A/N: So, my friend kyaksa on tumblr requested some fics and after a ridiculously long time after I actually wrote it I'm finally uploading it. I'm probably gonna make it as part of a series, with each being a one-shot, I'm not sure how long it is yet but I hope you all enjoy it in the meantime. Anyway, have fun reading :)
Hibiki found her new neighbor odd, or rather, the correct term was overly-friendly. Hibiki had chosen an apartment slightly far away from her university to move into, it certainly wasn't her first choice, but the walls were thick enough that the only neighbor next door didn't bother her with noise and everyone went through their day passing each other being polite but still otherwise ignoring each other's existence.
That's why when Hibiki was going home one day, she had put the key into her front door, ready to relax after a long day of classes, and she heard the sound of a door opening and stopped in her tracks as she looked over and saw it coming from the previously empty unit.
The door opened and out came a girl her age who seemed slightly shorter than her, with long sandy brown hair. She was humming to herself as she left holding a white paper box. As soon as she closed the door she looked over and saw Hibiki standing there. Her face lit up with a bright smile and she quickly walked over to Hibiki.
"Hello! You must be my neighbor." She said cheerfully.
"Ah… Yeah, I guess you're my new neighbor." The girl laughed and held out her hand.
"I'm Minamino Kanade, nice to meet you." Hibiki looked down at the hand and sighed. She her keys and held them in one hand as she shook Kanade's hand with the other.
"Houjo Hibiki. Nice to meet you too, neighbor." Hibiki greeted, and Kanade smiled before looking down at the white box in her hands.
"Please take one, Houjo-san." Kanade opened the box and Hibiki looked down in surprise at the box of cupcakes. They all looked good, with pink and white frosting on top. She moved her hand over the box, deciding which one to take. Finally, she took a corner cupcake, one that had extra pink frosting on it.
"T-thank you," She said softly. She looked at the cupcake, feeling her mouth salivate. "Um," She looked up at Kanade, who looked at her questioningly. "Can I?" Pointing to the cupcake in her hand.
"Sure! Go ahead, tell me what you think." Kanade said and Hibiki didn't waste time on eating a bite out of the cupcake. As soon as she did, her eyes widened at how good it was and looked at Kanade.
"It's seriously good!" She exclaimed loudly, making Kanade let out a sigh of relief.
"Really? I'm glad, I made these myself, you see." Kanade admitted.
"Whoa, seriously?" Hibiki asked, and Kanade nodded. Hibiki smiled and took another bite. "I can eat these all day." She took more bites and it wasn't long before she finished the cupcake. She let out a puff of air and rubbed her stomach, enjoying the after taste in her mouth with her eyes closed. She felt a finger on the corner of her lips and snapped her eyes open to see Kanade pulling her finger back, a bit of frosting on it.
"Ah," She said softly, looking at Hibiki, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Kanade's face began heating up and she quickly took a step back and bowed. "It was nice to meet you." She turned around and began walking away before Hibiki could say anything, and Hibiki rubbed the bag of her head, her cheeks a bit warmer than they were before.
Hibiki sighed as she walked home from a busy day at school, a long, tedious schedule always made her a bit cranky. As she saw her apartment complex in sight, she thought about her new neighbor, Kanade. Well, her and the cupcakes she always had her. It had been a few weeks since Kanade had moved in next to her, and Hibiki always saw her with cucpakes. Not that she was complaining though, since every time she saw Hibiki, she would offer her a cupcake. And they always tasted amazing. Just as she smiled and hummed to herself thinking about the cupcakes that tasted like heaven, if that place had a taste, she saw none other than that neighbor.
"Speak of the devil," She thought to herself. The other girl was walking down the street as well, and it seemed by how she was going, they were going to reach the outdoor stairs at the same time. As she looked out at her, squinting her eyes a bit, she saw that Kanade had her hands full of grocery bags.
When they got closer to each other, Kanade noticed Hibiki as well and smiled at her. They eventually reached the stairs and the stopped and Hibiki looked at the bags in Kanade's hands.
"Are you baking again today?" Hibiki asked, looking at the bags full of what she assumed was baking products.
"Yes, I'm trying to become a Pattisaur, so I bake every day." Kanade explained and Hibiki scratched her cheek in confusion.
"That's a baker, right?" She asked, and Kanade laughed lightly but nodded.
"I'll make sure to make some extra for you, Houjo-san." Kanade said, noting the way Hibiki's face lit up. Hibiki walked up to Kanada and held out a hand.
"Need help?" She asked. Kanade blushed a little and shook her head.
"No, it's okay-really." Kanade tried to resist, but Hibiki smiled and placed a hand on her hip.
"At least one bag, we are neighbors right? Might as well help each other out." Kanade looked at her, her face scrunched up in thought, and then smiled and nodded. She passed Hibiki a bag and together they made their way up the stairs to their floor. Once they reached the door, fumbled with her keys for a bit before opening the door.
"Thank for your help." Kanade said, taking the bags from Hibiki's hand.
"You sure you don't need more help?" Hibiki asked, and Kanade shook her head.
"No, but I'll be sure to let you know if I do. See you later, Houjo-san." She said and walked back into her unit. Hibiki stood at the door of the apartment unit, staring at it, before finally willing herself to walk a few steps forward to her own apartment.
She wondered what the inside of Kanade's apartment looked like. She shook her head, as if that would get the thoughts out of it, and opened her own door. Just as she did, she saw a flash of white run out of the door and past her.
"Shit! Hummy!" She threw her backpack into her hallway and slammed the door closed. She ran forward, following the small white cat, whose bells rang as it ran down the hall. "Get back over here!"
Two hours, three near death experiences, being forced to crawl through bushes, and falling from a tree. That was what it took to catch Hummy, Hibiki's pet cat. As Hibiki slowly walked back to her apartment she looked up at the sky, which was now much darker than it was previously. With a sigh she looked back down at Hummy, who looked up at her at the exact time. Sometimes Hibiki found it unnerving how that cat seemed to know when someone was directing something at it.
"This is your fault, I was gonna relax for a bit after classes but no, you had to run off and now I have to do my assignments right when I get home." Hibiki complained, and Hummy meowed in response. Making Hibiki deflate a bit with a sigh. She walked up the steps and once she reached her floor, she stopped in her tracks to see Kanade in front of her, knocking at her door, with another white box.
Kanade frowned, looking at the box in her hand. She lowered her hand from the door and held onto the box with both of them, bringing it slightly closer to her chest. Her face was turned down, her bangs falling in her face, making Hibiki unable to tell what sort of expression she was wearing.
Kanade turned around to go back to her own unit, looking at her feet. Just then, Hummy meowed rather loudly, making Hibiki's eyes widen and look down angrily at Hummy, who wasn't looking at her at all. When she looked up, she saw Kanade looking at her in surprise, then worry as she ran up to Hibiki.
"H-Houjo-san! What happened to your face?" Kanade reached up and touched Hibiki's cheek. Hibiki hissed at the touch, causing Kanade to whip her hand back. Hibiki laughed and after securing Hummy with one arm, she used the other to nervously scratch the back of her head.
"Well, I had to chase after this one," She lifted up Hummy a bit, and Kanade finally looked down at Hibiki's arm. "It took a bit of effort." Kanade smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She bent down a bit and held out her hand for Hummy to smell.
"Awe, you're so cute." Kanade giggled when Hummy licked her finger and scratched behind Hummy's ear in response. The sun was just setting, and it bounced off of Kanade's soft features and her smile, making Hibiki's cheek redden and her breath escape her. Kanade looked up and laughed lightly again. She stood up and reached her hand up again, up to Hibiki's head, and pulled a leaf out of it.
"You're a mess." She said softly, and Hibiki smiled.
"Yeah, I am," Hibiki said, and the two stared at each other, smiling like idiots. "Hey, um," Hibiki started, remembering Kanade at her door moments ago. "Did you need something earlier?" Kanade looked at her in confusion for a few seconds, it seemed as if she had forgotten for a brief moment too, before her face lit up in realization and she held up her box of cupcakes.
"I made more and wanted to give them to you." Kanade said shyly, and Hibiki's face broke out in a giant smile.
"Really?" She asked excitedly, sounding like a little kid who got the biggest present they could think of. Kanade smiled and nodded. "Thanks, you're cupcakes really are the best!" She grabbed the cupcakes and looked at Kanade. "Really, thanks."
"It's no problem," Kanade said, and reached up to Hibiki's head again and pulled out another leaf. "Make sure to clean up before you go at them." Hibiki blushed and nodded.
"Oh right, I still look like a mess." Together they walked to Hibiki's unit, and Hibiki opened the door and practically threw Hummy inside, who this time calmly walked further into the room and duck into another open room. Hibiki sighed in relief and looked back at Kanade.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Houjo-san." Kanade said and began walking away. Hibiki instinctively reached out and grabbed Kanade's arm, making both of them jump in surprise. Hibiki quickly pulled it back in fear of crossing a line.
"I-um, s-sorry, I didn't mean to." Hibiki forced out, completely nervous and terrified she just made enemies with her neighbor. Kanade simply smiled and grabbed Hibiki's arm lightly.
"No worries, see?" She said, and pulled away. Hibiki quickly realized she missed the touch already. "What is it?" Kanade asked, and Hibiki looked down.
"Um, I was just thinking, since we're neighbors, we don't have to be so formal," Hibiki said, a lot softer than her usual voice. "So, you can, you know, call me by my name."
"Okay, then, Hibiki-san." Kanade said, and Hibiki frowned. Something about it didn't seem right.
"K-Kanade," Hibiki said, and looked up and saw Kanade's face red at the dropped honorific. "If= if that's fine, if not, I understand, so, um, I'll see you tomorrow, Kanade-san!" She didn't know if her face was extremely red, it felt red. Hibiki turned around ready to bolt into her unit.
"H-Hibi…ki," The voice made her stop in her tracks and she turned around to see Kanade fumbling with her thumbs, her fingers clasped together in front of her. "Hibiki. That's fine, Hibiki." She said, completely red. She looked up and bowed, much more than intended. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hibiki." She quickly walked back to her own apartment unit, leaving Hibiki at the door of her own. Hibiki stared at the door, wondering if maybe Kanade would walk out again, before quickly entering her apartment and closing the door behind her.
She rested her back on the door, and with her shaky legs, she slid down. The room felt extremely hot, and she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. She heard the sound of Hummy meowing in front of her and spread her fingers to see Hummy in front of her between her spread legs.
She picked up Hummy and buried her face in the white fur. After a few moments of forcing herself to calm down, she put Hummy on the ground and opened up the box. Inside were three rows up cupcakes, and Hibiki felt the heat return to her face.
She didn't plan to get a new neighbor, she was happy without one. But, she liked having Kanade as her neighbor, and she wanted to get to know more about the other girl. She smiled at hearing her name from Kanade's lips. Maybe, they could become great neighbors, after all, they seemed well on their way to being good acquaintances.