Word Count: 9341
-
"Y/N, how'd you do?"
Semester exams had finally ended. Having survived their collective hell, the students gathered in their classroom, more excited and animated than usual.
Y/N and Jennie, both relieved that they had wrapped up all their tests, were comparing their performances.
"Mm? Oh, pretty average," Y/N answered. "Not that great, not that bad."
The exam had covered the expected material, so for anyone who studied daily, it wasn't that difficult. Y/N had done about as well this time as she had with other tests, leaving little to say about her academics one way or the other.
Y/N got bored easily, but she nevertheless always made sure to study. She was able to retain most of the things taught in class, but it was far too difficult to get a perfect score, so her scores usually floated between a solid eighty and ninety.
"I bet you'll make it into the top thirty, if you didn't outdo yourself... you egghead," Jennie teased.
"It's because I study every day," Y/N shot back.
"Well, how nice for you!"
"Don't start; you're the one forgetting to study 'cause you're too busy flirting."
The difference between Y/N and Jennie probably had less to do with their intellectual capacities and more to do with which one of them spent all their free time with a certain girlfriend named Lisa. Jennie had the ability to make it into a pretty high score bracket if she ever bothered to study seriously, but since Lisa was her real priority, her actual rank was much lower than Y/N's.
"Girlfriends are great, you know?" Jennie said wistfully.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hey, Y/N, you should get a girlfriend, too!"
"If people could just get girlfriends whenever they wanted, the people of the world wouldn't shed so many bitter tears."
There were plenty of unsatisfied people who would have taken offense at Jennie's thoughtless remark. Y/N, though, wasn't really inclined to get angry with her over it. In fact, she'd never really felt that way about any girl, so she was content to let the comment pass.
"Assuming I did get one, what then?" Y/N inquired.
"A double date," Jennie replied.
"That would end in a bad case of heartburn for my fictional girlfriend and me. We'd have to break up."
"You could flirt in front of us, too, y'know!"
"Do you really think I can find a girlfriend, the way I live?"
"I guess it's impossible."
"Right?"
Y/N was honest to a fault, even with herself. She'd always found other people difficult and exhausting, and she was aware that many people found her to be standoffish. That, plus the blunt way she spoke, meant she was not all that popular. Y/N's social status would've made it hard to find a girlfriend, even if she was looking for one.
Against all odds, if Y/N did somehow find a girlfriend, she was sure they wouldn't be like Jennie and Lisa. She couldn't picture herself flirting in public with a girl, oblivious to anyone who might see.
"Come on, you should at least find someone you like, Y/N. If you just cut your bangs a little shorter, cleaned yourself up, and maybe found a style that worked for you, the girls would definitely look at you differently, I'm tellin' ya," Jennie advised.
Assuming Y/N's self-evaluation was accurate, she didn't have the looks of a pretty girl or an idol like Jennie, but she definitely didn't think she was ugly, either. Y/N figured that if she just spent more time on her grooming and paid more attention to her clothes, she could rival most of the other girls her age. The problem was that she didn't know enough about fashion to dress well, and she was certainly not smooth enough with her words to win any girl over.
"I'm not interested in the kind of girl who picks a date based on appearance," Y/N asserted.
"You say that, but if you don't get them interested in the first place, you won't even get to know them well enough to judge their personality, right?" Jennie argued back.
"Even if that's true, I'm not really looking for a girlfriend right now."
Were some hypothetical girl ever actually interested in Y/N, it would be all over the second she saw how she lived. Y/N was a slob with no life skills, and on top of that, she had a difficult time getting along with other people. If there was a girl who was drawn to her, despite all that, she'd like to meet her. Such a hopeless thought was enough to bring a bitter smile to Y/N's face.
Besides, since Rosé was cooking dinners for her now, a girlfriend could introduce some unpleasant complications. Not that Y/N intended to pursue a relationship in the first place, but that was simply one more strike against the idea.
Y/N felt that Rosé's delicious cooking was worth more than the possibility of an as yet unseen girlfriend, and that conviction was not likely to be easily overturned.
"Ugh, you're so boring... How about I get Lisa to introduce you to one of her friends?" offered Jennie.
"You care way too much about this. Most of Lisa's friends are too... excitable. It's hard for me to hang out with them, even as friends," Y/N quickly shot down the idea.
"Only because you're so gloomy."
"Oh, shut up."
"Well, if you say so, I won't say anything to her for now. But as a blossoming high school girl, isn't it sad to live an empty life, all by yourself?"
"I don't need a girlfriend; they're too much trouble."
"Just what do you think we're supposed to be doing at the university anyway?" Y/N thought. Even if she wasn't actually that serious about her studies, she still didn't see the point in spending so much time worrying about romance. Above all, finding a real match was no easy feat.
"What a waste," Jennie grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah," Y/N shrugged.
"But listen, you'll change your tune when you find a good one, Y/N, you hear?"
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because girls particularly like to fuss over girls like you."
"Whatever you say, Jendeuki."
Y/N couldn't imagine acting so sentimental; it didn't seem possible. She decided to simply ignore her friend's words. Jennie was looking at Y/N with an exasperated glare when suddenly, her line of sight shifted, and her face relaxed.
"Jennie! Let's go home together!"
"Ah, Lisa!"
Just then, Lisa appeared. Apparently, Jennie had promised to walk her home, which brought a swift end to their conversation.
When Y/N turned to see where her friend's attention had shifted, she saw Lisa, a girl with medium short light brown hair tinged with red, looking their way with a radiant smile. Well, to be more accurate, she was only looking and waving at Jennie.
The girl's lively aura and bright, smiling face were enough to make Jennie beam whenever she saw her. That was the kind of effect Lisa had on people, and for better or worse, she was always the center of attention.
Lisa was a different type of beauty than Rosé. She had a great big smile as she rushed over. With any luck, she wouldn't have much to say today because usually whenever Lisa talked, she made fun of Y/N.
"You agree, right, Lisa? Y/N's the type of girl who needs a girlfriend to take care of her, don't you think?" Jennie asked.
"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," chided Y/N.
"Wait, what, do you have a girlfriend, Y/N?!" Lisa exclaimed excitedly.
"No way."
"Aw, bummer," Lisa said, pouting. "If you did, I'd want to be friends with her."
"Knowing your idea of friendship, I would feel bad for my imaginary girlfriend," Y/N said.
"Oh, so you have an imaginary girlfriend?" Lisa asked.
"Weren't we just talking about what if I had one?!"
"Kidding, kidding."
"I get tired just talking to you..."
"That's just because you don't have the stamina to handle me."
"Don't have the patience, more like..."
Even a short exchange with Lisa was mentally exhausting for Y/N. Most of the time, she tried to keep her head down and avoid other people, like at school. When she found herself forced to carry on a conversation with someone as extroverted as Lisa, it was really demanding.
Lisa didn't let Y/N's sour attitude bother her at all and flashed the exhausted-looking girl a truly joyful smile. "You're such a mess."
Jennie smiled in the same way and tossed out some perfunctory advice. "You'd better get your act together, Y/N."
Y/N was already too worn out, managing only to let out a deep sigh.
-
"What are you doing?"
After returning home and gobbling up Rosé's handmade food, Y/N returned to the living room once she was finished doing the dishes and saw Rosé with a question sheet spread out before her.
There had been no agreement about cleaning the dishes, but Y/N took the initiative to shoulder the burden whenever possible. While she had been tidying up, Rosé had gone to sit in the living room. It would have been inexcusable to make her do everything and then hurry on home.
"I'm grading," Rosé answered. "I mean, I can see that."
She seemed to be reviewing her answers with her textbook out, checking that she hadn't gotten anything wrong. "So what's the result?" Y/N asked.
"Well, if I didn't make any recording errors on my answer sheet, then it's... a perfect score."
"I can't think of anything to say except 'It figures.'"
Just as Rosé didn't show much of a reaction regarding her errorless work, Y/N didn't have a very exaggerated response. She wasn't surprised because Rosé's name was practically always written in the top spot of the periodic exam results. She knew Rosé was more than capable of a perfect score, so she was not the least bit surprised by her performance here.
"It's because studying doesn't bother me. I've actually already completed all of this year's coursework, so now it's enough to simply review," Rosé explained.
"Whoa, you really go all out..." Y/N replied.
"You study a lot yourself, Y/N."
"You know what my grades are like?"
"I sort of remember your name on the ranking list."
Apparently, Rosé had known a little bit about Y/N before they ever spoke. She must have noticed her among the top ranks because she recounted her exact placement on the most recent test without hesitation, almost like she was looking at the list right now.
Y/N did work pretty hard at her studies, but it wasn't because of some earnest drive for success or anything. It was because of an agreement she had come to with her parents. In order to live alone, she had to maintain good grades.
"Well, it's a condition for my current lifestyle: I have to keep my grades up."
The only other facet of the agreement was that Y/N had to visit home at least once every six months, but she could take care of that over long school breaks. Basically, as long as she was keeping her grades up, there were no problems.
"I study hard enough to keep my head above water, but nothing like you. You really put a lot of effort in."
"I have to try hard," Rosé mumbled, casting her eyes downward. Her expression was hidden by her bangs, and while Y/N couldn't get a proper look at it, anyone would have recognized it wasn't a happy one. Before she could get a read on her, though, Rosé quickly looked back up, once again wearing her usual expression.
Even if there had been time to point out the curious change, Y/N probably wouldn't have. She could tell that Rosé was carrying some kind of painful burden by certain things she did or faces she made.
While Y/N made sure to never ask Rosé what was bothering her or what was so unpleasant, she still got the impression that she was struggling with something. Y/N imagined that, whatever it was, it had its origins in her home life. It was hardly the kind of subject she could just casually broach with the girl. She understood that this was not an area in which an outsider like herself could intrude, so Y/N never touched the subject, and she persistently tried to maintain a sense of distance appropriate for a neighbor.
Everyone had things they didn't want to talk about, even Y/N. Treading thoughtlessly on Rosé would be rude, and she was sure that she appreciated the fact that Y/N pretended not to notice her distress.
Having disguised her abrupt change in mood, Rosé declared in a clear voice that she would be heading back to her own apartment. She put her textbook and her answer sheet back into her bag.
Y/N didn't have any intention of stopping her, so she replied simply, "Mm hmm, sounds good," and watched Rosé get ready to leave.
When Rosé had finished putting everything away, she stood up from her seat, and Y/N noticed that she had left something behind next to her empty cup. She picked it up and discovered it was a case holding Rosé's student ID, the kind any student would have. She had probably pulled it out along with her textbook and forgotten to put it away.
Along with her name and picture, the little plastic card displayed common information, like her student number, birthday, and blood type.
After staring at it for a second, Y/N called out to Rosé, who was in the entryway and putting her shoes on. "You forgot this," she said.
"Oh, sorry for the trouble. Well then, good night."
"Night."
Rosé gave a quick, polite bow and turned her back on Y/N's apartment. With a small sigh, Y/N watched her leave.
Thinking back to the birthdate listed on Rosé's school ID, Y/N put a hand to her forehead as she realized something. "That's in four days, isn't it?"
If she hadn't unintentionally seen the girl's ID, she would likely never have found out.
-
The following day, Y/N tried to see if there was anything Rosé might like as a gift. There was no ulterior motive behind the gesture. In fact, Y/N had been thinking for a while that it might be nice to get something for the girl who had been taking care of her every day. A birthday seemed like the perfect time.
There must have been something odd about the way Y/N phrased the question, however, because Rosé gave her a puzzled look, one that made Y/N begin to regret asking such a direct question.
"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Rosé inquired.
"You don't seem very materialistic, so I was just curious."
"Out of nowhere again..."
Y/N thought that she should probably have tried to play it a little smoother, but it was too late for that now. The one possible saving grace was that Rosé didn't seem to have realized that this was about her birthday. As far as she knew, Y/N should've had no way of knowing her date of birth. Hopefully, that would keep her from catching on.
"Well, let's see, there is one thing I need. I guess that's what I want right now."
"What do you want?"
"A whetstone."
"A... whetstone?"
Unconsciously, Y/N repeated Rosé's words because her answer had been far too unexpected. No one could've expected that kind of answer from a university girl. Normally, you'd think they would want cosmetics, accessories, or bags, or something like that, Y/N thought. She would never in her wildest dreams have expected a girl to want a tool for sharpening metal.
"That's right, a whetstone. I already have several, but I want one with a finer finishing surface, you see," Rosé explained.
"Are you sure you're really an ordinary university girl?" Y/N asked.
"Please don't expect me to be ordinary."
It was difficult for Y/N to object to that. Rosé could not be called an ordinary student by any standard. Describing her as an angel seemed entirely accurate. Rosé was a prodigy who was good at school and sports.
What's more, she was an excellent cook and a skilled housekeeper. As if that wasn't enough, Rosé was a noble young lady who spent so much time taking care of a slob like Y/N that she could've been mistaken for a married woman.
Still, who could have imagined she'd want something like a whetstone? Rosé had to be the only university girl in the whole world who wanted such a thing.
"You can't buy it yourself?" Y/N wondered aloud. She was well-off, after all.
"It's not exactly that I can't buy it, you know. It's just-I won't have that many opportunities to use it, and it's pretty expensive. After considering all that, I couldn't really justify the purchase. I already have one that can put a decent edge on, so I keep telling myself that I don't really need it."
Y/N had to admit that it was more than a bit frightening to know that Rosé owned several whetstones already.
"..How many high school girls out there sharpen their own kitchen knives?" she asked.
"Quite a few," Rosé replied.
"Even if there are, you're the only one I know, and you're also the only one who wants another whetstone."
"Well, I suppose it's nice to be unique."
"If you say so..."
This certainly was an angel with unusual interests. Y/N couldn't make heads or tails of her.
-
After completely failing to decide on a gift that Rosé might appreciate, Y/N had decided instead to consult with her best friend. Jennie had a way with women's hearts, as well as a girlfriend to consult, so Y/N expected that she would probably have some grasp on what a girl would normally want.
While she wasn't really sure it was a good idea to try to apply normal standards to someone like Rosé, she expected that she wouldn't outright hate things that made someone else's girlfriend happy.
"What's up?" Jennie replied.
"When you give Lisa presents, what do you usually get her?"
Y/N thought it would be best to start by asking what Jennie bought for her girl, but all she got back was a blank stare.
"Huh, you planning on giving a present to some sweetheart of yours?"
"Do you think I have it in me to do something like that?" Y/N asked.
"Nope."
"All right, then."
"In that case, why are you asking?"
"Someone I know has a birthday coming up, so I wanted to ask you."
While Y/N was planning on listening to Jennie's advice with the utmost attention, she was also keen not to reveal too much about her own circumstances.
"Hmm... for starters, you should try finding out what they want. You know, it's important to do that sort of research on a regular basis. It's the secret to a harmonious relationship, I'm telling you," said Jennie.
"I told you that this isn't for a girlfriend," Y/N reminded.
Setting aside the potential grave danger the other girls at school would pose to Y/N's social life if word ever got around, Rosé was too awe-inspiring to even consider asking out in the first place.
Sure, she was cute, but that didn't mean Y/N wanted a relationship.
"What they want, huh...? And what if you don't know?" Y/N asked.
"Depends on how close you are. If you're good friends, an accessory or something is good, but if you're not close, something practical that they can use is a safer bet. There are lots of girls who're happy to get flowers but don't know what to do when they receive them," Jennie explained.
"You sure know your stuff."
"Well, I've done a fair bit of research, I guess."
Jennie and Lisa hadn't always been so wild about each other. Their relationship had slowly developed, first starting in middle school. Y/N had gone to a different middle school, so she didn't really know all the details, but apparently, they'd gone through a lot together, and their relationship had grown from those experiences to the point where these days, they wouldn't shut up about each other.
To hear her tell it, Jennie had also been fairly lost the first time she'd had to give Lisa a present, so Y/N figured she could benefit from her friend's experience.
"Oh, and no girl hates hand cream," Jennie added.
"Hand cream?" Y/N repeated, surprised.
As Y/N was pondering this unexpected option, Jennie grinned and explained proudly, "No matter what age they are, every girl has some use for it. If she's a student, her hands get dry from handling notebooks and textbooks in class; if she's in the workforce, her hands dry out from typing and air conditioning; and housewives cook and clean, so their hands take a beating, too. You can't go wrong with that stuff."
"Hmm. You sure know an awful lot about women's hands..." Y/N said.
"You're the one who came and asked me!" Jennie snapped.
Jennie slapped Y/N on the back, but there was no power behind it. The two friends shared a laugh. Hand cream, huh? Y/N guessed that was a pretty safe bet.
Y/N had been taking the initiative on washing the dishes after dinner, but Rosé obviously did her own dishes at home, so she could imagine her hands could use some moisturizing. More importantly, Y/N was sure she took care of her hands already, since they were so smooth. A gift she could use right away really was the best plan.
"Cool, thanks for your thoughts," Y/N said.
"Let's try asking Lisa, too. As a fellow girl, she probably has a better idea," proposed Jennie.
"Eh..."
"You gotta warm up to her," Jennie said.
Y/N certainly didn't hate her, but Lisa was not exactly her favorite type of girl, and being around her always made her feel awkward. Usually, she tried to avoid interacting with her altogether. Jennie slapped Y/N's back again gently, smiling in amusement.
-
"Whaaa-? Y/N, you're giving a girl a birthday present?" Lisa was smiling-no, smirking-at this rare development, and it was all Y/N could do not to grimace.
She had gone to Lisa's classroom to talk to her after school, and sure enough, she seemed greatly amused.
Incidentally, Jennie had sent Lisa a message saying that she wasn't worried about her being alone with another girl as long as it was Y/N, so she had gone on home. Y/N had sighed softly, while Lisa had worn a wide grin.
"I told Jennie I didn't want to ask you," Y/N whispered under her breath.
It was obvious that Lisa was definitely going to pry and ridicule her, so Y/N hadn't intended to turn to her for help at all. Y/N certainly didn't hate Lisa, but she couldn't deny that there were some things about her that she just couldn't stand.
"Okay, so Jennie wrote here that 'Y/N was hoping you'd give her some pointers.' So you want my help, huh?" Lisa said.
"You're the only other girl aside from Jennie that I can ask, Lisa," Y/N replied.
"It doesn't sound very nice when you put it like that, you know." Lisa looked at Y/N with clear pity, but she let it pass.
The truth was, Y/N had no friends outside of Jennie. Every single girl in her class barely counted as acquaintances, and she wasn't close enough to any of them to be able to ask for help with things like this.
Actually, Y/N was usually rather quiet in University. If one of her classmates tried to talk to her, she probably wouldn't know what to do.
"All right, well, I can't imagine you really understand how people think, Y/N. But don't worry! Miss Lisa is here to advise you!" Lisa said.
"I guess I'm in your hands," Y/N replied.
"You guess? What's to guess? I may not look it, but I know women's hearts perfectly!" Lisa said.
"I mean, you are a girl, after all... I guess."
"Watch it with those guesses. I'm not sure I like what you're implying!" Lisa cleared her throat and thrust out her chest.
Compared to Rosé, who Y/N saw every day, the result was underwhelming at best. Y/N awkwardly stared at the ground.
Regardless of what she personally thought, Lisa was popular with guys. Personality-wise, she was cheerful and friendly, and she talked to everyone without playing favorites, so hers was a different kind of popularity than Rosé's. She got along with boys and girls alike. She really was the epitome of a life of the party kind of person.
She had apparently been a member of the track and field club in middle school, and her slender build and toned legs certainly didn't hurt her popularity. It was a verifiable fact that her legs were beautiful, so much so that Jennie had warned other guys in school that she'd get angry if they stared at her too much.
"Ah, right, right," Lisa said. "Something for a cute girl, let's see..."
There were definitely times when she got too friendly, but Y/N wouldn't deny that Lisa was cute. She could understand why other guys and girls in school liked her.
"You know," Lisa added, "that glum attitude of yours is seriously gonna give people the wrong idea."
"Gee, thanks for your concern," Y/N replied.
"Fine, fine. So you're giving something to a girl, right? Well, what kind of girl?"
Lisa's question didn't leave her much room to maneuver, but Y/N knew that if she was careless with what she told her, she wouldn't let her live it down, so she chose her words gingerly.
"She's an acquaintance of mine, and she's relatively young. Beyond that, I'm exercising my right to remain silent."
"Uh... if you won't tell me about her personality or what she likes, even I can't come up with any ideas, you know."
"Can't you just tell me some things that you would like to get as a gift? Then I'll choose from among them."
"I get it; you don't want to tell me anything about her. Fine, we'll do it your way."
Lisa made a good point, but if Y/N told her any more, she would know that Y/N was close to a girl their age, and it was likely that the conversation would veer off in a strange and uncomfortable direction from there. If Y/N really slipped up, Lisa might even end up figuring out that Y/N was talking about Rosé.
Y/N wanted to avoid that if at all possible, so she had decided not to tell Lisa anything that wasn't strictly necessary. Lisa also seemed to understand that Y/N wouldn't willingly reveal much more, and thankfully, she was kind enough to back off on the questions.
"Hmm, let's see... I don't know what type of relationship you have with her, but if she's an acquaintance you speak with fairly often, I'm assuming she would be happy to receive something from a person who's about as close to her as I am to you. In that case, generally a consumable or everyday item that's not too expensive should be good."
"Jennie told me pretty much the same thing," Y/N said.
"Obviously. She understands how girls think. Now, if you're looking for a casual gift, some sweets and a handkerchief or some small item might be good. If I got an expensive accessory from you, Y/N, I'd totally be like 'A bribe?!' or something."
"I don't think I would get anything out of bribing you, though."
After shooting Y/N a glance that seemed to be asking for some sort of recompense for her help, Lisa smiled and answered, "Well, you've got that right. Anyway, little things like that are safe. Gotcha."
"You sound kinda unsatisfied," Lisa cocked her head.
"It's not that I'm not satisfied, but..." Y/N trailed off. In truth, she just wasn't sure that Rosé would appreciate the sort of gift that she would select. She probably had impeccable taste, and she seemed like the type to choose things that combined quality and functionality. Y/N wasn't sure if her choice would measure up.
Lisa could sense a slight hesitation in Y/N's demeanor, and she hummed a bit to herself. "...Let's see... Another option might be... something cute?"
"Such as?"
"Depends on the person's tastes. For example, a stuffed animal or a keychain with an adorable character on it. I think giving her something like that might work."
Y/N blinked back at Lisa after hearing the unexpected suggestion, and Lisa smiled knowingly. "Most girls enjoy cute things, you see. There are even some people who keep collecting stuffed animals long after they grow up, and lots of girls like them in general, right?"
"..A stuffed animal, huh..." Y/N didn't know whether Rosé had any girly interests, but she did wear clothes decorated with cute frills and ornaments, so she probably didn't hate cuter things like stuffed animals.
Y/N could certainly imagine Rosé being happy to receive a plush toy.
"Oh, do I sense some interest?" Lisa smirked. Apparently, she had caught the minute change that had come over Y/N. She nodded, though she was still unsure, and let out a small sigh.
"But it'll be too weird for me to buy a stuffed animal, I think," Y/N admitted.
"It's a present; you're not buying it for yourself. What's the problem?" Lisa asked.
"I mean, a girl my age, carrying a stuffed animal to the register..."
"You really are pathetic, you know that?" Lisa teased.
There was no denying it, but it still hurt Y/N to hear it. She ought to be able to get over such a petty hang-up, but even walking into a store that carried stuffed animals by herself was enough to make her feel embarrassed.
Fortunately, Lisa was with her today. Y/N thought she might be able to convince her to accompany her to a shop on the way home. It certainly wasn't out of the question, but...
"Lisa, come with me," said Y/N.
"What do you mean?"
"...Please accompany me to go shopping."
"Hmm, I wonder if I should..." It was just like Lisa to tease her like this.
Of course, she didn't really have any intention of refusing Y/N's request, but there could be no doubt that she was putting on a deliberate act, both to make fun of Y/N and to force her to beg for her help.
"I'm asking you, please. I'm really counting on you," Y/N pleaded.
"Mmm, I guess I could go... By the way, Y/N, I feel like eating something sweet. And the crepe stand in front of the station has a super delicious looking limited-time item..."
"Please allow me to treat you."
"Yay!"
Y/N grimaced at Lisa's clever manipulation, but she realized it was a small price to pay for her help. It was way better to pay for one crepe than to go into a cutesy shop all on her own. Y/N let out a powerful sigh as she looked at Lisa, who was grinning impishly, then mentally calculated her approximate budget based on what was in her wallet.
After consulting Jennie and Lisa, Y/N had at last made a decision on what to give Rosé for her birthday. Staring at the back of the girl in question, a nervous expression overtook Y/N's face.
As compensation for a deluxe crepe from the shop in front of the station, the Wintertime Limited Edition Berry Berry Special to be exact, Y/N had asked Lisa for one more thing. It and the actual present were now sitting in a bag together. The problem was that Y/N was completely at a loss for when she should give the gift to Rosé.
The birthday girl was fixing dinner as usual, with no change in demeanor.
Y/N didn't know what was on the menu, but it had the air of Japanese food and certainly didn't seem like anything special. She seemed relaxed as she went about her preparations.
Rosé had made no indication at all that today was anything but another regular day. She was acting so normal that Y/N wondered if perhaps she even knew.
As Rosé started setting the table, Y/N couldn't help but notice that her face remained completely unchanged. The two ate an extremely typical dinner and held a totally normal conversation. Through it all, Y/N remained completely unsure of when best to present her with the gifts she'd gotten. Frowning, she glanced in the direction of the paper bag hidden behind her sofa.
She decided to wait until they had cleaned up after dinner and returned to the living room when she could take a seat beside Rosé on her two-person sofa. Rosé had brought some books to look over after their meal, so that seemed as good a time as any.
True to her nickname, the angel was just as beautiful when she was reading.
Without knowing why, Y/N hesitated a little to sit next to her, but even if she hesitated, there was no way around it, so she grabbed the paper gift bag from its hiding place and sat down next to Rosé.
Immediately, Rosé's head snapped up. Whether she'd noticed Y/N's presence or heard the sound of the crinkling paper bag was unclear. Either way, her caramel-colored eyes turned toward Y/N before shifting to what she was holding.
Rosé looked confused, as if she still hadn't realized that this was about her birthday.
"Here. For you." Y/N placed the bag on Rosé's knees, and the girl's expression grew even more puzzled.
"What is this?" she asked.
"It's your birthday, right?"
"That's true... but wait, how did you know that? I don't remember telling anyone."
Rosé was suddenly on guard.
"Remember when you dropped your school ID in my apartment?" Y/N reminded her.
She seemed to understand, and her normal expression returned. "I really wish you hadn't gone to the trouble. I... don't celebrate my birthday."
Y/N was certain that she'd heard a bit of cold detachment in Rosé's voice when she spoke. The look in her eyes told her that even the word "birthday" was something she avoided.
I see, she thought. So the reason why she didn't act any differently, even though it's her birthday, wasn't because she forgot... She's been purposely ignoring it. Something about it must bother her.
Y/N figured that if that wasn't the case, Rosé wouldn't have spoken like that.
"Okay then, call it an expression of gratitude for everything you do for me. I just decided to give you something to repay you.
Setting aside any mention of Rosé's birthday, Y/N pressed the bag on her, justifying it as her way of thanking her for her daily kindnesses. She cooked delicious meals for her every evening and helped her with her cleaning sometimes. When it came down to it, Rosé did a lot to take care of Y/N. She wanted to repay that debt in whatever small way possible.
Y/N held out the present to Rosé, but she shrank away. First, she looked confused, then she frowned at Y/N's determination. Finally, she accepted the gift bag.
"Well, can I open it?" Rosé asked.
"Yeah," Y/N said.
Rosé nodded and gingerly pulled out the box that was inside the paper bag, then she carefully untied the ribbon and removed the wrapping paper.
Something about watching Rosé open the gift made Y/N extremely nervous.
Inside the box was the hand cream Jennie had suggested. It was nestled in a largish box alongside some sweets.
Apparently, it'd been some kind of set. It wasn't the kind of hand cream that smelled particularly nice, nor was it all that stylish.
Instead, it was the scentless kind that was gentle on the skin. That way, it wouldn't cause any trouble while doing housework. This was the sort that was advertised as moisture-retaining.
Y/N had made sure to check the reviews of the product on the Internet, so she was certain of its efficacy.
"Yeah, sorry it's nothing too crazy. I just thought that since you do a lot of housework, your hands might get dry. They had scented ones, too, but I thought you might have some of those already. Apparently, it's effective and easy on the skin."
"It is... quite practical," Rosé said.
"I thought you would value practicality over anything else," answered Y/N.
"Yeah, you're right. Thank you very much." Rosé smiled slightly, as if she understood Y/N's reasoning. A little less nervous now, Y/N's expression softened a bit as well. It seemed like she'd made a good impression.
There was one more present, though, and Y/N felt embarrassed to have Rosé open this one in front of her for some reason. She'd hoped that she would only notice it after she had gone back home.
However, Rosé was peering into the paper bag, looking as if she had already noticed that there was one more thing hiding within it. "..What, a second one?" she asked.
"Ah. Yeah, there is. It's a bonus; I picked it out myself," Y/N answered.
"What does that mean?
"Exactly what I said."
Y/N averted her eyes. Rosé tilted her head in confusion for an instant, then promptly pulled the second gift from the bag.
To purposefully disguise this other present, Y/N had intentionally wrapped it in paper the same color as the interior of the bag. She'd hoped that would make it stand out less-and that Rosé would only notice it later when she wasn't around.
Unfortunately, it was large enough that Y/N should've known it would be impossible to miss. There was honestly no way Rosé could have overlooked it.
Unlike the hand cream, this present didn't come in a box, just a polyester bag. It was just about the right size to fit comfortably in Rosé's arms. The bag was tied up with a navy blue ribbon, and Y/N watched Rosé undo that carefully as well, wondering if it would be all right for her to stand up from her seat. Finally, Rosé carefully pulled out what lay inside.
She held the bag's contents up gently with both hands, blinking her large eyes dramatically, looking truly surprised. "A bear?" Rosé mumbled.
It was a stuffed animal. Not too large, it was perfectly proportioned for an elementary school student. Its light-colored fur was soft, much like Rosé's own hair. A light blue ribbon was tied around the toy's neck to form a collar. It had a rather cherubic look stitched onto its face, and the round, cute button eyes had a luster to them that reflected Rosé's face as they stared at her.
Doubtless, the girl was wondering why Y/N had given her such a thing when she was a college student already. The truth was that Y/N had taken a risk and chosen it based on Lisa's advice that girls liked cute things no matter how old they were.
Of course, she had been much too embarrassed to go buy the bear alone, so Lisa had come with her to make the purchase, though only in exchange for the deluxe crepe from the shop in front of the station.
Lisa's smiling face had loomed over Y/N throughout the whole process of buying the bear and getting it wrapped. In the end, she couldn't help but think it might've been better if she'd just gone alone. Though, there was nothing she could do about it now.
"I thought it looked like something you would like," Y/N mumbled to no one in particular, scratching her head. She was terrible at stuff like this.
The last time she had gotten a present for someone else was when she had given gifts to her mother as a little kid. Y/N had never once thought she would have to pick something out for a popular girl like Rosé.
Risking a quick glance at Rosé, Y/N saw her staring directly into the bear's face. She couldn't tell from her expression whether she was happy, only that her eyes were fixed on the stuffed animal.
"I mean... If you don't like it, you can just toss it," Y/N said, hoping to diffuse the situation with some light humor.
Rosé turned sharply toward her and drew her eyebrows tightly into a frown. "I would never!"
Y/N stammered, "Sure, I, uh, didn't think you would or anything."
The response had been so absolute that Y/N couldn't help but flinch and barely managed to nod in answer.
Rosé looked back at the bear in her hands again."...would never do such a cruel thing. I'll treasure it."
Slender arms embraced the stuffed bear, as if to wrap it up entirely. Y/N couldn't decide if Rosé looked more like a child with a favorite toy or a mother protecting an infant.
Either way, she certainly embraced the bear enthusiastically, looking down at the thing as though it were the most precious object in the world.
Rosé's face was not the stony mask she kept up at campus, nor was it the face she often wore when she was exasperated with Y/N. This time it was peaceful, soft, and somewhat affectionate-an unmistakably sweet expression.
Y/N felt an innocence in her, and her pure smile was beautiful enough to take her breath away. She was really exceptionally cute.
'I shouldn't be staring,' Y/N thought. Rosé was liable to notice if she kept looking at her like that.
Y/N was certain that she wasn't in love, but seeing a beautiful girl make a face like that, and knowing that she was the cause of it, undeniably made her heart throb.
She looked so adorable as she sat there with a faint smile, hugging the stuffed animal to her chest. Anyone who saw her would've been captivated by the sight. Y/N certainly was, despite her usual reservations.
Just pressing a palm to her face would've made it immediately apparent how much warmer it was than usual. Embarrassed after being so open with her emotions, she swore under her breath. "...Damn." The word was so quiet it could barely be heard.
Fortunately, Rosé did not seem to have noticed how Y/N was looking at her, because her face was half buried in the stuffed animal that she was clutching to her chest.
She still looked extremely sweet, and Y/N was worried she would say something strange in spite of herself.
"I'm really glad you like it," Y/N managed to say, keeping her words brief.
Quickly, Rosé turned to face her. "This is the first time I've ever received something like this."
"Huh? With how popular you are, I thought you'd be getting presents like this all the time..."
"What do you take me for...?" It came as a relief to see Rosé's usual behavior return, but that was only because Y/N couldn't see her current expression behind the bear.
"I never told anyone when my birthday was," Rosé continued, looking back down at the stuffed animal. "I hate that day, so I don't really share it."
Rosé's expression softened as she looked at her gift, though her words remained sharp. The apparent dissonance set Y/N on edge a bit.
"Normally, I hate getting presents from strangers, so I don't accept them," Rosé explained.
"You're accepting this, though," Y/N said.
"..Y/N.." Rosé said quietly, "you're not a stranger."
Face still half buried in fur, Rosé looked up toward Y/N again. She wore a dreamy, innocent expression.
It was captivating, and as Y/N gazed at the angel sitting on her couch, she realized she was in trouble.
Rosé was so cute that Y/N found herself reaching unbidden to stroke her hair, and she had to quickly stuff her hand behind her back before she did something really awkward.
That was close!
If Y/N had let her guard down, she probably would've started patting Rosé on the head right then and there.
Doing something so inappropriate would have destroyed everything she had built with her.
"What is it?" Rosé asked.
"N-nothing," Y/N replied shyly.
Perhaps Rosé had seen her arm move, or maybe she had noticed her obvious distress as she struggled to keep her alarming feelings from bubbling to the surface.
Rosé's head tilted to one side in puzzlement. That simple movement was enough to leave Y/N speechless, and it occurred to her that beautiful girls possessed a terrifying power.
Still, she felt embarrassed for being so captivated by Rosé's cuteness. She was also confident that if she told her how she felt, she would just be confused.
Something about the feeling instilled a sense of danger in Y/N, and she did her best to push it deep down.
"Thank you very much, Y/N," Rosé said in a soft voice, but Y/N had already turned away from her.
-
"Hey, hey, Y/N, how did it go with that girl you got the present for?"
Obviously Jennie was going to pry, since Y/N had convinced Lisa to come along shopping with her.
The day after Rosé's birthday, Y/N was confronted by Jennie's grinning inquiry.
Jennie was in a different class but had come to her classroom after school. That alone wasn't much of an issue, but hers was the sort of smile that made Y/N feel like she was up to something. Today especially, she felt the urge to turn and run.
"Nothing happened-at least, not anything like you're imagining," Y/N answered. It was the truth. She definitely wasn't holding onto any amorous feelings, and she hadn't given Rosé the present because she hoped it would lead to the start of something more. Sure, she had graciously accepted the gifts, but there had certainly been no romantic developments of the kind that Jennie anticipated.
"Now hold on," Jennie interrupted, "The fact that you were so concerned about someone at all is a pretty rare thing, you know. You suddenly have some acquaintance that you seem involved with, and it's a girl. You're gay. Very suspicious."
"It's nothing like that," Y/N knew she had to shut this down now. She was happy that Rosé had been pleased with her gifts, but she was starting to think that bringing other people into the situation was more trouble than it had been worth.
Not wanting to feed their curiosity anymore, Y/N had answered as bluntly as possible, but Jennie had her hand to her mouth, as if she was pondering something.
"Hmm... say, Y/N?"
"What is it?"
"Is it possible that the person you gave the present to is... your neighbor?"
Jennie was smart and very perceptive, which at times like these could be a real pain.
"What makes you think that?" Y/N asked nervously.
"Well, she's the only person I could think of that bothers taking care of you. And you're not from around here, so you don't know many people. Plus, you don't hang out with many girls. She brought you dinner that other day, right? I was thinking that maybe this was about you wanting to return the favor."
"Well..."
"Hmm... Y/N has been looking very healthy recently, right, Lisa?"
"Oh, I thought so, too."
"She must be bringing her meals pretty frequently, huh? I wonder if that's why she wanted to give her a birthday present, to thank her?"
Y/N fought to maintain a blank expression as Jennie perfectly described the situation to Lisa. It was so accurate that it was like she had been there to watch it all go down.
Sometimes Jennie was scary like that. Y/N could see why her friend was so popular. She was a bit of a show-off but also smart and thoughtful. Y/N just wished Jennie would save the grandstanding for her girlfriend.
"What an overactive imagination...," Y/N interjected.
"Well, you won't fess up, so imaginations are all we've got. C'mon, spill it!" Jennie pressed.
"Who knows..."
"You're holding out on us!"
"So stingy!" Lisa chimed in agreement.
"Shut up."
No matter what anyone said, Y/N wasn't planning on confirming the truth. If she let anything slip, Jennie and Lisa would never stop hounding her until she spit out the whole story.
Really, Jennie was only the tip of the iceberg; Y/N was in the presence of a college girl who loved gossip, especially when it came to romantic affairs. While there wasn't the slightest bit of romance to be found here, if Lisa got one whiff of the person involved, Y/N would never hear the end of it.
Sighing in exasperation, Y/N finished packing her things and shouldered her backpack. She had decided on a strategic retreat before her two friends gave her heartburn.
"See ya. You two can go ahead and flirt all you like in private," Y/N said.
"We were gonna do that whether you said to or not!" Jennie shouted.
"..Jennie, weren't we gonna tail her and try to meet the girl in question?"
"Yeah, uh, you probably shouldn't discuss your operation in front of the target... And anyway, there's nothing to see. Even if there was, you two would never make it past the lobby!" Y/N scolded.
"Tch!" Lisa's lips curled into a cute pout, but her eyes were serious. Apparently, she really had been planning on tailing Y/N. Nervously hurrying out of the room, Y/N left her friends behind.
-
"..That was a close one," Y/N grumbled without thinking.
"What was?" Rosé asked her curiously.
It was still a little early to make dinner, but Y/N and Rosé had gone shopping and come back to her apartment. They'd been relaxing for a bit when Rosé overheard Y/N talking to herself.
Rosé had been acting the same as usual; there was no trace of the girl who'd been so enamored with the stuffed bear. The same placid expression remained, and Y/N wondered if perhaps she'd dreamed up the whole birthday incident. Actually, she preferred her this way. She wasn't sure her heart could stand regularly seeing her look at her the way she had the other day.
"Ah, well, Jennie and Lisa were suspicious about the present."
Y/N intended to explain that she'd consulted them about the present, but Rosé seemed to remember Jennie's name, and she exhaled, saying "Ah, I see" as if she understood.
"Well, it didn't seem like the sort of thing you would buy on your own."
"That's not what I was concerned about..."
Apparently, no one thought Y/N was capable of getting a gift for a girl. If she was being honest, she really didn't think she'd ever experience the many sweet and bitter feelings that were supposed to accompany love all at once.
"My shopping is my business. Why does everyone think that way about me anyway?"
Certainly, Rosé was cute, and yesterday she'd felt a desire to reach out and touch her. That much she couldn't deny, but what 'single' person wouldn't have felt that way? Rosé was outrageously beautiful, after all. Y/N had been caught up in her beauty; that was all. Nothing about what had happened was evidence she had any deeper feelings. Rosé was a great person, but Y/N was not interested in her like that.
She glanced over at Rosé. She was just as beautiful as ever, but Y/N's heart didn't pound like it had the night before. Once again, she reminded herself that she didn't care for Rosé in any meaningful way.
Worried that Rosé would say something if she caught Y/N staring at her, she looked down at her phone instead. When she did, she realized she'd received a ton of new texts.
Thinking it was probably Jennie, Y/N decided to check them, but it turned out they hadn't come from her friend. Y/N frowned at the sender's name: SHIHOKO.
She was one of only four female contacts in Y/N's phone. There was Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and... Y/N's mother.
Wondering what she could possibly want, Y/N tapped the message thread. She hated dealing with her mother's high-strung questions, always asking her how exams were going or whether she needed anything. She could barely handle Lisa, and yet some members of her family were just like her. In fact, Lisa might become very much like Y/N's mother as she got older. Shihoko wasn't so bad that Y/N outright hated her, but she couldn't stand her mother's personality.
'I brought some fruit back from Grandfather's, so I'm going to share it with you, Y/N. I'm sending it over, so be at your place on Saturday afternoon! I won't forgive you if you refuse delivery or aren't there to get it, okay?'
"So you can just decide my plans all on your own...?" Y/N muttered. Now, she didn't actually have any plans for Saturday, but she thought her mother ought to have at least contacted her a little earlier.
"Did something happen?" Rosé must have heard Y/N's whisperings because she looked over at her with her usual calm expression.
"My mom picked some fruit at my grandpa's place, and she's sending it here on Saturday afternoon. Probably apples and stuff," Y/N explained.
"Do you peel your apples?"
"..I guess I could do that, with a peeler."
"That would peel them, but... it'll take off a lot of the flesh, too, so it's a little wasteful," Rosé's words sounded like something Y/N's mother would say, and she tried to swallow that thought before it surfaced.
"If it comes down to it, we can just eat them whole," Y/N said.
"How savage."
"It's a pain to peel them," Y/N shrugged and grinned haplessly.
"You're such a mess." Despite Rosé sounding annoyed and giving a rather brutal assessment of Y/N's table manners, the way she held herself also showed some understanding. "I guess it's all the same once you eat them."
"You know, I'm not sure I'll be able to eat them all before they go bad. Do you want some, too?" asked Y/N.
"Sure, I'd be happy to take some. Fruit is expensive, after all." It was kind of a domestic thing to say, but then again, that was the kind of person Rosé was.
"Saturday, right? In that case, I'll make us lunch beforehand as thanks," Rosé said.
"But you're always taking care of me already," Y/N protested.
"Like I've told you, I really don't mind making food for you, Y/N." Rosé smiled very slightly. Somehow, the little grin made Y/N feel awkward. It called to mind the events of the previous day, and Y/N couldn't help but avert her eyes from the beautiful angel in her apartment.
"All right, thanks," she replied curtly.