A Challenging Stage

The distinctive smell of incense trickled throughout the bedroom as the light of dawn gently illuminated the small shrine. The scent of cherry and citrus accompanied it like backup dancers, mingling it all together as Monday morning began in earnest. Miyami lay face down on her bed, arms stretched out and pajamas still swaddling her after the earnest update she'd given her mother about life.

The softness of the sheets soothed her cowardness, as if to relay a response on behalf of her: 'Miyami, it's perfectly fine. You're trying. That's what counts.'

A sigh escaped her lips and into the mattress.

'Thanks, Mom.'

She took a moment to soak in the comfort, feeling the warmth of her blankets around her like a protective cocoon. The sound of the aircon droned in the background, and the faint scent of Hinoka's shampoo lingered in from the hallway, reminding her of the other woman's presence nearby in the shower.

It'd been five days already. Thursday, Friday, and the weekend had passed in a near blur. Over that period, the two of them had gotten delivery from nearby cafes, gone online shopping for some cute things, and even made several attempts at cooking together. The results were mixed, but they were fun.

Miyami fumbled around for her hedgehog plushie, clutching it to her as she reminisced.

She was doing it: getting closer to Hinoka. Sure, there were still times where Hinoka would get a little annoyed at her—like whenever Miyami's self-deprecation chimed in—but that was far and few in-between.

Most of the time, the two of them had been enjoying each other's company as they lounged the hours away in the safety of her apartment, despite how stir-crazy Hinoka had been getting recently about not being able to go out for her usual jogs.

But Miyami didn't mind. It'd been her time to shine! All of her shut-in experience and knowledge was being used to provide an ideal environment for her crush.

It was perfect!

*ba-dump*

Yep, there were no problems here. No problems at all.

*ba-dump* *ba-dump*

Miyami's face smushed deeper into the sheets trying to calm herself. No, bad heart. Everything was perfect, they were taking it slow and—

*ba-dump* *ba-dump* *ba-dump*

ACK! Come on, really?! Her heart was already getting to three *ba-dumps* again?!

She needed a calming distraction. Quick.

Mustering enough strength to flip herself over, she plopped onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling—

Oh! There was one now!

☆Apartment Ceiling☆

Miyami grinned to herself as she analyzed it.

It was an ordinary ceiling, but a nice one. There was supposed to be some sound-proofing built into it from what her move-in manual had said, and its texture reminded her vaguely of a mandarin-orange's peel. The off-white color was also warm enough to really bring out the lightness of the—

'Hey! Cute dumbass!' Chibi Hinoka abruptly kicked the cell-door to her mental dungeon across the hall with a mighty crash, trampling the mundane distraction to dust.

Ack! Nooo! The sanctity of her inner monologue!

The imaginary construct brushed her sleeves off, locking gazes with her inner self.

'Miyami! Why haven't you confessed to me yet?!'

Her university-educated brain raced in circles at the surprise encounter, trying to find a rational excuse to dissuade her adorable jailbreaker as battle music started resonating in her head.

⊳START⊲

'W-we've only known each other for like two weeks!' she beamed back in a counterattack, hoping to shove the chibi back towards the cell.

She sidestepped it with ease.

'…And? I've been obviously crushing on you the whole time! Has my suggestive language and constant boundary-pushing intimacy somehow not clued you in yet?!'

The chibi fired back an illusory fireball, exploding against Miyami's defenses and sending her tumbling.

*WHAP!*

-10 HP!

Miyami got up on wobbly legs. Oh no, this was bad.

'B-but these things take time. We need to know more about one another, and I need to ensure I can even say the words I need to in the first place!' She charged up her next attack, sending it soaring at her interloper for a hopeful direct hit.

The chibi just raised an eyebrow as it whiffed past her shoulder.

'Mhm? And how do you expect to fix that problem if you're not going to take any risks?!' Her tiny body nearly vanished as she began running along the wall. 'The entire purpose of dating is to help people understand each another better!'

The chibi delivered a powerful punch, right to Miyami's chest.

*WHAM!*

-15 HP!

'Urk!' Spittle flew out of her mouth as she was knocked back from the blow. 'I-I know that, but I've NEVER dated anyone—EVER! What am I supposed to do if I screw it all up?'

'You're already screwing it up! You may be getting closer to her, but if you don't commit, you're going to be stuck in this loop FOREVER!'

The chibi launched a kick, not letting Miyami recover. Unable to dodge in time, she was sent flying into the wall of her mental dungeon, creating a large hole in the stonework.

*THUD!* *tremble-tremble*

-30 HP!

DANGER! LOW HEALTH!

'…' Miyami groaned as the dust from the crumbling wall cleared, desperation lashing out. 'F-fair enough. I just… want to make you happy, okay? I've never been this close to anyone before. So please. Just give me a bit more time, Chibi Hinoka. Mercy?'

The chibi paused mid-attack, seemingly mulling something over in her mind. Finally, she sighed and shook her head, her streaked hair flouncing about as she casually closed the distance across the phantom stone.

*click-clack*

Miyami's shoulders sagged as relief washed over her. She was about to thank the chibi for understanding when—

*devilish smirk*

'You know what would make me happy?' The little imp cackled, extending her palm outward in a magical gesture.

Miyami shook in terror at the betrayal. 'N-no. Chibi Hinoka. Please—'

You saying, 'you love me!'

A lightning bolt of truth slammed into her face, and everything went dark.

⊳CLEAR FAILED⊲

*thump!*

Miyami woke from her imaginary battle, finding herself sprawled on the carpet next to her bed. She was curled up on the ground, her pose resembling a penguin with a wounded wing.

Her lips quivered in frustration.

Why did her mind have to beat her this badly?! She was already trying her best to be brave, darn it!

Well, at least her battle had just been with Chibi Hinoka. It wasn't like she had the real Hinoka to deal with right now—

"Miyami? You okay?"

*ba-dump*

Noooooo!

Miyami quickly pulled her blanket over her body in a defensive maneuver and glanced towards her bedroom door to see a freshly washed, cutely dressed Hinoka in shorts and T-shirt standing there. The ponytailed girl had a curious look as she stared at her prone figure on the carpet, steam from the shower wafting into the room.

"Did you fall off the bed or something?" Hinoka asked, stepping forward a few paces.

"…" Miyami didn't answer immediately. Her mind was too busy taking in the sight before her. Hinoka's hair was still wet from the shower, and droplets of water ran down her face, dripping onto the bare skin of her neck.

She looked so cool right now!!!

*ba-dump* *ba-dump* *ba-dump*

Ack!! Three *ba-dumps* AGAIN?!

The dark-haired girl writhed underneath her blankets and attempted to form words, but her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth.

"…"

Phone it was.

*frantic tapping*

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

 > Just clumsy. Fell out of bed. Sorry for worrying you.

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

"…Oh." The brown-haired woman's eyes narrowed at the message. "Is that really all it was?"

Miyami's eyes brightened as she nodded. Yes! That was it! There was certainly not any kind of internal conflict or anything of the sort—

*stare*

The taller woman squirmed under the blankets as Hinoka suddenly got closer with an unamused look.

A hand extended in front of her.

Miyami stared at it, then back at her, then at the hand, then back at her again. W-what was she doing—?

*pat-pat*

"…?!"

"…I'm not sure what's going on in that cute head of yours, but you don't need to worry so much," Hinoka told her gently. "I know you've already been worried sick about the entire stalker thing and entertaining me, but things are going to work out. So… relax a bit, okay?"

The gears in Miyami's head stopped grinding against themselves, and she felt something inside her loosen—a sense of comfort and safety that infused her entire being with warmth.

Hinoka continued to pat the top of her head, her touch soft and reassuring, and she found her eyelids drooping shut as a pleasant weightlessness washed over her.

"…" Miyami swallowed hard, then slowly reached for her phone again, her heart hammering with an acceptance of what she wanted to say.

*slow taps*

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

 > …Hinoka? I have something to tell you later. Can you promise to wait for me until I'm ready, even if it might take some time?

 > I want to plan something out first.

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

***

Hinoka stared at the message for a long while, her hand on top of Miyami's hair in the cool of the bedroom. The fading steam wisped from her neck as the scent of her shampoo invaded the space.

That was certainly something.

She didn't know exactly what Miyami wanted to tell her. But the fact that there weren't any emoticons in her message spoke volumes to the seriousness.

Was she still worrying about things despite her reassurance? She swore, the poor girl really needed to—

*ping!*

∘₊✧─────────────✧₊∘

 >> Ah! Just to reiterate, I swear it's not a bad thing. I promise.

 >> I just really wanted to get it right! (*_ _)人

∘₊✧─────────────✧₊∘

Hinoka felt some tension drain from her as the aircon's breeze passed over her.

Okay. That was a relief to know. But it also made her curious as to why Miyami would feel the need to specify that. What the heck could she have to tell her that was so important that it needed preparation and time?

Wait.

"…" Hinoka stared down at Miyami, and the dark-haired girl fidgeted beneath her gaze, her face still half-concealed by the covers.

There was no way. Right?

"…" Her fingers drummed on the top of Miyami's head.

No. As much as she would absolutely love that to be the case, it probably wasn't that. The affection she felt toward the adorable penguin princess wasn't exceedingly likely to be mutual. She'd been terrorizing the poor girl with all her teasing and flirting lately. Miyami was probably going to ask her to tone things down. And she was probably going to prepare some kind of speech to be firm.

Hinoka sort of smiled at the explanation. At least that meant Miyami was finally using that backbone she knew was there.

"…" But what if she was wrong?

What if it was the opposite?

The thought made her sapphic heart flutter, and she felt her breath catch.

It was a dangerously alluring possibility.

She gulped.

Hinoka did her best to keep her composure, but it was hard to in the presence of the singular girl who made her realize just how faux her outward confidence could truly be at times.

Uuugh. She wanted her. All of her. To be the person Miyami needed and deserved. To help her break out of her shell. To be the rock that kept her afloat.

Her eyes softened as resolve settled in.

Focus. All of that was just conjecture. But… if there was even the slightest hint that the woman in front of her wanted to take the next step, then—

*flustered bird-like noises*

"…" Hinoka froze and looked down curiously at the source of the disturbance. Oh, that was strange. When had her hand migrated down to cup the adorable lady's face?

Several moments of mutual silence passed as their eyes met. Dark brown and amber.

"…S-sorry. You're just too cute, Miyami," she whispered in amusement. "I'll, uh, wait however long you need, okay? So don't feel bad if it takes some time."

Miyami slowly nodded from beneath the covers, unintentionally nuzzling against Hinoka's hand.

"…"

Hm? That was strange. Maybe it was the constant exposure they've had recently, but Hinoka felt actual confidence in her heart now—control. Not just her usual brash boldness.

She let her hand soak in the warmth of Miyami's face for a moment more.

"…"

Then she stood up from her kneeling position, her mind made up. The dark-haired girl made a cute noise as fingers traced away from her cheek.

"…Come on. I'm hungry. Mind making those animal pancakes again? We can go over those games you say inspired Fiery Emblem: Idols afterward if you'd like too."

"!" Her good friend and coworker shuffled her way out of the room at the proposal, excitedly making her way to the living room as she shed her blanket cocoon.

Hinoka couldn't resist grinning at the girl's enthusiasm. Ah, she just wanted to tackle her to the ground and cuddle with how endearing she was! It was so unfair!

…But she held herself back. She wasn't going to be a dumbass again and push further than what Miyami was comfortable with.

Not until she had a clear signal.