Clusterhug

1

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Aiura outstretched a brightly colored bag out to Teruhashi. It was neon pink, adorned with green hearts. She was dressed in her usual school outfit, with the exception of a festive heart-shaped pin, some holiday-appropriate painted nails, and a grin on her face.

"Aiura-san! You surprised me," said Teruhashi, looking up from her notebook spread out on her desk. "Happy Valentine's to you, too! Ah, what's that...?"

Aiura cleared her throat and straightened out.

"I made you a little somethin' somethin' for today, and I wanted to give it to you before I chickened out."

Made...? Oh! Did she make these?

"Here! Take it!" Aiura seemed more frazzled than Teruhashi had ever seen her.

"Thank you, that's very sweet of you!"

Crap, now I'll have to give her something. I didn't think she'd pull this little stunt out of nowhere. I mean, I didn't even think we were friends...

"I haven't gotten tomo chocolate since I was a little girl!" She giggled. "Brings me back."

"Ah, hold up! Um..." Aiura laced her hands together, pointing at the bag of chocolate with her index fingers. "Those aren't exactly tomo chocolates..."

Teruhashi lightly tugged at the ribbon.

"Well, there's no point being all silly about this, right?" She chuckled and took a breath. "Those are honmei."

"Oh!"

Wait...

"Oh." Teruhashi put the bag down on her desk and looked up at Aiura. "These are...?"

"Yeah! So, I kinda sorta like you, I think? Well, not 'I think,' I know I do, but- Crap, I already screwed this up, didn't I?"

Teruhashi was still in shock.

"I- No! No, you... you're fine! I just-"

"I know, I know– it's not what you expected, right?" Aiura smiled awkwardly. "Cause' I'm not a dude, and it's Valentine's Day and stuff."

That's on the mark, alright! I mean, with all the people who are amazed by me, I'm sure at least a few of them have to be girls, but her? She just confessed? Today? Just like that?

It was a very rare occurrence for Teruhashi.

"Terukoko? You still there...?"

"Yes!" she said, snapping out of her spiral. "I'm sorry. I do have to say that this was unexpected."

"Yeah, guess it couldn't have hurt to have been a teensy bit more obvious about this sorta thing," she said, trying to laugh it off. "I think you are very pretty, and uh... and I think you're cute and stuff, and you seem like a sweetie and I want to get to know you better!"

Oh, she- Wait, what?

"Aha! There goes all my confidence! But like, yeah..."

"A-Aiura-san, I..." Teruhahsi held a straight face in an attempt to hide the sirens firing off in her head. Most of them said things like:

She just confessed to me? Out of nowhere...? We don't even talk that often! I didn't think she'd just-! Oh my God, were there any signs? Was I not paying attention? What did I miss? And she's... Well, she's a girl! A girl likes me! I still don't know how to feel about that... And how-

"You don't have to say anything right now," said Aiura, fixing her bag. "I mean, we don't even really have lots of time to talk about it right now. I sure picked a great time to do this, eh?"