in which minami kotori, a fashion student at otonokizaka university, develops a strange fondness for sonoda umi, the girl who sits in the row in front of hers.
[this book is based on a comic strip of kotoumi that inspired me to transform it into an...
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the calla lily: the flower of magnificence and beauty.
— in which the girls go to the library!
~
umi was never quite able to look kotori in the eyes after that day. every time she did, she remembers the shorter girl's creamy golden eyes as they lay in her bed for one, her tempting scent embracing umi in a guilty, shameful pleasure that she couldn't find anywhere else.
"we're here!" eli proclaims, her hand grabbing nozomi's as the bus neared the next stop.
umi looks up from her phone, where she had been scrolling through twitter, frowning at the news of donald trump's concentration camps in america. to her left, kotori was sleeping soundly, her pretty grey head resting on umi's upper arm, soft snores coming from her lips.
unsure of how to wake her, umi awkwardly shifts her arm, holding her breath as kotori stirs, sleepy golden eyes looking up at her. the younger girl groans and rubs at her eyes as she lifts her head, and umi turns away, trying to hide the shy blush coating her skin.
"let's go," umi mumbles, and gently grabs kotori's wrist, dragging the other girl out of the bus and onto the pavement, where eli and nozomi were eyeing them with a teasing glint in their gazes.
"y'all are cute," eli remarks casually, narrowly missing umi's death glare, and laces her fingers with nozomi's as the pair walk up the steps leading to the library. "reminds me of when non-tan and i–"
"you're not that old," umi retorts, following close behind, not aware of the fact that she was still holding on to kotori.
"now, now," eli returns in a teasing tone, turning around to smirk at umi's deadpanned face. "no need to get snappy. nozomi and i are gonna head to the astrology section. we'll meet you guys in the lobby when we're done. bye!"
and kotori and umi were left alone when the blonde gently urges nozomi in the direction of a section of the library, a big smile plastered on her face.
"how long have they been together?" kotori asks curiously, her gaze following umi as the taller girl sighs, lets go of her wrist, and leans against the nearest shelf.
"about a year." umi mutters, avoiding kotori's golden eyes.
kotori hums softly, and starts walking deeper into the library, glancing around inquisitively at the many shelves that lined the carpeted floor, unaware of umi's following stare.
"well, since i got sick because of you last week," kotori says abruptly, turning back, causing umi to look away in slight guilt. "let's go look at some books i want to read."
umi sighs and has no choice but to tag behind as kotori makes her way to the recording corner at the back of the library. she counts the shelves they pass, trying not to appear too awkward around kotori, afraid that her guilt would be eventually made all too apparent.
"this looks nice," kotori's small voice comes from behind a shelf just by an open window, sunlight streaming in to frame the shorter girl's graceful features. she holds an open novel in her hands, golden eyes scanning the pages attentively. umi regards her with a curious stare, still feeling lingering guilt in her gut.
kotori looks up at umi with her large golden eyes, and the older girl was forced to look away, a rose blush painting her cheeks. in an attempt to cover up her nervousness, umi absent-mindedly reaches for a book on a higher shelf and pretends to thump through it thoughtfully.
"what's kendō about?"
umi, caught off guard, looks kotori's way. the shorter girl looked ethereal in the afternoon sunlight, golden rays dancing along her silky grey strands.
"er," umi hesitates, the glint of kotori's lip gloss extremely distracting. she, honestly, didn't know how to explain the one thing she liked doing the most in college. but it occurs to her:
"want to sit in during one of my practice sessions?" she asks, and kotori nods enthusiastically, her body leaning closer and closer to umi's, resulting in the taller girl leaning back in an attempt to avoid any further temptation. she couldn't trust herself around her.
kotori stares up at umi, finding a foreign — yet comforting — warmth in those copper eyes. with her, kotori felt more reminded of home than anywhere else. the dark-blue locks that fell gently over the taller girl's nose were just begging to brushed away; kotori wonders what shampoo she uses. her hair just looked so soft.
by the time she noticed their lack of personal space, umi was just a breath away, copper irises looking back at her in — awe? she wasn't sure. usually, the taller girl was extremely easy to read, but this time, it was different. it was like something else had replaced the usual indifference in her eyes.
"you're–" umi breathes carefully, as if the nearer kotori got to her, the more she'd have to hold her breath. did her breath stink? she prayed it didn't. "–close."
kotori pouts playfully, enjoying the discomfort she was putting her companion through. "you weren't bothered by it two weeks ago."
umi wants to protest, but she's interrupted when kotori continues, "–but anyway, kendō sounds great, i'll crash on one of your sessions."
the shorter girl tugs umi away from the shelves, barely giving umi enough time to slot her book back onto the shelves, pulling her to where nozomi and eli were standing, a pile of books in their hands.
"y'all aren't getting anything?" eli asks quizzically, adjusting the unsteady books in her hands, and nozomi helps to prevent them from dropping.
"no," kotori replies swiftly, and eli notices the small blush that still lingered on umi's ears.
"oh?" the blonde smirks, squeezes nozomi's waist as a silent thanks, and moves to the front desk.
umi rolls her eyes, knowing the reason behind her friend's smugness, and follows behind, kotori still dangling off her arm.
"by the way," kotori says unexpectedly, and umi looks down at her smaller, petite frame. "don't feel guilty about getting me sick. i'd still sleep by you to make you feel better — ill or well. i hope you know that."
"i hope you know that."
umi jolts to attention, the earlier guilt fading away, and was only capable of managing a small nod at kotori's words. kotori stares up at her, wondering what was wrong. she wants to ask, but judging by the stone expression on umi's face, her friend might not want to talk about it at all.
"come on, slowpokes!" eli shout-whispers from the library's entrance, not noticing anything. kotori looks up at umi again, but this time, umi's expression was unreadable yet again.
she looks down at kotori, saying stiffly, "let's go."
~
hi. thanks for staying committed to this HAHA i am so bad at updating on time and i hope you'll forgive me for my busy schedule :3
