Cool & Weird, Side By Side

Miyami sat in the quiet of the shop office as the sounds of conversation drifted in from the front room. A lone light illuminated her surroundings as the darkness of the early evening peeked through the window. The smell of the old leather chair tickled her nose, and she nervously twiddled her fingers together in her lap, her eyes fixated on the wall in front of her.

It was a simple, unassuming white surface. Quite nice, really. Not a crack or scratch on it.

"…" Yeah, she was not good at preoccupying herself as the world fell down around her. She was sweating from the stress of the situation, and her pulse was quickening. What was going on out there? Was everything okay? What was going to happen to her? She didn't want to lose her job, and her uncle was surely going to be upset at this whole situation…

She never even got to see him like she thought she would—Hinoka had told her that apparently he started his week on Wednesdays since he covered the weekends. So now he'd probably be angry at her for wrecking his door and making him—

"Hey. Weird lady. You still in here?"

She jumped in her seat, letting out a small 'eep' as Hinoka slowly creaked open the door. Her coworker's face looked a bit more worn than it had been earlier, and her ponytail was a little messier. But, overall, she didn't seem too shaken by the fact that someone just threw a rock at their shop.

…She wished she could be as cool and confident as she was.

"Y-Yes?" Miyami stammered, looking at Hinoka expectantly, forcing the reply out to not annoy her any more than she probably already was. Miyami much preferred to try appease her than go for the paper route, especially after the day's events. It was the best way to make sure she wouldn't lose this job.

Hinoka's eyes softened, and she sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"Quick rundown. Filed a police report and answered a few questions. They may want to talk with you at some point, but I think they got as much information as they needed," she explained, running a hand through her hair.

"Also, I called the boss—erm, your uncle. He's coming in tomorrow for a half day. Normally he doesn't work Tuesdays, but… yeah."

Miyami's shoulders lowered even more as she fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair. It didn't seem like that was everything. There was something else. She could see it in Hinoka's eyes.

Was it about the note attached to the rock?

It had to have been for her. Who else could it have been for? Even though nobody except her father even knew where she'd gone to, it wasn't out of the question that someone had hated her enough to find her—her old company still had a vendetta since she'd hired one of those services to quit for her.

Hinoka tried forcing an awkward smirk before sitting down on the spare stool next to Miyami. "Sorry for having to put you through this. It's been about four months since this'd last happened, so I was hoping that whoever did it would've given up by now."

"…Huh?"

Miyami's face probably looked like a fish out of water now. She didn't know what she'd expected, but that certainly wasn't it.

Hinoka laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Er, well, it's kind of a long story. A while ago, the store used to do some online delivery requests for electronics. I was the one who tried to handle it since I'm just barely more tech-savvy than the boss, but, well, I kinda messed up. Pissed off a lot of people."

She paused, biting her lip as she stared at the wall behind Miyami.

"Could also be someone I knew from back in university. That damn creep followed me everywhere. He'd probably be the type to throw a rock at us," Hinoka spat, her brows furrowed. "Four years of constantly telling him off. Damn asshole."

Miyami tilted her head, curious and—very guiltily—relieved. So, the rock wasn't because of her then? Nobody had followed her from the city, nor had her ex-coworkers come back to torment her?

The other girl sighed, shaking her head. "Anyway, sorry for keeping you here this late. The police helped me tape up the front already, so we can start heading back once the glass is swept up. I'll take care of it."

Hinoka moved to leave, but Miyami tentatively reached out and grabbed her sleeve, cheeks flushed in shame. For some reason, it didn't feel right to just let her leave like that. Miyami wanted to make her feel better somehow.

"…" Her mouth tried opening to say something. But while the words were there—she knew they were—her throat didn't want to cooperate this time.

She quickly went for her phone again, typing up a message, tentatively glancing up to Hinoka for any sign of disapproval. Thankfully though, she didn't seem to mind this time.

*tap-tap, tap-tap*

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

> Thank you for telling me. (^_-)-☆

> It's no wonder why someone would be obsessed about you though. You're kind of really cool. (❁´◡`❁)

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

Miyami winced, looking away as she practically shoved the phone in Hinoka's face. Was this insensitive? T-that might've been too much. She probably wouldn't want to even be complimented by someone she barely knew, much less someone who had trouble talking—

*snatch*

"…" Miyami hand squeezed empty space as her brain registered that her phone was no longer in her possession. Hinoka had grabbed it and was awkwardly navigating through the screen.

Oh no.

Every part of her body clenched as she the gravity of the situation dawned on her. Her entire world was narrowed down to the device in Hinoka's hands. All her pictures, her gacha additions, her secrets, her—

*ping!*

She blinked. The sound had come from Hinoka's pocket, and the girl was staring back at her, her face dusted a faint red. The same color that she'd seen earlier in the day.

"Um. There. I've added my contact info to your phone. Just sent a test message. I figured that if you're going to make a huge deal about talking, then maybe you can just message me if you need me or something," she muttered, shoving the device back into Miyami's hands. "D-don't go spamming it, okay?"

It took a little bit to register, but once it did, she nodded rapidly. Her chest warmed from the gesture as her dark hair bounced around her, and the ponytailed woman began typing something down on her own phone.

W-was she dreaming? Hinoka had given her a way to communicate more easily with her, and she hadn't even gotten upset over her cringy compliment. This had to be the best thing ever—

*♫ 'You have a message, darling~' ♫*

"…"

"…"

They both looked deadpan at the culprit's phone as the message tone faded into the air.

Miyami died inside.

***

The evening sun had long settled over the horizon by the time Hinoka and Miyami stepped out onto the sidewalk, the cool night air tickling their skin as a breeze blew past them. The streets were relatively quiet, and the streetlights lit up the area with their soft, artificial glow.

"Alright, let's get going," Hinoka said, stretching her arms up with a groan. "Glad we got that over with, but damn, I'm tired. Need to get home and relax."

Miyami just nodded in affirmation with a soft hum. She looked up to the sky and could barely make out the stars among the light pollution of the city. It was a nice night though. The air was fresh, and the weather was pleasant.

She fiddled with her shorts as she mentally mapped the route she'd need to take to get back to her new apartment. It was a little far from the shop and in a less populated area of town, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. It'd be nice to take a quiet walk anyway, after today.

Miyami gathered up as much courage as she could to flash a smile at Hinoka and wave, before starting to head home.

"Hey. Weird lady." Hinoka's voice rang out from behind her.

She paused, turning back to look at her coworker, who had a hand on her hip and an expression like some kind of unamused cat.

"Where exactly do you live? If you're headed off in that direction, then I'd rather walk you there."

"…" Miyami pointed to herself, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She'd had already bothered Hinoka enough today. There was no way she could accept that offer without feeling guilty.

"Yes. You. I know the neighborhood that way is relatively safe, but it's still not somewhere a young woman like yourself should be walking alone at this time of night. It's not really on the main path of foot traffic either, and there's a lot of shady alleyways and stuff."

Miyami's cheeks blossomed with heat at Hinoka's stern gaze. She could feel herself getting a little lightheaded. Why was her heart beating so fast? It was just a simple—maybe slightly condescending—offer. No need to get so worked up about it.

"Look," Hinoka sighed, walking over and reaching up to pat Miyami's shoulder. "I'm not gonna take no for an answer, alright? Especially with what just happened at the store. Come on. Let's go."

Miyami opened her mouth to argue, only to freeze in place and stare at her. She felt her lips twitch upwards into a dumb-looking smile.

"…You're so cool, Amahara-san."

Hinoka's confident image immediately cracked, and she covered her ears. "W-whoa, warn me before you say something like that! I mean, not that it wasn't nice, but my ears aren't used to your squeaky little bird compliments, okay?"

"!" Miyami's began shivering.

Noooo! How did that slip out?! She didn't mean to say that! Her confidence levels were nowhere near the requisites for that yet!

Hinoka pinched the bridge of her nose as she recomposed herself. "Okay, look, just… let's not get weird here. Come on. Just show me where your apartment is, and then we can both be on our merry ways."

Miyami nodded and fumbled around with her phone, navigating through the menu with lightning speed. She needed to show her now before the situation got any more awkward, and there was no way in the world her vocal cords were going to work right now.

*tap-tap, tap-tap*

*ping!*

Hinoka's phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check the notification. Her amber eyes scanned the screen, and her ponytail swayed in the gentle breeze.

"Ah, well would you look at that. We just might be neighbors—my apartment's not too far from yours." A small smirk appeared on her lips. "Guess that means we're going to be seeing a lot of each other."

Miyami's cheeks flushed a deep crimson at the comment, and her gut started doing flips. She could only manage a meek nod of agreement as they began walking down the dimly lit street.

She wouldn't mind that.

***

The walk had been mostly silent. There had been no conversation or anything. Miyami was too nervous to start one, and Hinoka had been content to simply walk by her side. The two had only exchanged a few looks and glances at each other, and even those were brief—as fleeting as the passing cars that drove by them on the road.

It hadn't been awkward though, nor had it been uncomfortable. Rather, it'd been a peaceful silence, the kind that was neither forced nor oppressive.

It was nice.

They were getting pretty close to their respective homes when Hinoka finally broke that silence.

"So, Weird Lady, I've been wondering. What's your story?" Hinoka asked, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she walked. The way she'd said it now almost made it seem like a title rather than just a descriptor.

"…M-my story?" Miyami murmured, looking down at the ground as the two of them passed by a group of chatting friends.

"Yeah. Like, why are you working at the shop? Why'd you come here? You look like a bigger city girl," Hinoka explained, glancing up at her.

Miyami bit her lip and fidgeted nervously with her hands as they continued walking. She quickly typed down a reply and sent it to her, trying to keep her breathing even.

*ping!*

Hinoka glanced down at her phone and read the message before raising an eyebrow. Her expression was hard to read. Was that irritation, curiosity, or something else?

"Ah, sorry. Didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. It's just… you seem kinda out of place here, you know? Ack, crap. I meant that in the nicest possible way," Hinoka mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck.

Miyami nodded, understanding her meaning and appreciating her not pushing. It wasn't a bad question—not everyone would uproot their entire lives to move to a smaller city like this. But she'd rather not think too much about it now.

Hinoka stretched her arms out. "Hope you can forgive me. I was just trying to make conversation since I've been blabbering all day."

"…" Miyami's chest squeezed tightly. She had the sudden urge to say something now—to thank Hinoka for caring—but at the same time, she didn't know what to say.

Her brain began picking apart her memories for anything that might've been a potential topic, and she blinked once something came to mind. Her fingers tapped away as she tried to convey it through message.

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

> Didn't you say earlier that a young woman like myself shouldn't be walking alone at night?

> Our houses are almost right next to each other!

> How do you usually get home? (。•́︿•̀。)

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

"Wha—oh, I guess I did say that, didn't I?" Hinoka chuckled, fidgeting with her ponytail. "Well, I usually jog to and from work if something comes up this late, but I'm willing to make an exception for you since you're new here. I'll probably stop once you're more familiar with the area."

S-stop?! Miyami's eyes bulged on hearing it. She didn't really understand why, but it felt like she'd just been stabbed in the chest.

*frantic tap-tap, tap-tap*

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

> NO! Please keep walking home with me! It's scary being alone! ヾ(。＞＜)シ

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

Hinoka stared at the message, her eyes widening in surprise as she let out some sort of weird half-breath, half-snort.

"Y-you being serious?"

Miyami nodded, making sure to maintain eye contact to communicate just how serious she was.

"Ack! S-stop making that face at me," she said, her tone a little flustered as she looked away across the street. "I'll keep walking with you if you want, okay? Just don't get any weird ideas. This is strictly for your safety and because I feel bad about the incident at work, got it?!"

*happy gasp*

Yay! Miyami mentally pumped her fist in victory, and her shuffling steps turned into an excited skip for a little while, the cool night air feeling fresh against her skin.

"…Whoa. You actually have a happy face," Hinoka mused, observing her with a near silent chuckle.

Miyami froze at the sudden self-realization, and she promptly hid her face behind her hair. Oh God, had she really done that out in the open? What was she thinking?! She must've looked like a total weirdo—

"Hey, come on now. No need to be shy." Hinoka stepped closer to brush away the bangs that covered her face, revealing her beet red cheeks and wide, embarrassed eyes. "You've got a cute smile, you know?"

"…!"

Miyami stared at the beautiful girl in shock. Hinoka was so close to her now, and she could literally feel her breath on her face.

*fwump* *fwump* *fwump* *fwump* *fwump*

Her pulse was skyrocketing. Even her successful 5★ pulls didn't have her this excited.

Hinoka's sharp, amber eyes seemed to glow warmly in the dim glow of the streetlamps. She looked so cool now, yet so pretty at the same time. Like a knight in shining armor. Or a hero. Or a—

"You good?" Hinoka asked, tilting her head to the side. Her hand reached out to cup her forehead. It was soft. Warm. Comforting.

"…!" Miyami's entire body felt like it was going to short circuit, and she instinctively recoiled away, her face as red as an overripe tomato.

"Ah, AH! S-sorry. Did I overdo it there?" Hinoka blurted, quickly retracting her hand. "I am so sorry. I have this old really bad habit of getting touchy-feely with cute girls and—SHIT!"

Miyami's eyes were almost spinning around in circles now, and every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run. Where? Who knows? Just somewhere. Anywhere away from the beautiful, amazing, kind, cool, and somewhat intimidating girl that was making her heart soar higher than the Tokyo Tower.

So she did, quickly turning around as she desperately tried making it for safety of any kind—

*trip*

*THUMP*

"…"

Miyami groaned into the pavement.

"W-Weird Lady?! Crap, crap, crap, crap. Are you okay?!" Hinoka rushed to kneel beside her, her hands hovering above Miyami's back.

Miyami rolled to the side, her vision slightly blurred as a dull ache throbbed in her head.

"Oh thank God! You scared the hell out of me there. What are you? A literal penguin?! You run like your shoelaces are tied together!"

"…" Miyami couldn't bring herself to respond to that comment. Her face burned hot as tears welled up in her eyes.

*sniffle*

Well, it was a life well lived.

Now, she'd just curl up and die of embarrassment.

Hinoka looked panicked and was trying to say something else to her now, but she couldn't hear. It was like the entire world had been muted.

Her humiliation dripped down her cheeks and to the ground below.

At least she got called cute before the end.