With the J-line presence, Sana learned a little about life.
But what if one of them yearns for more?

 

---

 

Things were going well for Sana, surprisingly, after almost three years of trying to adapt and growing up. She was really thankful to her two partners in crime, always sticking up to her sides in their troublesome escapades. It was mostly Momo and her who always caused trouble while dragging the unwilling Mina along. Sana was actually surprised she managed to get along well with the inseparable duo, despite their rough introduction. Which also caught her mother bewildered with their mismatch of a coquettish Mina and brash Momo that mixed almost unpredictably well with the addition of her rambunctious daughter. She was initially worried with Sana’s new group of friends; there were several times she was given warning letters and detentions that always involve two of them, but after meeting the timid Mina and listening to her explanations, she had second thoughts of the troublemakers.

“So?”

The woman glared at the guilty faces of her daughter and her friends, mostly at Sana who took frequent glances to the one with bangs. Momo, was it? She waited patiently as they exchanged looks, before the demure Mina (her favourite) raised her head with a quiet voice, she almost missed it if not for the small gesture of raising hand out of politeness.

“You said something, Mina?”

“It... It was me, Miss Minatozaki!”

All attention fell on the shy girl holding her hands tightly out of fear; not to herself, but getting her friends in more trouble. The girl took a deep breath as she faces her friend’s mother.

“T-They were bullying me...”

She gasped, “Sana and Momo bullies you?”

“No!” The three shouted.

She narrows her eyes towards her wide-eyed daughter before facing Mina again, waiting for her explanation.

“Sana and Momo was trying to protect me.”

After the incident, she admitted that she was at fault and tried to give more attention to Sana, trying to understand her actions more. Thinking back about it, perhaps, she was being too harsh with her daughter, that Sana is indeed having trouble trying to blend in with the sudden changes in their life. However, Miss Minatozaki knew her daughter very well. Sana is always an independent one, already being left on her own at an early age of two due to her parents’ work. It wasn’t until a five years old Sana had shown her a dance step she learnt from the nursery that her mother realized she’s been missing so much of her only daughter’s growing phase. It took a lot of persuasion by her husband and herself; Sana’s mother really loves her dream job as a translator. But her firstborn is her life, her symbol of happiness with her lovely husband.

She observed how Sana is a fast learner, able to converse fluently in between two jumbled up languages, as a result of being a loyal spectator of her parent’s Korean-Japanese conversation whether about work or small talk. Meeting the granny next door adds up her vocabulary of another new language, in addition to her social skills and manner (she’s not talking about Sana’s rowdy behaviour, of course). As Sana grows, she sees how the girl would mould herself with her environment, rather than following orders or doing things by the book.

Her first year in Japan, Sana was already catching up well with her classes and had no problem with the language. In fact, she was showing interest in the literature subject, courtesy of her grandmother who loves poems and calligraphy. She noticed how Sana slowly turns from a wild sea into a calm river in the span of time they lived in Japan. Perhaps, this is what Sana really needs; a change of pace and environment.

She remembered that one fateful day when just got back from work late in the evening and met with the girls on the playground. She was about to call for Sana to go home together but stopped as she eavesdrop on their life-changing discussion.

“Did you know that ants are one of the strongest creatures in the world?”

“Eh, really?”

Without thinking, the 15 years old Sana dropped a small pebble on the line of ants marching innocently on the ground. She gasped when Mina shrieked for her to stop.

“Sana! What did you do?”

“I thought you said ants are strong!”

Mina gave her a pouty glare before lifting the stone. They watched carefully for any victim of Sana’s accidental experiments before sighing in relief when there was none.

“That scared me.”

Sana scratched her head sheepishly, “Sorry for doing that.”

“Momo got it worse so you’re safe.”

“What did she do?”

“She dropped herself on the ants, only to get bitten all over as a result.”

Sana toppled over while laughing loudly, already imagining how the girl would frown deeply from her own misfortune. Mina merely gave her a gummy grin as she remembered the red spots covering Momo’s body while the girl whines endlessly on the way to the infirmary.

“I want to be an ant.”

“Why?” Sana gave her friend a curious look, seeing the frown on her face.

“If I’m strong, I won’t get bullied all the time... right?”

“Ehhh?! But I don’t want to see an ant-Mina... You’ll look scary!”

The girls shared another laugh before Sana stood up, rolling the sleeve of her shirt up and flexing her arm, showing her non-existent bicep.

“I may not be as strong as Momo,” She poked her lean arm, “But you can count on me to protect you, Mi-chan.”

The cheeky grin was soon replaced with a worried gaze after seeing Mina’s eyes getting teary. She panicked, trying to stop the girl from crying before a giggle erupts from the latter. She watched in concern when Mina shook her head motioning she’s fine, the girl taking a deep breath.

“We’ll protect each other.” She held out a hand with a tearful smile. “Mi-chan, Sa-tan and Momo-rin. Together, okay?”

Sana nodded, about to grab Mina’s hand to pull her into a hug, only to have a certain raccoon jumping on her back.

“Ow- hey!”

“I heard my name! What is it, what is it?” The girl excitedly asked while still hanging on Sana’s back, before receiving a slap on her bum. “You’re heavy, get off!”

Momo laughed annoyingly while handing out the ice creams she bought after losing in a game of jankenpon. Well, it was actually Mina who loses, but Momo would even cross fire with her bare feet for the girl, let alone made her do errands from Sana’s selfish request.

“As an apology for breaking your back.” Momo stuck out her tongue as she throws Sana her ice cream.

“That is not an apology! You even used my money to buy these.” Sana grumbled, only to get ignored as Momo had already switched into her shikshin mode.

Sana offered Mina her ice cream, the girl happily took a bite. Momo smiles, expecting the same, only for the ice cream to pass by her face and back to the owner’s mouth. She pouted from the unfair treatment she received.

“What?”

“I want a bite, too.”

“We have the same flavour, Momo.” Sana deadpanned.

“You want a strawberry flavour!”

“Why did you get the same as mine, then?!”

Mina softly giggled watching her friends’ childish bantering. She presents the blue-coloured popsicle towards Momo’s face, offering the sulking girl a bite to appease her. However, before the excited girl could savour the icy confection, Sana had already beaten her to it.

“Hey, that was for me!”

Sana made a silly face to celebrate her triumph on the frowning girl. Wanting to get revenge, Momo hurriedly snatched Mina’s hand and chomps the already melting ice cream, leaving only the stick behind.

Her eyes turned wide to find the stick was the only thing remained; the last bite already disappeared down . She got reprimanded by Sana for her impulsive behaviour, while profusely apologizing to the unconcerned girl.

“It’s fine, Momorin... I’m already full.”

Knowing Mina’s just being considerate on her dumb friend, she quickly offered her ice cream. Momo saw this and copied the same gesture. Mina was taken aback as two ice creams were shoved to her face. The girls started quarrelling again, while Mina began doing wonders as the mediator of the group, accepting both of their offers with a small bite of the strawberry flavoured ice cream.

Miss Minatozaki reached home with a contented grin that evening, catching her mother-in-law in shock from the usual frown that was missing. She can’t say she is proud of Sana in words, but she is. It’s lovely to see her being good friends with the girls.

 

*

 

Sana is already 16 years old, about to turn 17 by the end of the year. Miss Minatozaki had been quietly observing her daughter while heaving a silent sigh as the thought once again popped in her head. It can wait, but somehow she wants to hear Sana’s opinion about this lifetime decision she’s going to make.

“Sana?”

“Hm?”

They were quietly folding clothes in the living room with the television playing in the background, her grandmother was watching the news earlier but had now dozed off for her scheduled afternoon nap.

“How’s school?”

Sana gives her mother a smile, “Momo didn’t cause any trouble this week, so it’s pretty much the same. Nothing much.”

Her mother slowly nods, returning the smile. It is the weekend, the only moment she’s able to slip some time to spend with her daughter. She managed to get a proper job after a year of moving there, courtesy of an old friend she met who knows a publishing company in need of an experienced translator. It was a godsend, but the demand for her skill was overwhelming. She’s been working for 12 hours a day, it was almost impossible to see Sana on week days alone. It’s either the girl had just woken up, or about to go to sleep when she’s at home.

“What about you, mama?” 

 “Hmm, me? Other than a lot of writing and editing?” She made a pondering face, before grinning with a peace sign. “Nothing much.”

They laugh at the response, the mother mimicking her daughter’s way of replying. She suddenly remembered the important question she’s been meaning to ask.

“Sana, do you like living here?”

She sees the surprise shown on Sana’s face, which the latter quickly covered with her squirrel-like smile.

“Of course! I mean, it was a bit hard for me in the beginning. But I’m slowly getting used with everything, thanks to Momo and Mina.”

Yes, the two girls; her daughter’s precious people. She doesn’t have the heart to break them apart. She contemplates with her intention earlier of asking Sana the question that might either elate the girl, or break her heart. She already knows the answer, and she doesn’t want to bear the guilt again.

“Mama?”

“Yes?” She quickly forced a smile at the sight of Sana’s curious face.

“Why did you ask that?”

She still has a lot time. She just needs to find the right timing to ask her daughter. Yeah, things will be fine.

She gives Sana a shrug, trying her best to look normal. “Just wondering.”

 

*

 

Sana rushes to the open field after her literature club finished its meeting, her eyes scanning the bleachers for a familiar face. Early in the semester, the girls were saddened to know Sana’s class is not the same as the other two. However, they promised to make time for meet-ups whenever possible, just like right now where one of them is watching Momo’s volleyball practice. Sana grins as she caught her friend watching intently on the open field, probably only having eyes on one of the star players. Silently plopping on the empty seat beside her gaping friend, Sana follows the direction of her eyes and hums loudly.

“You’re gonna burn a hole on her if you keep looking like that.”

“Eh?”

Mina snaps her head to the side, before turning away to hide her flustered face.

“W-What are you saying?”

Sana giggles teasingly before the sudden cheering from the small crowd caught her attention when the practicing volleyball team scored a point against the other. It’s a friendly match between the male and female team of the school, which is a bit unfair from Sana’s point of view but after seeing the scoreboard, there is nothing to fret about.

“Your meeting finished quite early.” Mina said while clapping her hands, a subtle smile adorning her face.

“Yeah, we were just discussing about the competition next month which, I am not related at all, mind you.”

Mina laughs from her friend’s groan, patting her shoulder in pity. “Must be hard to be the president’s favourite.”

“I hate that guy! He really enjoys picking a fight with me and see me suffer.”

Another cheer erupts, this time Sana whoops along seeing as it was Momo who scored it. The latter obviously caught the loud yell as she turns her head to the crowd, catching Sana and Mina waving to her. She waves back with a wide grin before making a winning pose, which gains a lot of reaction from the crowd. Sana made a gagging gesture while Mina giggles on their playful interaction.

“Momo’s game is next week right? You’re going, Mi-tan?”

“I’m not sure yet...“ She replied with a tight smile.

“Oh? This is unusual.” Sana an eyebrow. “You never missed Momo’s game.”

Mina bit her lower lip, hesitating to reveal what’s on her mind. But she can never hide anything for Sana who always has a way to make Mina disclose what’s bothering her.

“I got ballet tryout in the morning.”

“Ehh? What tryout? Hold on.” Sana turns her body fully facing her guilty friend. “I didn’t get any memo of this...?”

The guilty girl shrugs with an appeasing smile, “It’s just a small play. I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“Mina! It’s not just a small play… It’s a play!”

“But Momo’s game is more important.”

Sana let out a frustrated sigh, seeing how nonchalant her friend is with her future dream-like passion. “So is yours!”

Mina keeps mum as she played with her fingers while Sana takes a deep breath to calm down. “Does Momo know about this?”

The girl shakes her head no. By now, Sana is directing her a glare as she crossed her arms. “Why is that?”

“What is what?”

They both whip their heads to the voice, a sweating Momo is standing in front of them with a towel on her neck and a bag slung on her left shoulder. They exchange silent looks, Mina giving a small shake of her head to Sana, which the latter understood fairly well. Mina quickly hands the confused Momo a bottle of cold water, hoping it will distract her friend.

“Ah! Thank you, Mitang… always the life saver.” Momo gives her a grateful smile while opening the lid, “Unlike the stingy Sana here.”

“Hey, I cheered for you!”

“That was a desperate attempt.” She shrugs, “And a bit late too, don’t you think?”

Momo was about to take another swig but Sana deliberately push the bottle up, causing the water to enter another hole. The poor girl chokes, coughing as water went into her nostrils.

“H-Hey!”

Sana cackles as she makes a run from her fuming friend to save herself, while Mina claps like an amused penguin by the side. Momo loudly whines as she curse her fleeing friend, prompting Mina to wipe her face clean with a tissue before letting Momo to run after the jumping Sana provoking her from afar with funny faces.

They walk back home together, a normal every day routine since they live around the same neighbourhood. Sana is talking animatedly with Momo when she noticed from the corner of her eyes of the silent girl following them closely from the back. She directs Mina a questioning look when she raised her head, asking if she’s okay. Mina responds with a smile, a strained one, Sana noticed. She was about to reach for Mina’s arm when she suddenly feels herself being pulled into another body.

“Oy, be careful! You almost step into the drain hole!”

“Oh.” Sana was stunned from the close proximity, quickly pulling away while muttering a thank you.

“Seriously, where are your eyes?”

“On my face, obviously.” Sana rolled her eyes, “What are you, blind?”

“What did you say?”

Their face are close with electricity sparking in their eyes, their fists already rising when Mina clears to interrupt their childish feud. Receiving a disapprove look from the frowning penguin, they slowly back away from each other in silent truce. They wait for Mina’s sermon like a sad, guilty puppy, but Mina keeps on walking without a word, leaving the girls confused.

Not knowing what to do, they wordlessly follow the silent girl. They drop off Momo on her uncle’s restaurant since she has an errand with him, bidding short farewells to each other before the remaining girls continue their journey. They were about to reach Sana’s house but the latter quickly grab Mina’s arm and makes a detour to the playground they always frequent. Sana drags them to the swing, forcing the confused Mina to take a seat while she slowly pushes her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

Sana almost groans from Mina’s nonchalant reply. “You’re so quiet when we walk.”

“Aren’t I always?”

If it was someone else, they would have bought the lie and let it slide. But this is Sana, her bestfriend who knows her inside out. Mina, the kind and gentle girl who values courtesy, wouldn’t reply like that.

“Is it about earlier?”

It seems to had struck a chord as Mina ducks her head low, Sana receiving another silent reply. She stops the swing and crouches in front of Mina, gently grabbing her hands to gain her attention.

“I’m sorry, Mi-tan...”

“It’s not your fault.” Mina shakes her head, “I really want to tell both of you about the tryout but when I found out that Momo’s game is the same day, I just –”

Sana almost cooed from Mina’s trembling lips, the girl trying her best to suppress whatever emotion she’s feeling at the moment.

“Momo would understand, you know?”

She squeezes Mina’s fists to encourage her that it’s fine, Momo wouldn’t get mad or upset at her. The stupid girl loves Mina so much, she would even beat herself if she ever hurt her penguin.

“You think she would be fine if I’m not there?”

“Well...” Sana tilts her head with a pondering face, “She might get a bit sad, but that’s it. She’s too dumb to even be upset at you, Mi-tan.”

Mina chortles, slapping the giggling Sana on her arm.

“Can you do me a favour?”

“Anything for you, my dear princess.” Sana bowed like a prince, earning another gummy laughter from the girl.

“Go to Momo-rin’s game.” Sana was about to open to protest, but Mina stops her with a small tug of their connected hands. “For me.”

Sana frowns, but nodded anyway. “What about you?”

A gummy smile appears on her face, “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“So it’s fine to worry about Momo?”

Mina laughs from Sana’s deliberate pout. “It will mean a lot to Momo-rin if you’re there.”

Sana narrows her eyes with a snort, “I don’t believe it. That girl only knows how to pick a fight with me.”

“Trust me.” Mina averts her eyes downward, squeezing Sana’s hand with a smile. “She’ll be elated.”

 

*

 

Despite being in Japan for almost 3 years, Sana is surprised to know Momo’s vocabulary is equivalent to her level when she first arrived to Japan. Here she is in the library with the sleepy peach, desperately trying to tutor her friend Japanese literature, which is her favourite and also best subject so far.

“Momo-rin.”

“Hmm…”

Sana sighs tiredly from the response. Glancing at the wall clock, her forehead scrunches in annoyance as she’s already late for her prior appointment. Sana slams the table, startling the snoozing girl from her short nap.

“I’m awake, I’m awake!” Momo squeezed her eyes tightly to rid off the drowsiness before letting out a wide yawn, “What did I miss?”

“Your tutoring time, you idiot.” Sana grumbles while tidying her belongings into her bag. “We should skip today’s session since you’re dead tired.”

“I agree with that.” She stretched her arms upward, before following Sana’s action. “Sorry, I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

Sana paused and gives her friend a confused stare, “Again?”

She received a nonchalant shrug, “Got some things to do.”

“What things?”

“Just, things.” Momo quickly changed the subject as she follows Sana already striding out of the library door. “You seem like in a rush.”

“I’m meeting someone.”

“Ooohh… your secret admirer?”

“Yeah, right. I don’t have one.”

“You don’t know about that.”

Sana raised a brow at her friend who only smirks with her droopy eyes. She decided to ignore Momo with her dumb look, probably still hasn’t wake up from her nap. Sana takes some time trying to convince Momo to go home first and catch up on her skipped sleeping time. After making sure Momo had left the school ground, Sana quickly dashes to the dance room. She was met with a closed eye Mina leaning on the mirror wall with earphones plugged in.

The sight is serene and calm, attracting Sana to her friend with a warm smile. She slowly makes her way to Mina’s side with silent and gentle steps, sliding down on the cold floor and landing her head on Mina’s shoulder. Her smile turns into a delighted grin as she feels warmth falling on top of her head. They stay like that for a while, basking in each other’s comforting presence when suddenly the evening bell chimes.

“This is nice,” Mina pulls her head away, “But we should get going.”

Sana pouts as she clings to Mina’s arm tightly, whining at the loss of warmth from her friend.

“Just a few more minutes!”

Mina lets out a small giggle, “It’s getting late, Sa-tan. We really need to go now.”

“Do we have to?” She deepens her pout, only to receive another hearty laugh.

“Stop that, I’m not Momo-rin.”

“That’s why I’m doing it to you! Momo would either ignore me, or make disgusted face. While you–”

“W-What?” Mina gives Sana a suspicious look from her teasing smirk. Without warning, Sana pulls her into a tight hug, nuzzling her nose on Mina’s neck causing the latter to squirm from the ticklish sensation.

“Sana! Stop that!”

Both of them turn into giggling mess, Sana only stopping when she realized they were out of breath. Mina glares at her, a failed one of course since it was too cute for Sana to regard it as an angry face.

“Come on! Let’s go get your precious Momo-rin her present.”

Sana drags her friend out of the room before intertwining their hands together, barely missing the shade of red on Mina’s cheeks. They walk side by side, their hands still attached as they visit one shop after another, looking for the perfect gift for Momo’s birthday.

“I’m getting avocados for her. That idiot would be ecstatic, for sure.” Sana lamely comments as she saw a poster of items on sale on a grocery shop.

“For real, Sa-tan?” Mina snorts while shaking her head.

Sana shrugs with a face like she doesn’t care. She was suddenly being pulled to a sports store by the enthusiastic Mina as she waddles through the isle of equipments on showcase. Mina carefully browses through the selection of items on sale, sometimes asking Sana of her opinion, which the latter answered with her bored expression. She received a pout at some point, which prompts Sana to apologize profusely and deciding to at least make an effort to help Mina.

“How about this?”

Mina showed Sana a pink-coloured sweat-absorbing headband.

“Well, it can help with holding Momo’s annoying bangs when she play.”

A voice suddenly interrupts them, “We have a special offer for that item.”

They turn to the person sitting on the ground with boxes around him as he rearranges some items on the shelf, probably the store staff.

“You can customize it with names or initials. If you want, I can help you with the order.”

Sana and Mina exchanged looks, earning a firm nod from the determined penguin.

“I’ll take this, please!”

The order took almost two weeks to finish, which was almost a day before Momo’s birthday. Mina was really anxious when she picks up the present from the store with Sana, but the expression on Momo’s face when she received it was worth the hassle and trouble. She actually squealed when Mina showed her the letters of her name woven on the pink headband. To Mina’s embarrassment, Momo had decided to wear the headband for the whole day at school, wanting to parade her birthday gift to everyone so that no one can steal it and knows this headband is hers, and hers only. 

What’s funny was Sana did give Momo the avocados on sale. She wrapped them nicely in small boxes and presents them one by one in various places for Momo to find. The star player was annoyed, to say the least, but they are still her favourite thing. Momo promised a full meal lunchbox for Sana as thanks for being so considerate to even prepare a treasure hunt gift for her. The next day, Sana was forced to drink the avocado shake Momo brought for breakfast and a bento box filled with all sorts of avocados menu on it. They were getting rotten, Momo reasoned. Sana had promised herself to never get on Momo’s wrath or she will suffer another stomach ache like that day.

 

*

 

Sana is surprised to see her friends giving cold shoulder to one another during lunch break. She had never once seen them fighting during the three years they’re together so this is a first for Sana and she is dumbfounded.

“What’s... going on?”

“Nothing.”

Both of them responded as they take a spoonful of their meal, with Sana sitting awkwardly in the middle.

“Okay...”

She decided to let them be and enjoy her meal instead, her mom really made an effort for her lunchbox today. It’s Korean food and Sana’s mouth had been salivating since morning at the thought of having the comfort food she grew up with. Just as she was about to have the first bite, Mina abruptly stood up, making her heart almost jumped out from the sudden action.

“Whoa! M-Mina?”

“I’m already full.”

Sana eyed Mina’s untouched bento box. “But you haven’t –”

“I have an errand to do.”

Sana watched with mouth wide agape as Mina left without even sparing them a glance or a wave. She puffs out her cheeks, before turning to the perpetrator with a glare.

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.” The girl grumbles while stuffing her already full mouth with more rice.

“I know it’s your fault.”

“It’s not.”

“It is.”

Momo suddenly slams her lunchbox on the ground. “I don’t know, okay?!”

Sana got shock again from Momo’s outburst, her hand already rubbing her chest to calm her fragile heart.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Eh? Wait, what?! Hold on, I’ll come with–”

“I said I’m not hungry so leave me alone!”

Sana was so taken aback, she could only watch in confusion as Momo walked away in small jogs. She turns to her lunch, the food doesn’t seem that appetizing anymore. After a few moments of contemplating whether to shove the food down or let it turn stale for her after-school snack, she heard loud sniffles in the corner.

Sana takes a peek, finding her friend crouching behind the wall while hiding her face in her hands.

“Mina?”

She quickly rushes to her side after seeing her crying state. She pulls her in an embrace, patting her back gently as the girl starts sobbing.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Mina responded with a shake of her head, “It’s my fault.”

Sana nodded, “Want to tell me?”

It’s the first time Sana had seen her crying so hard for something that wasn’t caused by bullying. Her heart churns seeing how fragile Mina is right now, all because of a certain stupid girl named Hirai Momo. After a while, Mina pulls away while wiping her eyes, trying to calm herself before she starts explaining what happened between them.

 

 

The first class of the day had already started but Mina couldn’t properly focus on the lecture, not when her seatmate is missing. She had been continuously glancing on the classroom door, hoping the person will show up. As if her prayer was answered, she heard running steps filled the hallway, before a girl emerged with a screech of her shoes. She was panting; her hair dishevelled, but still managed to put on the sweetest smile to the teacher.

“Hirai.” The male teacher said in his deep gruff voice, only giving her a glare for interrupting his class.

Momo sheepishly scratched her hair before giving a deep bow. “I’m really sorry for being late, sensei!”

The teacher only sighed, ordering the girl to quickly and quietly get to her seat. Momo happily hops to her seat, only to be met with the curious stare of her bestfriend.

“What?”

Mina raised a brow, “Again?”

“I missed the alarm.”

The girl in question shrugged nonchalantly, motioning for Mina to face the blackboard before she would get into trouble too. It wasn’t even half an hour since she arrived, but Momo was already dozing off. It was probably because of the subject, but Momo was never one to miss a lecture since her motto was ‘to focus only on what the teacher taught in class, and nothing else’, hence why she never study in her free time, only filling them with volleyball practice instead. Mina shook her head disapprovingly when Momo laid her head on the table, squirming around to find a comfortable spot. A few seconds later, she was out like a light.

Mina sighed, already expecting this after several days of witnessing the same activity unfold before her. She had chided the girl a few days back, albeit gently since Momo was really tired and had been yawning throughout her nagging. She can even see eye bags forming due to lack of sleep and her skin loosing fat. It got her mad that Momo is neglecting her self-care, all because of that one thing she’s doing. But knowing how stubborn her bestfriend is, everything she said turned to deaf ears.

It wasn’t until the bell for lunch rang that Momo woke up from her deep slumber. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her stiff limbs, feeling satisfied with the long nap. With her dopey, dazed look, she turns to Mina with a smile.

“What did I miss?”

Mina was literally shoving her things inside her bag, just because she needed to vent out her frustration somewhere. “We have a quiz tomorrow.”

“Eh?!“ Momo jumped on her seat, clearly surprised with the news. “But I didn’t take down any notes.”

Knowing well it was just an act of mercy, Mina paid no heed as she busied herself with tidying her things. She sensed puppy eyes directed to her; Mina can never say no to the adorable gesture of her bestfriend. But today, she didn’t find it amusing in the slightest bit. It annoyed her, a deep kind of annoyed that makes her want to whack the girl in the head with that dusty, thick encyclopedia abandoned in the library. Instead of responding with the norm of passing her note to the poor girl, she blatantly replied with a low grumble of “Serves you right.”  

Momo gave he a surprised look, not expecting the gentle Mina to give her that kind of reply. The latter was about to leave with her lunchbox when Momo grabbed her arm to stop her.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Ask that yourself.”

“What?” Mina her heel to leave but was stopped again when Momo block her way. “Hey! Don’t ignore me –”

“You were the one who’s been ignoring me!”

Momo was startled with Mina’s outburst; she had never heard the timid girl raised her voice like this, especially to her.

“What are you saying, Mina?”

“I’ve told you many times to take care of yourself, but what just happened?” Mina’s stare harden at the sight of Momo rolling her eyes. “You’ve been losing sleep and skipping meals these two weeks and it’s clearly affecting your attention in class, Momo.” 

Momo’s eyes soften, “But you know the reason behind it...”

“Yeah, I know and that’s why I’m angry because you didn’t listen! You never listen, Momo-rin!”

She was already feeling groggy from the lack of sleep and hearing Mina’s loud voice just added fuel to her ignited fire. A nerve snapped, and Momo didn’t stop herself from letting out her annoyance.

“Could you please stop worrying and treating me like a kid?” Momo scoffed, “You always do this and I hate it, Mina! You should just mind your own business.”

Mina was stunned by the words, her blood boils again from the truth. It was as if the devil was whispering to her ears; that Momo was just being a good friend. A friend who only pities her while trying her best to endure Mina’s wearisome attitude. Momo never appreciate those caring gestures so why would she?

“Fine.” Mina pushed through Momo’s physique, wanting nothing more than to disappear from being in the same place with the latter.

“W-What? What do you mean- Hey, Mina! Where are you going?”

“Minding my own business.” She said with spite, not even sparing Momo a glance.

“Eh? But what about the notes?”

Mina scoffed to herself. “Good luck with that.”

 

 

“Oh.”

Sana doesn’t know what to say, only giving nods in between while processing everything in her head. She can’t blame Mina for being worried and Momo was certainly being overboard. She cursed the girl mentally for her selfish attitude.

“It’s my fault, Sana. Don’t blame her, she has her reasons.”

Sana deeply sighed, she can’t let this happen between the two bestfriends. Momo need some sense knocked in her head and Sana would gladly do it for her.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Don’t be mad at her.”

“I won’t, Mi-tan. Don’t worry.” She pats Mina softly on her head; even if she’s mad, Mina still cares for the dumb start player. Sana just hopes she will stay true to her words because she’s really disappointed to see Mina in that state just now because of a certain Hirai.

After school, Sana made a dash to catch up with Momo who had already disappeared down the hallway to her volleyball practice.

“Momo!”

The said girl ignores her, prompting Sana put more speed in her steps.

“Hey, stop and listen to me!”

“I’m late for my practice.”

She was pulling the girl’s arm, perhaps with too much force, because Momo had stumbled on the floor because of the pull. Sana is shocked with her fragile state, only to feel her heart wrenched once she sees the haggard look of her friend. There are traces of dried tears with puffy eyes, prompting Sana to pull her in an embrace. Her body trembles, followed by muffled sobs as she clutches Sana’s shirt tightly.

“I’m s-sorry.”

Sana hushed the girl who’s mumbling all sorts of apologies in between small hiccups. Unknown to the two, Mina had followed them closely hoping she can apologize, only to stop when she saw the scene. She watches them silently, her eyebrows furrowing as a hand perched atop her chest to stop the twisting sensation. Yeah, Sana is enough, she thought. Momo needs Sana, not her. She was about to leave when Sana caught her shadow in her peripheral view.

Their eyes met, and Sana motions for the girl to come closer. Mina was reluctant, but she can’t ignore the encouraging smile directed to her. Momo raises her head at the sound of rustling plastic, a small packet of peach-flavoured gummies appeared before her. She looks up to see Mina holding the snack with her gaze directed on the empty hallway, refusing to meet eyes.

“I’ll give you all the notes for the quiz tomorrow.”

Mina yelps when she feels her body being pummelled by a weight. She quickly raised her arms to catch the girl who had pushed her to the wall, hands wrap tightly around her waist. Mina blinks a few times, before responding back with a squeeze of her arms around the frail body.

“I miss you already.” Momo confessed. A lone tear falls down Mina’s cheek along the lifted corner of her lips, “It wasn’t even a day yet.”

“No! It’s hard enough even for a few hours!”

Mina chuckles lightly, rubbing the girl’s head in an affectionate manner. Sana makes cooing sound at the sight before inviting herself in another bear hug, crushing them both in her arms.

“Don’t ever fight again, please! I don’t want to eat lunch alone...”

They laugh, agreeing without a word as they bask in the warmth of their bodies crushed together in a big hug.

 

*

 

Sana’s mother had planned a small birthday dinner for her daughter, inviting mostly Sana’s two friends who had worked together for the surprise. Sana, fortunately, was too dense to even remember her own birthday so the surprise was a success. They are having fun talking and sharing stories of how little Sana was when she was a mischievous girl. It wasn’t until they finished cutting the cake that Momo asked Sana to meet her outside by the pond in the backyard.

“Here.”

Sana gives her a curious stare; Momo was rubbing her nape shyly as she handed a nicely wrapped box to her.

“What’s this?”

“Your present. Open it.”

“Really? It’s not some prank or anything like that?”

“Geez, just open it!”

Sana carefully tears the wrapper, exposing a box with a brand she loves. She gasps in surprise at the content, a necklace with a small pendant of pink stone in the shape of a heart.

“Momo, this is…”

It was before Mina’s birthday, the day they went out together to search for the girl’s present when Sana’s eyes caught the necklace on display. She gushed over it the whole time but knowing Momo, the latter ignored her, even making fun of her choice of poor taste. She didn’t expect for Momo to actually pay it any attention and surprised her like this.

“I didn’t steal it, I swear!” Momo exclaimed after receiving a suspicious look.

“I never said you did! But, how?”

“I was working on my uncle’s restaurant every night for the past 2 months.”

That explains the sleeps she’s been losing and her groggy state every morning, Sana thought. 

“You like it?”

“Are you crazy? Of course, I love it!”

Momo wears a smug grin before pointing to the small box, “There’s something else inside, but you can read it later when I leave.”

“Oh, a letter? The ‘bad-at-Japanese’ Momo-rin really wrote me a letter?” Sana teased.

“S-Shut up! Just read it!”

“But your Japanese is worse than mine, it must be hard to read.”

She received an annoyed glare from the latter as she grins teasingly.

“Fine, fine. I’ll make sure to read it later.”

Sana feels like her whole body had been drained off of its strength as she read the scribbled words. The letter was readable, only the content was too shocking for her to comprehend fully; it was a poem of sorts, a flattering one filled with praises of herself and the resemblances with nature. The writer is comparing Sana with all beautiful things; it makes her head aches from the content as she tries to correlate the deep meaning behind it. It was after the 6^th reading that it finally dawns on Sana.

 

 

 

Momo likes her.

 

 

 

---

A/N:

godammit Momo you're not the only one who likes Sana, we do as well!!!
The interactions in this chapter makes me want to change the SaMo tag into a love triangle... should I, should I? *plays with fingers with anticipating look* Ok, maybe no.  

Thank you for reading and do write out your feelings on the comments below. I'd love to read them and interact with my readers! Thank you again and I hope you have a great week, okay??? Take care! ^^