Just The Two Of Us In This World

Day number two of the Shishigami High School manga club summer camp trip was drawing to an end. The relaxing setting of her shared room with Yamaguchi Minami lulled Tan-Tan into a sleepy state of exhaustion, yet she couldn't fall asleep. Her thoughts were rapidly spiraling as she remembered the vulnerable position she had put herself in earlier. Had she really just exposed the truth of her past to the man she had been trying her hardest to look cute for? This internal conflict drove her to visit the beach resort's vending machine at the end of the hallway outside her designated room. She slipped a few yen into the coin slot of the illuminated machine towering over her head. The gentle tapping of her fingers against the plastic button assigned to dispense red bean soup in a can caused the machine to whir to life. Simultaneously, the can struck the bottom of the appliance as a voice called out to her from down the hall.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Jolting slightly from the unexpected visitor, Tan-Tan whipped her neck to face the tall, handsome faced Kuromoto Nishi making his way down the dimly lit hallway.

"Nishi-senpai."
She shook her head to confirm his question.

"I could use a Posari after all that exercise earlier. Mind if I join you?"
Nishi used his own yen to purchase a popular sports drink, the button being on the top of the vending machine. Even if she had wanted the same beverage, she could never reach it without using an object as leverage; the realization making her remember her prior embarrassment on the beach earlier.

The two took a seat next to each other on a leather loveseat style sofa in the lobby of the resort, sipping on their respective liquids of choice.

"Is Sakai-senpai asleep already?"
Tan-Tan smiled tiredly up at the face of Nishi beside her.

"He's out like a light. Those two will never understand the struggles of us night owls."
He timidly grinned in her direction.

With a soft giggle, Tan-Tan sipped her warm, sweet soup.
"Minami-chan really tuckered herself out in the water earlier. I'm sure she has a lot to look forward tomorrow, given her situation with Sakai-senpai."

Nishi raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean?"

Tilting her head, she furrowed her brow.
"Huh? You know, about how she's going to ask Sakai-senpai to be her boyfriend tomorrow?"

"Wait, what? Oh, shit. Aki was planning on asking her to be his girlfriend tomorrow, too."
Nishi tapped his chin as he pondered. Obviously, he knew. He planned to skillfully hide this fact from Tan-Tan in order to ensure the moment felt more magical to her; afterall, she was obsessed with stuff like this.

The two locked eyes, immediately bursting out into genuine laughter.
"That must be why Sakai-senpai told me to leave him and Minami-chan alone on the last night of summer camp. He had such a serious face when he warned me at Shigeo Beans."
Tan-Tan tried her best to wipe her wet eyes, but the laughter kept pouring out.

"Did Minami also shout something about declaring her love while she was in the bath last night?" Nishi slapped his knee with joy, laughing so hard he wheezed.

"Yes! Oh my gosh, she had everyone looking at her!"
Tan-Tan smiled up at the high ceiling lights above her head.

"I can't wait to see how this unfolds. What say we watch from the sidelines in secret? I can gather some material for my manga and you can have your share of wholesome romance."
He held his beverage by the neck of the bottle, right next to the rim of her soup can.

"Let's do it! But do you remember what you promised me before the paintball tournament? You said you would tell me all about their blossoming relationship, starting from childhood."
She clinked her can against his bottle, signifying a toast.

"Let's see, this story is from when I was 5 years old."

Nishi told a no holds barred tale of the gallant pair. His eyes held a nostalgic gaze as he spoke in a hushed tone. He talked about how Yamaguchi Minami used to fight off bullies to save Sakai Akinari, and how he introduced her to the world of manga from a young age; about the times the two shared awkward blushes and moments of unrestrained nervous flirting all throughout middle school. The way he spoke respectfully about his comrades was quite mature for his age, revealing every tiny detail about how much he admired the two as his friends. Before long, he felt a warm pressure against the fabric surrounding his upper arm. Tan-Tan had drifted into a peaceful sleep, her soft breathing filling his ears as he watched her face relax further into a pleasant dream.

"Jeez, you're going to catch a cold. I guess I have no choice."
He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his torso. Her long, silver hair fell against his lap, he could smell the sweet aroma of yuzu scented shampoo wafting from her small scalp. Now stuck in a favorable position, he let his eyelids droop, following her into dreamland.

"shi... ishi... Nishi."
A gentle poke on his nose stirred the groggy, now sore Nishi, to open his eyes. Blinking a few times, he adjusted his crooked glasses back into place. Standing before him was his best friend, Sakai Akinari, wearing a sly smirk.

"Aki? Where am I?"

"In the hallway next to the lobby. I have to say, I'm impressed. Sneaking out to have some alone time with Tanaka-san, you're quite the man."

"Tan-Tan? What are you-"
He looked down. Lying across his lap, was a gorgeous 4-foot tall princess, her mouth drooling saliva onto his outer thigh.

"Gah!"
Nishi involuntarily exclaimed, accidentally startling Tan-Tan into consciousness.

"Gah! What?! Where am I?!"
Tan-Tan's bright silver hair stood directly upward toward the ceiling.

"The lobby, Jon Freecs."
Akinari covered his mouth to conceal his creeping grin; he felt proud of his reference to his favorite manga.

With wide eyes, she glanced at the drool stain painted on Nishi's left thigh, the red in her face rising like a thermostat on a hot day.

"Nishi-senpai! I'm sorry!"
She sprinted toward down the hallway toward her designated hotel room.

"So, how did you end up cuddling with Tanaka-san in the hotel lobby until morning?"
Akinari nudged his friend's shoulder annoyingly.

Nishi rubbed his neck, his face tilted down to hide his own flushed cheeks.
"It's not like that. We were talking pretty late at night and next thing I know you're poking my nose."

"Okay, okay. I admit I blew things out of proportion, but I need your help, man."
Akinari helped Nishi to his feet, eagerly rushing him to their hotel room.

"My help? What's going on?"
Nishi's eyes flickered between the bouquet of red roses and neatly sealed pink envelope on the table in front of him.

"I need you to help me pick an outfit for my big day. I want to look my best for Minami. Sorry, but you're going to have to skip the first illustration class today."

"What? Skip class? You're really pushing it, Aki. But, fine, I'll do this for you."
Nishi sat on the edge of the futon, secretly excited that his friend was asking for fashion advice.

The big day had begun. Two playful girls splashed each other on the beach after a couple hours' worth of illustration lectures. Appearing before them, two boys donning Hawaiian style shirts, unbuttoned, and equally as flashy swim trunks, stepped onto the hot sand inches away.

"Pfft. What's with the flashy shirts?"
Minami hid her mouth behind her hand, trying her best not to laugh.

"Nishi-senpai... You look.... c-c-cool... hehe."
Tan-Tan hid her face behind Minami's body, her shoulders shaking from holding back giggles.

"Dude, you told me we looked cool! They're totally laughing at us!"
Akinari wrapped his arm around Nishi's neck, his knuckles digging into the back of his brown hair.

"We do look cool! At least, I thought we did. Let's ditch the shirts, okay?"
Nishi quickly tossed his red floral shirt aside, leaving his bare chest to glisten under the intense UV rays.

Minutes blurred into hours. The day was filled with the excited squeals and energetic shouts of youth. Amidst the few moments of flirting and accidental skin brushing against skin, the day came to a close; the warm, crisp air of the night invading the almost deserted beach shore. Nishi and his companion, Tan-Tan, headed to their respective rooms, each acquiring the special gifts for their friends to present to each other when the time was right. Nishi clutched a bouquet of aromatic red roses in one hand, and a pastel pink envelope in the other. Tan-Tan held a dark crimson red box close to her chest, the top was neatly tied in a beautiful bow. The two made their way to the shrubs lining the edge of where the sand turned to grass, peeking their eyes through the slits of the leaves and branches. Before them sat two teenagers, uncomfortably shifting their weight around as they sat side by side.

"This reminds me of the last year of junior high, when Nishi and Ryunosuke were lighting fireworks while we stayed back and watched."
Sakai Akinari smiled at the moon rising over the ocean waves, his eyes slightly nervous.

"Oh my gosh, I remember Ryunosuke. I hope he's doing well. The manga club hasn't been the same without him. "
Yamaguchi Minami shifted her hands under her bottom, her knees pressed firmly against her chest as she looked away from her crush.

"Remember when Nishi caught his hair on fire from a sparkler?"
Akinari stifled a giggle, his eyes clenched shut in blissful nostalgia.

"Haha! And Ikuta-sensei had to dunk him in the water?! Good times."
Minami burst into heartfelt laughter, her body shaking with joy.

There was a moment of sweet silence. The two locked eyes, quickly averting their gazes once again.

"Minam-"
"Aki-"

They looked at each other, attempting to speak at the exact same time. The moonlight brilliantly illuminated their faces, forcing their feelings to be revealed on their cheeks. This was it, there was no going back. This moment was about to drastically change everything between them forever. Placing his hand over hers, Akinari gently squeezed her fingers with his own. His eyes held a frightened glint, full of uncertainty and anxiety.

"You go first."
He smiled at her.

Shaking her head, she interlocked her fingers with his, the warmth of their palms creating a comforting intimacy.

"You go first, Aki."

"Minami... Um... I'm not really good at this kind of stuff."
He tried to pull his hand free, but that only caused Minami's grip to tighten.

"You're doing great, Aki. My heart's beating out of my chest right now. My face feels so hot I can't breathe."

He gulped. His eyes flickered between her gorgeous yellow eyes and the crashing tides slowly creeping their way up the sand.

"Minami, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Every time I see you, my lungs get so tight that I can't even function. My eyes are glued to you at all times of every day, I mean, how could they not be? You're so damn pretty. What I'm trying to say is... Um."

"Aki, hang on a second, my heart's going to... it's going to-"

"Minami... I love you!"
Akinari squeezed her hand so tightly he could feel her pulse between his fingertips. Watching her eyes flutter open, he could hear a feminine whimper of pure, unadulterated love escape her throat.

"I already know that, idiot!"

Her lips collided with his. The unprepared boy gasped into her mouth, quickly melting into the moment of passion. His free hand pulled her waist closer to his, the sounds of lips gently smacking against each other created a heavenly ambiance.
It felt right.
It felt complete.
It felt amazing.

Rushing out of the bushes behind them, Nishi and Tan-Tan tumbled over the duo, their arms surrounding them in an ecstatic group hug. They cheered and nuzzled against their friends.

"Minami-chan! That was amazing! You actually did it! You did it!"

"I can't believe you, Aki! Way to go, man!"

The two forced their gifts into their hands, stepping back to watch the couple exchange their sentimental offerings.

"You idiots! This is so embarrassing with a peanut gallery!"
Akinari self consciously rubbed the bottom of his nose with his finger.

"I think it's kind of cute. Let's let them see."
Minami giggled sweetly, handing her beautifully wrapped crimson box toward him.

"Fine. Here you go, Minami."
Akinari followed suit.

The sounds of paper tearing echoed across the starry beach sky, two sharp gasps accompanying each other simultaneously. Reaching into the red box, Akinari pulled out an autographed manuscript of his favorite manga, signed by the author himself.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes, his bottom lip quivering from the sheer thoughtfulness of the hard earned present.

"Minami, you-"

A piercing shriek of joy immediately severed the heartfelt moment, Minami jumping up and down against the sand.

"You got freaking Muqq tickets?! These guys are my favorite band, like, ever!"
Her body flung through the air, seemingly in slow motion. Landing on top of Akinari, the two fell to the ground with a gentle thud. Minami's lips couldn't be pried away from his cheeks even if he tried, but of course, he would never dream of it.

Standing above them, Nishi's fist bumped against Tan-Tan's, signifying a job well done.