"Honoka, what on earth are you doing here?!"

The fabric of the girl's hoodie clings tightly to her face, water dripping steadily off an exposed strand of vibrant orange hair as the rain comes down in sheets behind her. Umi's dim porch light illuminates Honoka's face just enough for her to see her flash a sheepish grin.

Before she even gives her a chance to respond, Umi grabs her arm and pulls her roughly inside, slamming the door before any water can get in.

"Have you lost your mind?" She grabs her friend by the shoulders. "Do you want to get sick?"

"S-sorry Umi! I can explain! You see...I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a jog. Before long, it was pouring, and I didn't have an umbrella..." Honoka winces, and Umi assumes it's because she's waiting for the next Umi-bomb to go off. It takes every ounce of her willpower not to chastise her for her negligence, but something about how soaked and pathetic Honoka looks forces her to bite her tongue.

"It's alright. You're welcome to stay until the rain lets up."

Honoka shifts uncomfortably, scratching at her cheek and averting her gaze to the floor. "A-actually, Umi, I was hoping we could have a sleepover!"

Umi's eyes widen considerably, and she raises a horrified eyebrow. "B-but Honoka! We have school tomorrow!"

"I know, I know!" Honoka pipes up, her energetic and cheerful attitude apparently not swayed by the downpour. "But it'll be fun! It'll be just like old times. We used to have sleepovers at your house all the time, right?" She takes a deep breath. "And...well...my family is kiiiinda gone for the week, and I'm...a little lonely?"

Lonely. That wasn't a word Umi thought could ever come out of Honoka Kousaka's mouth. Her eyes soften immediately, and she starts to feel guilty for reacting adversely at all. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" She cracks a smile and turns on her heel. "You're lucky I've been up late writing lyrics lately, or no one would have been there to save you. Come on, I'll prepare some dry clothes for you."

There is a strange familiarity to it all as Umi leads Honoka to her room and digs up an old t-shirt and shorts for her to change into. This isn't the first time Umi has lent her friend her clothes during a sleepover; Honoka was notorious for falling into puddles, mud, and dirt whenever her overzealous nature allowed her to. Still, something about this feels notably different — and Umi isn't sure if it's the strange atmosphere from the raging storm outside, or something else entirely.

Honoka starts changing in front of her without a moment's hesitation, despite Umi's urgent protests that she should just change in the bathroom. "Absolutely shameless!" Umi blubbers, covering both eyes with her hands.

Honoka ignores her completely. "Umi-chan, your clothes always smell so nice~"

Umi can feel her face growing redder by the second. Why does her best friend have no shame?! It may be true that they changed in front of each other all the time in the past, but they weren't little kids anymore.

"Think fast!" Honoka calls suddenly, and Umi barely has a chance to lower her hands before a pillow smacks her directly in the face.

"Ho-no-kaaaaaaa," Umi growls, any previous feelings of embarrassment being replaced with rage. She volleys the pillow back in Honoka's direction with surprising force; if there was one thing Umi was especially good at, it was making sure she was never caught off guard.

"Yikes! I've awoken the beast!" Honoka quickly drops to the floor and rolls out of the way, lobbing back a smaller pillow that just barely grazes Umi's arm and lands on her desk, scattering the papers on top of it onto the floor.

Umi's eyes widen and she dodges for the papers, but it's too late.

"Oooh, are these the new lyrics you're writing, Umi? I bloom for your love, please look at me more-" Much to Umi's horror, Honoka begins to sing, improvising a tune for her lyrics. "Wow, these are some pretty steamy lyrics," she whistles. "Do you think we'll ever perform this?"

"Gi-give that back!" Umi rips the paper out of her friend's grasp, tearing it a little in the process. Before Honoka has any more chances to read the words on the page, she crumples it into a ball and throws it into a corner of the room. "Not everything I write has to be for Muse, you know!"

Honoka looks shocked for a just a second before a teasing glint appears in her eyes. "No way! Don't tell me that the innocent Umi-chan is really in a secret, forbidden romance?"

Umi suddenly feels like she's been stabbed in the chest.

"Could it be that I've finally discovered a secret side of you?" A sly grin crosses Honoka's face. "Why didn't you tell me? Aren't we best friends?"

"That's enough," Umi says suddenly, eyes trained to the floor so Honoka can't tell that tears have begun to form in them. "I don't...want to talk about this anymore."

Honoka relents at once, and the guilt in her eyes is apparent. Umi knows she's overreacting, knows her best friend meant no harm other than to get some sort of rise out of her, but still — Honoka's words hurt more than she had expected them to. Especially, Umi thinks as an ocean of shame crashes down upon her, because they are about her.

"Sorry, Umi," Honoka murmurs softly. "I took it too far. You don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable telling me. Okay?"

Honoka has instantly resumed the role of the gentle, loving friend, and Umi hates it because she knows she doesn't deserve it. She just nods, feeling too ashamed to offer up an explanation.

"Your hair has gotten a little bit longer," Honoka breaks the silence as though nothing had happened. "Mind if I try braiding it for old times' sake?"

Umi agrees, and goes to sit at the chair in front of her vanity. When they were younger, Honoka used to beg Umi to let her practice new hairstyles she had learned on her, taking any opportunity to get her hands on her long, raven hair. Honoka's hands used to be rough and clumsy, tugging too hard and often tangling it into unruly knots. But now, in the dim light of Umi's bedroom over five years later, Honoka's hands are even and steady, moving so lightly and carefully that Umi almost feels she could fall asleep.

"You know, you've changed a lot this year, Umi!" Honoka places a hand on Umi's head, lowering her face next to hers and gazing at their reflections in the mirror in front of them.

"H-how so?"

"Well, when we were kids, you used to be so nervous about me doing this that you'd start crying! You would always say, 'No! It's too embarrassing!' and refuse to be seen in public unless your hair was down in it's usual style."

Umi grimaces. "It certainly didn't help that you nearly killed me every time you tried."

"I was still in training!" Honoka giggles. "I mean to say that you've gotten a lot more confident, Umi. You don't mind letting me do your hair like this, even if you're worried it might not suit you. Ever since we started Muse together, I've watched you bloom into the person you were meant to be. Even though you were scared, even though it made you uncomfortable, you still got up on stage knowing that no one might be there to support us. Since then, I've watched you become more confident in interacting with others and believing more in your own ideas. When I see you on stage, you shine so radiantly; it's almost like you were always meant to be there. It really is amazing."

Umi's face has taken on a deep shade of crimson, staring at Honoka's reflection in the mirror with wide eyes.

Honoka blinks and instantly snaps back up, rubbing the back of her head. "Ahhhh, I said something cheesy just now, didn't I?"

"H-Honoka, thank you..." Umi wishes she could offer her friend a more proper response, but it's all she can do when her heartbeat is pounding so loudly in her ears that she can hardly think straight. Idiot, she wants to tell her, it's because you pushed me that I was able to do anything at all!

Honoka resumes her work on Umi's hair, and for a while the only sound is the gentle drumming of the raindrops on the roof, followed by the occasional rumble of thunder. Umi wants to bottle this moment up in a jar, to capture the way the low light makes Honoka's hair glow, to savor the steady sound of her breathing as her hands gently comb through her long tresses. She takes this opportunity where Honoka is silent and distracted — a rare moment, to be sure — to gaze unwaveringly at her reflection.

When did she begin to feel...like this? Due to Honoka's headstrong nature, their friendship had come as easy as breathing. It was never something Umi even had to think about. Whenever she began to feel hopeless or lost, Honoka was there, hand outstretched, ready to lead her places she didn't even know she wanted to be led. There was never a dull moment by her side, and for as much as Umi complained, she couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Honoka to guide her through it. She was a natural born leader, without even having to try. Somewhere deep down, Umi always knew this, but it was never as evident as it was when she was standing on stage, beaming proudly, exuding an elegance Umi had never seen before.

Maybe it was then that she fell in love with Honoka, or maybe it was a slow burn that she had failed to notice until it exploded in her face. Either way, she can no longer look at Honoka's brilliant smile without getting butterflies in her stomach and selfishly wishing she could keep it all to herself. But it doesn't matter how she feels. She can't overcome the fear that her feelings are probably one-sided, or the overwhelming shame of having feelings for her best friend.

"Hey, Umi-chan, I'm curious. What's it like to be in love?"

Umi forgets to breathe. Honoka is known for being surprising in lots of ways, but...mind reading?! Did she learn it from Nozomi, or something?

"Wh-wh-wh-what ever do you mean?"

"Sorry. I know I said I wouldn't talk about it again. I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to tell me any details, but...when I was reading your lyrics, I couldn't help but wonder — what sort of feeling is it when you love someone with all your heart?"

Honoka's hands fall from Umi's hair, which now rests on her shoulders in two long, neat braids. She meets her friend's eyes in the reflection of the mirror and takes notice to her blush stained cheeks. Honoka is serious about this.

What should she do? What should she say? How is she supposed to describe her feelings for the person standing in front of her, when that person is probably thinking of her feelings for someone else?

"For you, Honoka, I bet it's probably a lot like taking the first bite into a freshly baked loaf of bread."

A thousand thoughts and unspoken feelings swept under the rug with a simple joke.

Umi stands and goes to sit on her bed, surprised when Honoka follows and sits right next to her, pulling a blanket over both of their legs.

"Hmm...so it's soft and squishy, and makes your whole body feel warm?" Honoka is back to her usual energetic self.

"S-something like that," Umi responds, fixing her gaze at the wall and wishing this conversation would just end already.

"Do you get nervous when you think about being close to the one you love?" Honoka's fingers gently brush the top of Umi's hand.

Umi can feel her ears burning, and she cranes her head further towards the wall, trying to the best of her ability to avoid Honoka's gaze. What on earth is she doing?! "Wh-wh-what are you talking about? Th-that's normal, isn't it? A-anyway, I told you I didn't want to talk about this!"

Suddenly, Honoka is intertwining her fingers with Umi's, and she can no longer feign composure. She can feel Honoka's breath on her face, and she knows if she turns around, Honoka's shimmering cerulean eyes will be directly in front of her. Maybe this whole night is just some sort of strange dream or incredibly realistic hallucination.

"So if that person does something like this...," Honoka closes the gap between them and kisses Umi lightly on the cheek before whispering softly into her ear, "does it make your heart flutter?"

"Stop, Honoka! I'm begging you! Stop!" Umi grabs her friend tightly by the wrist, and this time she makes no effort to avoid her gaze. Tears stain her cheeks, and her entire body is trembling. The look of complete shock on her friend's face does little to stop her. "It's you, you idiot!" She blubbers, not caring for the moment that she'll probably regret saying all of this a few minutes from now. "I didn't want you to see those lyrics because they're about you! I don't have any sort of 'forbidden love' or 'secret romance' to speak of. You've always been my precious friend, but I've...started to think of you as something even more precious. It's a feeling I don't believe I have the right to share. So I've kept silent all this time. I really am such a shameful human being! I don't deserve to call myself your frie—"

Umi's blubbering is effectively silenced by the feeling of Honoka's lips on hers.

By the time she pulls away, Umi has forgotten how to speak.

"Umi-chan, thank goodness! I'm so relieved!" Honoka wipes the tears from her eyes, and Umi observes that this is the reddest she has ever seen the other girl's face. "I was so worried you had found someone else. I always thought nothing could come between us, that no one could be as close to you as I am. When I saw those lyrics, I was so certain someone had come to steal you from me. "

"H-Honoka..."

"How selfish of me, right? I keep causing so much trouble for you..." Honoka laughs, but it's apparent how flustered she is.

"You are pretty troublesome, you know?" Umi laughs, and suddenly her whole world feels much lighter.

"Huh?!"

"If it's just with me...I don't mind you being selfish, Honoka."

She pulls Honoka into another kiss, despite the fact that she's so nervous it feels like she could pass out at any moment, despite the fact that she has absolutely no idea what she's doing, and despite the fact that she'll probably do something embarrassing in the process.

It's nearly 2 a.m. and they have morning practice in only a few hours, but for what might be the first time in her life, Umi doesn't care. For now, she's content existing inside this perfect of bubble of time that encapsulates nothing but herself, Honoka, and the steady downpour of the rain.