#Kotomaki | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dimensiontripperkotori · 5 years

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Superstar In You (2/?)

“How many are we going to see?” Hanayo questioned as she took a seat at the rounded table with the other members of Muse. On the wall to the left of her showed the order of all the groups who applied to be part of the Battle of Music and when they would be performing. “Aquors, Arctic blast, Idols United...there are so many groups in this competition. Do you think we can do it?”

“No. I don’t think we can do it.” Honoka answered with a long sigh before a wide smile spread across her face. “I know we can do it.”

Umi let out an irritated sigh before turning back to the screen. “I want to go see fran...chuchu?”

“That's a strange name but sure. Any more suggestions?” Honoka glossed up and down the tv screen before her eyes locked onto a name she recognized. “A-rise?! They’re in this too?”

“Seriously?” Kotori let out a long sigh before another name stood out, catching her attention. She hadn’t heard of them before but she could of sworn she had heard someone talking about a band named HEART before. “HEART? Let's go see them too.”

“Who? HEART? Never heard of them. I doubt they’re even an idol group.” Nico questioned with a sharp scoff, turning away from the screen.

“It doesn’t matter if they are or not.” Honoka explained before she slowly took a bite from the bread the was hiding, surprised Umi hadn’t noticed. “Akari-san said that the competition was for Idols, bands and everything in between. Anyway, Aqours are starting soon and I want to see them.”

“Oh. I know of Aqours, nya.” Rin announced with a wide smile, lifting her hand into the air. “Their leader, Chika was apparently inspired by you, Honoka-chan.”

“Me?” Honoka questioned in surprise. She knew Muse was famous still but she never expected to actually inspire anyone into making their own idol group. “Well, we should definitely go see them.”

“There aren’t that many bands entering.” Umi pointed out before a name caught her attention. “Poppin’ Party? Wait, or is it PoPiPa? I want to go see them...and they’re on soon.”

“Well, I want to see these.” Nico added, pointing towards one of the names on the list. “Nagarekawa girls. They’re apparently Local Idols.”

Maki frowned in confusion and moved closer to the screen at unintentionally at the same time Kotori, her hand brushing against Kotori’s without her notice. “I know them, I think.”

“R-really?” Kotori questioned with rosy cheeks, looking away before Maki noticed. It had been two years but she still remembered how she use to feel whenever she touched Maki’s skin when they were together. Her eyes widened as Maki tapped onto the screen and the name, making it change to information about the group and images of who was in it. “Wait, you can find out more information about them?! Go back to HEART!”

“It’s too late, they’re too far up.” Eli answered, earning herself a depressed sigh from the ashen haired girl. “Fine, maybe at the end.”

Maki frowned as she looked at the pictures. There were two of them in total and apparently a mascot that wasn’t shown. A long haired blonde and a short haired brunette. “Is the only reason you want to go see them because you have a thing for the blonde?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?! NEXT!” Nico laughed awkwardly and loudly, leaning across the entire table to touch the back button before swiping as hard as she could through the list so they lost where they were up to.

“Whatever. PoPipPa and slash or Poppin’ Party are about to start. Anyone else coming?” Umi questioned as Kotori and Honoka stood up, moving to her side.

Honoka turned around towards everyone else as Umi and Kotori started walking. “Could you guys look into Arise and how they’re doing?”

“Leave it to us, nya!” Rin nodded before jolting up onto her feet, knocking her orange juice over. “My...juice…”

Nico let out a long sigh as Rin fell her hands and knees, looking down at the floor. “Come on, rin…”

“Shhh.” Rin spoke on a soft voice, raising her hand into the air. “I must grieve...”

Honoka could barely hold in her laughter as she turned away, catching back up to Kotori and Umi. Moments like that was what she missed about Muse the most. Not the singing or dancing even though she did love them but the special moments where they’re all just themselves.

---

“Thanks for listening!” Kasumi called out to the cheering audience, slightly breathless from singing a few minutes ago. “We’re Poppin’ Party! We hope you enjoyed the…” She paused as her eyes scanned the audience, widening when she saw a familiar face. “K-Kousaka-san! Please wait there, I’ll be down in a second! Thank you all again!” “You sure have a lot of fans.” Kotori said, leaning close to Honoka. She wasn’t surprised if she was honest. “Do you know who that is?” Honoka shrugged, clueless. “Her name is Toyama Kasumi.” Umi piped up from Honoka’s other side. “She’s the lead singer of the band from what I’ve read but that’s all I know about her. And she told us that before she started singing. Weren’t you two listening?“ Kotori grimaced. “Um...I was texting Maki-chan.” Umi looked to Honoka who shrugged guiltily. “I was distracted by the girl playing the drums?” “The girl playing the drums?” Umi echoed, her brow furrowing as she tried to think back. She vaguely remembered a girl with her hair up in a ponytail. She frowned, trying not to think about how similarly Eli used to wear her hair. “Kousaka-san! I can’t believe you came to see us!” Kasumi herself appeared in front of the three members of Muse, her face slight with excitement. “I’m Toyama Kasumi, I’m a big fan!” Honoka gave a nervous chuckle at the compliment. “Oh, thank you. You sounded really good up there.” Her gaze drifted to the two girls standing behind Kasumi. One of the girls she recognized as the other girl playing the guitar and the other was the girl who had caught her attention playing the drums. “I’m Yamabuki Saaya.” Saaya introduced herself with a small smile, noticing Honoka looking at her. “I play the drums.” “I know, I noticed.” Honoka said brightly. “You’re really good.” “I’m Hanazono Tae.” Tae introduced herself with a slightly over energetic wave. “It’s nice to meet you, Kosuaka-san.” “You too.” Honoka shook her head, turning to Tae. “Oh sorry, these are my friends. Ko….” “Minami Kotori and Sonoda Umi.” Kasumi interrupted brightly. “We know. Of course. Muse are famous. Though...you look different, Sonoda-san. Oh, you changed your hair! It looks good.” “Thank you.” Umi said with a small smile, touching the ends of her hair. “Honoka-chan.” Kotori took Honoka by the elbow and tugged her closer, lowering her voice so the others couldn’t hear her. “What about Eli-chan and Umi-chan?” Honoka frowned at Kotori, confused by the sudden mention of Eli’s name. “What about them?” “I mean...they’re the ones you have feelings for, aren’t they?” Kotori asked softly, glancing at Umi. She seemed to be busy talking to Kasumi who had stepped closer to look at her hair. “You’re staring at the drummer.” “I’m not. I just think she’s interesting, that’s all.” Honoka mumbled, averting her eyes. She knew that Kotori could see right through her lies. “Is that all? It has nothing to do with the fact that she looks like Eli-chan?” Kotori raised an eyebrow. “Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying. I don’t want this...thing between you and Eli-chan and Umi-chan to change from a love triangle to a love...rectangle. It’s already complicated enough.” “I know, I know.” Honoka mumbled, rolling her eyes slightly. “So are you going to see anyone else?” Kasumi asked brightly, turning her gaze back to Honoka. “We were thinking of going to see HEART next if you want to come.” “Actually Rimi wanted to go and see Locodol performing so I told her I’d go with her. Arisa is going too.” Saaya said with a regretful grimace. “You can go ahead without us though. We’ll meet back up with you later.” “Don’t you think it’s odd that the contestants are playing at different places at the same time in some cases?” Umi mentioned, her brow furrowing slightly in thought. “It means that some people won’t get to see all of the performers.” “That’s just during the day.” Saaya replied knowingly. “Everyone is coming together tonight for the big concert. This way you can go and see the bands you…” She paused as Kotori cleared her throat. “Sorry...or idols, you’re most interested in twice if you want to.” “I guess that makes sense.” Umi mused thoughtfully. “So we’ll see anyone we missed during the day at the concert tonight.” “Exactly!” Honoka exclaimed brightly. “Anyway, we should go or we’re going to miss the performance. I think it’s in twenty minutes. It was nice meeting you all. Let’s go, Kasumi-chan!” Kasumi offered her group a wave before she started to follow Honoka, Umi and Kotori through the crowd to the exit at the back of the room. “I’ll see you back at the hotel!”

---

“Anju-chan…”

Rin tailed off as she noticed the orange haired A-Rise member pacing around in a small circle but not soon enough to avoid her attention. “Sorry, are we interrupting, nya?”

“N-no.” Anju answered as she watched Rin stop near them with Hanayo and Nico close behind. She closed her eyes before taking a deep breath, putting on a happy facade in front of the three Muse idols. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We...noticed you entered the competition and wanted to know how you were doing.” Hanayo answered as her attention shifted to the other two members of A-Rise. She wasn’t able to watch for long before Rin got their attention but it looked like they were all scared even if Tsubasa and Erena were trying to hide it.

“We?” Tsubasa inquired. “Does that mean that Muse is back together?”

“Yup!” Rin smiled widely as she held her competitor’s pass up towards A-Rise. “We all got these things.”

“We know. We...got them too.” Erena smiled and slowly shook her head before she noticed Tsubasa looking around. “What’s wrong, Tsubasa?”

“What?! Nnnnnnothing.” Tsubasa smiled awkwardly. She let out a long sigh as the other members frowned, seeing easily through her facade. “Okay, fine! I was just wondering if Honoka was here?”

“She’s looking at other bands with Kotori and Umi. Do you want some advice?” Nico finally spoke up, her arms crossed in front of her as she leaned against the wall. “Honoka’s love life is as tangled as a ball of yawn. The point is, consider yourself lucky you aren’t with her.”

Tsubasa frowned in confusion but nodded slowly. She didn’t really know what the black haired girl was talking about but chose not to question it. “O-okay?”

Hanayo frowned when she noticed Erena’s smile fade quickly as she turned away. It was clear that there was something on the purple haired girl’s mind. “Are you all okay? Y-you look nervous.”

Erena smiled softly and let out a long sigh. “How obvious were we being?”

“Not very.” Nico answered. “But we have an annoying orange haired girl who has the same look but thinks she’s hiding it.”

“So what’s wrong?” Rin added, hoping whatever was wrong with the girls they could help with. They had all known each other for so long that she hated seeing any of them troubled.

“Well…” Anju took in a deep breath, not really sure how to answer the question. “It’s hard to explain.”

“We performed earlier. The first group to perform in the competition.” Tsubasa answered with a long yawn. “Sorry, I haven’t gotten much sleep. We...we sure that we did badly.”

“What?” Rin questioned in shock before she looked to the other two Muse members next to her. She wasn’t surprised to see they were both in a state of shock, Hanayo more than any other.

“But you’re better than us.” Nico announced before she noticed she shock expressions from Hanayo and Rin were now pointed at her. “What? It’s the truth.”

“It’s not.” Tsubasa spoke up with a soft smile. “Even if we didn’t want to admit it, the only reason we won the last Love Live was because Muse didn’t perform.”

“Excuse me?”

All six girls frowned in confusion as they heard another voice and turned to the side. Next to Anju stood a slightly taller blue haired boy in a strange sleeveless black leather jacket with a blue heart insignia on the back.

“Yes?” Anju inquired. She flinched as the boy suddenly held a soft tissue towards her.

“Are you okay? You all look upset.” The boy questioned as Anju slowly accepted the tissue, using it to wipe her eyes. Luckily her makeup wasn’t running despite all the crying she had been doing.

She frowned as she noticed another five tissues behind the one she used. “You certainly have a lot of tissues with you?” She questioned with a small chuckle, not intending to laugh but she couldn’t help it. “Sorry about laughing.”

“It’s fine.” The boy answered with a large smile. “My little sister keeps on giving me them so I have a lot with me.”

“Why don’t you just throw them out?” Nico questioned, surprised by the boy’s shocked expression. “What?”

“Why would I throw them away?” The boy questioned. “Even if it’s as little as a tissue, it’s still a gift so I treasure it.”

Nico nodded slowly before letting out a long sigh. “That’s weird.”

“Chrom! We gotta go!”

“Oh, right.” Chrom nodded quickly before turning his attention back to Anju. “Sorry, I have to run but you can keep the tissues.”

��Thanks...I’ll treasure them.” She replied with a large soft smile, waving as the boy ran off towards a girl the same age as him with brown hair tired back in a ponytail, carrying what looking like a guitar case. “He was nice.”

“Anju’s got a boyfriend?” Tsubasa inquired with a smug grin, leaning closer. She was slightly surprised to see the orange haired girl’s cheeks turn red. “Oh my god, you do like him?!”

“Shut up!” Anju quickly moved towards Tsubasa and covered her mouth. “I don’t like him like that. I...just want to be friends with him. That's all!”

Erena smiled and chuckled to herself. “Aww, that's adorable.”

“Stop it!” Anju yelled before she covered her face, looking away from the other members of A-Rise. She frowned as she peaked through her hands, noticing Hanayo and Rin were still in a state of shock from the news that they didn’t get through. “Just because we didn’t get through doesn’t mean we won’t be back. Anyone who was kicked out of the competition can watch the others.”

Hanayo smiled before her phone started ringing. “Oh, It’s Honoka-chan. Sorry, but we have to go.”

Nico looked at the phone and frowned, following the two other muse members as they walked away. She waited until they got out of listening distance for A-Rise and turned towards Hanayo. “Hanayo. No one called you. You just played your ringtone, why?”

“Because I’m terrified now.” Hanayo answered with a shaky voice. “I thought we might of had a chance but It wouldn't have been hard. But A-Rise thinks they might have been kicked out in the first round. They’re better than us so what hope do we have.”

Rin let out a long sigh before she smiled once more. “I don’t know, nya. But worrying about it isn’t helping either. We should meet back up with Eli-chan and the others and wait for Kotori-chan, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan to come back.”

Hanayo nodded slowly, holding her hands together in an attempt to stop them from shaking. “O-okay.”

---

Kotori narrowed her eyes as she looked at the stage. She wasn’t close enough to see clearly but she was sure that she recognized the girl on keyboard. The black twintails looked awfully familiar. “Kotori-chan. Kotori-chan. KOTORI-CHAN!” Kotori jerked in surprise as a hand hit her shoulder. She turned, wide-eyed to face Honoka. “W-What was that for?” “You weren’t listening to me.” Honoka pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I was asking if you knew that the girl at the microphone is called Saya too. I looked it up online, though it’s spelt differently from Poppin' Party’s Saaya.” Kotori sighed in disdain. “Honoka-chan, Umi-chan is right here.” “I know. I told Umi-chan too but I don’t think she wanted to talk about it. Maybe she’s busy talking to Kasumi-chan…” Kotori shook her head. “You’re so oblivious.” “Huh?” Honoka frowned in confusion. “What does that mean?” “Exactly.” Kotori rolled her eyes and went back to what she had been doing a moment ago, her gaze returning to the familiar girl onstage. She couldn’t place where she knew her from, not when the girl was so far away. She watched as the dark haired man at one of the microphones turned his back briefly to the audience to speak to the drummer. Her eyes widened at the sight of the jacket he was wearing. “No way…” “What?” Honoka asked, narrowing her eyes at the stage in an attempt to see what Kotori was looking at. “What is it?” “I-I designed those jackets.” Kotori muttered, her stomach sinking at the idea of helping their opponents. “Uni didn’t tell me she was in a band.” “Uni?” Honoka echoed. “Oh! Isn’t that the girl you were flirting with when I came to ask you to join Muse again?” Kotori hesitated but she couldn’t deny it. “Uh...yeah. I-I think I might have made the jackets they’re wearing.” “Seriously?” Kasumi gaped at Kotori. “Maybe you could help my group too. We need new matching t-shirts but jackets might be okay too...I’ll have to ask Arisa-chan.” “I-I don’t just make clothes for the bands we’re competing against.” Kotori stuttered, her face flushed. “I didn’t know Uni-chan was even in a band. She didn’t tell me.” “She probably didn’t have time.” Honoka smirked knowingly. Umi raised an eyebrow, confused by Honoka’s comment. “What does that mean?” Kotori felt a brief moment of panic. “Nothi-” “That Kotori-chan is dating the competition.” Honoka said with a smug smirk. “Or fooling around with them at least. Right, Kotori-chan?” Kotori grumbled under her breath, shaking her head. “I don’t think Kotori would do something like that.” Umi said rationally, her brow furrowed in confusion as she looked over at Kotori. “Kotori?” “I didn’t mean to!” Kotori exclaimed defensively, turning back to Umi. “I didn’t know she was going to be competing against us. I didn’t even know about the competition until Honoka-chan told me about it!” “Ssshh, they’re starting!” Honoka said, briefly touching Umi’s arm. She failed to notice the way Umi blushed at the gesture. Kotori smirked knowingly at the exchange and turned back to watch the band onstage, curious as to what the performance would be like. She’d had no idea that Uni was in a band. She was surprised to see Uni situating herself behind a keyboard. “Obviously not an idol group then.” Honoka murmured thoughtfully as she watched them. Umi rolled her eyes. “The two men didn’t give it away?”

“Shhh!” It was Kasumi’s turn to shush the two of them as she stepped forward a little to see better. “1, 2, 3, 4.” The drummer counted out, clinking his drumsticks together with every counted out number. Ater the count of number four the music started up and Honoka watched as the two singers at the front shared a nod. Her eyes widened as the music picked up. She hadn’t expected them to be a rock band. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting really but it certainly wasn’t that. “She sees them walking in a straight line, that's not really her style, And they all got the same heartbeat, but hers is falling behind…” The male at the front began singing in English, his eyes occasionally flicking toward the brunette girl next to him as he held onto the microphone. Kotori found her eyes drawn to the girl on keyboard. She was surprised herself. Uni hadn’t even told her that she was in a band, she’d just said that she needed jackets for her group. If Kotori was honest she had figured that Uni was the type to be in some kind of motorcycle gang. She wondered if Uni spoke English too or whether it was just the dark haired male on vocals. “He’s good.” "I wish that I could be like the cool kids, 'Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in…” Kotori flinched at the feeling of someone leaning close to her but relaxed when she realized that it was just Honoka. “Yeah, They’re really good!” Honoka called into Kotori’s ear, trying to be heard over the man’s singing. Kotori winced at the volume but nodded in agreement. She hadn’t expected the group to be as good as they were. The crowd seemed to agreeing, considering how much they were cheering for the group. “He sees them talking with a big smile, but they haven't got a clue, Yeah, they're living the good life, can't see what he is going through…” “Whoa.” Honoka murmured, her eyes widening slightly as the brunette she had recently heard was named Saya began to sing. Her voice was of course softer than the man’s but had a slightly gruff quality to it too. “She’s good too.”

---

Maki smiled as she took a seat on one of the wooden benches near the competition. Even though she was far away, she could still hear a rock band singing on the stage in Japanese and English. She let out a content sigh and took out the book she had been wanting to read since it came out but thanks to her job she didn’t get any time. “Let’s see what happens in this chapter…”

“Is that Nishikino-san?”

Maki frowned and looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. She took a quick glance before she returned to her book.

“Why are we hiding?”

Another voice questioned, making Maki close her book and look in the vague direction she thought the voice was coming from. Just behind a small wall there were two people crouched down with the top of their heads sticking out. One was Dark blue and the other was bright red.

“I can see you two. You may as well come over.” Maki let out a long sigh, returning the book to her bag. To her surprise, two members of Aqours came slowly walking over. “I know you two. You’re Kanan Matsuura and Ruby Kurosawa, right?”

Ruby nodded her head slowly from behind Kanan. “Y-yes. I-it’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m surprised to see you here.” Kanan admitted, stepping out the way so Ruby was next to her. “I thought Muse broke up.”

“We did.” Maki nodded. “But we’re back together for this last competition...probably.”

“Then that means we’re rivals.” Kanan smiled, her hands slipping into her jacket pockets. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the fact that Muse is back together. Chika will be ecstatic. But we’re not going easy on you.”

Maki let out a long sigh before looking towards the two Aquor members. “That’s fine. Doesn’t...mean we can’t be friends too.” Maki groaned, only just realising how much Kotori had rubbed off on her.

“Yeah.” Ruby added, the thought about them being friends bringing her a step closer. “You should meet Yoshiko-chan.”

“Yoshiko?” Maki hummed, the name sounding familiar to her. “Isn’t she the one that talks about her ‘Little demons’?” Maki let out a small sigh as the red haired girl nodded quickly up and down. “I’ll pass, but It was nice to meet the two of you.”

“Likewise.” Kanan nodded before she waved, walking away with Ruby close behind her.

Maki took in a deep breath before she reached back to her bag, grabbing the book once more. “Back to reading.”

--- “Raven! RAVEN!” Uni growled in annoyance at the fact that the man in question couldn’t hear what she was saying over the cheers of the audience. She stepped out from behind her keyboard and moved forward, grabbing Raven’s arm to pull him back a few steps. “Wha…?” Raven’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, Uni. What’s up?” “It’s her!” Uni exclaimed, nodding toward the crowd. “She’s in the audience! The girl I was telling you about?” She glanced toward Saya to see that her ex was looking at her in slight confusion. She quickly averted her eyes. She couldn’t even imagine Saya finding out about Kotori. “Where?!” Raven glanced toward the audience, scanning the area. He had seen a couple of pictures of Kotori. He spotted her in the audience and waved enthusiastically. The girl looked confused for a moment before she hesitantly lifted her hand in a wave. “Hey, stop that!” Uni hissed, grabbing Raven’s arm to pull it back down. “Damn it, what is she doing here anyway?” Raven stared at her for a moment. “Probably competing. You know she’s from Muse, right? The famous idol group? They’re Itsuki’s favourite.” “What? Wait, are you serious?!” Uni gaped at Raven in shock, her eyes briefly diverting to Kotori who was standing awkwardly in the crowd. “Damn it. Of course she’s an idol. What...what the hell am I going to tell Saya?” “Why do you need to tell her anything?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. “You two aren’t together anymore. Because…?” “Because they’re idiots.” Chrom piped up, causing Uni to jump in surprise. He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender when she turned to him. “Hey, I’m just saying. You never did tell us the reason you aren’t together. Even though you obviously both want to be.” “Does it seem to you like she wants to be?!” Uni growled irritably. “Uh...hey, Saya let’s go.” Chrom called, quickly edging his way around Uni. “We have that meet and greet thing right after this, remember?” “What meet and greet?” Raven asked in confusion as he watched Saya walk over to join Chrom. “Just something some of the other bands are doing. A meet and greet with fans. We decided to join them. It’s not mandatory or anything like that.” Saya said with a wave of her hand. “Most of the bands aren’t even doing it...or they’re doing something else.” “I heard one of the bands are selling merchandise.” Izetta piped up quietly as she stepped forward. “Um...Francho or something like that, I think.” “Maybe we should have merchandise.” Raven remarked, his brow furrowing in thought as he considered that. “T-shirts, bags, phone cases…” “We don’t need it.” Saya said with a roll of her eyes. She moved away, tugging Chrom by his sleeve. “I’ll see you at the hotel, Uni.” “R-Right.” Uni said meekly. “Uni.” Raven smirked knowingly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “See? Now let’s go and talk to your other girlfriend!” “Wait, wha…?!” Uni watched as Raven hopped down off the stage and quickly hurried to Kotori and the others. “Ah, damn it. Come on, Izetta!” Izetta gasped as Uni grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward toward the edge of the stage. She felt her stomach plummet at the thought that Uni was going to make her jump but thankfully, Uni sat down to slide off the stage instead, allowing Izetta to do the same. “Where are we going?” Izetta asked, puzzled as Uni continued to pull her through the crowd. She could see Raven ahead but he had seemed to have stopped already. When they reached him, Uni drew them to a stop too. “...Raven. I’m Uni’s friend and bandmate.” Raven seemed to be busy introducing himself, mainly to the blushing girl with ashen hair. “You must be Kotori, right?” “Um...yeah.” Kotori answered awkwardly, glancing at Uni. Uni sighed loudly. “I’m sorry about this. He’s an idiot. Um...this is Izetta.” She nodded toward Izetta who offered a small wave. “Don’t worry, she’s less of an idiot.” Kotori glanced between them, uncertain of their dynamic. She hadn’t been sure of what Izetta’s reaction would be but the girl seemed somewhat proud of being referred to as less of an idiot. She heard someone clear their throat and glanced to the left to see Honoka waiting expectantly. “Oh! Um, Uni-chan, this is...Honoka-chan and Umi-chan, my friends and um...fellow idols. And this is Kasumi-san, she’s from Poppin’ Party.” She hesitantly looked toward Honoka and Umi. “This is Uni. She’s my friend. And I guess you could say...client.” “That’s not all you could say.” Raven mumbled, earning himself a sharp elbow to the ribs. “Ah!” “If you and Kotori-chan are friends you should come with us!” Honoka exclaimed brightly, causing Kotori to grimace. “We’re heading outside to sit with our friends. Oh, maybe the rest of your band could catch up with us too!” Umi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Honoka, I’m sure they have better things to d-” “No, we don’t!” Raven said quickly. He turned to Uni and Izetta. “You two go ahead. I have a couple of things to do first but I’ll catch up. I’ll bring Saya and Chrom too!” “Are those your bandmates?” Kotori asked Uni, not recognizing the names. Uni nodded silently, watching as Raven rushed off. She had no idea where he was going. Kotori lightly took hold of Uni’s arm and tugged her a couple of feet away. “If this is weird for you I can make up an excuse or…” “No. No, it’s fine.” Uni answered, shaking her head. She forced a smile to her face. She wasn’t with Saya now and she had to accept that. And she did like Kotori. There was no reason for her to shy away from her. They weren’t even official. “Let’s go….”

“Okay. Go, go, go, go, go, go!”

Honoka furrowed her brow in confusion as she turned to the right, surprised to see a brown haired man dressed in a red vest and black suit trousers leading seven girls behind him. He had a short black bowtie and wore his suit jacket loosely on his shoulders. “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know.” Izetta added as she finally finished putting her bass guitar in the case with Uni’s help. “Thanks.”

Uni nodded and gently nudged the smaller girl. “Don’t mention it.”

“Kotoro-sama. We need to stop for a minute.” One of the seven girls the man was leading took a step forward towards the man, letting the other members rest for a moment. “Tai’s ankles are almost...well...falling off from walking so much, we need to rest for a little…”

“REST!” The man yelled in a loud and silly voice, bringing his face closer to the red haired girl. “How could you be TIIIIIIIRED? The dead can’t…”

“Stop yelling in her face!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as another one of the seven girls jumped at Kotoro, planting her foot into his face easily knocking him to the ground. She had long blonde hair tired back into a ponytail with red and green streaks running through it.

“Come on, Sakura. Lets go.” The blonde scoffed before taking ahold of Sakura’s arm, pulling her away from the man with the other members of the group following behind them.

“T-the dirt…” The man started to chant softly to himself, trying his best to pull the little amount of dirt on the floor around him into a neat pile. “T-the dirt...

“Who are they?” Kotori questioned before she took a glance at the book she wrote all the competitors she knew in. “I don’t think I have them in here.”

Uni stopped next to the ashen haired girl and looked towards where they were looking, surprised to see the seven girls. “They’re called Franchuchu…”

“Bless you.” Honoka added before she turned her attention to the stage where the idol group in question were getting ready to perform.

Uni turned towards the orange haired with with a irritable frown on her face. “

I didn’t sneeze, it’s their name.”

Kasumi smiled as she looked away from the small group she was with, noticing someone nearby. “Oh, It’s Saaya-chan. HEY, SAAYA-CHAN!”

“What?” Uni questioned out of shock before she ducked behind the smaller Izetta. “Quickly, hide me.”

“Why?” Izetta questioned before she let out a sigh. “You can’t keep avoiding Onii-chan forever. You’re in the same band as each other.”

“I can try.” Uni frowned and stood up right as the Saaya from Poppin' Party walked over to them, stopping short of Kasumi. “Oh, it’s not our Saya.”

“Oh, these are people from other groups in the competition.” Kasumi smiled and turned towards the small group. “Honoka-chan, Kotori-chan and Umi-chan from Muse.”

Saaya smiled awkwardly before she turned towards Kasumi. “I knew your memory was bad but not that bad. We’ve already met Honoka-chan and her friends. Remember, when you called her out on stage.”

“Oh, yeah. Whops.” Kasumi chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “Where did Rimi-ri go?”

“She went to talk to her sister. It’s not surprising her family would be here to support her. I’m guessing ours are too.” Saya turned at the sound of someone approaching, surprised she even heard it over the sound of the crowd.

Honoka smiled and walked over to the new Saaya with her hand held out. “It’s nice to meet you again. My name’s Honoka...s-still, but I hope we can be friends despite being rivals in the competition.”

“Honoka-chan.”

“Yes?” Honoka turned towards Kotori with a smile but was met with a less than impressed expression. “Can I help you?”

“Umi-chan is right here. Stop flirting with every girl you meet.” Kotori sighed and moved the orange haired girl back, turning her attention to Saaya. “It’s nice to see you, Saaya-san.”

“Anyway. Next.” Kasumi turned her attention to Izetta and Uni who had a bag of sweets in their hands their eyes widening as they realised everyone noticed. “Where did you get the sweets from?”

“One of our member’s, Chrom’s little sister got them for us. Miyu always get us sweets. It’s funny because she gives us sweets and her brother tissues.” Uni answered, returning the brown bag of sweets before Honoka noticed. “It’s nice to meet you, Saaya.”

“Oh, right.” Kasumi smiled, remembering what she was doing. “This is Uni-chan. Not Umi-chan but Uni-chan, and Izetta-chan from Heart.”

“Heart?” Saaya inquired. “Sorry, but I’ve never heard of you before.”

Izetta smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “I-It’s fine. W-we get that alot.”

“So are you guys idols too, like Muse?”

“Nope.” Uni shook her head. “We’re a band, like you guys.”

“Guys.” Honoka spoke quieter as the crowd started to get exited. “They’re about to start.”

---

Eli let out a long sigh of relief and fell backwards onto the large Muse blanket Akari and the people hosting the competition provided. Muse wasn’t the only group who got a blanket. Everyone did, all personalised. She turned around at the sound of footsteps, smiling as Nozomi stood behind with two ice cream corns in her hands.

“I see you found a spot, Elichi.” Nozomi smiled as she slowly lowered herself onto the large blanket. When she was standing up she thought it wouldn’t have been big enough for everyone else but when she was actually on it her thoughts changed. She and Eli were barely taking up any of the space. “The blanket feels nice. Don’t you think?”

Eli nodded. “Yeah, surprising seeing how it was free. It’s really big too.” Eli frowned as she heard the sound of snickering and turned to the side. Three girls all in a school uniform she didn’t recognize stood a short distance from her and Nozomi, occasionally glancing over at them and laughing. “What are they laughing about?”

Nozomi shrugged, handing the blonde her ice cream. “I don’t know or don’t care. Here, try the Mint chip one.”

Eli tilted her head as she accepted the green ice cream. She took a small lick of it and immediately thrusted it back towards Nozomi, shaking her head quickly. “Ew, ew, ew, ew. No.”

“It’s not that bad.” Nozomi chuckled, taking the ice cream back. She held out the chocolate ice cream she had been hiding by her side in her other hand, smiling as Eli smiled widely. “You should try more than just chocolate.”

“No.” Eli shook her head and licked the ice cream, almost beaming with happiness at the taste. “Chocolate is all I need.”

Nozomi let out a long sigh before movement caught her attention, making her look past Eli towards one of the girls Eli mentioned walking towards them. “Can we help you?”

Eli frowned in confusion at the question and turned around. She started licking the ice cream faster when she realised the girl was one of the girls who laughed at them a moment ago.

“Are you Ayasa Eli and Tojo Nozomi?” The girl questioned, frowning a little at the hostile glare she was getting from the blonde.

Eli stopped licking her ice cream for a moment and nodded. “Yes.”

“What are failures of Idols like you two doing here?” The girl questioned as the other two girls she was laughing with made their way over to them. “We expected never to see you idiots again after your failure at the Love Live.”

“I heard their leader threw herself in front of a car just so she didn’t have to perform with them.” One of the other girls added with the three of them bursting out laughing afterwards.

“Hold this please.” Eli frowned in irritation as she stood handed Nozomi her ice cream.

“Elichi…” Nozomi nodded reluctantly and grabbed Eli’s ice cream despite there being hardly any of it left. “Don’t make trouble. We don’t want to be disqualified.”

“I know.” Eli stood up, turning her attention back to the three girls. “Listen. You can talk crap about me, but If you talk about my friend like that again, no one will find your body. Are we clear?”

“Oh, big talk from not only the failure as an idol, but as a dancer too.” One of the girls stepped forward until she was an inch away from Eli. “Come on then, do something to stop me.”

“Hey!”

Everyone frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar voice, surprised to see Saya from Heart stepping in the middle of them. She squeezed in between them, putting her arms out by her side so Eli and the girl weren’t next to each other anymore.

“There’s no need to fight. We’re all here to have fun.” Saya smiled as she looked towards the two agitated woman. “If you don’t like each other, go somewhere else.”

The girl frowned at Saya’s suggestion and glaired towards her. “Who the hell do you think you are telling me what to do? Get out my way before I make you.”

“I think I’m...Saya. And you should really be careful who you threaten.” Saya smiled, looking behind the three girls towards the crimson haired woman behind them. “Otherwise someone will put you in the floor.”

The three girls looked towards each other in confusion before they looked towards where Saya was pointing. Their eyes widened as they finally noticed the crimson haired woman dressed in military camo and the deadly glare she was giving them. “T-this isn’t over!”

Saya nodded before turning here attention to the woman. “Thanks, Hisa. Is Itsuki here?”

Eli blinked in confusion before she took her seat back on the blanket. “I appreciated the backup but who are you two?”

Saya smiled and took a step forward. “Well, My name is Himura Saya, I’m 21 years old an I’m the lead singer in Heart. I like reading Manga and singing obviously but…”

“I don’t think she meant that much information, Saya.” Hisa let out a long sigh as she gently hit the top of the brunettes head. “I’m Evergreen Hisa. What was all that about?”

“With those three? I don’t know. We were just sitting here eating out ice creams when…” Eli tilted her head in confusion for a moment before she started looking for her ice cream before her gaze eventually landed on a suspicious looking Nozomi. “Nozomi. What did you do?”

Nozomi smiled and chuckled. “You were right about chocolate being better than mint chip.”

“That was mine!” Eli compamined before she turned away, pouting before she noticed a blue haired man running towards them dressed in the same way as Saya. “So, I’m guessing he’s another member of Heart?”

Saya frowned and turned around, noticing Chrom stopping near them. “Yeah, this is Chrom. He’s the drummer in our group.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Chrom nodded and bowed politely before turning his attention to the leader of Heart. “Thanks for just leaving me behind.”

“I’m sorry, I thought I heard arguments and I did.” Saya smiled before she gestured towards Eli. “I don’t really know what happened, but she was arguing with someone so I tried to stop them.”

Chrom sighed and shook his head, only just noticing Hisa near them. “Oh, hi Hisa. Raven’s away with some other members of Muse.”

“We’re here!”

Eli frowned as she recognized the voice, surprised to see Honoka running over to them with a small group of people walking behind her. Out of them all, she only recognised Honoka, Umi and Kotori. “Honoka? I thought you were watching other bands?”

“We did, but then we decided to check on you.” Honoka smiled before she turned towards the group of people who just caught up to her. “Right, introduction time. So, This is Kasumi-san from Poppin' party.”

“Poppin' Party? What type of group are you?” Nozomi inquired before she noticed the guitar case on Kasumi’s back. “I’m guessing a band.”

“Yup.” Kasumi nodded with a large smile. “I’m the lead singer with Saaya-chan...not that one, is our drumber, Rimi-ri is our bassist, O-Tai is our guitarist and Arisa-chan is our pianist.”

Eli turned around and frowned at the familiar name. “Arisa’s in a band?”

Nozomi chuckled and shook her head. “No, I’m guessing it’s just someone else with the same name as your sister.”

“Okay, that makes sense.” Eli nodded.

“Next is Uni-san and Izetta-san who are both from Heart. Another band.” Honoka frowned before she realised one of them were missing. “They have another member called Raven-kun but he went away to talk to Akari-san.”

“Akari?” Hisa questioned followed by a long sigh. “Why am I not surprised? Anyway, It’s was nice to meet you but I have to find my little sister.”

“Bye, Hisa. Tell Itsuki I said hi.” Chrom waved as the older woman walked away. “So Saya. We still need to find a place for our blanket.”

“Why don’t you sit with us?” Nozomi inquired as she gently patted the grass besides her. “I’m sure there’s enough space here for Muse, Heart and Poppin' Party.”

“If you’re sure.” Chrom nodded and unfolded the blanket. It was a purple blanket with the Heart crest in the centre. “Are you going to get your band’s blanket. Kasumi?”

“Not yet.” Kasumi smiled and turned away towards the stage Poppin' Party were going to perform on. “Arisa and the others are still having their free time, you know. Meeting the fans we have.”

“Excuse me?”

Honoka turned around at the unfamiliar voice, surprised to see one of the competition’s workers a short distance behind them. “Yes?”

“There’s been a little bit of an error so Muse had been moved up. It’s now your turn to do your first performance.” The worker explained before he took a few steps away from them. “If you would all kindly follow me.”

Umi frowned for a moment and looked around. “Wait. Rin, Hanayo and Maki aren’t here yet.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The worker replied with a smile, his hands cupped together just in front of him. “You are not on yet. In about 1 hour so you still have time to wait for the rest of your band.”

Umi and Kotori turned towards each other and shrugged. “O-okay.”

---

Honoka looked down and tightened her grip on the microphone, feeling as if she was going to drop it with how much she was sweating. Besides practice with the rest of Muse, this was the first time she had performed in front of anyone in over two years. She wondered if she was still good enough to be considered an idol. The last thing she wanted to do was embarise her friends again. "Washi, washi!" Honoka jumped at the familiar voice, letting out a small cry of fear as she felt hands grasp onto her breasts from behind. "What the...?!" "Two years is a long time not to feel you, Honoka." Nozomi smirked, resting her head on Honoka's shoulder. She chuckled at Honoka's expression and quickly let go. "I'm kidding. I don't do that type of thing anymore. It's would be bad for a Psychologist to do that type of thing." "Oh. I see...It looks like I'm the only member of Muse who stayed the same." Honoka muttered to herself as she leaned backwards against the wall. "That's not true." Nozomi replied, crossing her arms. "You've become so much more mature since we've all been away from each other." Honoka stayed quiet and looked down at the microphone. The Battle of Music was going to be the toughest competition Muse had ever, no, will ever be in. Heart and Poppin' Party were both exceptional bangs and they still had Aqours and Franchuchu to go. "Honoka." Nozomi frowned, moving to Honoka's side. "You're not alone. We're all here with you. No matter what." Honoka looked away as her bottom lip started trembling. "Don't make me cry, Nozomi-chan. My makeup will run." "Okay." Nozomi smiled and gently moved the orange haired girl's head to her shoulder. "Then I'll stay with you until we go on." Honoka nodded and lifted her head from Nozomi's shoulder for a moment, wiping her eyes before any tears appear. She closed her eyes and returned her head to the older idol's shoulder. "Thank you, Nozomi-chan." "Anytime." Nozomi chuckled softly to herself. "It is my job after all." Honoka nodded slowly. "Hey, Nozomi-chan. Am I too old to be an Idol?" Nozomi frowned at the question and shook her head slowly. "Of course not. Well, you're too old to be a School Idol but so am I too." "B-but what If I'm not good enough anymore." Honoka inquired, glancing towards the purple haired girl. "I...I don't want to embarrass anyone." Nozomi nodded slowly so Honoka's head stayed on her shoulder. She smiled before bringing her hand to the top of Honoka's head, gently stroking her. "Your voice is amazing, Honoka. There is no way you're not good enough." Honoka smiled and snuggled closer to Nozomi. "Thank you." "No problem.” Nozomi smiled with a slight nod. “Let me know if you have any more worries."

"Okay." --- "We're sorry we're late, Nya." Rin announced as she ran into the backstage area with Hanayo and Maki close behind her. She barely got the words out before all the other members of Muse who were already there shushed her. In the corner Nozomi sat on the floor, her hand stroking the top of Honoka's sleeping head. They could only assume that to make sure she wouldn't let the rest of Muse down again she had been putting herself through extra training when she was alone. "Poor Honoka." "If she wants to cripple herself working too hard, let her." Nico shrugged, leaning against the wall. Kotori turned around to Nico with a scowl on her face. "Nico! I know you don't mean that." Nico facade faded away for a moment before the black haired idol turned away, crossing her arms. "Well, maybe I do. Whatever."

“We should probably wake her up soon.” Eli turned towards the sleeping Honoka, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had always known how cute Honoka looked when she slept.

“Go ahead then, Eli.” Umi gestured towards Honoka with a smile on her face.

“Why do I have to do it?” Eli frowned and turned towards Umi, the two of glairing towards each other. It was clear to everyone else that there was still tension between the two Muse members even if the two in question didn’t think so. “You should do it. You’ve known her longer.”

“But you were the first choice for her so go ahead.” Umi retorted. The two idols glared at each other, both clearly trying to get one up on the other one.

“That’s ridiculous!” Eli scoffed at the news and turned to the sleeping Honoka. “It was clear that she wanted to be with you more. It’s why she never said she wanted to be with me.”

“Enough!” Maki yelled in irritation, the volume of her voice waking up Honoka. Honoka looked around in confusion as she noticed Maki stepping between Umi and Eli. “You two are both idiots. No one gives a damn about who Honoka liked more between the two of you. I came back because she wanted to be with us ALL. Not just Umi or not just Eli but All of us.”

“Like a harem, nya?” Rin inquired with a disgusted look.

“No.” Maki answered quickly.

Honoka was about to speak but hesitated, pretending she was asleep as Hanayo glanced over. It was just like two years ago all over again. Eli and Umi fighting over who Honoka loved more. Honoka let out a pretend long yawn and slowly stretched to the air, acting as if she had only just woken up. “Is everything okay?”

Maki glanced towards Eli and Umi before she nodded. “Yeah. We’re all just nervous about going back in front of an audience again.”

Honoka smile, choosing to ignore the fact Maki just lied to her. “Don’t worry, Maki-chan. It’s just like Nozomi-chan told me. “You’re not too old to be a school idol.”

Nozomi let out a long sigh as everyone else looked at Honoka in confusion. “No, Honoka-chan. I said, you were too old to be a school idol. You’re not too old to be just an idol.”

“Oh…” Honoka smiled, rubbing the back of her head. “Well, I knew it was something like that. Hahaha.”

Maki frowned in confusion still. “But that had nothing to do with what we were talking about.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Honoka smiled and turned towards the entrance to the stage. She took in a deep breath and glanced out of the curtains to the stage. The entire stage was packed with more people than she could count. “There are so many people. I’m so excited!”

“Excited?!” Eli questioned in a shocked tone. “I’m terrified.”

Honoka turned around at Eli’s admission and closed the distance between them, taking Eli’s hands in hers. “Don’t worry, Eli-chan. It’s just like Nozomi-chan said…”

Everyone except Honoka let out a long sigh at the mention of something Nozomi had said. They all knew that Nozomi was probably the wisest among them but they knew what Honoka was going to say.

Honoka frowned at the group’s long sigh but ignored it. “You’re not too old to be a school idol.”

“But that’s has nothing...nevermind.” Eli smiled softly and shook her heads. “We better get out there.”

“Yeah!” Everyone yelled in unison, putting their hands together. They waited for a moment, all of them taking a deep breath before walking out onto the stage.

---

“Yeah, Muse!” Kasumi cheared, jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd before she turned to Saaya next to her. “I can’t wait to see them live.”

Saaya nodded and smiled softly. “I haven’t seen you this excited in ages.”

“Yeah. This whole competition is just making me so excited. I’ve met so many people…” She trailed off as she noticed two people she had just been talking to recently. “Speaking of new people, Raven-kun and Izetta-san is over there.”

“Who?” Saaya inquired, recognizing one of them. She immediately remembered Izetta as soon as she saw Kasumi walking over to the two but the black haired boy was still a mystery. Kasumi had told her that there was another member of Heart who went away with that name so she assumed it was him. “Hello again, Izetta-san.”

Izetta frowned at the mention of her name and looked up from the notebook she had. “Oh. Hello again, Saaya chan.”

“Saya?” Raven questioned turning to the side. “You’ve changed since we last met.”

Saaya chuckled at the man’s comment, knowing that Heart had a Saya of their own. “No. I’m Yamabuki Saaya. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Raven Evergreen and It’s nice to meet you too.” Raven smiled and nodded before turning back towards the stage, writing something into the notebook in his hand. “Did you see how she stepped?”

Kasumi and Saaya turned towards each other, both of them confused as to what they were doing. They were clearly taking notes on someone on stage but she had no idea who.

“What are you doing?” Kasumi inquired, moving between the two Heart members and glanced into their books. She was surprised to see Kotori’s name with notes about her under it.

“We’re studying Uni-chan’s new girlfriend.” Izetta nodded as the two added another note to the book. “We just want to make sure she’s good for Uni-chan.”

Saaya couldn’t help but smile at the two Heart members. It was somehow sweet to see them looking out for their friend so much to make sure that the person Uni was dating was a good person. “That’s fair enough. Is...that the only reason you came?”

“No.” Raven and Izetta shook their heads quickly at the question.

“We also wanted to see them perform. Once they start, we’ll put our notebooks away.” Izetta smiled softly, gently nudging into Raven. “Isn’t that right, Raven?”

Raven nodded, returning his notebook to his pocket. “Yup. And my little sister told me I should watch the people after Muse too.”

“Shhh. It looks like they’re starting.” Kasumi added before getting a strange sense of Deja Vu. “I can’t wait!”

Saaya couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s excitement. She had known Kasumi for a long time but she was pretty sure that she had never seen Kasumi as excited as she was now.

---

Honoka stopped singing with everyone else, all the members of Muse gathering in one spot for the end pose. The wait after the music stopped felt like an eternity of silence and even though she only had her hands on Kotori and Umi’s shoulders who were knelt down in front of her, she could still feel that they were all terrified. She smiled widely as the crowd erupted into cheers with a few audience members shouting for an another song. She knew that they weren’t allowed but she would have loved to sing another song, even if she could feel her heart beating in her throat.

“Thank you all for coming to see us!” Honoka put her hands to her side as the other members of Muse got to their feet, standing with Honoka in a line.

“We hope you all enjoyed yourselves!”

The entirety of Muse spoke in unison before they all bowed towards the crowd. It had been the first time that they performed together in so long but it felt like old times so much so that they all instinctively waited until Honoka walked off the stage before they did.

Kotori turned to the side as she was about to leave and noticed Raven and Izetta, waving briefly at them as a kind of payback for when he waved at her. She frowned slightly in irritation as the black haired boy only smiled widely and franticly waved his hand towards her. It wasn’t the reaction she wanted. She wanted him to get embarrassed like she did.

“We did it, nya.” Rin yelled happily, bouncing around the backstage as if she had drank ten energy drinks. “It was just like old times.”

“Rin, calm down.” Nico commanded as she gripped down onto the younger idol’s shoulder’s, keeping her in place. “Geez, how many energy drinks have you had today?”

“5 so far.” Rin looked around in confusion at the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces. “What? Did you guys seriously think I was this hyper without the help of caffeine? You should see me in the morning, I’m like Nico-chan.”

Nico frowned at first in irritation before she shrugged, realising the orange haired girl was right. If she didn’t have three alarm clocks, she would probably never get out of bed. “Fair enough.”

Kotori frowned as she noticed Honoka had slipped away from the rest of the group and was standing at the edge of the backstage. She guessed the orange haired girl was looking out a the stage they were just performing on. “Honoka-chan?”

Honoka didn’t answer as she looked at the audience. She could see Kasumi, Saya, Raven and Izetta all standing in the audience with smiles on their faces. “Do you think we have a chance?”

Everyone was taken aback by Honoka’s sudden question with none of them sure how to reply. Honoka had pretty much just asked what they were all thinking. The competition was filled with great groups already like Poppin’ Party, Heart, Franchuchu and Aquors. Maybe there was more really good groups that they just hadn’t seen yet.

Kotori smiled and rested her hand on her best friend’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Kotori-chan?” Honoka frowned in confusion and quickly turned to the ashen haired girl.

Kotori smiled and moved her hands down so they were covering Honoka’s. “We didn’t come here to win...don’t get me wrong, it would be great to win. But we came here to perform together.”

“Kotori’s right.” Umi smiled and took a step forward, resting her hand on top of Kotori’s. “You came to get every single one of us personally.”

“She’s right, nya.” Rin hopped over to the three girls, placing her hand in the middle too. “You could have just asked me to ask Kyo-chin to join, but you didn’t. You came with me to get her.”

Hanayo stepped forward, joining hands with Rin as she placed her hand sheepishly onto the four hands. “You came to get me and made me remember how great it was being an idol.”

Eli took a step forward, adding her hand to the group too. “You even came to get me and Umi. The two people asking to join would have been the most awkward for you.”

Umi chuckled at the statement and nodded. “You could say that again.”

“It’s just like I said before…” Nozomi chuckled to herself as she stepped forward, doing the same thing as everyone else. “You’re not too old to be an idol.”

Maki let out a long groan as she walked over, putting her hand onto the pile. “I swear if I never hear that sentence again it’ll be too soon.” Maki frowned slightly in irritation as she notice Honoka struggling to keep her laughter contained.

Nico let out a long groan as the other eight members of Muse turned towards her, expecting her to join. “What?”

“You know what, Nico.” Maki added, her frown changing targets to Nico instead of Honoka. “I did it, so you have to as well.”

“Urgh, fine. I did miss you all. There, I said it!” Nico reluctantly placed her hand into the pile of hands in a huff. “How long are we going to keep our hands here anyway?”

“Yeah, we can stop now. You all have sweaty hands.” Honoka smiled as the pile of hands separated, wiping her hand against her skirt. “We should go and wait for the results with Poppin’ Party and Heart.”

“Yeah…” Umi barely got the word out before something caught her attention to the side. She had felt like she was being watched for a while but chose not to question it because they were competitors. It would be natural for people to look at them. Her eyes fixed at a shadow of she could only guess was a buff looking woman nearby.

“Come on, Umi-chan or we’ll leave you behind!” Honoka’s voice called out from a few meters away with the rest of Muse waiting with her at the exit.

Umi shrugged, choosing to believe it to be one of the workers of the competition. She couldn’t help her mind from second guessing it though, maybe because she was a reporter and uncovering secrets was what she was good at. “Don’t leave me!”

TBC...

#HonoUmi #Honoe #Kotomaki #love live school idol project #bandori #zombieland saga #love live! sunshine!!#locodol #ocs

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dimensiontripperhibiki · 5 years

Text

Start Dash (13/?)

Eli smiled proudly as Honoka walked confidently onto the stage, toward the podium. She knew that she had made the right decision for Honoka to be student council president. And she knew that Honoka would be perfectly fine with Umi and Kotori as her partners. She knew that the two of them were waiting backstage, probably nervously watching Honoka. Honoka stopped in front of the podium and leaned forward to introduce herself. “Hello, everyone! I’m your new student council president. Most of you should know me as a school idol. My name is…” Eli glanced away as Honoka threw the microphone up. Her eyes rested on Nozomi who was watching Honoka with a sad smile on her face. She couldn’t help but notice that Nico looked a bit down too. She could understand why. It was their last semester. Fall had already begun. Soon enough their time as students at Otonokizaka High would end as would their time as school idols. They would go off to college most likely, or find jobs and take a gap year, something Eli was still pondering. She took her seat again, her gaze still lingering on Nico and Nozomi.

“What?” Nico muttered, noticing Eli looking at her. “You’re staring.” “Oh...nothing.” Eli quickly looked away, biting her lip. She didn’t know how to approach the issue. She was still struggling with it a little bit herself, struggling with the idea of what to do after their final year. She turned her attention back to the stage, which Honoka was being ushered off of. “I think Honoka-chan was a good choice.” Nozomi said, leaning forward slightly with a small smile. “But I think you might have been a little biased.” “Considering you’re sleeping with her.” Nico added with a knowing smirk. “It’s not like that’s why I chose her!” Eli spluttered. “Oh? Then why are you blushing?” Eli watched Nico’s ruby eyes twinkle. “I can’t believe you can see color so clearly now.” “I’m Yazawa Nico.” Nico said smugly. “I can do the impossible. But...with the career I’m pursuing I’m no longer following my dream to be an idol.” Nozomi frowned. “You’ll do find pursuing public relations. Besides you’ll still help idols.” Eli nodded her agreement. “Nozomi is right. It doesn’t have to be the end of everything idol related.” Nico managed a small smile at that. “Maybe you’re right.” She took a deep breath, steeling herself. She knew she was lucky to be in the position she was in. She hadn’t met her soulmate exactly but she had met someone who was just as good, if not better, than her soulmate. And she still had a year left of being a school idol. She looked at Umi who was standing nervously next to Honoka and Kotori and felt a surge of happiness. Maki’s eyes were fixed to the stage too, watching intently as Kotori smiled next to Honoka and Umi. Kotori seemed to be so happy since she had decided to stay. Maki was relieved at that. The main thing which had stopped her from asking Kotori to stay was the idea that Kotori would be miserable if she did stay. If she missed out on the opportunity she had longed for. “They look happy, nya.” Rin spoke from her right as if sensing what Maki was thinking. “I’m glad Kotori-chan stayed.” “Me too.” Maki mumbled while Hanayo nodded emphatically in agreement. “It wouldn’t have been the same without Kotori-chan.” Hanayo said quietly as she stared up at the stage. “All nine of us have to be in Muse. Until…” “Until the end of the year.” Rin added when Hanayo trailed off. Maki’s brow furrowed at the comment and she glanced over at Rin who suddenly looked a bit down. “That’s almost a year away. We don’t have to think about that right now. Let’s just enjoy the time we have in Muse...with all nine of us.” “Maki-chan is right.” Hanayo said in agreement though even she looked a bit upset at Rin’s comment. “We don’t have to worry about it yet.” “I know that.” Rin sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “But I don’t want to be Muse without the third years, nya…” Maki frowned. “You’re saying we should...disband?” “Maybe. I-I don’t know.” Maki let out an irritated sigh. She didn’t exactly want to think about that. “Let’s just talk about it later, okay? Everyone’s leaving anyway, we should go.” Rin grumbled at the response but nodded her head and got up to follow. She supposed it wouldn’t help to talk about it now. It wouldn’t change the fact that the third years would be graduating soon enough. ---- “We could eat in the student council room if you want.” Eli suggested with a small smile as she watched Honoka happily eating her bread. “If you have work to do.” “Kotori-chan said she might go over some things.” Honoka said, shaking her head. “I think she said she was going to look for Maki-chan first so they’re probably making out in there. Or worse.” Eli’s eyes widened in surprise. “Honoka!” “What?” Honoka smirked, leaning into Eli’s side. “It’s not like we haven’t made out in there before. The door has a lock.” “I know but…” “Honoka-chan!” Honoka and Eli looked up in time to see Hanayo, Maki and Nico running toward them. As soon as the three reached them, Hanayo collapsed to her hands and knees, breathing heavily. “Is it impossible for you to stay in one place?” Nico asked breathlessly. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Rin chimed in, nodding her head. Eli’s brow furrowed in confusion as she looked between the three of them. “What’s going on?” “Honoka-chan!” Honoka glanced to her right at the sound of Kotori’s voice. She was surprised to see Nozomi, Kotori and Umi running toward them too. “What’s happening?” Nico took a deep breath. “There’s gonna be...another…” “Another Love Live!” Kotori finished for Nico as she reached the small group with Nozomi and Umi. “Anju-san text me to tell me.” Hanayo said, her eyes wide with surprise. “Because the first contest, won by A-Rise was such a success, there will be a second contest! And it’s going to be bigger. The arena will be bigger and the videos will be uploaded online with a live stream available! The groups will be invited based on regional ranking and the regional winners will get to compete in the nationals!” “So we have a chance to compete in the nationals!” Nico exclaimed excitedly. “But...if the popularity right now doesn’t matter that means we’ll have to go up against...A-Rise.” Umi said, her shoulders slumping slightly. The rest of the group visibly deflated too. “We don’t have to participate, do we?” Honoka asked innocently, speaking up for the first time. “I don’t think we have to participate.” “WHAT?!” The rest of Muse exclaimed in shock, their eyes wide. “Honoka…” Eli took a step forward, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?” “I just mean...we don’t have to do it, if we don’t want to.” Honoka answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “You’re really not interested?” “You can’t be serious!” Nico exclaimed angrily as she moved closer to Honoka. “This is Love Live we’re talking about! The dream of being a school idol! You’d jump off a cliff at the chance.” Honoka gave a nervous laugh as Nico gripped her arms. “Y-You think so? “Nico.” Eli warned, narrowing her eyes at Nico. Hanayo heard the familiar tone of her phone receiving a video call. Checking it, she quickly grabbed Rin’s bag and pulled her laptop out. “W-Wha…?” Rin watched in shock as Hanayo opened her laptop and typed in her password. “How do you know my password?” “I have my ways.” Hanayo answered as she linked her phone to the orange laptop. She accepted the video call and four people came into view. Tsubasa smirked on the screen. “Have you heard the news? I’m sure Anju told her future sister in law...in law.” Hanayo watched as Miyu’s face turned red. “Hi, Miyu-chan.” Tsubasa rolled her eyes. “Hey, you could have acknowledged me.” “R-Right, sorry!” Hanayo blushed just as brightly as Miyu. Before she could say anything else though, the door behind the four girls on the screen was thrown open and Hibiki stumbled into the room. “I’m okay!” Hibiki exclaimed, grimacing. “Did I make it?” “Just about.” Anju said in amusement. “So did you get my text, Hanayo-chan? You didn’t answer.” Hanayo sat down next to Honoka while the rest of Muse gathered around, focusing intently on the laptop. “Yeah. Sorry, I got it. I wanted to tell everyone else.” “So you all know.” Tsubasa summarised with an approving nod of her head. “That’s good.” Hearing a soft sigh from Honoka, Eli took her girlfriend’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Honoka looked away from the laptop, thinking. “So are you going to enter?” Anju asked brightly. Nico scoffed. “Obviously.” “We don’t know yet.” Honoka said, glancing at Nico. “We’ll have to think about it.” Nico growled in annoyance. “What is there to think about?! Everyone else wants to. Right?” She looked around at the other members who all nodded, save for Honoka and Eli. “Eli?” Eli bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to but she didn’t want to pressurize Honoka by saying so. “I-I guess.” Anju watched the interaction carefully before she noticed Tsubasa open her mouth to say something. She pressed her hand over Tsubasa’s mouth to keep her from pressurising the other leader. Erena cleared her throat. “Whatever decision you make, we will respect, Kousaka. Please take your time but remember the competition starts in two weeks.” Honoka nodded, her mouth set into a grim line. She didn’t want to let everyone else down but she wasn’t sure she wanted to compete either. “Thank you, Toudou-san.” “I’ll call you later, Miyu.” Hanayo said softly, placing her hand on the lid of the laptop in preparation to shut it. “Bye Hibiki!” Rin exclaimed quickly, just before Hanayo shut the laptop. “Honoka-chan?” Nozomi pressed gently, looking toward Honoka. “You really don’t want to compete again?” “I-I don’t know.” Honoka mumbled, looking down at her lap. “I just need some time to think about it, that’s all. I don’t know what I want to do. I’m sorry, Nico-chan.” Nico huffed in annoyance but she visibly calmed down when Umi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her girlfriend, taking comfort in the calmness of Umi’s expression. “Fine. I don’t understand but fine.” “I’m going to call Saya before our break ends.” Nozomi said, getting to her feet. She briefly touched Honoka’s shoulder, earning herself a small smile from the leader of the group before she moved away. “We’re going too.” Rin said before she tugged Hanayo away. “Come on, Nico.” Umi took Nico’s hand and with a slightly concerned look toward Honoka she walked away with Nico too. Kotori noticed Eli glance at her pleadingly. Reluctantly, she nodded her head in understanding. She wanted to stay, for Honoka, but she knew that Eli was the best person for Honoka to talk to. “Let’s go, Maki-chan.” “Are you okay?” Eli asked quietly, placing her hand on Honoka’s shoulder. Honoka let out a soft sigh. “They’re disappointed. I don’t want to cause more trouble for anyone, I just...I don’t know how I feel about competing in Love Live again.” Eli nodded though even she couldn’t understand that. “Maybe you shouldn’t think of it as competing. Maybe you should think of it as another chance for all of us to perform together again. The last chance for some of us.” “Right.” Honoka mumbled, her shoulders slumping slightly. “You, Nozomi-chan and Nico-chan are going to be graduating soon. I guess that’s why Nico-chan was angry with me earlier.” “She’s just upset. She loves Muse, even if she wouldn’t admit it.” Eli said with a small, knowing smile. She knew that Nico cared, maybe more than all of them but she didn’t like to show it. “She doesn’t want to give it up yet.” Honoka bit her lip. She didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure what she should do. “I’ll support you no matter what you choose.” Eli said gently, lightly resting her head upon Honoka’s shoulder. “But I think you might regret it if we don’t try this one more time.” Honoka closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “L-Let’s do it.” She said after a moment, opening her eyes as she looked to Eli. “You’re right. I don’t want to regret anything. And I don’t want to let anyone down. I know this means a lot to everyone.” “It does.” Eli answered honestly, relief washing over her. “We can do this, Honoka.” Honoka smiled and leaned in, pressing her lips gently to Eli’s. “Thank you, Eli-senpai.” ---- Rin stared at her laptop screen, her chest tight with anguish. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to read the comments on Muse’s video but it had popped up and she hadn’t been able to resist. Most were positive comments but there were more than a few comments about how boyish she was. One even saying that she was ugly. She blinked away tears forming in her eyes. She knew she shouldn’t let the comments bother her but she couldn’t help it. The comments in front of her played upon her own insecurities. She was boyish. “You ready to go?” Rin jumped in surprise at the sound of Hibiki’s voice. She quickly wiped at her eyes before she turned to see her girlfriend walk into the room. “W-What?” “We have a date. The movies, remember?” Hibiki said in amusement. “Are you ready to go?” “Oh…” Rin bit her lip and glanced away. “I-I don’t think so. I’m not...feeling well. Maybe we could skip the movies this time? I-I think I’ll just get some sleep.” “Oh.” Hibiki frowned in response. “You seemed fine before I went into the bathroom...did something happen?” Rin shook her head. “Rin.” Hibiki stepped forward, her gaze fixed to Rin’s face. “You’re not sick, you’re upset. What happened?” “Did you feel that?” Rin mumbled, her shoulders slumping. She couldn’t keep anything from Hibiki, it seemed. “No. I just know you.” Hibiki’s lips turned up slightly. “And I can tell something’s upsetting you. What’s wrong.” “Just…” Rin sighed, crossing her left arm over her stomach to grip her other arm. “I read some...comments. Saying that I’m boyish and...ugly.” Hibiki raised an eyebrow before her gaze flicked to Rin’s laptop. Her stare hardened and she moved over, quickly switching it off before she shut the lid. “You’re not ugly. You’re a work of art. An artist’s eye never looks at anything that isn’t beautiful.” Hibiki stepped forward and gently cupped Rin’s cheeks. “I wouldn’t lie to you.” Rin frowned softly. “I still don’t want to go out.” “We don’t have to.” Hibiki said quietly. “Besides, I don’t want anyone to look at you. You’d be taken away from me if people saw how breathtaking you are.” Rin felt her face warm at the answer. “You’re the only person who sees me like that.” “That’s not true. Without this...soulmate thing people would be lining up to be with you.” Hibiki said with a roll of her eyes. “I told you, I wouldn’t lie to you. People do look at you...like I do. I’ve seen people do it before.” “You have?” Rin asked in surprise. “Of course.” Hibiki said with a slight scoff. “Not that I like seeing them looking. You’re my girlfriend.” Rin gave a soft chuckle at the response as well as the slightly annoyed look on Hibiki’s face. “I know you like how I look, I just like…” “Feeling like a girl sometimes.” Hibiki finished for Rin. Her hands fell from Rin’s face and she wrapped her arms around her waist instead. “And that’s okay. Don’t listen to those stupid comments.” Rin managed a small smile. “I know I shouldn’t.” “They’re idiots.” Hibiki confirmed. She leaned up, gently pressing her lips to Rin’s before slowly drawing away. “Let’s just stay home. I don’t want to go out anyway. Besides...I can help you feel like a girl.” Rin felt a familiar tingle of excitement course through her as Hibiki smirked up at her. “Yeah?” “Yes.” Hibiki breathed out before she kissed Rin again. “What do you think, hotshot? Mind if I take the reins?” Rin shook her head, smiling against Hibiki’s lips. It seemed that no matter what happened, Hibiki could always find a way to make her feel better. She kissed Hibiki again, letting the shorter girl lead her toward the bed. ----- Umi/Nico scene - Nico thinking about moving away. ----

Rin gritted her teeth, her feet hitting the tarmac under her hard as she raced around the track. As comforting as Hibiki’s reassurances had been she still couldn’t get those comments out of her head. She knew that a lot of people saw her as boyish and she knew that to some degree that was her fault. She didn’t want to be seen that way but she had done the things she did, dressed the way she did for so long that it would be embarrassing to just change. A part of her wanted to change, at least sometimes and it was frustrating that she couldn’t. She cried out suddenly as pain shot up her leg. She stopped short, jumping up and down on one leg as she clutched her right leg. “Ow, ow, ow!” Her eyes smarted with tears as she dropped to the ground, still clutching her leg. It throbbed intensely, waves of pain cursing through it. “You okay? Looks like you have a cramp.” Rin looked up, squinting against the sunlight, lifting her free hand to shield her eyes so that she could see the girl standing over her. She didn’t recognize the blonde standing over her. The girl had short hair, just a little bit longer than Rin’s and dark brown eyes. She realized for the first time that the girl had spoken in english. “Huh?” “Um…” The girl knelt down next to Rin, pointing at her leg. “Does it hurt?” Rin narrowed her eyes, taking a moment to realize what had been said. She nodded silently. “Can I…?” The girl held her hands up and nodded to Rin’s leg. She waited for a nod before she reached out, pressing her fingers into the back of Rin’s calf. “It’ll feel better in a minute…” Rin cleared her throat, the pain in her leg dulling. The girl looked up, their eyes locking and Rin watched as the dark indigo eyes widened. After a moment they quickly darted away. “Uh…” Rin hesitated a moment before she continued in English. “I’m Hoshizora Rin. What’s your name?” The girl looked up, relief clear on her face. “Emily Steinberg. Sorry, you said your name is...Hoshizora...san?” Rin couldn’t help but smile, caught off guard by the girl’s puzzled expression. “You can call me Rin.” “Rin.” Emily repeated slowly, nodding her head in response. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. So her soulmate’s name was Rin. She bit her lip, moving her hands away from the other girl. “So I um...I can see color. Kind of. Since I looked into your eyes. Can you?” Rin frowned at the girl and shrugged her shoulder. “Uh...my English isn’t very good?” “Oh.” Emily frowned at the response. “Um…I…” She pointed to herself and then to her eyes. “Can see…color?” She made a explosion gesture with her hands, trying to articulate the suddenness of what had happened. Rin blinked at Emily for a moment. When the blonde girl pointed at her, her eyes widened in shock. “Wha..?! ME?!” She pointed to herself. Emily nodded, relieved that she had managed to get her point across. Her Japanese really was terrible. “Yes.” Rin slowly shook her head. That couldn’t be. She already had a soulmate. Surely she could only have one. “I-I have to go.” She mumbled, getting to her feet. Thankfully her leg felt a lot better now. “Um…” “Wait, wait!” Emily quickly stood up too, a worried look on her face. “Um...m-matte?” “I have a soulmate.” Rin said, her stomach sinking at the look on Emily’s face. She didn’t want to hurt the girl. Emily tilted her head in confusion. Rin sighed and glanced over her shoulder. As much as she just wanted to leave she didn’t want to leave Emily without an explanation. She went for her phone from the pocket of her hoodie and stepped forward, unlocking it. She pulled up a picture of herself and Hibiki and held it up for Emily to see. “My girlfriend.” “O-Oh.” Emily’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...assume anything.” Rin blinked. “What color are my eyes?” “Light green.” Emily answered without hesitation, staring into Rin’s eyes. Rin swallowed thickly and took a step back. She didn’t know how she was going to tell Hibiki what had happened. She noticed Emily smiling slightly. “W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?” “No reason.” Emily looked away, her cheeks flushing though it clearly took a lot of effort for her not to look at Rin again. “Sorry I acted so...forward. I just transferred here last week and I don’t have a lot of friends here and I thought...nevermind.” Rin frowned. The girl’s Japanese was broken but she understood her. “You transferred a week ago and you’re already on the track team, nya?” Emily smiled broadly. “Nya?” She saw Rin blush and chuckled softly. “Yes. A couple of girls from my class asked me. I used to run track at my old school in America. I lived in Connecticut. But I prefer soccer.” Rin felt herself relax slightly. “Why did you move all the way here?” “Ah...complicated.” Emily answered with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She paused for a moment, trying to think of what else to say. She didn’t want to stop talking to Rin but she felt like the girl would leave if she stopped talking. “Are you in a club?” “I’m…” Rin hesitated, biting her lip. “In a school idol group.” “Really?” Emily asked in surprise. “Like you sing and dance? That kind of thing?” Rin gave a sheepish laugh. “Yeah. Like that. Um...I should probably be going, um...Emily.” “Will I see you again?” Emily asked hopefully. “Maybe.” Rin answered hesitantly. She offered a small smile as she backed away. “We both go to the same school, right?” “R-Right.” Emily watched as Rin turned on her heel and walked away from her. “Wow…” --- Rin cleared her throat as she watched Hibiki browsing through her phone. She had been trying to gather the courage to bring the subject up with her girlfriend for the past hour but she hadn’t quite managed to. Hibiki looked up from her position lounging on the bed. “What’s up?” “Um..” Rin nervously bit her lip for a moment, her eyes darting briefly away. “Do you think it’s possible to have more than one soulmate?” “No.” Hibiki answered without hesitation. “I don’t think it is. I’ve never heard of it anyway.” Rin let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that it was possible and that the girl had started seeing color because they were soulmates. That she hadn’t noticed herself because she could already see color because of Hibiki. “Right. So um...we said we wouldn’t keep secrets from each other, didn’t we? Even if the truth hurts.” Hibiki sat up, letting her phone fall to her side. She was concerned now, especially with Rin nervously fidgeting. “Yes…?” Rin swallowed thickly. “So there’s this...new girl at school. I met her yesterday. And I think she might be um...into me? To put it lightly…” Hibiki nodded, frowning. “Go on…” “Uh...she has dark blue eyes and natural blonde hair.” Rin continued nervously. “You certainly have a type.” Rin took a deep breath. Now for the hard part. “She saw my eye color.” “You’re saying...that’s impossible. She saw colors burst when she looked at you? You’re sure it wasn’t anyone else?” “I was the only runner!” Rin exclaimed, distressed by the situation. “A-And she wasn’t looking at anyone else. She was only looking at me.” Hibiki was silent for a moment. “I’ve heard...of one-sided soulmates maybe. Maybe you are her soulmate. It basically just means you’d be perfect for her, doesn’t it?” Rin nodded mutely. Hibiki let out a sigh. “If she can see color because of you she’s not going to stay away from you. She’ll want to get to know you. What’s her name anyway?” “Emily.” Rin answered softly. “She transferred from America.” She watched Hibiki closely but her girlfriend’s expression gave nothing away. “What are you thinking?” “I...don’t know.” Hibiki said honestly. Her thoughts were jumbled and racing. “Sounds complicated, I guess. Um...have fun with that?” “Hibiki.” Rin frowned at the response. “You’re not going to say anything else? I might have another soulmate and that’s all you’re going to say?” Hibiki twitched at the remark and she gritted her teeth. “I still don’t think it’s possible. She better keep her hands to herself though, that’s all I’m saying.” Rin rolled her eyes as Hibiki picked up her phone and went back to whatever she had been doing a moment ago. “You’re not jealous?” Hibiki let out a slow breath. “Rin, I’m trying to keep myself from hurting this girl. If you think there’s a reason I should be jealous, I’ll stop trying to hold myself ba-” “No, no, no. I-It’s not like that…” Rin said holding up her hands. Hibiki stared at her phone screen, not wanting to meet Rin’s eyes. “You’re my soulmate, Rin. You opened up my world. Of course I don’t want someone else to take you. I just don’t want to think about it and I just...hope she gets the picture and this passes. I’d die without you, you know that. Can we please just stop talking about this?” Rin nodded, guilty forming in her stomach at the sight of Hibiki’s hurt expression. “Right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” “I’m not upset.” Rin smiled a little. “You think I’m special.” “More than that. You’re my soulmate, you idiot.” Hibiki mumbled, putting her phone down again. “My only soulmate.” “I’m not going to do anything, I promise.” Rin moved toward Hibiki, resting her head on the girl’s shoulder. “I’m not a cheater. Besides, I love you.” “I know. I trust you.” Hibiki took Rin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not saying I don’t. It’s just the idea of losing you freaks me out.” “You’re not going to lose me. I promise.” Rin pressed a gentle kiss to Hibiki’s cheek, trying to soothe her. Hibiki nodded, trying to ignore the anxious feeling niggling at her. ---- Emily looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching her. She felt a flutter in her stomach when she saw Rin turn the corner, walking down the row of lockers. “Oh…” Rin paused a couple of lockers away. “Emily. Um...hi.” “Hey.” Emily said with a small smile. “Didn’t think I’d see you so soon.” “I-I wasn’t looking for you. I just thought I’d go for a run…” Rin paused as Emily tugged her school shirt off. Her eyes moved down of their own accord and widened at the sight of the blonde girl’s refined abs. She gulped. Hibiki was toned but she didn’t have abs. “Relax, I was just heading out too.” Emily said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It helps to clear my head.” Rin blinked in surprise. “Your Japanese is a little better.” “I’ve been practicing.” Emily beamed at the praised. “I’m still a little…” her brow furrowed. “Rusty.” Rin couldn’t help but chuckle at the small injection of English at the end. “I’ve been practicing my English too.” “So you can talk to me?” Rin wanted to say no. She wanted to deny that she was interested in Emily but the blonde looked too hopeful. “Ah...yeah, nya. I mean yes.” Emily tugged her shirt on over her head. “You don’t have to do that, you know. I mean...stop saying nya. It’s a tick or something, right? I think it’s cute.” Rin blushed and glanced away, rubbing the back of her neck. “I should probably go.” “I thought you were going for a run?” Emily asked, raising an eyebrow. “If you want, I’ll run in the opposite direction. That way we’ll only have to pass each other now and then.” “W-What…? It’s not like I’m avoiding you or anything, nya...argh, I mean…” Rin groaned and sat down on the bench behind her. Emily hesitated for a moment, glancing around before she went to sit next to Rin, straddling the bench. “Do you want to...talk about it? I know this must be...weird for you. If you want to ask me anything you can.” Rin sighed softly and cast a sidelong glance at Emily. “Can you see color now? Permanently?” Emily nodded silently. “Because of me?” Rin prompted, lowering her voice in case anyone overheard them. “You’re sure?” “I’m completely sure.” Emily answered sincerely. “I’ve been seeing color ever since I met your eyes.” Rin leaned forward, holding her chest. She could feel Hibiki’s insecurities, even now. “I have a girlfriend. I have my soulmate already.” “I get that.” Emily answered thoughtfully. “But that doesn’t stop us being friends, does it?” Rin bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t promise their relationship would stay at just friendship, that was the problem. “N-No…” Emily heard the emotional tone of Rin’s voice and leaned in, hugging her from the side. “Let’s just...see how it goes, okay? If you want to stop being friends, if...it gets weird for you, we can. Let’s just start with going for a run together.” Rin let out a slow breath. Emily was too nice. It didn’t hurt that the girl’s body felt good pressed against her. “So you don’t like me...like that?” Emily leaned back, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Well...you know, you’re um...you’re cute. And pretty. Obviously. But I don’t know you very well so…” Rin frowned at her. “Pretty?” “What?” Emily rolled her eyes at the confusion in Rin’s voice. “Nobody’s ever called you that before?” “Well my girlfriend has.” Rin answered slowly. “Not anyone that wasn’t her.” “That’s surprising.” Emily said thoughtfully. She got up, offering a small smile. “So do you want to go for that run?” “Um…” Rin hesitated for a moment before nodding in response. “O-Okay. I just have to get changed.” “Right. I’ll see you out there then.” Emily said, figuring Rin wouldn’t want her to stay while she undressed. “Right…” Rin watched as Emily left the locker room, inadvertently taking in the sight of her butt as she walked away. “Butts are nice…” When she was alone, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She tried to tell herself that she wasn’t doing anything wrong but her stomach felt twisted with guilt. It had to be wrong to pursue anything with Emily. She looked to her bag, sitting next to one of the lockers. Maybe she should just leave without going out to run with Emily. That would make everything much simpler. She already had a soulmate, she didn’t need to pursue anything with another ‘soulmate’. “Damn it…”

She struggled with her decision for a moment before she got up and approached her locker to get changed. ---- Hibiki sighed heavily, propping her cheek against her closed fist as she stared down at her homework. She had been hoping that Rin would come over to save her from being bored but her girlfriend hadn’t even text her after school. The thought made her uneasy, especially after Rin’s confession a couple of days ago. Just as she was about to go back to her homework she heard her phone ring and quickly reached out to grab it. She saw Rin’s name on the screen and quickly answered the call, lifting the phone to her ear. “Hello?” “Hi, Hibiki-chan.” Rin’s voice sounded on the other end of the line. “I just finished my run and I thought I would call you.” “Good.” Hibiki said with a small smile. “I didn’t know if I would hear from you today. Is everything okay?” “I just...wanted to tell you something. I-I know you said you don’t want to hear about her but I would feel bad if I didn’t tell you and...um...I went running with Emily.” “Oh.” The smile that had lingered on Hibiki’s lips slipped away and she felt a tightness form in her chest. She cleared her throat. “So you two are friends now?” “M-Maybe…but just friends.” “Friends and soulmates. Sounds familiar.” “Hibiki…” “Right, sorry.” Hibiki ran a hand over her face, sighing in exasperation. “I guess that was a bit bitter, huh? Just...am I not enough, Rin?” “No!” Rin exclaimed loudly. “I mean...yes, you are. It’s not that. Don’t say things like that.” “What am I supposed to think?” Hibiki asked, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes prickled with tears. “You’re off with some girl who’s claiming to be your soulmate. I’m your soulmate! I’m…” “I love you.” Rin whispered, her own voice taut with emotion. “I’d die without you, Hibiki.” Hibiki bit down hard on her lip, so hard that she accidentally drew blood. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” “I don’t know either.” Rin admitted hoarsely. “I love you. But...I feel like I can’t stay away from her.” Hibiki closed her eyes, gritting her teeth together. “Maybe...if you um…” She took a deep breath, trying to force her words out. “If you take some time to figure out what you want. Like...we take a break.” Rin inhaled sharply. “Break up? What? No! I don’t want that!” “Not break up, just...I’ll give you some space.” Hibiki reasoned, even as her eyes misted over at the thought. “And you can figure out this thing with...Emily.” “Nya, no!” Rin exclaimed loudly. “I want to be near you. I can’t function without sleeping next to you, nya.” Hibiki was silently, biting her lip once more. “Please.” Rin pleaded on the other end of the line. “Nya, understand I don’t want us to fall apart. We...we did that! We’re bonded now. Please, she isn’t special, she just made me happy because someone besides you thinks I’m pretty. You’re still the one I’m in love with. And you always will be.” Hibiki felt the dull pain that lingered in her chest sharpen and knew immediately that it was Rin’s more than her own. “Okay, no space then. If you don’t want it.” “I don’t.” Rin said quickly. “D-Do you?” Hibiki let out a soft sigh in response to the question. “No.” “I’ll come over now.” Rin said in relief. “I love you, Hibiki. I really love you.” “I know.” Hibiki whispered,blinking back tears. “I’ll wait for you.” “I’m coming nyaow!” Hibiki ended the call and placed her phone back on the desk in front of her. She stared at it for a long moment, her thoughts racing. She couldn’t help but worry that Rin would get closer and closer to Emily and that she would end up losing her. --- “I’m worried that Rin likes someone else!” Hibiki squeezed her eyes shut as she blurted the words out. She didn’t even want to say them. She felt like if she voiced her fears it would mean they were more likely to come true. Not only that but she was worried how Hanayo and Miyu were going to react to what she had said. “Seriously?” Miyu gaped at Hibiki in shock. Hanayo on the other hand, scoffed, though she did look equally as surprised. “No way. Rin-chan would never like anyone besides you. You two are practically married. There’s a reason everyone calls you the married couple. Why would you even think that anyway?” Hibiki sighed, her shoulders slumping. She had figured that was the reaction she would get. “She met a transfer student...who said that she can see color after looking into Rin’s eyes. Like she’s her soulmate or something.” Miyu frowned in confusion. “But you’re Rin’s soulmate.” “I know!” “Is it possible to have more than one soulmate?” Hanayo asked, perplexed by the idea. “Maybe it is. Maybe it just hasn’t happened before because it’s rare enough that you find your actual soulmate...even if it does seem to happen a lot around here…” “I-I don’t know.” Hibiki groaned miserably and let her head fall into her hands. “Rin said that she doesn’t think she can stay away from this girl. What am I supposed to think?” “Rin-chan wouldn’t cheat on you.” Hanayo said confidently. “I don’t think Rin would cheat on anyone but especially not you. She loves you. You have to be sure of that at least...aren’t you?” Hibiki nodded silently in response. She knew that Rin loved her. That wasn’t the problem. “Maybe she saw someone else briefly before she saw Rin?” Miyu suggested hopefully. “Maybe it isn’t what she thinks? I don’t think it’s possible for someone to have two soulmates. And maybe Rin is just reading too much into it? Maybe she’s just worried that she won’t be able to stay away from this new girl because she doesn’t want to do anything to hurt you.” Hanayo nodded emphatically. “Things between the two of you have always been kind of...simple and easy. This complicates things for her.” “Yeah…” Hibiki mumbled unhappily, leaning back in her seat. “I’m not saying she’s going to cheat on you.” Hanayo said insistently. “I don’t even think she has feelings for this girl she’s met. She’s just...confused and worried that she’s going to hurt someone. Rin-chan wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, especially you. Trust me. I know her almost as well as you do.” Hibiki managed a small smile at that. She knew Hanayo was probably right. “I know. I just don’t know what I would do if I lost her. I can barely remember what my life was like before she was part of it. I don’t know what I would do if I had to go back to that.” “You won’t have to.” Hanayo said softly. She reached out and gently touched Hibiki’s hand, trying to soothe her. “Rin-chan isn’t going to leave you. Nothing’s going to change. Just talk to her and tell her how you feel. She’ll understand. It’s not as though she hasn’t worried about losing you before. Hibiki’s brow furrowed at the thought. “That’s not going to happen. There’s nobody better for me than Rin.” “I know that. Everyone else knows that. But she has her doubts sometimes.” Hanayo replied with a small smile. “Just like you have yours. You need to talk to her, Hibiki. Trust me. Only Rin-chan can tell you how she really feels.” “I know.” Hibiki took a deep breath, steeling herself. “Thanks, Hanayo. Miyu.” Hanayo nodded with a small smile. “I won’t tell Rin-chan you said anything to me about this. If she needs me she’ll come to me when she’s ready.” “Thanks.” Hibiki said gratefully. “I’ll go and talk to her now. I’ll see you two later. Miyu lifted her hand in a wave as Hibiki quickly left the living room, obviously heading for the front door. Indeed, she heard it open and then shut a moment later. ---- “Onee-chan, I’m heading out for a bit!” Yukiho called as she slid her shoes on. “Don’t forget to watch the shop like mom asked!” “I will!” “And don’t get distracted by Ayase-san!” “I’ll try not to!” Honoka answered though the way she giggled right after made Yukiho doubt that. Yukiho rolled her eyes and got up, leaving the house. She closed the door behind her before she turned and jogged down the path. She needed to get out of the house. She needed to figure out what was going on with her and why she could suddenly see color for apparently no reason. One moment she had been wandering past the track at school and the next moment her world had exploded in color. She was freaking out to say the least. She couldn’t get the blonde from that day off her mind either. Their eyes had only met for a second across the field while the blonde had bent down to help Rin but the brief meeting of their eyes had changed everything. Yukiho was embarrassed to say that she had run away. She knew it wasn’t a ‘normal’ reaction to seeing one’s soulmate for the first time but she had panicked. Afterwards, she hadn’t been able to think about the girl without feeling a knot of worry. She hadn’t even been able to tell Honoka about her. Yukiho turned the corner at the end of her street, her pace picking up a little. She wasn’t sure what she was doing but she felt like she needed to go back to where she had seen the girl. Maybe she would be there again. Yukiho felt herself collide with someone, knocking them both off balance. She felt strong hands grip her arms as she fell forward and heard a sharp intake of breath before she landed on top of the person she had bumped into. “Crap, are you okay?!” Yukiho looked down at the girl in surprise, confused by the fact that she had spoken in English rather than Japanese. “H-Huh? Wait, you’re…you’re her!” The blonde girl’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Emily.” She said, pointing to herself. “Um...let me help you.” “S-Sorry.” Yukiho stuttered, realizing she was still on top of Emily. She scrambled to her feet and watched as the other girl got up too. “I um...I saw you at the high school a few days ago. Running track?” Emily was silent for a moment before she nodded her head. “I joined the track team. Do you go to the school?” “Me? N-No, I’m in middle school.” Yukiho said, blushing. “Um...I-I don’t really know how to say this but I looked into your eyes the other day and now I can see color!” Emily’s eyes widened in surprise after a moment as she took in what Yukiho had said. “What?!” “I-I don’t…” Yukiho leaned in, kissing Emily quickly before she turned and ran away. Emily gasped as everything suddenly brightened around her, the colors becoming clearer and more distinct. “W-Wait!” She called out. It was too late though. Yukiho had already disappeared from view. Emily groaned and pressed her hand to her forehead. “What the hell…?” ---- “Emily?” Emily looked up, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Rin walking toward her. “Thank you for coming.” Rin nodded in response, pausing in front of Emily. She almost hadn’t met up with her, if she was honest. She had felt too guilty about what it would do to Hibiki. “Why the auditorium?” Emily shrugged her shoulders. “I figured it would be empty after school. And I wanted to talk to you in private. About...something important.” Rin nodded, her heart in her throat. She fidgeted awkwardly, hoping that Emily wasn’t about to confess her feelings or anything. “W-What is it?” Emily closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I made a mistake!” She blurted out. She opened her eyes just to see Rin’s reaction. The other girl merely looked confused. “W-When I said you were my soulmate. I’ve realized I must have looked at someone else. I-I ran into her yesterday and she kissed me and...and I don’t know who she is exactly because she ran away but...I know you’re not my soulmate. I’m so sorry.” “Seriously?” Rin gaped at Emily in shock. “Y-Yeah, I’m sorry, I…” Emily trailed off as Rin moved forward and hugged her exuberantly. “Thank you!” Rin laughed with relief as she hugged Emily. “W-What…?” Rin leaned back, tears at the corners of her eyes. “I was so worried about Hibiki...my girlfriend. I didn’t want to do anything to hurt her and I thought that you being my soulmate would make it impossible for me not to hurt her. Thank you for telling me.” Emily guiltily bit her lip. “I really caused a lot of trouble for you, huh? I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to.” Rin shook her head. “It’s okay, it was just an accident. I would have thought the same if I was you.” Emily managed a small smile at that. “We can still be friends though, can’t we? Even if we’re not connected?” “Sure.” Rin answered hurriedly. “But tell me what the girl looks like, nya!” Emily blushed at the question. “Small.” “Nya?!” “She’s a third year middle school student.” “NYAAA?! What school?” “Rin…” Emily grumbled awkwardly. “I don’t know. She has red hair and ocean blue eyes.” Rin’s eyes widened. “Um...do you know why she was walking to the high school?” “No. But she lives in the small shopping district near aki-ba…? My guardian owns an antique shop in that area. I live upstairs in her apartment.” “Nyaaaa, Honoka-chan is going to kill me!” Rin exclaimed, wide eyed. “Huh?” Emily asked, tilting her head in confusion. “Who is...Honoka? Wait, is that my soulmate? Do you know her?!” “N-No...Honoka-chan isn’t your soulmate.” Rin sighed heavily. “Honoka-chan is my friend and...she’s in Muse too. I think her younger sister is your soulmate.” “Really?” Emily asked excitedly, her heart leaping in her chest. “Do you know where she lives? Can I meet her?” “Uh...you might want to take it a little bit slower.” Rin said with a soft chuckle as she placed her hand on Emily’s arm. “I know you’re excited but this is um...probably all new to Yukiho.” “Yukiho…” Emily said slowly, trying the name out. She nodded solemnly at Rin. “Right, sorry. Um...she did seem a little bit scared. Maybe that’s why she ran away. Maybe she’s scared of me. Argh, why do I always make such a bad first impression?” “You don’t.” Rin said, watching Emily mentally kick herself. She felt sorry for the girl. “Once she gets to know you, it’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll um...talk to Honoka-chan and maybe I’ll be able to introduce you to her. Emily smiled brightly at the idea and nodded her head. “Speaking of meeting people, nya…” Rin said carefully. “Maybe I could introduce you to my girlfriend. To show her you’re not a threat.” Emily’s smile slipped. “Ugh...I don’t know, Rin. She probably wants to kill me.” “She doesn’t, I promise!” Rin exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “Please? Please, Emily?” “Fine.” Emily grumbled, rolling her eyes. “If you really want me to.” “I do. Oh, I should be going. I need to...talk to Hibiki. I’ll text you later!” Rin said brightly. With a quick wave she turned and bolted toward the auditorium doors. Emily sighed. She was still confused but she was glad that Rin was happy at least. ---- “This is like our second date.” “And it’s another double date.” Nico sighed with a roll of her eyes. “What the hell? How did we get into this?” Umi smirked knowingly in response. “You wanted to get a moped since you just got your license, senpai.” Nico blushed furiously. “Don’t call me that!” She glanced over at Saya and Nozomi, frowning. Saya seemed to be talking with the owner of the moped, looking for a good bargain. “How do you think she’s doing?” “Um…” Umi hesitated for a moment until Nozomi turned to her with a small smile. “Nozomi seems to think it’s going well at least.” “Good.” Nico said with a relieved sigh as she turned to the moped. “It’s a beauty though! Red and sleek. And I’m gonna drive you around, wherever you want to go.” Umi smiled softly at that. Nico seemed genuinely excited about the moped even though she had been embarrassed to accept the money offered to her by Kaiyo. “Well this date is original at least. It’s not like any other date I’ve been on.” “You’ve been on one date.” Nico pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve been on other dates you haven’t told me about?” “Of course I haven’t.” Umi said, shaking her head. “I’ve only ever been on dates with you.” “Good.” Nico smiled smugly and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was about to say something else when she noticed Saya walking over to her, an equally victorious look on her face too. “So?” “Got it.” Saya tossed a set of keys to Nico who barely managed to catch them. “It’s all yours. Wanna follow me to the restaurant? I’ll take Nozomi, you can bring Umi, okay?” “R-Right.” Nico stuttered, wide eyed. Saya nodded and walked away with Nozomi. “Think she’ll be okay on that?” “I think so.” Nozomi said even though she looked a little wary. “Maybe you should have taken Umi-chan instead?” “And let you on someone else’s bike?” Saya scoffed and curled an arm around Nozomi’s waist as they walked. “Hell no.” Nozomi chuckled softly at the comment but she couldn’t help but worry about Umi and Nico. As she got onto the bike behind Saya she glanced over at Nico to see her staring in confusion at the helmet in her hands. “Give it to your girlfriend!” Saya called over, cupping her hands in front of her mouth. She glanced briefly over her shoulder to make sure Nozomi was wearing hers. “Right. Sorry, Umi.” Nico mumbled, passing the helmet over to Umi. Saya rolled her eyes and started the engine of her bike. She waited until Nico and Umi were situated before she drove off down the road. Nozomi sighed softly, her grip tight around Saya’s waist. She didn’t pay much attention to where they were going, more focused on whether Nico was keeping up. Thankfully she was. They pulled up outside a restaurant and Nozomi got off the bike along with Saya. “This is the place you chose?” Nico asked in disbelief as she joined Nozomi and Saya along with Umi. “Isn’t this a bit...pretentious? I don’t even think I’m dressed for this place.” Saya sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I told you, I’m not taking my girlfriend on a date to an arcade.” Nico growled under her breath. “At least it would have been fun. This place looks boring.” “Boring for a kid maybe. But me and my girlfriend are-” Saya cut herself off, taking a deep breath. As much as Nico riled her up she had promised she would try to be nice. “Uh…” Nozomi piped up awkwardly, her hand resting gently on Saya’s arm. “Let’s go in and eat and then we can go home, okay?” Umi cleared her throat and took Nico’s hand, hoping to calm her. “Maybe it would be nice to just sit down and eat together. Right, Nico?” “If you say so.” Nico mumbled though she decided to keep herself from snapping back at Saya. She didn’t want to ruin the date for Umi after all. “Let’s just go in and find a table.” “I actually reserved a table at the back.” Saya corrected Nico. “Of course you did.” Nico mumbled, gesturing for Saya to go ahead. When she did, along with Nozomi, Nico and Umi followed them inside. “Please be nice.” Umi pleaded softly as they walked along behind Saya and Nozomi. “She’s Hisa’s friend. And...I guess, my sister’s too. I don’t want her to hate me.” Nico huffed. “Fine, I’ll try.” Umi breathed a sigh of relief at the agreement. They reached the table and Nico took her seat first, followed by Umi. “Oh, I’ll get it.” Saya said quickly as Nozomi took off her jacket. She rushed to pull Nozomi’s chair out for her, almost stumbling in the process. “Klutz.” Nico remarked with a roll of her eyes though she paused, noticing that Umi was grinning at Saya and Nozomi. “Seriously, Umi?” “What?” Umi muttered, her voice low. “You have to admit they’re cute together.” “If you say so.” Nico mumbled as she watched Saya take her seat next to Nozomi, a sheepish look on her face. She frowned slightly, wondering if Umi wanted that kind of treatment. She worried her lower lip. She wasn’t sure she knew how to act like that. “So what do you think of your bike, Nico?” Saya asked, hoping to ease the tension. “You must be happy with it.” “I am.” Nico said, perking up a little. She didn’t feel the need to say anything else though. “If you have any questions you can just give me a call…or call Nozomi. I’m home most of the time anyway.” Saya said with a small smile as she glanced at Nozomi. “Sure.” Nico answered simply. Thankfully the sudden silence that followed was cut short as the waitress came over to take their orders. She placed her order of udon, not listening to the others place their own orders. She was still too concerned with Umi. She quickly shook her head when the waitress walked away, focusing on the conversation. “Wanna share desert?” Nozomi asked with a slight smile as she took Saya’s hand atop the table. “Of course.” Saya answered brightly, giving the hand in her own a quick squeeze. Nico shook her head and glanced at Umi, noticing that she was blushing slightly. “Oh!” Saya exclaimed suddenly, breaking Nico from her thoughts. “I forgot to ask...Izetta is coming over on Friday night. Is it okay if she stays in the spare room? I haven’t gotten to spend much time with her lately.” “Sure.” Nozomi answered brightly. “Want me to make myself scarce? I can stay over at Elichi’s.” “No, no, no.” Saya vehemently shook her head. “I want you there. Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with my two favourite people at the same time?” Nico frowned in confusion. “Why can’t you just stay at your own apartment? Why Eli’s?” Nozomi froze at the sound of Nico’s voice, as if she had forgotten she was there. “Oh...I don’t have my apartment anymore. I um...moved in with Saya 2 months ago.” “WHAT?!” Nozomi grimaced at the volume of Nico’s voice. “I was going to tell you. Everyone from Muse. I only really told Eli. And...Chrom-kun, Uni-chan, Raven-kun and Hisa-san.” “My friends helped us move in.” Saya said hastily before Nico had a chance to get the wrong idea. “It’s not like you were the last to know.” Nico exhaled a breath. “Moving a little bit fast, aren’t you? What about university? When you graduate?” “Oh. I already know I’m not moving away.” Nozomi answered simply. “I’m going to Tokyo U...probably. If not, I’ll commute to whichever university I end up studying at. Are you thinking about...moving away?” Nico felt her stomach sink at the question, especially when she noticed Umi look at her with a hint of worry. “W-We’re not talking about me! All I’m saying is you might be moving a bit fast.” “I’ve been with Saya for over a year. And I love her.” Nozomi answered, squeezing Saya’s hand. “Why would we wait to live together?” “I-I just think you’re moving too fast, that’s all.” Nico said indignantly though she didn’t have much of a response to Nozomi’s question. She knew that Nozomi was right after all. Nico wished that she herself was more confident about what she would be doing in the future. “Let’s just talk about something else, okay? It seems like all we ever talk about now is relationships.” Umi shrugged as Nozomi shot her a worried look. She didn’t know what was going on with Nico either. ---- “Stop being so stubborn, Nicocchi.” Nozomi groaned in exasperation as she sat down next to Nico in the library. “Just take the entrance exam for Tokyo U. It doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan, does it?” Nico sighed, shooting Nozomi an exasperated look as she glanced up from studying. “You’re only saying that because you want me to go to Tokyo U.” “I bet I’m not the only one who wants it.” Nozomi said pointedly. “What about Umi-chan? She must want you to stay, doesn’t she?” “I...haven’t really talked to her about my plans.” Nico said with a slight grimace at the thought of doing so. “So I don’t know. I think she’d support me though.” “Probably.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. “Even if she wanted you to stay close to her she’d tell you to leave. Sound familiar?” Nico scoffed. “We’re nothing like Maki and Kotori.” “Really? You two weren’t even soulmates and yet you became something like soulmates. Didn’t you?” Nozomi asked, frustrated that Nico wasn’t seeing reason. “And you know that Umi would always put your happiness first. Just like you would for her?” Nico sighed. “Why does that sound like a question?” “Because it is. At least consider applying to Tokyo U. Take the entrance exam. What’s the worst that could happen?” Nozomi asked hopefully. “You decide you want to stay? That has to be better then moving around all of the time, right?” “All of the time? It would only be…” Nico trailed off, noticing that Nozomi was glaring at her. “Fine. Okay. I see your point. I’ll think about it. But not because you asked me to. For Umi. That’s all.” “Good.” Nozomi said, beaming. “You really love her, huh?” “Of course I do.” Nico muttered, feeling her cheeks warm at the admission. “I don’t give a crap that she’s not my soulmate. It doesn’t matter to us. We’re still connected. And we will be even if I leave to go to university.” “Alright, alright. I get it.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. “I just figured it would be nice for the two of you to be close, that’s all. At least ask her how she feels about it before you make a decision. Just because long distance will work for you, that doesn’t mean it’s going to work for her too.” Nico sighed but begrudgingly nodded her head. She knew that Nozomi was right, at least in a sense. “Oh, I have to go and meet Saya.” Nozomi said suddenly, quickly getting up. “I’ll talk to you later, Nicocchi.” “Bye.” Nico said softly, her thoughts shifting to Umi. She looked down at the books spread out in front of her. As much as she wanted to be sure that she was going to the right university she didn’t want her relationship with Umi to suffer because she had to move away. She sat there for a few minutes, mulling over her decision until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She flinched and looked up, ready to tell the person to back off but relaxed when she saw it was Umi standing next to her. “Hey.” Umi said with a small smile as she sat down next to Nico. “Studying for exams?” “Something like that.” Nico said with a soft sigh as she glanced over at her books. “At least until Nozomi interrupted me earlier. I can’t focus now.” Umi stared at Nico contemplatively for a moment. “Why?” “Just thinking.” Nico nervously worried her lip for a moment before speaking again. “I’m trying to figure out which college to go to. Whether it’s here in Tokyo or...a little further away. Is that going to be a problem for us?” Umi’s expression flickered for a brief second before she schooled her features into a neutral expression. “Um...no. If you want to move away to go to university, I’ll support you. Whatever you need.” Nico sighed heavily. Nozomi had said that Umi would say something like that. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Would you want me to stay though?” Umi’s brow furrowed in confusion. “It’s not my decision to make. I would prefer to be with you, of course. But you shouldn’t let me hold you back from what you want to do. Besides we can...see each other during holidays. And we’ll talk on the phone, right? Don’t worry about me, Nico. I can take care of myself.” Nico swallowed thickly but nodded her head. She knew that Umi was putting up a brave front. “Right. I’ll...think more about what I’m going to do and I-I guess I’ll tell you when I make up my mind?” Umi forced a smile to her lips. She really didn’t want Nico to go but at the same time she couldn’t hold her back from what she wanted. “Good. Do you know what Nozomi and Eli are doing about university yet?” Nico shrugged. “Last I heard from Eli she was planning to take a gap year or something. I think she might have changed her mind now though. As for Nozomi, I think she’s going to Tokyo U. So she can keep living with Saya.” “She lives with her?” Umi gaped at Nico in surprise. “Nozomi didn’t tell us that. How long has she lived with her?” “A couple of months.” “She’s so mature…” Umi mumbled to herself in awe. “That’s what I...wait, what?” Nico frowned at Umi’s response. “Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for them to be moving in together?” “Not really.” Umi answered sheepishly. “They’ve been together over a year now. Besides, they lived next door to each other. It would have been practical for them to move in together.” Nico considered that for a moment before nodding her agreement. “Yeah, I guess you might be right.” “Maybe we could...move in together too. Maybe after I graduate?” Umi suggested hopefully. “If you move, I could go to the same university as you after I graduate. I know that means we’ll still be apart for a year but…” “Yes.” Nico said quickly. “Let’s do that. I don’t want to break up or anything just because I might be moving away. It won’t be forever.” Umi nodded, feeling slightly more optimistic at the thought. At least whatever distance ended up being between them wouldn’t be forever. “Come on, let’s go home. You can study tomorrow, okay?” Nico opened her mouth to argue but stopped at the last second, deciding that she could stop studying for at least a night. If she really was going to leave she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Umi before she did. She got up, letting Umi take her hand and tug her out of the library. --- Hanayo glanced around the living room as she waited for Chrom and Miyu to come back in from the kitchen. She could hear them laughing about something. It seemed like Anju heard as well as she was sitting on the couch with a fond smile on her face. Hanayo bit her lip. If she was honest, a year ago she would never have imagined that she would start to spend her time with her girlfriend, her girlfriend’s brother and her girlfriend’s brother’s girlfriend but she had found, much to her surprise, that she wouldn’t change a thing about it. Chrom had been nothing but open and accepting of her and seemed to think of her as one of the family now. Anju herself has taken on somewhat of an older sister role. “M-Miyu, I told you, don’t…” “Onii-san can see color!” Miyu blurted out as she walked into the room holding two bowls of popcorn. A flustered Chrom followed her, carrying drinks for the group. “Miyu, I told you not to tell them yet.” Chrom sighed heavily, exasperated by Miyu ignoring him. He glanced at Anju out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her reaction. “Uh...yeah, I can see color.” Anju stared at Chrom in shock. “Because of…?” She paused, pointing at herself. Chrom gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah. Pretty sure, anyway. It’s not constant or anything but...yeah.” “Let’s not talk about makeouts and enjoy family time!” Hanayo laughed. “Miyu and I make out all of the time, it’s fine.” Miyu blushed. “Hanayo!” “What…? Oh yeah, I’m usually on top.” Chrom cringed at the comment. “Too much information, Hanayo! I don’t need that mental image!” “Sorry, Chrom-san.” Hanayo said with an apologetic smile as Miyu walked over to her, squeezing onto the chair with her. “But I’m happy for you. That you can see color now.” Chrom cleared his throat as he looked to Anju. “We’ll figure it out.” He said, noticing that she looked a little unsure of herself. “It doesn’t change anything.” Anju nodded, breathing a soft sigh of relief. “Whose turn is it to choose the movie?” “Mine.” Miyu piped up. She looked toward Hanayo with a small smile. “Don’t worry, I chose something you’ll like.” Chrom groaned. “When’s it going to be my turn again?” Miyu rolled her eyes. “You forfeit your turn when you chose another scary movie. You know Hanayo doesn’t like them.” “Right, sorry.” Chrom mumbled sheepishly. “What are we watching?” “Rent.” Miyu answered, pressing play. Chrom let out an exaggerated groan. “Seriously?! You know, I actually don’t feel too well, I might have to...” “Stay.” Anju said, tugging Chrom back down as he started to get up. “It’ll be fun, I promise.” “Fine, if you want.” Chrom answered with a roll of his eyes though his voice lacked any malice. He settled back on the couch, his arm brushing against Anju’s as he focused on the movie. “But I’m picking the movie next time.” TBC

#HonoEli #KotoMaki #NicoUmi #NozoSaya #HanaMiyu #Fanfiction

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