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[PP - F02 - PT] Strawberry Shortcakes


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Koga's smile softened as Kasumi mused her face quickly reddening again. School, he used to hate it. He didn't exactly miss it now, but he did miss goofing off with his friends in the back of the class, avoiding their professors gaze, who really only cared because they loved the sound of their own voices. The exams though, yeah fuck those.

"Yeah, I think meeting all the friends I've made in here would be nice," Koga said, oblivious to whatever connotations Kasumi had implied. "Yourself included," he added before turning his gaze to a fraying thread in Kasumi's blanket, "I don't know that these versions of us are perfect though." An uncomfortable shuffle, as the man straightened back up and leaned into the wall. "We're still us, after all," he said, "we can't hide our personalities, our fears, or our feelings behind our stats." The man looked back at Kasumi again as he spoke. "We're still us. And we still make mistakes." If he'd been perfect in SAO, a lot of things would have turned out different.

"But on the bright side ," he said, thinking positively for once (who knew he could do that?), "that does mean that the me in here is just as real as the guy in realspace. And that girl who cared for her garden and enjoyed imperfect meals, and probably worried about her grades is just as real as the girl who's so kind-hearted that she's somehow still worrying about others, despite being sick as a dog, the one who hates fighting, despite being a masterful martial artist, and is also a scarily good craftswoman."

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"I wonder if it's possible..." her view averting, trying to calm the bubbling blood in her face, using one of her hands to fan a bit. The slight tug on the end of the sheet of fabric keeps her on edge, like a dream. The words felt like a question, but the meaning wasn't so clear. "We're all pretty close to perfect, just like the food. I don't get tired nearly as fast, I can eat as much dessert as I want without it going straight to my butt." instant flush, the fanning against her face becomes a much quicker pace.

"But beneath it all, we are who we are even if we are driving around ideal versions of ourselves. The one wound we can really feel are ones that attack our heart. What's important." Her face does its best to smile, keeping an obvious disconnect from looking at Koga directly. "Is we do our best to treat each other kindly, a mistake only stays that way if we don't do something about it. It's how we act that keeps us human, and I am pretty sure my garden is dead." her words reflected one end of the topic, as she avoided the compliment she was paid. Probably because her heart couldn't take any more butterflies.

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Koga's lips curved gently upwards, suppressing the chuckle that came in response to Kasumi's small jests. A lightness of words that didn't quite fit in with the heft of the topic. "Well, add 'dead garden' to the 'makes Kasumi human' column," the man replied, a joke of his own. 

Even if Koga wasn't complete sure that they were anywhere near ideal within SAO, he did know that he at least preferred the him that was here. If only because he felt there was a purpose to his existence. On the outside though? It hardly seemed that anything was waiting for him.

Well...there could be one thing...maybe...

"Hey, Kasumi." Koga said, this time his turn to not look at the girl, instead staring straight ahead at the wall. "What do you say to going out and getting a real lunch with me once we clear the game? As imperfect as you'd like."

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Fiddling with her fingers on her lap, still keeping a hefty wave with her left. "Y-yeah?" the girl choked out at the sudden acknowledgement, turning to face the guy and almost immediately regretting it. An impulse when a person's name was called. "Oh, OH yeah!" it came off weird, and she could swear she could feel something trailing out of her nose. The sparks under her skin made her face numb as if she had her wisdom teeth ripped out, she was completely in a trance.

Quickly snapping her hands to her mouth, covering, as if to catch what had just spilled out uncontrollably and cram it back in. Too late, committed now. "I-i mean, what?" fumbling to back petal back, "What would you have in mind? Maybe something simple like Taiyaki. But that's for kids, Maybe something more grown up like sushi. Can I even afford sushi? I know a picnic. But bears..." Eventually the language becomes uncontrollable verbal dribble that wasn't understandable, but it would be clear she was still talking.

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Koga did his best to contain the amusement he was feeling listen to Kasumi ramble, or rather spitefire words into unintelligible strings, and Koga was beginning to wonder how much of that was feverish drivel. Ultimately, he couldn't contain himself and the man burst out a laugh, leaning forward, his composure gone. He turned to look at Kasumi, a smile across his lips. "Hey hey, relax. We're not getting out of here anytime soon at the rate the Frontlines moving. We got time to figure it out."

Koga just watched Kasumi for a moment, eyes wandering across her flushed face, before he sat back up and leaned back against the wall again, allowing his head to lull back and rest with closed eyes. "And don't worry about paying. It's on me. I still owe you." Was he asking Kasumi out on a date? Was he trying to just repay the favor like he'd said? Koga wasn't quite sure himself, but what he did know was that he was feeling happier than he had in a long while in this moment. Who'd have known the kind of power a single word followed by a jumbled mess of words could have.

"Oh, and taiyaki is not just for kids."

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blushing-58.gif.b98e1a4cb18b057e66b20be216c07220.gifA chuckle keeps her nice and embarrassed, she felt like she could just die. Right here. "ok." it came out tiny, like a mouse. Catching those striking pair of orange eyes of his, just like her own, she kind of zones out for a moment. "But sushi is expensive, I couldn't possibly." They still hadn't decided on it, and yet she was stuck on the specifics. The guy's smile was infectious, though, and she couldn't help but reflect it. The strangest mix of happiness and overbearing raw emotion that one would ever see. Her brain kicks in, and she jolts a bit. She'd spent a fair amount of time reddened like an apple, and it didn't show any sign of ending either. "Taiyaki is good, I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression or anything." Where was the filter?

Did I just tell him I wanted to seem grown up?

*floof*

Pillow to the face.

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The distinctive sound of a pillow striking something made Koga slowly open his eyes and look in the direction of the noise, which, of course was Kasumi. The girl had buried her face in her pillow, and again, Koga had to try to suppress his amusement. This time, he was a bit more successful.

Was she embarrassed? It was kind of cute. An evil, mischievous part of Koga wanted to see if he could tease her ever so gently. Shifting his seat to place himself on the end of the girl's bed he leaned in close to her before gently tugging at the pillow which Kasumi was hiding herself behind. "Hey, Kasumi?" the man said, peeling the corner away just enough to look her in the eyes again. "Why are you hiding back there?" A playful glint shone in his eye, as he tried to coax the girl out from behind her fortress.

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A twist of her face in the socket now newly produced in a linen face mask. Again her name called, and she slinks a peek out of the top. Eyes sway off to the side, quickly leaping from a direct tether. Words came back muffled, spoken through a sea of feathers. "ymmu prmbly, thmk mm a drrk." I mean, she was acting a sight and had zero composure. Her emotions had been spiraling out of control ever since the epiphany clicked, and she realized the ramifications of her choices. What was worse was, she wasn't entirely sure why she was acting this way. Heart had been performing jumping jacks in her chest, head in a film and threatening to make her believe this was a dream.

Squeezing the pillow just that much more, suction cupping it to the bottom half of her face. It was as if speaking through it made it easier to be honest. Toes wiggle a bit beneath her comforter. Her gaze meets his and her hands scrunch up.

Probably thinks I am an idiot, what is wrong with me

Eyes warble teetering on the edge of tears, but she couldn't bring herself to cry in front of him.

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The bemused smile never left his lips as Kasumi peeked out from her hiding place and uttered some barely understood words, all while refusing to look at the man. It was a scene right out of one of those comedic slice-of-life- romances that he'd used to watch. Watering eyes and all.

"Yes, yes I do think you're a dork." Koga confirmed with a nod. "But I think you're a pretty cute dork." That one wasn't meant to be teasing. Well, not entirely at least. He'd have to be a liar to say that the girl wasn't cute, and that was on a normal day, and that was without the blushing and embarrassment.

Koga shifted on the bed to be sitting beside Kasumi now, a leg hanging off as there wasn't enough room for them both. For a moment, Koga worried he might be making himself a little too comfortable, but too late to jump ship now. Well, unless Kasumi physically threw him off. Which seemed a distinct possibility, given how red her face was. "There's nothing wrong with being a dork, you know," Koga said, looking at the foot of the bed. "I'm kinda a big dork myself."

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*flomp*

The bed shifts as she feels something cause it to bend inward, and once her senses return and twist to realize that Koga had taken a seat next to her.

*thump thump*

Her heart skips a beat and in reaction she bolts back and connects with the headboard with a surprising amount of force. The whole frame rattles, staring intently at Koga with the shock caught on her expression. Clutching tightly to that pillow and peering over top of it as she starts to feel light-headed, starting to slink down and become faint. Where Koga would appear comfortable, it was an interesting contrast. Kasumi appeared as though her skeleton would jump out of her skin. "W-what a-are you doing?" Kasumi remarks, struggling the words out as one could swear they could see her soul trying to escape out of her mouth. Once the words finally start to sink in, the moment making everything received disjointed and broken up. "I-i'm glad." her voice so small, she was clearly struggling.

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The loud reverberating clatter of the backboard smacking the wall seemed to hang in the air, long after the noise had faded into silence. Kasumi practically shook at the same frequency, as if she were ready to spring away to some hidden place of safety. Small, meek words carried on that same broken wavelength, no single world quite complete by the time they made it out of the girl's mouth.

"You're glad?" Koga questioned, the bemused, teasing tone quickly returning to his voice as he took a sidelong glance at the girl. "Glad I'm a dork like you? Or glad I think you're cute?" Was that most likely one of the cheesiest and/or cringiest things to ever leave Koga's mouth? Yes. Was he probably gonna look back on that line with regret. Most definitely. But he was committed now, and so despite the burning heat he could feel at the tips of his ears, he leaned in close to the girl, his face only mere inches from hers. The only barrier between them was the pillow Kasumi clutched so tightly.

"Maybe both?"

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Frazzled beyond belief as Koga moved in for the kill, twisting her head into an even greater tangled mess. "I-i'm glad..." She swallows hard, trying to keep something together, as she wormed and wiggled her feet. Her eyes locked to his, unsure how to fathom exactly what it was she was going through. It begins to grasp at mental straws before an epiphany: It's because he's so close, should I punch him? That would be mean.. But...

Her eyes move to his lips, weighing her options before her courage swells.

I need to get him to stop talking

Dropping the pillow in a huff she slinks forward and plants her lips on his, time seems to stop. Slinking off the side of the bed and falling rather gracefully with a thud that barrier had fell.

*plop*

Flush the two of them, Koga now matching her coloration as she'd finally gotten even with the guy. "t-that you th..nk I'm c-cute."

Thread Complete:
image.png.11b5adb5ad1984728fd35cfd5324e20c.png

10497/30=349*5=1745

Kasumi:
1745*8=13960 EXP
Koga:
1745*4=6980 EXP

Edited by Kasumi
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