Mina returned to being the cold girl who was always alone. She still studied all day, but she could not focus. Her mind constantly went back to that girl who she had hurt badly. Sometimes she would take time out and look at Momo from afar. She missed the girl so much - spending time together, the warm hugs they shared, the jokes they would laugh at together. Even if they just sat next to each other in silence, Mina appreciated Momo's presence.

Momo had been spending a lot more time with Sana, she noticed. She thought it was good that Momo had someone to comfort her. It did not matter that she herself had no one.

She also noticed that Momo had been spending a lot more time dancing - sometimes in the school's dance studio, sometimes in her own. Yes, when Mina missed her too much, she would go over to the dance studio in hopes to see Momo. Even if it was just for the short moment when Momo entered or exited the building, she was fine with it.

Another thing Mina noticed, also the thing that bothered her the most, was that Momo had become a lot skinnier. That meant that Momo, the girl whom she knew to love food so much, was not eating well. And it more knowing that she was the cause of it.

Mina's grades dropped, and she still got hit for it, but she could not care less about it. There was something much more important to care about. After not having Momo around her, she finally had the time to think about it. All the butterflies in the stomach she would feel when Momo was around, the extreme happiness she felt just by seeing Momo, the urges to just embrace Momo and never let go, all these were not because Momo was Mina's one and only friend. It was more than that, far more than that. It was because Myoui Mina was in love with Hirai Momo.

Mina thought it over. For Momo who made her, for the first time in her life, feel like she was worth something, perhaps she was willing to risk everything.

***

Colleges love to give tests as regularly as ever, and Mina, unsurprisingly, did not do well for this one again. For the record, she did not even top the cohort anymore. There were talks around, everyone being surprised, but it was already part of Mina to not care. Or at least, pretend to not care.

The poor girl was frightened and fearful before heading out for dinner, but she knew she had to do it. She was not ready, but the fact is that she would never be, so she should just do it as soon as possible. As usual, she reported her results to her parents, together with the shocking fact that she was no longer the top in the cohort. To her dismay, that resulted in her parents insulting Momo. They knew she was the reason why Mina could not focus, but they did not understand why Mina could not get over her. They insulted her, and said that they could "get her out of Mina's sight" if Mina wanted.

And that was Mina's last straw. Agitated, she stood up and shouted at her parents, then went to her room to grab some belongings before leaving the house. That left Mr and Mrs Myoui in shock. Their precious daughter had never snapped at them. Now, not only did she do that, but she left the house too.

***

Mina roamed the streets, realising that she had nowhere to go. She had no friends and she could not go back home. Wandering aimlessly, she let her legs lead her. Soon enough, she found herself in front of Momo's house. It was the only place she could go to, anyway, although Momo would probably just chase her away immediately.

Momo, who had the habit of returning home rather late, was confused when she walked out of the lift and saw a familiar figure sleeping on the floor right outside her house. Still hurt, Momo wanted to just ignore the girl's presence. However, as much as she hated to admit it, she still cared a lot for the other girl. On top of that, it really bothered her that the girl, despite having really strict parents, was here. The two facts just did not go well together.

"Hey.." Momo shook Mina lightly, making the girl stir awake. "What are you doing here?"

"I-" Mina was at a loss for words. Firstly because she just woke up and her mind was not exactly functioning, secondly because she was so overwhelmed by the fact Momo was right in front of her right now, talking to her.

"It's going to rain, you'll catch a cold if you sleep here. Come on in, you can sleep on the couch." Momo tried to sound as cold as she could, but it was really hard to do so. She, too, had missed the girl a lot.

Upon entering, Momo ignored Mina and went straight to shower. She had to resist the temptation to just go over and enfold Mina, and she had to constantly remind herself not to talk to Mina.

Stepping out of the shower, Momo decided to fix up something small for herself before heading to bed. She walked past the living room and noticed that Mina was out at the balcony. She sighed and continued heading to the kitchen. She had made up her mind - she was going to let Mina stay for one night and chase her out tomorrow.

Or at least, that was what she had in mind until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind, startling her. Her heart was beating faster at the action. "M-Mina what are you doing?"

Momo was even more shocked when she felt the grip getting tighter and the next moment, her shirt was getting damped. Mina was crying. Regardless of how distant they were, Momo did not want to see Mina cry. She wanted Mina to be happy. She did not mind if she was the one hurting, but Mina had to be happy.

A/N: Hope this update is interesting for you guys, and that you've been enjoying the story so far (:

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