It Starts With a Question

A Woman's Hearts

Touka was staring out of the window, admiring the view her school grounds provided. Her school year was almost over, but she wasn't feeling nervous for her final year at all. She had studied very hard this year and she was planning to work even harder for her third year. Her eyes caught the cherry blossom tree standing in the middle of the school ground. The flowers were beginning to sprout already, little pink buds were visible on the tree, announcing the arrival of spring.

"... Beautiful..."

Her mind strayed away from her vision, as memories from weeks ago submerged in her conscious. Her gaze stayed frozen on the tree, not even paying attention to her surroundings. She recalled clearly the intoxicating taste of his lips and his soft voice whispering in her ears, the feeling of his hands slowly caressing her face and those eyes, which gave her the feeling as if he had pierced through her soul, unravelling every feeling and secrets she held.

"Touka-chan!"

"Eh?" The almost senior high school girl snapped back into reality. "Ah Yoriko, is there something wrong?" She asked, quickly hiding her rushing feeling of nervousness and trying to calm down her raging beating heart.

"I was asking you that the whole time. You've been spacing out a lot lately and you stare at things for no apparent reason. Not only that, but you seem happier too, you're smiling a lot lately... Did anything good happen?" The blonde's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

The ghoul's cheeks reddened slightly. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh god, it's about that co-worker of yours, right?! Did you confess?! Did he confess? Or is it something else? I was really worried the last few weeks, since you were all sad, gloomy and depressed. I though he rejected you or that you had a fight."

"I keep telling you, I wasn't feeling very well during that time!" Touka protested. "And why do you think it's about him?"

"You've been staring at the window for a long time and smiling like some... lovestruck... okay, not love-struck, but like a person who got reunited with her/ his loved one. You smile more genuinely, not the ones that you usually give, when you pretend to be interested in something, but real smiles, that come from inside you and I've caught you blushing a lot and last but not least you're spacing out very day! You hardly pay any attention in the class, you're doodling... Strange pictures instead of taking notes. Those are the major signs for any girl in love!" Yoriko finished in a dramatic way. "My Touka-chan is in love! I knew it! I'm so happy for you! Who would have known that Kirishima Touka would fall in love! Especially with a guy who studies and loves literature; something you completely despise and don't understand!"

"Please be quiet and don't say any nonsense!" Touka tried desperately to calm her energetic friend down. She was in no mood to draw any unnecessary attention. Kaneki probably didn't want to get spotted when he visited her, so she should do her best to cover for him. "Seriously, you called me just to rant about my behaviour?"

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Yoriko exclaimed as she quickly sat down. "They're going to open a new swimming pool in a few weeks and I thought that we could go together!"

Touka gulped. Swimming, she never had the privilege to learn how to swim, since she was too busy with surviving and chasing off annoying pests who tried to hurt her or her brother. Then there's the part where the majority of the ghouls, never bother learning such trivial things, since it wouldn't be of any use to them. "I... don't have a swim suit..."

"We can always buy you one! That's one of the great things about swimming! The moment when you buy a swimsuit with your friends or do you prefer buying one with your boyfriend?" The blonde grinned. "Also, isn't it about that that you introduce him to me?"