Chapter 163 Girls Nights out – Pizza time! p. 2

(Akane's PoV)

—

Sora stared at me as she kept waving her hands over her mouth to cool it down.

"W-why do you eat this?! And How?!"

"Because the first bite feels like dying, and the second one feels like winning, Sora-chaaan!" I grinned.

"That makes absolutely no sense!" The angel exclaimed.

"Then just try another."

"Akane!"

I laughed, but then Sora looked down at the pizza.

She hesitated at first, but then she took another bite. This time she knew what was coming, but she still coughed and then reached for the water.

But she was laughing too.

"This, hah, hah," she wheezed, wiping her eyes, "is the best dinner of my life." She looked at the salami. "And I'm crying over a fucking pizza—" She then covered her mouth.

Hoshiko and I looked at each other for an instant with wide eyes before moving our gaze to Sora and grinning.

"Did you really say a bad word, Lady Folder?" Hoshiko said, covering her own mouth in 'shock.' "Oh no! Oh no no no!!"

After an instant, I raised my glass.

"To personal growth, and to the fact that Sora is finally being a real person. Kanpaaaai!"

She laughed again, and then raised her glass. Hoshiko did the same, too.

"Kanpaaaaaaaai!" We all exclaimed in unison. 

By the time we finished eating, Hoshiko had somehow devoured her entire Margherita, most of the appetizers, and a third of the garlic bread Midori had kindly brought us on the house.

I had no idea where she put it all, but I was the last person on Earth to speak about food. Then she leaned back with both hands resting on her stomach.

Her eyes were half closed, her cheeks were pink, and her lips looked slightly swollen from repeatedly burning herself.

She stared at the ceiling. "I regret nothing. Absolutely nothing. Hoshiko Tsukishiro is fully satisfied and will leave a really five-star ultra-positive review on this place."

"You should regret the garlic bread, because I must now maintain a safety distance from you," I said, closing my nose.

"Oh, come on..." She sighed peacefully. "It's not that bad..."

I shook my head.

Then Hoshiko turned toward Sora.

"Hey, Lady Folder."

"Yes?"

"Since now I've decided that it's gossip time, I'll ask you a very important question: is there someone you like?" Hoshiko said, and I performed a mental facepalm.

In that moment, Sora's blush immediately reached her ears, and her wide eyes moved to me.

'Help me, Akane...' I could literally hear her request. 

I felt like every word in this situation was wrong.

"Oooooh? I know that reaction. Ohohohohoh..." Hoshiko grinned, leaning closer to her. "Who is it? Tell Hoshiko..." 

Sora leaned back and moved her gaze to the floor. Well... openly admitting she's in love with my boyfriend isn't something you'd say... 

"I... I... Uhm—" She stammered, not looking at Hoshiko.

"Uh... Okay. I get it. So..." Hoshiko then leaned back in her chair. "Who is it? Is he cool? I don't know, but I feel that this guy might be someone like Shin." 

My heart skipped a beat while Sora flinched and immediately moved her gaze to Hoshiko. 

"WHAT?! N-no no no no!! It's not Shin!" She said, but her body and her voice told something else entirely.

"Ah. Okay." Hoshiko looked at me, scratched the back of her head, then looked back at Sora. "So he must be really cool, I think. Uh..."

"What about you, Hoshiko? Is there someone you like?" I said, trying to change the topic. 

"Eh? Me? Are you joking, baby wolf? Do I even have time to find a crush?" She said, her voice flat. "But... in the past... I really liked Shin, you know?" 

"I know..." I sighed. "But that's past..." 

"Right... that's past. Super past. Heh." She looked away, blushing. 

"Hoshiko? What was that reaction?" I asked, leaning closer to her, my voice sharpening.

"Hehe! Nothing! It's just that... after the sleepover..." She poked her index fingers together. "Well... you know... I kinda—"

"Okay. Stop it now." 

"Okay, baby wolf." 

Meanwhile, I saw Sora letting out a sigh of relief. 

I smiled at her and then gently squeezed her hand under the table. 

"Don't worry, Sora..." I whispered to her. 

 She smiled back at me, but her hand trembled.

"Okay, let's talk about capybaras." Hoshiko then looked at Sora again. "Do you like capybaras, Lady Folder? Because I love them. Capybaras are beautiful." 

"Eh? Y-yeah. I do. But my favorite animal is the parrot." 

"What? Parrots? Are you serious? You like someone who actually likes butterflies." Hoshiko said.

"Oh no. I hate butterflies." Sora said, her voice returning to normal.

I let them talk for a little, until my phone buzzed against my thigh.

'Mh?'

I took it out beneath the table.

Shin:There are a lot of things to tell... We met Izumi again, but Daiki is okay now. It's a long story but I'll tell you tonight. How's girls' night?

I smiled.

Akane:Hoshiko accidentally ordered a banquet while Sora swallowed a firework. Everything is fine, except that I miss you a lot.

His reply arrived almost immediately.

Shin:Haha... that sounds accurate. Miss you too, love. ♥

I stared at it for a second and smiled like a fucking idiot.

'Dumbhead...'

I loved him so much.

Then I put my phone face down and reached for the last piece of garlic bread. I felt three other vibrations, but I'd decided to read them after dinner. 

A few minutes later, Midori appeared with our dessert.

One portion of tiramisu and three spoons.

She placed it in the center of the table, wished us a pleasant evening, and hurried off before Hoshiko could invent another reason to harass her.

Hoshiko waited until she was gone. She literally did a countdown and then she dug in.

One bite and she stopped chewing.

I raised an eyebrow.

'Here we go again.'

Her eyes widened, and then slowly closed. "Oh..."

"Hoshiko."

She swallowed. "It's good."

"Good?"

She looked at me. "It's so good."

Then her expression turned grave. "I must thank Midori with a free tattoo."

I blinked. "What?"

"I owe her a tattoo."

Then she took another bite and, to my surprise, she put down her spoon, pushed her chair back, and stood up

"Midori-chan! A toast, please! A toast with chocolate cream!" 

I stared at her. "Hoshiko, we're in a restaurant, not a bakery..."

"That's exactly where toasts happen!" She then picked up her glass of cola and raised it high above her head.

I sighed. 'Oh, God.'

Sora looked delighted.

Hoshiko cleared her throat with exaggerated importance.

"To baby wolf!"

I looked up.

"Who brought me a friend!"

Her glass tilted toward Sora.

"To Lady Folder! Who brought me dried squid!"

Sora laughed.

"And..." Hoshiko paused, and her smile softened. "To having more than zero people at my table."

For a moment, she didn't say anything else. Her fingers tightened around the glass, and then she blinked quickly and grinned.

"Sorry! Must've been the pepper. Stronger than I expected."

I looked at her pizza plate.

"Hoshiko."

"Yeah?"

"You had a Margherita."

"I-I-I'm very sensitive."

Sora started laughing.

Then, to my surprise, she stood up too, holding her sparkling water with both hands.

I looked between them.

'Seriously? Another Kanpai? Fine...'

I rolled my eyes and got up with my cola. A girl has to pick her battles.

Hoshiko practically bounced on her feet.

"READY?!"

"Please don't shout," I warned.

"KANPAAAAAI!"

Of course.

"Kanpai," Sora and I answered, considerably more quietly.

Our glasses met above the table.

Clink.

Hoshiko looked delighted, then she spotted Midori passing nearby with an empty tray.

'Oh, no. No, no, no.' I could literally hear her voice cursing every existing entity.

"MIDORI-CHAN!"

The poor girl stopped while Hoshiko grabbed a glass of water from the nearby counter and held it out to her.

"YOU TOO!"

Midori stared at the glass. "I-I'm working—"

"FIVE SECONDS!"

"I really can't..."

Hoshiko turned toward the man behind the counter.

She gave him the biggest, most pleading eyes I'd ever seen.

The man folded his arms, looked at her, looked at Midori, and then shrugged.

Permission granted, apparently.

Hoshiko beamed.

"SEE?!"

Midori reluctantly accepted the glass with an expression between defeat and embarrasment. "K-kanpai..."

Hoshiko leaned closer.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Kanpai!"

"AGAIN!"

Midori squeezed her eyes shut.

"K-KANPAI!"

The shout carried across the restaurant, and a man at the bar even raised his glass while the couple at the next table started clapping their hands.

Midori stood frozen with the water held awkwardly in front of her, looking as though she'd just experienced the most humiliating five seconds of her professional career.

Hoshiko looked ready to adopt her.

"PERFECT!" Then she put her cola down and threw both arms around Sora and me at once and squeezed hard.

My forehead hit her shoulder, and Sora's elbow dug straight into my ribs.

"Hoshiko...!" She didn't let go, instead, she held us tighter.

"I love you both so much," she said, her voice was suddenly quiet.

I stopped struggling.

"Seriously. Thank you so much for tonight. This is much better than my lonely studio."

Sora looked up at her, and Hoshiko swallowed.

"I don't have a lot of people, you know." She smiled, but it was a little shaky. "And now I've got you two." Her arms tightened again. "I'm so happy I could die."

I pressed my face against her shirt.

"Hoshiko..."

"Yeah, baby wolf?"

"My ribs."

"Let them break. Love is painful."

Sora laughed through a few tears.

She hugged Hoshiko back, wrapping both arms around her.

I hesitated for a second. Then raised mine too. Awkwardly.

I'm still not very good at this, but I held them both.

"I love you too, fox," I muttered. Quietly. Veeery quietly.

Hoshiko's head snapped toward me.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"No, you didn't."

"I HAVE BAT EARS!"

"Then get them checked."

She laughed and squeezed us again.

Then, because apparently she hadn't caused enough chaos, she spotted Midori standing nearby.

"YOU TOO, MIDORI-CHAN! GROUP HUG!"

Midori looked horrified. She held her empty tray in front of herself like a shield. Then cautiously reached out and patted Hoshiko's shoulder.

Once. Very quickly. Before retreating.

Hoshiko pressed a hand against her chest.

"That counts."

I laughed.

'Jeez. What a ridiculous woman. What a wonderful, ridiculous woman.'

Paying the bill was almost as dramatic as dinner itself.

Hoshiko tried to grab it first, still holding a fork as if she were preparing to duel someone.

Luckily, I was faster.

"Tonight everything's on me," I reminded her.

She stared.

"You said that about the shops!"

"And?"

"And now you're paying for dinner too?!"

"Correct."

"BABY WOLF!"

Sora immediately reached for her wallet.

"Akane, at least let me contribute..."

"Nope."

"But you've already bought me so much!" Sora protested.

"You can thank me on Monday."

She hesitated. "H-how?"

I smiled. "Wear the ribbon."

Her mouth opened and then closed.

'Hah... Victory for Akane.'

The bill had an impressive number of zeros, mostly thanks to Hoshiko's accidental banquet, but I paid without commenting. Thank God for debit cards.

Then I left a tip that made Midori's eyes go wide and dragged my two lunatics toward the entrance.

Midori followed us to the door and then she bowed deeply.

"Thank you very much for coming. Please visit us again!"

Hoshiko raised both arms.

"WE WILL!"

Midori flinched.

"EVERY WEEK!"

The waitress stared at her for a moment and then sighed.

"...Okay..."

I almost lost it.

Then we stepped outside into the cool night air.

After the warmth of the restaurant, the cold felt wonderful.

Hoshiko emerged first, one hand pressed to her stomach.

She was still humming to herself.

Sora followed with her shopping bags, the black ribbon in her hair slightly crooked from all the hugging.

I took a deep breath.

The street smelled of rain, exhaust, and something close to the upcoming spring. Across the road, a neon sign flickered over damp pavement.

"I'm a balloon," Hoshiko announced.

I looked at her. "What?"

"A balloon! I'm going to float away!" She held out her sleeve to Sora. "Hold me down, Lady Folder!"

Sora obediently caught it. "I'm holding you."

"GOOD!"

Then we started walking toward Sora's house, Hoshiko in the middle with an arm linked through each of ours.

By the time we reached the pedestrian crossing, she'd already started explaining the plot of that ridiculous lighthouse movie to Sora.

I wasn't paying much attention.

The light was red, so we waited beneath a streetlamp while traffic passed in front of us.

Then something across the road caught my eye. It was purple. Bright purple.

A girl with vivid purple hair was walking backward along the opposite pavement, talking animatedly to two boys.

She was laughing, gesturing so wildly that I could hear her from where we stood. A silver ring flashed on her thumb whenever she moved her hand.

I frowned.

'That hair... Where had I seen it before?'

Then I noticed the boy walking beside her.

'Daiki.' I blinked. 'Daiki?'

He had his hands in his pockets and was laughing at something she'd said. He was actually laughing. Unexpected.

His face had color again, and he looked like the Daiki I remembered.

I should've been happy. I was happy. Mostly.

But there was a small, unpleasant part of me that immediately thought:

'Already?'

I hated that thought as soon as it appeared.

He'd been miserable all morning. Seeing him smile again was exactly what I'd wanted.

Still... Who the hell was that girl? Could it be the one at the arcade? I couldn't see her face properly... I had to get closer to them.

Then I noticed the other boy. He was a step behind Daiki, walking closer to the inside of the pavement.

My eyes widened. Shin. My Shin.

He had his jacket open, his school bag hanging from one shoulder, and his hands tucked into his pockets.

And beside him... A girl.

Brown hair reaching her shoulders. Neat cardigan. Pretty face. Too pretty.

She was talking to him, but the worst thing was that she was smiling.

I watched Shin tilt his head toward her, listening with that familiar, patient expression of his.

Then the purple-haired girl turned around.

"Kazuha! Don't walk like it's a funeral! You'll scare the stars!"

Kazuha. So that was her name.

The brown-haired girl laughed and answered something I couldn't hear while Shin nodded politely.

He kept his hands in his pockets, maintaining that careful distance he always kept with girls who weren't me.

About a meter... maybe a little more, and his shoulders were angled slightly away from her.

I knew that posture. He was being polite. Nothing more. I knew it. I knew he wouldn't flirt with another girl. I knew he loved me. 

Right...?

My hands slowly curled into fists.

"Baby wolf?" Hoshiko's voice sounded different. It was quieter.

She'd stopped talking. "Is that...?"

Beside her, Sora had gone completely pale. "Ishikawa-kun...?"

Her hand rose to her mouth, and for a moment, none of us moved.

Then the pedestrian light changed to green, but nobody crossed.

Cars continued along the road while the four of them headed toward the corner.

I kept watching.

The purple-haired girl disappeared behind a lamppost, reappeared for a second, then vanished around the bend with the others.

Shin disappeared last.

I was still staring after them when I realized my nails were digging into my palms.

Four little crescents.

I loosened my fists.

'Jeez. Get a grip, Akane.'

I looked toward the corner again. That purple hair, and I wondered again if she was the girl we met at the arcade.

"Okay, girls. It's time to make new friends," I said, my voice sharpening.