Many Steps Left

Snowflakes drifted like fairies in the late winter morning, twirling around Miyami as she waited. She was sat on a bench not too far from the shopping district with a few bags surrounding her. It was rather tranquil in Nagashiro now, with only the muted sounds of the occasional car or train to interrupt it.

She glanced down at her phone, checking the time once more as her eyes lingered on the lock screen. It was a picture of her and Hinoka from the fireworks festival, a selfie of the two of them illuminated by the sky. Warm smiles, a goofy peace sign, and a simple caption beneath:

'Season of Yuri'

She cracked a smile as she fidgeted with the device. It was somehow December now, and Christmas was just around the corner. To think that another three months had passed by so quickly…

Not much had changed since then. Of course, her and Hinoka's relationship had continued to develop as they fumbled through life, completing work and slowly checking off the goals of her New Life List. But otherwise, not much else had happened. No major events, conflicts, or anything outside of a few arguments about Hinoka's problematic impulsiveness in FE: Idols.

Just a peaceful life.

The dark-haired woman shuffled the snow around her boots a bit before boredom finally won. She navigated to the messaging app, doing her best despite the gloves' handicap.

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

 > Hinoooka, what's taking you so long??

 > I'm freezing! {{ (｡T ω T｡) }}

 > You said you'd only be thirty minutes!

 [[ HINOKA IS TYPING… ]]

 >> I'll be there in five minutes, promise! The line was a bit longer than expected.

 >> And don't complain about the cold. You're a penguin, aren't you? („¬ᴗ¬„)

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

What pride she possessed flared as she read the quip.

This woman…

She fired a shot back.

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

 > That's a lot of snark coming from someone who hasn't gift shopped yet (⇀ᴗ⇀✿ )

 > Don't think you can fool me. I know exactly what you're up to out there, tacking on 'one last thing'~!

 [[ HINOKA IS TYPING… ]]

 >> 凸(◕ᴗ◕✿)凸

────────⊳⋆⊲────────

Miyami's cheeks puffed up at the flippant response. Rude.

But it did make sense Hinoka still hadn't bought her a gift. It's not like they'd had much time on their own. They lived together, worked together, and spent half their free time together. Sneaking away to buy something was easier said than done.

She sighed, pocketing her phone.

Honestly though, that went for the both of them. While she'd managed to find a present to give, the only reason she'd been able to sneak away at all was because she'd convinced her uncle to distract Hinoka. Thankfully, he'd had been more than happy to lend a hand.

'Did not Rike stand firm against the tide of the enemy's ire, even in the midst of overwhelming forces? Did not Soran's guidance allow for victory in the most desperate of hours? So too will this old man not hesitate to lend aid in his niece's quest. Go, Miyami! Your victory is assured!'

Or something of that caliber.

She giggled. He'd gotten a lot sillier lately. Although perhaps it was just because they'd gotten to know each other better. Hinoka'd said there was a surprising amount of theatrics hidden inside the man that came out when he was in his element, and she was starting to see what she meant half a year into working with him.

The crunch of snow sounded behind her.

*fwop* "Guess who?"

Hands covered her vision before Miyami could react, casting the world into shadow. She tensed slightly at the coldness.

"I-I thought you were going to be another five minutes."

"I decided to run." The hands retreated, allowing sight to return. "Did I surprise you?"

"More so the cold on my eyes, honestly." She turned to face the girl, trying to hide the fact that she had indeed been surprised.

Hinoka looked amazing as always. A red-striped scarf hung from her neck, a matching beige coat and boots covered her body, and she'd even gone a little fancier than her normal ponytail holder for their quick outing, tying her hair in an elegant bow.

"Mmm, really? Damn, it's been getting harder to fluster you lately." She brought her hand up to her chin to muse. "…Perhaps I can try something in the shower later to make up for it, like—"

The dark-haired woman flushed red. "H-Hinoka! Not in public!"

She laughed. "There we go! Much better~"

Miyami's eyes narrowed. She gave no follow up to the comment, instead, she stood up to prove herself over such petty squabbles.

"I-if that's all of our errands for the day, let's just get back to the apartment. We still need to finish packing for our trip tomorrow."

"Alright, alright." Her partner conceded. "Do you want me to carry anything?"

She considered the request, looking down at her three bags and then to Hinoka's own. "I think I should be fine."

"You sure? I don't mind helping. It's the least I can do for being late."

Miyami's chest puffed, her confidence shining through with a smirk. "I am. Remember, I'm stronger than I look!"

"…" Amber eyes analyzed her form from head to toe, loitering over certain areas flirtatiously long. "Right, right, you are. Say though, I may need some time later to gauge your progress. See just how much those squats have paid off~"

Her cheeks reddened as an image of the 'gauging' process flashed through her mind. Hands over skin, caressing, rubbing, groping, pinching—

"P-pervert!"

"Hehe. You love it though~!"

"…" She scooped up her bags before sprinting away, hoping to run from the embarrassment. Boots crunched against snow, and her head spun around. Indignation prompted her to stick her tongue out in one last attempt to get back at her girlfriend and perhaps save face—

*THUNK*

—before she slammed boob-first into a lamppost.

***

Half an hour and a walk back to the apartment later, Miyami pouted on the sofa, lips still sealed shut by wounded pride and a compress stuck to the center of her chest. A small cup of tea sat on the table in front of her, steam wafting in the air as heat poured from the AC unit.

"…"

Hinoka sat next to her, doing her best to not giggle, chuckle, or any variation that would further incite her partner as she sipped from her own cup. Yet, despite her efforts, her shoulders trembled slightly.

"…"

*snort*

Her girlfriend couldn't hold it anymore. The dam broke, letting laughter loose into the world as she leaned against Miyami's shoulder, wheezing.

"H-holy shi—! Did you see—! Your face when you—!"

*fwump*

The woman being mocked collapsed sideways onto the cushions, critically injured by the giggles of her girlfriend.

-30 HP!

-15 HP!

-10 HP!

Hinoka was still laughing uncontrollably. "Oh my God—! I'm sorry—! It's just—! Hahahaha! I know it hurts, but the boob compress—!"

-99 HP!

Miyami's hit points dropped to zero.

She was dead.

The dark-haired girl stared blankly ahead, devoid of life. Only her breath and the subtle twitch of her fingers remained to confirm she was alive.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll stop! I promise." Hinoka finally ceased her assault, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Her hand instead moved to pat her head, rubbing gentle circles over her scalp.

Miyami accepted the comfort, but otherwise didn't move. She was too busy imagining the sweet embrace of the afterlife.

"Come on, I'm sorry. I take full responsibility, okay?"

No response. Just a cold, empty shell.

"…"

"…"

"…I'm going to start poking the compress if you don't stop sulking."

Miyami immediately resurrected. "Please don't! It's still tender!"

"That's better." Hinoka nodded and retracted her hand. "Now, drink some tea as we go over what we'll need."

She obeyed, the woman slowly sitting up and taking the cup. The warmth was comforting on her tongue, even if it did nothing for her chest. Her other hand took out her phone, reviewing over the plan again as Hinoka's voice droned on in the background.

'Onsen Trip'

The resort would have most of their amenities covered, so they'd only really need to bring some toiletries, clothes, and their electronics. Still, she read through the list again, making sure everything would be taken care of.

As much as Miyami had teased Hinoka about waiting this long to get her a gift, this trip was the real present. Apparently, she'd spent many hours researching various hot springs around Nagano in the preceding weeks, trying to find some private options that could accommodate her… differences. Miyami had been so happy when she'd finally told her about it that she'd cried.

And that made her girlfriend cry.

It was a mess. But a happy one.

She absently flicked through her screen and glanced toward the table, New Life List still there from the previous night.

Over half of all the goals in there had been checked off by now, but despite all the progress that'd been made, she felt like she had barely started at all. There was still plenty to do, and plenty to experience, and some would be harder than others.

Of the more serious ones, officially changing her gender marker on the family registry would be a huge hurdle still. Surgery was still the expectation despite not being required on paper, and while neither she nor Hinoka minded the current situation, if she were to ever pursue it at this point in time…

Well, the headache would be astronomical.

But that was just one of many goals in a sea of others. There were still so many experiences to have that were far more exciting.

Like, 'Go on a date to the beach', 'Cosplay Starlight Momoya', or even 'Get Married' and 'Become a Mother'—the latter two of which Miyami knew wasn't possible yet considering the current laws of the land.

But that was fine. It was a New Life List, not a New Life Schedule.

They had time, and the more of it they spent together, the more Miyami was convinced she was destined to eventually complete all of these goals with Hinoka, no matter the struggles or hardships or fights they'd inevitably face.

"…"

Warmth spread from her heart to the tips of her fingers as she looked over at her girlfriend again, still talking. It was a feeling that never got old, a sensation that always sent tingles through her spine and butterflies through her stomach.

"…are you even paying attention, dummy?" The shorter girl puffed her cheeks up. "I was talking about what to do if there's an emergency!"

"A-ah, sorry. I was thinking about something else."

Hinoka gave her a look. "Don't tell me with all the progress you've made with speaking, you're starting to have problems listening?"

"…" It was a joke, but Miyami's lack of reaction made her sigh. "What's on your mind?"

The woman's face flushed lightly. "I was thinking about how happy I am. With you, with the trip, with everything." She looked away. "And that, um… I love you. A lot."

Hinoka paused for a moment, processing the words.

Then poked her boobs. Hard.

"O-ow!!! What was that for?! I was having a moment!"

Her partner stuck out her tongue and laughed. "I warned you."

"But that wasn't sulking! That was just unfair!" The woman scooted away from her, clutching her chest protectively.

"Mmm, in that case, it was just, um… a method to help with the swelling?"

Miyami's glare deepened as she puffed up her cheeks. "Y-you can't just say that to make me feel better, you bully—"

A kiss to the cheek interrupted her. "Sorry. Really, I am." Hinoka leaned back and gave a smile. "And for the record, I love you a lot, too."

Any frustration quickly melted into a happy blush. Darn it, she really was weak to that.

"…Thanks."

"Yep." The shorter woman leaned back against the couch, letting her head fall on her shoulder. "Now, let's go over the plan again, yeah? After the bus stop, there'll only be a couple more steps to take until we're there, and we'll have to be ready…" She trailed off, voice growing distant as she continued.

Miyami nodded, listening to her girlfriend's words as her mind wandered in blissful comfort.

She'd already taken so many steps.

But it was nice to know there were still so many more.