Wrote this while listening to Lauv - Paris in The Rain
Give it a listen! ^^

 

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Momo likes to question about every little wonders in the world, except for love. To a little Momo, love is nothing more than being with her family. As she went to school, the teacher taught her that to love your friends is to care and be kind to them. Come middle school, her classmates had been talking about liking someone, and Momo thought liking is the same as loving so she never bothers to be interested in this kind of talk because she already knows what love is. It wasn’t until high school that she began to know love and like are two different things.

It started when she was confessed by one of her close sunbae, the varsity basketball player of the school who she looks up to as nothing more than a brother she never had. They were close, too close that rumors began to spread about them being secret lovers. Momo brushed them off as nothing more of gossip by those jealous big mouth seniors, but it was the opposite for that guy. He mistook their closeness as Momo reciprocating his feelings. The girl was confused; she never realized his kindness and thoughtful gesture had a different meaning to it. Maybe, that was the first time Momo had hurt a person’s feelings, and it made her feel really bad.

She tried to understand about love, of a different kind, in a different way. She decided to embark on a journey of self-reflection and understand what love really is. Unfortunately, the number one reference she chose would be the love novels belonging to a certain shiba-inu who really likes indulging herself in this sappy cringe-filling little world of hers as a favorite pastime. It was by the far, the most regrettable decision she ever made.

 

”How can you read this stuff? It’s–“ She grimaced, “Nauseating.”

“Momo, it’s a part of growing up.”

 

What Sana said made no sense, because Momo thinks she’s grown fairly well even without reading those books. The next thing she did, was watching Sana having dates and flings which never lasted for more than a month. And then she realized, she’s a dumb girl for not learning from history of her most regrettable decision. Her childhood friend is a bad example with the way she’s leading her college life. After that, Momo gave up. She’d rather enjoy her college days freely in her own way than worry for some unknown feelings that even the great heart-crusher Minatozaki couldn’t explain.

However, everything began to make sense when she was in her sophomore year. It was the last day of semester, also the last day of being a second year student for the sophomores, meaning it’s time for bonfire night. Despite being a laidback person who has a fair share of popularity that is supposedly to be on par with Sana, Momo was never fond of being in the center of attention and being in a crowd. But she was invited anyway, or more like forced by the squirrel and her persistent whining. Being a science student majoring in nutrition, she was assigned to handle the barbecue stand and cook all the food for them. She never understood why, but she’s glad to be busy with something instead of someone. Or so she thought…

 

It was a rowdy night, but Momo enjoyed the atmosphere nonetheless. Of people laughing and singing without a care, shouting out their frustration for their already predicted failed papers, rolling on the ground from a small childish feud, or just dancing and vibing to the worse choice of songs by their assigned DJ of a nerdy boy. Of course, the thing she enjoyed the most was having a bite in between of roasting all the food, for quality control purpose. Amidst the chaos, her eyes fell on a couple standing quite far from the crowd. These girls are familiar, she only recognized the one majoring in performing arts though. She met her during their freshmen play on the backstage, the one with loud vocal but resembles an angel’s voice when she sings. They were minding their own business, probably drunk by now when one of them starts jumping and running around her loud friend. The little skips she made with those flapping hands, it reminds Momo of something.

“Penguin…”

A small giggle escaped her lips, eyes still following the girl bouncing around the place. Then, her breath hitched. The skipping suddenly turned into a graceful twist, with those flailing hands flowing elegantly in the air. It was as if Momo was into another world, where only both of them exist despite the distant. She feels like grabbing that dainty lonely hand and blend in with her own smooth dancing moves, the combination would have been perfect for a new dance routine. Her feet almost moved on its own, only to feel a burning sensation on her hand.

“Ow!”

She yelped, her hand had unconsciously grabbed a piece of chicken skewer being barbecued. She had probably imagined the chicken as the girl’s hand. Momo took a small cube of ice and hold it between her burnt fingers, hiss escaped her lips from the cold and stinging sensation. She looked up, her eyes automatically searching for the girl, only for her to stand right in front of Momo.

“Hey, we’re hungry. Is it done yet?”

Another head popped out from the girl’s left shoulder, her chin landing on the smooth skin. Momo can feel her fingers twitching to be in contact with the skin, to be the one touching it instead of the chin of the round-eyed class representative. She feels something weird, she didn’t know what. But it’s not good, oh definitely not a good one.

“Any suggestion of food for us, chef?”

Momo shook her mind out of the gutter and cleared . She mindlessly handed them a plate each, before pointing on the table full of all kinds of meat, salads, snacks and condiments to go with.

“Help yourself.”

“Thank you.” The girl beamed, and Momo was once again stunned by her simple beauty. Her eyes wouldn’t, couldn’t stop following her actions, every single one of it. It was cute and somewhat endearing, to her at least. Her gaze fell on her plate, and she frowns. She takes a little bit of everything, but it’s not enough to fill her plate, let alone her stomach. Momo was about to snatch the tongs and fill her plate to the brim but was disturbed by the smell of burnt meat. She quickly tends to the chicken skewers with a disappointed frown. The girls thanked her before walking away; one in particular has been pulling her attention to her as she waddled away with her feet pointing outwards.

“What a cute penguin.”

Momo didn’t understand it then, but now she kind of gets it.

 

Except, she doesn’t really get it much to the point it frightens her. One can say she’s a girl with bad fate, because she had never met with the girl again at the start of junior year. It wasn’t until the middle of the year when they paraded the candidates face for the student council committees, covering the boards all over college. Then she saw it, that beautiful face she imprinted in her head appeared again in the form of passport photo in the size of an A4 paper. Such a detailed description, but not yet as detailed as when she describe the girl’s memorable feature. Even a 12 page of thesis couldn’t beat Momo’s essay on the girl’s face alone. Yeah, don’t let her start with her assignment which only consists of one page at most; she’s that bad at writing.

Maybe the force above heard the small wish in her heart and decided to turn her fate around on the day she got back a bit late from her dance workout. She’s a fan of convenience store, except the one near her dorm. Their selections of food are awful and scarce, Momo would rather ransack her roommate’s candy stash than drop by the store. However, that night she seems to crave for some gummies and she's too tired to make a long turn to the store a few blocks away. With a deep sigh, she stepped inside and went straight to the candy section. Her head unconsciously shot up when the entrance door slid open, not paying enough attention to the person walking in. Only that she felt something familiar with the newcomer. Without thinking, her feet had brought her to the bread section. That’s when she recognized her.

She didn’t know what possessed her, but she started commenting on her choice of food. Out of impulse, she began raiding the store for the most satiating ones to sleep the night without upsetting the stomach. It felt satisfying to leave the girl with those food albeit a bit rude but it’s fine, she looks forward to see her again. Since then, whenever they met, Momo would act out on impulse. It’s as if a switch suddenly sparked at the sight of the penguin, short-circuiting the nerves on her brain to feed the girl with all things delicious.

And that was what happened last night when Mina found out about her secret delivery. Because out of whim, again, she did something outrageous.

She ran.

Her mind blanked out when Mina faced her with that interrogative stance and amused expression. So without thinking, she ran all the way back to her dorm. It wasn’t until she reached the door of her room that she realized what she just did.

For the first time, her sleep wasn’t that refreshing. Like a zombie, Momo trudges to her class, only to be met with a shrieking sound of that annoying squirrel.

“Momo!” Sana squealed into her ear, earning a harsh push from the blonde. “Yah! What’s that for?”

“You’re too loud, lower it down please.” Momo grumbles before making her way to an empty seat at the back, the shiba trailing after her with a knowing hum.

“Ohh, someone’s in a bad mood.” Sana sings out with her annoying voice. “Was it because of last night?”

Momo raises an eyebrow, “What about last night?”

“About you getting busted.” Sana emphasized the last word while wiggling her eyebrows. “Why did you run away anyway? Mina was really worried, just so you know.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, she couldn’t sleep a wink, thanks to you.” Sana reprimands, only to wear a smirk. “I guess you guys should thank each other, though.”

Momo ignores her bestfriend who’s teasing her panda eyes, indicating she’s not getting enough sleep as well as Mina. She chases her annoying friend away, just in time for the lecturer to arrive and start their English class for the day. Except, she can’t focus at all on the foreign sentences, causing her mind to drift on the new recipe she’s been trying to come up for her cooking assignment. She starts listing out the ingredients, adding doodles of the items at the side when she’s stuck. She turns to Sana sitting at the front, diligently taking notes as seen from everyone’s eyes, when in fact she’s engrossed with her phone hidden on her lap.

She silently snickered to herself as a pout forms on her friend’s face. Tzuyu must have ignored her advances, or just plain replied with only one word and a period. Remembering the younger, the gears begin working in her head. She taps her pen on the notebook, imagining the ingredients and step-by-step instruction on the white page before her hand starts moving on its own. By the time the lecture ends, the page is already filled with notes and drawings.

A satisfied grin appears on her face. Her new recipe is complete.

 

*

 

Momo spent the entire evening cooking her new creation, trying to blend the spices and ingredients together to create a perfectly balanced meal with a desirable taste. It was a lot of work, but she’s satisfied enough with the result after her fourth try. Packing the food carefully in a container, she makes a beeline to the next building with a particular room as her destination. Once she reaches the door, she stops.

She contemplates whether to leave the food on the doorknob like the usual routine, or just barge in and greet the people inside. She was intending to apologize and make up for running away yesterday. It’s more proper if she meets the vice president in person rather than be a coward.

Yeah, she should stop being a coward because she’s Hirai Momo. Exactly a coward in every aspect.

“Ugh, where did those acting on impulse behaviors gone to?” Momo groans to herself. Huffing out a breath of determination, she knocks on the door thrice before peeking her head inside.

“Uh, hello?”

A person on the huge table raises her head, and Momo’s smile couldn’t get any wider than it is. “Oh, penguin! Can I come in?”

Momo doesn’t know if her mind was playing trick, but she could see Mina’s lips quirking upwards before it reverts back to the normal frown of that serious face. The girl nods, eyes not leaving the blonde happily approaching her table. The latter scans the place, finding it empty except for the penguin’s presence.

“You’re alone?”

“For the meantime. Meeting starts in half an hour.”

“Oh, perfect timing!” Momo placed the container she’s hiding on her back on the table, startling the vice president. “For you.”

Mina raised a brow, a smirk ghosting her lips. “No more secret delivery?”

“Well…” She scratches her neck with eyes casting down on the floor. “I thought I should make it up to you for – you know…?” Mina only tilts her head, deliberately pushing the girl to admit her doings.

 “For…?”

“Forrunningawaylastnight…” She mumbles, eyes still avoiding the sharp pair scrutinizing her. Mina clearly enjoys tormenting the blonde as she made a pondering face with a tilt of her head. “What was that?”

“Aish, fine! I’m sorry for running away last night now eat this before it gets cold.”

Momo ignores the mirth playing on Mina’s lips as she engrosses herself with the container, taking out a pair of plastic cutleries she stole from the cooking lab before opening the lid. Steam floats out of the box, revealing a simple but appetizing hamburger with mash potato and boiled vegetables on the side.

“It’s my new creation.” Mina gives her a skeptical look. “Yah, just take a bite and see.”

The vice president takes a slow bite of the meat, her eyes widening from the burst of spices of the juicy piece. “It’s good!”

“Did you find anything funny with the taste?”

Her smile turns into a frown from Momo’s question, “What? Did you put something weird in it?”

“No, no!” Momo quickly denies, “Well, it’s not something weird. But rather, something you wouldn’t expect from a hamburger.” She cuts a piece and shows it to Mina, the flesh color is a bit paler than normal red meat. “I didn’t use real meat. It’s canned mackerel.”

“Eh? You’re lying!”

“You can’t taste the mackerel and the fishy smell, right?” Mina nods, “I even added the mackerel juice in the sauce.” Momo grinned, satisfied with her effort to prepare the new recipe. Mina takes another bite, this time trying to carefully make out the distinct briny taste, but there was only a subtle one, which amounts to nothing as compared to the first bite. There’s not even an indication that canned mackerel was used even after her third bite.

“Pretty neat, huh?”

“But why mackerel? I mean, it’s not hamburger if it’s not meat.”

“I made this with Tzuyu in mind. That girl doesn’t eat meat, but she does consume seafood. I want people with similar food preferences like her to know the joy of eating hamburger at least once in their life.”

Mina is stunned with the explanation, even more with the solemn smile on Momo’s face. She can feel her sincerity to make everyone enjoys food like how eating should, without having restrictions and just have fun because it’s eating we’re talking about. Everyone’s happy with food, even Mina too, especially when she eats Momo’s cooking.

Wait, that doesn’t sound right… does it?

“Well, I have to go first. Got a shift in 30.” Momo states, receiving an understanding nod from the penguin as she stands up and put away the used utensils before closing the lid. But the dancer was quick to stop her, a hand holding the latter’s wrist.

“What are you doing?” Momo pushes the startled girl to return to her seat, “You don’t have to, I made this for you.”

“Oh.” Mina bit her lip, still unconvinced. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s not much and also a result of my trial and error.” She notices the frown, “But, hey! It tasted good, right?”

“You’re lucky this time, Hirai.” Mina deadpanned.

“You know I wouldn’t serve a failed recipe to you.” Momo pouts her lips to gain her pity, the latter rolling her eyes followed by a defeated sigh. “This can also act as your dinner! Just like those other nights. Neat, huh?” Momo said warily with an awkward grin, afraid if she might upset the vice president at the mention of her secret deliveries. She just hopes Mina wouldn’t dig deeper into the reason why she did it in the first place.

“So I’m the scapegoat of your experimental new recipe now, huh?”

Momo rubs her nape anxiously, “Well- I’m… It’s not- Uhh, I don’t...”

“It’s fine. I mean, no one can refuse free food.” Mina shrugs, a hand supporting her chin with a smile playing on her lips. “I’ll be waiting for more.”

  

*

 

As if there was a silent agreement between them, the food delivery resumes. Be it on college or her dorm room, either a full meal course or just some light but satiating snacks, Momo never fails to send her food every day. Sometimes it would be her newest creation, other days would be the normal menu on the restaurant or just Momo’s personal best recipe she usually cooks at home, only this time she made the portion enough for two. The blonde has earned the title “Mina’s personal delivery girl” by her bestfriend, to the extent that Sana has already memorized the timing for Momo’s delivery. Of course, it’s a plus for the squirrel as she can get a portion of hers too, that is if Momo is up to it because Sana is not her top priority.

“Hey! I’m your bestfriend!”

“Yeah, and I’m your enslaved cook.”

“Mwoh? What about Mina, then? Aren’t you a slave for her too?”

“No.” Momo averts her gaze to the floor, “She’s my personal food tester.”

“What? Yah! How come Mina is the-”

Momo quickly leaves the room, ignoring her friend’s rambunctious ranting from her half-baked answer. It’s true though, they have come to an agreement that day and Momo was more than glad to fulfill Mina’s request. She loves cooking, and to see people enjoying her food is the most heart-warming moment for her. But to see Mina happily eating with her hands flailing on her sides and eyes crinkling in bliss is something indescribable, because she really doesn’t know how to explain her feelings at that particular moment.

Like that one time when she made a visit to the vice president’s lair after finishing her evening shift at the restaurant. The girl is sleeping so peacefully, it feels like she’s watching a live-action Disney princess movie. Thank god the room was empty, or she would have been caught gawking at Mina snooping the room. She was always curious why the supposedly student council room is always vacant, but she stopped caring so much now because it gives her some alone time with the penguin and learned a thing or two about her.

For example, Mina is known as the badass chic vice president by the whole campus. But what they didn’t know was that behind her cold exterior is a soft, adorable and timid penguin who walks like one if people do pay enough attention to her gait.

Everyone is afraid of Mina and her strict leadership method, which Momo finds hot and kind of endearing if you look at it from a different angle. What they didn’t know is that this commando-like penguin has a profound kindness to every living thing in this world, no matter human, animal, or inanimate object. Yes, Momo once saw her talking to an eraser that had accidentally fell down from the table, only to receive a comforting pat from Mina who’s giving consoling words to it. Weird, but a cute kind of weird.

But the one thing Momo loves the most is when her blank expression turned into a whole new world filled with warmth, sunshine and all in between. Did she mention before that she’s bad with words? Yeah, Momo is currently at a loss of word from seeing the expecting but playful glint twinkling in the penguin’s eyes when she opens the door of the student council room.

“Just right on time.” Mina steps aside to give way for the blonde to enter. “I hate to admit it, but I think my stomach is already used to your arrival.”

“Oh really?  So you’re getting soft because of my cooking, now?”

Mina pulls a face, “You wish.”

Despite their scornful squabbles, Mina never forgets to invite the annoying blonde to eat the food she brought together, in which the latter never refused despite already having her portion beforehand. She’s used to being alone and being in a noisy place with loud people just doesn’t sit well with Mina. But Momo’s presence is nothing insinuating; her company is borderline calming and compelling. There’s something special about the blonde that attracts Mina which she couldn’t put her mind to it. It’s mysterious and thrilling, and Mina is a er for these things.

“You’re eating that?”

Momo asked, her fork already reaching out to the last piece of tofu on Mina’s plate. With quick reflex, Mina stops the advancing fork with her chopstick, holding the utensil in between the sticks. The blonde looks up with a glint of determination, having no intention of backing down. The penguin smirks back, tightening her hold on the chopstick. Then, begins the battle of strength between the adamant vice president and the competent dancer.

“It’s mine.”

“You’re late, I got it first.”

“You brought the food for me.”

“You shared the food with me.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It means I have ownership of your things.” Momo got closer, a smirk plastered on her face “Including this tofu.”

Mina blinks a few times, before releasing the square piece to her competitor. “You’re lucky you’re such a smart .” She pouts while eyeing the tofu being poked by Momo’s fork.

“And you’re lucky you’re such a cute penguin.” The blonde grins at the deep frown apparent on Mina’s face along with red hues on her puffy cheeks. Without warning, she shoves the last piece into the latter’s mouth, startling her in the process.

She giggled from Mina’s shocked expression, the latter ducking her gaze on the floor to hide her burning face. Momo keeps her stare on her, earning a pout from the latter still chewing on her food.

“What?”

“You,” She points with her chopsticks, an annoying smirk etched on her face. “Eat like a penguin.”

She received a glare, the said penguin huffing out air from her flaring nostrils. “Have you seen a penguin eat?”

“Yeah, I have.” Momo grins, her chin landing on her left palm. “You.”

Mina groans her dissatisfaction loudly, “Why do you always say I look like a penguin?”

“Why not?” She shrugs. “They’re really cute in my opinion.” Her grin widening at the flushed state of the vice president, “Just so you know, it’s my favourite animal.”

Mina covers her heated face with a cough, taking a few swigs of water while fanning her face. “It’s really hot in here.”

Momo merely laughs at the flustered penguin, deciding to stop her endless teasing and give Mina time to calm herself down. They continue eating in comfortable silence, once in a while sharing glances only to erupt into silent giggles. Suddenly, the door of the room opened. They both whip their heads on the newcomer, a frowning Johnny looking back and forth between the girls.

“Am I disturbing something?”

“No, we’ve just finished eating.”

“Oh. Well, don’t mind me. I’m just taking a form for my friend.”

Johnny goes to the adjacent cupboard for the papers while watching the girls packing up the food container from the corner of his eyes. He had stumbled upon them a few times before, that ace of the dance club always delivering food to Mina from the restaurant she works at. He never cared at first, thinking she was just doing her job. They were silent, but from the reflection of the glass on the cupboard, he can see the smiles playing on their lips while stealing glances on one another. An unpleasant sensation begins gnawing up in his chest.

Momo turns to the tall guy with slick gelled hair after sensing his eyes on her. Her eyebrows lift up from his hard gaze.

“An acquaintance?” He asked Mina with his finger rudely pointing at the dumbfounded blonde. Mina shakes her head no. “She’s my friend.”

“I see.” He glowers back at Momo, “But she’s not a committee, isn’t she?”

“No.” Mina scrunches her forehead, “Is there a problem?”

She received a sigh with a shake of his head, “No, there’s none. But this place is named the Student Council Room for a reason.”

“And that is?” Mina quirks a brow with her arms crossed.

“Being a room for committee members only.” He tilts his head towards Momo’s direction, “Not an outsider.”

That’s when Momo understands he’s dissing her for having the privilege to linger in the room as a nobody. Realizing it’s her cue to leave, Momo quickly packs her thing and grab the hand of the girl currently seething in anger from the president’s implication of the blonde.

“Hey, it’s not worth it.” She whispered while rubbing the girl’s arm to calm her down. It seems to work from the way her eyes soften as she turns to Momo. “I have to leave anyway, got class in a few minutes.”

Mina nods with a smile. It doesn’t reach her eyes, and Momo feels like it’s her to be blame.

“I’ll see you later? With Tzuyu?”

Momo reminded her of the promise she made with the younger girl she had grown fond of, to have a late dinner together at the restaurant after her shift ends tonight. The twinkle in her eyes returned, and Momo is glad to see the typical penguin smile adorning her face.

She gives Mina a pat on her shoulder before turning around to leave. She holds her chin high as she walks out of the door, ignoring the presence of Johnny sneering by the door at her departure. She had heard Mina badmouthing him a few times before, but Momo regards the innocent jibes as nothing more than the vice president overcoming her stress for her overwhelming workload.  Now that she had experienced it first hand, Momo can agree that his attitude really .

 

*

 

Mina stretches her arms outwards, a yawn escaping as she turns to the window. The sun hasn’t set yet, a perfect time for a walk back to her dorm. Just as she she’s tidying up the table, a knocking sound came from the door.

“Come in.”

The corner of her lips turned upwards at the thought of a certain blonde appearing behind the door, grinning widely with a plastic bag filled with food on her hand. However, her balloon of thoughts was popped up unceremoniously when the face of a young female yoda peeks inside.

“Mina-unnie? Can I come in?”

“Of course.” She mustered a smile, trying to hide her disappointment. “What are you doing here? I thought you don’t have class today.”

“Eh? How did you know?”

“Your Sana-unnie started whining the second she wakes up about the unfairness of your empty timetable for today.”

Tzuyu laughs sheepishly at the mention of the sunbae who is still persistently trying to court her. “It’s fine. She’s with Dahyun-unnie right now to keep her company.” She shrugs nonchalantly, before dropping a paper bag on the chair in front of her.

“What’s that?”

“Your dinner.” Tzuyu grins knowingly, “I just ended my shift. Momo-unnie asked me to give this to you since the place is kinda packed right now.”

“Oh.” Tzuyu didn’t miss the disappointment in Mina’s voice, a smirk ghosting her lips. “You’re frowning, unnie.”

Mina noticed the teasing tone, quickly raking her brain for a change of topic. “Of course I am. She just asked you to run an errand in her place when it’s obvious you’re tired from work.”

Tzuyu quickly shakes her head to deny, “No, no! It’s fine, unnie. In fact, it’s Momo-unnie who’s more tired than me so don’t blame her, please.”

Mina almost chortle at her innocent plea, “I was just kidding, Tzuyu.”

“But I’m not, though.” The tall girl loudly sighed, “I’m really worried about Momo-unnie. I don’t know how she does it, but her schedule is really packed that she’s always on the run here and there.”

The vice president listens attentively, not taking her eyes off the younger at the mention of her favourite unnie.

“One time, I saw her dozing off while walking back to the dorm in the middle of the night. It was fortunate that my shift ended late that day and came across Momo-unnie. Who knows what will happen if she fell asleep in the middle of the road.”

“Don’t you have a fixed shift at the restaurant?”

“We do, but Momo-unnie is a special case. She can freely come whenever she wants to.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Shindong-oppa owed her a lot. If it wasn’t because of Momo-unnie, he would have probably lost the restaurant by now.” Mina’s eyes widen from the information. Never had she expected Momo to do such feat as saving someone’s business to the extent of earning the IOU card. Guess the blonde is more than just meets the eye.

“Sorry unnie for ranting out to you about these things.”

Mina smiled at the frowning girl, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Momo later and ask her about it, okay?” Tzuyu nods, her eyes inspecting the unusually clear table. “You’re going home, unnie?”

“Yeah, I’ve just finished my work. Thank you for the food, by the way.”

“My pleasure.” The girl grins happily, before helping Mina to carry some of her things. “Can I accompany you?”

“Of course! But make sure we won’t run into Sana on the way back. It’s hard to deal with her jealous .”

Tzuyu lets out a strained laugh, “I guess so. But she’s not that bad.”

“Only with you, Tzuyu.” Mina smirks teasingly, nudging the girl on her waist. “She only behaves when you’re around. Sometimes, I wonder who’s the older one between you two.”

“Stop it, unnie.” The girl whines, avoiding to meet Mina’s eyes who seems to notice her red cheeks. Mina giggles softly, slipping her hand in the crevice of Tzuyu’s arm while walking back to their dorm.

“I still don’t get you, Tzuyu.” She tilts her head to the older girl, an eyebrow raised in question. “Why are you still pushing Sana away? Weren’t you the one who confessed to her first?”

The tall girl keeps her gaze forward, slowly exhaling through her nose. It’s a hard question to answer, even to herself.

“I’m afraid, I guess.” She shrugs, “I’m just a foreign girl living fully on a scholarship fee and part time payment which doesn’t even amount to half of the college fee. I can barely feed myself here, let alone to take care of someone like Sana-unnie.”

“Yeah, that girl is high maintenance.” They shared a laugh, before the atmosphere becomes heavy again from their deep conversation. The younger sighs deeply, “I don’t deserve her, unnie. She’s better off with someone else… Someone that is not me.”

“You’re selfish, do you know that?” Mina slaps the girl’s arm lightly, earning a groan from the latter. “Can’t you see what she’s doing?”

“Uh, what?”

“She’s still courting you even after knowing your background, Tzuyu. She doesn’t care about status or wealth, or whatever you’re worried about. No, she cares about you and only you. That’s the only thing that really matters to her.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Mina shakes her head in defeat, “Gosh, you’re both an airhead. No wonder you suit each other so much.”

“We do?” Tzuyu asked with a hint of smile. Mina put a hand on her waist before flicking her fingers on Tzuyu’s forehead, a yelp coming from the latter. “Just confess already.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yah, stop asking and just do it!” Tzuyu let out a loud giggle from Mina’s exasperated expression. “Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”

 

*

 

It is one of those normal days where Mina has a free time to herself because the lecturer cancelled his class due to an emergency, and lucky for Mina it is the only class she has that day. So here she is lazing around in her bed despite the sun already reaching the top of her head. She peeks from the comfort of her blanket covering her whole body, the opposite bed unoccupied. Then she remembered how noisy Sana was that morning, whining about her early class and presentation while Mina is dozing off on her bed not caring about her misfortune.

Yeah, she really doesn’t care because she has it worse.

Just as her eyes begin to shut for another snooze, her phone buzzes under the pillow. She slides a hand lazily for the gadget, her left eye squinting to adjust to the glaring screen. She struggles to see the name of the sender of that message, only for her eyes to snap open.

 

Chef Hirai

Where are you?

 

Mina quickly types a reply, her fingers gliding smoothly over the small screen keyboard.

 

Miss Penguin

My dorm

 

Chef Hirai

Oh, no class today?

 

Miss Penguin

Nope, cancelled so I’m sleeping the day off.

 

Chef Hirai

The overachiever is being a lazybum? That’s a first kkk

 

Miss Penguin

Cut the crap, Hirai. I’m a human, after all.

 

Chef Hirai

A human penguin, at most

Btw, lunch together? Usual place

 

Miss Penguin

Give me an hour

 

Chef Hirai

Make it an hour and half

You need a full-body scrub to wash away that laziness kkk

 

 

Exactly an hour and half later, Mina arrives at the VIP table of the restaurant where they had promised to meet. She takes a seat comfortably despite receiving eyes from other workers taking a break. She’s already used to it, earning a tilt of head as a greeting from one of them who she recognizes as the superior and oldest worker that Momo introduced her to. He mouthed the younger girl’s name with a questioning gaze, Mina shaking her head politely as to not disturb the Yoda at work. He snorts before motioning one of the younger boys to call for Tzuyu despite Mina’s protest.

Tzuyu appeared not even a minute later, jogging her way to the table before plopping down on the opposite bench. She takes long gulps of the water she brought, followed by a loud sigh as she finishes the whole bottle.

“Ah, that’s refreshing!” She grins in relief before directing her gaze on her smiling unnie. “What are you doing here, Mina-unnie? It’s nice to see you, by the way.”

“Momo invites me for a lunch together.”

“Oh, she did?” Mina doesn’t miss the frown appearing on Tzuyu’s face, “What’s wrong?”

Tzuyu is about to answer when a loud cheery voice greets them from afar. Tzuyu twists her upper body around with a hand waving to the blonde while Mina only grins, a hand supporting her chin.

“Did you wait long? Sorry, got caught up with one of the juniors.”

“No, I just got here.” Mina answered while staring at the blonde taking a seat on her side. She can see dark circles forming under her eyes, the blonde probably working hard juggling her part time jobs and classes. “Just finished your class?”

“No, I didn’t go to class. I got dance practice since morning.”

Mina’s forehead scrunched, “So you ditched class for… dance?” Momo nods nonchalantly while taking out a box of pocky from her bag. “Yeah, is there a problem?”

“Of course it’s a problem. You’re putting your priority at a wrong place.” Mina reprimands, earning a raised eyebrows from the blonde.

“Tzuyu, I’m hungry. Can you bring some food for us?”

She notices the deeper frown forming on the younger’s face but said nothing about it. Momo nudges the younger who won’t budge from her seat, in which the latter responded with a pout but followed nonetheless as she trudges back to the back door.

“If only Sana sees her like this, she would have cooed and babies Tzuyu for the whole day.” Momo comments with an amused shake of her head, but stops when she feels lasers shooting out from Mina’s glare.

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“Oh, did you ask something?”

Mina scoffs, “What’s so important about this dance practice?”

“You’re my mom now? Even she doesn’t care about my well-being here.”

“Don’t change the topic, Hirai Momo.”

Momo sighs deeply, knowing well that when Mina uses her full name, it means she’s dead serious. “I’m helping the cheerleader team for a favor. They’re having an interstate competition in two weeks time so I have to choreograph a new routine for the team.”

Mina processed everything in her head, remembering the president of the cheerleader sending an application form for the competition a month ago. It wasn’t a short notice and they have plenty of time to practice the routine so it bothers Mina that they are asking Momo for help right about this time.

“You do know midterm exam will start next week, right?”

“I do and as you see, I’m doing my best to fill up all my free time for something good.” Mina raised her eyebrow in question, “You know the reputation our cheerleader team holds for the college. It will mean a lot if they do win the competition.”

“That doesn’t mean you can skip class.”

“And skip sleep, too.” Tzuyu intervenes with her hands full of two trays of food and drinks. “I know you’ve been camping in the dance room these past few days, unnie.”

Momo is about to whine for the glaring Yoda to stop, but Mina had already beaten her to it. “Wait, you skip sleep, too?!”

From the penguin’s outburst, Momo keeps mum and shrinks into her seat like a child at fault. She side glares at the tall girl who shrugs innocently while sitting on her side. Mina heaves a loud sigh, her arms crossing together in disappointment.

“I did sleep last night.” Momo defended herself.

“How many hours?”

Momo counts silently with , her eyes straying to the sky. “About 2 hours?” She mumbles, earning a gasp and a loud what from the other two.

“Momo-unnie! That’s not good for your health!”

“Tzuyu is right. You should take proper care of yourself, Momo.”

A disappointed frown appears on the blonde’s face, “Can we eat first and have this conversation later? I’m really hungry and I have to rush back to college immediately after this since the coach wants to see what I choreograph for her team and I’m already dead tired as you can see, so please?”

“Can you stop being selfish and listen to us, Momo?”

“No! I’m not being selfish, you are!” Momo snaps, the chopsticks she’s holding thrown on the table and broke into two, startling both Tzuyu and Mina who had never seen this side of her. “Have you ever thought why I’ve been troubling myself to cook and send those food for you? Because you’ve never taken care of yourself! It’s frustrating to see you all busy and preoccupied doing things that was supposed to be someone else’s job, only to skip your meal just because you’re trying to look good in other’s eyes.”

She huffs loudly, “Don’t make me start about the reason why you’re the vice president in the first place. It’s irritating to see you being a slave for other’s benefits.”

“No, you’re wrong.” Mina shakes her head, her fists clamp together to keep her anger at bay. “You’re wrong, Hirai. I did all of that on my own volition and you have no right to question my intention.”

“Oh, yeah? Then you have no right to get mad at what I do, too.” Momo scoffs, “Because you’re nothing better than me.”

Tzuyu watches the two in panic, not knowing what to do to stop them from spouting their unresolved vexations on one another. Just as she tries to pacify the blonde to calm down, Mina abruptly stands from the bench. She glares deeply at the surprised Momo, before leaving them without a word.

She feels deep anger resonating from inside her chest, but it isn’t directed to the blonde. It is mostly towards herself, because she knows what Momo said was true all along. She wants to blame the blonde for not understanding her despite the time they spent together and the opening up she struggled to do, but she was wrong. Momo understands her alright, inside and out, and that infuriates her more.

How easy it is for Momo to peel off one by one the protective layers she built over the years, how easy it is for Momo to slip herself into her life and make her long for the blonde’s presence even for a day, how easy it is for Momo to annoy her with those playful insults and make her show the gummy laughter she always conceal, how easy it is for Momo to gain a spot in her heart just by her delicious cooking… she hates them all.

Mina opens the door of her room in a rush, wanting nothing more than to bury her face into the fluffy pillow and sleep the night away. However, she was met with a worried Sana already waiting for her arrival. Tzuyu must have told her what happened, Mina thought.

“Mitang.” She stands from her bed, taking a step forward. “Are you okay?” She asked in their native tongue, hoping it provides at least a little comfort to her dejected roommate.

To her dismay, Mina responds with a shake of her head before making a beeline to their joined bathroom and locks herself inside. Sana lets out a sigh while rubbing the bridge of her nose, sending a message to the younger girl about Mina’s current state.

That night, no word was spoken between the two. Mina appreciates Sana’s considerate thought of giving her the space she needed to clear her head. It’s not that they don’t care about each other, but they cared enough to appreciate the line between deeply affectionate or bordering intrusive.

Her ears are plugged in with earphones blasting soft music, her eyes are shut close trying to get herself lull to sleep. But to no avail, her brain is still wide awake. Maybe her choice of music is wrong. Just as she’s about to change the playlist, a sound of an incoming message chimes in.

 

Chef Hirai

Are you asleep yet?

 

Her thumb hovers over the notification, before she slides the message aside. She turns off the screen and pulls out her earphone, her phone buried under the pillow. A few minutes later, she feels the vibration shaking her pillow. Mina closes her eyes to ignore it, but a nagging feeling at the back of her head told her to grab it.

Biting her lip, Mina retrieves her phone.

 

Chef Hirai

I know an apology wouldn’t suffice

But I’m truly sorry I made you upset

I can’t promise to not hurt you again

But I can promise that I only want the best for you

 

 

Mina managed to go to sleep that night, with trail of dried tears on her cheeks.

 

*

 

“Hey, Johnny! Don’t you dare run away! You promised to buy us dinner tonight!”

Mina ignores the commotion, the only thing in her mind are her fluffy pillow and comfy bed. It’s a Monday night and all she wanted was nothing more than a well-deserved rest. As soon as their meeting ends, the president was bombarded by the committees demanding for their supposedly dinner treat. As she occupies herself with shoving everything into her bag, a junior approaches her.

“Sunbae, you’re coming with us too, right?”

“I don’t think so. I’m really tired, sorry.”

The junior pouts, “But I’m the only girl in the group if you’re not joining us. They’re going to bully me.”

The others begin persuading the reluctant vice president, before she agreed with a sigh, making a condition that she will stay only for an hour then she’s off to the dorm. Everyone was noisy, but it’s bearable enough that Mina is not annoyed with their loud mouth.

“You still haven’t told us where we’re eating.”

“What? Afraid we’ll drain your wallet with our choice of place, Johnny?”

The mentioned guy rolled his eyes, “No, I’m worried you’re gonna bring us to a rundown restaurant. You know how my taste is.”

Mina gives her best to stop every strand of muscle on her face from wincing into a grimace, only to remember that she’s walking behind him.

“Relax, I can assure you that the place serves the best food I’ve ever tasted for my whole college life.”

“You’ve been here not more than a year, though.” The president gives him a suspicious look.

As they neared the place, Mina’s eyes widen. It’s the place she always frequent, but instead of eating under the moonlight with stars decorating the dark sky in the VIP section, she’s sitting on a round table under the artificial light of fluorescent bulbs and wall fans. It’s already packed with people and they are fortunate enough to get a table for eight. Mina looks around the place for a familiar face, not that she expects anyone.

Okay who is she kidding, right?”

She has never been inside for the times she visited the restaurant. Momo would insist for the VIP seat at the back door while dragging along the eager Tzuyu for a late dinner or just a light snack while enjoying small talks or daily rants. It’s just a simple thing, but it’s the thing that Mina looks forward to whenever they made the impromptu arrangement. She doesn’t know when it started, or how, but Mina can feel an attraction to the raccoon-like blonde. Well, except when the latter is in the mood to annoy her, Mina finds that Momo is not so bad after all.

A good kind of bad that piqued Mina’s interest.

If only things didn’t happen on that unfortunate day. It has been three days since, and it is also the duration that voids her of any contact with the dancer. Mina admits she is to be blamed for letting her emotion took over her rationale. She has been thinking a lot, and by a lot, means she’s been thinking of the blonde whenever her brain decides to space out from overwork. Momo wasn’t even doing anything wrong; she’s just being her. The selfless, kind, considerate, understanding and pig-headed girl she is. Yes, Mina didn’t freaking stutter on the last one because Momo is definitely stubborn that it irks the penguin that she can’t do anything to change it.

Exactly similar to a particular penguin, Mina concedes with a frown.

“May I have your order, please?”

Her head shots up from the voice, the owner still hasn’t realize her presence as she takes their orders, pen scribbling along the notepad  hastily. The waiter who feels eyes on her made a small glance, only to do a double take at the expecting face. She beams back at her smiling unnie before tending back to the demanding requests and questions of others on Mina’s table. 

She buries her intention to ask of a certain blonde’s whereabouts at the sight of Tzuyu disappearing into the kitchen’s door, not sparing her another glance. Her surroundings are quite hectic anyway so it’s understandable. Her table is filled with all kinds of conversation, but Mina’s brain is not tuning in with their exciting talk of rumors and tittle-tattle, opting to nod along with a strained smile when heads turn to her. After waiting for almost half an hour, the food came. That’s when a thought flies through her head, the corner of her lips raised instantly. 

She reaches for a piece of kimbap, expecting the food to arouse the familiar sensation on her taste bud that has a memory of its own of a certain someone’s cooking she’s been missing. Putting the whole piece in , she gladly chews with full, only to frown at the taste. She slowly munches the remains in , her appetite dissipating along with the swallowed piece.

“Sunbae, you’re not eating? Try this, it’s really good!”

Her junior sets a few pieces of rice cakes on her plate, Mina whispering a thank you with a polite smile. She nibbles one, the taste doesn’t seem to satisfy her palate. It’s ironic that she almost grimaced at Johnny’s fussiness, when she’s the one having a finicky tongue.

Tzuyu arrives with another set of food and drinks, only to see Mina’s plate untouched and a slight frown apparent on her face. She neared Mina’s chair lastly and put the latter’s lemonade gently on the table.

“Not hungry?” She whispered, earning the senior’s attention who quickly jerks her head in denial. “No, just tired I guess.”

Tzuyu nods along, but she knows something’s up with her unnie. She motions with a tilt of her head, asking Mina to follow her. Confused but pleased for the interruption, she excused herself from the table. She trails along the taller girl towards a secluded and dim corner of the restaurant.

“You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself, unnie.”

Mina let out a small giggle from Tzuyu’s blunt but accurate statement. She sighs when she’s met with the concerned pair of the younger girl, contemplating to ask the question that’s been bugging her once she saw the restaurant.

“Momo-unnie isn’t here?” She timidly asked, only to earn a smirk from Tzuyu. “Ah, no wonder.”

“W-What?”

“The food is not to your taste because it’s not Momo-unnie who made it.” She smugly answered, “Am I right?”

“T-That’s absurd! Why would that be the reason?” Tzuyu knows the answer to it, but decided to keep it to herself and enjoy teasing both of her unnies with her super-ultra keen observation of the hopeless pair.

“She has dance practice tonight.” She nods slowly, the word ‘dance practice’ left an odd feeling in her chest. “If it makes you feel better, I haven’t seen her since that day, too. She’s probably engrossed with catching up and preparing for exams. So don’t push yourself too hard, okay unnie?”

She gives a small smile and a bop of her head, not wanting to think too much about it. When she excused herself to go back to the table, Tzuyu told her to wait before disappearing into the kitchen. She glances towards her table, all of them animatedly talking with laughter and smiles on their faces that her addition would have make the table an awkward sight to see. Maybe she should leave anyway. This place doesn’t have the amiability it once emits the few times she visited.

“Here, unnie.”

Mina was startled by the appearance of a paper bag right in front of her eyes. She takes it, examining the content of a container and a small water bottle.

“Have a good dinner, Mina-unnie.” Tzuyu bids her with a pat on her shoulder as she backs away from the still girl.

The place is dim, but Tzuyu doesn’t failed to notice the red hues appearing on her unnie’s face, along with the smile widening as she reads the small note attached on the container. She shakes her head with a small chuckle at the obliviousness of her two unnies who are still unaware of how attached they are to each other by now. At the sight of Mina leaving her friends in a rush, it seems she has done her part well.

Her mission is accomplished.

 

*

 

In a few days, the midterm examination will start. It doesn’t help that the college had been invited to a charity event in the neighboring community centre in relation to youths and awareness for the future leadership. Such a vague title because Mina is definitely not one with this kind of awareness. So for her to suddenly being picked by the advisor of the student council to attend the event on behalf of the college was not what she had in mind.

 

“But, sir!” Mina raised her hand in objection, “I think Johnny should be the one to attend it rather than me. Isn’t it more appropriate?”

“Because it’s inappropriate for him, that’s why I choose you, Mina.” The advisor reasoned, “You know how Johnny is. He doesn’t even know his class schedule for this semester.”

“Wait, he doesn’t?”

The advisor scratched his head, “That’s a story for another time.” Mina frowns, “The point is, you’re the only one suitable as our representative. Please, Mina? I’m begging you, just for this one.”

The vice president closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, her head nods in defeat. “Fine, but this is the first and last. You should utilize Johnny as the president no matter how…” Mina tries to think of a polite word to describe the useless guy. “Ignorant he is.”

“Great! You’re a lifesaver, Mina.” He beams with a clap of his hands. “The event is this Saturday-“

“Saturday? Exam starts on Monday, sir!”

“Yeah, I know. But you can manage fine, right? You’re one of our top students. There’s nothing to fret about.”

Damn right, I’m on a tight schedule here, Mina thought to herself.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a half day event. You’ll have plenty of time for revision.”

Mina bobs her head without any word, too tired to argue because nothing can amend his decision once the advisor put his head on it. Just as she was about to leave the room, he calls her.

“Before I forget, you have to give a short talk too.”

Her eyes widen, “What?”

 

Here she is in the library since her last class ended in the morning, working her off revising for a short quiz, finishing her part for a group presentation, making after-class notes and writing a script for her speech. There are so many things to do this week, she can feel bouts of incoming headache pulsating in her skull. It doesn’t help that some students are making their group study louder than necessary. Packing up her notes, Mina stomps off towards the student council room in hope she can have a peace of mind and some silence to herself.

Scatters of papers fill the long table as Mina continues to finish her work, not realizing the sun had already set, replaced by the dark sky and a crescent moon shining through the window. Mina ignores the growling of her stomach for the past hours, not in the mood to satiate its needs because for her, time is precious right now.

If only she understands her health is more precious than time.

Mina starts feeling a stinging pain on her left side, along with the throbbing in her head. The pain intensified by the minute, causing her to hunch over the table with a hand holding her left waist. A loud hiss escaped her lips from the excruciating sensation, her knuckles turning white as she grips the pen in a tight fist.

Suddenly the door flings open.

“Special delivery for Miss Pengu– Eh? Mina!” Momo rushes to Mina’s side from seeing the state of the girl, the food on her hand left abandoned on a sofa by the door. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Mina shakes her head, “I don’t know. My stomach… it’s really painful.”

The blonde raises Mina’s head, noticing the paleness of her skin and droplets of cold sweat on her forehead. Even her skin is cold to touch.

“Did you eat anything bad?”

Mina squeezes her eyes shut to think back of the food she has eaten, before shaking her head. “I just had an apple for breakfast.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah, why?” Mina asked, only to receive a disappointed sigh and a deep frown from the dancer. “You skipped meals, didn’t you?”

She doesn’t respond to the spot on allegation, but a twist in her stomach made her wince. Momo gently pulls the hurting girl to her feet before leading her to the door.

“W-Where are we going?” Mina asked in a quiet voice, her strength slowly diminishing with every step they take.

“To the hospital.”

Momo doesn’t turn her head, but Mina notices the hard stare and clenched jaw of the blonde as she keeps her gaze forward while helping her to walk down the hallway. As they step outside, a pink-colored scooter greets them. Momo grabs her helmet and put it gently on the penguin’s head, leaving her own head exposed before mounting and igniting the engine. Mina hesitates at the thought of riding the motorbike for the first time, but the pain is becoming unbearable by the minute, she quickly hops on the back seat.

“Hold on tight.” Momo instructs, feeling a hand wraps tightly around her waist.

The ride is a bit scary, with Momo trying to slither through the heavy traffic and running red lights on every intersection. Fortunately, they reach the hospital with all limbs still attached. Momo drags the sick girl to the emergency entrance and leave her to the care of the nurses and doctors in charge before making her way to the registration counter to fill in about the patient’s details.

“It’s an acute gastritis.” Momo lets out a relieved sigh from the familiar illness. “It’s nothing serious, probably because she’s been skipping meals for the past few days, added with stress. It’s a normal thing for students nowadays.” The doctor shakes his head disapprovingly. “Just make sure to give her some bland food first until she feels better. I’ll prescribe some medicine for the pain.”

“As for you,” He turns to Mina with a reprimand look, “Please, eat. Three times a day is sufficient enough, but make sure to fill your stomach with something filling. Okay? No matter how busy you are, you must remember to eat. You’re still too young to be falling sick.”

She nods in defeat, knowing well she’s at fault for ignoring the pleas of her body. They wait outside for the medicine, both sitting in silent. Mina steals a glance to the blonde beside her, her face tense with eyebrows knitting together. She has lost count of the days they were avoiding each other, despite the still on-going food delivery by the young tall girl on Momo’s stead, and now all she wants is to stare at the face she longs to see. But knowing it’s inappropriate and not the right time, she buries her desire and leans back on the chair.

“Sorry.”

Mina was startled by the abrupt apology, “Hm?”

Momo turns to the pale girl, guilt obvious on her face. “I got so distracted with dance training and my shifts at the restaurant were all over the place since we lost a few part timers due to exam week, I can’t send you food like always. That’s why you don’t eat, right?”

Mina snorts, “Now where did that last one come from?”

“Tzuyu told me.” Momo stated matter-of-factly, causing Mina to clamp shut in embarrassment.

“It’s not your fault. I should be the one taking care of myself properly. Don’t beat yourself too much about it.” Mina tried to appease the guilt-stricken girl, noticing the pout getting deeper by the second. “But I do feel like something’s missing…”

“What?”

“I miss your cooking.” Mina keeps her gaze forward to avoid the blonde’s eyes, “I miss you.” She whispered.

If only Mina can see the blush covering Momo’s cheeks from her subtle confession. Momo bit her lower lip, trying to stop the squeal from escaping . She slowly grabs Mina’s hand, gently her thumb over the smooth skin despite the erratic thumping on her chest.

“I miss you too.”

She feels Mina’s head landing on her shoulder, their fingers steadily tangling together before ending up in a tight squeeze, just like how their hearts are right now. Momo closed her eyes, resting her head atop Mina’s who scoots closer to her side before nestling her face comfortably on the nook of Momo’s neck, the space between them became non-existant.

“Thank you for today.”

“Mhmm.”