Nutshell

In Bloom

"Nonsense. It's gotta be nonsense."

Lily looked down at the cup of tea in front of her as she unknowingly squeezed far more honey than she usually did into it. Kokone, who sat beside her in the booth, expressed concern over this display. However, her drink was a little too much on the chocolatey side for her to say anything.

"Cheer up, Lily!" Cocorobo said from across the table. "It's like you said, that stuff probably won't come true. We just went to have fun, didn't we, Kokone?"

"Y-Yeah, we did..."

Lily shook her head before looking up from her tea. Even the pleasant smells that filled the charming café surrounding her were not enough to tear her mind away from the words she heard an hour prior.

"That isn't what you were saying before. You told me IA's never been wrong before."

"Whoa, don't get carried away," Coco lifted her arms to shield herself. "I was just building excitement for a cool thing we could do together! I didn't mean to say you'd actually die if she said you'd die. Besides, you're the one who kept saying it was fake. Why are you acting so worried about it?"

Lily quickly realized the sense Cocorobo had made, so she allowed herself to settle down. She took a couple of breaths before speaking again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just get like this sometimes."

"Believe me, I know. I've seen you at your worst," Cocorobo laughed.

Lily did not want to give any power to the negative thoughts, but ever since she heard the prediction that foretold her death, she could not seem to escape them. Cocorobo even reinforced the fact of the matter. Lily never believed what psychics had to say in the first place. Why did she feel this way?

"It just really isn't fair, is it? Why did you two get such good fortunes and I got the worst possible one?"

"Maybe she heard you trash-talking her and decided to get you back for it," Cocorobo snickered.

Lily sighed and looked back into her honey-filled drink. For a second, she wondered if such a thing could have been the case. She did sound a little critical when talking with the others in the waiting room. Even if IA was biased against her, Lily still felt some slight jealousy after not getting a positive reading. She really wanted to know about her future with Gumi. If she died, she would not even have a future.

Lily repressed that last thought as soon as it came to her. Entertaining it in any way would only hinder her mood. She needed to think good thoughts. She had to take her mind away from any potential negativity.

"P-Please don't be scared..." Kokone got Lily's attention. "It was just a little activity for the day. I think you're going to be okay..."

Kokone was not usually the comforting type. She often hid behind her other friends, only really communicating with people she liked. If she were to voice the slightest bit of concern over any subject, those around her knew to take it seriously.

"Okay. If you say so, Kokonut," Lily smiled at the brunette.

"Oh, so you'll listen to her but not me? I see how it is," Cocorobo teased.

"Yes, because she's my pal and I know I can trust her judgment."

"Glad to know I'm the third wheel in this friendship! You know, IA told me not to waste my kindness on people who don't deserve it. Maybe you should start looking for another bass player," Cocorobo playfully folded her arms.

"You better start giving me all the kindness in the world," Lily chuckled and reached for her cup. "I won't be alive for much longer."

Lily took a drink of her unsurprisingly sweet tea, but Kokone shot her an uncomfortable glance after she made such a remark.