Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was an afternoon on a summer's day and sunlight filtered into a cold bedroom. There was an array of clothes littering the ground as loud EDM played from the speakers on a desk, a closet was left wide open letting the stream of clothes flood out. In the middle of the room, on the floor, was the owner, Shinobu Inuyose.

She stayed there motionless, staring at the blank ceiling above.

She picked up and looked over her phone again, her calendar showing an important date.

Her date with Kyoko.

It was tomorrow and she had a whole week to think of an outfit, but she thought of nothing.

The date was special and important, it was their first date, and even though they were together for a month, none of them had the heart to ask until a week ago. The one who mustered up the courage to ask the other out first was Shinobu herself, something she was nervous about but was able to accomplish. It was something they needed to do, both of them were still awkward about their new relationship, fumbling over their compliments and praise, something Esora and Yuka found amusing.

They were going to the arcade, something they have done many times, something familiar they did before they started dating; A nice way to ease into their brand-new relationship.

The whole wait, Kyoko would look at her with that loving look in her eyes and a smitten smile. Cute, yes, Shinobu loved and adored that look but it made her anxiety about the date go ten-fold.

She has tried, she has tried for seven whole days! But every outfit she has chosen felt something missing. She was close to finding it, but she didn’t know what.

So instead of trying everything out, right after she went home from practice, she was stuck lying down on the floor and blasted music from her speakers.

The music was just background noise for her thoughts, so many were in her mind, it was hard to catch up.

Her eyes started to grow heavy, maybe, just maybe, she could go fall asleep and deal with it later.

Her hands were the first to fall asleep, even if the song that was blasting from her speakers was hype and upbeat, it just didn’t make her hyped at all.

It just made her anxiety worse.

“Hey, Shino!!” Her cousin Nagisa greeted her as she swung the door of her room open, causing her to jump. Her voice managed to be louder than the music she was playing.

“Oi! Will you at least knock!?” She yelled out of shock and to nag her cousin.

“I did! But you didn’t say anything so I sorta just… barged in!” Nagisa smiled while Shinobu sighed. Nagisa looked around her room and noticed the discarded clothes around the room. “What’s up with the clothes? Your room is a mess… ugh.” She started to pick some of them up, even though she was a bit of a mess herself.

Shinobu rolled over to stand up, pausing the music that was blaring in her room. “I’m trying to pick an outfit.”

“For what?” Nagisa tilted her head to the side, confused.

“For… a date with Kyoko.” Nonchalance was what some might guess she sounded, but Nagisa knew she was nervous, she doesn’t go into her room and mess with her clothes this much. “It’s our first proper one, so I want it to be… you know, good.”

Nagisa threw the few clothes she picked up from the floor on the bed and sat down on her chair, her back facing the laptop that was blaring her music. “Why didn’t you tell me? I wanna help!” Her legs swung around, almost kicking Shinobu in the knees. “Let me help!”

“Mhm, and what do you know about making good outfits?” That was less fact but more a little jab, Shinobu would be a liar – which she sometimes is – if she didn’t say that some of Nagisa’s outfits were good. They were simple yet nice.

“Oi~, I can lend you some necklaces and stuff, you want?” She had a grin on her face, a grin that sometimes got on her nerves. “I can lend you that pretty blue one you like, you practically own it.”

Shinobu paused, thinking about it as she looked over a cap Kyoko gifted her one Christmas. “No thanks, I think I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

She glanced over at her phone. Tomorrow.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Her cousin sighed, standing up. “Well, looks like I can’t go around disturbing you right now.” She stretched, her fingers reminiscent of a cat’s claws appearing whenever it would stretch. “Good luck with the outfits and the date.” She went to pat her head, but Shinobu dodged her hand.

“I’m not a kid you know.” That was always her rebuttal, ever since she was ten.

“I know, I know, you’re growing up so fast….” She then grinned, and Shinobu knew what was coming, but her reaction was too late. Nagisa grabbed her cheeks, squishing them as she moved around while Shinobu tried to move her hands away. “Oooh! Look at you! You have a girlfriend, you’re going on your first date–”

“Nagi!” Shinobu whined, she always did this before whenever she tried something new. She hadn’t tried something new in forever, so she had forgotten how to escape the guitarist’s hands.

Nagisa did not let go like before. “And your girlfriend is Kyoko! Ahh if you told me that you were going to date someone like her in the past I wouldn’t believe you! You used to stare out the window whenever Kyoko passed by and you were so shy and stuff that you would–”

“I get it, I get it!” Shinobu managed to find a way for her to take off Nagisa’s hands. “You don’t need to tell me and all that.”

Nagisa smiled and wiped away a fake tear. “I’m just glad you’re happy. You’ve changed a lot, you know.” The tears may be fake, but her words were genuine.

“I know, I know.” Shinobu huffed as Nagisa patted her head, the DJ didn’t try to stop her that time. “You don’t need to tell me.”

“But you did! And I’m proud of you!” The blonde smiled but her face immediately relaxed almost to a skeptical look, Shinobu knew the gears in her head were turning. That or there was something wrong with her face.

“What’s up with that look?”

She then grinned. A terrible sign. “You want me to call Hiiro to help you?”

“Huh? How can Hiiro help?” A stupid question she knew, she had seen Rondo’s stage costumes, but she was so used to Nagisa spatting nonsense that it became a habit.

“She can help you with your outfit dilemma!” Nagisa showed Hiiro’s contact on her phone, which didn’t show her name but ‘My Beloved <3’ instead. Nothing suspicious, nothing that might change her relationship with Hiiro, and nothing that needs to be talked about at all. None. “You’ve seen her cosplays and stuff right? Also, her outfits are pretty cute! I have this one photo, wanna see?”

“Uh…” She thought it over, Hiiro seemed a bit trustworthy, she didn’t seem the type to run her mouth – unlike some people – and she seemed the most responsible out of Rondo. Her eyes landed on Hiiro’s profile picture, which was a picture of her in some cosplay with her pet ferret. She had a pet ferret? “I don’t know yet…”

“I’ll show you! Just wait!” Nagisa started to scroll around her gallery, trying to find the photo she wanted to show, as she did her face got more and more smitten by the second. Shinobu rolled her eyes at that, thankfully, her cousin didn’t catch it.

She and Hiiro were clearly dating. Ever since two months ago, those two seemed to have gotten closer, Nagisa spoke about her more and her nickname for her wasn’t very subtle about it, but Shinobu didn’t want to pry. If her cousin didn't bring it up or hint that she wanted her to notice, then she wouldn't either. That was the secret rule between the Tsukimiyama and Inuyose cousins, one they have followed ever since they were children.

This rule did not apply when Shinobu started to date Kyoko, however. Since she was the youngest out of all of them, she had to tell them in case of “emergencies” as her older siblings and cousins would put it. But in some odd, almost otherworldly way, she managed to hold out their meeting with Kyoko for a month and she hoped that it would last until after their first date. After a week, perhaps. Maybe more.

“Ah here! Look, look!” Nagisa showed her a photo of her and Hiiro in the middle of the shopping district. Hiiro wore a pink, rose-themed sundress with a purple cardigan on top and beige pumps. She also wore pink rose earrings paired with a simple gold bracelet. Nagisa, on the other hand, wore a simple black leather jacket on top of a gray Nirvana shirt, and her dark brown cargo pants matched well with her black sneakers. She was wearing her black rose earrings as well as a few rings.

The only problem in the photo was Nagisa's face. She looked like she was about to faint. It was her fault for wearing something so dark in the middle of summer of all seasons.

“So? Thoughts?” There was that grin again.

“Um… I don’t know.”

“Not convinced yet? Here wait a second, let me just get another photo.” She looked through her phone for another photo, her finger was quickly scrolling at the side. “Wait… I’m pretty sure it’s a video but I like our outfits there… wait a sec, sorry.”

A few moments passed and Nagisa showed her a muted video of them in a club, either Frolic or Alter-Ego, talking over the club music. The video showed them from the chest up only, the neon lights made Hiiro’s white fur jacket have a hint of purple which contrasted the turtleneck crop top she wore, her simple gold necklace and amethyst-like earrings were dangling near her neck and shone, fitting with the club’s atmosphere: Cool and mysterious. Nagisa, who was to her left, wore a black hoodie and a much darker leather jacket on top of it. She was moving her left hand around that had two rings, one silver and one black, under the jackets she wore one of her dark gray band shirts, which helped show off her choker and silver necklace.

It took her a few moments to see, but their outfits were good, Shinobu just had one complaint about them. “The video is super shaky, it’s a bit hard to see them, but yeah it looks good, I guess.”

“Hey! I-I was drunk, alright? Bass was boosted like crazy…” She cleared her throat. “Anyway! So! Thoughts? Want Hiiro’s help?”

Shinobu sighed, she was very persistent. Though, Hiiro seemed to know how to put together a simple but nice-looking outfit, compared to her cousin who has either the most simple outfits, or the most complex-looking outfit. “Sure, I guess.”

Nagisa practically beamed at the answer. “Nice! I’ll call her right now to come here!” She clicked the call button and her face immediately changed into that smitten look. “Hey, Hiiro!” She waved like a dumb fool to the camera. (Shinobu hoped she wouldn’t turn out like that in the future.)

“Ah, Nagisa-chan.~” She heard the warmth in her voice, it sounded like it was something her cousin had done many times. “How are you?”

“I’m alright! I’ve got a question for ya.” She moved her phone’s camera up to Shinobu’s face. “Can you come here instead and help this dummy out with something?”

Shinobu turned and walked toward her bed, letting Nagisa give Hiiro the full view of her messy room. “I can hear you, you know.”

“I know, I know.” Shinobu huffed as she looked over her messages while Nagisa grinned. “She needs help with some outfits, can you help with that?”

All of the messages were from Kyoko.

She smiled softly at that.

“Oh, sure! Why does she need help? Something with DJing?”

Kyoko: shinobuuuuuu

“Ah, no no, she’s gonna go on a date with Kyoko, it’s their first proper date so she wants to look good.”

Kyoko: what r u doing?

Shinobu: nothing really.

“Ahhh I see.”

“Is it alright if you come here? Right now?”

Kyoko: can i call u?

“I really want to help Shino out.”

She glanced at Nagisa, whose back was turned.

Shinobu: not now, nagi’s visiting =_=

“Of course! Anything for you, Nagisa-chan.”

Kyoko: dfjchdsufhdsui okkk

“Nice! I’ll see you in a bit!”

Kyoko: can't wait for tomorrow! ^ ^

She smiled, even through text she was cute.

Shinobu: yeah me too.

“Bye-bye, Nagisa-chan~”

“Bye, Hiiro! See you at Shino’s place!” Nagisa waved foolishly yet again.

Hiiro chuckled at her antics. “Make sure to clean the room before I get there, alright?”

“Yeah yeah, I know, I know!” Nagisa smiled brightly before blowing a kiss at Hiiro, who chuckled and said goodbye by ending the call.

Nagisa was a fool in love.

Shinobu hoped she wouldn’t be like that.

Nagisa swooned and flopped onto Shinobu’s bed, making the DJ try to kick her out.

Literally.

Shinobu kicked her side lightly. “This isn’t your bed, shoo.”

Nagisa huffed with a pout. “You are so so rude, my dear cousin! Oooh, my heart aches with pain.” She grinned, then started to snicker.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Shinobu looked over Kyoko’s messages again with a faint smile on her lips.

Kyoko: can't wait for the date! ^ ^

She couldn’t show up like she usually did whenever they went to the arcade. It had to be casual but still stylish. Her mind drew a blank at that.

“Hey, Shino.” Nagisa was lying down on her back, her face was unreadable. “I got some new accessories with me ‘cause I wanted Hiiro to try them out, wanna try them first?”

Nagisa lifted her head, staring at her cousin. She was waiting for an answer.

Her eyes glanced over her phone then at her cousin and turned it off. “Sure, as long as we get to clean my room after.”

“Alright!” She jumped up immediately and ran out of the room with her footsteps echoing behind her.

A few moments passed until Nagisa showed up with her duffle bag, she’s been using that a bit more than usual.

That also scared Shinobu. A lot. “Is that… all filled up to the brim with accessories?”

“No, it has a couple of other stuff inside, but that doesn’t matter right now!” She took out a plastic bag filled to the brim with bracelets, necklaces, and earrings and threw it to Shinobu. “Here, try out ones that look interesting to you.

“Okay.” She looked over the plastic bag, different colored gems and designs caught her eye, but none caught her eye like the crown earrings.

They must be new because she had never seen them before, they were small and gold-colored, around the size of the tip of her finger. She took it out and looked at it properly, it looked a bit orange in the light.

“You like that one?” Nagisa looked at her with that grin. She knew.

“No, just checking.” Her hands placed the earrings to the side, her eyes scanning the bag for something else that looked interesting. Some earrings looked good, but none caught her eye.

She searched around, but none seemed interesting so she switched to finding necklaces instead. She searched and searched, but a certain one didn’t show up.

“Nagi, where…” She stopped herself, she was slipping thanks to desperateness, but it was too late.

“Where’s your favorite one?” She finished for her and there was that grin again, something was burning under her skin. “It’s in my pocket, here.”

She threw it into her lap, the blue gem glimmering in the light. Seeing the familiar shine doused the burning feeling. “... Thanks.”

“No problem, you don't need to hide the fact you like it, you know.” She decided to ignore Nagisa's words and focus on the gem, her eyes always liked the blue gem, but she didn’t know what kind it was. Her eyes always liked the small little sparkles inside them even if they didn't shine much indoors, they must look beautiful outside under the sunlight.

“Oh yeah, I’ve got another one that kinda matches with that, wanna see?” Nagisa took the plastic bag from her and her hand caught an orange gem that looked almost similar to the one in her hand. “Pretty ain't it?”

“Yeah, I can see that.” She held her hand out, waiting for Nagisa to hand it over. “Gimme.”

Nagisa snickered, she almost asked why, but she handed the necklace before she did. Shinobu looked over it, the same shine, different color. Still pretty.

“Those two are pretty expensive, ya know?” Her cousin continued to smile as she spoke. “I got them from your grandpa, they’re sapphires apparently.”

“Gift?” Shinobu let the necklace hang, the orange gem shone as it swung. She saw a familiar grin behind it. It made her cheeks warm. She was starting to become Nagisa.

“Yep yep! A friend of his from overseas gifted it to me a year ago, it was super expensive apparently.” There was a mysterious glint in her eyes. “They gifted me around… like, five carats each gem.”

“And it was only these two? Nothing else?” Shinobu looked at her cousin confused.

“Yep!”

“How much is one carat in yen?” Shinobu wasn’t an expert in gems, but these must be a little bit expensive. She guessed around ten thousand, maybe thirty.

“Oh, just…” Nagisa counted a few numbers on her hand. “Uh, I think it was around… like, a hundred thousand yen per carat? Around that number.”

Shinobu paled at the price, wasn’t that the price of Esora’s table? Why didn't he gift Nagisa something like an autograph? “Yeesh, and it's this small too.”

“Yeah, that’s why I only worked on that blue one first, I made one for everyone in Rondo, including me, so I only have that one left.” She exhaled as she looked over the plastic bag. “You can own that one, I won’t mind.”

Shinobu looked down at the blue gem. “Sure, thanks.”

“No problem.” Nagisa patted her head again, Shinobu didn’t try to fight back in some way. “I made that orange one a week ago, so it’s pretty fresh.”

“I can tell.”

“Yeah…” Nagisa paused, her eyes checking the orange sapphire necklace. “You know what…?”

Her tone sounded almost mischievous, a terrible sign. “What?”

“You can take that one too, I still have four left with me.” Shinobu looked at the two necklaces with her mouth hanging open, then back at Nagisa, she didn’t care if she looked stupid, her cousin was giving her a very expensive gift. “It’s alright, you know. You need to be spoiled from time to time, ah, I should tell Kyoko that huh?”

“You… You don’t need to do that.” She didn’t know if she meant the part of Nagisa spoiling her, or her telling Kyoko to spoil her from time to time.

“But, you should! You always got hand-me-downs before, plus, I’ll make sure to tell Kyoko to not get you very expensive stuff if I ever see her.” She patted her head again, she liked doing that today for some reason. “Okay?”

Shinobu looked over the necklaces on her lap, and both of them shined brightly. “… ‘Kay. I’ll…. I’ll do that.”

“You can also get the crown earrings, I’m feeling quite generous today.” She snickered, which made her face meet one of Shinobu’s pillows.

They both continued checking the accessories, trying some of them on some together, some just by themselves until they heard the doorbell sing its tune.

Nagisa visibly jumped, she looked at her phone with a nervous expression. “Shoot, I think it’s Hiiro.” They both stared at each other and then at the room around them, which was still a mess. “I’ll go get her and stall to the best of my abilities, you go pick up your clothes, okay? Okay.” Nagisa stood up and dashed out of the room while Shinobu was left in her room keeping the accessories and picking up her clothes.

"Bastard..." She muttered as she shoved all of the accessories in the plastic bag, she went around her room to pick up her clothes, her hands slowly filled up with them -- it managed to reach her chin -- but she managed to pick all of them up, now all that was left was to keep her clothes in her closet and she was done.

That is, until the door opened showing her cousin, Hiiro, and Hanzo.

Quite embarrassing.

The first thing Shinobu thought to say was, “Uh, good afternoon?”

Hiiro chuckled at her, she was more embarrassed now. “Nice to see you again, Shinobu-chan.” She was wearing a white sleeveless blouse with dark gray high-waisted pants and had a tote bag slung on her shoulder. Shinobu could tell she had some makeup on her face, it was only light, but she noticed the light pink lipstick. She looked good.

“Uh, ah, yeah.” The DJ just stood there frozen. She had no idea what to do. Will she drop the clothes? Or will she keep them?

“Let me help with that.” Hiiro set her tote bag down near Shinobu’s desk, took off the top part of the clothes in Shinobu’s hands, and placed them on the bed – ah, that’s where she’ll put them – so she followed.

“So! Let’s start playing dress up!” Nagisa declared as she shut the door with Hanzo sitting outside, whimpering and whining right after, she opened the door yet again and said, “Sorry Hanzo, girls only, you can hang out with gramps, ask for a walk maybe?”

“Woof!” He had no objections to that, so the dog started to run off to wherever the old man was, hoping he could walk.

Hiiro looked over the mess that was the heap of clothes on her bed before she turned to her. “Shinobu-chan, what kind of outfit do you want?”

“Huh?” She thought she was ready to meet and get help from Hiiro, but her mind was getting blanker and blanker.

“Do you want to look like you're going to a tea party or look like you're going to a convenience store at 3 AM?” Nagisa explained, and Hiiro nodded at her. Ah, that’s what she meant.

“I just… I, uh. I want… I want something casual, but I… I want to… look… stylish. At least.” Her voice got quieter, she couldn’t help it. Her walls were down and it involved impressing Kyoko with no help musically, it was nerve-wracking.

She thought Hiiro would ask her to speak up, like how others usually did.

But she didn’t.

“Ah, I see. I think I have an idea for an outfit for you, Shinobu-chan.” She patted her head before she started to sift through the pile of clothes, making the young DJ freeze out of shock.

“Oh… uh, okay.” Shinobu looked down and fidgeted with her fingers. She and Hiiro never spoke more than a few sentences to each other, but she felt that Hiiro knew every embarrassing thing about herself, while she knew nothing about the pink-haired woman other than the fact she VJs, makes cosplays is a member of Rondo, and apparently, a pet ferret.

Maybe the reason was the one that was wrapping her arms around Hiiro.

“How about this? Try it on.” Hiiro handed her an orange shirt and one of her black sports shorts gifted by Yuka.

“Okay.” Shinobu looked around, her room was big enough, but not big enough for her to have a walk-in closet. Unlike certain people, she didn’t like and didn't want those walk-in closets. “Um, uh…”

“Oh! You can go change in the closet, go go! It has enough space for ya, come on!” Nagisa started to push her toward the closet, but she didn’t try and didn’t want to complain about it.

“Okay.” The closet door closed shut and it was a bit cramped, not cramped enough for her to scream for help, though.

She took off the clothes she was wearing and started to put on the clothes Hiiro gave her. The shirt was always a bit oversized, the sleeves would reach her elbows and the end of her shirt would stop near her thighs. She looked over it a bit disappointed it was the same.

The shorts were an okay size, they weren’t big, they weren’t small, and it was just the right size, she vaguely remembered Yuka gifted at least five for each of them.

She walked out and felt her cheeks burning, Hiiro studied her like there was a problem with her she was trying to solve while Nagisa looked at her with pride.

Or she was at the brink of laughter, maybe both.

“Uh, um. How do I look?” Shinobu crossed her arms, she had no idea how she should be posing. Her hands were preoccupied with holding her clothes, though.

“Good, but… I think there can be something more.” Hiiro continued to sift through clothes while Shinobu stood near her closet awkwardly. Nagisa was busying herself by whispering – trying to, anyway – things into Hiiro’s ear, who was just humming or nodding as an answer.

Shinobu hoped it was appropriate.

Hiiro hummed as she looked over a black skirt Kyoko gifted her, then she turned to Shinobu. “Do you want to wear a skirt to the date, Shinobu-chan?”

“Uh, I don’t mind really, but I think I want to wear some, like, uh…. Some shorts that are… around this length.” Shinobu put her hand on where her shorts ended. “I like those, and we might walk around for a bit, I don’t want wind pulling my skirt up and stuff.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind, Nagisa-chan can you…” Her voice faltered to a whisper that only the golden-eyed guitarist can hear.

They whispered to each other while Shinobu threw the clothes she wore a few seconds ago near the bed, she didn’t want to hear them.

A few similar outfits later, Hiiro gave her a gray polo shirt with black denim shorts. “What about this?”

“I’ll see.” Shinobu took it and went to change into her closet. The stuffiness was starting to get to her just by a bit, her elbows hit the walls as she shuffled around.

As she changed, she overheard her cousin talking to Hiiro.

She heard the sound of Nagisa’s footsteps getting closer to the sounds of clothes being pushed around. “Sorry for ruining our date night for this….”

The clothes shuffling stopped. “It’s okay, this is important to Shinobu-chan, we’ve been to a few dates before, but this is her first one. She has to look good, don’t you agree?”

Her cousin’s voice was muffled, a bit difficult to decipher but still understandable. Her face must be buried into something. “I know, but… I just decided things on a whim and then you had to adjust….”

She heard quick and sudden movement, making the hair on her neck stand, she was done wearing the clothes, but she should keep hidden just a little bit more.

“Nagisa-chan.” Hiiro’s voice was serious but just a bit playful, she was going to start stating facts, but whispering followed instead. It was undecipherable and difficult to pay attention to, Shinobu's ears strained to listen, but she couldn’t hear a single hint of the whispering.

She backed out after a few moments, she shouldn’t listen. It must be something those two only know, she would be disrespecting Nagisa’s privacy if she did.

She looked down and noticed that she didn’t button up the polo yet, her hands fumbled together as she tried to button it together.

“I guess… thanks, Hiiro.” She heard the sound of a quick peck on the cheek. “You really know how to cheer me up, hehe.”

“You just need to clear the fog in your head sometimes, your mind likes making itself worry.”

“I guess.” Shinobu heard another peck on the cheek, why was it so hard to button up a damn shirt!? There was shuffling, then chuckling as her hands fumbled around at the final button, her hands trying to fit it in together.

Laughter then filled the room, until she heard Nagisa breathe and yell, “Shino?! You done?”

She opened the closet door immediately and air hit her slightly sweaty face. “Sorry, I got stuck while I was trying to put on the polo shirt.” She said as she fixed the final button, a bit embarrassed. “Do I look okay?”

“Yeah, you do! You can wear that during the summer, but I think Hiiro has a better outfit in mind…” Nagisa smiled as her eyes landed on the woman in question. “Right, Hiiro?”

“Mhm!” Hiiro handed her a cream button-up shirt she got from Nagisa a year ago, a black ‘Peaky P-key’ shirt, and light brown shorts.

Her cheeks reddened at the sight of the shirt, she merely cleared her throat and placed the clothes she wore a while ago on her bed.

“Shinobu-chan?”

“Ah, n-nothing.” She shook it off with her hand as she went back inside her closet.

She took off her big shirt and stared at the black one, it was a product of something embarrassing Esora wanted to try a few years back. She couldn’t even bring it up by name.

She, Yuka, and Kyoko call it ‘Project: Peaky’. Whilst Esora called it by its true name, which she didn’t even want to think of.

She sighed and put it on, it was a bit tight on her, and the fabric was pressing onto her stomach unlike the last shirt she wore; she disliked it. She finally had an excuse to throw the shirt away, though.

She put on the button up and it was a perfect size, the sleeves reached until her elbows which let her arms breathe. Nice.

The shorts were big on her, not because it wasn’t her size, but it was because they couldn’t wrap around her waist right like before, perhaps she needed a belt.

She walked out and made sure she didn’t have a scowl on her face, the outfit was good, she knew. She didn’t want this to take up more time. Her hands bunched up the clothes she wore mere seconds ago.

Hiiro looked at her for a moment with a faint smile on her lips, her eyes were terrifying. It’s as though she was judging every single flaw in you. Shinobu decided to look at the heap of clothes instead.

As soon as she did that, Hiiro spoke. “Shinobu-chan, are you alright with that outfit?”

“H-huh?” Her eyes went back to Hiiro’s, which were full of worry. Did she notice? How did she notice?

“Are you okay with that outfit, Shino?” Nagisa repeated the question, she didn’t seem that worried, but her eyebrows creased just slightly. “Like, are you comfortable?”

“Um….” They were supposed to have a date today, but they were busy helping with hers. “Uh… N-no? No.”

“What’s uncomfortable to you, Shino? Is it the shorts or is it the shirt?” The DJ’s hands were clammy, her eyes looked down at the floor. Nagisa’s voice was worried now.

“Uh, the shirt’s… kind of tight.” She grabbed onto the shirt and pulled it slightly, letting her skin breathe. “I don’t… uh, I don’t like it.”

Hiiro nodded, she didn’t look hurt in the slightest. “Okay, I'll find you something more comfortable, are you okay with the button-up and shorts?”

“Yeah, they’re nice. But my shorts… they’re a bit big on me.”

“Ah, okay.” Hiiro continued to search as Shinobu threw her clothes near the ones she wore mere minutes ago, busying herself by looking out the window.

The outside looked beautiful as always, the scenery was dipped in an orange hue, dying the homes and trees, a familiar but welcomed sight.

The sounds of clothes being pushed around stop. “Shinobu-chan, do you have any sweater vests?”

“Sweater vests? Yeah, Kyoko gave me one a few years back, it was a bit big on me though.” Shinobu walked toward the pile and started to search for it. She knew what it looked like, she didn’t need a picture to know, it wasn’t those ugly Christmas sweaters people normally gifted around that time, just an orange sweater with one stripe in the middle. It was a simple sweater with a simple design.

“Ohohoh? Kyoko?” Shinobu didn’t need to check, she knew Nagisa was grinning.

“Shut up.” That was her usual answer, but she remembered who was with them. “… please.”

Her cousin snorted and started to laugh uncontrollably, Shinobu’s cheeks turned a bright red.

“Ohh… Sh-Shino…! Pfft–” Nagisa gasped for air, but still continued to laugh.

“Oi! I… tch, wh-whatever.” She continued to search for the vest as her cheeks reddened.

“Nagisa-chan, stop making fun of your cousin.” Hiiro scolded as Nagisa dropped to the floor and continued to laugh, Shinobu looked up at Hiiro to see her face, it was a sweet smile. “Go do something else, hm?”

“Alright, alright.” She finally stood up after a few more laughs. “I’ll go… check on my accessories.”

“Wait, you brought them with you?” Hiiro asked, her hands stopped searching and her eyes seemed to shine at the thought. “Is that why you wanted to visit?”

“Ah, yeah…” Nagisa showed her the plastic bag and Hiiro’s eyes shined even more. Shinobu just continued to search for the sweater.

“Ooh! Nagisa-chan, you…” She ran to her cousin and kissed her on the cheek, making Shinobu internally groan. Where was that damn sweater!?

“Awah! H-Hiiro, not in front of Shino!” Her cousin was equally embarrassed, but Hiiro didn’t mind, and maybe, just this once, Shinobu will let this form of PDA slide if it meant embarrassing her cousin. “Hiiro~! Stooooop…!”

As Hiiro showered her cousin with kisses on her face, Shinobu managed to find the sweater vest, she smiled over it before she noticed a note still attached to it.

‘Merry Christmas Shinobu! :D

Yep! I’m your secret santa! I don’t know if you're allowed to put your name but it's too late! I hope you like this gift, it isn’t much, but I think you’ll like it! It’s super comfy :)

– Kyoko ^ ^’

Ah.

She forgot to take it off.

Or maybe she didn’t.

She liked the material it was made with, it wasn’t itchy, but a bit soft. Kyoko knew her too well.

She didn’t want to disturb her cousin and her cousin’s lover, so she took her phone and saw that there was only one text.

A text from Noa.

She breathed in, hoping it didn’t involve her asking for her to help kidnap Muni or go to an arcade together.

No Eugh: how’s the outfit for the date?

Ah. It was a normal text. Thank goodness.

Shinyobu: alright, im getting help bc i suck lol

No Eugh: who?

Shinyobu: hiiro and nagi.

No Eugh: oohh…

No Eugh: theyre dating right? I get that feeling every time i see them together

Shinyobu: yeah

No Eugh: how’s the PDA lol

Shinyobu: ok, it’s not bad.

Shinyobu: nagi is getting embarrassed so it’s a win for me

No Eugh: evil much?

Shinyobu: wdym?

No Eugh: i saw the way u looked at happy ara a while ago at lunch…

No Eugh: homophobic much? /j

She tsked, she was merely glaring at that VJ who was getting affection so easily, not the ones giving it to her, she didn’t care.

Shinyobu: saw the way u looked at ohnaruto muni a while ago at lunch…

Shinyobu: stalker much? /hj

No Eugh: OI I AINT BREAKING IN THEIR HOUSES LIKE THAT GUY FROM TWILIGHT I GOT MORALS

She laughed at the reaction, it was less sweet and soft but more on the snorting and cackling side. A bit like Nagisa’s a while ago actually.

“Shino? You good?” Nagisa asked her, she sounded a bit entertained but it was hard to tell thanks to Hiiro still showering her with kisses.

“Hm? Oh yeah, just… talking to someone.” She said with a wave of her hand, she totally wasn’t embarrassed at all.

Shinyobu: oi dont make me laugh like that i snorted bc of that

No Eugh: THATS WHAT U GET

Shinyobu: silencing my phone bc of u, bye bye :PP

No Eugh: SHINOBUUUUuUuUuuUuUu!!!!!!!!!!

She did not however, she merely turned it off and didn’t pay attention to Noa’s texts. Kyoko might text her and she didn’t want to seem rude. (Though, she would probably understand if she didn’t.)

Nagisa noticed the sweater in her hands, a bit late, but understandable. “Oh! Shino, you found the sweater?”

Shinobu took off the note and kept it hidden between her hand and her phone. “Yeah, why did you want one anyway, Hiiro?”

Hiiro turned, took a look at the sweater, and clapped her hands together. “Perfect! Just wait, I think I found an outfit just for you!”

She picked up the button-up shirt Shinobu wore a while ago and a pair of black, denim, above-the-knee shorts.

“Oh, okay.” She was trying to hide the slight excitement with nonchalance, she always wanted to wear something with those shorts, and the button-up was something she wore a few times. (A few times meaning two.)

“Go try it on, I think you’ll look amazing, Shinobu-chan.” She said with her eyes shining. Shinobu gulped at that.

She walked toward the closet and the stuffiness returned, she unbuttoned her polo quietly, she didn’t know what Hiiro was planning, but it must be good.

She slipped on the button-up around her shoulders, the cold fabric pricked her skin as she buttoned it up, much faster than she did with the polo.

After getting used to the cold fabric, she wore the sweater vest, it didn’t feel heavy like before, it used to cover her forearm but now it simply covered her shoulders. She looked down and noticed that it covered her shorts, it looked odd to her.

She then slipped off her shorts and wore the black denim one. She always liked those, she didn’t remember when she bought them, maybe it was a gift instead, but she was glad she had them. She looked down and tucked her vest in, it was disturbing her that it was like that.

She walked out and noticed a smile on Hiiro’s face, she had no idea if it was because she was on the brink of laughter, or if she was simply proud of her.

Both of those choices made her embarrassed.

She looked at Nagisa, who had the same look.

She, too, had no idea.

“Uh, do I look okay?”

“I–duh! You look amazing, wait!” Nagisa managed to find the crown earrings and her favorite necklace in only two seconds, she walked toward Shinobu and smiled. “Let me put the earrings on ya, okay?”

“Just don’t stab the wrong place, I might bleed to death and not be able to go on the date.” She glanced at Hiiro, who was chuckling softly. Huh, she caught the joke.

“Hey! I’m not that careless of my cousin.” Nagisa said with a pout. Other people usually called them weird or rude whenever they joked like this, but both sides knew the other was joking, even if the situation was the opposite so Shinobu was a bit surprised to see Hiiro catch it.

“Oh yeah, Shinobu-chan, do you know what kind of shoes you’ll wear?” Hiiro asked as Nagisa switched to put on the left one.

“Uhh, no I didn’t think of that yet.” Her eyes were on the floor as she answered, suddenly very aware of there being earrings on her ears.

Hiiro looked back at her again, judging her outfit perhaps.

Nagisa handed her the necklace, the blue gem shone in the light as she put it around her neck.

“I think red high-tops will look good with that, what do you think, Nagisa-chan?” Hiiro looked at her cousin, who was nodding at how Shinobu looked.

“Yeah, yeah I remember you have something like that, right, Shino?”

“Uh…” She had no idea what high tops were. It must be a kind of shoe, but what kind? What did it look like? “Sure? I guess?”

“Where do you keep your shoes again? In the shoe rack downstairs, right?”

“Yeah… I think.” She looked down and judged her outfit from there, she didn’t look a bit different, yeah the clothes seemed different but that was it.

“I’ll go get them! Hiiro, you can stay here, it’ll be quick!” Nagisa swung open the door and ran outside, leaving the door open.

Hiiro glanced at Shinobu, who was still looking at herself, she looked over her arms but the confused look stayed.

“Shinobu-chan?” Hiiro called, it was soft, trying not to startle her.

“Hm? Ah, yeah?” The DJ looked up, her hands fumbling with the end of her vest.

“How many jackets do you have?”

That question was difficult to answer. “Uh, I think I have… five? Six?”

“Hmm… perfect!” Hiiro smiled and walked toward the closet. “Do you keep them in here?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes noticed her phone vibrating and Hiiro did too. “Um, I’m gonna take that.”

“Go ahead.” Hiiro waved her off to pick up the call and picked up the call she did.

She picked up not checking who it was, it could be Noa who got sick of her not talking, Esora trying to tease her about her date with Kyoko, or Kyoko herself. “Uh, hello?”

“Heyy, Shinobin~” The voice chuckled right after and the use of the godforsaken nickname made her sigh.

“Hey… Kyo-co.” She emphasized the ‘co’ part, making it clear she was talking about her old online handle. Exasperation is what other people would hear, but she was glad she got a call from her. She glanced at Hiiro, whose back was turned, but she swore she heard a chuckle come from her.

The girl in the other line laughed, out of embarrassment, perhaps. “Why that?”

Shinobu huffed. “It’s only fair, if you call me that name again, I might use your old DJ name, DJ–”

Now that caught her attention. “Alright, alright! You don’t need to bring it up….” She laughed, but Shinobu knew it was out of embarrassment. Like her and ‘DJ Shinobin’, Kyoko was embarrassed about her past DJ name, she would get flustered and change the conversation as much as possible.

“So why are you calling?” Shinobu looked at the open door, no sign of Nagisa yet, what was taking her so long? “Need to ask something?”

“D’hahaha… uh, can I not call my, um, girlfriend?” Kyoko stayed silent and Shinobu suddenly felt very aware of the fact that they were dating. Her face heated up and Kyoko’s probably did too.

She was Kyoko’s girlfriend.

She was the one who will receive kisses on her cheek, the one who will be getting those smitten looks, and the one who she thought of every day.

Huh.

She smiled softly at the sudden revelation, a month late, but hey, better late than ever. She covered her mouth in case Nagisa came in or Hiiro turned to her.

Kyoko however, could not see such a smile, and the silence probably worried her. “Ahhhahah… was that too much? Sorry… I just thought that…”

“No, it’s alright, I like it… I guess.” She had to go back to nonchalance and quickly too. “So… did you actually have a question for me?”

“Uh, yeah.” Kyoko cleared her throat. “Uh, can we stop by a record shop after we go to the arcade? I wanna buy some for my dad.”

“Sure, I won’t mind at all.” She glanced at the door again, no sign of Nagisa. “I kinda want to check some CDs too, so yeah.”

“Ah, nice! What are you trying to find?”

She looked around her room, nothing came to mind. “Anything that catches my eye to be honest.”

“Alright, alright…” Kyoko hummed for a moment, a smile must be forming on her lips. “I'll let you do whatever you were doing, yeah? Don’t want you to lose your match or something, hehe.”

“Ahh… sure.” She didn’t want the call to end though, she wanted to talk more. But she didn’t know how to continue the conversation. What could they talk about other than the date that’s due tomorrow?

“Sooo… uh.” Kyoko paused, Shinobu could imagine her mouth hanging open, trying to think of something to say. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

A pause. Was there anything she could say to make it last? “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

“Shinobu-chan, I need you to check this jacket,” Hiiro said, making her yelp in surprise. She didn’t even yell.

“What’s up?” Kyoko asked, she must be surprised to hear her yelp out of nowhere. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, uh, it’s just Hiiro, she’s visiting with Nagi.” Speaking of her cousin, she looked at the door and there was no sign of her. How difficult was it to find a pair of shoes?

“Ohhh… okay! Well, I don't want to take up any more of their time, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, can’t wait for the date.” The word still felt weird on her tongue. Date.

Kyoko paused for a moment, only for a second, perhaps she felt the same. “Uh, me too! S-see you!”

The call then ended, leaving her to stand for a moment, processing everything that went through her mind as Shinobu hid her phone in her pocket, which surprisingly fit the whole way. The shorts were now her favorite.

“Sorry for cutting your call with Kyoko-chan short, Shinobu-chan…” Hiiro’s voice cut through the stillness, snapping Shinobu away from her thoughts.

“No, I don’t mind, Kyoko just wanted to ask a quick question.” She walked toward her, noticing the hoodie in her hands. It was a dark gray hoodie jacket, one she liked wearing a lot around this time. “Do you want me to try that on?”

“Yes, I just want to see which one will look nice with your clothes.” Hiiro walked back a few steps and her head tilted to the side just slightly right after, a faint smile on her lips.

“Why should I? It’s summer, it’s super hot.” She complained as she put on, her arms sliding through the sleeves with ease. She didn’t mind at all.

“Just in case of winds that could make you cold, you should know that since you wear one over your school uniform.” Hiiro meant it as a simple observation, a fact, but to Shinobu, it sounded a bit like mockery, maybe a bit of an insult. But she held that thought down, she was just being nice, she was just stating facts. She should’ve known.

“It’s because the classrooms are kind of cold.” That was what she answered with instead, she shouldn’t get angry over it. She breathed in, then breathed out.

Shinobu adjusted the hoodie and looked up at Hiiro expectantly. Awaiting her advice. “Ahhh, I see now.”

“See what?” She looked over her jacket confused, was there something wrong?

“Nothing, nothing, can I have it back please?” Hiiro had her hand out, and Shinobu slipped it off and handed it to her. “Thank you.”

She smoothed out the jacket as she wrapped it around a hanger, she carefully placed it where it once was, her hands were very gentle with the jackets as if they were all made of porcelain.

“I think it’d be better if it was a darker color….” Hiiro muttered as she looked through Shinobu’s jackets, she smiled softly at one of them, the dark black hoodie she used to wear for Peaky performances.

“Uh…” Shinobu’s hands fidgeted together, why was she so nervous? Was she embarrassed that Hiiro was looking around her closet?

Hiiro looked toward her, her hand lingering on the Peaky hoodie. “Do you have ones that you zip up?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, I do.” She walked beside her and started to look through, her hands picked up a dark gray hoodie, the only design it had was a vinyl record on the back. Nothing special about it. “Does this look okay?”

Hiiro’s eyes scanned over the hoodie, judging every single fiber it was made with. “Hmm… do you have a darker-colored one? Maybe something warmer?”

“Yeah, I think I do.” After looking through her many, many hoodies and jackets, Shinobu fished out a hoodie she hadn’t worn in forever. It was a dark brown hoodie, nothing special, nothing of note, just the color and that it was a bit cold, maybe because she hadn’t worn it for a while.

“Perfect! Can you please put it on?”  Hiiro crossed her arms and smiled softly, waiting to see everything piece together like a puzzle.

“Sure.” She slipped it on and the cold fabric pricked her skin, it was almost foreign to her. She walked back and adjusted the sleeves for a moment, patting down the hoodie in case of dirt.

She looked up at Hiiro, who was smiling, her eyes shining with pride.

“Do I look okay?” The DJ crossed her arms, not knowing what to do.

“You look amazing, Shinobu-chan!” Hiiro walked toward her and patted her head, she didn’t try to stop her. It felt a bit nice when it came from Hiiro, it wasn’t like she was ruffling her hair, she was simply patting her head. “All you need is the shoes and I think you’re set!”

“Oh, thanks.” She looked down and didn’t see anything different, she was wearing the necklace, the jacket, the earrings, but nothing felt different. She still felt the same. Disappointment started to fill her.

“Do you want to see yourself in a mirror?” Hiiro asked, a light smile on her lips. Did she notice?

“Sure, not like it will change anything,” Shinobu said with a shrug, all she’ll see is what she can see from her eyes, what will change if she saw it from a mirror?

“Oh, I think it will, just wait.” Hiiro went to her tote bag – Shinobu had forgotten it was there – and took out a hand mirror from her bag. She was prepared for anything, huh? She turned around and smiled. “Here, take a look at yourself in the mirror.”

Shinobu took hold of it and noticed how grimy she looked, she wiped her face and she still looked bitter, her hair was a mess so she started trying to flatten it to no avail. She sighed. This was embarrassing. She had some flyaways and her eye bags were much more apparent under the light.

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking at your outfit instead of your face?” Hiiro pointed out with a chuckle.

“Ah, right, sorry.” Shinobu tucked a side of her hair behind her ear before Hiiro took the mirror away from her.

“Let me hold it for you to see better.” Hiiro held it with both hands, moving back until Shinobu could see herself from the waist up. “So? Thoughts on how you look?”

Shinobu was stunned into silence. She looked good. Really good. It was almost hard to believe. She adjusted the button-up’s collar to be tucked in instead of out, she made the vest not be tucked in her shorts, letting it stop around where the zipper for her shorts ended. She moved her head to the side to see the small crown earrings on her ear, making her smile for a moment. She adjusted the necklace to be more to the left, making it look even. She moved the sleeves of her jacket up slightly, letting her hands be seen much better. She felt like there was electricity coursing through her veins.

“Shinobu-chan?”

“Uh, I like it, it’s… good. I guess.” She tried to control the happiness she felt, she looked too good to be true. “Thanks.”

“No problem, I want to make sure you look good for your first date.” Hiiro smiled, did she know that she loved it?

“Hiiro! Shino! I got the shoes!” Nagisa yelled as she walked into the room with a wide grin on her face, as well as the red high-tops Hiiro had been waiting for.

It was also covered with dog fur from top to bottom.

“Did Hanzo sleep on the shoes again?”

“Yeah, I had to move his big butt over to find it!” Nagisa said as she patted the shoes down of dog fur. “I know you gave him his summer cut a few weeks ago but man, he’s already leaving hair everywhere!”

“I know, I know, I’ll get the lint and do the thing later.” Shinobu waved it off and she couldn’t help but notice the slight pride in Nagisa’s eyes. Did she overhear them?

“Alright, alright, now put this on!” Nagisa shoved the shoes into her hands. “Come on! Let’s go! I want to see this outfit in its full form!”

“Yeah, yeah, wait a sec….” Shinobu kneeled and placed the shoes to the side, noticing the fact that she had no socks with her. “Uh, I don’t have….”

Hiiro handed her a pair of white socks, it was simple yet nice. “Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you, Hiiro.” She took them and started to put them on, as she put them on, she noticed Nagisa’s legs moving toward where Hiiro was and stopping right beside her.

She tied the shoes as fast as she could, as much as she wished to not admit it, she was excited to see herself in this outfit.

She stood up and looked at the both of them, awaiting their thoughts.

Nagisa squealed and ran toward her, enveloping her in a tight hug. “Ahhhhh!! You look so so so cool! My sweet sweet widdle cousin is growing up! Oooooh!!!” She started to ruffle her hair, making Shinobu try to wriggle out of her grasp.

“Oi, Nagi! Let go!” She tried to push her away with her head, but that told the opposite for Nagisa, she continued to hug and ruffle her and her hair much longer.

“Nagisa-chan, let go of her, you might squeeze her to death!” Hiiro said with her arms crossed, but there was a sweet smile on her lips. She walked toward her and dragged Nagisa away from her, making her whimper and whine. It was almost similar to Hanzo’s.

“Bu-but she’s growing up!!” She yelled as Hiiro wrapped her arms around her instead. “I don’t want her to go!”

“Jeez, it’s not like I told you I was gonna leave the family!” Shinobu said with her arms crossed, she also scowled to add a bit of something.

“Hiiro…! Shino hates meeee~” She cried as she buried her face in Hiiro’s blouse. “She doesn’t love me anymore!!”

Shinobu sighed, dramatic again as per usual.

She noticed her grandfather at her door with a smile and Hanzo around his legs. A shaky feeling in her head started to grow.

“So, a date with Kyoko, huh?” His tone was cautious, every single word must’ve been decided after much thinking. “You didn’t say anything about this.”

“Yeah, it’s… tomorrow. Sorry, I forgot to say.” Her hands played with the necklace around her neck, hiding it and letting her shakiness slowly filter away.

He walked toward her and patted her head, shocking Shinobu, but accepted it gladly. “Don’t go breaking her heart alright? I really want to meet her properly.”

What a stupid question. “Why would I?”

He looked at her again, his eyes studying her, every single action she has made and done in the past reflected in them. She had hurt people like Kyoko in the past, and the closer they got to her, the further Shinobu pushed them away. That was one of the fears she had when she started dating Kyoko, but the vocalist herself reminded her she wouldn’t. No matter how far Shinobu would push, she would always find a way to come back.

He smiled. “You’re right, but I’m just reminding you.” He ruffled her hair, making her sigh, they liked doing that today. “Make sure to let the family meet her, alright? Your brother really wants to know more about her.”

Her brother wanted to know more about Kyoko? “Fine, I’ll ask her, I guess.”

“Good.” He then turned to Hiiro and Nagisa, who were both silent, both of them looking in opposite directions, with Nagisa being much more animated, fake whistling and all. "Yano-san, nice to see you with Nagisa. Again."

"Oh, yes, I was the one who helped with picking Shinobu-chan's outfit." She managed to sound calm to the point of perfection, there was not a single hint of nervousness in her posture and voice.

His eyes grew wide for a moment. "Really? You did an amazing job, I thank you for having to deal with those two."

"Hey! What does that mean!?" Nagisa and Shinobu asked with a scowl and one eyebrow raised, if Shinobu wasn't targeted as well she would've laughed at her.

He smiled at the both of them. "Nothing, think of it as a... compliment."

"How's that a compliment!?" Both of the cousins yell in unison again, earning a chuckle from Hiiro.

“Woof!” They looked down and noticed Hanzo holding a leash in his mouth, nudging at her grandfather’s foot.

“Ah yes, I forgot about that for a moment, I’ll be off to give him a quick walk.” He picked up the leash from Hanzo’s mouth, a bit slobbery, but he didn’t seem to care. He looked at Shinobu one last time with a smile. “Make sure to have fun during the date.”

It was weirder hearing it from her grandpa. “Yeah, I know.”

He nodded and looked down at Hanzo, who eagerly waited with his tail wagging uncontrollably, excitement was clear in his posture. “Let’s go, Hanzo.”

“Woof!”

And with that, they went off with the sound of the door to the outside clicking close and the gate creaking.

“You two aren’t very subtle about listening in,” Shinobu called them out, making Nagisa tsk and Hiiro chuckle.

“So, Shinobu-chan, are you going to give Kyoko-chan a gift?” Hiiro asked as she patted Nagisa on the back, who was still offended by her granduncle's comment.

“No, I actually didn’t think of that….” Shinobu looked around the room, it wasn't like she needed to do it, they were going to a record shop afterward, but something inside her told her to buy something. “I guess I will? I don’t know what to get for her though, we’re going to a record shop after the arcade so….”

“Oh, I know you can give her my other necklace for you!” Nagisa looked at her with a grin, an immediate 180 with her attitude but it was a welcomed one.

“Wha-why?” The DJ instinctively wrapped a hand around the one dangling around her neck, the small cuts felt like it was implating into her skin.

“No, not that one silly! The orange one, give it to her.” Nagisa’s tone was serious yet still soft, her hand pointed to her plastic bag on the bed where the orange necklace was.

“Why that one?”

“Because! I know it’ll make her swooooon with love!” Nagisa made a dramatic pose, covering her face with the back of her hand, and did a huge sigh. Shinobu turned bright red at that.

“That– no! I’m not doing that…”

“But why? It sounds like a great gift.” Hiiro smiled proudly at Shinobu, who was not amused at all.

“Because!! It’s… so….” She muttered the final word to herself, making it difficult to hear. Embarrassing.

“What was that, Shino?”

“It’s– argh whatever! Fine! I-I’ll give it to her, jeez….” She looked away from the both of them with a slight pout, the idea was good, she’ll give them that.

“Oh you know I heard from Aoi-kun that sapphires are very durable and can last very long, so if you give someone a sapphire it’s like you’re saying that you will love them as long as a sapphire can last.”

“Huh! I didn’t know that! Thanks, Hiiro!” Nagisa gave her a quick peck, while Shinobu stood with her face redder and mouth gaping. She was going to give Kyoko a gift that meant that!? And why did the DJ of Rondo know such a thing!?

Hiiro noticed this and chuckled softly. “Shinobu-chan, what’s with that look, huh?”

“I-I jus-you- um.” She cleared her throat instead. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” Kyoko didn’t care for jewelry, why would she know about something like that? She’ll just think it was sweet of her to give her an orange sapphire necklace and not ask any further.

“Ooh, you know what I’m kinda hungry!” Nagisa eyed Shinobu with a smile, it seemed innocent, but to her, it was yet another try for her to do her bidding.

“But I thought you already had lunch?”

“Yeah, but it’s… uh….“ She took a glance at her phone, “It’s almost dinner time!”

“Then you can go out for some food or something, I don’t know.” Shinobu walked toward her bed noticing the number of clothes she had. She knew it would take her forever to clean, eliciting a groan from her. Why did she have to drag every single piece of clothing she had out of the closet?

“Maybe I can cook something for you two?” Hiiro suggested, trying to find a middle ground. “Then maybe right after we can help you fold your clothes, what do you think, Shinobu-chan?”

The DJ looked over her bed, staring at the different, multi-colored clothes all huddled up into a pile of colors.

She turned around, sighing. “Sure, I guess. I won’t mind.”

“Lovely, let’s go then.”

“Wahooo! Yeah!” Nagisa noticed her face and grinned. “Shino? Ya comin'?” 180 in her attitude again, but Shinobu didn't mind.

“Yeah, yeah, I will, I'll just...” She took out her phone from her pocket, then she suddenly remembered what she was currently wearing. “I’ll just change really quick then I’ll follow.”

She nodded, Shinobu could've sworn that she almost chuckled at the fact she forgot she was wearing the outfit. “Alright then, we’ll see you downstairs! See you later Shino!"

Hiiro turned to her and gave her a nod as Nagisa dashed out of the room. "I'll make sure it's something you like, Shinobu-chan."

"Thanks."

The cold winds blew as Shinobu strolled to the mall, her jacket ensured that she was kept warm, but it wasn’t enough. The season was summer, yet the winds pricked her skin like ice.

She put a hand in her pocket and felt the box that kept her gift for her girlfriend inside, it made her heart beat a bit faster. The whole night, she couldn’t sleep well at all. The word ‘date’ kept on echoing in her head, causing her to twist and turn over and over until she tired herself out.

Now that she was on her way, though. The anxiety wasn’t there, the only hint of it was her heartbeat, but it didn't compare to last night.

She stopped walking when she noticed a familiar figure standing near the meeting place, they did not meet her eyes but she could still tell what they were wearing. They wore a dark blue short-sleeved hoodie covered by long brown hair, some dark gray pants held up with a belt stopped at their ankles, and some simple dark slip-on shoes. The figure also wore a black beanie with one pin, and a wallet chain belt to maybe make their outfit pop slightly.

The figure turned around, the way their eyes met hers, the familiar glint in them, and that smile.

She knew who it was.

She knew all of those features, one she had seen many times, one she had accidentally memorized over the years she had known her.

Her heart quickened its pace.

“Shinobu!” Kyoko yelled as she ran up to her and Shinobu did the same, her hand gripped onto the box, hoping it wouldn’t slip and fall from her pocket.

When they reached each other, both of them were out of breath and heaving, the sunlight did not help at all, but Shinobu still had her grip on the box.

“Ky… Kyoko.” She managed to say through her quick breath, her heart was beating faster, matching the speed it went when she was about to confess, it was a feeling she didn’t expect to feel again.

“Y-yeah?” Kyoko, unlike her, recovered quickly, she had a grin on her face but was still out of breath, waiting for her to speak. Shinobu noticed her hands looked hesitant to do something.

“I… I got something for you.” She breathed in one final time and took out the box from her pocket, her hands shook as she opened it and showed her the orange sapphire, it glimmered under the sunlight brightly, this was where it belonged, out in the open, it shone like the one around her neck.

She kept the box back in her pocket and handed it to Kyoko, who took it hesitantly.

“You… you didn’t need to give me this, really.” She muttered as her eyes studied the necklace, matching the way it shone.

“I know, but… I, uh, wanted to match.” She held hers up, letting Kyoko see the beautiful gem, she smiled at it.

“This is so sweet of you, really, thank you so much.” The vocalist looked at it for a moment, studying it, looking clueless, so Shinobu held her hands and took the necklace from her.

“Let me put it on for you.” Kyoko nodded and Shinobu unclasped the necklace, she pushed up her hoodie, clasped it back, and tugged on it for a moment making sure it was secured. She knew how close they looked, she felt Kyoko's hair tickling her skin, she heard her breathing, and she could see the small beads of sweat on her neck, but she did not bring it up, she didn’t want to. She liked this closeness.

When Shinobu backed away a few steps, looking at Kyoko, the vocalist smiled yet again, god that smile was everything to her. She looked at it, curious, looking over it with her smile. “You’re starting to become more and more of a charmer, you know that?”

“I am? I don’t think so, I feel pretty the same.” Shinobu crossed her arms, the wind framed Kyoko’s face with her hair perfectly.

“Really? I thought you’d notice by now, you asked me out first, you went and got, like, a whole outfit sorted out, and then you got me this necklace? What else do you have up your sleeve?”

Shinobu snickered, if only she knew how much of a mess it was. “No, that’s all the stuff I’ve got to gift you, promise.”

“You sure? Got no secret plans to bring me to a restaurant?”

“Oh, you want that? I can book a place if you want.” Shinobu took out her phone from her pocket, smirking at Kyoko.

“Can you actually…?” Kyoko looked a bit worried about the idea, which was a very understandable worry.

She kept her phone back in her pocket. “No, of course not, I want our first date to be something casual.” The word was still weird on her tongue, but she was starting to get used to it.

“Oh thank goodness, I was about to yell at you if you did.” Kyoko laughed, that sweet, melodic laugh. “Now, let’s go, I really want to try the crane game, something caught my eye when I was checking it out yesterday.”

They started to walk side by side, their hands brushing against each other. “You do know those games are rigged, right?”

“Yeahh, but that means we can cheat... right?” Kyoko smirked at her, ah. "If they rig us, then we can rig them, simple."

“I love and hate the way you think sometimes.” Shinobu hooked their pinkies together, a hidden question.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Kyoko then took her hand around hers, her smile blinding and brighter than the sun.

Shinobu turned away, that smile was just too much for her. “Alright then, fine by me.”

They continued their way to the arcade together, hand in hand.