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　Though even as these thoughts cross his mind as he rinses the laundry, he still needs to do his best to pay proper attention to the instructions he receives. Just as Eli says, he follows her lead and makes note of the proper amount of detergent, (a really efficient amount, compared to what he had been using!) After which, he had been able to guess as much himself. From there he continues to trail her in an almost puppy-like manner until she reaches a seat, though he doesn’t sit down himself, instead standing properly as he finally voices his thoughts.

　The eagerness in his voice probably leaks through, as he seems like he was about ready to say the same thing whether she had asked him to elaborate or not. He couldn’t have been mistaken, he thinks, because this is how these sorts of things work.

　“You’re the one in possession of my sword, aren’t you? In that case, it makes you the new master that I serve, so please use me as you see fit. I’ll do my best!” He gives a little bow, though he’s admittedly unsure of just how much use he can be to an idol of this era, where swordplay is seemingly an art that has fallen greatly since the world has modernized so much. Perhaps he’ll be of more use now that he’s been given this kind of human form? In any case, at the least he can honestly say one thing, a sparkle in his eye as he does so. “Well, I was a little surprised, but a sword doesn’t choose its master after all. Rather, I think that if I’m to be of use to anyone, I’m glad that it can be to somebody as practical and graceful as you are, Master.”

     "Yes, I am the one that owns your sword, but...” Would it be too cruel to tell him that she’d only acquired him by drop, and judging by his wakizashi status, many others also had copies of him in their games, sometimes multiple copies in one game? As she looks at his bright expression, a dazzling teal gaze that sparkles excitedly back at her, she decides that it would, in fact, be cruel, and that it wouldn’t be too troublesome to accept the position -- especially if he would be there to teach her. 

     “That makes two of us, don’t you think?” Agreeing with the surprise of their current predicament, she follows her statement with a slight tilt of her head. Nonetheless, she’s humbled by his compliments, a faint, shy coloration of pink appearing beneath her cheeks; she does take pride, in her grace, in her poise -- years of finely cultivated hard work. While she’s still more than confused over the whole situation, it’s probably good for her to step beyond her boundaries -- it’s something that Nozomi would advise her on doing, after all, and a life in this city enables Eli to step out of her usual, rigid routine.

     “Very well.” With her decision about the matter made, she rises to her feet to give Horikawa an official greeting -- lifts her chin up, to address him properly. “It seems that you are already aware of who I am, but nonetheless -- my name is Eli Ayase, and as of today, I will be your master. While my skills pale in comparison to those of your master from your era, Hijikata, I will strive to honor your name. In return, I hope that you will teach me to be one worthy of wielding you. Along the way, I may make mistakes, and I hope that you will forgive me and redirect my course of action without hesitation.”

　Upon receiving her instructions he doesn’t hesitate in taking in what the other has to say and nodding eagerly, just before he starts to gather up the laundry, still dripping wet from how it was so suddenly removed from the machine. “Okay, okay~! I’ll do just that, A - Ah…” 

　Biting his tongue, while he had habitually assumed it would be fine to refer to her politely… Something she had mentioned caught his attention and causes Horikawa to stop himself before a potentially grave mistake can be made. Though, knowing his fumble was almost definitely caught, after he collects himself he gives a sheepish smile in her direction as he turns on the taps. (Luckily, something that even he can do.) “Er, excuse me… I’ll do just that, Master!”

     "Did you say... ‘master’?” Eli blinks a few times, startled by Horikawa’s all-too-sure enthusiasm. “You’re probably mistaken, I’m not-- I don’t even know how to use a sword,” she confesses, a bit embarrassed, even though there’s no plausible reason for her to have learned in the first place. The closest that any of them know to using weaponry is Umi’s archery, after all.

     But he soon finishes washing out his stack of bubbly clothes, and she does the same, merging their piles of (mostly) soap-free, wet laundry together into the same basket. Eli is quick to point it out, reaching for the handles of the single unit. “It seems that we’ve finished washing the suds out -- here, let’s put it in a washer.” Halting to make sure that Horikawa is following her before she proceeds, she takes the clothes to a nearby, unused washer and puts the contents of the basket inside.

     “I’ll also show you how much detergent to put... Do you see the line on the cap?” After making sure that he’s watching (she doesn’t really need to check, she thinks; his attention on the task is unwavering and enthused), she pours the detergent from the bottle into the detergent cap, up to the designated line. “Then, you just pour it into the washer after the clothes.” With a flick of her wrist, she empties the cap into the machine.

　The coins are simple enough, each one only the proper size for each slot and it isn’t a far jump to make to push it in after. The soap, however, is another matter entirely. The bottle seems small enough, and surely there should be some kind of indication in the room, but there’s not. Horikawa must follow his instinct in this matter, and in this matter his instinct is that he wants these clothes to be clean. Before starting the cycles for any of the machines he dumps an entire bottle into each, expecting that there’s no way such a thing could go wrong with convenient appliances such as these. He’s wrong. He’s oh so wrong… The bubbles emerge, and the lids are still locked. The bubbles begin to spill over, and there aren’t enough towels to stop them. The bubbles spread, and the button that stops the machine must be something beyond the five hundred year old sword because he doesn’t know which one it is.

　The bubbles will not be stopped. Horikawa has watched in absolute horror as they pile up and begin to heighten within the confines of the small room entirely oblivious to their leaking out. If he doesn’t leave, neither can they right? Instead, it’s only by opening a window that he can be certain of not breathing in soap instead of oxygen in this emergency, as bubbles begin to spill out of that opening as well. This is awful. This is the worst. When the door opens it’s the least of his concerns until an interruption is voiced, causing a panicked “Uwaaah!” from Horikawa himself. This is NOT the ideal situation in which to make a first impression, but the stranger carries on and treats the rapidly increasing bubbles as if it were just Tuesday.

　That’s right. Blonde ponytail, blue eyes, and her features would be hard to mistake for another’s - this is Ayase Eli of μ’s. What? How does he know that? Ok listen, he might be a sword from the 16th century but he doesn’t live under a rock; this is Iunctum and at least 80% of the population must play the game Eli is featured in, Love Live! It’s granted that HoriKuni is a total casual player (with no SRs of the girl before him) BUT, that doesn’t change the fact that his favourite idol in a group of what may as well be celebrities in this place is right in front of him. Has just recognized him! Has just seemed delighted to see him! Has just… commented on how she had recently acquired him in a ‘drop’? [shofu voice] HELLO!?

　His eyes immediately dart to his hip in something he intends to be a subtle check on the status of his blade, only to be met with the realization that he’s wearing his tracksuit. He doesn’t have it on his person. He’s made a mistake. But that isn’t the immediate concern and within an instant his eyes are locked back on Eli’s. A wavering, “I see,” is his response to her impressively casual conversation though he does catalogue her words for after the emergency has passed. Instead, it’s her offer to help that causes his face to light up.

　”Yes! The machine… I overestimated what it was capable of.” He winces internally, and frankly, who wouldn’t. In fact he may even be wincing externally as he speaks at the catastrophic consequences of his misunderstanding. “After it’s stopped would probably be a better time to talk. I’ve tried to figure it out already but…” The sword’s eyes close at the thought and he gives a sigh of defeat. That should say more than a finished sentence ever could.

     Realizing that the location of the contents of those empty detergent bottles could only be in one place, her eyes widen -- and, briefly, it causes her to giggle, glancing back at the overflowing washing machines. "You're only supposed to put one cup in each, instead of one entire bottle... I'll have to show you some time, after this," she adds, gently. The first laundry wash of your life is never easy, but she'd never imagined that some users would want to Just Fuck Them(selves) Up and dump the entire bottle...

     She brushes suds aside to check the small time indicator on the nearest machine, frowning when it displays about ten minutes. While it would be easier to wait it out, she isn't about to sit there in a room for half an hour for the machine to finish -- and so she bets on the chance that whoever was sponsoring this yacht trip wouldn't be too mad if she just... pulls the connecting wire from the back of the machine and prays that the Love Live god would keep her safe from an electrifying fate. As she does so, the machine powers down, luckily, leaving her shock-free. With the washer powered down now, she pulls back the door of the washer, which now opens with a small bit of prying. Out come Hori’s clothes, with an additional cartful of bubbles, but thankfully no more bubbles would be produced anymore, and no more people would be killed with bubbles. Bending her knees to reach into the now-quiet machine, she fishes out the clothes that Horikawa had attempted to wash and piles them into his original basket.

     Shoving even more suds out the window (they probably land on the floor of the main deck, somewhere, at some point), she clears enough to be able to sufficiently access the laundry room’s sink, as well as the shelf, and sets both Hori’s basket and a rental empty basket on its surface. "Here.” Eli points to the pile of sud-infused clothes, then points to the laundry sink, which is large enough to accommodate room for two people standing next to each other. “Just run the clothes under the tap, enough to wash some of the suds out, and then put them in the empty basket. That way, we can use the right amount of detergent when we put them through the cycle again, and the machine won’t overflow this time.”

It looks like their rush was worth it, however, as the view approaching the frozen area still seems relatively less busy. Only a few figures are lined up at the edge of the small rink, around which a small railing has been set up. (While its creation was an accident, it seems that its limited opportunity to skate is being fully taken advantage of.) “Phew, we made it. I’m so glad.”

     "Right? It’s wonderful, being able to skate without having to deal with the cold part of it.” Reaching for a pair of offered ice skates that are her size, she sits down on a bench and slips her feet into them, lacing up the fronts quickly with nimble fingers (ballet expertise comes quite in handy, it seems, when securing tedious footwear). Once Kotori finishes lacing her skates, Eli begins to head towards the rink (though the few steps towards the rink are incredibly awkward, a delicate game of balance, using the blades attached to the skates). 

But curious, Kotori directs her attention up to the display that had distracted Eli so with bright eyes. It would have been hard to guess what sort of thing would have caught her spouse’s eye on what she knew before, and her own costumes she mostly spends time guessing on what is suited to her friends’ personality and figure - to see the styles that the upperclassman actually admires will be something somewhat new. As her eyes run over the shawl, accompanied by a cute blue dress and matching gloves and boots, Kotori gives a smile, committing it to memory. “Aah, were you looking at that? It’s so cute, it really suits you Eli-chan!”

And it’s true! She almost wishes she had been the one to think of such a cute design! But now the most she can do is learn from it, and that she intends to do next time she has the opportunity to design something in a winter style for Eli.

     But Eli doesn’t doubt that for a moment, the piece of clothing had fascinated her -- everything, from the fox-eared hood, to the white balls of fluff, attached to the strings, and Nozomi has always told her that when her heart desires something, it’s easy to see, no matter what Eli claims, and she’s sure that Kotori can tell how much that the shawl had captivated her. “Of course, I don’t mind the walk.” As she steps forward, Eli can’t deny that she’s excited, to see what particular place that Kotori has selected for them.

     "There was something that I wanted to mention...” Tapping a finger against her cheek, Eli pauses. While she certainly wouldn’t like to hide anything from Kotori, the story seems strange even to herself; she almost questions whether it happened altogether, were it not for the insistent, daily 6AM checkups, of master, are you alright? “Do you remember that one sword game that I play? Touken Ranbu, I believe. On the cruise, I met a sword -- Horikawa Kunihiro. You know, the one who I consider to be ‘son material’.” 

     Though she also has a natural liking towards the elegant (and the rarest, but she has four of him already?) crescent sword, Mikazuki Munechika, she also favors the Kunihiro, as well -- especially with eyes as bright sapphire and dazzling as his, and the gentle lull of his soft voice. With a hesitant laugh, Eli tilts her head to the side, hoping that Kotori would at least... halfway... understand what she meant.

What a luxurious cruise… It really is more extravagant than anything Kotori has experienced before with the Valentines Day feeling permeating the entire ship. Of course, seeing as today is a day supposed to be special for couples, Kotori does have something planned herself, and that’s what causes her to seek out where her new wife may have wandered to. It takes a little while for her to find the other, due to some complications with elevator repairs that seemed to be occurring, but it doesn’t affect the brightness of her smile when she sights a familiar blonde ponytail not far from one of the dining rooms. “There you are, Eli! I was looking for you.”

     Getting from one floor to another, however, has become a challenge -- the sad aftermath of the wreckage going on. But luckily, Kotori manages to find her before vice versa, and she beams back just as brightly, comforted by the second-year's presence. The idea sounds cute enough: ice skating. It would definitely be one of many things that Eli excels at, with nimble feet and sharp movements trained since childhood.

If she were to pick a word to describe this city, it would probably be ‘Amazing’. After all, there was hardly another place she had ever seen with so many diverse styles — not only those of different countries and cities in origin, but in the worlds themselves. Definitely a treat! But unfortunately not exactly what Kotori had come out to look for today with her hands now empty of the resumes that she had initially brought out with her. The city itself is nice, but for now she needs to make sure that she and her family can make a living in this foreign place.

In any case, after some time spent investigating the city setting and discovering one particularly cute cafe to catch her eye, Kotori notes that it’s almost time. Time for her date that is, with her sparkling new wife. Or, well, she supposes that if the two have been so close by now Eli isn’t really a new person, but it really is new to have a wife! And not something that Kotori had expected at all — at least, not while she’s still in high school. So it’s with a particularly nervous kind of excitement that the second year waits outside the station for her Eli’s arrival, prepared to wave to the older girl the moment she catches sight of her telltale blonde ponytail. It doesn’t take long to find and right on time, but perhaps a flaw in her plan is noticed in that seeing the ponytail itself means that Eli would be facing away from her… and unable to see her waving…

Whoops. A further inspection of the older girl brings to Kotori’s attention that she doesn’t seem to have been noticed yet, with blue eyes instead captivated by a window display along the city streets. There’s a moment of hesitation during which she wonders if she should call out to catch her attention but another idea strikes that seems, perhaps a little more fun. With slow, careful steps Kotori inches closer as quietly and inconspicuously as she can, waiting until she’s just behind Eli before letting out a sharp sounding of her voice, with hands placed on the blonde’s shoulder as she pulls herself into sight.

"Boo!" 

It’s only a shame that her reflection was, in all likelihood, entirely visible in against the window glass, and that she had overlooked such an obvious hint to her presence entirely.

     This is far from a terrible arrangement; at least, being assigned to someone that she already knows makes this city less terrifying, even by a small bit. These past few weeks have been, by all means, interesting — almost dream-like, in a sense. Of course, the apartment had come with its own standard furniture — but to a pair of idols, even with modest roots, that just wouldn't do! So the first several days had been devoted to purchasing newer, better, prettier furniture! 

     But, after that — as idols, their job was to not only perform and hold live shows, but to have fun, and explore while doing just that. Kotori's invitation is a warm welcome from their usual routine, and even if Kotori hadn't directly referred to their planned outing as a date, Eli knows to look beyond the words. It's a bit cute, she thinks. Kotori has always been that way, after all: fluffy and adorable, just like her favorite animal (not that Eli agrees on the animal, however — especially not after it'd spit on her once). 

     Exiting the station, she does her best in proceeding immediately to the cafe, not wanting to make Kotori wait — it's unlike Eli to be anything but on-time. However, a particularly cute outfit: a white, furry shawl, its hood donned with a pair of faux fox ears, in a nearby shop window catches her eye, and she finds herself gazing at it beyond the glass, blue eyes wide with wonder. But before she can make a decision, the silhouette of a familiar, soft face appears in the window beside her — unfortunately for Kotori, that lessens the effect of the surprise, but it's still a surprise nonetheless.