Notice! I have changed Ren Sasaki to Rina Sasaki. Sorry for the change!

------------------------

“What did I hope would happen,” I asked my reflection. “Sayaka-chan isn’t like most girls, she’s never thought about things like what she’s attracted to, much less wanting to see me in something more revealing.”

Why was I standing in my bedroom wearing a monokini in the middle of the night? Because Sayaka-chan picked it out for me earlier that day and I wanted to imagine her reaction if she had seen me try it on. She rarely gave her opinion on things she had no knowledge of, such as fashion. Yet she chose a swimsuit for me, whether purposefully or not, and that was enough for me.

“She was probably super uncomfortable the whole day, but I kept dragging her around. She must have been annoyed with me, but she was too polite to say anything. Ugh, and then I went and told her about wanting to live together after graduation! How stupid can I get?”

Sayaka-chan had been acting strange as of late, but that may have been because I had gotten bolder with my interactions with her. Holding her hand, hugging her, and talking about how I changed myself, were drastic deviations from my past behavior, so it would make sense for her to not know how to respond. To make things worse, I almost slipped up and told her that I loved her. It took everything I had to hold it in, but I knew I couldn’t rush her or else I’d scare her off.

Based on what Tanaka-san told me, I needed to show that I would be there for the long haul and that I wouldn’t hurt her. That was much easier said than done, but I thought I took a step towards that goal. Telling her about me wanting to stay with her and that I was willing to move if it meant being with her was just the beginning. But words were easy, and she would undoubtedly be wary of honeyed words and false promises. If I really wanted to be with her in the future, I needed to follow through and prove myself.

The whole idea of being roommates during college was born from my anxiety of us growing apart even if we were at the same school. While it may have been painful to live with her, for her to be the first person I saw in the morning and last person at night, it would be worth it to stay with her. Despite how awkward I was during our “date”, those weird moments really made it clear that I was truly in love with her.

Her mom didn’t help in that regard, of course. When I saw how Tanaka-san made Sayaka-chan cute beyond belief, I realized that she was trying to mess with me. The adorable braids, the subtle amount of cleavage that was shown from a few undone buttons, and the slight glimpse of her thighs nearly floored me. The urge to smother her with affection was strong, but I had to be careful not to let my guard down. She wasn’t interested in that kind of thing, and it would’ve only made her uncomfortable if I had showered her with any more affection than I did.

It was a bit after midnight when I heard a knock on my door. Not only was it an unusual time to visit someone, but it was also odd that whomever it was assumed I was awake. They weren’t banging on my door in desperation, nor was it a shy investigatory knock, it sounded happy, if knocks could sound such a way. Sayaka-chan religiously went to bed every night by 10 o’clock, so it was highly unlikely that she was the culprit.

“Hello,” I asked hesitantly through the cracked open door, having thrown on a robe to conceal myself.

“It’s just me, Rina-chan! May I come in for a little,” Tanaka-san asked, acting as if she was doing something totally normal.

“Uhh, sure.”

The peppy adult rushed past me the moment I opened the door and flopped down onto the couch. She was almost too laid back, but I suppose that was a part of why she was a gyaru back in the day. Regardless, I was always shocked by how young and beautiful she looked despite her age.

“What’s up? Was there something that couldn’t wait till morning to discuss?”

“Sayaka told me what you said on your way back from the mall. Do you really think you can handle being just a roommate,” she inquired.

“It’s better than the alternative. Even if it’s hard to be so close but unable to act on my feelings, I’d at least still be with her. Why? Do you think I’m acting irrationally? Did I make Sayaka-chan uncomfortable by telling her that?”

“You know I won’t tell you how Sayaka felt, I won’t betray her trust in me,” Tanaka-san explained. “I’m not here to lecture you about what you should do with your future, it’s not my place to do so. No, no, that’s not why I came over here behind my daughter’s back. I actually wanted to ask you for a favor, a really big one at that.”

“Huh? Well, I’m willing to do whatever’s in my power to do, but I can’t imagine what I can do for you.”

Tanaka-san chuckled at my response. No matter how young she looked, or how immature and laid back she acted, she was a fantastic mother first and foremost. Honestly, I was a bit envious of Sayaka-chan because her mom worked crazy hours but still made time to be there for her daughter. Compared to my parents, who were always working and rarely even called, she was the ideal parent. How she adored her daughter was admirable, and it showed in everything she did.

“Please try to convince her to continue her education. Every time I try, she just brushes me off or yells at me for not letting her help. I’m afraid to push her too much because I don’t want to make her feel like I’m trying to kick her out. She’s so bright, and has such a promising future ahead of her, and I don’t want to see her give all that up for my sake.”

“Heh. Of course that’s what you wanted to ask. I’m not sure she’ll listen; she yells at me too whenever the topic of the future comes up. What makes you think she’d listen to me?”

“I’ve been putting money aside ever since she was born for her college fund. It’s not much, unfortunately I didn’t have much to spare throughout the years, but she doesn’t know about it. If you both get into a school in the same city, I’d use that to help pay for an apartment. If she learned that I had been hoarding money for years, she’d be furious at me for not using it myself. But, if you told her that you would take care of the living arrangements, maybe she’d be more open to the idea.”

Once again, I was amazed by how great a mom Tanaka-san was. She knew her daughter better than anyone, thus she knew how Sayaka-chan would react to her insistence on her going to college. While some people may have viewed her going behind her daughter’s back as a betrayal, she only wanted what was best for her selfless-to-a-fault child. They shared everything with each other, and were closer than most people were with their parents, so this must have been extremely important to Tanaka-san if she felt the need to keep it from Sayaka-chan.

“…I can’t do that, Tanaka-san. To be honest, my parents will probably just buy me an apartment no matter where I go for school. Hold onto that for now, there are more expenses than just an apartment that she may need help with, but I don’t think she’d have to worry about a place to live.”

“Is that so? I’ve never heard to talk about your parents, are you close with them?”

“Not at all, they pretty much just give me money so I don’t complain. Neither of them is really that interested in my life, and I rarely see them. It’s been a couple years since I’ve seen my father, who’s always overseas. My mother visited during the break before I began my third year. She took one look at me and bought me condoms and told me to be safe. It’s not like they dislike me, or that we don’t get along, we’re just not very close. They’re more interested in their jobs, and it’s not like I can say anything since they send me money and buy me whatever I ask for. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember, and I doubt it will ever change.”

“Well, that’s depressing,” Tanaka-san observed without missing a beat. “It goes without saying, but you can always come to me if you need someone to turn to. Y’know, I would support the heck out of your relationship if you were to ever get into one with Sayaka. I’d love to welcome another daughter into the family.”

“About that,” I groaned as I collapsed into my sofa chair. “Things have been weird ever since we started talking again. I’ve been too forward, and I’m worried that I’m pushing her away. At this rate, we’ll be grannies by the time she warms up to me.”

“Pfft,” Tanaka-san struggled to hold in her laughter. “Oh my god, that’s too cute! I’m not going to speak for my daughter, but I think you should be a little easier on yourself.”

She hopped to her feet and stretched her legs, a telltale sign that she was preparing to leave. There had been something bugging me ever since the night before, and I needed to at least attempt to figure it out. Tanaka-san was the only person I could ask, and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity.

“Why did Sayaka-chan get mad when I asked whether you were dating,” I spat out in a hurry.

Tanaka-san’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a look I could only describe as regretful. Something serious must have happened if just asking was enough to bring down the eternally cheerful Tanaka-san. At that moment, I regretted ever asking, and kicked myself for thinking it was appropriate to bring up something like that.

“Goodnight, Rina-chan,” she muttered, ignoring my question.

Before I could say anything else, she made a beeline for the door, and I was once again alone. Unbeknownst to me, I had hit a sore spot for both of them, and I was no closer to the answer of what it was. Whatever the truth was, it was undoubtedly traumatic enough to change their moods the moment I brought it up.

If the reason for Tanaka-san’s refusal to date was connected to some kind of bad relationship in the past, then it would make sense for Sayaka-chan to be wary of romantic relationships. Trusting someone enough to open herself up and become fully vulnerable to another person must have been a challenge for her. That was probably why Tanaka-san said I needed to prove that I wasn’t going to leave before entering into a romantic relationship.

It didn’t matter, though. No matter how long it took, I wouldn’t give up on her. If being by her side and proving that I would never hurt her is what it took to be with her, then that’s what I would do. One day, no matter whether that be tomorrow or ten years in the future, I’d be able to show her how much I loved her. Until then, I was fine being by her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The click clack, click clack of the train created a strange kind of soothing rhythm. The consistent sound was enough to lull anyone who was slightly drowsy into a deep sleep. Just as it had done with Sayaka-chan.

Despite my plan to play games and get closer to her during the forty-five-minute journey, Sayaka-chan fell asleep within minutes of our departure. I couldn’t get mad at her, especially because of how cute she looked while she slept. It was a far better view than the suburban landscape that we traveled through on our way to my aunt’s beachside shop.

It had only been a few days since our shopping trip and my late-night discussion with Tanaka-san. Even though I replayed the events of that day multiple times, I seemed to focus more on my discussion with Tanaka-san. She practically begged me to convince Sayaka-chan to attend university, which concerned me. What if Sayaka-chan didn’t listen to me and decided to stay at home with her mother and start working right away?

Tanaka-san clearly didn’t want that for her daughter, but she also didn’t want to pressure her daughter to do something. If she did stay, I’d stay as well, but would she even have time for me? Knowing Sayaka-chan, she’d throw herself into whatever job she got, and would work overtime whenever she could to lighten the load on her mother. That meant that there would be little time for anything, or anyone, other than work and her mom.

The fact that her mom offered to pay for an apartment for us showed just how much she wanted her daughter to pursue her own dreams. It felt awkward to have an adult offer her life savings for me to live with their daughter, whom they knew I was in love with. However, what I told her wasn’t a lie either.

My parents were extremely affluent, and they seemed to think that buying things for me made them good parents, so they would almost certainly buy me an apartment in any city I ended up in. How selfish would I be if I took the money of a woman who worked her whole life to save just enough for a small apartment while my parents made that much in a month? If either parent was going to pay for our place, then it would be the ones that thought that condoms were an acceptable thing to buy their daughter.

When Sayaka-chan cleaned my apartment and found the embarrassing things I had in my bedroom, it felt like I’d be giving excuses if I explained why I had them. Would she really buy that my mother was so out of touch that she thought a high school girl needed condoms and a personal massager? She definitely got the wrong idea, but the time to address it had passed and bringing it up would only be more awkward. Would she believe that I was a virgin who had barely been kissed, let alone anything else?

Strangely enough, I was actually slightly disappointed that Sayaka-chan wasn’t going to wear a bikini. Never before had I cared about a girl’s body but love really changed that. No matter how humble she was about her appearance, I was dying to see just a little more. It’s not like I was some kind of pervert, I just found everything about her irresistible. There was no way that we’d share a bath, nor would she feel comfortable enough to change with me around, so I was doomed to imagine how she looked for who knows how long.

It's not like I was a sex fiend, but I couldn’t deny that I was interested in those things. Unlike Sayaka-chan, I had the urge to express my feelings in more ways than with my words and deeds. Kissing, cuddling, sharing a bath, bed stuff; I wanted to do all of them with her. Her being a girl didn’t matter to me. If anything, it would’ve made things less embarrassing and there’d be less uncertainty, at least on my part. Since she never had those thoughts or feelings, I’d have to teach her a lot of things if she were to develop such inclinations.

Then again… If that occasion were to arise, would she be a top or a bottom? Did she even know what those terms meant? For some reason, I assumed that she’d be a bottom, probably because I was taller. But she was much more assertive and domineering, so it was equally possible that she’d prefer to be on top. Perhaps I was thinking too much about something that was unlikely to happen, but I was still a young woman, dammit!

Before my brain could get too carried away, we pulled into Enoshima station. Time seemed to have flown by thanks to my roaming imagination, which wasn’t a bad thing, I suppose. It filled the time, at least, but it took away from my time to admire Sayaka-chan’s sleeping face.

“Wake up, Sayaka-chan, we’re here,” I announced as I gave her a gentle shake.

“Huh,” she mumbled groggily. “I slept the entire trip?”

“Yup! You must have been tired. Come on, let’s grab our bags and make our way to my aunt’s store.”

Sayaka-chan didn’t own a suitcase, neither did her mom, so I gave her one of mine to use. Apparently, her plan was to fill up her school bag with some essentials and just wash them every couple of days. Once I heard that, I gave her my spare bag and insisted that she keep it. Sometimes I forgot just how impoverished they were, but I was reminded whenever they lacked things I thought everyone had.

We grabbed our bags and quickly deboarded the train before the doors shut. A blast of sea air officially marked our arrival at the beach. There was a slightly salty yet warm scent that made me feel at home despite never having lived so close to the ocean. The warm summer was just beginning to set, and the tide was steadily rising as the beach slowly shrank from the approaching water. Summer break started over a week before, yet there was something about being at the beach that felt like it was truly a vacation.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Sayaka-chan?”

“The station? It’s nice, I guess, but I’m not sure what’s beautiful about it,” she observed in confusion.

Despite my excitement, the station was wholly landlocked, and didn’t even have a view of the ocean! The excitement I had for our trip made everything seem more magical than they really were. Thus, why I felt like the train station was a beautiful example of thematic architecture.

“You’re right. We should head towards the shop, it’s right by the beach so we’ll definitely have a great view!”

Instinctually, I grabbed her hand and eagerly dashed forth towards the ice cream shop. It wasn’t long before our palms were covered in sweat, an unfortunate consequence of trying to be cute in the middle of summer. A little moisture wasn’t enough to dissuade me though, there was nothing that could pry my fingers from hers.

“Don’t you think your aunt will get the wrong idea if she sees us holding hands like this,” Sayaka-chan pointed out.

Damn. She had actually made a valid argument against holding her hand until my demise. It’s not like my aunt would care if I were dating a girl, but I didn’t want to make Sayaka-chan uncomfortable because of how my aunt would undoubtedly treat her. Unlike my parents, my aunt was extremely outgoing and affectionate, especially when it came to spoiling her only niece.

With that in mind, I acquiesced to Sayaka-chan’s concerns and released my grip on her hand. A gentle breeze cooled the sweat on my palm, which was an unfortunate reminder that I was no longer connected to the cutie beside me. Even though she didn’t wear fashionable clothes, she was unreasonably adorable no matter what she wore. Her basic jean shorts and T-shirt weren’t eye-catching, and no one would give her a second look because of them, but I was enraptured by how they hugged her body. For the first time in my life, I was jealous of clothing.

“Riiiiiinaaaa,” a familiar voice called out to me from behind.

Before I could turn around to investigate the source of the shouting, I suddenly felt the weight of a grown woman on my back. She was strikingly pretty, with chestnut hair and a naturally beautiful face that never needed makeup. Despite her physical attributes, her youthful energy was her most attractive feature, or so I had been told.

“Hello, Touka,” I sighed in defeat. “Was an ambush really necessary?”

“Awww! Why do you gotta be a buzz kill,” she complained like a child.

She slid off my back and straightened her clothes. Despite her age, she acted like a child most of the time. Sometimes she could be a bit overwhelming to deal with, but she was the only person besides Sayaka-chan that I talked to.

“Whatever you say, Touka. What’re you doing away from the store? Isn’t this the busy season?”

“Himari is watching it for me because I wanted to greet you properly! I haven’t seen you since last summer; I can’t believe how much prettier you’ve gotten!”

“You wanted to greet me properly, yet you haven’t greeted my friend. That’s not very polite of you, now is it, Touka,” I rebutted.

Sayaka-chan’s face was twisted in confusion, and perhaps it was just my wishful thinking, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. I never took her for the possessive type, but she also wasn’t the type to open up to just anybody. From her perspective, a beautiful stranger had come out of nowhere and embraced her friend. It was only natural that she’d be concerned.

“Umm, w-who’s this,” Sayaka-chan stammered.

“Hmm? Who do you think I am,” Touka asked suggestively, shooting me a look to keep quiet.

“Maybe her childhood friend, or her ex, or a lover she failed to mention,” she responded sheepishly

“Oh my, that’s quite the creative mind you got there,” Touka chuckled. “You flatter me, Sayaka-chan.”

“Ugh. That’s enough out of you,” I scolded the impish adult. “This is my aunt, Touka Matsuda. There’s a pretty big age gap between my mother and her, if that wasn’t already obvious.”

“It’s just fifteen years, it’s not that big, hahaha,” my gleeful aunt jested. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Sayaka-chan.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Matsuda-san,” she said with a polite bow. “Thank you for inviting me to help out at your store.”

“Aren’t you a cute one,” Touka giggled. “Rina talks about you often whenever I call, I can see why.”

Touka was a natural flirt, which was great when I was learning how to be a gyaru but was infuriating to see it in action on the girl I loved. Fortunately, Sayaka-chan wasn’t great at picking up on things like that, but I still hated to see it. Touka had her own partner, damn it, why did she need to hit on Sayaka-chan!?

“I can’t imagine why she’d talk about me. I’m really not that interesting.”

“You’re adorable, Sayaka-chan. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” she responded with a wink. “But first, we should stop loitering and head to the store!”

Thankfully, she didn’t forget all of her manners and took Sayaka-chan's bag to carry the rest of the short walk to the store. Touka was purposefully trying to mess with me, and I knew that, but it still bothered me. She was the only person other than Sayaka-chan I talked to, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to lament my unrequited love with someone I trusted. It was shortsighted of me, and now I was paying the price of my aunt’s playful flirting. 

The store wasn’t far from the side street we were ambushed in. Despite it being owned by an impish woman in her late twenties, the store was actually well run and was a local hotspot during the summer season. Of course, most of their financial success was due to her partner, Himari Suzukaze, taking over the business side of things after the first year. If left up to her own devices, Touka would have just eaten any profit she made.

Soon, we were in front of a pretty typical ice cream shop, with a menu of flavors hanging over a glass case that displayed the frozen treats. The first floor was dedicated to the store, with a kitchen used for more elaborate orders and a large walk-in freezer that stored most of their products. They made a lot of their own ice cream, but they also had soft-serve machines that were popular with kids. 

Behind the counter stood an absolutely stunning woman in her early twenties. Her hair was dyed silver, and she wore contacts that changed her eye color to an icy blue. Everything about her was cool, which was fitting considering the line of work she was in.

“Himari, look who I found lurking in an alley,” Touka jested.

“Let me guess; you jumped on her the moment you saw her and made a fool of yourself as usual,” the sharp-tongued beauty retorted.

“Tch. You’re no fun,” Touka pouted. “Don’t you love me? Why can’t you play along for once?”

“I’m not sure how my feelings are relevant to you terrorizing your niece. She even brought along a friend for the first time and you’re behaving like an over excited teenager.”

“Hmm? Don’t you like it when I act like an excited teenager,” Touka asked suggestively. Whatever she was implying, it was definitely not wholesome.

“Time and place, darling,” Himari-chan snidely replied before turning her attention to Sayaka-chan. “Ignore her, she doesn’t know how to act like an adult. I’m Himari Suzukaze, but you can just call me Himari.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Himari-san,” Sayaka-chan once again greeted with a bow. “Are you Touka-san’s business partner?”

It was an innocent enough question, especially considering her lack of exposure to them and how they interacted with each other. They were probably the first lesbian couple she had ever met, so she was bound to be confused at first. Selfishly, one of the reasons I invited her to join me was to gauge her reaction to meeting them. She didn’t seem the type to be against same-sex relationships, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Unfortunately, I’m actually her girlfriend,” Himari-chan sighed. “Don’t ask me why, I’m not sure either half of the time.”

“You’re such a tsundere. I’ll have to remind you why you love me so much later,” Touka threatened playfully with a sly smile.

“Can you two flirt later? It’s hot out here and I’m getting bored watching you two bicker,” I cut in before they could continue with their heated discussion.

“Watch the shop, Touka. I’ll take them upstairs to drop off their bags and get them familiar with the space. Try not to get carried away,” Himari-chan ordered her airhead girlfriend. 

Himari-chan took Sayaka-chan’s bag from onee, making her the third person to carry it in the span of ten minutes, and led us to the upstairs apartment. The place that was once my aunt’s house was now just a sparsely furnished apartment since she moved in with her girlfriend. 

Whenever I came to visit, she’d let me have the place to myself to do whatever I liked. I’d spend my whole summer there and enjoy the beach life for a couple months. This year was different, mainly because of my love for Sayaka-chan that gave me the motivation to study for entrance exams. Still, a couple weeks at the beach with the girl I liked was better than a whole summer with the flirts that ran the ice cream store.

“You can decide who sleeps where. The bathroom is next to the kitchen, and you can use the washing machine to clean your clothes. Any questions?”

“What will our work schedule be,” Sayaka-chan asked without missing a beat. She was surprisingly unmoved by the whole situation. 

“We’ll go over training and such tomorrow. We mainly need help during peak times, so midday till late afternoon and then evening till close. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to hang out at the beach.”

“That wasn’t really why I was asking,” Sayaka-chan responded in earnest. “I don’t mind working both shifts so Sasaki-san can enjoy the beach.”

“Eh,” I exclaimed in disbelief. “Why!? Don’t you want to hang out with me?”

“Didn’t I tell you before, I just wanted to work over the summer. I’m not too concerned about how I spend my time.”

Of course she’d say that. She was a natural hard worker, and I did entice her to join me by telling her she’d work part-time. However, I was a little sad that she was so dismissive about spending time with me. And here I thought that I had made some progress on our relationship. 

“That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate the offer. This is your last summer before you graduate, at least try to enjoy yourself. Rina-chan, you’ll work with Touka tomorrow morning, and I’ll train Sayaka-chan. Once you know what you’re doing, you can work together. Does that work for you two?”

“Yes, thank you,” Sayaka-chan answered for the both of us.

“Neat. I better go check on that dummy before she does something stupid again.”

“Are you afraid she’ll try to cheat on you,” I asked with a grin.

“She knows better than to piss me off. Besides, who could deal with her annoying ass other than me?”

With that, Himari-chan headed back downstairs, probably to scold my aunt for sampling the ice cream again. Their relationship was far from perfect, but they got along somehow. It was admirable, and a perfect example for how two people with opposite personalities can be together. That was yet another reason I wanted to bring Sayaka-chan with me, to show her that not only can two girls date, but they can be totally different and still fall in love.

“She’s nice,” Sayaka-chan observed. “I’m shocked that your aunt is with someone like her.”

It was promising that she wasn’t fazed by them being women, but it was equally odd that she didn’t mention it. Same-sex couples weren’t widely accepted, nor were they as openly affectionate as my aunts, so it was strange that she was unaffected by them. I assumed that she would be nonplussed, but she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. Which was a good thing, but it was still surprising.

“They’ve been together for years. I think if they were going to break up, they would’ve done it before now. Himari-chan isn’t usually that uptight, it’s just when the store is concerned that she’s strict.”

“I see… Your aunt is younger than I was expecting.”

“Yeah, there's a fifteen-year gap between her and my mom. She just turned 25 this year, and she’s been with Himari-chan since she was 18. They’re practically married at this point, so it’s like I have two older sisters. Sorry I didn’t give you a heads up beforehand.”

“What do you mean,” she asked in a stern tone. “What’s there to warn me about? Do you think I have an issue with same-sex relationships or something? Do you think my mom raised a bigot?”

How did she turn my innocent apology into an accusatory statement!? If I knew she was so open-minded, I would have told her first thing, but I was too nervous to make such an assumption. How could I not be nervous? It was like figuring out whether or not she would be repulsed by the idea of being with me as anything more than friends. 

“That’s not what I was implying,” I quickly clarified. “I was just saying that I know it was probably a surprise that my aunt is young and dating a woman. It’s not always safe to assume how people feel about their relationship, but I assumed that you wouldn’t have an issue. You proved me right, so I made the right decision.”

“Nice save, idiot,” she snapped back. Her insults were music to my ears. “Well, what do you want to do now?”

If she were genuinely asking me that, I would've taken the opportunity to suggest that we kiss. Unfortunately, that was only in my imagination, and she was probably just asking whether we should unpack or explore the area. Touka was lucky, she didn’t have a problem making Himari-chan fall for her. On the other side of things was me, who had to traverse the confused feelings of a traumatized girl who was romance averse. She was worth it though! She was the one for me, and I wasn’t dissuaded by the challenges ahead of me.

“Why don’t we go to the beach? It’s not too late, and we’ve come all this way; it’ll be nice to relax for a while.”

“Alright,” she gave me an exasperated sigh. “You’re clearly excited, so I might as well indulge you this once. But since it’ll be dark soon, I’m not going to wear my swimsuit.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll swim today either.”

With our plans made, we headed downstairs and walked the short distance to the beach. It was late evening, the sun was halfway hidden behind the distant horizon, and there was a soothing breeze that aided in cooling the area once baked by the sun’s rays. Most beach goers had already left for dinner or headed back to their homes after being worn out by the heat. There was something romantic about taking an evening stroll with the girl I loved, even if it was one sided. 

“The sunset sure is pretty,” I observed with the hope that she would build off of it.

“The purple clouds and the reflection of the orange sky on the water reminds me of a painting,” she observed, enraptured by the view.

“Mhm,” I hummed in response. “Kinda, romantic, don’t cha think?”

“Uh, I guess. I’ve never really associated things with being romantic or not. I suppose walking on a beach at dusk can also be considered romantic.”

Yet again, she threw cold water on my burning excitement. She didn’t need to remind me that she only saw me in a platonic way, I was fully aware of that. It was just nice to pretend for a while that we were on a romantic stroll on the beach after going on a date. Alas, it was just a delusion that she’d ever see the world the way I did.

As my heart was beginning to sink in my chest, it suddenly shot up into my throat as I felt her hand in mine. For the first time, she initiated holding hands, and right after discussing how romantic the setting was. I dared not mention it, content to enjoy the small miracle of her demonstration of reciprocal feelings. 

Not a word was spoken between us after that. Neither of us were brave enough to address her uncharacteristically affectionate gesture. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, allowing me to savor the blessing of Sayaka-chan reaching out to me. 

That night, as I stared up at the ceiling from my futon, I could still feel the warmth of her palm on my hand

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Announcement:

I'm putting out a paperback and ebook version of this series! It'll be more polished, I'll expand on areas that were glossed over, add new details, etc! I plan to continue posting on here, but I want to share the story of Sayaka and Sasaki with a wider audience!