"Mom! I'm home with a few friends" Himeko said as she opened the door
"Hm? Friends?" Celeste asked as she noticed two other girls
"Hello ma'am. My name is Yuzu Okogi" Yuzu said
"Put me down" Mei said and Yuzu dropped her carefully
"Welcome Mei and Yuzu. I'll go ahead and get some snacks for you girls. Is that okay?" Celeste asked
"Yes and thanks mom" Himeko said and guided the girls to her room upstairs. She opened the bedroom door and soon a small furball ran out of his bed
"Pucchi!" Himeko said
"Woof woof!" Pucchi barked and Himeko knelt down hugging him
"Aww a puppy!" Yuzu said and glanced at Himeko
"Sure. You can pet him" Himeko said and Yuzu smiled as she reached out to pet him. Pucchi sniffed her hand and nuzzled against it softly
"Woof!" Pucchi barked wagging his tail rapidly
"He's so cute" Yuzu said
"He's really friendly but somehow he likes Meimei more than me" Himeko said
"Mei, do you like dogs or cats?" Yuzu asked
"...dogs" Mei said
"Eh? I thought you'd be a cat person" Yuzu said
"She enjoys playing with Pucchi alot...or well...when no one is looking" Himeko said. Yuzu stepped inside and looked around the place
"Man...it's huge" Yuzu said
"I like it" Himeko said and Mei walked to the bed sitting down dropping her bag. She covered her face letting out a deep sigh
"What am I going to do?" Mei asked
"Don't think too much about it, Meimei. I'm sure everything will turn out alright" Himeko said putting Pucchi down
"I really wish I could stay with you tonight..." Mei said
"I can ask my mom if you want but we'll have to call your grandfather for permission" Himeko said
"...please do..." Mei said
"Okay!" Himeko said and stepped out of the room leaving the two girls alone. Pucchi barked as he ran towards Mei trying to jump at her. Mei looked down at him and reached towards him to pet him
"...how come you're like this because of him?" Yuzu asked
"...would you mind your own business?" Mei asked
"I thought we agreed that we'd get to know each other..." Yuzu said and Mei looked to the side
"...let's just say my father abandoned me" Mei said and Yuzu sat down next to her
"I'm listening..." Yuzu said. Mei tensed up a bit and looked down at Pucchi who looked at her
"My parents divorced when I was six. My father didn't seem bothered by it and...he was there by my side. He was always with me and taught me many things. I respected him and looked up to him...a lot. The Aihara Academy was important to my father and I felt like I had to do my best to be able to inherit the Academy when I get older. Until one day...he decided to leave..." Mei said and clenched her fists tightly
"...and I don't want to see him...ever again" Mei mumbled softly and jumped as Yuzu touched her hand. Mei felt a warm touch from her hand and turned to look at Yuzu
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to inherit the Academy and working hard to achieve your goal but...you should take it easy. You're still young and...wouldn't it be bad if you overworked yourself? I think it'd be best to hear your father out so that you can also...tell...h-him...uhm M-mei?" Yuzu asked as she noticed Mei getting closer to her face. Mei didn't understand what she was feeling but her body moved on it's own as she got closer to Yuzu
"H-hey uhm..." Yuzu said
"...why...do I want to kiss you?" Mei whispered softly. Yuzu blushed slightly as she closed her eyes and...
BAM!
"Meimei! He said yes!" Himeko said bursting to the room making the two girls pull away instantly. Himeko looked at the two in confusion
"...uhm...are you two-"
"Ahem...I'm glad he agreed..." Mei said
"Uh yeah and I brought the snacks too" Himeko said as a maid stepped inside the room with a tray
"Ooh snacks" Yuzu said as she got up
"Enjoy" The maid said setting the tray down on the small table
"Thank you" Yuzu said
"Thanks" Mei said. The maid bowed down and left the room. Pucchi barked as he rushed over to the table wanting the snacks
"Oh no no Pucchi" Himeko said as she held him
"Where's the bathroom?" Yuzu asked and Mei grabbed her arm as she took her to the bathroom to wash their hands
"...just now you were about-"
"Now that you know...please don't ask me anything about my family. Also you were just getting close to me..." Mei said
"I uh...uhm okay. I understand" Yuzu said
It'll take some time for her to get comfortable...but she was going to kiss me right? Ugh....my heart is going crazy
The girls stepped out of the bathroom together and Himeko was playing with Pucchi
"I was thinking that today we will play outside with Pucchi. I haven't been able to play with him for a while. Does that sound alright?" Himeko asked
"Sure!" Yuzu said
"I don't mind..." Mei said. The day went by with the girls playing around until Yuzu decided that it was time to head back home
"Thanks for having me" Yuzu said
"Do you need a ride home?" Celeste asked
"No thanks. I'm good. Besides I need to drop by somewhere" Yuzu said
"Then please allow my driver to take you. I insist. It'll be safer that way especially since it's getting dark" Celeste said
"Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Momokino" Yuzu said smiling warmly
"No problem, dear" Celeste said
"Well it was fun hanging out with you guys. I really hope we can spend more time together" Yuzu said
"Sure. I'd love to" Himeko said. Mei looked to the side and flinched as Yuzu got close to her
"See you tomorrow, Mei" Yuzu said
"Bye...and take care" Mei said
"Mhm" Yuzu said. The driver was waiting outside the house and Yuzu walked out of the place waving goodbye to the girls. Himeko looked over at Mei, noticing that slight blush on her cheeks.
...something is going on between them

The driver took to Yuzu's first destination which was a gas station
"Here?" The driver asked
"Yep! I need to pick up someone. It'll be quick" Yuzu said
"Go ahead" The driver said and Yuzu hopped out of the car. She rushed inside the gas station and was greeted by the young man behind the cashier
"Oh hey there little Yuzu. You actually came" Kang said
"Hey Kang! Hey hey! Is she here?" Yuzu asked
"Shai, your cousin is here" Kang said and a white haired girl popped behind the counter
"Ah! Yuzu!" Shai said
"Hey Shai!" Yuzu said receiving her with open arms
"Hahaha! It's great to see you again!" Shai said
"Same here. Did you ask your mom if it was fine to stay over at my place?" Yuzu asked
"Mhm" Shai said as she nodded
"Awesome! Hopefully we can stay up a little late" Yuzu said
"Hm? And who's that outside?" Kang asked
"Ah I made a new friend and they gave me their personal driver to take me home safely. But first I had to pick up Shai" Yuzu said
"That's great. Oh are we getting snacks?" Shai asked
"My mom's working late again. I can make dinner for all of us" Yuzu said
"I'll help" Shai said
"You two better be careful not to burn down the place" Kang said
"No worries. I've practiced a lot and have gotten better. I still need mom to teach me how to bake though..." Yuzu said
"Well get home safe. Ah and Shai don't forget to text your mother once you arrived at her home" Kang said
"I know. Thanks for taking care of me" Shai said
"Get home safe" Kang said
"Yeah, no worries" Yuzu said. The two girls stepped out of the gas station and got inside the car. They were both taken to an apartment building where Yuzu stayed
"Thank you so much, Mr. Driver" Yuzu said
"You're welcome" The driver said. The girls stepped out of the car and headed towards the apartment building
"Your mom is working late again?" Shai asked
"Yeah but it's fine. I'm used to it" Yuzu said as she walked to the elevator
"So how has it been in the new school? You haven't told me if everything is going well" Shai said
"Meh I thought it would be boring but...guess what?" Yuzu asked
"Mmm...you got new friends?" Shai asked
"Even better!" Yuzu said and the elevator doors opened
"Oh something amazing happened then?" Shai asked stepping out with Yuzu from the elevator
"I met my soulmate!" Yuzu said
"O-oh? So the red string of fate was true?" Shai asked
"Of course it was. She was really pretty" Yuzu said holding out her keys
"Oh that's-what? Sh-she? A g-girl?" Shai asked
"Come in" Yuzu said and Shai followed her inside the apartment
"So a girl?" Shai asked
"I was a bit surprised too when I found out but I really don't mind. She is really beautiful and very smart too" Yuzu said
"And does she know about the red string?" Shai asked
"Nope" Yuzu said
"Ah so you can only see it" Shai said
"Yeah and I don't want to scare her away. I mean she kinda tried to avoid me but thankfully we kinda started talking. I want to take things easily and get to know each other so she gets comfortable around me. Once that happens then we'll go ahead and start dating" Yuzu said
"Do you have a plan B just in case something goes wrong?" Shai asked
"...let's not think about that. Now help me out. I want to make something special for mama so she can rest when she gets home" Yuzu said
"Okay" Shai said. The two girls started preparing dinner and setting up the table while cleaning up the house. About an hour and a half the girls sat down to eat dinner at the dining table
"How has it been over there? Is everything going well?" Yuzu asked
"O-oh me? Well...uh...i-it's been going well" Shai said
"...have they been bothering you still?" Yuzu asked
"Nah it's fine. I've been able to defend myself. So don't worry too much about me" Shai said
"You better not keep anything from me or your mom. If anything is wrong then you can talk to me or my mom about this. We can help you" Yuzu said
"Mhm. I'll keep that in mind. So is this plan of yours going to work?" Shai asked
"Of course it will. We will become great friends and then I'll confess to her. Or maybe she'll finally realize that these dreams have a meaning and she'll accept me" Yuzu said
"What did you say your dreams were like?" Shai asked
"Uhh...I can't remember much. There are times where I wake up crying or I'm calling someone's name. That's pretty much it. Maybe tomorrow we can talk about our dreams and see if we dream about the same things. That is if...we can even remember our dream" Yuzu said
"Mmm well all I can do is support you and wish you luck" Shai said
"I'll introduce you to her. Oh! I have an idea. Maybe we can all hang out together" Yuzu said
"Sure. That's a good idea" Shai said
"But I'll need Mei to get comfortable with me first. I'm really hoping she starts liking me back. Maybe she does like me but doesn't want to accept it yet because she's confused. Haaa...we almost kissed..." Yuzu said blushing a little
"E-eh? K-kiss?" Shai asked
"...I might not be able to hold back anymore" Yuzu said
"You really like her a lot huh?" Shai asked
"I can't help it...my heart is telling me that she is the one. I can't really explain it but...I also feel like we know each other even though we've never seen each other before" Yuzu said and clenched her chest feeling it throb slightly
...I want to be with her again. Agh! I should've gone for the kiss when I had the chance! At least a small peck...haaah...maybe next time...