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Hanayo nervously fidgets with the container of cookies. She’s beneath a flowering sakura tree, waiting for Eli to be done with her student council duties. She’d left a note in the blonde’s locker, telling her to meet her behind the school beside the furthest tree.
Today's the day; I’ll do it… I’m going to confess to Eli-chan!
The shy girl knows that Eli is obsessed with chocolate, so she’s put together a tin of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies using an old recipe that her mother gave her. She’s poured all her love into this batch of cookies, and hopes that Eli will enjoy them and accept her confession.
Hanayo gulps nervously and begins to sweat. She sees Eli approaching her and fights to keep from trembling.
When Eli is a few feet away, the blonde flashes a smile. “Hanayo, I’m surprised the letter was from you! Why didn’t you just directly ask me to come talk with you?” She raises her eyebrows when Hanayo holds the tin out as she bows.
“Please, take these!” Hanayo winces when her voice cracks.
Eli thinks it’s beyond cute. “Oh my, did you bake these yourself?” She accepts the tin and pops open the lid. She beams when she sees the chocolate chips. “And they’re my favorite, too! Thanks so much, Hanayo!” Without hesitation, she grabs a cookie and takes a bite.
Eli freezes when the flavor hits her tongue and the scent of the cookies finally makes its way to her nose.
Hanayo doesn’t notice her sudden change in demeanor, and begins her confession. “Y-you see, Eli-chan… I b-baked these cookies so that I could tell you-”
“Hanayo…” Eli cuts her off, the bit of cookie she bit still sitting in her mouth. She doesn’t want to spit it out and seem rude, but she can already feel the symptoms beginning. “You didn’t happen to use peanut butter… Did you?”
Hanayo tilts her head to the side. “I did, do you not like peanut butter? Next time I can change the-”
Eli spits the cookie out, and Hanayo feels her heart drop into her stomach when Eli chokes out, “I’m allergic to peanuts.”
Hanayo gasps and slaps her cheeks with her hands. “Oh no! Eli-chan, I’m so sorry! H-how severe is i-”
Before Hanayo can finish asking her question, Eli begins puffing up with hives and gasping for air.
Hanayo screeches at the top of her lungs and begins frantically looking around for anyone that could be nearby. Unfortunately, with it being so late in the day, it’s just the two of them. “Somebody… Somebody save us!”
But no one comes in to save the day. It’s up to Hanayo to rescue Eli, now.
“E-epi… pen.” Eli manages as she fumbles with her school bag. She manages to pull out her Epipen and pulls the bright yellow cap off, revealing the spring-loaded syringe inside. “P-please…” Eli reaches out to hand the pen to Hanayo, who practically yanks it from her.
Then Hanayo processes that she is the one that has to administer the adrenaline. “H-how do I use it?!”
Eli adjusts herself on the ground and flips her skirt up just enough to reveal her thigh. She then points at a spot that she hopes doesn’t have an artery. “J-jus stahb… Then… haws-pi-tal…”
Hanayo sweats nervously and fights away the shakiness of her hand. She has to be steady, or she could risk hurting Eli. Come on Hanayo, you can do this! This is for Eli-chan!
Without further hesitation, Hanayo slams the needle into Eli’s thigh.
Eli gasps sharply, and Hanayo is worried she’s made things worse. But then she notices that Eli seems to be able to take more air into her lungs than she did moments before. She sighs in relief and wipes sweat from her forehead.
“Th-thanks… Now… hos-pi-tal…” Eli says before collapsing backwards.
Hanayo shakes her head to bring herself back into the moment. “Right! I’ll call an ambulance!” She quickly pulls out her cell phone and dials the emergency number. When the operator picks up, Hanayo immediately begins speaking hurriedly. “It’s an emergency! My friend had an allergic reaction and had to take an Epipen! We’re at Otonokizaka high school… Please come quickly!”
Beep… Beep… Beep…
The heart monitor attached to Eli lets everyone know that her heart is in working condition, and at a much more normal speed than before.
“Ahhh… I’m starting to feel a lot better.” Eli has been given benadryl to help with the itchy hives; the nurses have also assured that the Epipen didn’t strike an artery, so Eli is safe in that regard.
Hanayo wipes the tears that have been pouring down her cheeks, sniffling. “Oh, Eli-chan… I’m so sorry! I should have asked if you had any allergies before I went and made you those cookies…”
Eli waves her off. “You wanted it to be a surprise, I don’t blame you for this. Besides, we don’t get to spend enough time with just the two of us. Nothing says ‘bonding’ like having to stab me with a needle to save my life.” The blonde laughs, and Hanayo joins her in spite of the fact that she’s still crying.
“Y-yeah, I have been wanting to spend more time with you…” Hanayo sniffles again.
Eli smiles softly and gestures for Hanayo to come closer. Hanayo approaches her bedside timidly, and nearly jumps out of her skin when Eli grabs her hand with her own.
The blonde’s arm has an IV inserted to administer the fluids her body needs, so Hanayo is careful not to jostle it. “So, earlier… You said you baked those cookies because you had something to tell me. What is it?”
Hanayo’s face grows red hot. She’d had the courage earlier, but she’s not sure where all of it has run off to. “I- I wanted to tell you… I wanted to say…” Hanayo looks to the side in embarrassment.
Eli still softly gazes at her. “You wanted to say?”
Hanayo gulps and steels her nerves. She’s not going to back down, even though she’d nearly killed her crush. “I- I like you, Eli-chan! I- I want us… to go on a date!” She shuts her eyes tightly, preparing for rejection. But instead, she feels her hand get lightly squeezed.
“Oh, Hanayo… Of course I’ll go on a date with you. I’ve always thought that you’re adorable, and now… Now I get the chance to show you what a gentlewoman I can be.” Eli is positively beaming now, in spite of the drowsiness that the benadryl is causing. “...I have a question of my own.”
Hanayo finally gets brave enough to make eye contact again, and tilts her head to the side. “What is it, Eli-chan?”
“Hanayo…” Eli has a look on her face that makes Hanayo’s heart pound even faster. “Can I kiss you?”
Hanayo didn't think she could turn redder, but here she is, red as a tomato. “U-um!” Her voice squeaks.
Eli patiently waits for her answer.
Hanayo slowly nods her head. “Y-yes… But I've never kissed anyone before!”
Eli strokes Hanayo's hand with her thumb, chuckling. “No worries, I'll take it extra slow.”
Hanayo gulps as she lets go of Eli's hand and begins leaning in for her first kiss.
Eli leans up, her eyes slipping shut as she goes to meet Hanayo's lips in the middle.
When their lips finally touch, Eli sighs blissfully and Hanayo's heart skips a beat.
Eli's lips are still a bit swollen from her allergic reaction. Hanayo's lips feel so soft to Eli, and they taste of her piña colada chapstick. Eli's hands move to cup Hanayo's cheeks, and Hanayo moves her hand to stroke Eli's silky hair.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep!!!
A nurse rushes in when the heart monitor begins screeching. Hanayo jumps away from Eli with a yelp, and begins apologizing profusely. “I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”
The nurse looks between the pair, noting their closeness and the state of their flushed faces.
It doesn’t take her very long to put two and two together. She sighs, shaking her head and smiling a bit. “It’s okay, just try not to excite Ayase-san like that again, okay?”
Hanayo nods furiously. The heart monitor slowly returns to its normal rate, and the nurse leaves once she assesses that her help is no longer needed. “Teenagers…” She mumbles to herself as she walks away.
Once it’s just the two of them, Hanayo softly speaks. “S-so, would you like to go to the Vietnamese restaurant that’s a few blocks from Akihabara? Does that sound good?”
Eli flashes a wide grin. “That sounds great. Oh, and you can go home if you want. They’ll probably let me go once the swelling completely goes away.”
Hanayo shakes her head. “There’s no way I’m leaving you by yourself!” She reaches over and grabs Eli’s hand once more. “I’m here for you, Eli-chan!”
Eli becomes uncharacteristically flustered. Hanayo is simply too sweet for her to handle. “Okay… But you’re gonna be bored, because I’m about to take a nap. That benadryl is making me so sleepy.”
Hanayo shakes her head again. “As long as I’m with Eli-chan, I won’t be bored!”
She is just too cute… Eli feels her heart swell as she relaxes further into the hospital bed. “Mmmm… If you say so…” She allows herself to drift off.
Hanayo makes sure that the blonde is okay the entire time she sleeps, pacing back and forth to keep herself from falling asleep as well.
After a couple more hours, a nurse comes back in just in time for Eli’s eyes to flutter open. “Mm… Is it time for me to go home?...”
The nurse grins as she comes over to check Eli’s vitals. “It’s looking like it, the swelling has completely gone down and your breathing seems normal. I’ll go get your discharge paperwork so we can send you home.”
Eli and Hanayo sigh with relief. “Well, Hanayo, my mom is driving me home. Do you have a safe way to get home?”
Hanayo nods. “My mom is picking me up, too.”
Eli smiles and reaches out to squeeze Hanayo’s hand one more time. “Then I’ll see you on our date, Hanayo.”
“I’m so glad we finally got to go on this date!” Hanayo says as she takes another large bite of her side of steaming white rice.
Eli grins at the sight of Hanayo shoveling rice into her mouth like there’s no tomorrow. “Me too. I can’t wait to try those fresh spring rolls everyone keeps raving about!” Just as she says this, a server walks over to their table with a plate of four spring rolls and a small dish of a pale brown sauce along with a saucer of sweet chili.
They both thank the server, and immediately each grab a spring roll. Eli dips hers in the brown sauce, then takes a big bite. Hanayo dips hers in the sweet chili and hums happily when the flavor meets her tongue. “Mmmm, so yummy! How’s the other sauce, Eli-chan? …Eli-chan?”
Eli spits the food into a napkin and gasps. “P-peanut sauce…”
It’s going to be a long day for Hanayo and Eli.