Asako walked into the break room, the elevator doors closing behind her. As she did, she pointedly ignored the heat on her face and how she was undoubtedly a beet red.
And then she had to face three girls staring pointedly at her as she walked out.
Betty, letting out a sly smile.
Rin, doing her best to hold back a laugh.
And Alphy, happily waving as if nothing was wrong.
Asako averted her gaze and then walked over to the fridge to grab a soda. Though, she made sure to take the long way around and walk around the three girls sitting at the dining table in the center of the room.
But as she reached the table, Betty turned towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have no plans to repeat your lovely confession, Asako?"
Asako flinched and then crossed her arms. "Y-You know that wasn't a confession, Betty!"
"Oh. I was mistaken? A pity." Betty laced her fingers together and rested her head on them. She gave Asako a once over and then smiled. "It has been some time since I last checked you physical condition. And here I was hoping that you would finally be the one to initiate."
Rin gasped.
Asako felt her face burning up and she said, "S-Shut up! Stop saying things that could be taken the wrong way!"
Betty tilted her head. "But I mean every word of what I said?"
Rin gasped again. After that, she picked up a napkin and started fanning herself.
Alphy giggled and said, "Stop teasing her, Betty."
Asako rolled her eyes and walked over to the fridge. "You're one to talk." She grabbed a can of Dk Pep and then cracked it open. Turning back to look at Alphy, she said, "What the hell did you mean by saying I was your girlfriend?"
"Hm?" Alphy tilted her head and said, "You are a girl and you are my friend. Is that not a girlfriend?"
A pure and innocent expression.
Alphy had been starting to tease Asako back some more, but it didn't look like this was one of those times.
Well, unless Alphy had become a world class actor in the past hour. But Asako doubted that... and she also wasn't one to play dumb like this.
Asako sighed and pulled a chair over to sit with the other girls. "Never mind."
Alphy blinked. But then she nodded and said, "So you don't mind if I call you my girlfriend?"
Asako blushed and slammed her can on the table. "Of course I mind! I don't know if you're just losing something in translation, but that means something *completely* different, Alphy!"
"Does it?"
Rin cleared her throat and said, "U-Um... Onee-chan. Girlfriend means more than just a friend that's a girl..."
Alphy nodded. "I know that. Otherwise it would just be called a friend. But Asako is more than a friend to me." She paused and looked at Asako. "...Unless you don't think so?"
"Grk." Asako flinched and then quickly took a swig from her drink.
Betty laughed and said, "I thought you said to not tease Asako, Eld-"
Alphy narrowed her eyes.
"...Alphy."
Alphy leaned back and said, "But I'm not teasing her? Asako's more than just a friend to me." She placed her hand over her heart and said, "She's someone very dear to me and I love her a lot. So it's fine to call her my girlfriend, right?"
Betty blinked. And then her eyes lit up and she looked at Asako. "In that case, by all means, continue calling her your girlfriend, Alphy."
Asako turned a deep red and shouted. "BETTY!"
"Yes, Asako?"
Asako pointed at Alphy and said, "Explain it to your sister!"
Betty shrugged. "There is nothing to explain. Unless you are rejecting my adorable older sister?"
"T-That's..." Asako looked at Alphy.
Alphy blinked and then lowered her gaze. "A-Ah. So we aren't that close...?"
"N-No! I mean... Yes? I mean... Argh!" Asako turned a deep red and said, "I like you a lot too, Alphy, but this is different! A girlfriend is a lover! Someone you love and want to be with forever! That's different!"
Alphy blinked again and said, "...But I do love you and want to be with you forever?"
Asako froze.
Rin stood up from her chair and said, "I-It's getting a bit too hot in here, ahaha..." She quickly turned around and started walking over to the fridge. "I'm getting drinks! Want any?"
"Oh!" Alphy called out and said, "A Dk Pep please!"
"Got it! And Betty nee-chan?"
"I will have a carton of apple juice. And please take out the cakes as well."
"Got it!"
Asako drained her Dk Pep and then turned to look at Alphy. "Okay. I *seriously* think something's lost in translation here, Alphy. We're talking about lovers here. People who are intimate with each other and love each other with all their hearts."
Alphy nodded. "I know. And we're pretty intimate with how much time we spend together, aren't we? And I love you."
"That's not-!" Asako blushed and pointed at Alphy. "You can't just say you love people that easily, Alphy!"
"But why wouldn't I say that I love people? If I love them, then isn't it good to let them know?"
Rin pulled out a small stack of four colorful boxes and balanced them in her left hand. After that, she pulled out a carton of apple juice, a can of Dk Pep, and a can of Mount Dew, balancing all three drinks on top of each other before walking back to the table. When she arrived, she set everything down and then passed out the drinks.
"Here, Betty nee-chan!"
"Thank you, Rin."
"And you, Onee-chan!"
"Thanks, Rin!"
Rin sat back down in her chair and then cracked open her Mount Dew, taking a sip.
Asako glanced at the stack of boxes before turning back to Alphy. "It's not good to let them know! I mean, it is. But love is a strong word! You'll give people the wrong idea!"
"What wrong idea?"
Betty started unstacking the cake boxes and sliding them out. "Here you are. Utensils should be inside."
Alphy gave her sister a bright smile and said, "Thank you, Betty!"
Rin took her box and nodded. "Right! Thanks, Betty nee-chan!"
Asako took hers as well and gave an absent nod. "Yeah, thanks. But anyway, Alphy! People will think you're interested in them if you say that! It's fine if it's to the Alfis, but in person to someone... If you say that to any person, they'll think you seriously love them!"
Alphy opened her box and nodded. "I know. But I wouldn't say it to any person, Asako. I only say that I love someone if I really do."
"That's... Do you even know what love means?" Asako pinched her nose and said, "Seriously. Did your dad never have that talk with you?"
"No. He did." Alphy picked up a plastic fork and knife from the box before cutting off a piece of her cake. A red velvet cake with silver frosting and cherry filling.
After cutting off a piece, Alphy took a bite and then said, "Papa told me that you love someone when you want them to be happy and wish for nothing but the best. He also said that love is when you're happiest with that person and enjoy spending time with them, feel sad when they feel sad, and want to support them with all you have."
"Huh." Asako blinked. "That's... a surprisingly good explanation of love."
Betty took a slice from her cake, an orange delight, and said, "It is quite apt, yes. Annoyingly so at times."
Asako shook her head. "But Alphy, that's love in general. Like how you love your family. A girlfriend is someone you love romantically!"
"Romantically...?" Alphy blinked.
Rin took a bite from her cake, a caramel cheesecake, and then said, "Right! Like someone you want to marry or k-kiss!" She blushed at the last word and said, "It's not just the happy kind of love, you know? But the one where you do, um... this and that!"
Alphy blinked. "This and that?"
Betty bit her lips and took off the straw from the plastic wrapping on her apple juice carton.
Asako noticed and pointed at her. "Don't just sit there and laugh, Betty! Help us explain!"
"No, no." Betty stabbed her straw into the apple carton and said, "You two are doing quite well."
Alphy cracked open her Dk Pep and took a sip. After that, she shook her head and said, "I still don't see the problem. Asako is my girlfriend, isn't she?"
"That's...!" Asako blushed and pointed at Rin. "W-Well, what about Rin then? Is she your girlfriend too?"
"A-Aneue!" Rin blushed. "I-I mean... Onee-chan is pretty, b-but...!"
"Hm? Of course not. Rin is Rin."
Silence.
Asako blinked.
Rin gasped.
Betty paused in the middle of eating her cake and then turned to look at her older sister. "Alphy."
"Yes, Betty?"
"...Do you understand what you are saying?"
Alphy nodded. "Of course I do."
Betty frowned and then switched to the language they used in the Three Realms. "You are saying that you want Asako to be your Dao Companion. That is what you are saying when you say that you want her as a *girlfriend.* Are you sure that is correct?"
Alphy frowned as well and replied in kind. "And that is why I said to not break her. Asako is nice and I would like to spend more time with her. We started off hating each other... but that's what Mama was like with Papa, wasn't it? Like you showed in your game? A-And..." She blushed and looked at Asako. "...I like spending time with Asako."
"Oi!" Asako spoke up and said, "I don't appreciate being left out of the loop!"
Betty let out a deep sigh and raised her hands. "I give up." She pointed at Asako and said, "If you want to clear this up, take it up with my father. This is a mess that I am not prepared to deal with at this time."
"M-Mess?" Asako blinked. "Wait. What mess?"
Alphy pouted and said, "I would appreciate you not saying that my feelings are a mess, Betty."
"But they are, and I am not in the mood. So." Betty looked at Rin and said, "How are you doing recently, Rin?"
Rin laughed. "I'm doing fine, Betty nee-chan! How have you been?"
Alphy's pout turned into a frown.
Asako let out a deep sigh and opened up her cake box, revealing a blueberry cream cake. She shook her head and took a bite. "Hm? Mm! This is pretty good!"
"I will let the maker know, Asako. Now." Betty ignored Asako and looked back at Rin. "How are your streaming plans? I assume that you have gotten comfortable with everything now?"
"I have, actually! Ah. But... If we're just making some idle chat, Betty nee-chan..."
Betty laughed. "You saw through me, did you?"
Rin smiled. "It's pretty obvious. But anyway..." She frowned and pointed at Betty's chest. "Have you been growing there? Your shirt's a bit tighter than it used to be."
Betty froze.