"Ne, Rika," Ai said suddenly, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek as she peeked up at her best friend with a sly grin. "Wanna come over to my house later?"
Rika blinked, caught off-guard. She looked up from her half-empty bento box, her lips still stained with sweet soy glaze. "Huh? Today?"
"Mm-hm," Ai chirped, tone light and innocent. Too innocent.
Rika narrowed her eyes, suspicion flaring. What is this sudden invitation? It's not like she hasn't asked before, but today feels… different. She's been acting weirdly clingy since lunch. And she's never just randomly offered out of nowhere like this. Something's up…
"Why?" Rika asked, skeptical. "Is something going on?"
Ai leaned forward on her elbows, resting her chin in her hands, grinning even wider. "Not really. I just thought... maybe you'd wanna come hang out. You've never stayed long at our place before."
Liar. I've been there enough times. Granted, not alone... and not since she started acting all 'Onii-chan is my whole world' levels of intense. So what's this about? A trap?
Rika tilted her head. "Not gonna lie, that's kinda out of the blue."
Ai shrugged, eyes glinting. "Maybe. But I thought you'd wanna see him too."
"...See who?"
She didn't need to ask. She already knew. But Ai made it official, voice light and smug.
"Onii-chan."
Rika scoffed, leaning back against the bench. "There it is."
Ai's smile only grew more smug. "You do like him, don't you?"
"I like him the same way I like pancakes. Sweet. Nice. Easy to like," Rika said, casually stabbing a piece of karaage with her chopsticks. "Doesn't mean I wanna make out with pancakes."
Ai laughed. "You're so weird."
"Says the girl who's romantically obsessed with her brother."
"Touché," Ai conceded.
Rika popped the chicken into her mouth, chewing slowly as Ai fiddled with her phone, the screen briefly catching the light. Probably Shin's name glowing on her messages again.
Then, as if she hadn't just offered her home like it was nothing, Ai added sweetly, "You can come. Just… don't try anything funny."
Rika choked on the last bite. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Ai didn't even blink. "Don't try anything weird with my Onii-chan. He's taken."
"By you, no less," Rika muttered under her breath.
"Exactly."
Rika stared at her, incredulous. "So let me get this straight. You invite me over, tease me with seeing your brother, and then warn me not to breathe in his direction?"
"Pretty much!" Ai grinned innocently.
What kind of delusional confidence is that? Does she think I'm gonna pounce on him the second I cross the threshold? I mean… okay, he is hot. Like, stupidly hot. And nice. And smells like warm vanilla and masculinity. And he makes pancakes. But still! I have restraint! I'm not some wild beast just waiting to jump him the moment she blinks!
"...I'm not going," Rika declared after a pause, folding her arms. "Too much stress."
Ai tilted her head. "Even if I cook?"
Rika froze.
Ai leaned forward, pouting playfully. "I was gonna make sukiyaki. You always say I make it better than your mom."
"...She doesn't need to know that," Rika grumbled, already weakening.
"And miso soup with the soft tofu you like."
No. No, Rika. Stay strong. Don't fall for her tricks. Food is not a weapon. Food is not—
"And I was thinking of trying out that tamagoyaki recipe you liked. The sweet one with extra dashi."
Dammit. She's a devil in a cute uniform. How does she always know my weak spots? First it was those star-shaped bento cuts, now it's the tamagoyaki...
"Fine," Rika sighed dramatically. "But if you poison me with your love-sick cooking, I'm suing."
Ai giggled. "Deal!"
"...And I want pancakes."
Ai blinked. "What?"
"You heard me." Rika pointed her chopsticks at her like a judge issuing a sentence. "Your brother's pancakes. I want those. I want them thick and fluffy and dripping with maple syrup. I don't even care if it's breakfast or not."
Ai rolled her eyes fondly. "You're so greedy."
"You invited me. You cook. He flips. That's the deal."
Ai snorted, then pulled out her phone. Her fingers tapped quickly against the screen as she composed a message. Rika leaned over to peek—not that she could really read from this angle.
"You texting him now?"
"Yep. Letting him know he better have his apron ready."
Rika blinked. "You're texting him during class?"
"He always replies," Ai said proudly.
Of course he does. If I were him, I'd dropkick the whole curriculum just to hear her say his name. It's ridiculous how obsessed they are. It's like they live on their own private wavelength. And somehow I keep getting dragged into their little world like I belong here. Like…
Ai giggled again, showing her screen. "See?"
Sure enough, a new message popped up:
Shin: Pancakes for dinner? You bringing Rika?
Rika's eyes widened. "He knew?"
"I always tell him about you," Ai replied casually.
...She does. I've heard her do it. In the hallways. At her locker. She talks about me to him like we're an inseparable duo. Like I'm just as much a part of her story as he is. Like I matter in their little world. And maybe… maybe I do. Not the way she loves him, sure. But still… she thinks of me. Tells him about me. That has to mean something, right?
"Tell him I want my pancakes golden, not burnt," Rika muttered, trying to hide her flustered grin behind her chopsticks.
Ai typed quickly and then paused, looking up at her.
"You're coming, right?" she asked again, voice chipper.
Rika sighed, then grinned. "Yeah. I'll come."
And just like that, the date was set. Ai packed up the rest of her lunch, texting Shin that she and Rika would be home by five. Rika followed her through the courtyard, her mind racing with everything and nothing.
It's just a normal visit. It's not like I haven't been there before. But it feels different this time. Because she invited me like I mattered. Because she said she loves me. And even if she didn't mean it the way I secretly want her to… it still means something.
It means I'm part of her life. Part of their world. And that's enough. For now.
---
The school gates creaked lightly as Ai and Rika stepped through them, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the sidewalk. It was a beautiful, lazy kind of day—the kind where the world seemed to hum in a low, contented way, where even the air felt thick with drowsy warmth.
Rika adjusted her bag on her shoulder, kicking a pebble across the pavement as they fell into step. Ai walked close beside her, their strides naturally matching without thought. They had done this so many times before, over so many afternoons, it felt like muscle memory. Familiar. Safe.
Yet somehow, today felt different.
Maybe it was because Ai had said she loved her. Maybe it was because they were going to her house, just the two of them, without any of the usual distractions. Maybe it was because Rika's heart wouldn't stop skipping every third beat like a broken metronome.
Whatever the reason, Rika found herself hyper-aware of every small movement.
The brush of their sleeves.
The scuff of their shoes against the sidewalk.
The way Ai's hair shimmered golden in the late sun.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Ai moving closer until she felt it—soft fingers brushing against the back of her hand, then slipping easily between her fingers like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Rika blinked down, startled.
Ai had grabbed her hand.
Just… reached out and took it without a word, swinging their joined hands lightly between them as they walked.
Like it was nothing.
Like it was everything.
...Wait. What?
"Ai," Rika said, voice pitching up slightly. "What're you doing?"
Ai glanced at her, all wide-eyed innocence, as if she hadn't done anything unusual at all. "Holding your hand," she said simply.
"I can see that," Rika muttered, feeling her cheeks warm.
"So?"
"So..." Rika looked around instinctively, half-expecting someone to stare. "Why?"
Ai blinked again, her smile unfurling slow and easy. "Because we're best friends, duh."
As if that explained everything. As if that excused the way her fingers tightened slightly around Rika's, warm and sure and solid.
As if it was obvious.
As if she always had the right.
And maybe… maybe she did.
They had done this a thousand times before, after all. During childhood walks home. During middle school festivals. During thunderstorms and crowded festivals and lazy Sunday markets.
Every time, Ai had just grabbed her hand without asking, without hesitating, and Rika had always let her.
Because it was Ai.
Because it was them.
Because it had always felt right.
But it didn't feel the same anymore, did it?
Not when my heart's pounding so loud I'm scared she'll hear it. Not when every tiny squeeze of her fingers feels like a promise I'm too scared to hope for. Not when she says "best friends" and it stings a little, even when it makes me happy, even when I know that's all she means.
Rika swallowed hard, keeping her gaze forward.
"You didn't even ask this time," she said, trying for teasing, but her voice came out too soft.
Ai squeezed her hand again, grinning. "I never ask."
"Yeah, well," Rika grumbled, cheeks heating, "maybe someday I'll sue you for harassment."
Ai laughed, the sound pure and light, as if the idea of Rika ever truly pulling away from her was the funniest thing in the world.
"You love it," she teased.
Rika didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Because she did.
She loved it more than anything.
And it terrified her.
They walked like that for blocks, hand in hand, not speaking, just existing together. The sun dipped lower, throwing the sky into pinks and golds. The cicadas buzzed in the trees. A gentle breeze stirred the edge of Ai's skirt, the loose strap of her bag bouncing lightly against her hip.
Rika memorized everything.
The feel of Ai's small fingers twined with hers.
The faint scent of shampoo and summer grass clinging to her hair.
The way Ai leaned closer when a group of older boys on bikes rushed past, as if automatically seeking protection from her, even though Rika was barely taller.
She's so trusting. So stupidly trusting. She doesn't even realize what it does to me. How hard it is sometimes not to just…
Rika shook her head sharply, trying to banish the dangerous thought.
Ai noticed the movement and smiled up at her, mistaking it for annoyance. "Don't be grumpy," she said, swinging their hands playfully. "You're supposed to be happy. You're coming to my house, remember? Pancakes and sukiyaki await."
"I'm not grumpy," Rika muttered.
"Then smile!"
"I am smiling!"
"You look like you're being tortured."
"Well, walking around with you clinging to me like a koala kinda is."
Ai laughed again, bumping her shoulder gently into Rika's. "You're lucky I'm cute."
"You're lucky I don't push you into traffic."
"Hmph. Onii-chan would save me."
"Of course he would," Rika said under her breath, heart twisting. "He always does."
Ai didn't hear the sadness there. She never did.
Or maybe she did, and just chose not to see it.
They passed the old bakery on the corner, the one that still put out free samples even though every kid in town abused it. Ai tugged Rika over without hesitation, dragging her to the little wooden table stacked with tiny trays.
"Ooh, they have melonpan today!" Ai squealed, snatching a sample cube with her free hand.
"You're shameless," Rika said, but grabbed one too, popping it into her mouth.
Sweet, fluffy, perfect.
Like everything else today, it tasted too good.
I'm going to remember this forever, aren't I? This dumb little walk. The feel of her hand. The taste of bread and sunlight and something almost like happiness. I'm going to remember it years from now, when she's gone, when she's someone else's. And it's going to hurt like hell.
Ai munched happily beside her, unaware of the storm raging barely a foot away.
Finally, as they neared the quieter residential streets, Ai slowed, her steps almost lazy. Rika half-expected her to let go now that no one was around to see.
But Ai didn't.
If anything, she held tighter.
As if daring her to pull away.
"You really are my favorite person, you know," Ai said suddenly, voice soft, almost shy.
Rika's heart stuttered painfully.
"You're my best friend," Ai continued, squeezing their joined hands for emphasis. "My very best, best friend. Always."
Always.
Such a simple word.
Such a dangerous one.
She means it like a child making a pinky promise. She means it like a sunrise that doesn't know it will eventually fade. She means it without knowing how much it hurts me. And I love her for it. God, I love her for it.
Rika forced a smile, blinking up at the sky so Ai wouldn't see the sting in her eyes.
"Yeah," she said hoarsely. "Always."
---
END OF CHAPTER : 59 : UNEXPECTED INVITATION!
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