Yoshino ended up leaving his half-eaten slice of coffee cake at the café and stormed back to his house because of Hakaze and Mahiro's constant bugging. Unfortunately, the two followed after, nagging him all the way back. He'd almost gotten ran over by a train from the aftermath of Hakaze carelessly nudging him around. Now, he was lying on the couch and holding a pillow over his ears, trying to block out Hakaze's lecturing about why going to America would be beneficial. Meanwhile, Mahiro was busying himself in Yoshino's kitchen, attempting to make a sundae for him as another form of persuasion... The "look-at-me-I'm-such-a-good-friend" kind.
Hakaze paced back and forth in front of Yoshino's couch in a dizzying figure-eight pattern. "Hmm... you can meet new people in America!"
Yoshino let out a slight groan and shoved the pillow harder over his ears. "Why do I need to meet new people? I've got you two. I think that's good enough."
"Um... Because it's better to have more friends?"
"It's not like we'll be staying there for long," He rolled over, allowing Hakaze a great view of his backside. "Besides, it's not always beneficial to associate yourself with many different people."
Hakaze paused her pacing for a moment and leaned against the back of the couch, trying to think of another good reason. "Hmm..." She twirled a piece of her pink hair around her index finger, a habit that she had recently picked up out of nowhere. A while ago, she noticed herself getting more girlish each day. It started with simple things, like wearing painful pink heels and flashy necklaces. Then, it progressed into more "annoying" traits, such as adapting a high-pitched giggle and grabbing Yoshino's arm.
"Yoshino, where's the ice cream?" Mahiro's voice was heard from down the hall. It was promptly followed by a loud banging noise and a curse.
"Don't break anything," Yoshino mumbled, curling up on the couch. "Refrigerator, fourth shelf, bottom left. It's underneath some ice."
Mahiro let out a low whistle. "How the hell did you manage to memorize the exact contents of your fridge?"
"Come on, Yoshino-kun. It'll be plenty of fun," Hakaze sat down into the empty space next to Yoshino, now that he was all curled up. "Besides... Uh... We can--"
"Where are the spoons?" Mahiro shouted once again from the kitchen. This time, no hazardous sounds followed.
"Forget it, Mahiro. Even if you do succeed in making a sundae for me, I'm still not going." Yoshino rolled around again until he was eye-to-eye with Hakaze. It went on like that for a few minutes, just staring at each other, before Hakaze made her move.
She reached out a longing hand towards Yoshino. Her feelings-- she just couldn't hold them back anymore. Ever since the fateful day that she first materialized in front him, albeit partially naked, she felt a strange flutter in her heart. It was like a hundred butterflies were trapped in there and they were all beating their wings at the same time in a vain attempt of escape. Most people called it love... She-- well, she just recognized it as a strange flutter.
Yoshino tilted his head upwards, looking at Hakaze with uncertainty in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He just looked like a foolish fish with his mouth wide-open.
There was an unnatural silence in the kitchen. Yoshino was almost positive that Mahiro had stopped whatever he was doing just to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Hakaze's hand still lingered tentatively above Yoshino. She wondered if he still had his beloved Aika-Chan in his mind. She also wondered if he would get angry at her if she touched him. But, most of all, she wondered if he was secretly in love with her.
