Sumomo tapped her foot in irritation as she examined her yukata-clad form in the mirror, the hard sole of her elegantly decorated geta clicking against the wooden floor. She’d gotten pretty used to walking in these clothes by now. She’s spent several evenings practicing, after all. And the red yukata with its white flowering vine pattern worked well with her complexion, but something just wasn’t right… Of course, that wasn’t actually why she was irritated. She’d been annoyed ever since Ayako told her that she’d had Michiru over to help her with her summer homework. It wasn’t as though she cared what those two got up to together, but the fact that Ayako hadn’t even asked her for help pissed her off to no end. Which didn’t make any sense. Helping people study was a pain in the ass. But for some reason, the fact that Ayako had gone to Michiru for help before asking her… “I still think you’d look way cuter if you used contacts instead of those big, square glasses. And put on some proper makeup.” Sumomo rounded on Ayako with a heated glare. Ayako stood her ground, though. For all that she was weirdly meek sometimes, she never backed down on matters of style. And even Sumomo had to admit that her outfit was rather spectacular. The combination of the heavy makeup, the loose, thick braid and the frilly purple and white mini-yukata was extremely eye-catching, to the point that Sumomo looked positively plain standing next to… “Fine. Get changed. We’re going out to buy some contact lenses.” “Wait, really?” “And you’ll be doing my makeup before we go to the festival.” Ayako shone up like a sun. “Absolutely! I’d love to!” “And we need to find you a different yukata.” That rather brought Ayako up short. “Wha… We do? Why? What’s wrong with this one?” “It doesn’t complement mine at all. We need to find you something in yellow with a white patterns or something. And I’ll be borrowing that sunflower hairpin. You can wear the hibiscus one. And we’ll need to do something about your makeup, because there’s no way in hell I’m wearing anything that would match something that flashy.” Ayako was briefly stunned. After all, Sumomo almost never talked about clothes or accessories or anything! But once she got past her bafflement enough to parse the core of Sumomo’s demands, her eyes widened. “You want us to do a pair look?” “A complementary look!” Ayako completely failed to tamp down on the giddy excitement that bubbled up inside her chest. “Yes ma’am!” Umi looked out at the sea, barely even noticing the beautiful spectacle of the sun setting over the gentle waves. The past two days had been like some sort of dream. The beautiful house, the private beach, the lavish meals, the amazing bath… But all of it vanished into some sort of half-remembered blur in her mind. Because none of it compared to spending so much time with Nekoyama Michiru. Eating together, playing together, swimming together… She’d almost passed out when Michiru first complimented her swimsuit. And when Michiru suggested that all three of them should take a bath together, she actually had to pretend she had a headache tog get out of it, because there was simply no way! It was all just too wonderful for words, and more than once, Umi had found herself wondering if it was actually real. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe she was in a coma and all of this was just some sort of hallucination. Maybe she had died and gone to… “You’re thinking about something useless again.” Umi jumped at the voice, having been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed Miki walking up to her. Miki shook her head with a sigh and continued speaking. “Have you talked to her yet?” “Of course I talked to her. We were just talking about what we’ll be having for din…” “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Look, we’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, and that means packing and preparing and all sorts of thing. This is it. If you’re going to tell her, now is the time.” Umi bit her lip. “I can’t! I tried, but I just can’t get the words out! What if she hates me? What if she never wants to see me again? What if…” “Do you really think she’s the kind of person who would shut you out of her life completely over something like this?” “No! Of course not! She’s perfect! She’d never…” “Then talk to her, you idiot! The worst that can happen is that she rejects you and I spend all night consoling your sorry ass.” “…Would you really?” “Of course I would! You’re my best friend, Umi. Like, for real, not just according to the setting.” Umi’s heart soared. She’d been thinking of Miki as her best friend for a while now, but she hadn’t been completely certain that Miki felt the same way. But knowing that Miki was well and truly in her corner made her feel a lot less nervous. “You’re right. I can do this! I’ll tell her.” “Great, because I told her you wanted to talk to her about something important, and she’s coming over right now. Good luck!” “Wha… Miki! Wait! What do you mean you… Come back here!” But Miki was sprinting away across the sand, leaving Umi all on her own… for a few seconds. “Hello, Miss Umi. Miss Miki said you had something important you needed to tell me.” Umi turned to face Michiru, and her breath hitched. Here, bathed in the light of the setting sun, the young lady looked even more radiant than usual. The white one-piece swimsuit clinging to her toned body, the way her silky black hair swayed in the wind, the quizzical little smile… Umi’s throat went dry as her heart hammered in her chest. She desperately tried to get the words out, but all she managed was a strangled squeak… “Are you all right, Miss, Umi? You look a little…” “I love you!” Michiru’s eyes widened slightly, but before she could formulate a response, the words just came pouring out of Umi’s mouth. “I love you so much! I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you! Every moment I spend with you is the most amazing time I’ve ever had. I’ve been wanting to tell you for so long but I just couldn’t work up the courage. There’s nothing in this world that I want more than to be your girlfriend!” As silence fell once again, Michiru briefly found herself at a loss for words. The sheer intensity of Umi’s emotions was enough to make her blush. But… “I had suspected you might feel some degree of romantic affection for me, but I didn’t realize just how intensely you felt for me, Miss Umi. But I’m afraid I can’t give you a definite answer at this moment. I am still trying to sort out my own feelings towards those nearest and dearest to me, and I…” “It doesn’t have to be just me.” “I… beg your pardon?” “It’s fine if it’s not just me. I don’t even need to be the person you love the most. I’m fine being number two in your heart, or even number ten! I’m not trying to make you mine, I just want to be yours!” Michiru took a half-step back, feeling as though she was staggering under the weight of Umi’s affections. And yet, she didn’t dislike the feeling. If anything, the sheer, single-minded intensity with which Umi seemed to love her was somehow incredibly attractive to her. She hesitated for a moment longer, but then she steeled herself and stepped forward. Reaching out, she gently cupped Umi’s cheek with her hand. “Are you sure about this? If I make you mine, I’m not entirely certain I could ever find it in myself to let you go.” “That’s exactly what I was hoping for.” At that point, Michiru stopped thinking entirely. Acting entirely on impulse, she reached out and grabbed Umi’s head with both hands, pulling the shorter girl in for a kiss. Kyoya paid careful attention to the beeping of the camera on the tripod. Once it hit the second to last signal, he set his face in a concerned frown, his eyes fixed on Taro’s as he held his hand as if to help him up from the ground. Taro returned the gaze with one of bashful embarrassment. Before the staring had time to get awkward, the camera clicked as it took a number of pictures in quick succession. “I think we nailed that one. Let’s check the preview.” “Yeah, that one felt pretty good.” Kyoya actually helped Taro get up, and the two of them hurried over to the camera to check how the pictures turned out. They both grinned as they looked at the tiny screen. “Yes! Finally!” “Man, that shot took like, fifteen attempts!” “This would be so much easier with a photographer…” “As if we could get one of those at this short notice. Why the hell did you decide to do a shoot with no prep in the first place?” “I mean, I was planning on having the shoot on the first Saturday after school started, but I finished the costumes quicker than I expected, and I was just eager to wear them right away.” “I mean, they are really good. And you’re absolutely rocking that dress. But they could have waited for another week.” “But I wanted to try them now! Doing pair cosplays is so much fun, and I just wanted to get you into costume!” Kyoya grinned. He loved hanging out with Taro in costume. The moment Taro put on a costume, it was like all his timidity and self-restrained vanished, turning him into an adorable ball of infectious energy. “So, what even are these costumes? I’ve never seen them before.” “Oh, they’re from a game. I’m the princess of a kingdom at war, and you’re my knight and bodyguard. These costumes are from the game’s prologue, right before the princess gets kidnapped. Since it’s a pair costume, it had to be either these outfits or the wedding outfits, and making the wedding dress would have taken months.” “Wedding dress, huh? So these two get married?” “At the end of the game, right before the final boss. The princess actually joins your party in the final battle.” “In her wedding dress?” “Yeah, isn’t that cool?” Kyoya huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, sure. I’d love to see you fighting in a wedding dress. That would go really well, I’m sure.” Taro smacked him on the shoulder. “Don’t be such a spoilsport. Let’s do another pose. I was thinking this one! We’ll have to use a chair instead of the stump, but that’s fine.” Kyoya studied the picture on Taro’s phone. The knight was sitting down on a stump with his sword across his lap while the princess was leaning down towards him with a teasing smile on her face, so close that the tips of their noses were almost touching. “All right. The timing might be a bit hard on this one, though. Should we just set the camera to take a picture every second for like, two minutes or something?” “Sure. We should get at least one good picture that way.” With that decided, they set up the camera properly, brought out a chair and started the timer. It took a while to set up the pose properly, but they managed to get into position just before the camera started taking pictures. Kyoya tried his best to keep the stiff, unamused expression from the picture, but with taro looking straight into his eyes with that adorable teasing smile on his lips, Kyoya had a hard time not returning the smile. They were so close that Kyoya could feel Taro’s breath on his face, smell the fragrance of his shampoo, hear every tiny rustle and shift of his dress… It was barely even a conscious decision to lean in and close the tiny bit of distance, placing a gentle peck on Taro’s lips. He didn’t even properly realize what he’d done until afterwards. But when he did gather his wits, he immediately pulled back. At the same time, Taro put his hands over his mouth with a startled squeak. “Damn, I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what came over me.” Taro forced out a strained laugh. “Seriously. Save that kind of thing for when you’ve found a real woman.” Kyoya frowned. Something about the way Taro said that didn’t sit right with him at all. He could practically feel as all the self-restraint that Taro usually abandoned while in costume came slamming back down, and he hated the way it made Taro shrink into himself. No longer giving a single damn about whether it was a good idea or not, Kyoya said exactly what he was thinking. “Why the hell would I want to find a ‘real’ woman? I have the most beautiful woman in the world right here.” Taro let out a shocked little gasp. A flood of strange, soul-deep euphoria flooded his mind, pushing away all the doubt and awkwardness and self-loathing. It was like the feeling he got when he cross-dressed, but a hundred times more powerful. “Oh. Well, um… I… guess it’s fine then.” Before Taro’s brain could even fully parse the words that had just come out of his own mouth, said mouth was once again covered by Kyoya’s lips. Sumomo and Ayako walked side by side on their way to the festival, their coordinated outfits providing an aesthetically pleasing mix of matching and contrasting elements. But Sumomo barely even cared if they looked good or not anymore. At some point, looking good had become entirely secondary to the fact that she had the final say on every element of their outfits. Sure, she had listened to Ayako’s advice, Ayako knew infinitely more about fashion than she did, after all. But in the end, she made all the decisions. And that was what really mattered. “Miss Yaya! Miss Susu! Over here!” “Mimi!” As the three friends met up, Ayako took a good look at the young lady. Her hair was tied up in an elegant bun, her yukata was beautifully embroidered and her black, lacquered geta were of a traditional design. All in all, she practically radiated the feeling of a young noblewoman. Except for the flashy nail decorations. “You look amazing, Mimi!” “Thank you, but I can’t help but feel that I cannot truly compete with the two of you. The matching patterns, the matched but mirrored braids, the inverted colour schemes… I almost feel as though I’m interrupting a date.” Ayako really hoped her blush didn’t show through her makeup. Sumomo, on the other hand, just brushed it off. “Don’t be silly. We all met up to enjoy the festival together, right?” “Certainly. I don’t have much experience with this kind of festival, so I was hoping that the two of you could guide me.” Despite herself, Sumomo found that she was enjoying the festival immensely. She hadn’t been to a summer festival in ages, and everything from the food stalls to the lights to the probably rigged games was hitting her straight in the nostalgia. When Ayako had roped her into this in the first place, she’d been pretty mad, but… Maybe she should thank the girl, somehow… Then again, maybe not. Ayako was troublesome enough even without the encouragement. “Michiru! Ayako! Sumomo!” Looking over, the spotted Atsuko jogging towards them. She was dressed in sporty casual clothes and sneakers, so she could easily and nimbly weave her way through the crowded festival. As she came to a halt in front of them she wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a drink from the bottle of lemonade in her hand. Ayako shot her a welcoming smile. “Atsuko, hey! Fancy seeing you here.” “I heard from Michiru that she was going to this festival with some friends, so I thought, you know, maybe we could meet up and all that.” “Well, you’re certainly most welcome to take in the festival with us, Miss Atsuko. We were just going to try our luck at the ring toss.” “Perfect timing, then! I’m actually really good at games like that.” “My, how reassuring. Perhaps we shall be able to win a prize after all. Our luck with these games has been absolutely atrocious thus far.” “Just leave it to me!” Ayako looked between Atsuko and Michiru with a thoughtful expression. And as the group started moving once again, she made a decision. With a deliberate motion, she forced her foot forward, pushing as hard as she could against the strap of her geta. It took a surprising amount of force to make the strap break, to the point where it actually hurt quite a bit, but that was fine. It was for the greater good after all. As she stumbled forward with an entirely genuine pained yelp, Sumomo just about managed to catch her. Michiru turned around with a worried look on her face. “Are you all right, miss Yaya?” “I’m fine, I just slipped and the strap broke, that’s all.” “How terrible! Perhaps we can find some way to repair it…” “It’s fine. There’s a bench just over that way that should make for a decent spot to watch the fireworks. Susu said she was getting tired, too, so the two of us will just head over there and have a sit down for a while. You two go have your fun. You both seemed like you were really looking forward to the ring toss.” “Are you sure that’s all right?” “It’s fine. Go on.” Sumomo shot Ayako a dry look, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she simply helped Ayako make her way over to the indicated bench while Michiru and Atsuko continued down the path. The bench was about a hundred meters off from the main festival area, so it was a relatively peaceful place to sit. But it was terribly situated for viewing the fireworks. “All right, what was that all about? There’s no way you actually snapped the strap by accident. You’ve been practicing walking in these things just as much as I have.” “Just doing Atsuko a favour, that’s all.” “What do you mean?” “Like, she’s clearly super into Mimi, and she came all the way to the festival just to see her. So I figured I’d give them some alone time, you know?” “Seriously? Atsuko and Mimi?” ”Duh. It’s totally obvious.” “I don’t see it.” Ayako shot her an almost disbelieving look. “How can you not… OK, pretend like they’re both boys.” Sumomo was a little confused by the request, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time she had imagined her female classmates gender-swapped. And when she thought about them that way… “Holy shit, she’s in love with Mimi!” Ayako burst out laughing. “Seriously, that’s what it takes for you to get it! You’re a riot.” “Well, I mean, it’s way more interesting when it’s between boys, so I pay more attention.” Ayako’s laughter calmed down, and when she spoke next, there was sort of a strange edge to her voice. “So, no interest in girls at all?” “I mean, Girl’s Love is fine, I guess, but it’s just not as interesting as…” “No, not like, in fiction. I mean in real life, for yourself.” “Ew, no.” Ayako’s heart fell, but before she could say anything, Sumomo elaborated. “I’m not interested in anyone for myself. Girl or otherwise. Other people doing things to each other is fun to think about, especially if they’re men, but anyone doing things to me… Ugh. Just thinking about it is gross.” That was, as far as Ayako was concerned, an utterly alien view of things. But that just made her want to know more about it. “What about you doing things?” “What do you mean?” “Like, you said it’d be gross if someone did something to you, but what if it was you doing things to someone else? Is that also gross?” Sumomo idly tapped a finger against the bench as she pondered the question. “Huh… I’ve never actually thought about it that way. I always sort of figured that if I got involved in that kind of thing, someone would be doing stuff to me. I never even considered me just doing things to someone else…” As Sumomo lapsed into a thoughtful silence, Ayako couldn’t help but feel just the tiniest twinkle of hope. Michiru hugged the giant plushie to herself, the oversized rabbit doing a surprisingly good job at keeping the night chill at bay. The thin, breezy yukata she was wearing had been fine for the festival grounds, where the throng of people warmed up the night air, but Atsuko had showed her to an out of the way viewing platform, where you could supposedly get a very good view of the fireworks. In all honesty, the plushie was of pretty poor quality, for all that it was offered as the top prize at the ring toss booth. But somehow the fact that Atsuko had won it for her made it seem far more special than its rough stitching and unevenly distributed stuffing warranted… “Are you cold?” Atsuko asked. “A little, but the rabbit is keeping my front nicely warm.” A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, and she felt Atsuko’s body pressing gently against her own. Despite the chill of the night air, Atsuko was as warm as the summer sun. “There, now you’ll be warm all over.” Michiru couldn’t help but giggle. “There’s no way you’ll be able to see the fireworks properly while pressing up against my back. You’re shorter than me.” “That’s fine. You being warm is more important than me seeing the fireworks.” “Now that simply won’t do. One moment.” Michiru whistled, and a trio of bodyguards emerged from behind the trees in the nearby park. One of them was wearing a backpack, from which he took out a pair of large blankets and a thermos of hot tea. “There, now we won’t be cold.” Atsuko blushed brightly. “Have your bodyguards been there the whole time?” “Of course. They almost never let me out of sight.” Atsuko struggled with her own embarrassment, but in the end, she decided to just pretend like the concealed watchers weren’t there. That was clearly what Michiru was doing, after all. As she was steeling her nerves, Michiru put down one of the blankets on the ground and sat down on it, patting the space next to herself. “Here. Take a seat.” Atsuko gingerly took a seat next to Michiru, and Michiru proceeded to wrap the remaining blanket around the two of them. “There, now we can both stay warm and see the fireworks.” Atsuko turned to look at Michiru, keenly aware of just how close together they were. In the end, she wasn’t able to see the fireworks properly after all, because she was far too focused on looking at Michiru. As the fireworks show reached its conclusion, she couldn’t hold the words back any longer. “Michiru, I love you. Please go out with me.” Michiru gave her a look that she didn’t quite know how to interpret. “I see… In that case, let me preface this next statement by saying that I’m not necessarily turning you down…” Atsuko’s heart fell. That was hardly a very promising start. “…but the truth is that I already have a girlfriend.” In most situations, that would have been a devastating statement for someone in Atsuko’s position. But given the peculiar preface, it mostly just made her confused. “Wait, what do you mean you have a girlfriend but you’re not turning me down? Are you suggesting some kind of two-timing arrangement or something?” “No! Or, I mean, probably not? I’m not quite certain what the terminology would actually be. You see, my girlfriend very specifically told me that she doesn’t mind me dating other people. She said she doesn’t care if she’s my number one or not, as long as she’s mine. She even said she’d be fine being my number ten, although I certainly don’t intend to date that many people.” Atsuko was understandably rather taken aback by the whole thing. Part of her felt that a relationship like that was just cheating, plain and simple, but… It wasn’t like Michiru was hiding anything, or lying to her. Then again, it would be a very difficult relationship to explain to outsiders… But she didn’t actually want to give up on her feelings for Michiru, either… For a moment, Atsuko was completely paralyzed by indecision. She wanted to at least give it a try, but at the same time she was worried it simply wouldn’t work, and she’d end up far more heartbroken than if she simply gave up now… In the end, the thing that pushed her into making her decision was remembering that asshole Ikeda Yuuki, and her determination to rub her relationship with Michiru right in his smug prick face. It might not have been the most noble of motivations, but it was enough for her to push past her worries and concerns and follow her heart. “I do think I want to be your number one…” She said slowly. “But if I can’t manage that, then that’s on me. And besides, if you give it your all, there’s no shame in coming in second place, or even third.” She considered the matter for a moment longer before continuing. “I don’t think I could stand being your number ten, though. I’d be pretty disappointed in my own performance at that point.” Michiru broke into a full on giggling fit at that, and Atsuko couldn’t help but adore just how Open and unguarded the young lady was in that moment. When Michiru finally got a hold of herself, she leaned in and kissed Atsuko lightly on the lips. “Well then, good luck on getting that number one spot. I’ll be cheering you on.” It was only the second day of the new school term when Michiru found what she could only assume was either a love letter or a letter of challenge inside her shoe cubby, asking her to meet up behind the school building at lunch. She really hoped it was a love letter, because if some poor student had some kind of problem with her and decided to settle it with their fists, things would end very poorly for them. She told her friends she had an errand to take care of over lunch, and promised that she would join them all on the roof once she had taken care of matters. Since the group she ate lunch with had suddenly expanded after the summer break to include not only Miss Susu and Miss Yaya, but also her two girlfriends and her girlfriend’s best friend, they had decided to eat lunch on the roof of the school when the weather allowed, since there was plenty of room up there. Quite looking forward to having lunch with the rather lively bunch, Michiru hurried out behind the school building as soon as the bell rang. As such, she actually arrived almost a full minute before Keith Clifford got there, slightly out of breath. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” “Think nothing of it, Mr. Clifford. Now, your letter said you wished to meet with me?” “Ah, yeah. Look… I know we don’t know each other very well, but… I think I’ve gone and fallen in love with you. So I was wondering if there was any chance that we could go out together?” “Well, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but… The fact of the matter is that I already have two girlfriends, and if you are hoping to pursue any manner of romantic relationship with me, you will have to respect that.” Keith’s brain ground to a halt as he tried to internalize that statement. It came so out of left field that it took him a while to even figure out what it meant. But once he did, he mentally tried to put himself in the position of being in that type of relationship. And he just couldn’t. “I… see. I don’t think I can to that, honestly.” “In that case, I must decline. I do apologize, Mr. Clifford.” “No, no. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for springing this on you out of nowhere.” “Not at all. I’m flattered you hold me in such regard. I wish you all the best in the future, Mr. Clifford.” Michiru turned to leave. But just before she turned the corner and vanished from sight, she looked back at Keith. “Oh, and Mr. Clifford?” “Yeah?” “You forgot your accent.” With a start, Keith realized that he’d forgotten to speak like a transfer student for this entire conversation, slipping instead into perfectly native-level Japanese purely by habit. Trapped between disappointment in his failed love confession and embarrassment at his blunder, he could do nothing by stare blankly as Michiru rounded the corner and vanished from sight. But before long, he was broken from his trance by the sound of laughter. “Damn, dude. She got your ass.” Looking over, he spotted Paula Heinkel, the only other student in school with a ‘transfer student’ role, although Paula had the benefit of actually being a transfer student. Realizing that Paula had probably watched the entire thing, Keith blushed bright red. “Were you eavesdropping on us?” “Not on purpose. I always step in behind that shed over there during lunch break for a smoke. Not my fault you decided to stage your little love confession right next to where I take my smoke break.” “If I knew you were there, I would have picked a different location.” “Yeah, I bet.” Paula took a drag of what remained of her cigarette, a thoughtful look on her face. “Still, the heiress sure didn’t raise a fuss when your accent slipped, huh?” Keith blinked. “Huh. Yeah, that’s a good point. You’d think she’d be more surprised.” “Makes you wonder just how much she actually knows, doesn’t it?” “Yeah…” Sumomo sat up in bed, panting slightly from exertion. The room was pretty warm, but the sweat helped cool her down. Besides, she was down to her underwear, so she’d probably cool down in a hurry. Not that she cared that much about the heat right now. She was far too busy struggling with her own emotions. She’d gone into this fully expecting it to be, at best, a chore. And yet… “Shit… That was actually really fun. Damn it.” Beneath her, Ayako made a noise that Sumomo could only describe as a happy whimper.