Chapter 10

"Fukushima-san."

Anzu sat on her bed back in her hotel room with a blank stare at the wall. Machi had been called for her student council duties when a teacher was alerted that her roommate was feeling under the weather. Sure, the girl looked a little red in the face, however that was the only physical abnormality.

"Fukushima-san."

The trance seemed to break as the crimsonette turned her head towards the voice. "Huh?"

"The bathroom is open."

"O-Oh, right!" Anzu immediately got up and rummaged through her bag before hurrying to take a shower. As she turned on the water, she felt antsy, flustered, and giddy at the same time. It hadn't been too long since, but she couldn't forget about Momiji's kiss. It seemed to be permanently etched in her brain and she honestly didn't know how to deal with it. Trying to focus on getting under the warm heat of the water, she looked over to get her soap and was confused by the disaster of products sprawled on the sink counter. She could've sworn she organized them when they first arrived.

When Anzu came out of the bathroom, Machi was already in bed with the lights off. She couldn't tell if the female was actually asleep or not, but she knew she couldn't go to sleep like this.

"Um… Machi, are you awake?"

"No."

Laying down in her own bed, Anzu looked towards Machi through the darkness and whispered. "Can I ask you for some advice?" When she received no response, the female continued to speak. "If you really liked someone, how would you go about pursuing them? I've never really had anyone to talk to about stuff like this and I thought maybe you could-"

Machi was honestly irritated with this ordeal. For one, she didn't have any real experience in this area and didn't know how to express that. She wanted to tell her that she was asleep and not to bother her, but she saw how out of it the girl had been since she came back. Maybe if she listened to her, this could wrap up quickly and she'd be able to go back to being alone.

"If they like you back, fine. If they don't, don't waste your time."

The answer seemed simple enough as Anzu thought it over. Suddenly, her chest didn't seem as tight as it felt before. He kissed her after all, and in movies, that was usually the final determining factor. Machi didn't feel like a bad person anymore, and maybe if they hung out a little more, they could possibly be friends.

"Thank you!" Anzu smiled. "I'll listen to you if you have anything you want to say too."

There was a bit of silence before Machi answered her, as if she was contemplating whether she felt comfortable with her or not.

"Good night."

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"Good morning, Lola! Are you feeling better?"

Anzu was ambushed by Momiji a few moments after she left her room with her bags, Haru following a few steps behind. It was time for the second years to return back to school. When she woke up that morning, she thought things would be a little better between her and Machi, but the female completely ignored her and left earlier.

"U-Um, yeah…" She answered with a smile. Everything was fine as he walked towards her, but by the time he stood next to her, Anzu felt herself starting to clam up. What if he asked about the kiss? Was she supposed to mention it? Why did everything feel so different now? She thought she came to terms with everything last night before she went to sleep, but now her palms felt sweaty and she could barely speak..

"Are you sure? You still look a little red…"

"I feel great!" Anzu ducked under his arm as Momiji tried to feel her forehead. "Let's go put our stuff away." She hurried off towards the bus with her bag.

Haru watched Anzu scurry off before looking towards Momiji. "What did you do to her when I left the room?"

"We just talked…" The blond answered with a small frown. "And… I may have kissed her…"

"There it is."

"I thought it was a good idea and I couldn't help myself!" Momiji looked towards the male, his drooping rabbit ears starting to show. "How do I fix this? Did I make a mistake?"

"Just-"

Momiji was already two steps ahead of him, not stopping to listen to what he was going to say. "I should just go after her." Haru immediately grabbed the male's arm to stop him before he could cause a scene.

"Just give it some time."

On the bus ride home, Anzu sat next to Machi towards the back of the bus and avoided eye contact with Momiji as he sat down with Hatsuharu. She felt really bad that she was essentially ignoring him again, but how could she talk to him with her head spinning like this?

"Machi… I think your advice was easier said than done." The redhead frowned as she turned to her once the bus started moving.

"They don't like you?"

"It's not that…" Anzu fumbled with the strap of her bag in her lap. "You know how in movies when the lead and their love interest kiss, then the screen goes black? What happens after that? How do I make sure the happily ever after is secured?"

Machi looked in the serious eyes of the girl beside her and, before she knew it, a small giggle escaped from her lips. Automatically, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as Anzu's face turned beet red. She didn't mean to laugh at her concern, but the concept was a little amusing. "I-I'm sorry!"

Despite Anzu's obvious embarrassment, she was surprised by the female's sudden change of emotion. Regardless, it was a nice change, like the gray haired female was a little more comfortable with her. "I sound silly, don't I?"

"I promise I'm not making fun of you, Fukushima-san." Machi immediately replied. "I was just a little thrown off… You do know that we're kind of complete strangers…"

"I don't think so. We're roommates and we did community service together." Anzu answered innocently. "In the movies I've seen, girls always talk and become close with roommates on school trips."

"Why are you always referring to movies? Don't you know movies and real life are two separate things?"

Anzu could feel herself retreating in her seat. Things seemed that way ever since she left home, but for some reason, she couldn't distinguish it. Her real life wasn't like everyone else's; she didn't have the experience to see things that way. The only way she made it this far was from information she got from movies, so she thought it would just continue that way. Before she knew it, a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"F-Fukushima-san? Why are you crying?" Machi blinked before hurriedly looking through her own bag for some tissues. Producing a crumpled pack out of the messy bag, she awkwardly handed them off. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I don't know much, but I'm still trying to learn about the world just like you and-"

"You didn't make me upset! I just realized something." The redhead assured her with a smile as she wiped away her tears. "When I started school here, it turned out a lot different than I thought. You probably know a little about my situation since you're on the student council, but I was hoping more than anything that I could at least make a friend. Will you be my friend, Machi?"

Machi could see the loneliness in the teen's eyes and some of it reminded her of herself. She wasn't too sure of how their paths aligned in those terms, but she was aware that the crimsonette was isolated from the rest of the school. Despite that, she seemed very sincere and kind-hearted. Machi was on a path of self-redemption herself and felt that if she had someone helping her in that aspect, then maybe she could try to help someone else with their own circumstances.

"Sure, Fuku-"

"You can call me Anzu if you want!"

"...A-Anzu."

The redhead immediately smiled brightly at this and clasped Machi's hands between hers in excitement. Finally, she had a female friend that was her age! Maybe one day they could eat lunch together or go shopping. All the possibilities swarmed through Anzu's head at lightning speed.

"Um, going back to what you were asking earlier… I think it's our job to find and work towards that 'happily ever after'." Machi thought over her words. "You can't compare it to anything though. Just take it one day at a time…"

"Wow, you're really smart, Machi." Anzu looked at her, astonished. "You also have a pretty laugh too."

Machi immediately deflected with a blush. "Y-You're exaggerating…"

"So… are you in a relationship with anyone?"

"No! N-not currently…"

"You like someone?! Who is it! You have to tell me!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do! We're friends now!"

"Lower your voice!"