Umi had made it to school in time and for that she could not be more relieved. Right before leaving the bluenette had had to help her parents to do some early morning dojo cleaning. She could've left home early but her mother had woken up with a back pain that had kept her in bed; Umi diligently promised her that she wouldn't leave the household until the training area was speck clean. But now Umi stood in front of her classroom with a few minutes to spare; she was glad that she hadn't been tardy. If her impeccable attendance had been tainted she wouldn't hear the end of it from Honoka. With one last relieved breath, Umi opened the door and walked into her classroom.

Umi found her two childhood friends sitting next to each other, with Honoka having dragged her chair next to Kotori's desk. The bluenette saw them fiddling with something on the desk so she set down her bag and walked to the side of Kotori's seat.

"Ah, Umi-chan! You're here!" Honoka looked up at her friend and beamed a smile.

"Pocky?" Umi looked down at the three boxes of biscuits on the desk and frowned.

"Yup!" Kotori nodded and took hold of blue box labeled as 'Cheesecake flavor'. "We were just talking about you Umi-chan!"

"What have I told you about eating too many snacks? With these many boxes Kotori will have to go on a diet like Honoka did." Umi shook her head "And I'm sure she doesn't want to run laps around the city again."

Honoka's smile 180'd into a large frown. "No Umi-chan! We're not going to eat all of these! And we were talking about sharing them with you."

"Well, I suppose I could have one or two" Umi tentatively looked at the snacks. The interesting flavors made it very tempting for the bluenette to have a biscuit or two.

"Umi-chan, did you know that today is Pocky day?" Kotori commented as Honoka began to open the chocolate flavored ones.

"Pocky day? Sounds like something Honoka would make up." Umi smiled at her small joke but the ginger seemed too focused on opening the snacks to notice it. "Do these go on sale today or something?"

"Nope! In Pocky Day, people play the Pocky game!"

"There's a Pocky game?"

"Yup! Honoka-chan's about done preparing it" Honoka nodded with one of the chocolate biscuits in her lips.

"And then what?"

"Get to my side!" Honoka managed to speak without dropping the Pocky from her mouth. Umi nodded and walked around Kotori's desk, stopping right next to Honoka.

"Now, the game's rules are simple. Each player holds one end of the Pocky and start eating, and whoever breaks out of it first loses!"

Umi froze as Honoka swayed the other end of the treat in front of her. She looked like she had zoned out.

"Umi-chan?" The ginger tilted her head, wondering why her friend was just standing there.

"T-that's! But if no one gives up, w-wouldn't they end up kissing?!" Umi blurted out as her face got redder by the second.

"Mhmm! That's what makes it fun and special!" Kotori happily nodded.

"C'mon Umi-chan! My end will become soft and soggy if I keep holding it!" Honoka leaned towards Umi, with the Pocky spearheading her advance towards the other's lips. Unfortunately for the ginger, Umi leaned back as she leaned towards forward.

"N-no! Absolutely not! T-that's shameless! Honoka, you know no shame!" Umi shook her head.

"Aww c'mon Umi-chan!" Kotori pouted as she reached out for the bluenette's arm, but Umi moved it away. Kotori frowned in disapproval but then took another Pocky and put it in her mouth.

"Not you too Kotori!" Umi almost fell down from how much she had leaned away from her friends. How could they be so shameless? They hadn't grown up to become as immoral as this, Umi was certain of this. Or had they secretly lost all of their morals and shame and she hadn't noticed?

The bluenette snapped out of her train of thought when two Pockies were suddenly in front of her face. Umi quickly stood straight, the sudden movement surprising both Honoka and Kotori and making them drop the biscuits.

"No! I am not participating in this shameless and depraved game, and that's it!" Umi practically yelled out loud and stomped to her desk, sitting down and closing her eyes, not bearing to look at her shameless friends.

Both Kotori and Honoka whined at the same time but decided to drop the subject. For now.

Much to her dismay, Umi had been the victim of more attempts of the Pocky Game throughout the rest of the day. Whenever they got a chance, Kotori and Honoka would offer her a Pocky from their lips. Umi had managed to get them off of her back every time and now that classes were over and club activities would start, she hoped that her friends would stop focusing on trying to force biscuits in her mouth and instead focus on training. Happy with those hopeful thoughts, Umi opened the door to the clubroom.

Where she found Honoka and Kotori sitting right next to each other and half a Pocky between them.

Umi stood there, words failing to come out of her mouth. The other two were so focused on their little game that they hadn't noticed their other friend standing right in the doorframe. Umi stared at them, flabbergasted by how neither seemed to be giving up in their little game. The bluenette covered her face but kept her fingers separated enough to see how her childhood friends eventually touched lips in a quick kiss. Honoka leaned back and grinned gleefully while Kotori held her cheeks and turned away.

And that's when she got spotted.

"Ah, Umi-chan!" Kotori gasped "I'm sorry we didn't notice you." Umi still stood still and wordlessly.

"How long had you been watching?" Honoka asked but frowned when she didn't get a response. "Fine fine, we get it, you don't like this game. We won't do it again." The ginger sighed in defeat.

Umi closed the door behind her and gulped. "I-I don't mind..." her voice came out as meek and small at first "I-if we played it once or twice. The Pocky game I mean!"

Honoka and Kotori gasped at the same time and happily reached out for the boxes of biscuits. Umi wasn't quite sure what she had just gotten herself into, but she couldn't help but to smile at seeing her friends so happy and excited.

And maybe sharing a few Pockies (kisses) with her two beloved friends wouldn't be so bad.