#pekozono

“This part is really good! Listen!” Sayaka said excitedly before motioning for Peko to be silent. The song that was playing reached a crescendo, and Peko had to admit that the melody really was lovely.

The two girls had returned to Sayaka’s dorm a couple of hours ago and the pop star had been playing music the whole time. After every song she would gush about how amazing it was before immediately putting in another, usually completely different, song. It was kind of cute to see.

Peko was surprised by how much she was enjoying herself. She had never really taken the time to just sit and listen to music, and she was beginning to wish she had. At the same time, though, she was a little glad that she hadn't, since it gave her an excuse to be here with Sayaka.

The pop idol’s taste in music was surprisingly vast. She played some sugary pop music like Peko expected, but then she followed it up with some hard rock. Her playlist had several genres all mixed together, giving the swordswoman a taste of many different varieties of music.

As the chorus of the current song kicked back up, Sayaka smiled broadly at Peko. “Amazing, right?”

Peko couldn't help but nod, caught up in the other girl's enthusiasm. “Yes, it sounds very nice.”

Sayaka giggled. “I'm glad you think so.” She scooted closer to Peko on the edge of the bed, holding her phone out so she could see the name of the song. She rattled off a couple of facts about the band before pausing, looking up at Peko curiously. “Um… are you having fun?”

The silver-haired girl glanced at her in surprise. “Of course. I'm having a good time.”

“Really?” Sayaka asked, seeming relieved. “Sorry, it's just a little hard to tell with you.”

Ah. So that's what had her worried. Not for the first time, Peko cursed her lack of expression. “I'm sorry. I am often told that my face is… hard to read.”

Sayaka quickly shook her head. “Oh, no! I hope I didn't come across as rude…”

“You're fine,” Peko assured her. “As I said, I hear it often.” She could practically hear Fuyuhiko and Natsumi's voices telling her to smile more, in very different tones.

The pop star’s smile fell, which Peko didn't like at all. “That's ridiculous, you should only smile when you want to.”

The swordswoman was a bit startled. “Th-Thank you, but how did you…?”

“I told you,” Sayaka replied, her smile returning full-force, “I'm psychic!” She giggled before adding, “Just kidding, just kidding!”

Something told Peko that she wasn't actually kidding, but she decided not to press the issue. She would much rather just appreciate the way Sayaka looked when she smiled.

Peko caught herself. Why did she like looking at the other girl so much? They had only known each other for a couple of hours at this point. Admittedly, Sayaka was a very beautiful girl, but that sort of thing had never really mattered to Peko before, so why now?

And why was Sayaka looking at her so strangely?

The pop star cleared her throat before turning back to her phone screen. “Do you have time for another song?”

Peko glanced at the clock. As much as she wanted to stay longer, she was also itching to check in with Fuyuhiko. He didn't need her to protect him, she knew, but she would still never forgive herself if something happened while she wasn't there.

Still, looking back at Sayaka really made it tempting to stay. “Perhaps one more song.”

Sayaka smiled warmly. “Okay! What should we listen to?” She scrolled through her playlist, contemplating her options.

A thought occurred to Peko. “You know, all this time, I don't believe you've shown me any of your songs.”

The idol looked up at her in surprise. “O-Oh… I haven't?” She turned away again, suddenly seeming very shy. “I didn't think you'd want to hear those…”

Peko furrowed her brow. “Why wouldn't I?”

Shrugging, Sayaka started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. A blush crawled up her neck, and somehow she looked even lovelier with flushed cheeks. “I don't know. It just feels kinda embarrassing, okay?”

The silver-haired girl still didn't understand. “Aren't you the Ultimate Pop Sensation? Surely you don't get stage fright?”

“No, of course not,” Sayaka replied. “But this is totally different. You're… right here. And I care about what you think.” She fidgeted slightly.

Peko felt her stomach do a little flip. “Why would you care what I think?”

The blue-haired girl groaned. “Oh my god, I'll just put one on.” She focused on her phone screen, finding her idol group's page and scrolling through her own song catalog. Finally, she settled on a song and nervously pressed play.

As the melody played, Peko found herself caught up in the energy of it. The song was cute and bouncy, and she honestly liked it a lot more than she expected to. The vocals began and Peko was immediately in awe of Sayaka's singing. The idol had a lovely voice when speaking, but when she sang, it was beautiful.

“Oh,” Sayaka said breathlessly, and Peko turned to her in confusion. The pop star was watching her with a pleased expression, cheeks flushed. “I knew you would look even prettier when you smiled. I was right.”

Peko was startled to realize that she was smiling, and even more surprised by Sayaka's compliment. She felt her face getting hot and she turned her gaze downward, embarrassed. “Oh… Th-Thank… Thank you.” She glanced at the pop idol bashfully. “Your singing is amazing.”

Sayaka giggled, looking away. “Thank you! For some reason, that makes me really happy.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the song, both blushing awkwardly. When the music finally ended, Sayaka set her phone aside and folded her hands in her lap.

Peko took a deep breath before climbing to her feet. “I should probably be on my way. But thank you,” she told Sayaka earnestly, feeling another smile tugging at her lips. “This was… fun. It was nice to do something fun for once.”

The blue-haired girl wasn't entirely sure what to do with that statement, but she also stood up. She smiled cheerfully at Peko. “This was so much fun! Next time I'll play even more songs for you.”

“Next time?” the swordswoman asked, looking at her curiously.

Sayaka flushed, but her smile remained. “Yeah! We can hang out again, right? I'd really like it if we could.”

Peko hesitated for a moment, considering. This was honestly the most fun she had had in ages, and she really did want to see Sayaka again. A quick glance at her phone told her that Fuyuhiko hadn't tried to call her at all (unsurprising), so maybe it was alright for her to take time for herself more often.

“I'd like that, too,” she admitted quietly.

Beaming, Sayaka plucked Peko's phone out of her hands and quickly added herself to her contacts. “There. Now you can call me whenever you want to ‘take time for yourself.’”

Peko chose not to comment on Sayaka's very specific phrasing, knowing the pop star would just turn it into another “joke” about being psychic. Instead, she sent the other girl a brief text, feeling relieved when she heard her phone chime. “Now you have my number as well.”

Sayaka walked her to the door, but both of them hesitated there. “Thank you again for saving me earlier,” the blue-haired girl said quietly.

Shaking her head, Peko adjusted her sword on her back. “It was nothing. I was happy to help. And besides,” she attempted to smile again, hoping it didn't look frightening, “you already thanked me.”

The idol gave her a shy smile. “I guess we're even,” she joked. As Peko stepped out into the hallway, Sayaka continued. “Next time we should hang out in your room.”

Something about the idea of having Sayaka in her room made Peko's stomach flutter, but she nodded. “Sure. That would be nice.”

The two of them said their goodbyes and finally parted ways. As she began walking back to her own dorm, Peko contemplated the warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. It was nice, but she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it.

When she was in her room, she sat down on the bed and took out her phone, needing to clarify something.

>Young Master.

>dont fuckin call me that

>what is it

>Apologies.

>I wanted to ask you something.

>About your feelings for Hajime.

>gross what???

>why the hell are you asking about that

>Please, just humor me.

>When you first realized you were interested in Hajime, what did it feel like?

>the fuck kinda question is that

>ugh sorry

>i guess it felt kinda warm and fuzzy

>and like i wanted to see his stupid face all the time

>idk

>you better not tell him i said that

Peko blushed as she looked at the texts. So, that's what that feeling had been. How unexpected.

>Thank you, Young Master.

>PEKO COME ON

>Sorry. Fuyuhiko.

>jesus

>you got a crush on somebody or somethin

>...Perhaps.

>no shit??

>hang on im coming over

Peko almost wanted to laugh. It wasn't often that Fuyuhiko sought her out, and even more rarely was it just to talk about nothing.

She definitely needed to take time for herself more often.