sequel to girls' rule (7).

 

Nanase reaches for her mobile phone that vibrates urgently on the far end of her desk, without taking her eyes off her pencil that scribbles hurriedly across the line on the exercise book.

“Moshi moshi?” she presses it against her ear. 

“Nanase,” a voice tenderly calls over the line. 

Nanase jumps. Bringing the phone away from her ear, she looks at the screen with wide, glaring eyes. When she finally sees the name displayed, Nanase drops the pencil in her hand, and her chair almost tips over.

Mai pulls away from the phone in her hand when she hears somewhat loud sounds of tumbling objects from what she can discern, with round, startled eyes. “Are you okay?” she asks, now with furrowed brows.

“Y-Yeah, I am,” Nanase now stands by her desk, having had to get off her chair to prevent herself from falling. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, as she tries, much to her struggle with a single hand, to bring the chair back upright.

“No, no, don’t be,” Mai’s speech is hasty. “I’m sorry I’m calling so late,” it is her turn to apologise, “were you about to sleep?”

“No, I was doing some homework,” Nanase seats herself on her chair again.

“Ah, I see. I should start on mine soon too...” 

Nanase, not knowing any reaction she could possibly give, remains cluelessly silent. Why... are you calling? She wants to ask, the question loud in her mind, but is fearful that she might shorten their conversation by asking. Nanase doesn’t realise the hard pounding of her heart against her ribs, nor the sweat forming above her lips. She doesn’t realise the multitude of emotions inside her, nor the dominating excitement. 

“I’m sorry,” Nanase is brought out of her daze when Mai speaks again. “Do you happen to be free on Wednesday?” 

“Wednesday...” Nanase mumbles, almost reaching for the calendar until she realises, it’s the twentieth. 

“It’s senpai’s birthday,” she blurts, releasing her thoughts out loud before she processes them.

Mai begins to laugh. “Yes,” she softly says when the laughter fades away, “you remembered,” she muses, with a sparkle in her eye Nanase cannot see over the phone, but the tune in her voice resembles a gentle ring of the windchime hung over Nanase’s room at her window. 

“Are you free? Can we go somewhere together?” Mai asks again, more firmly this time.

“Eh?” Nanase freezes. With me?

“With me?” Nanase asks. Her voice reverberates in her bedroom the way the question does in her head.

“Yes,” Mai’s answer is clear. She presses her lips tightly, stifling a laughter.

“But why me?”

“Hmm,” Mai has a hand on her chin, “because I gave you a present on your birthday and I want one back?”

Nanase lightly turns her head and sets her eyes on a small bird figurine, carved from clay, sitting by the night lamp on the bedside table.

“Ah, eh?” Nanase narrows her eyes when Mai’s words register in her head. 

Mai chuckles again at Nanase’s inability to stop herself from voicing out her astonishment each time.

“But don’t you have anyone else to spend your birthday with?” Nanase continues to question.

“If you're still suspecting that I have a boyfriend like the other girls are, I’m disappointed in you. The reason why I might be around the boys' school sometimes is that my mother is a teacher there,” Mai’s says pointedly. 

Nanase chews on her lower lip in guilt. She finds however a weight lifted off her chest, but tells herself that there is nothing she should be rejoicing over.

“So, are you free?”

“I am!” Nanase’s sudden burst takes both of them aback.

“Yes,” Nanase composes herself, now seated at the edge of her bed, her lips. “I’m free on Wednesday.”

Mai finds herself stifling her laughter yet again. Now, she feels the red in her cheeks and knows she must stop teasing the younger. “Okay, let’s meet at the train station at 10?” 

Nanase takes a deep breath. “Okay, 10.”

“Yosh! See you there,” Mai tries not to sound overexcited.

“Yes, see you,” Nanase says softly, unable to stop the smile growing on her lips. 

Nanase falls backwards onto her bed when the call ends.

She has one day to get a good present. Nanase’s lips form somewhat a frown as she huffs. 

 

The next day, Nanase leaves the house promptly after finishing the breakfast prepared by her mother as the scorching sun hangs high above the clouds in the blue sky Nanase can depict in a drawing on her sketchbook. 

Making her way to the department store, she feels the temptation of the art supplies shop in the street before pulling her in as usual. She stops in her tracks at the front of the shop. Squinting her eyes for a little she recalls the sketchbook sitting at the side of her table. Setting her mind on a decision, Nanase turns around and walks knowingly into the shop.

 

When Nanase arrives at the train station, she spots Mai standing under a tree that branches tall overhead. She looks down and takes a deep breath. “Senpai!” she calls as she runs over, her ponytail swinging and bouncing with her.

“Ah, Nanase!” Nanase is greeted with a gleam on Mai’s face that shines even in the bright summer day. Nanase’s lips curve upwards without her knowing and her heart skips a beat.

“Thanks for agreeing to this,” Mai says first.

Nanase shakes her head. “Thank you for inviting me,” she mutters, her face red both in the simmering heat and her own unease that hasn’t dissipated a single bit since their phone call two nights ago. “Happy birthday!” she beams.

“Thank you!” Mai spreads her lips into a soft smile that conveys her gratitude. Excitement bubbles within her and she reaches forward and pulls onto Nanase by her arm. “Let’s go!”

“Eh? Where to?” Nanase quickens her footsteps while allowing herself to be dragged from before her. Mai merely breaks into soft laughter that rings gently upon Nanase’s ears.

 

Nanase finds themselves, after a quick, awkward ride on the train for two stops, standing before an aquarium. 

Mai chuckles, ecstatic, when she sees the enthralment on Nanase’s face. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll buy the tickets, there’s a student offer for the holidays,” Mai remarks.

“No!” Nanase promptly refuses, “I can’t let you, it’s senpai’s birthday,” she waves her hands profusely.

“No, I brought you here forcefully anyway. And you can drop the keigo, we’re not in school now.”

“But—”

“Naachan!” Mai stuns Nanase with the sudden intimacy. 

“Senpai—”

Mai cuts her off once again, “It’s Mai. Or Maiyan. Or whatever you want.” 

Mai doesn’t give Nanase a chance to respond. She reaches for Nanase’s hand and pulls her again into the aquarium.

 

Mai and Nanase stroll around the aquarium, the blue light that shines through the water where some fish swim in schools while some bigger ones in solitary. Wearing fascinated smiles on their lips, Mai and Nanase do not realise that the latter’s hand is still secure in the former’s. Mai only realises it when she feels Nanase’s hand slipping. Standing before a tank thrice their height, they set their eyes on several colonies of vibrant coral and Mai intertwines her fingers with Nanase.

Nanase can feel heat rising in her cheeks as an immediate response, the heat that has since left when they stepped into the air-conditioned location away from the sun. She lowers her head, resisting the smile that threatens to show. 

“That one looks a little like you,” Nanase is jolted out of her thoughts by another of Mai’s comments. She lifts her head and sees Mai pointing a finger at a manatee that swims across them to a far end of the tank. “It’s smiling,” Mai adds.

“No, it doesn’t,” Nanase shakes her head to refute. She brings a hand up to cover as she laughs. “But it’s cute.”

“You’re cute too,” Mai casually replies.

Nanase, growing tired of Mai’s whimsical statements, forms a pout with her lips. “Please, you don’t mean it.”

“I do,” the tone in Mai’s voice drops as she turns and looks into Nanase’s eyes. For the first time that day, Nanase sees before her a smileless Mai, yet the fuzziness and warmth within her intensify. 

Mai tightens the grip of her fingers on Nanase’s. She breaks away from their gaze, facing the fishes again, before saying in the same, firm voice, “I like you.” A small, untelling smile flashes on her lips.

Nanase blinks. She knows she has heard it right, despite her incredulity. Something impedes the shock and the astonishment she thinks she should be feeling. Tears form at the corners of her eyes; Nanase does not pull away from Mai’s twinkling eyes that still draw her in the same way they did the first time they met. 

“Ah, I really wasn’t planning on telling you that so early on...” Mai, much to Nanase’s ignorance, finds the embarrassment unbearable. Sourness spreads within her when she recalls briefly her words and her behaviour so far. She brings a hand up to her face, at the same time loosening her hand from Nanase’s.

Immediately, as if by instinct, Nanase reaches for Mai’s hand again and holds it in hers.

“No,” Nanase utters, “I’m sorry.”

Mai, still astounded by Nanase’s gesture, gapes. “What for?”

Nanase presses her lips together for a short second, “For saying you don’t mean it. But don’t let go,” she says, unaware herself of the pleading in her voice.

“I...” dumfounded, Mai finds no feasible reply to Nanase’s words. Shakily, she starts, as if treading on dangerous grounds, “What do you feel about me?”  

Nanase’s breath stops. She remembers the numerous diary entries filled with her thoughts and emotions about Mai, the nights her weary heart conceded defeat to the feelings she harboured that grew too heavy, the nights that lasted with tears falling soundlessly from her eyes. This time, her emotions give her a push. “I like you. I really do. For a long time now. But I never expected anything from you.”

Mai tries to push the sides of her quivering lips into a smile. Taking a step closer, she puts an arm around Nanase who delightedly clings onto her and rests her head on Mai’s shoulder. They stand together as the chatter from the crowd around envelopes them while they continue watching the fish passing by before them. 

 

The girls find themselves in the sultry weather once again and they settle on a bench in the shade.

“Are you hungry yet?” Mai asks, before bringing out two similar lunchboxes and laying them out before them.

Nanase gasps. “You made this?” 

Mai chuckles as she opens the boxes up, “Yes.”

“Ah, sugoi, they look good,” Nanase chirps. 

Their motions halt when they realise neither of them is starting on their meal. 

“Go ahead,” Mai gestures with her hands, to which Nanase reluctantly picks up a box and a pair of chopsticks. 

She clasps her hands together, “Itadakimasu.”

Mai remains watchful until Nanase takes her first bite. 

Nanase hums in amazement, closed, nodding her head vigorously. “It’s good!” she flashes a thumbs up. 

Mai is relieved, and when Nanase’s eyes turn into thin lines as her cheeks are lifted in a smile, Mai can feel her heart jump within her. 

“I’m glad,” Mai breathes.

“It’s really good, thank you,” Nanase beams. 

Mai starts on her meal as well. 

 

Nanase can still clearly feel the beating of her heart as they walk down the streets hand in hand. Mai had suggested they make their way back to the station nearest to their homes on foot, even though the stations were far apart, and they both figured that they would enjoy the company for the longer stretch.

“It was frustrating,” Mai begins, breaking the silence.

Nanase turns her head towards Mai and sees a calm expression on Mai’s face; without any intensity nor discomposure. Mai had known; Nanase’s heart squeezes to see how well Mai understands her. 

“I was just one point away. I haven’t lost since middle school, and this would be my last match ever,” she continues without a change in the smile she wears, nor in the look in her eyes. 

Nanase knows no words can console Mai now. She remembers the day the seniors were crying, right after everyone was dismissed. She vividly remembers the streaks of tears on Mai’s face, and the cold sensation of her own tears on her cheeks that began falling before she realised. 

“Thank you for not asking,” Mai says, “Everyone had so many things to say, that they didn’t believe I would lose that point, and I didn’t believe it either— but I saw, you only wanted to know if I was okay. But you believed in me, and you didn’t ask. I was not okay, as much as I wished I was, but I was able to pull myself together because of that. In fact, it was always because of you that I was able to carry on. Because you would always so quietly stay by my side and with your presence you encouraged and comforted me. You gave me strength in so many ways I can’t thank you enough for,” she turns towards Nanase with eyes that display the immeasurable emotions within her. 

“I did nothing,” Nanase can only say.

“No,” Mai pushes up the corners of her lips, “You were everything that mattered.”

“No, it was you who taught me all along, encouraged me even though I saw no hope having no background in sports, in the days I felt lost and alone. I was only trying my best to learn from you, and to be with you because being around you made me happy,” Nanase tries to express the reasons Mai had become an indispensable presence in her life.

Right, it pops into her mind, and she turns around and pulls something flat and neatly wrapped out of her bag.

“This is for you. Happy birthday, senpai,” she hands it out to Mai with both her arms.

The unexpected shift in their conversation surprises Mai. “Ah, thank you, can I open it?”

Nanase nods, anxious for Mai’s reaction to the present. Mai opens up the wrapping and draws out a glass frame that holds an elaborate sketch, conscientiously coloured, of Mai in her hakama, her eyes sharp ahead, her hair in a tall ponytail as her fringe falls by the side of her face, her jawline defined.  

“Naachan,” Mai gasps. She stares at it for a while longer. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I love this so much,” she remains astounded.

Nanase now breaks into a smile. “I’m glad you like it.” Nanase realises only then that she has been holding her breath; panting, she recounts the different pages in her sketchbook she was considering between.

“Ah,” Mai’s sudden exclamation alarms her. Pointing at a date written at the bottom of the sketch, Mai’s eyes are round as she gapes, “You drew this such a long time ago.”

Nanase deadpans, wondering how she did not think about erasing it.

“Thank you,” Mai says again. Nanase shakes her head. “Thank you for today too,” she adds when she realises that they are nearing their destination. 

“Thank you for today,” Nanase sees the events of the day flash in her mind. 

Standing before each other, Mai wonders if there is a need to clarify. But when their eyes meet, Mai finds that there is no need to worry. She brings her arms up and steps forward, wrapping her arms around Nanase’s tiny physique.

Nanase reciprocates the hug, finding again the fuzziness in her heart, as she rests her chin on Mai’s shoulder.

Shyly they lower their heads when they pull apart. Nanase bites her lip to resist a grin, while Mai is laughing once again. 

“Jyaane, I’ll message you,” Mai says first, bringing a hand up for a goodbye wave.

Nanase can feel her heart sink a little inside of her, having not wanted the day to end, but she smiles anyway, “I’ll reply to your messages.”

“You better. I know from the other girls that you don’t read your messages.”

Nanase’s jaw drops. “I do read them, it’s just that I don’t reply.”

“Then you can continue ignoring other people’s messages but make sure you respond to me,” Mai narrows her eyes. 

“You really like teasing me so much,” Nanase protests, flustered. 

Mai chuckles, but the way Nanase’s expression falls strikes her conscience. “I’m sorry,” she gives Nanase a few apologetic rubs on her arm, “I’ll try not to do it again.”

Nanase scowls as a response, wrinkling her nose, which sends Mai’s heart on a rollercoaster again. “But it’s hard to stop when you’re cute like that,” she seethes. 

Nanase sighs. Finding that she could get used to the compliment, she begins to accept it knowing the comments from Mai are honest.

“Jyaa mata ne,” Nanase returns the wave belatedly.

“Kore kara, yoroshiku ne,” Mai says with a tinge of bashfulness and gives a brief bow. Both their faces turn red, as if the heat from the sun was not enough.

Nanase, withstanding the thumping of her heart against her ribs, bows and replies, “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”

Neither of them turns away. Not three seconds have passed, and Mai seizes the moment; she leans forward and presses a peck on Nanase’s cheek.

Nanase stands still, paralysed by the unexpected move. She hears vaguely bashful giggles from Mai before she is left alone, a hand on her cheek that still tingles from the touch of Mai’s lips, the same way it did with an ice-cold can pressed against it.

 

At night, Nanase stands before the fridge, the hard glare of her eyes on the opened rim of a green-coloured aluminium can. She blinks a few times, but the rest of her body remains frozen.

“Oh, I’ve never tried the melon flavour, but it’s unexpectedly nice,” Nanase hears her brother’s casual comment from behind her, along with the shuffling of his slippers against the floor.

Nanase subconsciously tightens the grip of her fingers on the handle of the fridge door.

“Oniichan!” she shrieks, at a volume that would’ve shocked the girls in the club, including Mai.

 

a/n: i’m late... a little lol,,, i've been so busy these days but i hoped to finish this for maiyan’s birthday. it turned out somewhat comical at first and i wasn’t very sure if that was what i wanted and i had some struggle deciding the course of this story, it also got a lot longer than i expected... i still need to review this a few times because i’m not sure yet if i’m completely satisfied with it. but i’m just glad i can get this up even though i wish i did a better job with this. anyway, it was maiyan's birthday, and i hope she spent it well and happily. 

ah my brain is really not working well anymore, well, i hope if anyone's reading this that you enjoy it! even though i'm still disappointed in my writing + not getting it done in time i had fun with the nanamai and enjoyed the sentimental portions too. ahhh, nanamai is nonexistent now we know that... but let's hope for a miracle (the way sayamilky always gives us :D cries that was probably the last time though now with no 1st gens left) though the asahi cm was already a huge one. anw it's cool how they're both having dramas now and all, i 'm really so glad they're doing so well <3

edit: i'm glad i completed this now bc i do enjoy writing summer fics <3 haha happy 10 years with nogizaka46 💜