the name (jnhk)

It is always engaging to find someone who can talk with you - someone who can hold a conversation and on the same page with you.

And it served Hoshimi Junna pretty well tonight, and maybe it will continue on later nights to be if both of them can spend their time together like this.

The hot chocolate from the flask that Hikari brought earlier is already warm; their conversation on various works of Shakespeare already taking one third of the nighttime and it has yet to be finished.

Hikari is a transfer student from an England school that's good with its acting and theater major. When Junna spoke of a title from large Folio of Shakespeare, Hikari would respon whether she has been there as an actress of the stage, or partake in deeper analysis regarding the play. They only talked a bit about one of the plays and it is already quite late, about the time to go back to respective rooms and sleep.

"So, Kagura-san ..." Junna crossed her fingers.

"So?"

"You're not planning to call me by the first name?"

It seemed that this will be a new hobby of Hoshimi Junna: teasing Kagura Hikari about her name. Just by saying it, Hikari would avert her gaze from Junna and her cheek flushed pink.  Junna wondered whether either Mahiru or Karen have seen this part of Hikari before as well. It can be said that Junna is somewhat jealous of Karen to have a wonderful Hikari here as her long-time friend - wonderful as in her expansive knowledge and wonderful as in her change of expression.

"That again?" Hikari pouted. Just for a while. A bit. Junna was sure she's close to miss that moment. "I can call you with Hoshimi-san just fine. Just like how Shakespeare said, 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'."

Oh, how Junna know Hikari will counter with that.

"But doesn't 'Hoshimi' and 'Junna' speak of different weight? Just like how Juliet will accept Romeo even though he'd stripped of his family name?"

"I said, not now. M-Maybe someday." Hikari half-yelled at that, close on losing her composure. "Stop it, Hoshimi-san."

"Ahaha, sorry about that." Junna couldn't help but to laugh aloud. "Still, I'm happy to hear that you said my name."

Hikari blinked. "... Why so?"

"I don't know?" the bespectacled girl brought herself to sigh. She took another sip to the hot chocolate that Hikari gave. "It is an undesribeable feeling, but maybe I can say, it is nice to know that you're seeing me as myself, not by any other name, or not a simple 'you'."

Calling each other with first name also meant to be an intimate approach - but yeah, Junna doesn't target on that matter. It is something happy to know that you're acquainted, that you're on a path in knowing each other better, starting with a simple means of a name.

Well, Junna really hoped that they will continue a night rendezvous like this on another time.

"How about ... you try first?"

"Eh?"

"Call me with 'Hikari'."

No, Junna doesn't expect that counter attack. Not in million years.

"B-But how come that I do it if you don't do the same!?"

"You're doing it easily with Karen!"

"That's not the point here, listen-"


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Mahiru peeked over from the kitchen, Nana is there prepping for a late night snack for both of them, also to the two bickering girls in the living room if they continued to spend the night arguing like that.

"Say, Banana-chan. Will they fight all night just to get into first name basis?"

"Who knows~ isn't it fun to watch, Mahiru-chan?"