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“Happy birthday Makoto and Ei!”
A chorus of cheers and claps sounded around the twins, both standing in front of a large birthday cake, flickering candles waiting to be blown out.
“1, 2, 3!” Makoto counted aloud and on the third count, both of them proceeded to blow out the candles, applause from the people around them growing in volume.
Soon after the cake was cut and distributed, family members sat around the various spots in the Raiden family’s spacious backyard, engaging in idle chatter.
Ei couldn’t help but smile at the big slice of cake on her plate, just waiting for her to sink her fork into it.
Before she could however, a hand landed on her shoulder as her cousin’s voice rang loud.
“Woah, that’s a huge slice!” Venti remarked, eyes comically wide.
Makoto, seated opposite her, chuckled, “Hi Venti.” And upon seeing another figure approaching them from behind the shorter boy, she waved, “Oh, come over too Zhong Li!”
Ei groaned internally, as Venti and Zhongli sat down at their table, mourning a peaceful moment to savour her own birthday cake.
“Why such a huge slice, Ei?” Venti asked, over a bite of his own slice.
“I like cake.” she replied, rolling her eyes, “What other reason could there be?”
She began to finally dig in, the sweet taste sparking a feeling of relief and joy. Venti nodded, dropping the topic as quickly as he had brought it up.
“So,” he grinned, a hint of mischief clear in his eyes, “Both of you are eighteen now,” he waggled his eyebrows, “and you know what that means.”
Ei spared him a brief glance before diverting her attention back to her cake while Makoto smiled, humouring him she replied, “What?”
“You’re both legal adults!” he exclaimed, “Get to do all sorts of stuff now!”
Zhong Li nodded in agreement, “Indeed. Congratulations to both of you.”
“Like, legally, you guys are able to drink and do all sorts of sexual things!” he explained bluntly.
Makoto took his words in stride, still smiling, “True.” Meanwhile, Ei had promptly choked on her bite of a cake, reaching for a glass of punch to wash it down. Zhong Li patted her back gently as she mumbled her thanks.
Venti laughed, “Ooh, got you flustered there, Ei?”
She scowled, refusing to give him a proper response.
“Have you ever done any of the things I’ve mentioned, by the way?”
“That’s none of your business-”
“She hasn’t.”
Both twins replied at the same time, causing Venti to break out in laughter again as Zhong Li hid his smile behind a sip of punch.
“Makoto!” Ei sputtered, looking indignant while her sister laughed lightly.
“Come on, no point lying.” She said, waving her hand dismissively, “We all know you well enough.”
“While they can become vices, it is worth partaking in them for your own experience and enjoyment, Ei.” Zhong Li added. “In moderation, of course.”
She huffed, returning her attention to her slice of cake. “None of either of your business, anyway.”
“Pfft, please Li, I bet Ei’s never even kissed anyone!” Venti remarked, waving his fork around.
“You don’t know!”
“She hasn’t.”
The shorter boy burst out laughing and even Zhong Li let out a chuckle.
Ei glared at her sister, “Can you stop exposing me, Makoto?”
Her sister bit her lip to stop her own laugh from escaping as she nodded, “Okay, okay. I won’t say anything more.”
As his laughter ceased, Venti teased, “Can’t believe you haven’t kissed someone! Too busy with your studies and sweets?”
“It’s not a big deal.” Ei replied, cheeks puffed in irritation.
“Well, most of our peers have done so and more.” Zhong Li added as Ei shot him a glare too.
Despite looking visibly amused, Makoto defended her, “Alright, let’s not tease Ei over this. She’s just taking her time.”
Before Ei herself could voice her agreement, Venti laughed, “She’s just too awkward to find someone to smooch.”
“I am not!” she raised her voice, growing more irritated.
“Didn’t Ningguang try to ask you out in freshman year?” Zhong Li wondered aloud, “She told me you turned red and walked away in the opposite direction without replying.”
Ei felt her cheeks flush, recalling that moment and tried to reply, “That was-”
“Yikes!” Venti winced, “Real smooth, Ei.”
“Okay you two, enough.” Makoto chided, despite her ever present smile.
Ei turned her cheek away from the three of them, trying to hide how much that reveal flustered her, cleared her throat and replied, “If you must know, I just happened to be very busy when she brought it up so she must have missed my explanation. And as for why my face was red, i-it was a hot day if I remember.”
A stifled chuckle was heard.
Glancing back at them with her eyes narrowed, she concluded, “Again, not that any of this is your business.”
In response, Zhong Li sipped his punch while Makoto nodded, both willing to drop the topic.
“We know, Ei,” Venti replied, twirling the plastic fork in his hand, “Didn’t intend to push your buttons so much.”
He grinned, “Just don’t want you to miss out on all that fun, is all!”
Before Ei could question exactly what he meant, Venti had already moved onto another topic; trying to pry who the other two’s first kisses were.
Feeling somewhat relieved, she resumed taking bites of her cake, though a curious thought about something aside from the sweet dessert settled in the back of her mind.
.
.
Later that night, after their relatives had left and the party was cleaned up, Ei found herself walking swiftly to a room beside her own.
She peeked into Makoto’s room and upon seeing her twin awake and resting upright against the headboard, entered and sat on the edge of her bed.
Makoto looked up from her phone, smiling softly at her, “Hey, something up?”
Ei remained silent for a moment, thinking of how to phrase her words.
Turning towards her sister, she exhaled and spoke, “Remember just now, when we were eating cake and Venti and Zhong Li came over, asking unnecessary questions and then,” she huffed, “started mocking me about all that kiss nonsense?”
Makoto’s smile widened in amusement as she nodded her head, “Yes, was there for it all.”
“Right, you also pretty much betrayed me for a laugh.” Ei frowned, recalling the transgression. “So much for our sisterly bond.”
Her twin laughed, gently pushing her on the shoulder, “Come on, it was all in good fun and you know I would never say anything to hurt you intentionally.”
Ei’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and Makoto reached out, pulling her into a quick hug.
“I always have your back.” she assured, pulling back and smiling again at her.
Ei couldn’t help but smile slightly, “I know, same, maybe I was being a bit dramatic.”
“Oh you were, drama queen.” Makoto giggled. “I’m used to it.”
Rolling her eyes, Ei continued, “Anyway, that aside,” she paused, feeling a bit of warmth in her cheeks at the topic, “...about that uhm, kiss nonsense.”
Makoto nodded, silently encouraging her to proceed.
Looking away from her sister, she asked, “How, how much of it is nonsense anyway?”
Frowning slightly, Makoto replied with a question of her own, “What exactly do you mean, Ei?”
“Well, Venti said…” she fiddled with her hands in her lap, “He said he didn’t want me to miss out. So that means, there’s, uhm, benefits to kissing then?”
Taking a brief moment to absorb her sister’s words, Makoto let out a laugh upon realising what she meant. “Oh my god, Ei! Are you asking me if kissing feels nice?”
Her cheeks reddened at Makoto’s response, she stammered, “No? Yes? I don’t know!” before burying her head in her hands in embarrassment and grumbling, “I never thought about all of this much before!”
Laughter ceasing, Makoto reached out to pat her gently on her head, “I was just a bit taken aback, no judgement here!”
Head still down, Ei sighed, “Okay… Can you answer me then?”
Her sister nodded, “Yes, kissing someone else, especially if you like them or find them attractive, is really nice.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, you learn something new every day, sis.”
Ei groaned, “Makoto!”
Giggling again, Makoto patted her on the head again before she spoke, “You know, the best way to learn is through practical experience.”
Lifting her head, Ei narrowed her eyes at her sister, “And who would I be trying that with?”
Makoto hummed, “Someone you like I guess?” Noting the way Ei seemed to be more confused, she continued, “Maybe someone you trust?” Pausing to consider her sister’s options, she suggested, “Yae?”
Ei immediately got up from her sister’s bed, and while Makoto had to hold back a laugh at the funny, stricken look on her face, Ei found no amusement in her sister’s words. “What? W-What are you talking about?”
Makoto shrugged, “You trust her and I know you two get along.” Upon seeing the panicked look on her sister’s face remain, she softened, “But it’s just a thought, Ei, don’t take it seriously, okay? Sorry if it rubbed you the wrong way.”
Shaking her head hurriedly to reassure Makoto, “No no, it didn’t! I was surprised, that’s all.”
Her sister smiled in relief but before she could say anything more, Ei was already backing out of her room, giving her a rather uncharacteristic thumbs up, “Anyway! We should go to bed, there’s school tomorrow.” she smiled nervously from the doorway.
Makoto nodded, returning the thumbs up with a giggle, “You’re right, sleep well. Love you!”
“Love you too.” she replied, tension loosening a bit from her shoulders before she turned and walked back to her own room.
.
.
.
“So I was teasing Gorou, about how much care he puts into his hair and you guys should have seen him, his face was just so funny and- Ei? Everything okay?” Yae asked, pausing her story midway to check in with her friend.
Ei blinked, slightly startled by the question. Clearing her throat, she nodded, “Yeah, everything is fine, why?”
Yae chuckled, waving a hand dismissively, “Nothing, nothing. You were just staring at me without eating.” She grinned, “I know I’m a good storyteller but don’t let it keep you from having lunch too, alright?”
Noticing the eyes of their friends at the table on her, Ei nodded again and hoping to clear the air, she replied, “O-Of course, just a bit distracted.”
Yae gave her a sceptical look but resumed telling her story, face pretty and mischievous as she elaborated on why Gorou’s behaviour amused her.
Ei stared at her, captured by her words and expressions, albeit remembering to take bites of her food in between as Yae finished recounting her story.
Chatter passed amongst their table as their lunch break progressed and soon, Ei had finished her food, now absently listening to something Saiguu had to say.
“Oh!” she heard someone exclaim.
A finger tapped her cheek gently and she turned her head in response, now facing Yae, who had a piece of tissue paper in her other hand.
“You have some sauce on you, Ei.” she chided, with her usual teasing smile. Before she could respond, Yae had begun to dab the corner of her mouth for her.
She shifted, feeling a bit shy despite this being something that Yae had done many times before.
This only prompted the pink haired girl to move closer as she muttered, “Hold still!”
With Yae closer, Ei purposely tried to avoid her gaze and as a result, her eyes landed on her lips. “Oh… she’s wearing a nice lip gloss today.” she thought to herself and before she knew it, her thoughts returned to the previous day, of discussions about first kisses. Feeling her cheeks warm, she decided to completely look away which, again, prompted a response from Yae, whose brows furrowed slightly, “Are you okay? Your face is a little pink.”
Clearing her throat and shuffling back on the bench, she nodded, “Yup, all good, thanks.”
“Hm, if you say so.” Yae relented, tossing the tissue onto her plate and returning to the ongoing conversation amongst their friends.
Despite her own words, Ei continued to ruminate about her own thoughts and as their lunch break ended, she found herself walking towards her next class with Yae.
Blissfully unaware of her friend’s inner troubles, the pink haired girl carefreely clasped their hands together, swinging them slightly as she led them to the right classroom. Feeling the warmth of Yae’s hand in her own, Ei’s frazzled thoughts reached a breaking point.
“Miko.” she said, abruptly stopping.
“Hm?” Yae halted her own steps as well, tilting her head to look at Ei.
Biting her lip nervously, Ei thought over her words briefly before asking, “Could you come over later? After school?”
Yae smiled, “Sure, I’d be glad to.”
Ei nodded, returning a small smile of her own. With that, Yae tried to continue walking towards their class but soon noticed that Ei was still rooted to the ground, seemingly suddenly lost in thought.
“Ei?” her voice broke the girl out of her trance, “Let’s get going to class before we’re late! I don’t want to hear any lectures from any teachers today.”
“R-Right.”
They continued walking and Yae, a little concerned by how distracted Ei was acting, squeezed her hand in reassurance. It sent a jolt of something pleasant straight to Ei’s heart and in spite of her growing unease, she returned the gesture, much to Yae’s delight.
.
.
Yae filled most of their trip back to the Raiden household with her own musings and stories with Ei interjecting occasionally and Ei was beginning to relax again, the familiarity of their usual flow of conversation easing her.
That was swiftly shattered when, upon entering her room and placing her belongings on the floor, Yae sat atop her bed and asked, “What’s up? Got something you want to do?” Causing all her previous thoughts to rush back into her mind.
“Ah- uhm,” she fumbled, uncertain of how to bring up the topic.
Yae, to her credit, held back any sort of teasing and let her gather her thoughts.
She finally settled on, “I need a favour.”
“Oh?” Yae grinned, “Now that sounds interesting, you rarely ask for favours so what is it?”
“It’s-”
“Wait, wait, what do I get in return for helping you, hm?” Yae asked cheekily.
Surprised by her unexpected question, Ei blinked before replying, “Maybe you should hear what I have to say first?”
Yae tapped her chin in thought before nodding, “Good point, go ahead then!”
“Right. Uhm.” Now that Yae’s focus was back on her, she found herself freezing up.
Yae stared at her, awaiting her request in interest.
“Uh.”
Yae’s brows furrowed slightly as she spoke, “Ei, are you alright? You’re usually more eloquent than this.”
She shook her head, “I’m f-fine.”
Yae squinted her eyes at her briefly but didn’t probe any further.
“So… uhm.”
She paused again, averting her gaze from Yae.
Taking her silence as feeling burdened by her earlier question, Yae reached out and grabbed one of her hands, squeezing in a gesture of reassurance again. “Ei, don’t think about returning the favour, okay? I was just kidding.” She smiled, “Don’t worry about asking me for anything!”
She felt her chest warm at Yae’s words and took a deep breath, feeling her nerves loosen, Ei exhaled and blurted out her request.
“I need a kiss.”
After thinking for another moment, she added, “On the mouth.”
Yae stared at her, mouth slightly agape.
“Well,” she recovered from the feeling of surprise quickly, chuckling, “And here I was thinking you wanted my help with calculus homework instead.”
“Oh. No, I’m quite alright in that class.” She affirmed.
Yae covered her mouth as she laughed at Ei’s reply, “Okay, good to know I guess.”
Biting her lip nervously, Ei mumbled, “Just… the kiss I need help with.”
Her own cheeks taking on a light pink hue, Yae nodded and took a moment to collect her thoughts.
“Can I ask what brought on this request, Ei?” she wondered, “You’ve never really been interested in romance from what I’ve seen.”
Her eyes gleamed with something unknown to Ei, “Unless… You’ve realised something recently?”
Ei voiced her agreement, “You’re right, it’s sudden for me too.” Grumbling, she explained, “It’s actually because my cousins and sister teased me about it yesterday.” Not noticing the way Yae’s eyes dimmed, she continued, “Poking their noses into my business and making fun of me for not having a first kiss!” she huffed at the end.
“Ah, so it’s about proving them wrong then?” Yae asked, withdrawing her hand from Ei’s casually.
The dark haired girl shook her head, “Not exactly.” Her cheeks tinted pink as she elaborated, “I-I was kind of interested too. About what it feels like.”
Yae’s brows raised in surprise before she schooled her expression into a teasing one.
“Oh my, Ei, curious about carnal pleasures now?” she grinned.
She sputtered as she tried to reply, “W-What? Miko!” She shook her head hurriedly, “It’s nothing as indecent,” Yae laughed at her choice of words, “as that!”
“I just want to know… to know if kissing feels as nice as people say it is.” she mumbled, gaze averted.
At Ei’s display of innocent curiosity, Yae found herself biting back any more teasing words and instead, posed one more question to her friend.
“Okay,” She rested her chin on her palm, looking directly at Ei, “Why me then?”
Ei glanced back at her, eyes widened slightly, as if she never expected her question.
Shyly averting her gaze once again, she replied, “Makoto said it should be with someone…” Yae noticed the way fiddled with her hands, “someone I like. And someone I trust.” Turning to face the pink haired girl again, she mumbled, “That would be you.”
Before Yae could respond, she concluded with, “You’re my dearest friend, Miko.”
“O-Oh,” Yae bit her lip, taken aback by her words before she smiled, albeit with an edge of something strained, “You’re mine too.”
Ei returned her smile with one of her own, relieved to have been able to honestly voice her thoughts.
As the moment passed, Yae’s expression shifted into a familiar smirk and intently leaning closer to Ei, she spoke softly, “So, a kiss huh?”
Gulping, Ei nodded.
“Hmm, don’t think I’ll ask for any favour to be returned… yet.” Yae patted the space on the bed next to her, prompting Ei to move till she was directly in her space, their legs touching.
They were no strangers to physical contact with each other but Ei couldn’t help but feel the air between them was more charged than usual and it was enough to fluster her.
“If my best friend is trusting me with this, how could I say no?” the pink haired girl mused aloud.
At that, Ei frowned slightly, not wanting Yae to feel obliged, she assured, “Miko, you can say no. It’s okay.”
Yae scoffed, waving her hand dismissively, “And let you kiss someone else? Nonsense!” Licking her lips, Yae winked, flustering Ei further as she spoke, “I’ll make sure you can have the best first experience.”
Ei choked on her own saliva in her attempt to reply, causing Yae to giggle as she watched the dark haired girl struggle to speak.
“M-Miko, please.” she finally got out, cheeks turning red.
Yae reached out to brush some strands of stray dark hair behind her ear. She leaned forward and instinctively, Ei leaned a bit back. Still giggling, Yae asked, “Ei, what are you doing?”
“Oh, uhm-”
Cupping her cheek, she shifted closer and whispered, “Don’t let me be the only one chasing for a kiss now.”
Steeling her nerves, Ei nodded and pushed herself to lean forward, till their faces were a mere inches apart. Yae’s face was cast with a pink hue again and she glanced to the side briefly before she looked Ei directly in the eyes and asked, “You’re sure about this, right?”
“Yes, I am.” She cleared her throat, “I, ahem, trust you, Miko.”
Yae nodded and whispered in reply, “Okay then.”
As Yae’s face moved even closer, Ei closed her eyes and before she knew it, felt the soft yet firm press of lips against her own. After a second to savour the moment, she leaned forward as well, kissing Yae back just as gently.
And as quickly as it began, it concluded with Yae pulling back, her hand slipping from Ei’s cheek to rest on the bed.
A beat of silence passed between the both of them, Yae waiting for Ei to say something while Ei herself remained in a daze, touching her own lips briefly in wonderment.
“So, how was that for you?” Yae questioned, looking a bit bashful.
“It was… it was nice.” Ei replied slowly, cheeks still flushed a healthy pink.
Nodding in response, Yae found herself suddenly interested in Ei’s bedsheets, glancing down and awkwardly brushing her palm against the plain lilac comforter to make herself look occupied.
Still in a slight daze, Ei murmured, “Would be even nicer if it lasted a bit longer…”
At that admission, Yae looked up and their eyes locked briefly before Ei’s gaze drifted down to the pink haired girl’s lips. Noticing this, Yae’s lip curled into a cheeky smile and she leaned towards Ei once again, “Well, I wasn’t planning on asking for a favour in return so soon but,” licking her lips and watching the way Ei’s eyes followed, “I have something in mind now.”
“What would that be?” Ei asked distractedly.
Reaching out to grasp Ei’s chin in her hand gently, she answered, “Oh, nothing… Just another kiss? Since you already seem quite interested in my lips.” Punctuating the end of her sentence with a wink.
Ei blinked a few times, startled by Yae’s forwardness and now slightly embarrassed at the realisation of her own behaviour.
Looking away from Yae’s teasing smirk, she pretended to think about the pink haired girl’s request.
“Hmm.” Ei hummed, before locking eyes with Yae and murmuring, “I suppose, that’s a reasonable thing to request.”
Yae stifled a giggle before she brushed her thumb swiftly over Ei’s bottom lip and asked, “Then, may I?”
Ei nodded and that was all it took for Yae to close the gap between them once again.
As per Ei’s feedback from their first kiss, their lips remained pressed together for seconds longer, with Ei’s hand even coming up to cup Yae’s cheek to hold her still. Yae herself dropped her hand from Ei’s chin to rest on her shoulder instead and only gently pushed when she felt they should part.
Ei’s eyes were still closed as her face remained in the same position and Yae couldn’t help but tease, “Kissing the air there, Ei.”
At that, the dark haired girl’s eyes immediately opened and she spluttered, “O-Oh. Ahem, I was just taking a… breath.”
Yae giggled at her reply, eyes twinkling with mirth as she nodded.
“Right, I’m sure that’s what was happening.”
“Miko…”
She grinned, “Just teasing you.”
“I know.” Ei grumbled but not even a second later, her eyes had drifted down to Yae’s lips once again.
Noticing this, Yae pretended to ponder aloud, “You know, I was thinking that one kiss isn’t enough to return the favour.” Giving her a coy smirk, she whispered, “Think I’ll request for another.”
Ei’s eyes lit up at her words and Yae bit her lip to stifle another giggle as Ei tried to feign nonchalance while voicing her agreement.
“Of c-course, that’s a fair thing to ask for.”
“Mhmm. May I?”
Ei nodded and before Yae could close the gap, Ei had moved faster and soon their lips connected. Yae opened her mouth slightly, sucking softly on Ei’s lower lip for a second before their lips moulded against each other’s again.
Soon after, they pulled apart and for a moment, their eyes remained locked yet neither of them made a move.
Yae was the first to break their silence, “Maybe,” she paused, hesitant before Ei’s firm gaze spurred her to continue, “Maybe just one more.”
Ei, to Yae’s surprise, nodded readily and agreed, “Yes. Yes, that would be good.”
Yae giggled at her friend’s enthusiasm and playfully poked her shoulder.
“Someone’s eager, hm?”
“Miko…”
“I’m just saying, Ei, haven’t heard you agree to something so quickly since Chiyo suggested having desserts before dinner once!”
“Enough, Miko.”
“You might have nodded even faster this time- Mfhm!”
“...”
“Your lips taste like cherry.”
“You bought me this lip gloss, you know.”
“... Right. Well. I’d like to taste more.”
“Ooh, how bold. Be my guest.”
Few words were exchanged between the pair for the rest of the afternoon.
.
.
The next day at school, Ei found herself unusually distracted; minor careless mistakes during classwork and even forgetting to grab an extra bottle of dango milk at lunch. The solution to the latter problem turned out to be the very cause of her distraction, in the form of Yae Miko handing her another bottle of milk with a smile.
“Noticed you didn’t grab two like you usually do on Tuesdays.” Yae said as she sat down next to her at their lunch table.
Mumbling her thanks, Ei twisted the cap open and took a sip as Yae settled down next to her and began chatting with Saiguu opposite of her.
“Hey, save some space for us!” Chiyo called out as she strode over with Makoto following behind. “Go on, scoot over a bit!”
While Saiguu grumbled, Yae shuffled closer to Ei till their shoulders bumped together, attempting to make space for their friends.
With the subtle yet warm press of Yae’s arm against hers, her thoughts returned to their time spent together the previous afternoon which had concluded with Yae sitting halfway in her lap as they exchanged their last few kisses.
She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head and hoped that she didn’t look as flushed as she felt. However, the more she tried to think less of it, the more her memory seemed intent on shoving all the feelings she had experienced in her face.
“... -right, Ei? Ei!”
“Huh?” She replied, head finally out of the clouds.
“I was telling Saiguu that you bought me this lipstick when we went to the mall together.” Yae explained, choosing to glaze over the fact that Ei was zoning out before this. “Do you remember which store it was?” she asked.
At the mention of lipstick, Ei’s gaze focused on Yae’s lips, painted a pretty shade of pink. “Does it have any flavour like her lip gloss?” she wondered to herself, neglecting to think of an answer to the question.
“Uhm Ei?” Yae asked again, pouting slightly.
Receiving silence once again, Yae shifted herself so that her face would be directly in front of Ei’s before whining, “Are you listening to me?”
“Oh Miko, you don’t have to act cute. I’m sure Ei will pay attention to you regardless.” Saiguu teased, grinning at them.
Yae rolled her eyes as she replied, “Shut it, Saiguu!” while the other girl snickered.
Startled by Yae’s lips suddenly being so much closer, Ei’s eyes widened as she hurriedly answered, “Y-Yes, was listening.”
“Okay, what’s the store name if you remember?”
“Uhm…” Ei paused, thinking it over before she said, “The lipstick store?”
“...”
“I’m just going to search for it on my phone-” and “That isn’t a store, Ei.” were uttered at the same time and soon, their attention was directed away from her.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, she decided to focus on finishing her lunch and deal with her own distracting thoughts after.
.
.
As the last class of the day concluded, Ei walked out of her classroom, determined to get to the library quickly and get a good spot to study while she waited for Makoto to finish with her student council work.
She didn’t expect to see Yae standing outside of the room, absently checking her nails.
“Miko?” She questioned, walking towards her.
Yae seemed to perk up at her voice, smiling as Ei stood right in front of her.
“Hey, I have to get to my clubroom soon but I wanted to pass you…” She trailed off as she dug her hand into her bag, before fishing out a small packet of sweets and handing it over, “This!”
“Oh, thank you.” Ei mumbled, surprised by the gesture as she held the packet gingerly. “What for though?” she asked, nonetheless smiling back to show her appreciation.
“It’s just a little pick-me-up while you wait for Makoto.” Yae explained before grinning cheekily and adding, “Since I’ll be too busy to keep you company too.”
“That’s… So thoughtful of you, Miko.” Ei murmured, feeling warm at the words.
“It’s nothing, Ei.” She waved off her compliment before stepping back, “Well, I better head to my clubroom now. See you!”
“Wait, Miko.” Ei exclaimed, reaching out to grab her gently by the wrist. At Yae’s questioning look, she rushed to elaborate, “Could you spare a few minutes to accompany me to the bathroom?”
Despite being somewhat sceptical about Ei’s request, Yae took it in stride and agreed easily, “Sure, let’s go then.”
With that, Ei adjusted her grip such that they were now holding hands instead and took the lead in walking them to a bathroom. She chose the one a further walk away but because of that, tended to have less students visiting it as well.
Once they entered, Ei took a quick glance to survey the bathroom, breathing out a sigh of relief when she noticed there was no one else except for them.
Yae stood patiently behind her and when Ei turned around to face her instead of heading into one of the cubicles, raised one of her eyebrows and asked, “Are you not going to use it?”
“Actually…” Ei mumbled, “I just wanted some privacy.”
“Oh?”
Curiosity piqued, Yae pursed her lips together as she tried to think through what Ei could have wanted to talk about. A worrying thought pushed its way through her mind and past her lips just as Ei was about to elaborate as well.
“Is this about yesterday-”
“I want to kiss you again.”
Yae’s eyes widened in surprise as she gasped out, “What?”
Fearing that Ei might take her reaction as a negative one, she rushed to correct herself, “Oh I mean, I was not expecting that!” Averting her gaze and fanning herself lightly, she continued, “Don’t mean to sound like I’m opposed to it.”
Ei breathed out a sigh of relief at her reply. “That’s reassuring… I just, uhm,” she huffed, turning her head to the side, “This is embarrassing to admit, but I kept thinking about it.”
“Oh?” Yae responded, feeling her cheeks warm at the admission.
Nodding her head slowly, Ei affirmed, “Yes, to be honest, all I can think about is… kissing you again.” Her own cheeks lit up brightly at her words.
Yae bit her lip, unsure of what to say despite being flattered, decided to just nod along.
“So,” Ei cleared her throat, “Can I?”
“Or is this too much?” she rushed to clarify, panic brimming in her eyes. “You don’t have to feel obliged, Miko.”
Said girl hurriedly shook her head, “No, no, I want to!”
Willing herself to push aside a nagging voice in the back of her mind, she stepped closer to Ei and gently grasped her hand, she reassured, “I want to.”
Feeling relieved and tempted with Yae’s face even closer, Ei leaned in and captured her lips with her own, her free arm naturally touching her waist and pulling her closer as Yae kissed her back just as surely.
A couple of seconds later they pulled apart, still standing close with Ei’s hand resting on Yae’s waist and their hands still clasped together.
“Mhm, that was nice.” Yae said softly, pink still dusting her cheeks.
Ei, still somewhat flushed, mumbled her agreement, “Yes. It was.”
Smiling, Yae took another step closer, releasing their hand hold and pulling her into a gentle embrace. She rested her chin atop Ei’s shoulder, her own arm slipping securely behind her back. Ei responded by pressing her cheek against Yae’s temple, caressing her waist with the slow stroke of her thumb.
They held each other in silence for a few moments, both silently savouring the other’s warmth, till Yae spoke up.
“It was totally worth your embarrassment, by the way.” she chimed, a teasing lilt present in her voice.
Refusing to be the only one teased this time, Ei scoffed, “You say that as though I was the only one in agreement.” Smirking slightly, she continued, “I’m not the one who exclaimed,” she adjusted the tone of her voice in her attempt to mimic Yae’s (although it came out comically higher pitched), “ Oh Ei, I definitely want to kiss you too! ”
Pulling back from their embrace in offence, Yae slapped Ei’s shoulder lightly as she gasped out, “I did not say it like that!”
Chuckling in amusement, Ei countered, “Even so, you eagerly agreed.”
Shaking her head in disbelief, Yae sighed, “To think you’d turn on the person who, so graciously might I add, agreed to your little request yesterday.”
Ei laughed softly, “I’m just kidding, Miko.” She smiled brightly, “I appreciate you.”
“You-” the pink haired girl was flustered, taken aback by Ei’s casual genuinity once again. She swiftly recovered however and returned the smile, “I should hope you do. Not just anyone would agree to this.”
Ei nodded, “True.” Thinking aloud to herself, she mumbled, “Now I’m sure Makoto will be boasting about how right her suggestion is if she knew.”
Yae seemed to startle at that, stepping backwards and out of their embrace completely.
“O-oh, you intend to tell her?”
Unaware of her friend’s increasing anxiety, she shrugged, “I didn’t give it much thought, maybe I will if she ever teased me about it again.” Noticing Yae’s shifting eyes however, she asked, “Unless, you feel that I shouldn’t?”
“It’s just-” taking a breath to calm her nerves, Yae explained, “Kissing is usually a thing people in relationships do… And we’re not exactly in one, so I’m afraid it’ll raise some questions.”
Ei nodded in understanding, letting out a low hum, “I see, that makes sense. So-”
Before she could raise any more questions, Yae hurriedly cut in and added, “Though, I guess it’s okay for us to keep doing this since we’re both willing and uhm, benefiting from it.”
“Ah, alright.” Ei nodded once again, seemingly quite calm. “I won’t talk to Makoto about it then.” She looked somewhat smug as she added, “Won’t let her enjoy how correct she actually is, serves her right for tattling on me.”
Yae, however, had stopped listening after her own words were uttered, her mind a swirl of conflicting thoughts. She agreed with Ei thoughtlessly when the latter looked at her for a reply, “Y-yeah.”
Moving towards the bathroom door, she waved her hand as she hastily said, “So, I should get going, don’t want to be late for my club meeting!”
“Of course.” Ei smiled, oblivious to Yae’s inner turmoil and proceeded to ask, “Oh, how about going home together with Makoto and I later?”
Shaking her head a little too quickly, Yae declined, “I can’t, hanging out with Saiguu after.”
“Oh.” Ei looked deflated at her reply, shoulders slumped slightly.
Wanting to appease her, Yae rushed to add, “But I’ll definitely see you tomorrow!”
Ei straightened up as she replied with a smile, “You’re right. See you tomorrow then, Miko.”
Returning the smile, Yae waved once again before she slipped out of the bathroom.
.
.
“Oh Miko…”
“Don’t even start, Saiguu.”
“After hearing everything you just told me, it’d be hard not to comment on it.”
“Bite your tongue.”
Saiguu pretended to ponder over it before she shook her head.
“No, I just have to say-”
“Ugh.”
“Don’t interrupt!”
She cleared her throat before continuing, “So, you’re both… Idiots.”
“Okay, rude. Like who even asked you?”
“You know I’m right, Miko. How could you mislead Ei like this?”
“I am not misleading her! She doesn’t understand and I’m just making it simple…”
“Yeah right. Anyway, Ei’s dumb too but I doubt she’ll stay ignorant for so long.” Saiguu sighed, “Get yourself together, Miko.”
“... I know.”
.
.
.
The very next day, just as she sat down in her Science class after lunch, Yae received a text .
“Meet me at the same bathroom later?”
It was from Ei.
Aware of the implications of the text, she found herself looking forward to the end of this class, although a part of her fretted about whether Ei knew the implications herself.
Regardless, she sauntered to the bathroom after her class ended, trying to take it as just a casual meeting. (Despite having spent the first four classes of the day with Ei already)
Stepping in, she was greeted with the sight of a somewhat fidgety Raiden Ei, who looked a little lost in thought.
“Ei?”
Hearing her name out loud snapped the dark haired girl out of it as she immediately greeted back, “Miko.”
“Got your text.” She smirked, “Whatever could it mean, I wonder?” As she tapped her own chin playfully in thought.
Ei looked slightly embarrassed as she suddenly found a spot on the bathroom tiles very interesting.
“It’s just-” She looked up again and finally met Yae’s teasing gaze. “Oh, you know what I want.” she grumbled half-heartedly, a faint blush painted across her cheeks.
Yae let out a laugh, raising a hand to cover her lips as she found amusement in Ei’s reaction. She walked towards the dark haired girl, who stood upright confidently despite her reddened face betraying her demeanour. Cupping Ei’s cheek, she leaned in and Ei met her halfway.
A few seconds later, she drew back to take a breath, only for Ei to move and press her lips against hers again as she slipped an arm around her waist, drawing them both closer together.
When they broke apart, looking at one another, Yae could tell her own cheeks were just as flushed as Ei’s. Comfortable in Ei’s embrace, she asked, “What brought this on?”
Ei’s eyes were still a little glazed over, but she replied swiftly.
“It was in History class.”
“What?” Yae questioned, confusion causing her brows to furrow slightly.
Ei nodded before she elaborated, “Yes, when you stood up to answer Madam Ping’s question.” Yae couldn’t tell if the flush on Ei’s cheeks was due to the kiss or her own answer as she continued, “You looked very pretty so for some reason, I wanted to kiss you. Truthfully, I was going to ask during lunch but you were busy with your udon.”
Yae found herself taken aback once again by Ei’s words as brighter blush bloomed on her cheeks.
Before she could say anything however, the door of the bathroom slammed open and a loud voice rang out.
“Yeah, Ning, this place is usually empty- Oh?”
At the entrance of the bathroom stood Beidou, who was equally surprised to see the still embracing pair. Her hand was clasped with Ningguang’s, who only managed to peek her head in as the eye-patched girl blocked most of the doorway.
“Uhm, are we interrupting something?” she asked, scratching her cheek lightly with her free hand.
Immediately, they moved away from each other; Ei’s arm slipped from Yae’s waist as the pink haired girl smoothly turned to face the other pair.
“Not at all.” Yae replied, an easy smile on her face masking her surprise. Ei silently nodded along.
Beidou didn’t seem convinced but she let it slide as she shrugged, “Okay then!”
Turning to face Ningguang, she grinned, “Shall we?”
Shooting her girlfriend an exasperated look, Ningguang spoke, “Bei, they’re still here.” Before schooling her expression into a more friendly one as she waved at Yae and Ei. Yae returned the gesture with a coy smirk, catching onto Beidou’s intentions, while Ei simply waved back. At Yae’s smirk, Ningguang’s lips spread into a teasing smile of her own as she whispered, just loud enough for the four to hear, “Besides, I don’t quite buy that we weren’t interrupting them.”
“Huh? I don’t get what you mean, Ning-”
“Ningguang, you have the wrong idea-”
Ignoring both Yae and her own girlfriend, Ningguang tugged on Beidou’s hand, pulling her out of the bathroom despite the latter’s protests.
“Don’t grumble, we can go somewhere else.”
“But, babe-”
“I have access to an empty broom closet in the next block.”
“First thing, why? Second thing, how? Third, let’s go.”
Their voices faded out of earshot as the door closed and the pair walked further away from the bathroom.
Yae and Ei both stood stunned in silence for a minute, processing what had just occurred in front of them. Turning her head to face Yae, Ei noticed the pink haired girl was still in a state of shock, staring blankly ahead.
“Uhm, Miko?”
Without moving to look at her, she replied, “Yes, Ei?”
“Maybe we should avoid kissing while on school grounds?” she suggested, concerned that Yae was feeling uncomfortable about being seen together by others.
“... Yes, Ei. If you think so, that would probably be for the best.”
.
.
.
The rest of the week passed by rather uneventfully, with both of them busy with school work and club activities, they barely had any time to meet up privately till Friday came.
Yae found herself heading to the Raiden household after school once again, although it was with clear intentions from both of them to finish their History class’ assignment together.
Or so that was what Yae thought, until Ei had her somewhat pinned against her closed room door.
Eyes widened in surprise, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“Miko.” Ei breathed out. “I think I’m going crazy.”
“What? Are you okay?” she exclaimed, now concerned.
The dark haired girl nodded her head, “I’m fine. I just-” she sighed, “I keep thinking about you.”
Before Yae could interject, Ei continued, “And I think it’s because I’ve had to hold myself back from kissing you while we’re at school.”
“Ei, while I’m flattered, I don’t think that’s how it works.”
“No,” she shook her head resolutely, “I’m pretty sure that’s it and that it will be resolved if I just kiss you.” Locking eyes firmly with Yae, she asked, “So may I, Miko?”
Stunned by the sincerity in Ei’s eyes and words, Yae could only nod.
She seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.”
Her lips descended onto Yae’s, as her palm dropped from where it was pressing against the door onto the pink haired girl’s shoulder, her other hand reached to grasp her waist gently.
Ei pulled away after a few seconds, still remaining close enough that their faces were mere inches apart.
She seemed to regain some of her senses and quickly spoke, “It slipped my mind but I should ask, is this position comfortable for you?”
Yae was leaning against the back of Ei’s wooden room door and while she knew Ei was just concerned about her well-being, her mind couldn’t help but wander elsewhere at her friend’s choice of words.
Unsure of what to make of her silence, Ei asked again, “Perhaps we should move to my bed?”
Which only served to lead Yae’s mind further into a spiral, the pink haired girl’s cheeks turning a shade closer to her hair.
“Did I do something wrong?” Ei questioned, brows now creased in worry.
Hearing that snapped Yae out of her thoughts as she shook her head, “No, no! I was… lost in thought.” Clearing her throat, she answered, “This is fine, I’m just curious about what spurred this on.”
“Oh.” Ei replied. Taking a moment to think to herself before she replied, “That was for the time I wanted to kiss you after you bought me ice cream at lunch.”
Leaning in and swiftly pecking Yae’s lips another time, she explained as she drew back, “That was because you looked really cute chewing on fried tofu during our dinner with Saiguu and Sasayuri.”
For the nth time that afternoon, Yae found herself unable to get a word in, completely taken aback by Ei’s actions. As she tried to rationalise her own thoughts and feelings, Ei continued, undeterred.
Pecking her lips once more, Ei smiled as she said, “For reminding me to bring the take-home assignment for my Math class.”
All of Ei’s admissions and kisses seem to only feed the growing bubble of warmth and unease in Yae’s heart and her mind filled with the reminder of Saiguu’s words.
Ei remained blissfully unaware of this as she drew Yae in for a fuller kiss. They remained kissing for a moment longer than usual with Ei’s lead and when she pulled away, she explained, “Because you held my hand during the cold, rainy morning of yesterday.”
The feelings in her chest reached a boiling point and Yae felt the bubble of unease reach her throat.
At this, she gently but firmly pushed Ei away from herself.
“Miko?” Ei questioned, confused.
Yae let out a forced and short laugh, dropping her gaze to the floor to avoid meeting eyes. “I thought I could do this, casually, but I can’t.” she spoke aloud to herself.
“Miko, what are you talking about?” Ei asked, growing concerned. “Was it something I did?”
The pink haired girl shook her head, although her words betrayed her actions as she replied, “No no. Well, yes.” Her voice began to tremble slightly as she said, “None of this is your fault.”
Ei tried to reach forward to hold Yae, only for her to quickly side-step and avoid her outstretched hands, shaking her head again.
“Not right now, Ei.” she mumbled, voice still shaky.
Despite her increasing distress at the thought of Miko hurting yet refusing to allow her to help, Ei forced her arms back to her side, wanting to respect her boundaries.
She still had to ask, “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
Yae nodded slightly, still refusing to meet her eyes. “I just need a minute.”
“Okay.”
A beat of silence passed between the two of them before Yae spoke again.
“We need to talk about the kissing thing.”
Ei’s concerns about having done something wrong returned, nonetheless, she nodded.
“Okay.”
Yae took a deep breath before she said, “Remember what I said in the bathroom? About how it’s a thing people only do when they’re in a relationship of some kind?”
Ei nodded again before she responded, “Yes. Though you also said it was okay for us to keep kissing, since we’re both okay with it.”
“Right.” She sighed, “That… That was a mistake.”
Ei blinked, confusion marring her features as she tried to clarify, “What do you mean?”
“We shouldn’t have kept kissing when we didn’t establish what we are.” Yae explained.
“What we are?” Ei thought aloud before she replied simply, “Aren’t we friends, Miko?”
Yae winced slightly at Ei’s reply but she grudgingly agreed, “We are.”
Confused by Yae’s discomfort, she asked, “So why can’t we just kiss, if we both like it?”
“Because that makes things complicated, Ei.” Yae answered.
“Why is it complicated though?”
“It’s complicated because of… feelings.”
“Feelings…”
Ei shook her head, becoming frustrated at her own lack of understanding before she spoke aloud, “I’m afraid I don’t get it. What feelings?”
“My feelings, your feelings.”
“I still don’t get it?”
“They matter, Ei!” Yae shouted, growing exasperated herself.
“I know feelings matter, I’m just confused- don’t yell at me.”
“I-I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay. Just, what feelings are involved in this?” Ei asked.
Yae took a breath.
“My feelings.” she exhaled shakily. “For you.”
“What?”
“I like you, Ei.”
Another beat of silence passed between the two, as Ei took in Yae’s words fully.
“Me? You like me?” she clarified, still stunned by her friend’s confession as though the very thought of it was a foreign concept to her.
Yae nodded, biting her lip nervously as she waited for Ei’s response.
“Miko, I… I don’t know what to say.”
Ei rubbed the back of her neck, clearly struggling to come up with something.
“I… uhm.”
Yae took that as her reply to her confession. While a part of her held out hope that Ei shared the same feelings, it seemed she was mistaken.
Dejected and now feeling ashamed, Yae hastily exclaimed, “It’s okay, Ei.” Forcing a strained smile, “I get it.”
Grabbing her bag and hurriedly rubbing away the tear that slipped from her eye, she turned away from Ei, twisting the door knob and opening the door as she swiftly walked out of the room.
“No Miko, wait-”
“I’ll see you at school on Monday!” she called out, voice clearly shaky. She quickly exited the Raiden home, much to the surprise of the household helpers as they had never seen her leave so suddenly before and without Ei walking with her as well.
Ei remained rooted in her room, mind now a mess and wondering why her chest seemed to clench uncomfortably at each thought of what just happened.
She stood still, ruminating.
Before she mumbled quietly to herself, sadness seeping into her voice, “But… I was going to take you to that new cafe you wanted to go to tomorrow…”
.
.
.
The weekend passed in a blur of tissues and watching terrible rom-coms with her phone on silent for Yae. She already dreaded heading to school and as if to rub salt in the wound, Makoto had asked her to meet another student council rep a whole hour before classes even started.
She quickly sent a text to Makoto to let her know she had arrived at the front of the school’s main building.
Scrolling past her unread chats, she painfully noted how Ei had not texted her once over the weekend. To be fair, she did usually initiate their conversations but Ei was known to message her to check in if Yae hadn’t bothered her in some time. She sighed, struggling to think of how the both of them would now act around each other especially since their History assignment was still due this very week.
Before she could sink any further into her thoughts however, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
Swiftly turning around, she opened her mouth to chide the representative for being a few minutes late when she saw who it was. Eyes widening in surprise, she failed to hold back her exclamation.
“Ei?”
“Miko.” The dark haired girl smiled slightly in greeting.
“Uhm, what-” Yae asked, uncharacteristically stuttering, “What are you doing here? You’re not from the student council.”
“I know.” Averting her gaze, she admitted, “That was a lie. I asked Makoto for help.”
Yae felt her heart twist uncomfortably, still aching from the fresh rejection and having to see Ei so unexpectedly.
“Explain yourself, now.” She demanded, channelling her own hurt into anger.
Ei looked bashful as she nodded, facing Yae properly again as she spoke, “Yes, I had a feeling you wouldn’t agree to meet with me this early after what happened.” She sighed, “But I had to talk to you, I have… so many things to say, Miko.”
“You clearly didn’t on that day itself.” She bit back, crossing her arms.
Ei winced at her tone, not used to Yae being harsh with her and she briefly glanced to the side, unable to meet her gaze.
“I know. But I do now.” She met Yae’s eyes resolutely and asked, “Please, Miko, will you hear me out?”
Yae always knew from the first moment she acknowledged that she had feelings for Raiden Ei, that her resolve would always weaken for her. Thus, she agreed, letting Ei gently hold her hand as the dark haired girl led her to a more private spot on the school compound.
As Ei stopped underneath a large tree, Yae withdrew her hand from her grasp, still feeling apprehensive. Ei to her credit, didn’t seem fazed by it and merely took a breath before speaking again.
“When you confessed that afternoon, I was incredibly taken aback. I didn’t know how to react or what to say and I’m afraid you might have taken it the wrong way.”
Before Yae could interject, Ei continued with a sigh, “Though it’s my fault for not knowing how to reply to you too. After you left, I went to the library.”
“What?”
Ei nodded simply, unperturbed by Yae’s confusion. “I looked up books on relationships and read till my parents had to call me home for dinner.”
“I found the book ‘Relationships 101’ very helpful by the way, have you read it?” Ei asked midway and despite being dumbfounded by what she was saying, Yae shook her head slightly in reply.
“Oh. Well that’s okay, I read enough for both of us.” she smiled brightly. “Anyway, I finished that book and a few others over the weekend. It was all quite eye-opening and although Makoto teased me about it, she was helpful too.”
“Ei. Why are you telling me this?” Yae finally asked.
“Right, it’s because all the books emphasised that ‘Communication is key’.” she explained, looking almost proud of herself. “So I wanted to tell you everything that I did. No more misunderstandings.”
Yae nodded slowly, unsure of what to make of what Ei was saying.
“The books also mentioned what to do about having feelings for someone and how to react and more.”
Yae frowned, “Now hold on, if you’re going to tell me how to deal with my feelings for you-”
“No, no,” Ei shook her head resolutely, “Nothing like that.”
Her cheeks seemed to flush slightly as she continued, “It helped me understand my feelings towards you though.”
“What do you mean, Ei?” Yae asked, still uncertain.
The dark haired girl chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry it took reading books and getting hit by Makoto with a pillow for me to realise how clueless I was.” She elaborated, “When I was reading, the book listed all the things a person wants to do or feels when they’re with the one they like. Like wanting to spend all your free time together, buying them gifts, the way you feel lighter and happier when you’re with them.”
Smiling softly at Yae, she said, “All I could think about is you.”
“Ei-”
“I like you, Miko.”
A soft gasp slipped from Yae’s lips at her confession and Ei continued to look at her with earnest eyes, waiting for her response.
Yae felt tears of relief brimming at the corner of her eyes and despite that, she had to ask, “You- You’re not just saying this because I confessed first, right?”
Ei shook her head as she replied firmly, “Even if you told me right now you no longer had feelings for me, it wouldn’t change. You’re the only person I like.”
The pink haired girl took a shuddering breath at her reply and nodded, unable to control her lips from spreading into a wide smile.
“Good.”
She moved swiftly and embraced Ei, who welcomed her sudden hug with open arms.
Muttering it directly into her ear, Yae teased, “You better not like anyone else, not after all that you put me through.” as she tightened her arms around Ei.
Ei laughed lightly herself, feeling immensely relieved. “Of course. I only have Yae Miko.”
Yae grinned, pulling back so she could take in Ei’s expression as well before she began to lean in.
Ei felt her heartbeat speed up as she focused on Yae’s lips, leaning in too as they met each other halfway.
They exchanged kisses for a short while, both feeling content and happy. Ei pulled back and noted, “You’re not wearing any lip product today.”
Yae scoffed, “Of course not. I was looking at all my lipsticks this morning and I realised three-quarters of it was bought by you.” She shook her head with a smile, “I couldn’t bear to use any of it since I figured you wouldn’t be looking at my lips anymore.”
“Oh. I see.” Ei replied, feeling a bit burdened by her words. “I- I apologise again for putting you through any pain, Miko.”
Yae waved her hand dismissively, still smiling. “You’re forgiven. I was at fault too.” Her expression turned teasing, “Although, I’m glad you clearly put effort into learning, you dork.”
“Who are you calling a dork, I’ll have you know that-”
Before Ei could ramble any further, Yae had moved closer and kissed her swiftly on the lips once again, effectively halting her train of thought.
“Miko-”
“Hmm, I think I do need something on my lips.” Yae thought aloud. “Got anything with you, Ei?”
“Right, uhm, I do.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small tube of lipstick and passed it over.
“Thanks!” the pink haired girl grinned, before opening the cap and fishing out her phone to use it as a make-shift mirror to apply it properly. Ei stood, staring at Yae; entranced by the way the colour spread smoothly over her lips.
Smacking her lips together lightly as she finished applying the lipstick, she capped the lipstick shut and kept her phone back in her pocket as her gaze shifted back to Ei. With a sly smirk, she leaned closer to her and whispered, “Now, where was I?” Before she grasped the lapel of Ei’s uniform and pulled her in.
.
.
.
“Ei! Oh my gosh, tell me how it went!” Makoto called out as she spotted her sister’s back and reached out to clasp her shoulder.
As Ei turned around, Makoto let out a soft gasp, eyes widening.
“Oh my-”
“Hey. It went well, to put it simply.” Ei smiled cheerfully.
Makoto cleared her throat, “Uh, yes, I can clearly see that.”
Ei’s smile dropped as she frowned slightly in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“Have you looked in a mirror yet?”
“No? Why would I have to-” Ei started to question before she sighed, “Follow me to the bathroom.”
The twins walked briskly to the closest bathroom and Ei’s jaw dropped slightly at the sight of her own reflection in the mirror. Makoto stood behind her, now smiling nervously.
Her face had visible lipstick marks plastered on it, three on her cheeks, one on the forehead and one at the corner of her lips. Yae seemed to have even snuck one onto the collar of her white shirt.
“She- I can’t believe-”
Makoto winced slightly at the tone of Ei’s voice, rushing to add, “Oh, well, it’s easy to remove now that we’re here.”
“That’s not the point, I’ve been walking around school for thirty minutes looking like this!” she exclaimed. “This is why everyone’s been staring at me!”
“Ei-”
“I can’t believe this is what she meant by ‘No one will ever tease you about kissing again’...” Ei groaned. Makoto couldn’t help but laugh at that, as she patted Ei’s shoulder softly in comfort.
“The girl of your dreams, by the way.”
“... I know.”
.
.
.
As the weekend rolled around, Makoto and Ei had plans to meet up with Venti and Zhongli for lunch and Makoto insisted on inviting Yae along as well, much to Ei’s concern.
“Oh come on, Ei, what’s there to worry about?” She asked as they walked to the cafe the five of them were supposed to meet at.
“I don’t want to subject Miko to Venti’s ability to annoy every living person.” Ei grumbled, arms crossed.
Makoto chuckled, “Yes, I’m sure that’s the reason and not because it’s more likely for Yae and Venti to tease you at the same time.”
Ei merely rolled her eyes in reply as she let out another grumble, “Not true.” She turned to face her sister, “What if Miko feels awkward with all four of us?”
“Oh so now it’s about her feeling awkward? Ei, please. She’s probably more friendly with Zhong Li than you are.”
Ei gasped softly, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was Makoto’s turn to roll her eyes good-naturedly at her, shaking her head with a smile. “Nothing, you drama queen. I just meant she won’t feel uncomfortable with us four, so don’t fret.”
“Hm, fine.” Ei relented. As her sister’s words fully sank in, she exclaimed, “Hold on Makoto, stop calling me a dramatic-”
“Who’s dramatic? If they are, I’d like to meet them!” A cheerful voice rang out, interrupting their conversation, much to the relief of Makoto and annoyance of Ei.
As the twins turned around, the sight of Venti grinning greeted them.
“Hi Venti.” Makoto waved politely before continuing with a giggle, “Don’t worry, you already know who it is.” His eyes sparkled with interest as she concluded, “It’s Ei.”
Venti let out a laugh as Ei groaned, deciding to just continue walking ahead to the cafe in response, leaving the amused pair to follow behind her.
Upon reaching the cafe, her eyes widened slightly in surprise upon seeing Zhong Li and Yae already seated, chatting away without noticing the trio approaching.
“Really? I think that osmanthus wine-” Yae paused midway upon spotting them and smiled, “Oh, hi you three. About time you showed up.”
Greetings were exchanged as the trio sat down, Ei immediately sitting right next to Yae as Makoto moved to sit opposite her with Venti taking a seat at the side of the table close to Zhong Li and Yae.
Idle chatter passed around the table as they settled on what to order with both Yae and Makoto chiding Ei for attempting to order a dessert for her lunch and Venti ordering a cocktail despite it still being early afternoon.
After their orders were settled (Ei chose to have a salmon rice bowl to appease her sister and Yae), Venti directed his attention towards Ei and smirked, “So, a little birdie told me they saw the ever stoic, serious and shy Raiden Ei with a rather interesting look this Monday.”
Ei glared at the shorter boy as she replied, “Firstly, I am neither of those three things you mentioned and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Playing innocent, I see!”
“No. I actually have no clue what you mean.”
“Oh. Well I’m sure Zhong Li knows what I’m talking about!” He grinned as he nudged the taller boy seated near his left.
Zhong Li seemed to ponder over what Venti was saying before his eyes lit up in realisation and he nodded, “Yes, it was quite a memorable image of you, Ei.”
She frowned, still uncertain of what they meant. Makoto nudged her sister with her foot, catching her attention before she pointedly looked at Yae.
Glancing at Yae, the pink haired girl seemed to be holding in a laugh as she purposefully looked away from her.
Ei felt her face flush upon recalling what exactly happened on Monday and spluttered, “Are you guys talking about- fuck, the lipstick marks?”
“Yup.” Venti looked at her with a smug grin before turning to Yae, “And it seems we have the perpetrator right here too.”
“My finest work so far, really.” Yae returned his smug grin with one of her own. “You guys should have seen Ei, so cute and dazed as I kissed her all-” A hand hurriedly slapped over Yae’s mouth and Ei, now blushing to the tips of her ears, exclaimed, “That’s enough, Miko!”
“Oh come on, let her share more! It’s only been two weeks since your 18th birthday and so much has happened, we want to know more, right Li?” He nudged Zhong Li once again, trying to garner more support. The taller boy nodded his agreement, “It does seem like it would be a rich story. I always enjoy Yae’s retellings too.”
Ei glared at them both, huffing out a “It’s none of your business.”
Yae easily pried Ei’s hand away from her, “Okay, okay, don’t want to upset you any further.” She said before she turned her head to give Ei a quick peck on her cheek.
Venti grinned upon seeing this and opened his mouth to make a remark only to be stopped by Makoto who smoothly brought up another topic.
The kiss on the cheek and change of conversation seemed to pacify Ei as she only let out an intelligible grumble before she decided to resume eating.
She felt she was finally in the clear, enjoying her meal and for a while it was true, simple conversation flowing easily between the five of them before Venti spoke up loudly once again.
“So have you guys had sex yet?”
Makoto tried to reach out to hold back her twin but Ei moved faster.
“Ei what are you doing- Ow! Help!”
The rest of their lunch was spent prying Ei’s hands away from Venti’s collar as Yae looked on in amusement.
.
.
“How nice of the three of them to let us have a bit of alone time, don’t you think?” Yae remarked as she laced her fingers together with Ei’s, the pair walking further behind the trio as they headed to the theatre.
“… I guess.” Ei replied.
Yae chuckled, reaching with her free hand to poke her cheek playfully. “Aw, don’t tell me you’re still annoyed about Venti teasing you?”
Ei immediately grumbled back, “I am not!” She huffed, “I’m just unsure about the movie we’re going to watch, that’s all.”
“Hm, sure.” Yae hummed, smiling at Ei as she leaned over to peck her on the cheek again. “You’re cute when you’re such a grouch.”
“I am not a grouch…” Ei mumbled in mild protest before Yae gave her a pointed look, “Okay, maybe some of what he said did bother me a bit.”
The pink haired girl let out a chuckle at her admission and squeezed her hand, “He meant no harm by it, but I’ll tell him to buzz off if he does it again, okay? I won’t contribute anymore either.”
Ei smiled in relief, “Thanks, Miko.”
The pair continued walking in a comfortable silence until Yae spoke up again.
“Oh and don’t worry about the sex thing.” Yae winked at her, lips curled into a grin, “We’ll have plenty of time to learn together.”
“Oh my god, Miko!”
The laugh Yae let out was loud enough to catch the attention of the trio walking in front.