm…honestly, I don't really know…. I might be shy at times, but it's not quite an anxiety…"
"What's the difference…?" Kotori asked.
"How do I put it… I honestly don't really understand them… but…maybe, there's an essence of struggles that makes us different…."
"Isn't everyone struggling though?"
"That's right, but….hmmm…I don't know…I wouldn't say that they're the most struggling ones…or something else… but people with social anxiety tends to have depression as well. Even though there will never be anyone that tells them about how bad they are, they just feel that way and judging everyone to be cruel to them… In other words, they're sulking deep in their delusion of imperfection… worst case is that they start to center everything on themselves… or at least what they believe…"
"S…sounds awful…"
"Mm…yes… but honestly, when Eli-senpai treats us like an enemy and leaves without a word, I do feel hurt too… I mean….I never have any thoughts of pushing her away, nor take Nozomi-senpai away…but I suppose…now that it clears up about her… I'm trying my best to understand…."
"Hehe…you're right, it hurt for us too to be judged like that while we really have no intention to harm her…"
"Yes…and normally…I guess, people who have lesser confidence will walk away and find someone else who will accept them wholeheartedly… maybe…someone like Rin or Honoka?" Umi said.
"Hehehe… I think so too! No doubt people like them will get a lot of friends!"
"I agree, it's nice to have someone who accepts us immediately without even thinking too much about what our value is to them…"
"….and I suppose its fine for us to express what or who we are!" the ash brunette added. Then as they chatted, Kotori set her eyes down to somewhere behind Umi. A small creature moving closer to them….and makes her realize that they're standing near a penguin exhibit—that's how she could see a penguin approaching them with its innocent eyes.
"W-waah! Umi-chan!" She excitedly pointed to the penguin, Umi turns accordingly…
"Ah! A penguin! So cute!" Umi said.
"Yeah!" Kotori said cheerfully.
"Does it want to eat something?" Umi said as she looks closer to the innocent looking penguin.
"Uhh…I wonder if it's ok for them to eat biscuits…" Kotori tried to search her bag.
"I don't know, maybe we shouldn't try feeding it with…" Umi said.
"Ah…you're right…we don't know if they have any allergies or not…"
And the two get quiet—Kotori might not be thinking of anything related to their previous conversation…but…
"Hey…Kotori…." Umi called her softly.
"Hmmm…?" The ash brunette replied softly as well,
"…maybe… there's a big reason for someone to be anxious after all…"
"…what do you mean….?" Kotori asked.
"….looking at this penguin reminds me…about animals that are raised in the zoo will never be able to return to the wild…" Umi continues,
"Uh…why?"
"Because they were born and grown with comfort and safety, if they are to be returned to the wild, they have a very high chance to not be able to survive…" Umi replied, somewhat a little sad to speak of it.
Kotori remains silent to listen further,
"….just like someone who always finds comfort in their life, maybe at one point, they will stumble into a prey that will devour them fully…"
"Hehe…but…Umi-chan… on the bright side, there should also be someone who acts like the zoo keeper for them… someone who knows about both sides… someone who can protect and someone who can take care of them… just like you and me!" Kotori said cheerfully.
"You….and me….?" the bluenette could feel something tickling her cheeks.
"Yup! You will be the one to protect us, and I will take care of everyone!"
"O…Oh…." Umi blushed slightly redder,
"Hnn…what were you thinking when I said 'You and Me', Umi-chan?"
"N-Nothing..nothing at all…ahaha…" Umi laughed awkwardly.
"Hnnn…please tell me?"
"A-Ahahah…by the way, an animal that's raised in the zoo is not always not be able to survive in the wild, I heard there's some zoo that raises their animal to be released to the wild when ready…"
"You're changing the topic, Umi-chan… what were you thinking about before…?"
"M-maybe that's why some parents are strict on their kids! They want them to be independent! Even if they have to hate them in the end! But I'm sure—later, they will realize this and understand how much their parents truly love them!"
"Hnnnn…Umi-chan….!"
The Zoo's lake,
Eli took Nozomi to ride on one of the swan boats, it looks rather silly, but Eli insisted that it be the only place for them to be able to talk with each other without getting any suspicion. Eli didn't cry—or at least she tried not to….
Seeing her struggling made Nozomi feel somewhat troubled, but can she really speak about this? Will it tick her off…?
"Ericchi…." she finally decided to try and communicate,
"I didn't even ask them to treat me special…." Eli responded immediately.
Nozomi remained silent,
"I'm not thirsty for attention at all!" she continued again.
"I know…." Nozomi replied with a soft smile.
"Why you didn't tell them then?" Eli seems to be angry with the fact that Nozomi didn't speak of anything when what she knows…
"Well…." Nozomi pauses for a moment….
"…can I really tell them…? If I have to be honest about it, you do look like someone who expects everyone to treat you special, with that attitude…"
"I didn't ask them to befriend me, they're the ones who wanted to befriend me…."
"That's arrogant of you, don't you think…?"
"What's so arrogant about it? I never had the intention to socialize with anyone else…"
"…What makes you so good when someone has to go through that much trouble to be able to be your friend…?"
"What about you? Why are you going through this much trouble?"
"Well—I do have this love and you do too, right? After we got through so much together, and you finally accept me fully after that night…hmmm… could you be wanting each of them to get laid by you first?"
"N-No way!" Eli replied with an extremely red blush on her face.
"See..? You already have someone who wants to treat you special, why would you demand for it again and again?"
"I...it just that…I thought, it's better for them to be off than to be friends with me… there's no benefit in it…"
"Ericchi darling… you know that is not the case, right? Does everyone have to benefit from befriending someone?"
"Are you not?"
"Well, I certainly do get all the benefits from befriending you, but it doesn't have to be the reason of befriending someone…or to put it simply, they just want to be your friend…and nothing else… they're not intending to harm you or anything…"
"I don't care if they're trying to harm me, I'm used to it…"
"….Sheesh…Ericchi…you're just too stubborn, aren't you? We all know who is getting hurt right now…not them, but you, because now, you're thinking too much about it…I believe they're now having fun around the zoo—not sulking about you." Nozomi said.
Eli bit her lips silently in response, averting her eyes away with her bitter expression…
Nozomi smiled faintly to her, then grabs both of her cheeks and gently presses her lips on her. Releasing in a tentative motion, Eli took her time to stare at her girlfriend…
Wondering what that was for…
"Does this cheer you up…?" the purplenette asked.
Eli remained silent, still somewhat surprised of what she did.
"….no? Well…then I guess I'm just taking advantage of having such a cute girlfriend like you…"
"Nozomi…." Eli pouted at her.
"What? I honestly think you are cute… trying to be a big, badass villain, and ends up being a scared puppy who just wants to mate with me…"
"Can we not mention the "mating" part?"
"Hmmm….? Are you embarrassed? You shouldn't be. Considering, I've seen you naked… you've seen me naked… there's nothing more embarrassing than being naked, right?"
"Witty ass…" Eli said still with a pout on her face.
Nozomi giggled to her reaction,
"Now-now, Ericchi… now you know how easy people misinterpret your intentions… and you know how people react to your reactions… don't you think it's really time for you to open up a bit…?"
"They'll be getting hurt from befriending me…."
"Nope… you're the one who is scared of getting hurt…that's why you're hurting them first…"
"How could you be so sure about that…"
"Because I'm here with you now… I told you, dealing with you feels like dealing with myself… you're my reason to change…and I hoped that we can share this experience and change for the better…we all know that deep inside you are lonely, right? That's how you fear it will be worse as people come and go from you?"
Eli remained silent, trying to contemplate what she just said…
"I felt the same too, ever since I've started moving a lot because of my parents job. I decided to close myself, staying away from them is better than to realize that I've never been in anyone's precious memory…they hurt me because they always lied about missing me… so that's why I decided to hurt them first later… and not caring about what they would say about me…"
"So why are you approaching me?"
"Because I want to try to love someone like me…I wanted to fall in love with you…and I did…"
Eli finally put on a faint smile to the statement…
"…I guess you did make me fall in love with you too…but…strange… how could I fear to lose you to others…"
"Easy…because you don't want to get hurt anymore…that's why you're trying to imprison me within your heart…it's like you've found a precious treasure…" Nozomi smiled wide to her, Eli seems to be shy to admit that it's true.
"But…if only you are willing to open yourself up a bit, maybe you will find more treasure…and maybe, you'll get stronger too from trying to protect what you already have…or worst case, you'll get stronger from trying to get what you lost back…"
Eli nodded,
"You're right… maybe…I could try to open up a bit… but in all honesty…it's still scary for me to imagine what I'll be doing to them…"
"What do you mean…Ericchi? What are you going to do to them?" Nozomi asked.
"You see…Nozomi, maybe it's not as simple as it is… and maybe you won't believe me… but…ever since I was a little girl, there were always these whispers in my ears—about what people think about me….or about how they're going to laugh at me… that's why I always prevent myself from trying to be too close with anyone—until at one point… well… you know… I had a sexual orientation that might be said as….weird…."
"Nothing weird from loving a woman… I disapprove that as something weird…"
"I…I know… you're just the same with me…but still… there were some bullies around me—and because I've never made any friends, some people actually took enjoyment from cornering me…while the rest of them watched me… I don't know what they might have been thinking. But I feel like they're laughing at me…and because of what was whispered to me also said the same thing. I always lived to believe that as something true…"
Nozomi remained silent to listen…. their hands in each other's grasp while they also keep straddling their swan boat.
"….do you remember our first year…? With that…bully senior…." Eli said.
"Yep, what about it?" Nozomi replied.
"…I feel really glad that you stood with me…that's why I let myself try to get closer with you—thinking that..perhaps, we really do have similar thoughts… but it still didn't stop the whispering from telling me to be cautious…there might be something behind you—or maybe, there might be really something you want from me…"
"Well…I certainly want to get laid by you…"
"Sheesh! Nozomi! Be serious!"
"But I'm serious!"
"Whatever…but anyhow…for some reason, when there are only two of us alone… I feel like those whispers will never come back to reach me…but when there's someone else there with you…I feel like those whispers getting stronger and louder… perhaps that's why that black dressed woman picked me and not you…? I mean, I heard you're pretty infamous too in the spirit world…"
Nozomi remained silent this time, trying to think of the possibility of something else—knowing that she did see something back then…
"Hmm…I wonder, why that woman chose someone who already has a whisperer in her ears…?"
"That's what I'm wondering too, I have no clue of what this whispering is. I've tried to convince myself that maybe a delusion, created by my own trauma, but the older I grow, the more real it feels…"
"Have you tried to ignore it completely…? I know you're good at that…"
"I have, but it gets closer and sometimes, it feels like it's being mad at myself. Especially when I try to open up to someone….she did get upset too when you approached me for the first time…"
"Hmm…well, Ericchi, if I were to be just a mere someone, I'd probably be saying that you're just trying to make an excuse for your silliness with that somewhat ridiculous story… but...as for what my vision tells me, I see no sign of anyone in this very place now… maybe I have to wait for the right time…"
"Maybe… but…you know what, Nozomi… maybe it's still dangerous for you to try to get to know further… what I know so far about her is that she knows everything—even if I try to hide it from her…"
"I'll live… don't worry, Ericchi..."
Eli sighs,
"….alright…but I have to remind you again…. if it gets too dangerous, I want you to retreat….and leave me alone…"
"You're too serious about this, Ericchi… I'm sure I can get that done in one night…"
"I can't let you do all the reckless things…especially if you're going to do it alone…"
"I'm not going to do it alone, I will do it with them… that's why, it would be nice if you get to know them, maybe they will help me to help you…."
"You're putting them in danger…"
"Maybe I am, but would you still deny them for trying? We're all learning, you see…I thought you knew that? Or maybe you're just too busy thinking of how jealous you are since I get along with them?"
"Well I'm seriously jealous because you left me for them!" Eli said.
"See? Sheesh…. Ericchi. do you truly love me or not? If you truly love me, you would let me do things that make me happy—and with a moderation of course…not that you can't scold me if I go too far…."
"In my defense, you were neglecting the council work…"
"The council work that you made up? Even Principal knew that you're making the job harder just so you have a reason to nag me…"
"I just love it to be done perfectly, those worthless members don't live up to my standards…"
"Why didn't you bother teaching them? it has always been me who tried to, but it still didn't stop you from taking up their job…oh— now I remember! Did you know when you snapped on them, they were…wondering if they are actually qualified as council members? I have to convince them to look in another way—and I swear they were all so sad and embarrassed… do you truly love planting those fear on others instead of respect?"
"That's—….!" Eli pauses, not knowing how to counter that argument.
"See…? We're back again…with… your fear of being hurt… as the reason of why you're hurting them first…"
Eli's face kept the red tint, having no idea of what to say again.
"But worry not, Ericchi…since I got over my fear because of you…I want you to get over your fear because of me too…then we shall be the best soulmate and couple ever to have existed…!"
"You're weird…." Eli said immediately.
Nozomi chuckled to her reaction again,
"…but maybe that's why I love you…I've never seen anyone weirder than you…"
Eli started to smile,
"Well, if that's the case, it makes me want to prevent anyone being any weirder than me…" Nozomi replied with a playful smile before she was pulled gently—this time, for a romantic kiss as their feet straddled the pedals, passing through the clear lake, with plenty of fishes calmly swimming on the bottom above the lights that were intentionally placed under the water to lighten the dark night.
Their kiss is deep and sweet—they care nothing about being seen by anyone. There was almost no one else around the lake, perhaps they're all preparing for the night event in the zoo? Who knows… anything is good for them… Perhaps, even the weirdest will not bother them …or so they think…
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! FASTEEEERRR!" there was a shout from a distance, Eli seems to care nothing, but Nozomi opens her eyes while her lips were still intertwined with the blonde's—realizing that the name is somewhat familiar….
"JUST GET DOWN AND WORK YOUR ASS! WE ARE ONLY SPINNING AROUND HERE!"
Nozomi could see, the two siblings riding on a swan boat, except the younger one is the only one who rowed while the older one…well…she is certainly on top of the boat…except it's not in a normal way….and their boat also seems to not be moving normally either…
In fact, they're moving like a spinning top on the water surface!
Are they even human? Will they expect to get sick later?
She also wonder, should she even need to mention that? Or perhaps… does she need anyone to make her not the weirdest? Because after all, being weird is not bad when she gets to be loved in return…
It's way better than being fake…
Or being someone else than her true self…
But then, what is true and what is not? Should she label her ego as the truth and her understanding as fake?
Does she really fake herself when she tries to act out of her understanding?
These questions are something she should think about, though maybe not at the time her lips enjoy the tender and warm kiss.
Ok, that's all for now! See you next chapter~
Then, to answer someone question, why did i use so much "..." , i'm gonna say, I was trying to make a point where readers make a few second delay when reading. I know it's wrong to use "..." for that though.