As she walks down the hall towards the student council room, she can’t help but to give apologetic smile on the many pairs of eyes giving her weird looks. No, it’s not the kind of judging, absurd look of someone’s at fault. Rather, it’s the type of wary and really careful of not meeting eyes with the wide-eyed girl walking on her side. Mina glances to her right, she herself is worried at the sight of Jihyo’s harden gaze and clenching fists. As soon as they entered the room, Mina quickly slams the door shut before turning around to interrogate her friend for the gloomy mood.

Only to jump out of surprise from a loud pop sound, confetti falling down on her face with a grinning Jihyo happily clapping her hands.

“Jihyo, what–”

“CON-GRA-TU-LAAA-TIONS!”

Jihyo starts singing while circling the startled penguin, throwing the streamers over Mina’s head and slapping her on the shoulder.

Mina blinked twice. “What was that for?”

The girl only grins, both eyes and lips widening before she raises her hands in the air. “MIMO FTW!”

The timid girl could only watch with mouth agape, her face heating up as she received another set of laugh and a loud whoop.

“H-How did you...?”

Jihyo merely raises her eyebrows with a teasing smirk. Mina can already guess the culprit, the one and only giggling machine who shares the same favorite past time of rumor-exchange with this loud microphone.

“It’s got to be Sana.” Mina mumbles under her breath.

“Ha! As expected, but nope.” Jihyo pops her lips, earning a confused look from the vice president. The latter is about to guess again but her friend quickly intervenes. “Seriously, it doesn’t matter who told me about it. What’s important is my MiMo is finally together!”

Mina could only hide her face in her palms, softly groaning with Jihyo’s sudden creativity streak of putting their names together. It happened before they even start dating, the sharp-eyed girl already spying on their supposedly “friendly rendezvous” despite Mina insisting they are really just friends having lunch together.

Well, that was what her intention was in the first place. In fact, it hasn’t even occurred in her mind that she will befriend Momo, let alone getting closer to the point of, well, being together. Everything happened so fast, Mina wonders if this is really the right thing to do. She hasn’t even found the time to consult with her close friends. Sana is immersing herself with her own agenda; bonding (more like clinging) with the Chou Tzuyu. While Jihyo, oh the ever so busy GodJihyo who’s a favorite of every lecturers and juniors alike, is being preoccupied most of the time with her willingness to help every soul in trouble.

Just like how Mina depends on her most of the time, her pillar of support for the three years they spend together in this college. The girl had been so patient and understanding with Mina, prompting the latter to slowly break out of her cocoon of timidity and insecurity. She always asks for her opinion even if the answer is already laid out in front of her, because Jihyo's calm and understanding nature always gives her a sense of assurance of the choices she made.

“So, you’re okay?” Jihyo an eyebrow to her friend’s question. “About us being together?”

She inhales audibly with a smile, eyes staring back softly at the hesitant pair in front of her. “Are you?”

Mina was clearly taken aback, not expecting the question to be bounced back to her. Her head unconsciously tilts to the side, shoulders slightly sagging with uncertainty. She averts her gaze to her tangled fingers, rubbing and picking the skin out of habit.

“I… I don’t know.” She mumbled.

A hand lands on her fidgety pair, softly squeezing them together. “You do. It’s written all over your face, Mina.”

“It is?”

“Yeah.” Jihyo nods, grinning. “You’re a lot happier, and you're smiling a lot more than before.” Her other free hand joins, holding them together in a firm grasp. “There’s nothing more important for me than seeing my bestfriend happy.”

Mina quickly engulfs her friend in a hug, the latter giggling from the random affectionate gesture as she wraps her arm around the frail penguin.

“So, this means you’re okay with it?”

“Yah!” The wide-eyed Thomas pulls away. “It took a lot of self-restraint to not cringe on my sappy, emotional talk just now. Don’t waste my effort, woman!”

The penguin laughs with her gums showing while Jihyo’s pout deepens. Her frown slowly turns to a fond smile, pinching her friend’s cheeks just to mess with her.

“Momo is really whipped for you.”

“You’re just jealous of us.” Mina sticks out her tongue.

“Meh, I’m too busy for that.” She glances to her wristwatch. “In fact, I have a tutoring session in a few minutes.”

“Wow, even Johnny has a lot of time to spare as compared to you. And he’s the president.” Mina rolls her eyes at that, earning a chortle from Jihyo.

“A mere peasant cannot compare with a celestial being like me.” Jihyo flips her hair, making her trademark GodJihyo pose. “My presence brings salvation to the college.”

“More like a scapegoat for failing students, though.”

“Shut it, Myoui.”

Mina shakes her head amusedly at the glare she receives, when a knock interrupts their conversation. Her eyes brighten at the sight of Tzuyu peeking from the door, her stomach automatically rumbles.

“Tzuyu! Here as an errand girl again?”

“Eh?” The tall girl steps inside with a big question mark shown on her face.

“Oh, you’re not here for…”

“No, she’s not.” Jihyo interrupts with a pat on Mina’s shoulder. “The kid’s having a session with me. Right, Tzuyu-ah?”

“Uh, yeah.” She smiles apologetically to her penguin unnie. “I’m sorry, Mina-unnie.”

“No, it’s fine.” Mina responded with a smile of her own, one which didn’t reach her eyes. They notice the down-casted look of the vice president, who is still unaware of another presence lurking by the door with her yellow hair protruding behind Tzuyu’s shoulders. Jihyo bites her lower lip to refrain from bursting out a laugh while Tzuyu silently steps aside, exposing the hiding figure smiling fondly at her sad partner.

“Ehem.”

Jihyo pokes the sullen penguin, motioning her to look at the door. Within seconds, the gloomy eyes glow brightly as a certain blonde waves the paper bags in her hand with a dorky grin.

“Lunch?”

Jihyo quickly leaves the two lovebirds with Tzuyu in tow, not before leaving a comment.

“Mina, I take back what I said.” The girl raised an eyebrow at the smirking Jihyo standing by the door. “You’re both whipped for each other.”

Jihyo lets out a loud cackle as she slams the door close, satisfied to see the blushing mess of the couple inside.

 

*

 

They picked a table quite far from the building, the place being shaded by a huge tree at the back of the cafeteria that no one seems to pay attention to. Momo had reasoned that the tree might be haunted, which the vice president regards it as nothing more than excuses to escape the heat outside as compared to the air-conditioned cafeteria. It’s a really nice spot to relax, a great place to hide from wandering eyes that like to poke their noses into others’ business. Mina had voiced out her concern about their relationship, wanting to lay low for the moment and if possible, keep it a secret for the time being.

She hates attention, even more when it’s related to her privacy.

She had anticipate Momo's dissatisfaction with her decision, already making up a list of reasons to present to the arguing blonde. However, she was surprised that Momo had taken it well, even agreeing with Mina’s suggestion without a hitch.

“You’re… fine with it?”

“Sure.” Momo shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. “I mean, what’s the fuss though? Do we need to declare to everyone that you’re mine?”

Mina was rendered speechless with Momo’s straightforwardness in this matter. No, it’s not about her laidback attitude. But the way she’s so sure that Mina already belongs to her.

A subtle smirk appears, one that never fails to make her heart throbs in delight. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

“W-What?”

“That you’re mine.”

She turns into a tomato mess, trying to hide her red face behind her long bangs. But her attempt seems futile as the blonde scoots closer, gently brushing the stray tendrils behind her ear. She looks up, only to regret it. She feels like drowning in those pair of gentle, dark brown orbs that shows nothing but affection.

“You look funny.”

“Hm?”

“Why are you so red like a tomato?” Momo laughs before feigning a gasp. “Did you eat a whole bottle of ketchup for breakfast?”

“Yah!”

Mina shakes her head as she recalls the day, a smile playing on her lips. She loves how easy it is for the blonde to make her feel all sorts of emotions. A roller coaster of emotions that Mina doesn’t even know exists in her. The girl doesn’t put too much effort to make her fall for her; Momo is just being Momo. They might have started on a bad term; she really hates Momo’s guts the first time they met at the convenience store. But somehow, her annoying and persistent approaches seem to do their job in melting Mina’s tough façade.  It’s kind of endearing for Mina that someone can effortlessly make her feel comfortable in the short span of time they’ve known each other.

She looks up from her box of rice and bulgogi, a fond smile slowly forms as Momo chews her meat with full concentration, already taking another spoonful of rice into her full mouth. She can’t believe how much she loathes the blonde a few months back. Like, how can a person hate this gentle, soft human than doesn’t think about anything other than food. Of course, that damn striking bright blonde hair seems to attract unwanted attention and problems for Momo, but that’s where the main charm is. She suits blonde so much, Mina doesn’t think she can imagine the girl with a different hair color.

“You’re not hungry?”

“Hm?” Mina asked with a tilt of her head, causing the still munching Momo to snicker to herself. “You’re really one amusing girl.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you shaking your head, smiling, sighing, before smiling again for the past 10 minutes.” The blonde smirks as she wiggles an eyebrow. “I know I’m attractive, but you don’t have to stare like that.”

Mina fakes a gag, “As if I’d waste my precious time watching you.”

“Exactly. You have a lifetime to spare, Miss Penguin.” She received an annoying grin and a wink. “So please refrain yourself from gawking so much at me in the future– MPFHH!”

“It’s rude to talk while eating.”

Mina deadpans after shoving a large spoon of rice into the blonde’s mouth, effectively silencing the latter choking on her food. She takes back her words; Momo being annoying is still annoying, period.

There are still remnants of blemish on the penguin’s face when Momo insists to accompany her for the next class. She quickly shoos the blonde away before reaching the door, only for the latter to lean on the wall with her arms crossed and that irritating smile etched on her face. A smile she slowly comes to love and miss on days they are busy with their own schedule.

“Go.”

“You go in first.”

The vice president rolls her eyes. “My foot is already inside.”

“Your other foot is not.”

“You’re annoying.”

The blonde shrugs. “You’re still here.”

A smile grazes Mina’s lips. “Don’t overwork yourself at the restaurant, okay?”

“You too.” The blonde grins, their eyes fixed on each other in a challenging stare, only for the sound of someone clearing throat to startle them from their brief eye contact.

“Miss Hirai.” Momo fully knows that voice, the infamous Mrs Bo aka the Eastern witch from hell feared by all. She had a bad history with her, an innocent prank gone wrong during freshman year that makes her name to be at the top of the witch’s blacklisted students, never to be replaced by even the most notorious prankster for the past three years.

“It’s nice to see you here, since I take you as someone who clearly loathes my class.”

Momo forced a laugh. “I still do, ma’am.”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

Momo slowly backtracks with the most innocent smile she can muster, escaping the deadly glower of the plump woman. She catches Mina stealthily retreating inside, not without flashing an impish smile. The blonde responded with a glare, only to scramble away noisily when the professor made a disapproved noise from her nose.

In the middle of fleeing, she bumps into a squirrel pestering an innocent eagle about a lost nut. No really, it’s just Sana clinging to Dahyun in the hallway, loudly whining to the poor girl who seems bothered by the gesture. She heard something about missing a certain yoda who’s been ignoring her calls.

“Tzuyu’s not picking up again.”

“Maybe she’s still in class.”

“You guys share the same schedule today, Dahyun.” Sana deepens her pout. “She should be free by now.”

“Well, she might have something to do.” The pale girl tries to reason. “Let’s just go first, unnie. We can wait for her at the cafe.”

“I’m not going anywhere until she picks up my call.”

“What’s up?” Somehow, the younger’s eyes brightens as Momo pops out in front of her. “She’s pestering you, Dubu?”

Dahyun gives her a grateful smile followed with a shake of her head. “Sana-unnie can’t get a hold of Tzuyu.”

“Oh, she’s in the library with Jihyo.” Momo said, recalling the two she met before her lunch date with Mina.

“Jihyo?!” The two winced from the screeching voice. “What is she doing with Jihyo?”

“She failed a paper so she asked Jihyo to tutor her.”

“Ehh? Why didn’t she ask me instead? I can tutor her too, I got good grades.”

Momo lifts an eyebrow, “It’s statistics.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, you in that. for you.” Momo snickers, gaining a pout from the squirrel.

“I’m going there.”

“What? Sana-unnie, what about–”

And the squirrel vanishes, leaving Dahyun dumbfounded at the abrupt disappearance. The blonde notices something off with this lovely junior of hers. The girl was one of the dance club members last year, and also a close friend of Sana. They had spent a handful of time together for Momo to understand the underlying emotion hidden under that bright smile she always wears. And by emotions, she means the deep, hidden crush Dahyun has on her childhood friend.

“You okay?”

She can see the immediate switch of the pale girl’s expression, as if she’s tuned to put on a smile wherever and whenever, no matter what she feels inside.

“Yeah... It’s a common thing, anyway.”

Yep, it’s too common, she can’t fool Momo anymore.

“Are you rushing anywhere right now?”

Dahyun lets out a small sigh. “I was supposed to hang out with Sana-unnie at the new café around the block.”

“But she’s too whipped for Tzuyu.” Momo makes a long hum, slowly bobbing her head up and down. “Don’t mind that dumb squirrel. She’s hopeless when it comes to to that alien yoda.”

“Is it the same with you too, unnie?”

“Me? W-What are you talking about?”

The smirk on Dahyun’s face tells her that this girl already knows about her relationship with Mina. Damn, it must be Sana this time. She tries to appear nonchalant, but the apparent blush on her face betrays her.

“It’s okay, unnie. I won’t tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me.” Dahyun made a zipping motion on her lips, before tapping her chest to assure the blonde. “It must be nice to have your feelings reciprocated back.”

She doesn’t like the slight change in Dahyun’s voice, of sadness and longing. No, this doesn’t feel right. She shouldn’t be affected by this poor girl when she fully supports Sana and her newly-found love with Tzuyu. She’s been rooting for them since day one, trusting her instinct that the youngest might be the catalyst to change her childhood friend’s life upside down; to make Sana see her worth, inside out.

No, she shouldn’t be feeling like this. Oh, how she hope things are not as complicated as it is now. She’s not taking sides; she loves all of them dearly. But why is she feeling the guilt instead?

Dahyun looks at her in concern, still with that soft smile on her face. “Are you okay, unnie?”

“Let’s go, Dubu.”

“Huh? W-Where?”

“To that new café.” She pulls Dahyun’s hand, linking their arms together.

“Wait! You’re supposed to be working right now, aren’t you?”

“Nah, I still have some time to spare.” No, she doesn’t but she’s never on time for her shift anyway. Not that Shindong would resort to anything other than giving her an hour lecture about time management. “I’ve been thinking of tasting their new menu and see what the hype is. Maybe try a recipe or two for my assignment.”

“Won’t that be some kind of plagiarism?”

Momo grins with a peace sign. “Not if I can tweak them a bit, hehe.”

The laugh she earns lifts up some of the heaviness in her chest. Sadness doesn’t go well with her, so she’s doing her best to cheer up Dahyun in place of Sana. This is the least she can offer; to be the friend she’s supposed to be to Dahyun. The latter deserves it.

 

*

 

Mina is deep in thought, replaying the days she got food delivered to her, or the surprise visit she got from the blonde to have a meal together. It feels good to be treated like that; having someone caring deeply for you. She wonders if Momo ever feels like that too.

Maybe she should do one; a surprise visit to Momo’s workplace.

Unconsciously, Mina smiled throughout the dull entrepreneurship class as she makes plan to have dinner at the restaurant Momo works in. After her class ends, Mina walks ahead to Momo’s restaurant (it’s Shindong’s but the blonde acts like she owns that place instead), only to have a pair of baggage in the form of humans in tow. She lets them tag along, but regrets her decision immediately.

The short girl with short, shoulder-length hair narrows her big, round eyes at the infamous heartbreaker Minatozaki. “Why are you here?”

“I’m accompanying Mina for dinner since the cafeteria food .” Sana glares back. “Why are you here?”

Jihyo wears a smug smile. “Tzuyu invites me.”

Followed by a loud gasp.

“She. Did. Not.”

Mina huffs before glancing over her shoulder to the troublesome pair. “Tzuyu did. She owes Jihyo free meal for her tutoring lesson.”

“Ha! Take that, loser.”

“Chewy’s my girlfriend though so who’s the loser here?”

Jihyo makes a disgusted face. “Seeing a playgirl like you being all mushy and awfully in love doesn’t sit well with me. It makes me sick.”

Instead of getting offended, it only encourages Sana to become more furiously irritating and annoying. “Oh, you’re disgusted? Or jealous of us?”

Jihyo winced from the sickening, deliberate high pitch voice of the squirrel. “Yah! Stop that!”

“I don’t want to~”

Mina could only shake her head in embarrassment, internally face palming as she ignores the two loud mouths catching attention of the passersby. She pretends to not know them, increasing her pace to make a distant between them because that’s the best thing to do in this situation.

“Hey, Mina!” Jihyo calls for her after successfully leaving them quite far at the back. “Yah, what’s the rush?”

“She misses her Momoring, of course!”

“Aww, she does? Our Mitang misses her Momoring?”

Oh yeah, she forgot one important thing. Despite their weird and unexplainable love-hate friendship, these two are a match made in heaven when it comes to teasing her. She whips around to give those two a piece of her mind, only to be surprised by the sight.

“Uh, why are you guys hugging each other?”

“Because I’m the Momoring–”

“–to my Mitang! Tehee!”

They posed with a hand heart and puckered lips, and Mina wants nothing more than to dig a hole and hide inside forever, away from these good for nothing she regretfully call friends. She continues walking forward, ignoring the mooching sound and snickers following her from behind. As they reach the restaurant, her eyes fall on a small tiger sitting alone, trying to balance a straw over her lips.

“Oh, Mina-unnie?”

She offers a smile of acknowledgement before sauntering to the table being occupied by Chaeyoung. “I thought I’m the only one eating with Momo-unnie. If I know you’re coming, I would have walk with you guys instead.”

Mina lets out a shaky laugh. “It’s an impromptu plan.”

“Pfft, yeah right.” Sana snorts as she crouches down to whisper at the sitting cub. “She wants to surprise her girlfriend, that’s why.”

“Ah, is that so?” Chaeyoung’s dimple deepens as she smiles, only for her expression to morph into confusion. “Wait, girlfriend? Who?”

As if being summoned, Momo appears beside Chaeyoung and gives a smack on her head. “It’s me, idiot.”

“Yah! That hurts!” She exclaimed with a deep frown. “How come I didn’t know about this?”

“Because you’re still underage.”

“Hey, I’m not!”

The pouting cub earned laughter from everyone, only one is grinning her trademark gummy smile. That grin soon turns into a shy smile when her eyes met the chef clad in her cooking apron, staring at her with a surprised but fond look. She avoids Momo’s stare as the latter slips to her side, still with her lop-sided grin.

“Hey.” She greets the unexpected visitor. “I didn’t miss an appointment with you tonight, did I?”

Mina shakes her head at the worried blonde. “Just wanted to surprise you, that’s all.”

“Well, what’s the occasion?”

“Nothing.” She murmurs. “I just miss you.”

The view she’s having at the moment was worth the trouble she had to endured prior with the loud pair. Her hand itches to pull out her phone to snap a picture of Momo in a blushing mess just with her simple confession, despite her own ears warming up at the sudden words she blurted out. Trying to hide her flustered state, she lets out a silent giggle at the endearing view, before being interrupted by her noisy friends.

“Hello, we’re here to eat! Not to watch some sappy opera soap!” Jihyo visibly cringes with Sana faking a gag on her side.

“Should we report Momo to the owner for openly flirting instead of doing her work?”

The blonde makes an eye roll at the microphone and her sidekick squirrel. If it isn’t for Tzuyu who came to the rescue, she would have smack these two with the thick, worn out menu book before chasing them out of the restaurant. She makes a face when Sana’s eyes begin to sparkle at the appearance of her tall yoda taking their orders. Now look who’s openly flirting without shame…

“What are you having for dinner, Sana-unnie?”

“You.” A wink and a flying kiss.

Tzuyu blinks twice, before scribbling on her notepad undeterred. “Plain water it is.”

“Yah, Chewy! That’s cruel!”

Jihyo snickers loudly while slapping the table. “You deserve that.”

“What’s your problem?!”

The tall waiter ignores the bickering pair consists of her lover and the self-proclaimed big sister, already walking back to the kitchen with Momo in tow. The place isn’t that packed tonight, but the table occupied by the newly-arrived students makes the place noisy as if it’s a full house. Despite the judging stares they receive from the other few customers, Mina opts to ignore them because tonight, she wants to enjoy their company and loud conversations. It’s not always they got to spend time together like this and the vice president is in need of some time out to momentarily forgot about her taxing responsibilities.  

Momo and Tzuyu appear in the middle of their lame jokes, carrying trays on both hands filled with drinks and food. The blonde deliberately serves Mina’s meal last, laying out a different set of dish, her favourite, which earns soft gasp from the penguin. The latter looks up, earning a wink from her lover who pats her head before whispering “you deserve it” and a “thank you for your hard work”.

Apparently, all eyes on the table had fall on them, which earn teasing smiles from everyone. Jihyo is the first to coo while Sana squeals her dolphin sound, the youngest two merely watch with deep admiration at the new couple.

“Momo, you’re such a wife material, the person marrying you is one really lucky bastard.” Jihyo comments good-naturedly, only to receive a scowl from the blonde.

“Yah! How dare you call Mina a bastard?”

The penguin chokes on her cola, her face turns red from the coughing fit and blush covering her whole face. The oblivious Momo quickly rubs her back, questioning her partner if she’s fine.

“Oh, she will be once you both got married.” Sana whispered to herself, gaining another snicker from Jihyo who obviously enjoys the playful chaffs. The tall maknae clears , giving a disapproved look to her two unnies before passing a napkin to Mina.

“Are you joining us too, Tzu?” Chaeyoung asked after her friend successfully reprimands the pouting unnies just with a glare.

“I will in a bit, still got a few things to do in the kitchen.”

Sana suddenly jumps in her seat. “Oh, oh! Are you cooking something special for me too, Chewy?”

“I only take orders and do the dishes, unnie.” She blatantly answered, causing the squirrel to pout again.

“Ehh? You can’t cook?”

“Uh, I don’t.” Tzuyu rubs her nape sheepishly. “But I can learn to cook, unnie… for you.”

The last whispered words made her partner squeal, the microphone joining in too, before they are engaged in a glaring battle. Momo grabs Tzuyu’s shoulder, eyes full of adoration of the young padawan she’s about to take under her wings. “Finally, I can be the mentor I want to be! Let’s cook together, Tzuyu-ah!”

“Okay, unnie.”

“Yah! That’s an offside!” Sana raised a yellow tissue and quickly slides herself in between, separating the two as she clings to Tzuyu’s arm, the latter wearing an exasperated look while Momo continues bickering with her bestfriend. Jihyo pulls Tzuyu to sit on her side, whispering to ignore the two while Mina happily laughs with Chaeyoung at the sight of the childhood bestfriends exchanging quick curses in Japanese.

A ping suddenly triggered in Chaeyoung’s brain as she stand up with her glass of orange juice raised. “Let’s celebrate the new couple!”

“Yeah!”

“Hey! We didn’t get a celebration when Tzuyu and I got together.”

Chaeyoung shrugs. “You guys are old news.”

Sana jumps to her feet, pointing a finger at the small maknae. “This is discrimination!”

“You being tall is a discrimination to me.”

“It’s not my fault your growth spurt is equivalent to a dwarf!”

The small cub gasps, before holding her fists out. “Come at me, Mitoki!”

“It’s Minatozaki, you imp!”

Tzuyu scratches her head worriedly before turning to the unamused blonde. “We didn’t swap their drinks with another order, did we unnie?”

“Nope, Sana is just being her usual…” Momo made a motion of spinning her finger on her temple, earning cackles from Jihyo. Not wanting to dawdle any longer since she’s only on a short break, she pulls the growling baby tiger and shiba inu back to their respective seats and put them on a leash by making them eat their dinner in peace.

Fortunately, they managed to have a decent, civilized meal (despite some pieces of food being tossed her and there) before the girls decide to call it a day. Mina refused Sana and Tzuyu’s invitation to walk her back to the dorm, wanting to wait for the blonde to finish her shift and walk together. The squirrel’s about to make another quip but a firm tug of their tangled hand from her tall partner made her pout. Mina gives Tzuyu a grateful smile before waving them goodbye, chuckling to herself at the sight of Sana attempting to lay a smooch on the tall girl's cheek as she clings to her.

Momo appears from the back door a few minutes after, turning to Mina with a radiating smile so bright, it puts the lone orange streetlight on the alley to shame.

“Ready to go?”

They walk together in comfortable silence, with a mere inch separating them. Momo has been itching to feel the warmth of the other’s hand. They never had any contact except for the small touch when exchanging things or the accidental brushing of fingers when they walk through crowds of students, which resulted in a tingling sensation that sparks some unexplained feelings in her chest.

She craves that sensation again; she longs for her touch.

Mina notices the blonde ducking her head down, eyes lingering on her hand before a slap lands on her wrist. She gives a quizzical look at the abrupt gesture, the blonde whips her head up with an innocent face.

“There’s a mosquito.”

She lifts an eyebrow, before raising her hand to inspect the spot she was slapped. However, Momo had snatches her hand midway, checking her hand with utmost care, her forehead creasing in deep concentration before her lips curl up into a grin.

“Safe! But, just to be sure–” She takes Mina’s hand and envelopes it with her own. “In case the mosquito comes back, it can bite me instead.”

There’s warmth emanating from their attached hands, one that gives a weird buzz in Mina’s stomach; of security and rush. A rush so intense, she feels it going up her face in a delighted flush.

She seems to understand Momo’s intent though, a smirk playing on her lips. “You just want to hold my hand, don’t you?”

“No.” She turns to Mina, beaming at the knowing look. “I want to hold my girlfriend’s hand and keep her close because she misses me.”

Mina wonders if Momo can see her reddening face with the lack of lighting on the alley because for some reason, she doesn’t feel like hiding it. She wants Momo to see what the latter did to her, the effect Momo has on her just by the blonde being, well, herself.

She wants Momo to see she’s falling too, not as hard as her, but she’s getting there.

“Oh! This brings back memory.”

They came to a stop in front of the convenience store where they first interact. Her lips arched at the unpleasant memory, how the blonde gave a comment so rude, she made a vow to loath the girl for the rest of her lives. It was unexpected really, that the person she supposed to hate became the person she longs to see each day.

“I actually hate this place.” Momo grimaced, earning a disbelief look from the penguin.

“Why did you go there in the first place then?”

The blonde sheepishly scratch her cheek. “I needed my daily dose of sweets after spending almost an entire day at the college and this place seems to be the closest to the dorm. But it still , though.”

Momo made a punching gesture to the shop, making Mina chortle from her dorkness before slowly walking away, both enjoying the leisure pace of their walk and each other’s company.

“I actually hate you that day, too.”

“Ehh?”

Mina lets out a soft giggle at the betrayed look of her partner. “Remember that comment you made? About a penguin?”

Momo rakes her brain for the memory, slowly nodding her head with a frown. “No, I don’t.”

“Yah!” She pouts. “How could you not remember our first meeting?”

“Why should I? Everything you do reminds me of a penguin!” Momo tries to defend herself. “Besides, that wasn’t the first time we met.”

Her eyes widen at the new information. “It wasn’t?”

Momo nods her head a few times, only to mirror Mina’s expression. “Yah! You didn’t remember?”

Mina narrows her eyes at the blonde who seems to be mocking her back. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”

Momo tries her best to explain while Mina suppresses a smile from breaking her disappointed façade because a flustered Momo is really adorable. It didn’t take long for her to burst out in a fit of laughter, causing a deep frown to appear from the blonde who had panicked earlier. She tugs Momo’s hand gently, subtly telling she’s sorry while the blonde let out a small sigh of defeat, a smile playing on her lips.

She pulls their connected hands closer, the coldness of Mina’s dainty fingers caused her to dip their hands in the comfort of her jacket’s pocket as they resume their walk back to the dorm.

“Fun fact though, that’s the day I know I love penguin.”

Mina turns to her, catching the warm look she exudes before averting her gaze to the gravel road.

“I like it.”

“What?”

Mina looks up to her as she squeezes their enclosed hands with a smile. “I like the nickname penguin, since it came from you, Momoring.”

Momo feels her lungs drop at the view of the penguin blushing a deep shade of red with that soft gummy smile she loves so much, added with the pleasing way she calls her name. She wants to scream really, her limbs about to fail her from the melting down emergency she’s having.

“Ah! I can’t do this!” Momo exclaims suddenly, her eyes squeezed tight with a loud hiss.

“M-Momo? What’s wrong?”

Letting out a deep breath, Momo twists her body to fully face the worried vice president, holding both of her hands in a tight grasp. She inhales deeply, before giving a firm nod to herself.

“Mitang!”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Let’s go on a date!”

“Eh?”