“What I’m looking at right now is Dekayome x Runa, right?”

She nodded.  I was correct in my immediate observation.  I was looking at pure heresy.

“You… aren’t shipping them?”

“I… wanted to draw it…”

“Chiya-chan.  If you are going to ship DekaRuna, we might not be able to be friends.”

I said it as a joke, but she got flustered and closed it quickly.

“I’ll delete it, I’m sorry Sora-san!  I just thought that the scene from chapter twenty-two was perfect for drawing…”

Chapter Twenty-two was when… Chisato was out sick from school, and her ex, Runa, was concerned for her.  Runa wanted to go visit and take care of her, but Chisato was still angry at something she did earlier, so she asked Dekayome to go in her place, but the timid giant was afraid to intrude… so, Runa got all tsuntsun with her and it was one of those moments that made you go, “No!  Don’t you dare like her!”

It’s really an engaging story.  

“Chiya-chan… I was kidding around.  I was just saying that because I’m totally onboard the Deka x Chisato ship.  You’re free to do whatever you want.  Please don’t delete it.”

“R-really?”

“Really.  As it is, for the people who do want that ship to happen, that’s an incredible piece of art for them.  You should tweet it and post a link in the comments of the latest chapter.”

“W-what?  Post it!?”

“Yeah.  It’s crazy good!”

“I… I just do this for fun.  I don’t think I’m ready to post anything of this quality yet.  I need to get better….”

“Get better?  This is seriously good art though!”

“N-no, it’s not…”

“Chiya-chan… can I take a picture of that with my phone real quick?”

“Umm… okay?”

I snapped a picture with my phone and attached the image in the chat I have with JadeBunny, #DekaRuna.

A few minutes later, about ten replies came from her, all asking what the hell that picture was.  So, of course I showed the replies to Chiya-chan.

“See, she likes it.”

“W-wait.  That person… is the author?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty good friends.”

“And she… liked it?”

“That’s what she’s saying.”

Chiya-chan walked over to her bed and sat down.  She seemed surprised that someone, especially the author of the work in question seemed to like her art.  I’m surprised she doesn’t have more self-confidence.  She wanted to be a manga artist, and as far as I was concerned her art right now is definitely good enough!

“Are you okay?”

She looked dazed.

“Huh?  Oh, yeah.  I’m… fine.”

I reached out for her hands and held them in mine.  They felt stiff and tense.  Had she been drawing all night?  She looked down at her hands and then eye-level at me.

“Is… it really good enough?”  Her voice sounded almost empty, like she was afraid to ask because she was afraid of the answer not being yes.  Did something happen to drive her confidence so low?

I gave up on holding her hand and hugged her immediately.

“It’s really good, Chiya-chan.  Like really really good!  Honestly!  I think it’s incredible, and even JadeBunny thinks so too!  It’s okay to be happy about it!”

I felt her body shake a little bit and her nose sniffle.  Was… she crying?  I hugged her a bit tighter, to let her know I supported her.  Chiya-chan reminded me of Yumi-chan when we first became friends a long time ago.  When she was about five, she was often times bedridden because she was sickly.  Because of that, a lot of the local children would keep away from her, and she was isolated often.  I was her only friend, and I stuck by her.

It took a while for her to become the healthy and attractive beauty that she did, and when she finally was able to act on her own… she didn’t need me like I needed her.  She chose Sosuke over me.

Well, that’s natural, right?

Just like I wondered about how soft another girl is, she probably wondered that about boys…  I probably should have too, but I just… think that girls are… more interesting.

As far as I could tell boys only think about peeking on naked girls and fighting.  How can that be attractive!?  Like right now, I’m holding on to a super squishy Chiya-chan!

Squish~ squish~

“Umm, Sora-san?”

“Yes, Chiya-chan?”

“Is… there a reason you are hugging me?’

“Because you are squishy, and it looked like you needed it.”

“Oh.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“…um… it’s okay…?”

Chiya-chan is so cute!  I just kept squeezing, and it totally wasn’t because she was like a giant pokémon doll.  

Squish~ squish~

“Ehehe~  Chiya-chan is fun to squeeze.”

“Am I really that fun to squeeze?”

“Yup!”

“O-okay?!?”

I eventually let her go.  She came back to the computer and showed me two more drawings she did, of which I took photos and sent those off to JadeBunny.  Moments later another flood of texts came back.  And once again I showed it to Chiya-chan.

“She… wants to talk to me directly?”

“She does… is it okay to give her your Line info?”

“P-please …don’t.”

Chiya-chan was still very nervous.

“Alright then.  You can always chat in the comments section until you feel comfortable.”

She nodded.

“So, was this all you wanted to show me?”

She nodded again.

“I… was surprised when I read it at first.  I-it’s about two girls…”

“Yeah, I may have forgot to mention that it’s a Yuri story.”

“Y-yuri… Sora-san likes… um… yuri?”

“Very much.”

“I see…”

“Did it bother you?”

She shook her head quickly.

“I liked it… umm… b-but that kind of stuff… is difficult.”

“What?  Two girls being together?”

She shook her head again.

“R-romance.  I could tell… Dekayome really loves Chisato, but she’s scared to tell her that.  It’s sad.  It’s sad because Runa l-loves Chisato too, but she can’t get over her trauma, and refuses to tell Chisato who would forgive her if she knew, and it’s all… difficult.  Because if Runa tells Chisato, then Dekayome and her might not be able to…”

Chiya-chan was trembling as she summed up what had been written so far.

“Then what do you think about Dekayome x Runa?”

“W-well, Runa could be good for Dekayome, because they’ve both been hurt before and can understand each other better than Dekayome x Chisato can… I think.”

It seems she really paid attention to the story as well.  She’s drawing out all the subtle clues that have been given in the story so far, and perhaps that’s why she unconsciously gave their ship an artistic form.

“B-but I have a question?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Are they ever going to k-kiss? Dekayome and Chisato?”

I wanted to laugh, not at Chiya-chan, but because she seemed to be invested in the yuriness already!

“I’m sure they will, and it’ll probably be amazing when they do!”

“Amazing…?”

I nodded.

“Is it really amazing… when two girls kiss?”

“It really is.”

“I…”

Chiya-chan became quiet after asking me that, choosing not to finish the thought on her mind.  So, I thought I would ask a relevant question.

“Have you ever kissed someone before, Chiya-chan?”

She nodded.

“I… it was um… two years ago.”

“So back in middle school?”

“My… um… my grandmother passed away, and I went to a family gathering to pay respects.  My cousin was there, and well… he said some things to me, then… kissed me suddenly.”

“Oh?”

She nodded.  

“I um… I didn’t… think it was amazing.”

“Not all kisses are amazing, Chiya-chan.  You’ve gotta do it with the right person.  Then it’s amazing!”

“H-how amazing exactly?”

So, I described to her my kiss with Saiyuri, omitting her name of course, and tried to be as colorful and descriptive as I could.  I could see her hanging on my every word, and I tried to do it as much justice as possible, but like Saiyuri tried to do in explaining her first kiss, I felt it was somewhat inadequate too…

“Sora-san… you really kissed another woman?”

“I did.”

She got quiet again.  Chiya-chan seemed to be lost in her thoughts.  I heard a loud noise, and it became obvious that it was coming from her.  She held her stomach with both hands.

“Have you eaten today?”

She shook her head.

“N-no.  I tidied up a bit before you came over.”

“Do you want to stop and eat?”

“I have cup noodles downstairs… w-would you like to have one with me?”

“Cup noodles?  Is that what you’re planning on eating?”

“I… um… I’m not too good at cooking.  My parents left me some money so I can order… food.”

“And what would you order, noodles for takeout?”

She remained quiet. I shook my head at her.

“Alright, I’m going to make you something tasty.”

“W-wait!  Please don’t trouble yourself, Sora-san.”

“…Hanabi.”

“Fueh?”

“Chiya-chan, why don’t you call me Hanabi?”

“…”

“Aren’t we friends?”

“W-we’re friends!”

“Then call me Hanabi!”

“Ha…nabi…san?”

I sighed and patted her on the arm.

“Good enough for now.”

We’ll get there, it’s slow and steady steps with Chiya-chan.  I’ll get her nice and sociable soon enough.  I have three years to do it in, unless we somehow end up in a college together somewhere…

I headed downstairs with the gentle giant following behind me.  Reaching the kitchen I peeked into some cabinets and into the Refrigerator taking stock of what she had to work with.  Someone did do some shopping, so not cooking was her own problem.  There was plenty of food here to work with.

“Chiya-chan… what’s your favorite food?”

“Umm…”

“Please don’t say ramen.”

“…”

She started nervously pulling on her braids.

“C-curry rice…?”

“There we go.  Alright, let’s see if we can make some curry rice!”

All the ingredients were there.  A mild brick of curry, some potatoes and carrots, there wasn’t any chicken, but there was some thin beef.  I could use that.  Flour for thickening it, and some nice fragrant rice.  I began to pull all the ingredients out and placed them on the nice island counter in the open kitchen.  I got straight to work, and Chiya was really acting uncomfortable until I asked her to help wash and peel the vegetables.  

Setting the curry to simmer in some water, I cut the potatoes and carrots she had helped peel, then loaded them in the pot.  The thinly sliced beef needed to be added last, otherwise it would overcook and become too tough and chewy.

It was about an hour’s worth of work to get it ready, and since I was having fun cooking for a friend, I told her to go work on that last picture while I handled the finishing touches.  I’d call her when it was done.

It was funny because she was sending me texts every minute or so and I can’t see how she could possibly get any work done with her doing so.  Well, at least if she eats afterwards she should have enough energy to draw a bit longer, or she’ll get so full she’ll take a nap.

It wasn’t just Chiya-chan sending me texts however, JadeBunny was as well.

〈JadeBunny〉 So you know the artist personally?

〈Hanabikimasu〉 Yup, she’s a wonderful person and wants to be a manga artist when she graduates.

〈JadeBunny〉 Graduates?  She’s still in school?

〈Hanabikimasu〉 Yes, we’re classmates.

〈JadeBunny〉 So she’s a first year like you?

〈Hanabikimasu〉 That’s how it is.  Cool, huh?  

〈JadeBunny〉 I can’t get over how awesome these are.  Do you know how hard and expensive it is to get a commission done with the art at that level?

〈Hanabikimasu〉 I can’t say that I do…

〈JadeBunny〉 I’d be on a waiting list for months possibly, and then it could cost the price of a new television set! Art isn’t cheap, Hana!

〈Hanabikimasu〉 EH?  For real?  She did like four of those pictures in less than a day!

〈JadeBunny〉 …

〈JadeBunny〉 Hana!  You absolutely have to let me talk to her!  If I had art like that, I could get double… no, triple the views!  It would change my story from just being a webnovel to being something like a light webnovel!

〈Hanabikimasu〉 is that a thing?

〈JadeBunny〉 I don’t know, but it could be!  Usually publishing houses that produce light novels also have contracted artists who handle the artwork.  She’s like a golden goose!

〈Hanabikimasu〉 I already asked her, and she’s kind of shy about her work, she’s pretty self-conscious so I’d like you to take it easy, okay?  I’ll see if I can warm her up to the idea, but I’m pretty sure she’d be willing to share her art.

〈JadeBunny〉 I’ll be forever in debt to you if you can help me make friends with her!  I can even pay… a little.

〈Hanabikimasu〉 I told you, I’ll see what I can do.  Just let me have some time to warm her up to the idea, okay?  I’m also not sure how much interest she has in yuri stuff.  She seemed to like your story though.

〈JadeBunny〉 That’s kind of strange too.  It’s not exactly an amazing story…

〈Hanabikimasu〉 I think she just identifies with Dekayome… also it doesn’t matter if it’s amazing!  It’s fluffy and fun!  That’s the only reason you need to read it! 

〈JadeBunny〉 She identifies with Dekayome?

〈Hanabikimasu〉 She’s a tall and shy girl, Jade.

〈JadeBunny〉 That’s funny.

〈Hanabikimasu〉 Why do you say that? 

〈JadeBunny〉 Because I’m small like Chisato!

〈Hanabikimasu〉 So you’re a small and popular animal-like creature with a troublesome ex?

〈JadeBunny〉 You know what? When you say it like that…  Shut up!!!

I got a giggle out of her response, and just in time.  I sent a text up to Chiya-chan who had stopped texting me and I guess had begun to focus properly on her work.  She came rushing down the stairs just in time for me to turn off the burners on the stove, and let it sit and thicken for a few minutes.

Chiya-chan was sniffing the air and like a dog wagging it’s tails for scraps, she scampered over to where I was.

“It smells good.”

“It should!  I’m not a bad cook, you know?”

Chiya-chan helped gather some plates from the cupboard, and I began to portion out the rice, and then when I felt it was thick enough, I took the ladle and scooped out a large portion for her.  I made a smaller plate for myself and she had brought us a few bottles of tea out to the table.

We sat down to eat and I saw her positively glowing after taking her first bite.

“How is it, not too spicy?”

She shook her head.

“Issh derishous!”  She said while covering her mouth with one hand.  I was just happy to see her enjoying herself.

She even cleaned her plate faster than Saiyuri, and even though I would have served her another helping, she got up to do it herself.  She hadn’t even touched her tea.

“You really like curry rice, don’t you?” I asked her.

She nodded enthusiastically.

“I usually stop by this nice place in Akihabara when I visit, they serve it really spicy.”

“Oh, you like it spicier?”

“Yes, I like it when it makes my nose drip and my tongue burn, that’s when it’s the best!”

It’s something I need to know for the future.  Mom… had a secret curry recipe that… dad had to seal.  We couldn’t withstand it, though mom said it could use a bit more spiciness.  Come to think of it, she’s… got a strange sense of taste.  I might need to call her to make sure I remember how to make it like she does.

After eating, I was going to put it all away, but she stopped me.

“Just leave it, I’ll eat it all day long!”

Somehow, I completely believed she would.  Chiya-chan wasn’t fat, but she looked like she could back up what she said.  She’s a tall and cute spice loving demon, and that’s just fine with me.

After she finished her second plate, which was around when I pretty much finished my first, she burped.

“Ah, sorry!”

“Why be sorry?  That just means I managed to fill you up!”

“Un.  T-thank you so much Ha…Hanabi!”

“You’re very welcome, Chiya.”

She blushed a little when I dropped the honorific.

“Um… so, I… finished the line art.  I still need to color it in, but I can do that later…”

“Alright.”

“Do… you play video games?”

“Sure.  I’m not too good at shooters though.”

“How about kart racing, or maybe a fighting game?  I have Super Smash, if you want to… play?”

“I’ve played it a little, but I’m not a pro or anything.”

“That’s fine.  I just play online for fun anyway.”

We went back upstairs and she handed me a controller.  She set everything up on the big television above her computer and we sat down on her bed and played.  

I lost big time.  I think she even held back, but well… the only person who owned a game console really was Sosuke’s family, and unless it was a really boring day, I didn’t have much of a reason to hang out at his place without Yumi-chan with me.

On the middle monitor below the television, she had left the first picture open for me to see, and if I thought it looked great before, it was way better now!  Yeah, I’ll do my best to help JadeBunny and Chiya-chan to get to know each other.  I have a feeling that seeing her story become more successful due to her art will definitely boost her confidence.

After playing for about half an hour or so, I figured it was time to go. 

“Are you leaving?”  She asked me.

“Yeah, I need to get back home so I can cook lunch for Sacchan.”

“Oh… okay.  Thanks for visiting me.”

“What are you talking about?  I’ll come over anytime!”

“Please do!  I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Chiya-chan!”

She saw me off at the door, and I made my way home.  I still could feel how squishy she was, and I was a bit giddy.  I did worry about a few things because of her behavior, such as if she had perhaps been bullied for drawing when she was younger.  She’s a wonderfully happy person when not hiding in her shell of shyness, and I really want to draw that cheerful Chiya-chan out for everyone to see.

I did want to talk to her about the whole Prince thing, but I wonder if she would go for it?

Walking back home, I saw a granny carrying some shopping bags and looking winded.  I sped up and asked her if she wanted any help carrying them.

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself, dear.”

“It’s no trouble, do you live close to here?”

“Yes, I live in the apartments just ahead with my daughter and granddaughter.”

As I lifted the burden from her weary arms, she asked me what school I was attending, so I told her it was Seishogawa.

“Oh, my granddaughter goes there.”

“That’s nice, it’s a really great school so far.”

“She’s a senior this year, and she’s studying really hard to get into a good college, as well as trying to get a sports scholarship.”

“He~ she sounds pretty dedicated.”

“She is.  She’ll be the first in our family to get into college.”

“You must be proud.”

“I am, that’s why I’m going to help support her by making her healthy food.”

We talked for a bit and she even gave me a recipe to try for when I wanted to eat healthier.  It seems she’s asked around and the grandson of a friend of hers is a nutritionist, who advocated adding a lot of protein to her diet.

It was good advice.  I ate a lot of meat in Tono, and because of that, my body was really healthy and physically fit.

When we approached the apartments she lived in, it turned out to be the same apartments I lived at with Saiyuri.

“You live here?”

“Yes, dear.”

“I do too!”

She lived on the first floor, and so I helped her to her door, and she invited me inside and offered me a refreshment.  I accepted it out of courtesy as I helped put some things away for her too.

I let her know what room I lived in if she ever needed any help.

She thanked me and told me her name, and I told her mine.

Her name was Tanabata-san.

When I left her home, I had made a nice old lady friend, and gained a piece of candy.  It’s always important to make friends with elders who give away candies.

I fondly thought of all the old grannies back in Tono, and silently wished they’d all stay healthy until I came back to see them in the summer.

I stepped into the apartment and as soon as I set foot into the living room…

There she was, exiting the bathroom, and completely naked.

I could feel something warm leaking from my nose.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”