Chapter 1

"Waaaaahhh! It's so pretty!" Riko exclaimed upon their arrival. It was a bright and clear day in the middle of winter when Riko and You arrived at the mountain resort. They were there for a skiing trip, just the two of them. All the members of Aquors were originally going to come, but since it was winter break, everyone else had scheduling conflicts. Though she would never say it, You was really glad it turned out this way; when she first heard the news, the prospect of a weekend alone with Riko made her face turn a dark shade of red.

"Isn't it? My dad takes me up here every few years but he thought I should bring my friends with me this time." You happily chimed back, a smile beaming on her face. Riko returned the smile, but suddenly her gaze became more somber. "I'm sorry that it could only be the two of us, I'm sure it would have been more fun for you with everyone else here…" Deep down, Riko really wasn't sorry, she was also happy it was only the two of them, but she thought that You would be disappointed. Riko always treasured the time she got to spend with You but constantly worried that she was just an annoyance, that You would rather be doing something else. You, panicking at the sudden mood shift, did the first thing that came to her mind, grabbing Riko's hands and making the two of them face each other. The shock of the motion roused Riko from her stupor and when she looked up, she saw that pair of strong, ocean blue eyes staring right at her. "Riko-chan, we're gonna have an awesome time, don't worry! I'm glad you're with me!" You exclaimed, trying to sound as confident as she could. A moment passed as the two remained in that position, when You suddenly realized what she'd just done. Blushing profusely, she released her grip on the other girl's hands and began to rub the back of her neck while looking away, trying to somehow hide her embarrassment. Her attention was drawn to the sound of laughter from behind her, and when she turned around she saw Riko tearing up from laughter and smiling. It was a beautiful sight: red hair blowing in the wind, a picturesque forest behind her, she wished she could save the image forever. You began to laugh along with her and the two stood there for a minute to regain their composure. Having finally settled back down, Riko was able to respond. "Of course, you're right, let's enjoy the time we have here. Shall we go look at our room?" "Yousoro!"

"T-this is all… for us?" "Well… ehehe…" The room, calling it that would be an understatement, which they would be staying in was enormous. A large fireplace with couches around it, a second floor, a whole kitchen, it seemed more like a cabin than a room. "My dad's friends with the manager, so when it was initially going to be all nine of us, he gave us the biggest room. I guess he forgot to tell him that it'd only be two…" You said, slightly embarrassed at how overboard all of this seemed (she actually didn't tell her dad, she wanted to have the big space only for themselves). She was afraid Riko might be put off by the thought of the two of them in such a big space, but she seemed to be enjoying it actually. You, since she'd seen the room before, flopped down on one of the couches while Riko continued looking around.

By this point, it was beginning to get dark outside and still the pair had not eaten yet, a fact which was highlighted by Riko's stomach grumbling (You thought this was hilarious). "So, what should we do to eat? You're much more familiar with this place than I am." Riko finally said, still slightly pouting from You's teasing. "Well, there's the lodge restaurant but I don't think they let monsters in!" You emphasized the word monsters and snickered while pointing toward Riko's stomach. She was not amused. "Ehehehe, hmmm, let's see what we have in the kitchen." You strode across the floor and made her way to the cabinets. What awaited inside was, well, almost nothing, just some random snack food that the lodge provides. However, the food in there gave You a wonderfully mischievous idea. "Riko-chan!" You shouted across the room, slamming her hands on the countertop for added effect. "Y-yes?!" Riko jumped a bit at the sudden commotion. "We're skippin dinner and going straight to dessert! Go to the bedroom and get some blankets and coat hangers!" "What can we do with-" Riko began, until she saw how determined and excited You looked; she looked like a child who'd just shown her parents something she'd found. "Ok!" Riko said as she headed towards her newfound objective, infected by You's enthusiasm. You gave her classic salute and shot her brightest smile, "Don't worry, it'll be a blast!"

After some searching, Riko managed to find what she was looking for. The only blankets she could find were heavy quilts, so she struggled a bit trying to get everything out of the room. After what felt like ages, she finally cleared the bottom step and brought everything to the couch area. When she arrived, she was still thoroughly confused as to what they were going to eat. You, who had previously been sitting hunched over the fireplace, suddenly jumped up, turned around, and exclaimed, "Welcome… to tonight's special feast! We hope you enjoy, yousoro!" A small box, a white bag, a roaring fireplace, and what looked like a chocolate bar. Whatever Riko was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "W-what is all this..?" Riko tentatively asked, very bewildered by this sudden turn of events. "Riko-chan's never had s'mores before?" You replied, tilting her head in surprise. When Riko responded by shaking her head, You almost seemed to get more excited. I get to show something new to Riko-chan, this is the best! You thought to herself, but quickly got these thoughts in check so she didn't freak out too much from the rush. Grabbing the mass of items from Riko (she was amazed that You could handle them so easily), You placed the blankets on the floor in front of the fire and began to unfurl one of the hangers. "Ah, is it really ok to be messing with those like that? They aren't ours so we shouldn't break them…" Riko was nervous what the management might think when they saw the broken hangers, but You seemed to not have a care in the world about that. "Don't worry about it! Like I said, my dad's friends with management, I'm sure they won't mind." She said with a positively carefree attitude. Riko conceded a sigh, but couldn't help but smile at it all; You seemed so into what she was doing, Riko was truly glad that she could be a part of it.

In a quick series of motions You had precisely crafted a bounty of tiny, sweet sandwiches, save the for the marshmallow filling. She deftly put the marshmallows onto a hanger, which had been fashioned into a makeshift fork, and began holding them over the fire to roast, humming an Aqours song as the long task began. Riko, who'd never even been camping before, was transfixed by the series of events. She sat there admiring the scene and took in everything: the snapping of the logs as they burned, the radiating warmth the fire made, and of course You as she sat there happily humming. Riko hadn't noticed until now, but while she was getting the blankets, You had put on her glasses; she knew that You was pretty, but the sight of You's features highlighted by the fire made her heart race a little. I wonder if she's ever thought I was pretty, Riko wondered, but quickly sent that thought away. No... I mean I am pretty , but I doubt she'd look at me that way, and even if she did, she has Chika, why would she choose me?

Coming back to reality, Riko realized that, unsurprisingly, it was slightly cold in the mountains and she was feeling the chill a bit, but the blankets were by You. She could either (somehow) drag one onto the couch or she could go sit next to You. She didn't think she had the courage to be so bold as to- "They're done!" You suddenly exclaimed, pulling the hanger from the flames. "Riko-chan, come down here and help me, this is the best part!" She motioned to a spot on the blankets right next to her. Her mental dilemma solved for her, Riko hesitantly made her way over, her heart still pounding. When she sat down, You put a set of graham crackers in each of her hands , "When I tell you, sandwich the two together, ok?" "O-ok..." You grabbed the makeshift fork again and placed one one of the marshmallows onto a set of crackers. "Now!" Riko brought her hands together and You swiftly pulled the hanger away, leaving behind a small marshmallow trail. They repeated the exercise a few times and were now left with set of tiny, sweet, this time complete, sandwiches. Still riding the slight euphoria of the moment and not thinking about what she was doing (again), You grabbed one of the sweets and held it towards Riko saying, "You gotta try one now, open up!"

A moment to passed in silence. You, once again realizing that she'd done something terribly embarrassing, turned a shade of red. She wondered why she kept doing such strange things when it came to Riko. She was about to try and cover her remark with a joke but, shockingly, Riko closed her eyes and opened her mouth (You was very glad that she closed her eyes, it meant that she couldn't see how embarrassed You was). From Riko's perspective, the comment had almost paralyzed her. Her heart felt like it was flying out of her chest and could barely think straight. With her mind blank, Riko chose to close off the world by closing her eyes and listening to You, hoping that somehow the world would right itself. Another moment passed in silence between the two. The next sensation Riko felt was a warm, sweet food in her mouth. She took a bite and experienced one of the best tasting foods she'd ever had. With her mind clear, Riko finally dared to open her eyes and was met with the sight of You sitting expectantly, wanting to know how it was. Realizing she hadn't made any response she quickly smiled, a truly genuine smile. "This is amazing! I've never had anything like this before, not even in Tokyo." At this response You began beaming, obviously proud of her handiwork. "Isn't it? My dad always makes them when we come here, but this was the first time I made them by myself." The two spent a long while enjoying the rest of the treats, talking about everything from You's dad to Riko's time in Tokyo, and slowly the night drifted on. When all of them were finally gone, a peaceful quiet lay upon the room, accompanied by the occasional crackle from the fire.

Eventually, You began moving to put away the ingredients of their ad lib meal, saying, "We've got a busy day tomorrow, so I guess we should head to bed soon huh?" Riko was quiet a moment. The atmosphere, You's company, she was enjoying it all so much that she wished it could go on for even a moment longer. Though she would definitely not consider herself a brave person, something about the night had given Riko an uncharacteristic resolve that was telling her to follow her heart. Steeling herself for the worst, she grabbed at the tail of You's green pajama shirt, an action met with a questioning glance from the bespectacled girl. "A-actually, You-chan..." Riko cast her gaze down, "c-could you show me h-how to make some of those sweets?" Though she couldn't see it, the request brought a beautiful smile to You's face, she was ecstatic that she could spend more time with Riko. As You turned around to replace the ingredients onto the blanket, Riko released her grip and nervously looked to see the girl's reaction. Upon seeing the smile still stuck to You's face, all of Riko's worries melted away, she felt as if there was nothing else she would ever need to worry about. You explained the basics and showed Riko how everything worked, and though there were many mistakes made, the two had, as You said earlier, a blast. During the time of the lesson the moon had risen higher and, if they wanted to have some semblance of energy for the coming activities, needed to get to sleep. Rather than opting to haul the mass of blankets back up to the bedroom, they decided that fashioning the quilts into makeshift futons was an easier, and probably warmer, option. With the energy of the evening finally coming to a close and everything cleaned up, the two lay down to rest at last. Rolling onto her side to face her companion, You saw Riko looking back at her. "Goodnight Riko-chan." "Goodnight You-chan. Truly, thank you for everything, I had so much fun." A final, weary smile grew on You's face as she gave a very tired salute. Laughing at the adorable gesture, Riko returned a smile and flipped to her other side. Leaving it to their future selves to think about the embarrassment of being so close and sharing a blanket, the two drifted off into peaceful sleeps.