Strawberry Milk

Aya put a finger to her lip. Her eyes scanned the skyscraper of a bookshelf that went from floor to ceiling, covering every wall of the tiny dorm room like wallpaper. The spines of each book stood out with colorful brandings and varying shapes. Some books were wide and square, others tall and thin. Bright bubbly title text stood out on some, while others were printed with angular and more mature typefaces. Aya continued to scan the shelves, not knowing where to stop.

“Oh, this one as well. Definitely up your alley, I think.” Yae said, adding the book to a growing pile on the bed next to them. The book they added had a title printed in bubbly typeface that took up half the cover. The other half had a pin-up illustration of a cute girl in revealing fantasy armor.

A week had passed since Aya and Yae first met after school in Fu’s cafe. The arrangements were made with the headmaster, and Aya switched periods so she could be in Yae’s class to pair with them. In the time since, the two had been messaging each other constantly, each with one hand always on their phone. Today, out of the blue, Yae messaged Aya and invited her to visit them in the white dorm. This invitation was under the pretense that they wanted to introduce her to their light novel collection as research for the project. Of course, Aya immediately replied with a ‘yes’ and sprinted over to the white dorm after the final bell rang.

"This light novel is quite genre breaking for being an isekai, but has a charm that I think you’ll come to appreciate.” Yae said with a sheepish smile. Aya smiled back. She couldn't help but feel like she noticed their hands tremble for a brief second. Perhaps it was her imagination.

“Nice. I’ll give it a read."

Aya returned her attention to the cozy forest of books surrounding her. As she scanned the shelves, her eyes settled on a spine that had a unique typeface, which she proceeded to pull out. The cover was white with the title printed in a striking sumi-e brush script. Further down on the cover was a beautiful watercolor illustration of a girl holding the hand of a metallic beast.

“Dude, this one looks sick.” Aya held the book up, after having taken a moment to study its design. While the image itself was nice, Aya found herself drawn to the hand rendered title design.

“Actually, I wrote that one. I’m quite surprised you picked it up.” Yae said while scratching their head. They looked away from Aya while struggling to hold back a bashful smile. "One of my earlier things I did in middle school I suppose.”

“For real? You wrote this in middle school?” Aya said. Her eyes went wide and she took a step back.

“Yes, but it’s nothing special. I had plenty of help and encouragement. If I might ask, what about it caught your eye?”

“Uh, I kinda dig the lettering.” Aya ran her finger across the title font and felt the pleasant bumps from its slight emboss. “I do lots of hand lettering. Graffiti and stuff…I look at movie titles for ideas.”

“Right. Right. I never considered that about your work. Fascinating. This gives me some ideas…” Yae said as they turned back around to scan the shelves.

“Mind if I borrow it?” Aya held the book to her chest like a prized artifact. “I wanna read more of your stuff.”

Yae stared at her chest for a moment and gazed at where the book was. Their eyes lingered there as if they were hesitating.

“Heh. Okay, Aya. Sure. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to toss this one in.” Yae patted the comfy princess pink bed next to them. Aya walked over and added her book to the small, but growing stack.

Aya’s mind wandered as she got closer to Yae. She looked at their soft arms as they shuffled through the pile of books surrounding them. Her gaze moved to their neck, and fixated on the cute mole there. Aya began to wonder if they were still wearing their sakura scented perfume today. She pictured herself leaning into Yae for a hug, pressing her shapely chest to theirs. The warm sensations of Aya’s imagination sent her down a short trail of longing.

"This one's another favorite of mine. Though, I might hold off. I’d hate to overload you." Yae said with a nervous chuckle. “Apologies, Aya. Have I overwhelmed you yet? Feel free to stop me if this is too much.” they said with a worried look. Aya quickly snapped back to reality.

“Uh-nah, you’re good. I promise.”

“I’ll pick out a few more for you then. Please know that you don't have to read all of these. You can skim and take your time. I just wanted to get your feet wet with the light novel medium, since we'll be making one together.”

“Yeah, I feel," Aya said with a warm smile. “Never spent much time near books, so these light novels are all new to me.”

“I see…are they of interest to you thus far?”

Aya nodded, smiled, and gave a thumbs up. “Lots of cute girls and pretty colors. The titles are kinda long though.”

“Ah, that,” Yae said with a chuckle. “It’s a bit of a quirky marketing component. Trends come and go in this medium quickly, so don’t let anything scare you.”

“I’m not bothered. It’s just different is all.”
“Oh I figured. It’s quite interesting to get an outsider’s take on things from time to time.” Yae said. They walked over to Aya, the distance between the two closed slightly, and she felt her heart steadily beat faster.

“As the cover author, remember that you’re an integral part of this too, okay? Who knows, maybe you’ll set a trend or two of your own and shake things up.” Yae’s expression brightened, and Aya couldn’t help but blush at the praise.

“I’ve always admired talented artists like you, Aya. As a wordsmith, the visuals were what drew me into the medium. Attractive art and simplistic prose compliment each other’s strengths quite nicely…I think at least." Yae looked down at the pile of books in front of them as they shyly finished their thought.

Sheeesh…they're cute. Aya thought to herself as she nodded along. She felt a fluttering in her chest while listening to Yae talk. Their enthusiasm rubbed off on her as she couldn’t help but smile as they spoke.

“Let’s look for a bit longer, then uhm, maybe we can get something to eat?” Aya said.

“Ah. Good idea.” Yae scratched the back of their head, ruffling their fluffy pink hair. “I’ve actually not eaten much today. There’s a few more I’d like to grab for you, then we can go. Sound good, Aya?”

“Mm!” Aya gave a quick nod and a thumbs up.

Yae crouched back down and turned their attention back to the bookshelf, muttering to themselves as they searched. Aya did the same, this time moving to a different wall to search the shelf.

A few moments passed and nothing in particular caught Aya’s attention. She moved her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn and turned her gaze to the glowing window. As she stretched her arms over her head, vibrant golden hues from the setting sun outside shined through, gently warming her skin. She looked over and saw Yae staring up and smiling sheepishly at her.

“I think I found the last few.” They gestured once more to the spot on the bed next to them. Aya walked across the room, sat down, and picked up the book nearest her. The title read: ‘Faerie Heart’. The background featured a mysterious purple sea of clouds with a sky blue horizon that lined up with the base of the book’s glowing title. It was written in a decorative script that crossed through the silhouette of a beautiful faerie with dragonfly shaped wings. The book had a strange aura, and Aya found herself unexpectedly captivated. She ran her fingers along its vibrant cover and felt the resistance of a high quality matte printed exterior.

“Interested in Faerie Heart by chance?” Yae’s smile grew wide as they eagerly leaned forward.

“Yeah, dude. This one’s cover is grabbing me. It’s so pretty.”

“Oh it gets better!” They said, grinning from ear to ear. “Flip it over.”

Aya did as she was instructed and flipped the book over. On the back, a beautiful anime styled painting of a woman gingerly holding a glowing heart, filled the back cover. The woman had pointy elf ears, and she was nude, a glowing light outlining her curvaceous form. Aya’s eyes opened wide.

“W-woah! Ah, that’s—”

“Gorgeous? I know.” Yae said while beaming up at Aya. “The artist perfectly captured what I had in mind. Don’t get me wrong. I was proud of my writing on this. Actually, many actually consider it to be my magnum opus.”

“For real? You wrote this one too?”

“Yup. My best selling series. Volume 16 drops this summer, so wish me luck!” Yae chuckled.

“That’s wild. I’m starting this tonight,” Aya said excitedly. Her eyes fixated on the cover.

“I’d be honored. Thank you so much, Aya. Just make sure to tell me what you think after you’re done.”

“Yeah dude. For sure.”

The two looked into each other’s eyes and smiled with equally met enthusiasm. But after a few moments in her own head, Aya’s mood fell as thoughts of her role in their upcoming project began to trouble her.

I hope Yae’s writing carries us. They’re already published. Meanwhile, the most I’ve gotten outta my stuff is a ride in the back of a cruiser.

“I wonder what kind of story will go best with your street art?” Yae paused and put a finger to their lip, deep in thought. “I’ll have to think hard and give this my best. I worry I might not compare.”

“I think you’ve got it backwards, dude.” Aya sighed and lowered her gaze.

“You know I’ve seen your art before, right? It’s how I knew what your focus was before we introduced ourselves.”

“Yeah? Where’d you see it?”

“You’re the one that did the beautiful ocean paintings on a few of the beach front shops, right?” Yae tilted their head and smiled.

“Ah. Yep. That’s me.” Aya smiled and shrugged. “Not all of those were legal. Some were though, and they paid for a few weeks of yakisoba. Which was pretty decent I guess…” Aya scratched the back of her head and smiled wryly.

“I see. It’s impressive that you were willing to take that sort of risk for your craft. Did you get caught?” Yae leaned closer to Aya, their eyes sparkled in the afternoon light.
“Yeah. A few times.”

“Were you scared?”

“...Yeah… from what I remember. It wasn’t fun. But everything after being snatched by the cops is kinda hazy.”

Yae put their hand gingerly over hers. Aya’s heart skipped a beat as she savored the warmth of their hand. The two remained silent, and Yae gently squeezed her hand a few times.

“Seeing those ocean paintings helped me through my darkest moments. I’d get lost in them every day on my way back from school.”

“...Yeah?” Aya quietly whispered. Yae smiled gingerly and moved their fingers in the spaces between hers. Aya let them in, and the two interlocked fingers. Aya turned her head slowly and noticed the light from their dorm room window beautifully outlined their profile. Yae’s smile was angelic, their sparkling eyes gently caressed her trembling heart, putting her at ease.

“Yes,” Yae said, gazing out the window for a moment. They brushed a strand of their wispy pink hair behind their ear before turning back to face her. “You inspire me beyond words, Aya.”

Aya looked down at her feet and nervously twirled a strand of her hair.

“Thanks…” Aya brushed her bangs from her face, and met Yae’s heartfelt smile with one of her own. “You’re kind of a poet, you know.”

Yae softly chuckled. They squeezed her hand once more and gently removed it, the air in the room started to move freely once more as the topic drifted.

“Thank you, but I’m actually terrible at writing poems. Fu would be of more help there.”

“Please. Anything but her, man.” Aya rolled her eyes and exhaled playfully.

“Not on the professor’s good side, I take it?”

“Dunno. There’s no telling with Fu. She did kinda yell at me a week ago though.”

“I heard. Don’t worry, she was at her wits end with me as well.” Yae playfully winked at Aya. “We’ll turn this project around and be back on her good side in no time.”

“It’ll all work out I guess,” Aya said. She paused for a moment and noticed her hunger starting to set in. “Ready to grab food, Yae?”

“Sorry, almost! Let me quickly put these back and then we’ll be on our way.”

Yae turned their attention to the shelf and started frantically shelving. As they were occupied, Aya had just realized that there was one last book Yae picked out. However, while reaching over towards the edge of his bed to pick it up, the glimmer of a small metallic object managed to momentarily steal Aya’s attention. She scooted forward and peeked into the crevice between the mattress and the frame of the bed. Tucked away, just out of view, was a small metallic wrapper.

Some kind of candy?… They must’ve dropped it. Aya thought to herself. She reached down to pick it up, and her heart immediately raced into full ‘flight or fight’ the moment her fingers made contact with the surface of the forbidden candy wrapper. Blinking twice, Aya looked down and saw a flat square metallic wrapper, holding what appeared to be a rubbery ring which embossed its surface.

Aya reflexively yanked her hand away and immediately scooted back in one motion.

D-DUDE! YO! W-was this meant for me?! Aya’s thoughts race as she hyperventilated.

“Are you okay, Aya?” Yae tilted their head. Their face wore a genuine look of concern.

“I-I’m good.” Aya’s eyes darted to the other end of the room. She anxiously scratched the back of her head. “J-just got a bit warm is all.”

“Ah, I see. Yes, these dorms tend to get stuffy from time to time. I can turn on the AC if you’d like?”

“N-Nah dude it’s cool!”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“…Y-yeah dude!” Aya said in a shaky voice. Yae smiled awkwardly.

“Let’s get you outside, love. I’ll get you a cold drink from the vending machine on our way to the food court.”

“Um, yeah.” Aya softly blushed at the pet name. She paused for a moment and thought carefully about her next words. Aya’s frantic thoughts were cut short by the intoxicatingly sweet scent of strawberry scented perfume. It smelled delicious. Aya felt a strange craving as the scent filled her, and she couldn’t keep her mind off the feeling of Yae’s soft hand wrapped tightly around hers. After a few moments, Aya put her hand firmly on the pile of books next to her.

“Mind if I leave these here? We can come back and get them after our um…date.”

Yae replied with a relaxed smile, but Aya couldn’t help but notice the hidden look of victory and exhilaration behind their gentle gaze. Aya’s eyes met with Yae’s, and the two smiled in silence. In those moments, each of their eyes shared in a thinly veiled common desire, which became increasingly obvious with each passing second. Following the exchange, both of their cheeks glowed a soft pink hue, like a sweet glass of strawberry milk.

“Sure, Aya. I’d love to.”

Aya nodded shyly before she hopped up and walked to the door. She paused for a moment and looked back towards the books she’d intentionally decided to leave on their bed. Yae walked up, and once more the two interlocked fingers, knowing very well that they’d be back later to do the same…