Festival date
A long and tired sigh escapes the lips of a blue haired girl as she rests her head on the palm of her hand, sliding down until she's resting over the table of the practice room.
Another tired sigh fills the silence reigning over the room as Yoshiko takes a look at the flyer beside her on the table, her slender fingers playing with it, before she lifts it.
A summer festival, huh?
She thinks as she stares at it, seeing the image of a happy couple wearing yukatas and eating while gazing at the sky to watch the fireworks.
With another sigh, Yoshiko leaves it back on the table and lets her fingers toy with it while closing her eyes for a brief moment.
- Planning to go?
Somebody asks her all of sudden, startling Yoshiko who jumps and quickly sits up scared.
- Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
Kanan apologizes as she enters the room, and Yoshiko can only chuckle.
- It's okay – she tells the older girl, waving her hand as she sees Kanan taking the flyer in her hands to look at it – And no… I... don't have anybody to go with…
The younger girl mumbles embarrassed, seeing Kanan giving her a soft smile in return.
- What about Hanamaru and Ruby? – the older girl offers as she sits in front of Yoshiko to what the other girl can only shake her head.
- I'd be weird to be the third wheel to their date.
She answers awkwardly, causing Kanan to giggle yet smile at her sympathetically.
- You can always come with Mari and me.
Kanan offers, and even though Yoshiko is happy she's trying to help her and include her in their date so she can go to the festival without feeling alone, she can only shake her head once again while snorting.
- Thank you, but I don't think it'd be much better.
She says, making Kanan chuckle ready to say something, when a certain shiny blonde chimes in entering the room.
- Ow, why not? We aren't that bad.
Mari whines playfully pretending to be offended, making Yoshiko snort and roll her eyes.
- Hah? You're always trying to smooch Kanan at every minute you can.
And instead of denying it, Mari simply grins widely making her way to the younger girl.
- Aw, is our fallen angel jealous? I can always smooch you too! You only have to ask!
The blonde exclaims happily and playfully, getting closer to Yoshiko putting kissy lips ready to kiss her, when Yoshiko makes a funny face and puts a hand over Mari's mouth to stop her and keep her away.
- Go away, demon!
She squeals in return, pushing the blonde away while Kanan watches their playful banter amused, giggling, before her girlfriend winks at her and goes to sit beside her in front of Yoshiko.
- I guess it'd be the same with Chika and You – Kanan says, seeing Yoshiko nodding sadly.
- Oh, and with Diacchi now that we finally managed to convince her to stop worrying about school and not having time for romance and go on a date with Kohaku.
- I can't believe it only took us three years to get them together after Kohaku came looking for us worried about our fail on the stage when we started...
Kanan adds fondly and Yoshiko can only see the couple of third year girls smiling happy that their dearest friend finally has somebody, smiling herself at the nice brown haired girl the couple mentioned and at the fact that her raven haired senpai has somebody that likes her.
- But I'm sure Riko-chan would love to go with you.
Mari encourages the younger girl, winking at her as Yoshiko blushes.
- That's not. I'm not-
Yoshiko sputters as Mari giggles and Kanan smiles softly.
- Why don't you ask her? I'm sure Riko would love to go to the festival with you.
Kanan also encourages her, and Yoshiko can only blush harder, looking down at her fidgeting hands embarrassed.
- I don't know how…
She mumbles to herself.
- Huh?
- Sorry, I didn't catch it.
Both Mari and Kanan ask her, looking at the younger girl baffled, yet encouragingly.
- I've said, I don't… I don't know how to ask her…
Yoshiko mumbles a bit louder yet embarrassedly, feeling her face warming up as she hears Mari laughing while pretending to wipe the tears of the corner of her eyes, and the younger girl can only glare at her. Kanan for her part can only smile reassuringly at her.
- Just ask her if she wants to go to the festival with you, Yoshiko. I'm sure Riko will be delighted to accept.
The older blue haired girl encourages her, and soon enough, she feels Mari's hand over her fidgeting ones giving them a squeeze.
- Just ask her like you'd usually do, Yoshiko. Rikocchi will love to go with you.
Mari tells her completely serious now, smiling at her softly, and it's enough for Yoshiko to stand up and take her belongings ready to find her dearest burgundy haired friend and ask her out before she goes home.
- Thank you.
She thanks both girls pausing at the doorstep of the practice room, smiling at them softly, before she disappears to go to find Riko, leaving both third year girls behind in the practice room.
- Were you really going to smooch Yoshiko?
Kanan asks innocently, seeing Mari grinning widely as she gets dangerously close to her.
- Of course not! As much as I love our awkward fallen angel, only her beloved Riri can smooch her.
Mari says with a wink, making Kanan roll her eyes, before she feels the blonde taking her face in her hands to kiss her. No wonder why Yoshiko didn't want to go with them.
Running through the school hallways with the hope of finding her dearest elite demon before she goes home, Yoshiko thinks in a way to ask Riko to go with her to the festival. But the more she thinks about it, the more nervous she grows.
- It can't be that hard.
She tells herself as she runs through the hallways towards the entrance. But Yoshiko is well aware of how hard is to ask her crush to go on a date with her.
Letting out a groan, she goes to her locker to change her shoes, when she finds the object of her musings standing next to it with a smile on her lips.
- Yocchan! Do you want to go home together?
Riko asks her softly, and her sweet smile is enough to calm Yoshiko's nerves down, nodding as she puts her casual shoes on and begins to walk beside her, a comfortable silence settling between them.
The younger girl can't help but take brief glimpses at her friend along the way, seeing the calm expression adorning on her face and the soft smile on her lips and decides to take a deep breath.
- Y-you know? – she starts saying, pausing to control her nerves – My Lailaps plushie feels a bit lonely lately and I was thinking on getting her a new friend at this weekend's festival. W-would you want to tag along?
She asks the other girl nervously, hearing Riko giggling at her lame excuse (but not so lame having in mind Yoshiko actually wants another plush to accompany her Lailaps one), before she sees her smiling at her widely yet coyly.
- I'd love to go with you, Yocchan.
Riko says as they stop at the bus stop, finalizing the details of their hinted date, before waving goodbye one another.
Saturday comes, and Yoshiko finds herself waiting for Riko at the festival entrance, watching the people around her walking with their finest yukatas feeling rather underdressed with her black shirt and shorts and her pair of dark purple sneakers. Yet knowing her bad luck, she'd probably trip in her getas or her obi might come undone so better be safe than sorry.
But Yoshiko doesn't have time to keep dwelling on the misfortunes that might have awaited for her if she had chosen to go with her yukata, when she hears her name being called by a familiar voice.
- Yocchan!
She hears Riko calling out for her, before she sees her beloved burgundy haired girl waving at her, walking towards her in a pale pink yukata adorned with Sakura petals and her long hair upsweep on a bun looking beyond gorgeous.
- Were you waiting for too long?
Riko asks timidly, giving Yoshiko an apologetic smile, who can only shake her head in return.
- No… I've just got here… – she trails off, looking at Riko dazed – You look truly gorgeous, Riri.
She says coyly, making Riko blush, before somebody collides against the other girl pushing her forward. Yoshiko quickly catches her much to both girls' embarrassment, before she takes her by the hand.
- H-here. W-we better not get separated or we will get lost.
She mumbles embarrassed as both girls blush yet begin to walk through the festival hand in hand, feeling Riko squeezing her hand, before they intertwine their fingers.
- Do you know where the plushies stall is?
Riko asks, seeing Yoshiko rubbing the back of her head, before smiling at her sheepishly.
- Nope.
She hears her saying, making the both of them laugh, before she chimes in.
- Then I guess we should go through the festival entirely.
Riko says happily, seeing Yoshiko smiling widely, before they go down the festival's long streets careful to not be knock down by the excited and eager kids running past them, and while pausing here and there to buy some food and talk animatedly about everything and nothing.
- Yocchan, there!
Riko exclaims as she points at the plushies stall, hugging Yoshiko's arm to begin dragging her towards it.
- We've found it – Yoshiko says as they stop in front of the stall, feeling Riko tugging her arm trying to catch her attention.
- Look, they have a pug identical to Prelude. Don't you think it'd be a good friend for Lailaps?
She tells the younger girl in between giggles, and Yoshiko can't help but smile softly, gazing from the pair of medium sized nesos that look suspiciously identical to them a couple of rows below it, to the aforementioned plushie.
- It really does.
She says as she hands the vendor some money and takes the air gun in her hands to try to get it.
Then, Yoshiko leans over the small counter of the stall, leveling the toy gun to her eyes to point at the pug plushie, before she shots. But much to her bad luck, none of her shots hit it, not even getting remotely close.
- Don't worry, Yocchan. I'm sure you'll get it this time.
Riko encourages her as she pays the vendor for another round, making Yoshiko blush lightly, before she gets serious and tries another position, straightening her back as she raises the gun to the level of her eyes and closes one of them to look through its rear sight, biting her tongue in concentration.
Yoshiko is ready to shoot, when a couple of kids run past her, shoving her.
- Eek!
She lets out a squeal, losing her balance and shooting accidentally at the same time as the gun flies off her hands, and she ends up hunched over the small counter of the stall.
- Yocchan! Are you okay?
Riko asks worried for the younger girl, barely hearing the kids apologizing nor their parents, before they resume their walking.
- Yeah.
It's all the blue haired girl groans as she straightens up again, and before the voice of the vendor pulls both girls out of their small conversation.
- Congratulations! We have a winner.
He announces cheerfully, making both girls look at him confused to then see the spot where the pug was empty.
- Here – the vendor says as he hands Yoshiko the pug plushie.
- Yocchan, you've got it!
Riko exclaims happily, congratulating her friend for winning the plushie. Although if it wouldn't have been for those kids, Yoshiko might have not been even close to hit it.
The blue haired girl can only smile softly in return, before they hear the voice of the vendor once again.
- And here – he says as he hands her the yohariko nesos version.
- Huh?
Both girls say baffled as they look at the nesos, then at the empty spots on the row below the pug and in front of them.
- Let's just say I'm feeling rather generous today since I saw how those kids shoved you and made you lost your balance and throw the gun away accidently.
He tells both girls with a wink and a finger over his lips in a silence gesture, before a family arrives and he goes to assist them.
The girls can only look at the gun resting over where both nesos where, before looking at the arms of the blue haired girl full of plushies.
- Looks like Lailaps won't be alone anymore with so many new friends.
Riko says in between giggles as she pets the pug plushie's head, and Yoshiko can only smile, taking it careful to not let the other two plushies in her arms fall, to give the aforementioned one to Riko.
- Here, this one is for you – she tells her softly, seeing Riko opening her eyes widely while taking the pug in her hands.
- But Yocchan-
- Take it. I know you fell in love with it as soon as you saw it – Yoshiko says softly, letting out a giggle as she sees Riko smiling coyly yet grateful for the sweet gesture.
- Thank you.
The burgundy haired girl thanks her coyly while hugging the pug against her chest happily, and Yoshiko feels her heart skipping a beat at how happy and beautiful Riko looks.
With a blush tinting her cheeks, Yoshiko grabs the small neso version of herself and puts the plushie in front of Riko, pressing its lips against Riko's lips in a kiss.
- And h-here. Y-you can also have this one – she mutters embarrassedly as she tries to hide her blush behind Riko's neso version, hearing the other girl gasping, before giggling.
- Thank you – Riko says once she takes the Yoshiko's neso in her hands, smiling at her, before the people around them begin to run past them yelling excited about the fireworks show starting – Should we go?
A timid Riko asks to a still blushing Yoshiko, seeing her nodding, before they begin to walk towards a quiet place to see the fireworks show together careful to not lose their plushies on their way.
- Ne, Yocchan – Riko starts saying as they step under a tree, lucky that there aren't many people on that spot, seeing the other girl turning to look at her – Thank you for today's date.
She tells her, giggling as she hears Yoshiko gasping seeing how Riko made both of their nesos kiss, and before she follows their example to capture the younger girl's lips in a tender kiss as the fireworks light up the starry sky.
Yoshiko can only kiss Riko back happy she gathered the courage to ask the burgundy haired girl to come to the festival with her even if it was with such a lame yet truthful reason.
In another part of the festival, a couple of older blue haired and blonde girls hope the younger girls' date went well.