October 26th 2017

For 10 minutes straight, the red bow girl stayed glued to the person she loved.
After granting Ryona her first kiss, Sayori allowed herself to be embraced by her, resting on top of her without saying a word just to make sure she wouldn't go anywhere soon.

Soon, Emerson left to leave both girls have some time alone and the new couple finally decided to go back inside Sayori's house.

Ryona didn't know what to say but her heart was surely beating as fast as the speed of sound while Sayori calmly dragged her back to her room holding her hand in silence.

Sayori let go of her hand as they entered and closed the door to then turn around slowly, her eyes closed just to open them again and be glad her dear dark blue haired girl was still there.

"Hey", Sayori said with a shy smile. "Eh? A-Ah! H-Hey...", Ryon replied a bit startled. They both went quiet again.

"I guess... You're going back home soon?", Sayori asked fearful as reality soon got back to her. Ryona denied with her head. "Eh? But what about Mao-chan...?", Sayori asked as much as she didn't want to.

"I'm not leaving you alone, not after all you've told me", Ryona gave her a warm smile that thankfully came out natural. "But...", Sayori tried to say.

"It's my turn to be... Selfish", Ryona said as she shyly reached out her hand for Sayori to take. The bubbly girl looked at it for a couple of seconds before eventually take it, which prompted Ryona to gently pull her closer.

Ryona was once again following her impulsive nature. She didn't really know what to do afterwards but every single word and action so far had certainly came from the heart. Sayori looked at her with expectant blue eyes, little by little retrieving their shine.

"The other day... You told me we could have a... sleepover sometime...", Ryona spoke nervous. Her heart uncontrollably pounding made it even harder. "I remember that...", Sayori smiled and her chest felt warmer, seeing Ryona remembered it too.

"So... Let's have one today", Ryona smiled shyly at her. "Is that really okay??", Sayori asked hopeful and still doubtful this wasn't a dream.

Ryona saw the look in her eyes, full of hope and doubt, nodding intensely to then hug her again and let her know it was all okay. Sayori in the little time she experienced it, was surely growing fond of that warmth her tough girl provided her with.

"Everything I said... And sang... It's true, every single word... So... As long as it's for you... Everything's okay", Ryona spoke from the heart again, always careful on how she hugged the bubbly girl like the most valuable thing in the world.

Sayori still couldn't get rid of all the self doubts and as much as Ryona was doing her best to scare the rain clouds away, they still were in the horizon, ready to come back anytime. The red bow girl closed her eyes and gripped Ryona's blazer as she hugged her back, trying to convince herself it was all okay at least for now.

"Can I hear it one more time?", Sayori asked with a barely audible voice. Her heart really needed those three words again. "Eh?", Ryona asked a bit confused.

"The L word...", Sayori mumbled. "I love you", Ryona quickly said.

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you", just when Sayori's heart started beating faster, Ryona said it again and again, making it almost jump out of her chest as she buried her now flushed face on Ryona's shoulder.

"I'll say it as many times as you want me to... But as many times as I want to say it too", Ryona said with a smile caused by the joyful feeling saying those words to her bubbly girl gave her.

"I love love love love love love love you too!", Sayori exclaimed and this time, although still a bit weak, the smile she dedicated to her tough girl was certainly genuine. Ryona's face went full red as she stopped hugging her red bow girl to cover her face with both hands.

"R-Ry?", Sayori asked nervous. "I-I didn't know... Hearing you say that could feel so nice", Ryona mumbled as her whole body felt a bit ticklish and her chest as warm as the summer.

"And I didn't know you could be so cute seeing you like this", Sayori couldn't help but giggle to then hug the taller girl once again. "Anyways, so we're having a sleepover then?", Sayori asked, still glued to Ryona.

"Sure", Ryona replied, little by little regaining her composure. "I... Can you give me a bit of time to clean up a bit? It's embarrassing having such a mess with you here hehe...",once they broke the hug, Sayori replied as she looked around her room a bit ashamed.

"Let me help too", Ryona said. "No, no, no, I can do this myself don't worry hehe besides, it's something I should've done days ago...", Sayori looked at the side with a sad smile.

"I really don't mind... Plus, if we work together we can be done sooner", Ryona said with a small but sweet smile. "...now I'm having trouble saying no to you...", Sayori mumbled to herself after seeing that, to then sigh and nod, saying, "oki-doki, but if you get bored of it or something like that please let me know", Sayori pleaded, joining the tip of her index fingers; a habit Ryona always found cute about her.

Both girls soon got to it. Sayori did her best to make the most of this new little boost of energy Ryona's feelings were giving her, plus, seeing her still here and refusing to leave her alone, although it made her feel selfish, it also made her a bit happier.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After another day of school ended, Yuri and her friends could go home at ease after the messy ponytail girl, who was suddenly summoned to Sayori's house via Mayu, told them that everything was just okay now.

Natsuki and her group parted way at the gates as usual only this time Yuri knew very well were she was heading, giving her a quick but soft kiss on her cheek goodbye, hoping it could motivate her a bit more today, but the purple girl also used it as motivation for herself.

As soon as she arrived home, she felt a second and third presence now, knowing they were here already as they promised in that note, even if she still couldn't see them. Yuri wondered if this was some sort of new ability those removed restrains granted her but she certainly didn't mind it.

The purple girl headed to her room and changed into more comfortable clothes that were fit for a good workout, set on making the most of what was left of that day to get stronger and be one step closer to be her beloved's guardian.

The moment Yuri touched the door handle, before sliding her glass door to access her back garden, she felt those two presences had got stronger now, letting her guess they would be right outside and when she slid the door open, she confirmed her new sort of six sense as she saw them there.

A tall man dressed completely in black, wearing his characteristic top hat and long coat like thing, was observing her bed of flowers and the other, a woman mostly dressed in black aside from her dark purple hood and white bandages around her chest, was sitting on her ceramic table, legs and arms crossed watching the sky above.

"G-Good afternoon", Yuri bowed politely. "Good afternoon, purple girl", the hat man replied cheerful but still looking at the flowers. "Hey", the hooded woman simply replied, also still looking at the sky.

"I-I guess asking how you got in here is irrelevant...", Yuri mumbled mostly to herself. "We have our methods, but yeah, that ain't important now. Are you prepared?", the hooded woman replied as she calmly got down the table, surprising Yuri a bit of how good her hearing was.

"Yes", Yuri said more determined. "I'm glad to hear that. First let me tell you a bit of what's going on with you", the top hat man said, now approaching the purple girl too, all now standing in the center, face to face.

"I guess you felt your body surprisingly light today and that you noticed our presence a moment ago when you got home, correct?", the hat man asked and Yuri nodded. "Well, that's because of the restrains I removed from you last night", he paused.

"Hirou-nashi, Jama-nashi, Okure-nashi, that's the name we give to those first 3 removed restrains. Hirou-nashi helps you get rid of fatigue, mostly mental fatigue which is always a huge factor when it comes to the body's performance in general. Those who have a clear mind and feel at peace to an extent usually do much better in the physical activity that those who come and do it with all sorts of mental problems such as stress and worry and although working out does help you get off those things, it limits your performance while you are on the process, thus why progress gets slower. For that reason you felt your body light today, when people are free from mental fatigue, the body gets that feeling of being light as a feather due to a peaceful mind", the hat man explained.

"Jama-nashi helps you remove obstacles from your mind to sharpen your senses. To put it simple, I'll use Shaolin monks and meditation as an example. Their great ability for martial comes first from the state of mind they reach through meditation. Being able to clear your mind and focus your senses on specific things of your surroundings is key for this as one of the greatest factors in a fight is to feel and predict your opponents moves before they do it, to attack before they defend, to defend before they attack. Feeling important presences near you like you did is one thing you get to do when you grow accustomed to this state of mind", the hat man continued.

"Last but not least, Okure-nashi. This one helps you remove the lag from your mind-body coordination process. It happens to almost everyone that your body sometimes feel like it's not responding to your commands or that it does it too late for your own good. We see this in our reflexes mostly, to train our mind and body to work in unison takes a great effort and time. The ability of kicking or punching or blocking the exact moment you think of it is crucial in a fight and it will give you the advantage if your opponent still lacks on that matter. To test that, let's start with a nice kick", the hat man quickly lifted his boot and tried a gut kick to the purple girl who as soon as she saw it coming, blocked it with both hands.

"See? No delay on the process, no blinking, no signs of surprise. As soon as your mind thought of blocking that kick with both hands, your hands did just that. Most people with no experience on this would've blinked or clumsily stepped backwards while trying to lift their arms and adjust the height of the block there", the hat man said as he calmly put down his foot, which barely grasped Yuri's hands.

As much as this was a lot of information to take, Yuri couldn't help but feel a little excited to see and feel her body doing things that until yesterday, she could only read about and imagine, but what was more important to her, was the excitement to become one who can protect the person she loves.

"Now, before we get on with the training, I'll take one more restrain off you, Mayoi-nashi. This one will remove the hesitation your mind can put your body through when you're set to try something that could be dangerous to you. Things like moonsaults, flips, spins, high jumps, hard hitting and such is something most people hesitate to do, even if most people with a decent physical condition are perfectly capable of doing such things, is that hesitation caused by our own survival instincts that prevents us from doing them in the first try and which to takes us to go little by little until our mind and body are used to it", the hat man cracked his thumbs.

"Try doing a moonsault", the hat man said. "E-Eh?", Yuri replied surprised but quickly shook her head and even if she felt her body light as a feather, the mere thought of jumping backwards and head onto the ground if she failed indeed made her hesitate, standing there with her legs slightly spread and knees slightly bent, look over her shoulder.

"See? It's not that easy when your mind tells you "this is dangerous, wait", the hat man chuckled but then approached the purple girl and calmly placed his thumbs a bit above her ears. "But with this, you will hesitate no more", Yuri nodded a bit nervous and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, ready for the pain to come to pay the price.

Again, no sound came from the purple girl. The Head stood in silence, watching Yuri's teeth gritting to the point they seemed like they could shatter in pieces at any moment while her whole body had tensed enough to look like it was made of stone and her hands gripped into fists that could knock you out just by their mere touch until it was finally done 7 seconds later.

"Hah... Hah... Hah...", Yuri quietly panted as the pain started to decrease with every second that passed. "I certainly respect your guts fella", the top hat man said proud. 

"It... It hurt way less than yesterday's for sure", Yuri awkwardly smiled. "Now take 5 minutes to relax your mind and body, we will begin after that. Make sure to breath in and breath out", the hat man said and Yuri nodded.

She walked around the garden, breathing in and out as she was told. Soon, Yuri began to feel the effects of the recently removed restrain, looking at the trees of her garden and not just having that thought she sometimes had of climbing them but the eager to do it now, shocked on how those previous thoughts of "I don't have the condition to do such thing anymore like little me used to have" weren't even crossing her mind now.

"Okay, let's begin, purple girl!", the top hat man shouted when the 5 minutes passed. Yuri hurried to the center of the garden, a small run that until yesterday could've made her legs start burning, now feeling as natural as fidgeting with her hair.

"You shouldn't hesitate now so for you to get a good warm up and get used to your new physical condition, you're going to run from to that tree over there, climb it and once on top, jump back her, remember to land with both feet, not one, then you'll run to that other tree and do the same but faster, got it?", the hat man asked.

"Yes!", Yuri replied full of determination and excitement. "Then... Ready, set... Go!", the top hat man exclaimed. Yuri set off at once and as she ran towards the first tree, her first thought was, "I've done this before, I can do it now!".

Showing zero signs of hesitation, Yuri jumped onto the lowest branch with one foot and placed the other on the trunk, immediately boosting herself to jump and reach the upper branch, doing a bir of effort but successfully pulling herself up with both arms wrapped around it to then wrap her legs too like a koala, then shifting her body upwards to get on top of it, finally she stood up a bit careful to not step on any slippery zone and jump back to safe ground, landing on both feet.

Yuri was certainly surprised at how easy that was but she also knew there was no time for that, quickly turning her attention to the second and slightly bigger tree, running there and jumping high to grab onto a high but also the lowest branch of it, placing her feet on the trunk just following her almost animalistic instincts to then rotate around the branch and get on top of it. Soon she stood on it and with now more branches around her, she easily found her way up to the highest.

Yuri then looked down.
Around 13 feet up she was and about to jump, Yuri was surely surprised at the view from up there but for some reason, she didn't feel any fear, her eyes simply set on targeting the spot she'd land on to then do it without further ado.

"Very impressive!", the top hat man clapped and so did the Head, although she maintained her serious expression. "I... I... Did I really just do that?", Yuri asked in disbelief, looking at her now dirty hands and her body somehow intact.

"Behold the power of a clear mind!", he exclaimed. "Now what do I do?", Yuri asked eager as she felt the adrenaline kicking in.

"I see you got good control of your body this quick, that shows your great potential. With that in mind, I believe we can skip most formalities and get to the good part. How to punch", the hat man said and made a fist. "O-Okay!", Yuri replied.

"First, when you throw a punch, you gotta get a good grip on your fist and most importantly, always bend your thumb and place it here, over your index and middle fingers. Never ever put it on the sides or under your fingers, that could only get you injured, got it?", the hat man showed Yuri his fist and the purple girl soon was able to imitate it with her own.

"Now, to throw a fist, the most common and effective way is what we call the straight punch. Make sure to have your fist turned around 45 degrees like this, the point is that your index and middle knuckles do most of the damage. Also never extent your arm fully, have your elbow bent a little tiny bita and do it all with the move of your hips, like this", the hat man explained as he showed her step by step how to throw a punch.

"Last but not least, your breathing. Inhale when you prepare your fist and exhale as you throw it. Also don't forget to have your arm tensed but not extremely tensed, okay? Now, you try it", the hat man said after punching the air, letting Yuri hear how the flow of air there was disrupted.

"Okay... T-Then...", Yuri adjusted her position like she was taught, making a good fist and inhaling in the process to then exhale as she too punched the air and disrupted the flow of air. "Good one, now punch through this!", the hat man exclaimed as he pulled out a 12 millimeter wood board like the ones karate practitioners use.

"Any advice?", Yuri asked with an awkward smile. She didn't feel fear for it, she simply wondered if it had any particular trick. "Nope, just punch like you did a moment ago and always have your wrist well tensed, don't let it bend with the impact", the Head finally spoke.

"Yeah, what she said", the hat man chuckled and held the board in front of Yuri with both hands. "Thank you", Yuri quickly bowed her head in gratitude to her to then get ready and soon, punch through the wood board like it was nothing.

"I-I seriously can't believe I just did that...", Yuri said. "It seems one of your best natural traits is power... Not only you were able to lift your body up to climb that tree but the power of your punch was enough to break this board... I guess your height does speak for you, your muscles and bones should be like that... You were a bit slow compared to her though so it seems agility is something we'll have to work more on with time...", The hat man rambled to himself.

"C-Compared to who?", Yuri asked a bit confused. "Don't mind him. He's just rambling. You did great", the Head said placing a hand on Yuri's shoulder. The purple girl then looked at her and smiled but the Head quickly looked away.

"Alright, I have the plan ready. We'll work on the basics for today, punching, kicking and blocking. Depending on how you do today, tomorrow we can remove one more restrain and work with grapples and throws", the hat man explained. "Miss Head, mind to take the next one?", he asked the quiet woman.

"What?", she asked a bit defiant. "Teach her how to kick", he said.

".......Fine", for some reason, the Head took some seconds to reply. Yuri quickly turned to her and bowed again in respect. "First, stand the same way you did for punching. I see your left leg is in the front so you'll kick with the right... Kicking isn't that hard, again, just use your hips and lift your leg following the movement of them like this", the Head explained and showed how at the same time herself.

"For roundhouse kicks, use the upper side of your foot to strike, always extend your foot and toes to do it. Contrary to that, for front and middle kicks, use the bottom of your foot and contract it a little, use mostly the heel to do the damage", the Head again explained and showed.

"Got it?", she asked with hands on hips. "Y-Yes, I think so", Yuri nodded a bit nervous for some odd reason.

"Alright, try kicking my hand, roundhouse kick", the Head commanded, lifting her hand in front of her chest, which with her being shorter than Yuri, didn't look that high. "Okay", Yuri simply replied and despite doing her best to imitate what she just saw, threw a slightly weak roundhouse.

"You need to shift your hips more, also try raising your knee up first before shooting your foot", the Head said. "L-Like this?", Yuri asked while trying again but step by step.

"Not quite... Like t-this...", the Head said but as she approached Yuri and helped her adjust her hips with her hands, she stuttered a bit again.
The top hat man simply continued to watch in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're finally done!", Sayori exclaimed and stretched her arms tired as she let herself fall on her bed. "It was more than I expected haha...", Ryona awkwardly smiled.

"Sorry... I guess folding clothes can be tiresome", Sayori smiled back. "Yeah... Same reason I usually take a while to do it with mine too...", Ryona replied.

"Don't just stand there", Sayori said and patted the spot next to her on her bed for Ryona to come and sit, watching her still standing there in the middle of her room. "R-Right...", Ryona blushed lightly as she sat next to her bubbly girl.

Sayori immediately rested her head on Ryona's shoulder while looking at her now tidy room which had certainly helped a bit to ease her mind. "What do you wanna do now? I honestly don't know what to do in sleepovers...", Ryona said.

"I know what I wanna do", Sayori had been thinking about it while they cleaned. "I want you to show me the things you like", Sayori said turning to her with a cute smile.

"E-Eh? Like what?", Ryona asked surprised. "Mmm I don't know, shows you like, the music you like, things you like to do, anything really!", Sayori said.

"Eh... W-Why don't we play Minecraft like always or... Write poems... I don't know...", Ryona said nervous. "No! I've been dragging you into the things I like for far too long! I... Mao-chan made me realize something the other day...", Sayori lowered her head.

"When I saw you two talking about comics and all, I realized I hadn't even tried to read any of those with you... Not only that... I don't know much about you, I don't know what's your favorite color, I don't know what's your favorite ice cream, I don't know what's your favorite song... I... I just selfishly-", Sayori's voice little by little seemed like it could break but Ryona wouldn't allow it.

"It's okay. I let you do all of that because..  I wanted to know more about you... I like how you smile when you show me the things you like... I just... Thought everything about you was cute... And I really love anything you share... With me...", Ryona quickly hugged her again.

"I now love Minecraft because it reminds me of you... I now love Mr. Cow because it reminds me of you... I now love cookies because they remind me of you... I love apple juice, I love poems, I love color blue, I love sandcastles, I love pop songs because they all make me think of you", Ryona spoke from the heart once again.

"Why... Why are you so nice to me...?", Sayori asked. Rain clouds that seemed to come her way again, soon were scared away by the words of her tough girl. "Because I love you", Ryona replied quickly.

"I love you too", Sayori gripped Ryona's blazer and nuzzled her face on her shoulder. Ryona shyly but gladly ran her hand through her fluffy hair, allowing her to stay like that as long as she wanted.

"As much as I appreciate it... I really, really want to know more about you! You're my...!", Sayori was about to say the word but she quickly realized the crucial fact. "Sayori?", Ryona asked concerned as Sayori lowered her head nervous, joining the tip of her index fingers.

"Ry... W-What are we now...?", Sayori asked in a low voice, still afraid to hear a wrong answer. "Eh? .....a-ah... Well... I guess we are...", Ryona then realized it too but as soon as Sayori shyly lifted her head to look at her with hopeful ocean eyes, Ryona also realized what she had to do now.

"I guess I got too caught up in the moment... But... Sayori!", Ryona slapped her own face gently as she exclaimed. "Y-Yes??", Sayori asked a bit concerned of seeing Ryona slap herself.

"Do you... Do you want to... be my girlfriend?? ...if that's okay with you I mean...", Ryona blushed hard and eventually looked away embarrassed but also a bit afraid. "Yes! A million times yes...", Sayori smiled genuinely again. If this was a dream, she had started to enjoy it.

Before Ryona could say or do something, Sayori stole a quick kiss from her, landing a quick peck on Ryona's lips to seal the deal.

Ryona touched her lips with her fingertips, her cheeks blushing profusely but the shine on her eyes was enough to let Sayori know she did the right thing.

"Now I can say it. Ahem! Where was I... Ah, yes. You're my girlfriend now so I want to know everything about you, pretty please?", Sayori pleaded joining her hands in praying motion. "Yeah...", Ryona was still under the spell of Sayori's kiss, trying to enjoy the feeling of her lips on hers while it lasted.

Sayori giggled and hugged her girlfriend again, moving her head closer to her chest to hear Ryona's fast heartbeats. "If this really is a dream, I hope I never wake up...", she thought and closed her eyes while Ryona returned to earth but as this moment helped to scare those rain clouds even further away, Sayori then thought of something, or rather someone.

"Ry...?", Sayori said. "Mm? Yeah?", Ryona shook her head to fully recover. "We're gonna tell everyone about us, right?", Sayori asked a bit nervous.

"Of course... If that's what you want I mean... N-Not that I don't want to! I really want to but... If you are afraid of what people's would think because of me...", Ryona rambled now full of her own self doubts. "Don't be silly, I could only feel proud when people see me holding hands with you", Sayori said softly, hugging her girl a bit tighter.

Ryona wrapped her arms around her too as the look on her face softened, dark brown eyes sparkling and a smile that could outshine the brightest star formed on her face as she heard Sayori said that.

"Actually... There is someone I'd like to tell about us first, is it okay with you if we do that first?", Sayori asked. "Sure", Ryona replied with a smile.

"Then let me turn on my computer!", Sayori now looked more like her happy and energetic self Ryona fell for first, feeling glad of seeing her like this again after seeing that other painful side of her.

Sayori then excused herself to go get changed into some more comfortable clothes while the computer loaded. Ryona stayed there and looked around Sayori's room with a smile, happy to be able to be in that place she could only imagine until earlier that day and now hopefully many more times in the future.

Sayori returned wearing a pair of red shorts and a pink t-shirt, making Ryona feel funny at the cute sight but Sayori soon got to her computer, calling her to come closer after she opened certain chat.

The dark blue haired girl watched how Sayori clicked a small icon of what looked like a videocamera, some dialogue she didn't get to read then appeared only to disappear 2 seconds after as another small window popped up in which a familiar figure appeared.

"Hi Moniii!", Sayori said with a big smile waving her hands at the screen. "Sayori! And Ryona too! I'm glad to see the two of you!", the girl of white ribbon said with a smile as she waved back with one hand.

"Say hi Ry!", Sayori clutched Ryona's neck and pulled her down for Monika to have a better view of her now flushed face. "H-Hey...", Ryona said nervous as now Sayori's face was practically touching hers.

"I heard things between you two are just fine, now I see that's true~", Monika smirked. "Ehehe... Yeah, actually we wanted to tell you the good news first", Sayori said as she let go of Ryona's neck only to join the tip of her index fingers and blush lightly.

"I'm all ears!", Monika said excited, leaning closer to the camera. "Well... Ry and I aren't friends anymore because... We're girlfriends now!", Sayori exclaimed at last as she took Ryona's hand and showed their now intertwined hands to the brunette.

"Finally! I'm so happy for you, girls! To be honest, it baffled me how slow you were haha but I'm glad you finally got together!", Monika smiled and clapped her hands. "Thanks hehe... It's been a real rollercoaster of emotions today but thanks to my Ry now I feel like smiling again~", Sayori said, resting her head on Ryona's who just smiled looking at her with loving eyes.

"The most important thing here is that both of you are happy. You gotta tell me the details tomorrow though! I'm specially curious on why was Emerson even called there", Monika said. "I promise I'll let you in all the details tomorrow hehe, it was something really pretty I can tell you that much", Sayori hugged Ryona who still didn't know what to do in front of the camera except for continuously blush and look at her girlfriend.

"I'm looking forward to hear it!", Monika replied. "By the way, is there an-? Mm? Who's there?", Sayori asked as she saw a figure quickly passing by behind her friend. Sayori knew Monika lived alone at the moment so it disturbed her a bit too.

"Mm? Ah, it's just someone you both know too well~", Monika said smiley. Sayori and Ryona looked at each other confused. "Mayu~ come say hi~", Monika looked at the side and melodically said.

"No", both girls could hear the familiar grumpy voice in the background. "Don't make me go get you~", Monika said melodically and giggled.

"Unlike you, I'm trying to finish our work here", Mayu replied from the background. "Wait a second guys", Monika said in a low voice winking to then sneak out of the camera's view.

...

"What- NO! Don't- leave me alone! I'm trying to work here-!"

"Come on you grumpy girl! Come say hi to our friends! Nnnngh!!!"

"No! Stop that! Wait- no! Bahahaha! Stop dammit! Hahahahaha!"

"That's right! Get your ass up!"

"Stoooohahahaha!"

"There!", Monika appeared in front of the camera again, only this time a white haired girl of red face was there  hugging herself to cover her ticklish sides. "Hi miss Mayo!", Sayori waved her hand at her smiley.

"It's Mayu... Don't turn into another Emerson please", Mayu sighed as she started to relax after being defeated and brought in front of the camera. "Sup Mayu", Ryona simply said.

"Sup", Mayu said with a friendlier smile. "In case you wonder, Mayu is here because we're working on a project for our class", Monika said with her classic finger raised pose.

"Yeah... well, I said hi and all, now if you excuse me, I got work to do unlike her...", Mayu sighed and tried to go back to the kitchens table they were using. "Nope!", Monika blocked her way.

"Get out of my way", Mayu said grumpy as ever. "You still gotta congratulate our friends you grumpy girl!", Monika scolded.

"Eh? Why? Whose birthday is it?", Mayu asked confused. "Not birthday agh! Sayori, say it again!", Monika commanded.

"Ry and I are girlfriends now!", Sayori exclaimed smiley and clutching Ryona's head. "Eh? Ah... Oh. Eh?!!", Mayu's reaction surely was one of surprise. The last thing she imagined when Ryona asked her for Emerson's number earlier was this outcome.

"Congratulate them!", Monika said while pointing at the screen. "Ah... Umm, congrats", Mayu said scratching her temple and smiling awkwardly.

"Geez, that was the worst congratulation I've ever seen haha", Monika chuckled. "Shut up", Mayu grunted.

"Come on, go back to work, I'll be with you in a minute", Monika sighed with a smile while poking one of Mayu's hair buns. Mayu frowned annoyed as she gently slapped her finger to then wave her hand again at the couple on the other side of the screen and finally disappear from their sight.

"It's nice to see you and Miss Mayo getting along so well", Sayori grinned. "It's Mayu!", The white haired girl shouted from the background.

"Yeah hehe, it's always fun having her here even if she gets grumpy", Monika winked at the side. Neither Sayori nor Ryona could see Mayu blushing at that. "So she comes over often?", Sayori asked.

"Kinda? We've been teaming up for class projects and such everytime we have the chance so we can work together at home~", Monika was all smiles as she rested her chin on her hands. "Hehe that's really cool, then we'll be off now, I don't wanna take more of your time with Miss Mayo", Sayori replied and they heard a loud sigh in response in the background.

"No worries! It was nice chatting like this, hopefully we can do this more often now that Ryona will be at your house more often~", Monika smirked. "Ehehe... Yeah, that'd be nice...", Sayori blushed and so did the tough girl.

"Or we could all hang out sometime! Natsuki and Yuri could come too... Anyways! We can talk about this tomorrow, I gotta go back to work before Mayu gets grumpier, plus I don't wanna take any more of your time as newly weds, have fun", Monika winked to then finally bid farewell and so the video call ended.

...

"That was something hehe", Sayori awkwardly smiled. "Certainly", Ryona smiled back.

"I-I really hope you don't mind I told Monika so soon... It's just... She's one of my best friends and I don't know... In the last hour I've feeling a bit better so I thought that maybe she would be happy for us too... Since she's the only other person that knew about my depression", Sayori said nervous.

"Mm, really?", Ryona asked a bit surprised she knew. "Yeah... it happened when we just formed the literature club, she had stuff going on, I had that going on so I ended up telling her... It helped her and it helped me a little too at the time... I-I hope you don't mind....", Sayori explained nervous.

"I don't mind... I'm happy you see there's more people who care about you...", Ryona said. "At least right now I could believe that", Sayori mumbled with her head low but only to hide her warm smile.

"I-It was also nice to tell Mayu about it... I mean... I've been getting along with her too and... Having a friend or someone in general to tell these things to is nice...", Ryona said. "I wanna be the first one to know any good news though...", Sayori almost unconsciously said, quickly covering her mouth.

"Sorry...", Sayori said sad, feeling selfish again. "Don't apologize, you'll always be that person... Besides... Any thing good going on with me is mostly because of you so...", Ryona looked away blushing.

"I-I'm really not used to be flattered this much... But I guess I can get used to it...", Sayori's blue eyes sparkled in a pretty way. Ryona was happy to see that. "I'm surprised I can come up with words like these too... But you're the reason why so... It's not that surprising", Ryona said, brushing her bangs over her left eye embarrassed.

"Enough of cheesy stuff like Natsuki says hehe I mean as much as I like it I wanna get to that thing I told you earlier, so let's continue with our sleepover with you showing me the things you like!", Sayori started to bounce. "Alright...", Ryona sighed with a smile.

"I don't know where to start though...", Ryona said after 15 seconds of thinking. "How about... Ah! That's right, you told me earlier about that Kamehameha thing! If my memory serves me right, it's from a show right?", Sayori asked bouncy.

"I was hoping you didn't remember that haha... But yeah, it's from Dragon Ball, it's basically the signature attack Goku and other characters do", Ryona said. "Oh! I remember I watched a few episodes of Dragon Ball when I was a kid~ let's watch some together, yes?", Sayori smiled sweetly as she took Ryona's hands.

"S-Sure", again, Ryona just couldn't say no to her, besides, she really liked that show and she still watched it every now and then, so being able to watch it with her dear red bow girl was something she was now eager to do.

Ryona showed her girlfriend which platform she used to watch it using Sayori's Xbox so soon, both girls sat on the floor next to the other as the first episode of Raditz saga played.

Sayori did her best to pay attention to the show but she couldn't help but steal glances at her girlfriend and notice how pretty she looked like that, sitting in the Lotus position and leaned on her hands behind her legs to be more comfortable, just quietly watching her favorite show with a little smile.

The bubbly girl asked everything she could just to hear Ryona talk so fluently and sometimes even a bit excited. The red bow girl started to feel much better now that she little by little got to know more about the dark blue haired girl.

By episode 3, Sayori's was laying on her stomach while watching but she really needed to rest her back somewhere and soon, she got a bold idea.

She still wanted to think of this situation as a good dream she could enjoy until she woke up, so she was now set to enjoy her tough girlfriend as much as she could, just in case a harsh reality really called for her later.

Taking advantage of Ryona switching from the lotus position to just sit there with her legs fully extended and still resting on her hands, Sayori moved closer to her and between her legs, surprising Ryona quite a lot but thankfully, succeeding in her plan as Ryona shyly but gladly wrapped her arms around her, cuddling her bubbly girl.

For the tough girl, this too felt like one hell of a good dream. Being able to hold Sayori like that, feeling her soft and warm body against hers as her fluffy hair's peach shampoo reached her nostrils was something that exceeded her wildest dreams.

Not so long ago, the one in charge of doing a similar thing for her was her big Mr. Cow plushie but compared to him, this was hundreds of times better. Sure the plushie was soft and warm too but the feeling of Ryona's arms gently cuddling her and what was more, the feeling of having someone that was willing to spoil her like that was too good for her fragile heart.

Watching 5 more episodes became certainly much more enjoyable as both girls cuddled like that. Sayori kept asking and commenting, hoping Ryona could see her doing her best to know her more.

However, both found themselves interrupted when Ryona's phone rang, Sayori quickly paused the last episode they were watching for Ryona to quickly answer the call.

📞

RYONA! Where the heck are you?! It's past 9 already! Don't tell me you're with those-

Mom! Shut up!

Don't you shut me up missy or I'll-

I'm at Sayori's house...

Oh. Awww why didn't you say so earlier! Say hi to Sayori-chan for me!

Hi Michiko-san!

Hi Sayori-chan! How are you? Thanks a lot for having that problematic girl over! I can rest easy now knowing she's in good company~

Hehe, it's no problem really. Having her here is fun!

Anyways... I'm staying the night her-

Heeeeeeeeeeeeh~~~~

I'mma hang up now

Wait! You brought clothes or something? Your toothbrush?

Eh... No

Jesus Christ... Give me the address, I'll bring you a change of clothes and your toothbrush

Mom, there's no need...

But are you gonna sleep in your uniform then?

Ah... I guess I don't mind really...

Have some decency Ryona! Your uniform will look messy tomorrow and even smelly!

Alright alright! Shut up! ...just bring the damn things...

📞

After Sayori told Ryona's mother her address, the dark blue haired woman hung up and promised to be there in a jiffy.

"Your mom's always funny", Sayori said cuddling against Ryona. "She can be annoying though...", Ryona sighed while blushing profusely at the same time.

"I think she just cares about you a lot. Moms can seem annoying when they worry about their children too much but it's because they love them so much", Sayori said. "I... I guess you're right", Ryona half smiled. She kind of knew that but now that Sayori said it, she was sure of it.

"Anyways, wanna watch another one?", Sayori asked. "Mmm... Let's do something else...", Ryona smiled.

"Okay! Now... Show me your favorite music", Sayori requested, now refusing to let go of Ryona. She found herself way to comfortable like that. "Alright... Let's open Youtube then...", Ryona replied as she grabbed the controller.

Ryona then showed Sayori her favorite bands, starting with evanescence. Sayori really liked the voice of the singer there, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be embraced while that greatly melodical voice sang.

One after another, with every song Sayori and Ryona simply enjoyed the music without saying much. Sayori could hear Ryona's heartbeats from there, she felt really warm and her chest wouldn't stop tickling. Ryona was the same.

Half an hour later, Ryona's mother arrived and the tough girl managed to go get her stuff from her in less than a minute to avoid her mother embarrassing her somehow in front of her new girlfriend, plus she wanted to wait a little before letting her know the good news for that same reason.

After getting changed into a pair of blue pants and a red tank top that got Sayori to feel a bit funny and then one more hour of music and cuddling, Ryona requested to close the night with some Minecraft.

Sayori tried to refuse and continue doing something Ryona liked but the tough girl managed to convince her she was honest on her earlier words. She loved that game because it reminded her of her bubbly girl and being able to play with her was something she surely enjoyed a lot.

...

"Come on, follow me!", Sayori said excited. Her character funnily running around the green field full of squares and into her house made of birch logs, giving it a look of cow pattern. Ryona as usual did as she was told until both reached Sayori's apparent bedroom.

"Here, place your bed next to mine", Sayori said as her character stood there while she put her controller down and joined the tip of her index fingers. Ryona did as she was told but the blush and flattered happy smile on her face said everything she was feeling for such cute request.

Sayori eventually began to feel sleepy, promoting both to stop playing for now and get ready to go to sleep but the red bow girl had one more request before that, something she really wanted to do with a friend at least once, but doing it now with her girlfriend sounded like an even better idea.

...

"Your hair is really nice, Ry, have you ever thought of letting it grow?", Sayori asked, now sitting on her bed brushing Ryona's short hair, who was sitting on the floor in front of her, leaning on the side of the bed. "Do you want me to have it longer?", Ryona asked awfully serious.

"I can't deny I'm curious to see how it'd look like... I think a low ponytail like your mom's but still maintaining your style with your long bangs on one side of your face would look cool on you! But then again, I love your short hair too", Sayori said messing her girlfriend's hair to then get to brush it again.

"If you want me to have it longer just tell me...", Ryona said with a fool smile. "Ry... Seriously, long, short or somewhere in between, your hair always looks pretty to me and so do you", Sayori stopped brushing just to wrap her arms around Ryona's neck from behind, making the tough girl fall for her yet again.

And so they continued. Sayori enjoyed to her heart's content brushing and even trying a couple of different hairstyles with her girlfriend's hair, which Ryona loved every single time, until the time for them to travel to the land of dreams came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Phew...", at last, the purple girl was able to relax.
Coming out of the bathroom after taking a much needed shower, Yuri could feel all the muscles of her body, some she didn't even know existed, throbbing and begging for her to already lay down and let them rest.

After tiredly drying her hair, Yuri finally turned off most of the lights and headed to her bed, only leaving the little night lamp next to her bed on to hopefully read a bit before going to sleep but she was almost sure that wouldn't happen that night as she had one crucial thought in mind.

With most of her evening being taken by the intense training the two enigmatic individuals put her through, she hadn't had time to text her girlfriend like she always did.

Yuri was quite anxious about it, wondering if her girlfriend was worried about her not texting her that day or even mad about it. Yuri couldn't help but fear the worst sometimes.

She soon got to her phone and with a big smile, she saw the notification she expected, quickly opening the chat to answer.

💗: Hey babe whatcha up to??

Hey darling 💜 sorry I took so long to reply. I was busy doing homework and some cleaning... :💜

💗: Its k don't worry ( T_T)＼(^-^ )

💗: I guess you're gonna sleep soon tho? I mean its almost midnight

I'm a bit sleepy, yes but I'll stay awake to talk to you all you want 💜 :💜

💗:  You sound like a simp XD

💗: I can imagine Monika saying something like that to the student council prez XD

I don't know how to feel about that hehe... :💜

💗: Just laugh at Simpika babe (≧▽≦)

🤭 :💜

💗: Stop

Hehe :💜

So how was the rest of your day, my love? :💜

💗: It was cool, I've been able to improve on some things I'm practicing <(￣︶￣)>

I'm glad to read that, darling 💜 can I ask what are those things? :💜

💗: Nah its a secret for now, but you'll see someday (◠‿◕)

I'm really curious now but I'll be patient for you, love💗 :💜

💗: Ye ye cheesy purple

Natsuki...:💜

💗: Wat

I have a little request... Can I call you? :💜

💗: You mean like a phone call?

Yes please:💜

💗: Sure I mean why not 乁 ˘ o ˘ ㄏ

Thank you dear! :💜

📞 My love

Moshi Moshi~

Good evening, darling

Sup again purple cheese, why the sudden call?

I-I just wanted to hear your voice before going to sleep... I-I think it could be... Romantic and t-that maybe it could help me dream of you tonight....

Geez Yuri... Can't you get any cheesier? But like... It's not like I hate the idea or anything....

Hehe, I'll take that as a positive answer

Whatever giant dummy

Ehehehe~

What now? You going crazy or what??

I-It's just my mood really improves when I hear your voice... Or when I'm with you in general

What did I do to deserve such a cheesy girlfriend?

What did I do to deserve such an adorable girlfriend?

S-Stop your cheese already!

Okay~

I love you

Eh I love you too. How did your evening go? Did you finish your homework?

Yes, I... I managed to do a very good homework. I think I'm getting an A+

That's cool nerd

Your nerd

Didn't I tell you to stop?

Hehe sorry~ but I'm really happy to hear your voice right now... It was really exhausting after all... D-doing all that homework I mean...

Yeah, it can be really annoying that's why I- yaaaawn- hate homework too...

Hehe you sound sleepy

Your ass is sleepy....

A little bit, yaaawn-es...

Ha!

Sorry, I'm sleepy too hehe...

I guess we should go to bed now...

I'm already in bed

I mean like to sleep you dummy! I'm in bed already too

Then... How about we leave the call on like this and we just go to sleep now? See who falls asleep first

Is that a challenge? I accept!

I-It was n- yes it was a challenge hehe, just stay with me while we fall asleep, yes?

Sure whatever but you'll lose

3, 2, 1... Now goodnight and sweet dreams my love

Ye ye, goodnight and all that shish

...

...

...

...

...

I love you

...wha- nngh... Yaaawn I love... You too... Big... Dummy... Boobs dummy...

Hehe

Shut... Yoaaawn fn mouth...

...

...

...

...

I want to be with you always...

Mmhmm...

For that... I'll protect you too

Ye... Simpika sucks...

My beloved Natsuki, I'll watch over you...

...

📞

With the sound of her soft breaths through the phone, Yuri knew Natsuki was heading to the land of dreams already. She took a moment to enjoy the peaceful sound of her girlfriend sleeping to finally hang up.

Now more than ever, she was determined to do what it takes to protect her love and ensure they both could spend their lives loving each other until the end of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night had inevitably fallen and with the darkness and death silence of the night also came back the doubts and fears that never ceased to cloud the red bow girl's mind.

Now that the beautiful reality she was assuming was a dream could end the moment she closed her eyes, Sayori couldn't bring herself to fall asleep.

As awkward as both could be, neither Sayori nor Ryona have the courage to ask each other if they could sleep in the same bed, no matter how much they wanted to.
Ryona was sleeping on the floor using a sleeping bag Sayori had from when her parents and her went camping long ago while she was using her bed as usual.

After turning off the lights, Sayori made the mistake of laying on her side facing the wall instead of her room, not being able to see Ryona anymore from there and precisely, this was what now scared her.

Her mind soon began to remind her how different reality truly was. She remembered she was unworthy, awful, selfish and certainly not deserving of anyone's concern. Someone that everyone would be better without. Or so she thought.

She was truly scared. None of those wonderful moments she had been experiencing in the last couple of hours could be real now and she could find herself alone again.

Unlucky for her, Ryona seemed to be too quiet when she slept, not even the sound of her soft breaths reached her ears and that was something she couldn't help but now think of as a sign the dream was over and that the dark blue haired girl was never there and in reality, she just spent the evening with that new girl instead of her, truly getting the happiness someone like her couldn't and didn't deserve to get.

Soon, Sayori began shaking, her eyes watered again, her quiet sobs broke the dead silence of the night as the rain clouds surrounded her again but they didn't count on that howling wind now always around to blow them away.

The only reason Ryona was so quiet was simple, pure and intense focus. The tough girl never forgot about her promises, she was set on destroying anything that threatened her beloved bubbly girl's happiness and fighting her depression was a first for her.

One after another, the dark blue haired girl read website after website,  doing her best to understand what depression was and eventually, look for ways to help Sayori combat it.

Ryona had learnt depression wasn't a state of mind or a mood, it was very much an illness and something people just can't control and although there were many ways for her or her friends in general to help Sayori deal with it, the best solution was the same for any other illness.

She was right in the middle of searching the best specialist in town so she could take Sayori there and start a treatment, however it was then that she heard her quiet sobs yet again, feeling that spear going through her heart again.

But at the same time, she couldn't let herself be affected like she did earlier. As much as Sayori's pain hurt her too, Ryona was determined to stay strong and be the one Sayori could lean on and the one who would always smile at her and tell her it'll be okay.

Ryona sat up and then got on her knees next to Sayori's bed, carefully shaking her by the shoulder to get her attention. She was almost startled as Sayori quickly turned around to face her, almost desperately she'd say as she saw the look on her watery eyes.

Ryona didn't say anything and much like that girl she loved, she just smiled and took her hand, which surprised her a little when Sayori gripped hers a bit tight at first to then relax little by little as Ryona began running her free hand through her fluffy peach hair.

The tough girl's heart soon felt like being pierced again but this time by yet another of cupid's arrows as Sayori's look soon began to soften and a weak but honest smile appeared on her face.

Sayori finally was able to rest and for the first time in a while, have a nice dream as she fell asleep holding her girlfriend's hand.
It wasn't until her alarm sounded in the early morning that she woke up again, only to find out what her reality was.

Sayori put on the first genuine smile of the day as her blue eyes sparkled, looking at that dark blue haired girl now asleep still on her knees but with her head and chest resting on her bed, still holding her girlfriend's hand.

The red bow girl woke up to love. She kissed Ryona's head softly and stayed there, petting her dark blue hair to allow her to rest a bit more before a new day could start for the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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"The day has finally come, literature club... For you to fall... and pray!"