With a click of the remote, the introduction of season 7 was underway. My eyes glued onto the screen. It felt so surreal that I haven’t seen this series in over two years. Despite it feeling as if just yesterday I binged watched the last season.

As the show continued, I could feel my jaw open slightly and before I knew it the 2nd episode was already in motion.

“This is fun.”

I turned to Koda-san who scooped a couple of chips into her mouth. For some reason, her eyes were gazing at me though. But I couldn’t be bothered by that, the show was getting good and I wanted to take in every piece of what it had in store.

“Yeah, this is fun.”

I agreed. Before I was aware time took me from one end to the other. The 7th episode had me curling my toes.

“No way, she can’t do that!”

My co-pilot screamed. The blood in my body felt as if it was boiling as I turned to her.

“She just did! How the heck are they going to end this?!”

Before I knew it, I was shrieking back to her. I couldn’t help myself. The butterflies in my stomach were roaring, ready to burst out in anticipation.

“Koda-san hurry up! Start the next one.”

I could hear a faint giggle from her. I must have looked like a lunatic, as I found my feet bouncing up and down.

“Mhh …. somethings wrong with the remote.”

“What?!”

“Just kidding.”

She teased, pushing out her tongue.

“Don’t do that!”

I pushed her shoulder as she grinned. I couldn’t be bothered with her teasing right now. So, I turned back to the TV waiting for the next roller coaster to ensue.

“Drink please.”

I passed Koda-san my cup and she filled it up. Before I knew it, we had a ritual going between us. I would hand her my cup and Koda-san would fill it to the brim with juice. She’d lean over and I would give her more chips in her bowl. We barely spoke but it was as if we could read each other’s movements and react accordingly.

Sooner than expected, the season finale was underway. Our protagonists were in a bind and only by a miracle would they get out. My heart pounded fiercely and right before the big reveal of who was behind it all…the screen went black, ending the season at its finest hour.

“This is too crazy!”

Koda-san cried as she leaped from her seat. She rushed over and removed the season 7 disc.

“Hurry up, we have to see how this show ends!”

She giggled again while looking at me. I admit I must have looked stupid, but this had been one of the most exciting times of my life. That may be an exaggeration on my part though.

The DVD played the final disc, revealing the title of season 8. Being entrapped in this fake world, my heart raced. My co-pilot jumped back on the couch. I could feel her impersonate the cushions as she sunk in.

“Chips, please.”

I grabbed the bag of salty goodness and turned it into her bowl. The introduction was beginning, and I didn’t want to take my eyes off it. I reached for my own dish. As I leaned back on my pillow a sensation brushed up against my side. An unfamiliar force tugged at a strain of my hair.

“Eh?”

I glanced over to see the fox taking hold of my brown locks. But this time it felt a tad different than before. Her nose nuzzled the ends of my strands. She caressed them tenderly between her fingers. Her eyes looked distant as she finally let go.

“Hm?”

As if she was drifting about in her own little world, she looked at me, coming back into reality.

“You smell…nice.”

How could she say something so outwardly embarrassing? I could feel the red trickle up my face, yet Koda-san continued to stare at me. Her ivy eyes captured mine.

“Ah…”

Being as close as we were, I could clearly see her cheeks tint a rosy red. Wait, when did she get this close? Only then did it occur to me that we weren’t on different ends of the couch anymore. Even the sofa must have gotten smaller without me noticing…or Koda-san was closing in on me like the lion she is. Now trying to process all that’s been going on around me, a faint hint of something citrusy trickled up my nose.

“Lemon…”

“What’s the matter, Madoka-san?”

She asked, gently pushing her fingers against mine. Her index felt my skin, tenderly. They caressed the backside of my hand as if searching for the perfect time to rob my fingers.

I didn’t catch it at first but the citrus smell winging from her body was none other than that… The cheap perfume from the arcade.

Why is Koda-san wearing something like that? It was clearly a joke if anything. I wondered if I should mention it. But then I remembered that I already did say something. It was a bad habit of mine to speak aloud before thinking.

Her lips parted, timidly.

“I…wore it for you.”

She whispered as if trying not to wake someone else in the home. If I remembered right, it was just the two of us here though. Despite that, her voice continued to reverberate in my ear. My mouth opened and closed, unable to make up its mind. The butterflies in my stomach from watching the show weren’t there anymore. Now, a rocky feeling settled there instead.

“…For me?”

Her profile came into view. I could see that her morning bed hair was actually…well adjusted. She even seemed to have touched up her face with a slight tint of blush and make-up…despite her saying earlier that she had no intention of leaving today.

The cup of juice that belonged to Koda-san’s had an impression of pink, revealing the gloss trickling on her lips. It was bright but subtle. In my ears a bumping noise persisted. I felt…uneasy.

“Are we going to watch the rest, Madoka-san?”

Her eyes blank twice as if she were flapping them my way. Words moved through my head. She couldn’t be compared to someone young or cute anymore…No, she smeared that innocence with words like beauty and gorgeous.

I couldn’t even understand…why I was even thinking of this…

Now growing anxious, I turned back to the TV without a word. Why was I just now feeling her slim chest brush up against my sides?

It wasn’t like when Hana-san and I embraced each other in the bath either. At that time there wasn’t a firm layer of clothing between us. But here, I felt as if our connection was much more…warm…intimate even...

I thought of my escape plan. Maybe I should move to the side a bit to distance us? No, that wouldn’t work. I’m on the armrest side so I had nowhere to run. But then, I could stand up and make my way to the other side. But what if Koda-san noticed that I felt uneasy…making things awkward? Would it be right if I do so casually then explain myself while I did it? For all I know, I’m the only one who thinks this is strange.

“It’s finally starting.”

She whispered again as she pointed to the screen. The heat from her voice raced along my earlobe. It made me strain my ears to hear her despite being so close. The drama played out, but I found myself unable to focus on what was going on. The scenes were loud but ever so quiet...