Moonberry
Bitter and Sweet, do not eat.
- One on One
- Group
- Off-site
Nozomi Hikari
＊•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙ ✩ ̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊
＊•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚.·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙ ✩ ̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ .˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊
There was a lot happening.
Neon lights, chattering voices, Moo’s dramatic march toward the basketball game, Yume’s telepathy stunt, and two cards—two!—slapping down over her own.
And somehow, the most overwhelming part of all was seeing Demeter, without hesitation, drape herself across Kota’s tails like they were the world’s fluffiest sofa cushions.
Hikari blinked.
Then blinked again.
“Oh,” she said softly, her tone more of a reflex than anything else.
Her fingers still hovered near the credit card she’d laid down—a sleek, black signal of intent to take care of her friends—but now it was completely eclipsed beneath Rios’s and Kota’s.
She didn’t take it back.
Instead, she just left it there. Quietly. Stubbornly.
If someone let her cover a milkshake or some fries, she’d call it a win.
She tried to speak, but her brain didn’t quite catch up. There was something weirdly intimate about someone else paying on her behalf. Not bad. Just… flustering. And she wasn’t sure if her cheeks were pink from the overlapping cards or from watching Demeter curl up against Kota like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Not that she was jealous.
She wasn’t.
Just—well—
He was warm, and familiar, and he always had a way of putting her at ease.
And she’d never laid her head on his tails. Not once. Not even during club overnights. And Demeter was just—
A faint pink flickered to her ears as she turned her attention sharply back to the menu.
The thoughts slipped unbidden into the group’s mental link, echoing faintly like wisps of soap bubbles. Probably harmless. Hopefully forgettable.
She quickly reached for a water glass instead of saying anything more, hiding behind it for a sip. Then she gave a bright—maybe too bright—smile.
“W-Well, sounds like the food’s sorted then.” She laughed lightly, gesturing to the little mountain of cards and Moo’s wad of crumpled bills. “I guess we’re all in this together now.”
Then Rios, deadpan as ever, asked if they were fighting something.
That actually pulled a real laugh from her.
“Not unless you want to challenge Moo to a shooting match,” she replied, casting a glance toward their captain. “But that might be hazardous to your pride.”
And then, as if to confirm it, she caught Demeter’s mischievous grin across the table.
Her eyes flicked to Kota—who, for better or worse, seemed to be… content.
That made her heart both ache and settle at once.
Her lips pressed together in a soft smile as she gently leaned her elbow on the table and glanced at the game area.
“So, what should we play first?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light and full of cheer. “Something chaotic like dance battles or laser tag? Or should we ease in with Celestial Fighters X?”
Her fingers brushed the edge of her necklace—the tiny wolf charm cool against her collarbone—and she didn’t even realize she was smiling.
Just as she was about to ask if anyone wanted to try the claw machines after food, her phone buzzed.
“Hm?” She blinked, glancing down to see her father’s name lighting up the screen.
Uh-oh.
She hesitated for a heartbeat, then quickly answered, bringing the phone to her ear with a practiced, polite tone.
[INCOMING CALL — TAKEDA NOZOMI]
“Otou-sama? Is everything alright?”
“Hikari! You sound tired. Are you studying too much again? Or is this one of your student council things?” His voice boomed through the line, warm and doting with a timbre that was both fatherly and mildly intimidating—especially when it was followed with:
“I hope you’re not forgetting to eat. Or smile. Or sleep.”
Hikari’s cheeks warmed. “I’m fine, Otou-sama. I’m at the arcade with friends. We’re… unwinding.”
There was a pause. Then—
“Is Rios with you?”
“Ah—yes. He’s here too.”
“Good! I was just talking to his father this morning—wonderful man. We agreed you’re going to end up marrying him someday.”
The words hit her like a spell to the face.
“Wh—Otou-sama—!” she choked, almost knocking her water glass over in the process.
Her mind betrayed her instantly with an image—her, in a wedding kimono, standing next to Rios in ceremonial robes, probably still holding his sword, completely deadpan as always.
Her face went crimson.
She glanced around the booth in a panic, praying no one else could hear the conversation… or worse, see the mental slideshow currently short-circuiting her brain.
“He’s got discipline, drive, and a good heart. Was practically made for you, you know. That boy’s a keeper!”
Hikari pressed a hand over her eyes.
“Yes, Otou-sama,” she muttered, mortified.
“Wonderful. Be home by ten. I’ll make curry.” Click.
She slowly lowered her phone to the table, face burning. The room hadn’t changed. Everyone was still chatting, Moo was still plotting to defeat a basketball machine, and no one had (yet) teased her mercilessly.
But her soul had, in fact, left her body.
She coughed into her hand and reached for her drink again.
Nope. Definitely not thinking about weddings.
She was thinking about claw machines.
Definitely.
…Right?
Gaius Danius Griinia
SixSense
Gwen_Temi
Hecotoro
˚♩•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊♫* . °•★♪|•°∵ ♚ ∵°•|♪★•° . ♫＊•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*♩˚
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was happy to see her!! This already was the best day evah!!! Noelle felt giddy when her hottie crush greeted her. Soon the group went inside. The basketball captain Moo was eager to order a strawberry milkshake even before the group found themselves a booth to sit at. It was a bit endeering to see.
