Yay rndm!
Chapter 4January flew by with hurried preparations for their new single,
Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai, as well as the New Year’s Hello! Project concert tour. That wasn’t even to mention the album that was due after just another month.
February stole in like a fox, and it was in its first few days, during the week before the date their single was to be released, that Aika found herself sharing various yakitori with Reina at an izakaya in Roppongi. Despite not really caring for alcohol, Reina loved going to places like these since she turned 20 just for the fact that she
could order it if she wished. Of course, even though she might have liked to, Aika never ordered any either.
“So whatcha think?” Reina asked as she tugged a bit of grilled skin off the stick she held to her teeth. “Fifty K?”
Aika sighed wistfully. “That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? Maybe I’d actually be able to get a raise.”
Reina barked a short, sarcastic laugh. “Ha. Fat chance of that happening, at least until some of us graduate.”
“Mou~” Aika replied, waving her yakitori stick at Reina. “You’re mean.”
“You’re the one who wants to hang out with me,” the girl replied, grinning.
“Ah, you’re more interesting than the others,” Aika said, picking at her chicken. That was true, but not in every sense…
“Well thank you,” Reina said, grinning still. “I try to be entertaining.”
“’Entertaining’ is something you definitely are,” Aika replied, giggling, and soon Reina joined her.
Aika spent much of the rest of the meal debating whether to tell her friend what she’d been keeping secret for a couple months now. Knowing the girl, it’d be helpful to talk to her about it, but still she was scared. They hadn’t told anyone yet about the full extent.
It had begun in late November. They had taken one last trip to Disneyland before the winter would steal in and make it too cold, even though many couples still went on Christmas. Aika smiled dreamily. She wondered if she’d be able to go there for Christmas sometime.
Despite her self-consciousness, Aika managed to split off from the rest of the group along with Sayumi. They had a fun time mostly going around playing games, but Aika couldn’t work up the courage to tell Sayu what she’d wanted to for so long… that she had a huge crush on her. She just didn’t think she’d be good enough for someone as pretty as Michishige-san, and especially with Koha-chan leaving soon... She knew the two of them shared a special relationship.
Feeling a bit bummed out by the time they met up with the rest of the group for lunchtime, she sat at a table to eat with JunJun and LinLin. “Hey…” she said to them over her grilled corn. “Can I ask you guys something?”
“Of course!” Lin said brightly. Jun kept on eating, but glanced over at Aika when she could as well.
“Well…” Aika said, feeling self-conscious again, “It’s about a girl…”
The others’ eyes widened. “Ooh,” Lin said. “Do you have a crush on someone!?”
“It’s not me, is it?” Jun mumbled through a mouthful of food.
“Ew,” Aika told her curtly, sticking her tongue out. “As if!”
Jun just shrugged and went back to her eating.
“Surely you two have dated, right?”
“Well…” Lin said, now blushing herself. Jun appeared to withdraw into thought.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve dated people before,” Aika said hurriedly. “I mean… surely you’ve dated each other…?”
She didn’t think she could have shocked the two Chinese girls more had she dropped a bomb right in front of them.
“Each other?” Jun asked wonderingly, and turned to Lin. “Have I dated LinLin?”
“Of course not!” Lin said, furiously blushing. “We’re like sisters!”
“Never, in all the time you’ve been living together?” Aika asked, her hopes fading.
Jun shrugged, having seemed to recover from her initial surprise and now trying to refocus on her food. “Never really thought about it, I guess,” she replied.
This drew a sarcastically pouting glare from Lin though. “What, am I not cute enough for you to date?” Jun just blinked back at her.
“That’s… nice…” Aika said, deciding that she might as well just ask anyway. “But, say you were… oh, at an amusement park with the… person you liked. What would be a romantic thing to try and do together? Whenever I’m with her my brain seems to just… freeze.”
“Hmm…” Lin said, pondering. “Go on rides together. Many of them are pretty private. That way you can have some time alone.”
“The ferris wheel!” Jun burst out, drawing the others’ attention.
Lin nodded at the girl’s suggestion. “Yes, that’s good. It’s relaxing… and so kind of a romantic atmosphere. You’re not like screaming for your lives or anything." Then she looked back at Aika, a twinkle in her eye as she smiled. “So who is the special girl you want to get closer to?”
A bit later, having successfully evaded the questions of curious Chinese girls, Aika walked arm-in-arm with Sayu as they each sucked on lollipops they’d bought at a candy stand. Trying to be nonchalant, Aika pointed out the ferris wheel. “I bet we can get a great view of the park from up there!” she cried. “C’mon, will you go with me?”
“It’s just a ferris wheel,” Sayu replied, squinting at it. “Don’t you go on the ones in the city? There’s so much more to do here!”
“But this is Disneyland’s ferris wheel!” Aika replied. “Plus, I don’t always get to go with you, Michishige-san.”
“Aww, that’s so cute!” Sayu said, and leaned over to kiss Aika on the cheek.
Even though the touch left her cheek warm and tingly, Aika felt herself blush as she glanced around her. Being kissed by the girl was one thing, but out in public in the midst of all these people…! “…So you’ll go?” she asked in a rush.
“Sure!” Sayu replied, and took her arm as they walked toward the towering ride, licking their lollipops the whole way.
As their carriage began its rise to the top, Aika did her best to stop herself from fidgeting as she sat next to the pink and black onepiece-clad girl. For her part, Sayu played with a Mickey doll she had won at a game earlier in the day until they got high enough where they could enjoy the view.
It was quite a view of the fantastic Disney world around them, but Aika’s mind was on only a certain other view… of the girl who sat beside her. When they were almost at the top, they rocked to a slow stop. “Isn’t it pretty?!” Sayu asked, peering around.
“Mhm…” Aika replied, her mind elsewhere. Sayu was a little taken aback at the disinterest of her friend. Wasn’t she the one who wanted to come on this ride so badly in the first place? “How long do you think they’ll stop up here?” Aika asked.
“I don’t know,” Sayu replied, and peered down toward the ground. After suffering a momentary dizzy spell though, she pulled back. “It seems like someone’s arguing with the staff down there.” Sitting back, she sighed. “Isn’t this so romantic?”
Aika, hearing the Chinese girls’ words being echoed back at her, felt her eyes widen. “Yeah, it is,” she agreed, her fingers fumbling in her lap. “Um… Michishige-san?”
Sayu turned to stare at her, then burst out into a giggle. “Michishige-san? Since when have you called me that?”
Aika blushed furiously. “I… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Um… I was thinking we could try something while we’re stuck up here.”
“Oh?” Sayu replied, sounding amused. She hoped the younger girl was talking about a game. She liked games. Especially those where she could display her cuteness.
“Yeah!” Aika said, feeling her confidence growing. “We could kiss!” Sayu’s eyes widened in surprise and her smile faded, but only slightly. Aika hurried to explain herself. “You know, like in the concerts. It’s like… practice? So we can make it look more natural and stuff.”
Sayu’s smile returned, and the older girl definitely looked amused now. “But Aika-chan, you know that’s something I do for show. Don’t you? Wouldn’t it feel strange to do it here?”
“But you do it with Takahashi-san, don’t you?” Aika blabbered before she could help herself. Afterward, she clamped her mouth shut tightly.
Sayu grinned. “Now I wonder where you heard that from? You’re really becoming pretty naughty, aren’t you? I think you’ve been spending too much time around Reina-chan lately.”
“Tanaka-san is fun to be around!” Aika replied happily. “We’ve found we actually share a lot of things in common. There are a few girls from other groups that have started hanging out with us to. It’s like… we have our own little gang. But, Sayu… are you saying you don’t—”
“I never said anything like that,” Sayu replied, giggling. “But Leader is Leader. She gets
special treatment.”
“Oh…” Aika replied, feeling disappointed. “Still, I don’t have as easy a time kissing the others as you do. I can’t even imagine Takahashi-san. That’s why I wanted to…” And then, feeling supremely daring and also a little desperate at this point, she leaned quickly over and pecked the older girl on the lips.
Sayu’s eyes widened, but then she just fell into giggling. “Why Aika-chan,” she said jokingly, “If you’re that brave, I don’t see why you’d have problems with the others.” Then, still giggling, she leaned over herself and pecked at Aika’s own lips.
They continued this giggling exchange a few more times, pretty much as Aika suggested. But then, this wasn’t really what Aika had wanted. Feeling more confident as it went on in the confines of the ferris wheel carriage, the next time her kiss was expected, instead of just leaning over to the girl’s face maybe with a little poke to her side as well, she crawled up into her lap, hands on the other’s shoulders as she looked down into her eyes. Slowly she let her knees fall to each side of Sayu’s own as well, resulting in her straddling the older girl’s waist.
Sayu definitely appeared surprised, but didn’t make any move to push Aika away. Taking the opportunity, Aika lowered her face to the other’s and pressed their lips together. This time though, she held it for much longer. When she finally pulled back, she looked frightfully into Sayu’s face.
“That didn’t seem like just playful practice…” Sayu said softly, her rounded lips framing her words perfectly to Aika’s eyes.
Aika swallowed, prepared to roll off her senpai and resume her spot next to her, but instead she felt Sayu’s hands at her sides. “I’m surprised,” Sayu said in response to the question in Aika’s eyes, “But… why?”
“Michishige-san…” Aika said, her eyes still on the other’s lips. “I… like you.” She saw the lips turn up into a smile then, and looked back up to her eyes just before the girl pulled her closer. This kiss was again long, but it was different. After a moment, as they held each other close and their lips moved together, Aika realized she was really making out with her senpai. Then she felt the girl’s tongue slip gently but fervently between her lips.
When they’d finally parted, Aika couldn’t meet the other’s eyes in the deep flush of what they’d just done, and of amazement. “Michishige-san…” she said breathily, “I’ve wanted to tell you that for a while now, but… but…”
She stopped trying to think of more words as a long-nailed finger pressed lightly to her lips. “That’s wrong,” Sayu replied, and Aika’s fright began to return. “If I’m going to be your girlfriend, you can’t be calling me ‘Michishige-san’…”
…
Finally Aika’s attention returned back to the meal she shared with Reina, who was now looking at her suspiciously over her orange juice. “Is something bothering you?” the yankii asked.
Aika blinked, then hurriedly took a sip of her own soda. “I was just… Reina, what do you think’s going on with Takahashi-san and Gaki-san? It seemed like they were at each other’s throats for weeks after Koha-chan’s graduation. But then last month they suddenly just seemed to stop talking to each other at all. Gaki-san even chopped off her hair!”
Reina smiled faintly, running a finger around the inside rim of her glass. “Relationships can be funny sometimes. That’s why I don’t tend to bother with them.”
“But they’re not dating anymore, are they?” Aika mused herself. For some reason Reina’s smile widened, but the girl stayed silent. “And anyway, you and Sayumin were together for quite a while…”
“Well that was different,” Reina said, straightening from lounging in her seat as her smile faded a bit. Aika watched her solemnly. Nobody else likely knew, but one day Sayu had told her why she and Reina had eventually drifted apart.
“You knew Sayumin pretty well, didn’t you?” Aika asked, and Reina stared back into her face, her eyes narrowing as she mulled over her question.
“Yeah,” Reina said, in her deep Fukuokan accent. “We liked each other for a while, so we’d gotten pretty close.” She now stared even more suspiciously at Aika, and whether the girl knew it or not, rightly so. Well, she wouldn’t have to wait for long.
“Could… could you tell me a bit about what she likes?” Aika asked, her heart beating quickly. Since that day at Disneyland, they’d taken the opportunity to make out almost every time she and Sayu had been able to be alone. She loved it, and loved that Sayu treated her and thought of her as her girlfriend, but they’d decided to keep it secret from the others for the time being. They felt it might seem insensitive so soon after Koharu left, as the news would surely eventually get back to her. Plus, it wasn’t like they got all that much time alone anyway as busy as they had been.
She also got the sense that the girl was worried about what the others would think of her dating someone as young as herself, although personally Aika thought three years wasn’t that big a deal. Then again, she’d had that fear for a long time. It was part of why it took her so long to confess. So perhaps it wasn’t true and just left over from that old fear.
Still… without the others knowing, it somehow didn’t feel “official” that they were dating. She wondered if that was finally about to change. However, the response wasn’t
quite what she’d expected.
Reina’s eyes widened, her hand freezing above her glass. “Oh my god,” she burst out, and Aika blushed. “You’re banging Sayu, aren’t you?” The blush disappeared, and in its place complete shock. Reina coughed a laugh. “You might want to pick your jaw up off the floor there, Aika…”
“No!” Aika cried out vehemently, and Reina even seemed taken aback by the strength of her denial. “I mean.
No! I am not… I am not… doing
that to her!”
“Oh,” Reina replied, seeming disappointed. But then she squinted her eyes. “Seriously? I could have…”
“I am not banging her!!!” Aika protested, too loudly this time she realized, and her face glowed red at the looks she felt from some of the people around her. “We’re just… together!” she hissed between her teeth. “Like, dating.”
Reina continued staring blankly at her, but then burst out into laughter. Aika hugged herself tightly, refusing to see if the people around them were staring at them again. “Dating, huh?” the older girl asked, picking up her orange juice to take a big swig as if it were a pint of grog. “And how long has this been going on?” The suspicion was back in her voice.
“Um…” Aika replied, “It’s been two or three months.”
“That long, huh?” Reina asked, picking up another piece of yakitori to tear into. “And you’re still not having sex? She must be holding herself back pretty well then…”
Aika blushed again, though felt her curiosity pique as well. “You… you think that would be a problem for her? Would she not… be satisfied if I’m not… having sex with her?”
Reina stared at her another moment, before breaking out into laughter again. Aika’s eyes widened. The girl was seriously going to kill her. Still, she was her best friend now…
“I’m just messin’ with ya,” Reina said finally, reaching over to pat at Aika’s arm. Aika felt a bit of relief, even if it was very cautious.
“Of course,” Aika said, trying to pull herself together. “Of course you two would have slept together…”
After she spoke this time though, Reina suddenly became serious. “Sayumin was an innocent girl, you hear?” Aika took careful note of the girl’s use of the past tense. “Fuck, she still is. She’ll be careful with you. I think she will. She obviously hasn’t mentioned it yet, has she?” Aika shook her head. “Don’t do it… until you’re ready.”
“Did you sleep with her before she was ready?” Aika asked, her throat tight with the question.
Reina just stared off into space a moment, and Aika let her. Eventually she came back to herself though, and slouched back into her chair. Picking up another yakitori stick, she said curtly, “That’s none of your business.”
Aika smiled inside. This is why she was friends with the fiery yankii.
“You were asking about what she likes?” Reina asked, eyeing her as she nibbled on the chicken. It looked like liver this time.
“U-un…” Aika nodded, though her mind was still coming to grasp with the conversation up to this point.
“She likes frilly stuff. Pink stuff. Cute stuff. But you know that already.” She sat back, tossing the empty stick back onto the plate. “That’s not just for show, ya know,” she said, musing to herself and staring into space seemingly just above Aika’s shoulder again. “She’s a smart girl, of course.” Aika nodded. That’s something else she already knew. “Frilly… pink… cute… It’s romance that she likes. She wants her prince to gallop to her side and pull her up behind him on his white horse.” Her eyes found Aika’s again, and she grinned as if imagining something funny.
“Well I’m not much of a prince…” Aika said doubtfully, but Reina brushed the comment away with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t say that,” the girl said. “She doesn’t want a
real prince, obviously. You know she likes girls.” She grinned again. “And if I may say so, after dating me for a year I’d be surprised if she ever cares to look at a guy again.”
Aika gave a short laugh of her own at that. Reina and her narcissistic humor… Although, she didn’t really want to think too much about what the girl actually meant. “Well, all I’m concerned about is that she’s looking only at me,” she said modestly in contrast.
Reina hunched over in her chair, studying Aika closely over the table while drumming her fingers on the solid wood. “Well…” she said finally. “Who knows what she actually sees in you… I mean, you’re nowhere near as cool as me, for one.”
“Hey!” Aika exclaimed, and crossed her arms, pouting at the girl studying her.
Reina gave her toothy grin in return. “But you might do for a prince.” She sat back again. “Yeah… I think you’ll do.”
“You said she likes romance, right?” Aika asked, trying to get back on subject. “Like… what kinds of things? What did you find she liked best?”
“Burgundy silk sheets,” Reina said immediately. “A rose on the pillow. Perfume, incense you can waft from the air. You could also get her one of those frilly and lacy transparent black babydolls. She likes black better than pink when it comes to—”
“Not stuff like that!!!” Aika interrupted, mortified.
Reina grinned back at her, clearly having fun torturing her. “Ah, I’m just playin with ya again. Remember that stuff when you get to that point though. But of course you aren’t there now. Let’s see… Ya know, I can’t really think of something I did for her that didn’t involve sex…”
Aika felt her fingers tighten on the hem of her t-shirt as she tried to keep from blushing any more. She was starting to think going to the girl about this hadn’t been a good idea at all.
Suddenly Reina turned serious. “You know that’s not true, right?”
Aika kept staring tightly into her face. “I do? Why am I supposed to think otherwise?”
Reina sighed. “Yeah. I guess you guys have reason to believe I can’t think about anything other than sex. That’s not true though,” she said earnestly. Aika studied her, wondering who the girl was trying to convince. “We wouldn’t have lasted a year had it been like that. Like I said, she likes the frills, the romance.”
“And do you have anything useful to tell me about that?”
Then Reina smiled, but it was a much different smile than what she’d been giving her so far. Jumping up from her chair, she picked up the check and gestured to Aika. “Come on. Let’s take a walk, and I’ll tell you all about our dear bunny.”
Topic: Kimagure Princesses (Chapter 4, August 17th) (Read 12699 times)