It all started on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Exams were far away enough to not be worried about them. There weren't any big projects that students had to prepare for. There weren't even any Polar Star parties that were planned.

It was just one of those rare relaxing days.

Megumi had decided to take advantage of the quiet day by curling up with one of her manga series that she needed to catch up on. By her feet and laying horizontally across her bed was Soma. Even he had felt the lethargic air of the day and had opted to come to her room instead of being in the kitchen. Currently, he was also reading one of her books, uncharacteristically silent as he focused on the pages.

In other words, both were in their own little worlds.

Megumi was reading a romance series. Despite being one of the shyest people in their group of friends, she still loved to read about it. Sometimes, she would even casually read series that would even make her most extroverted friends blush. However, she made sure to not buy those kinds of manga yet because she would be mortified if her mother found them whenever she went back home. Those were only read online in a private window. This particular manga she was reading was a "safe" physical one, only going as far as kissing.

But they were very steamy kisses.

"I wished that I could be kissed like that." A dreamy sigh escaped her once another romantic scene appeared in the volume.

"Kissed like what?" Soma asked, popping the fantasy world bubble she had been floating in. A strangled cry of surprise and embarrassment escaped her as she remembered too late that she had not been alone this time.

"Er…er…I forgot that you…I-I mean, forget what I said!" Megumi hid her now scarlet face behind the book she had been reading, the page that she had been scrutinizing still in front of her. She felt the bed shift and before she had the chance to peek, the book was snatched out of her hands. The bluenette could only watch in horror as her best friend looked over the pages in question before flipping through the rest of the book.

"You want to be kissed like this?" His eyebrow arched as he looked at her. He didn't look like he was teasing or even shaming her. He was simply curious. Regardless, Megumi fell into a panicky ramble.

"I-I-I know it won't happen! I just thought it would be nice! I've never been kissed before and this was just a thought and I was-"

"Whoa, slow down." Soma laughed, effectively making Megumi clamp her mouth shut. "You never been kissed before?"

"Why is that the part you focus on?" She whined, pulling on her braid.

"It was the only part I understood." He replied. Megumi groaned again before composing herself.

"Yes," She admitted quietly. "I have never kissed anyone before."

"You say it like that's a bad thing."

"I feel like it is." Megumi slumped her shoulders. "I know most of our friends have at least experienced that."

"I've heard." Soma simply said.

"It's of no surprise that someone like me hasn't had a kiss yet, but it does make feel like I'm behind others because of this. I know that everyone goes at their own pace with things like this but still... I would not mind having the experience.

"I've never kissed anyone, either."

Megumi jerked her head toward Soma in surprise.

"What? You haven't?" Due to his First Chair ranking along with all his accomplishments, Soma was one of the most desirable guys in the school. Surely, he must have had something as simple as a kiss. But here he was, shaking his head.

"Nope. Never had the thought to do so." He held out the book that he had taken from her, still opened on the page she had left on.

"Oh." She merely uttered, taking the manga out of his hands. She stared at it, not to read it but to have something for her eyes to focus on.

"But now that I think about it, I agree that I wouldn't mind experiencing it as well." Soma drummed his fingers on her bed.

"Ah. W-well, you have plenty of people to choose from." Megumi ignored the slight pang in her heart as she started to list names of people who definitely had a crush on her friend.

"And what are you going to do about your own first kiss?" Soma interrupted.

"Well…I know I don't have anyone to help me with that. I guess I'll just keep waiting until that happens." She explained. Soma hummed in response, his amber eyes never leaving her as he continued thinking.

"What if we kissed?" He suggested. He must have noticed how wide Megumi's eyes had gotten because he continued on with an explanation. "That way, we could both have the knowledge of how kissing feels."

"Are you sure you want kiss me?" She squeaked. Her brain was not sure if it processed the words that Soma had said correctly.

"I do." He nodded. "You're always helping me out when I run to you for my experiments. I'm doing the same, but this time it would help you as well! Besides, I trust you the best to help me with this."

Megumi continued to stare at her friend. Soma did make valid points. She also really wanted to experience what many characters in her story had. Soma would make the best choice to do so, saving her the embarrassment of doing something like that with someone else. She couldn't even bear to mention the subject again with someone else. The only thing that was making her hesitate was fear of what might happen if she agreed. But she knew that she would feel the regret of not taking this chance much more. So, she ended up ignoring her fear.

"Alright." She nodded resolutely. "We can kiss."

"Okay. Let's do it now." Whatever bravery that had appeared for her decision disappeared as Soma suddenly leaned in. Startled, she moved away instinctively until her back hit the headboard of her bed. Soma paused and looked at her curiously.

"N-now?" She asked.

"No better time to start than now." He replied.

"Okay." This time she pushed herself off the headboard to meet him.

The kiss felt very…cartoonish. Both of them had puckered up like they had tasted something sour, and had pressed them together. It didn't even last a second before they separated.

"I don't think that that's how it works." Soma spoke up first, rubbing his arm.

"I don't think so, either." Megumi was glad that she was doing this with someone in the same boat as her. She would have been mortified if she messed up like this with someone more knowledgeable. Her eyes strayed back to now-abandoned and closed volume. Clear images of scenes past went through her mind. She didn't have to even open the book to double check the detail of certain heavy scenes because she had examined them thoroughly before. She decided to use those images as a guide. "Hey, Soma?"

"Hm?"

"Come back."

Soma leaned in once again, but Megumi stopped him by pressing her forehead against his.

"Open your lips slightly." She told him. After he did, Megumi tilted her head and firmly pressed her lips against his. She did it a little too fast, though, as their teeth hit each other slightly. However, Megumi held the position long enough for both of them to adjust to each other.

"How was that?" She asked when they parted.

"Better." Soma replied. "But I think we should try to not knock each other's teeth out next time."

"Sorry." Megumi apologized before realizing what Soma said. "Wait, 'next time'?"

Soma nodded. "We both suck at this, so doing this more often will help us get better. Don't you agree?"

"I do." Megumi replied. "Do you want to try again now?"

"Yeah. That would be great."

And so, kissing was the first thing that they experienced with this plan.