The Love Letter Lovelies
by Glee-chan
02.
When the day ended, Makoto was anxious to get home. She didn't meet any new friends and she had no idea if her cute act changed anything. Girls were still looking at her. She inwardly groaned thinking that maybe she might have been over doing it. It seemed that as she readied herself to leave there were a number of eyes glued on her every movement. She didn't want to seem like she noticed the stares, so she took her time in packing, even trying to start a little small talk with a fearful looking Izumi. When that didn't pan out, she thought it best to just retreat and cut her loses.
The tension lessened as soon as she left the classroom and headed for the shoe locker. The people in the hall were from other classes so most of them weren't even aware of her existence. It felt nice. As she went around the corner that lead into the locker room, she noticed a gang of girls giggling and running out the door. She recognized some of them from her class. Part of her wished she had a group of friends like that. All she had was a terrified Izumi.
When she arrived at her shoe locker, she lazily opened it up and reached for her shoes. But on opening it, two envelopes fell to the ground. Looking into the shoe locker there are three more envelops on top of her shoes. Her heart pounded against her chest. Picking up the envelopes she could tell they were love letters.
Who the hell writes love letters on the first day of school? Makoto whined inside her head. As she stuffed the notes into her book bag she realized that her cute experiment was an utter failure. What am I doing wrong? Do they still think a tomboy? I thought I was doing a good job at being more like a girl! She wondered if those same girls she saw giggling were the ones who placed the letters into her locker.
What is it with me? Am I cat-nip for lesbians, or what? Makoto placed on her shoes. Wait. What if some of these letters aren't from girls. It's not unreasonable that a boy might give me a letter right? Makoto scrunched her lips again, thinking about it. She had improved her looks so it was possible. Though the idea of boys liking her wasn't really that much of an improvement in her mind, she thought it might lift her spirits if for once someone normal liked her.
There was a public park in between Yumuto High School and her house. Makoto thought she'd stroll over there and investigate the letters before she went home. She didn't want to have a meltdown at home, and have to explain the whole thing to her Mom. Plus with the thought of maybe a boy liking her being planted in her head, her curiosity factor kicked in. When she arrived at the park she quickly found a bench and searched her book bag.
The first letter was from a girl. Disappointment coated over her like thick sticky honey. The second was from Izumi. Makoto rolled her eyes at that one, wondering when she managed to slip the letter into her shoe locker. The third from another girl. It was too depressing to go on. Makoto shook her head then leaned her head back over the bench top and groaned loudly.
"What's wrong with me?" Makoto whined.
"Is there something the matter?"
Makoto sat up and saw a wide-eyed Kaede standing in front of her, holding her shinai over her shoulder. Completely embarrassed, Makoto shoved the remaining letters back into her book bag. I was acting so uncute in front of her. I bet she figured out that the whole day I was acting.
"Did something happen?" Kaede asked, placing down her book bag and sitting next to her.
"N-Nothing." Makoto tried taking a cute voice, but it even sounded fake to her.
Kaede didn't say anything for a moment, then leaned her body over Makoto's lap, looking inside her opened book bag. "So many love letters..."
Makoto blushed. She couldn't take it anymore. The stress of the last few months had piled up until this moment. Now she found herself spilling the beans. "I thought things would be different once I got to High School… but it's just the same as it was in Middle School."
"You got love letters in Middle School?" Kaede still looked as composed as ever. "Is that bad?"
"They're all letters from girls." Makoto whimpered.
"Oh." Kaede looked away for a moment. "Well… you are cute after all."
For some reason the way Kaede said that made Makoto's heart skip a beat. Someone other than her Mom called her cute. She was trying so hard to be cute, and Kaede told her she was. A little bit of pride filled in her accomplishment. Even if she failed over the love letters at least part of her plan worked.
"When I was in Middle School, I was a tomboy." Makoto admitted. "I thought the girls liked me because I was like a boy. So I figured if I acted more like a girl that High School would be different. But on the first day I got five letters! Five!"
Kaede still wasn't looking at her, it was as if she was considering something. "Did you act different back then?"
Makoto thought about it. At the present, she was acting more cute in her gestures. She tried to smile more and speak as cheerful as possible. But on the whole she was the same person. In fact the public image she gave most of the day was her failing to remember to smile or giggle. The whole Hiyayaka-san incident was Makoto acting like herself.
"You act cute even when you're not trying to be." Kaede spoke, breaking Makoto's self-analysis. "You kind of space out… and you have this thing you do with your lips that makes your face completely readable. You probably did cute stuff like that all the time in Middle School. You're getting love letters because you're cute without even trying to be."
"Oh." Makoto blinked. "They didn't like me because I was a tomboy then?"
Kaede turned her head, her eyes connecting with Makoto's. "I can't imagine you as a tomboy, even if you dressed like one."
Whining, Makoto leaned back on the bench again. "All that effort wasted! I thought if I tried to look pretty, they'd go after the boys."
Sighing slightly, Kaede leaned back also so she could look at Makoto directly. "So you don't like girls?"
"It's not that…" Makoto shrugged.
"Do you like boys then?" Kaede asked.
"I don't know. They never liked me before, so I don't know."
"I don't think it should bother you that someone likes you, even if it's a girl." Kaede concluded, as if her saying so made it true.
Makoto looked at her, then sat up. Kaede followed her up, still keeping her eyes on her. Her heart was still skipping a beat when the kendo-girl stared into her eyes like that. Makoto had to turn away. Then a thought came to her. She had walked this path home a few times before she went to school in the area. She never saw Kaede before. That could a coincidence, but it was enough to get her thinking. Did she follow me here?
Kaede turned away and looked at her shinai. "Do you like Kendo?"
"I never tried it." Makoto said, still wondering if the other girl followed her to the park.
"You should join the Kendo Club with me." Kaede spoke calmly.
Makoto looked at Kaede's ponytail, as strands of it were blowing slightly in the breeze. "Did you follow me here?" Before she knew it she voiced what she was thinking. Shit! I did it again!
"Yes." Kaede said in an unabashed voice. Makoto dropped her mouth in surprise. Kaede looked at her. "I wanted to see if you read my letter."
Makoto heart didn't skip a beat this time, it bungee jumped. Kaede's eyes were studying her in that peaceful manner she did everything, but her cheeks were slightly pink as well. Kaede was one of her admirers?
"Y-You wrote me one?"
"Yes." Kaede repeated.
She said it in such a matter of fact tone. Makoto couldn't believe it. She reached into her book bag and pulled out the letters and showed them to Kaede. "Which one is yours?"
Kaede pulled out an envelope that was a creamy pink color. It was one of the ones Makoto hadn't read yet. She handed it back to Makoto then turned and looked at her shinai again. Makoto felt shy as she opened the letter, having to read it right in front of the writer. Her tongue pressed side of her mouth as she unfolded the paper and began to read it.
Akiyama-san,
I know this is the first day of school and it's unorthodox to receive a letter like this, but my heart can't stop rushing. You sit in front of me in class, and my eyes can't keep from looking at you. I keep gazing at the back of your head wondering what could you be thinking? Or sometimes I look at your neck, or your beautiful hair, thinking how lovely you are. Sometimes I catch your face, and I see those cute expressions you do. It's all I can do not to melt inside. I am overwrought with butterflies in my stomach just from hearing your voice. You make my body feel jittery, but in a good way. I realize that we just met, and that we are both girls, but would you consider going on a date with me?
Ozawa-san.
Makoto finished the letter and folded it up. Her whole body felt hot. Usually the love letters she received in the past were simple things like: "You're so cool", "Do you want to go to a movie with me on Saturday?", "Please go out with me", or "I love you, let's go out.". But Kaede's letter was so… well, it was romantic. From what little she knew of the kendo-girl, she seemed direct and to the point, yet this letter expressed her feelings in an almost artistic way. Makoto could tell by the way Kaede held herself that her feelings where something she liked to control. Writing something this emotional must of been difficult for her to do.
"But- you don't even know me." Makoto spoke in a soft voice.
"I know." Kaede continued looking down at her shinai. She looked like she was struggling to say something, but her self control was holding her back this time. She couldn't talk like she did in the letter, even when she wanted too. Finally she mumbled something so quiet that it barely was heard. "I wish I could say what I'm thinking like you can."
Makoto didn't know why she did it, but she reached and grabbed Kaede's hand. "Don't think, just blurt it out. That's how I do it. It's completely embarrassing… but if it's important, than isn't a little embarrassment worth it?"
The corner of Kaede's lips curled up. It reminded Makoto of the small smile she did in the morning. Somehow that little smile seemed like a huge emotional outburst from the quiet girl. Ah! What am I thinking? This romantic atmosphere is getting to me.
"I never met anyone like you." Kaede said after a while. "I don't know why I've become so taken with you when I barely know you. Never before would I have written a love letter like that. I don't understand how I can be so impulsive. But I know how my heart feels. I wish to know you better."
Makoto saw Kaede's cheeks go from pink to red during the course of that speech. Even when she was blurting embarrassing things out she sounded so elegant. Realizing she was still holding Kaede's hand, she let go. Both of their palms were sweating, and the cool breeze exaggerated this fact. Kaede still couldn't look her in the eye, but Makoto knew she was waiting for an answer.
What should I say? She's was really brave admitting all that. But can I really go out with a girl? After all this time of trying to get girls to stop harassing me I'm actually considering dating one? What's wrong with me? It's like I can't get anything to make sense in my life. I'm always so confused. I wish I could be as calm and cool as- No! I can't think that! I can't admire the girl I might turn down!
"You're spacing out again." Kaede's voice brought Makoto back to reality. "You do that a lot."
"Sorry."
"Perhaps I'm asking too much of you." Unaware of her own actions, Kaede was rubbing the hand that Makoto had previously held. "I should try and befriend you first."
"Let's do it." Makoto blurted out, surprising even herself. "Oh God, did I just say that?"
Kaede was looking at her. "Do what?"
Makoto shook her head. I have to be decisive for once in my life. One date won't hurt anything, afterall. If I don't like it, I'll just be her friend. "I think we should go on a date."
Kaede's face made no outward change, at least from what Makoto could tell. It looked as if she still with that stoic air she always had. "Are you sure? I'm not talking you into something you don't want to do, am I?"
"I'm a bit scared, but I want to." Makoto winced, wishing she left out the 'scared' part. "Not that I think you're scary or anything, I mean I'm scared to… oh you know what I mean."
Tilting her head slightly, she gave that small Kaede-smile she tended to do. "Thank you for accepting me, Akiyama-san."
Makoto grinned, though she was starting to feel those same butterflies in her stomach that Kaede wrote about in her letter. "From now on, you can call me Mako-chan, okay?"
"Then… Then would it be asking too much if you referred to me as Kaede-chan as well?"
"I'd like that!" Makoto hugged the girl. As soon as she did, she felt the other stiffen up. Pulling back Makoto raised her eyebrows in bashfulness. "Sorry! I should have warned you I was going to do that! I'm the touchy-feely type. I guess I need to reign that in around you. I don't want you to think-"
"I liked it." Kaede interrupted as she turned her face away. "I like everything about you."
Makoto giggled, feeling really self-consciousness at receiving so much praise. "Earlier I was thinking that I wish I was more like you. You're so composed all the time, it's really cool."
"I don't want you to be like me." Kaede spoke in a serious tone. "I want you to be cute."
"Okay." Makoto smiled at her. Then looked up as if she was coming up with her next statement from divine inspiration. "I'll be cute and you be cool."
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