HummingFly

Haruka watched Minori sing and dance on the karaoke stage. She gave everything her 1000%, even treating a tiny karaoke stage like the stage at the Dome. Haruka smiled and rested her cheek on her palm. She let out a dreamy sigh. However, the moment was interrupted by sparks flying from the microphone and harsh, discordant buzzing. “Minori!” Haruka cried out. Minori frantically threw the microphone onto the stand, rushed down the stairs, and then stood next to Haruka while she took out her phone.

“How much money do we have in our shared account!? We need to pay the karaoke owners back, I just broke their equipment! I knew my bad luck wasn’t suited for karaoke…!” she cried out. Haruka laughed.

“It’s okay, Minori. It was an accident.” She said that calmly, but truthfully, she knew they cost 100 dollars that they didn’t have to spare. If she could fix it herself, she wouldn't need to worry, but Haruka didn’t really have a mechanic’s skills. Unless…she knew someone who did!

Kamishiro, a close friend of An’s, came to the karaoke booth a little less than twenty minutes later. Immediately, he got to work. If someone told her, she would have thought they were exaggerating, but it actually only took Rui about two minutes to get it back to its original condition. Haruka thanked him, then Minori took the stage again. “Wait! Haruka, please sing with me! It’s only right, since you were the one who helped me not have to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket, hehe!” Minori exclaimed. How could Haruka ever refuse that smile? She nodded, then went up the stairs to join her. Without Minori, a tiny feat like that would have been impossible. Without Minori, the life she has today would have been impossible. Staring out at the miniature sea of lightsticks (aka, Shizuku and Airi), Haruka felt her heart grow warmer than ever before.

An embarrassing situation emerged when Minori decided to look through her old merch from the various idol groups she loved: she wrote letters to Haruka and now they were gone. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but Haruka was coming over in thirty minutes. If Minori didn’t find it fast, Haruka might find it first, and Minori had no idea what sort of cringey things she wrote about when she was a teenager or even younger. Her fanfiction was written under a fake name, a burner email, and was orphaned the moment she joined MORE MORE JUMP!, so she was safe from that part of her childhood, but not physical letters written in her own handwriting, with her own pens, and stashed in her own room. So, it was time to start searching!

Thirty minutes passed and it looked like a tornado had ripped through Minori’s room, but there was still no letter. She knew she had written exactly fifteen double-sided letters about how much she loved Haruka, but---oh no. She heard the doorbell ring. She heard it creak open, then she heard some murmuring, and then her steps creaking. Then, a knock. Another knock. A longer knock. Haruka was here! Oh no! What would she think about Minori’s lack of tidiness!? What would she think about her goal!? What would she think about Minori herself!? “H-Haruka!” Minori exclaimed as she opened the door with a wobbly smiling

“Good afternoon, Minori. I have a folder with a few ideas for our next stream, if you’d like to take a look.”

“Oh, okay!”

Three hours passed before Haruka stood up. “Something’s bothering you. Do you want to solve it together?”

Minori paused. Haruka was more perceptive than she thought! Oh, but this is Haruka, so of course she’s perceptive. “U-Um, sure! I, uh, sorta lost, er, my homework and I can’t find it but I didn’t want to bother you with it…” Minori explained with bright red cheeks. She was lying through her teeth, but it was probably pretty convincing, right? Haruka nodded, so she probably thought so! Now, she just had to think of a longer story.

Less than ten minutes passed before she found it. Fifteen before she announced it. “Hehe, I’m happy you feel this way about me, Minori.” Minori went bright red.

“You weren’t supposed to read that, I’m so sorry! This is from years ago, but- but my feelings haven’t really changed.” Haruka simply smiled.

“People like you are the reason I keep pushing forward, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I might just frame this on my wall.”

“Please please please, don’t! For the sake of my heart, please!!”

“Okay, okay,” Haruka grinned. “Well, I’m glad you care about me so much. The feeling’s mutual.” Minori felt like she would burst into tears, equally from embarrassment and joy. Oh, to live the life of a fangirl who talks to their idol on a daily basis…

Haruka danced with Minori to practice for their upcoming concert. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. Haruka counted each beat in her head as the music played loudly and made her grin from ear to ear. What would it be like to hear that music on stage? And maybe in five or six years, how would it feel on the biggest stage in Japan? Minori followed along perfectly without a single misstep. She had grown so much. Suddenly, Minori’s voice rang out, “Oww!”. She hopped on one foot perfectly on beat while clutching her ankle. “It’s okay, I’m okay!” she exclaimed with a thumbs-up. Haruka didn’t believe her, but she simply nodded, gave Minori a smile, then restarted the song. However, she attentively watched Minori’s ankles. Suddenly, one of them bent sharply to the right. The side of her foot hit the floor without a sound.

“Minori!” Haruka cried out, running toward her. However, Minori shook her head and lifted her foot again to continue.

“I’m okay! Let’s keep trying, more and more!” Minori exclaimed. Haruka’s eyes narrowed.

“No. You need to rest.” Minori looked at her face for at least thirty seconds before frowning a bit.

“Aw, but…”

“It’s better to fix it now and not let it get worse later, otherwise you may not even be able to dance during the concert.” Minori paused to consider it for a moment, then she nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay! What does Dr. Kiritani suggest?” she asked. Haruka giggled.

“Right, well, it’s a sprain, so we should use the R.I.C.E method. Or, rest, ice, compress, elevate. So…we need to get ice, bandages, and a few pillows,” Haruka said. Minori nodded, then smiled.

“Aye, aye! I’m in your care, Dr. Kiritani!” Minori exclaimed. Haruka giggled. Truthfully, it had always been the other way around, or at least Haruka thought so.

For Haruka’s cheat day, today, Minori would accompany her to the dessert shop Haruka had mentioned to her five times in the past week for their date. It was now a normal, much less shocking moment for Minori when Haruka told the waitress, “Two of everything on the menu, please.”

When the food arrived at the table, Haruka was basically drooling. Minori was never able to finish her portion of the entire menu, so Haruka usually ended up with one of everything and then some. That seemed to be the case today too, even though she had specifically skipped breakfast to prepare for this moment. However, after finishing her own portion at scarily fast speeds, Haruka got up to use the bathroom, leaving Minori and her tower of treats. Something caught her attention, though. “Oh, no! Haruka’s ice cream’s melting!!” Minori cried out. She thought hard and fast about how to salvage it. A minifreezer? No, she didn’t even have one of those, and even if she did, it’d take too long to refreeze it. A new recipe with melted ice cream? No, she couldn’t use the kitchen, and she was known to be a bad chef anyway. Ah-ha! That was it! She grabbed Haruka’s coffee, which she was waiting to drink to let it cool down, took off the lid, then poured the melted ice cream into it and stirred. She had done it before with strawberry ice cream and she never drank coffee differently again, so she was sure Haruka would appreciate it. And if she didn’t, well, Minori could always order more!

Haruka came out, then sat down. “Thank you for watching the food for me, Minori.”

“Of course, Haruka!” Minori exclaimed with a bright smile and expectant eyes. If Minori was Haruka, she’d probably think she planned a prank while Haruka was gone. Ah, but if Minori was Haruka, that’d be a dream come true! What would be her first order of business? Maybe to release more merch, or to buy a season pass to a penguin zoo for her when Minori inevitably switches back, or try all the dances she could never perfect because she’s not strong enough! Or, well, that was if her luck was ever good enough to grant her even just an hour as Haruka. She hadn’t realized it, but Haruka had picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. Minori peeked her head up a bit more to look at Haruka’s beautiful, ocean blue eyes. They were wide. Uh-oh. But then, they were followed by a smile. Not uh-oh?

“I’ll need to come back sometime. This coffee is better than usual.”

“U-Usual…?” Minori asked.

“Yes, the new barista is particularly good! I think her name was Minori Hanasato?” Haruka joked.

“Oh…you noticed, huh…?” she asked with a sad smile.

“Of course. Only Minori could have come up with such an interesting recipe.” Minori’s eyes widened, then she smiled from ear to ear.

“Thank you, Haruka!! I’ll come up with ten, no, one hundred new recipes for our next cooking stream!”

“I don’t think we need that many…but thank you, Minori.”

Minori had lived a dull, depressing life for as long as she could remember, but a certain idol tried and failed to change that. Or, well, that’s what she thought. A certain online group made her feel a little happier from time to time, especially a girl who called herself, “HPenguin”. Minori had always assumed it was a reference to video game hit points, but after she learned that her name was Haruka, she realized what the H stood for. “Haruka Penguin…Haruka Penguin…” Minori murmured to herself, glancing up to make sure she was still muted. Suddenly, a lightbulb appeared over her head before shattering into a million pieces. “Haruka Penguin. Haruka Kiritani really, really liked penguins…I bought tons of Phennies from Phoenix Wonderland in her honor after she- she retired…”. Somehow, Haruka’s retirement still stung her heart whenever she thought about it. Minori dedicated ten long years to the pursuit of being an idol, always driven by Haruka, Haruka, and Haruka again, but all she ever did was fail, fail, and fail again. “How could my idol just give up like that? I’m sure she had her reasons and I’m not like those obsessed fans who act like she died, but…but why is she here? Does that mean those depressing messages about the expectations eating away at her and the lack of normalcy she feels came from Haruka and not HPenguin?” Minori asked herself in her pitch-black room that was only illuminated by the blue light from her monitor.

“Um, Minori?” HPen- no, Haruka Kiritani asked.

She unmuted herself, then spoke, “Yes, Haruka!?” Minori straightened her posture like she was still at an idol audition. Her name would be called, then she would be told that she didn’t have what it takes, and then be asked to go home. Maybe she never truly left the audition room. After Mai left ASRUN, Minori applied and even after being rejected, a part of her heart stayed in that dance studio and in that lobby room chair. She realized how HPenguin never said another word, so she filled the silence (the one thing Minori was good for, she had always told herself). “Um, do you want me to send over my next drawing? I think the outfit looks even better than last time! If you work your sparkles into it, then-”

“I’m sorry.” Minori tilted her head and let out a confused stammer. “I tried to ignore it, to pretend that you still like HPenguin now that you know her name and can probably even guess at her past life, but I can’t do that with good conscience anymore. You- I failed you, Minori. And I’m sorry for that, truly.” Minori could almost see the way HPenguin was bowing in front of the screen, even though all she saw was a little circle with a blue background and a penguin colored with Haruka’s image color from ASRUN. Minori giggled a bit. “Huh?”

“You’re still my idol! Haruka Kiritani and HPenguin have been equally bright guiding lights in my life!” Minori exclaimed. “Who was it that encouraged me to audition one last time after I finished our anniversary illustration? Who was it that encouraged me to reconnect with Kohane and Shiho despite my guilt for leaving them? And who was it that found me in SEKAI after I blocked all of you after a final shot at auditioning and getting rejected again?” Minori asked with stars in her eyes and a smile on her face.

“I…I see.” Haruka laughed too---or was it HPenguin? Was there a difference? “You’ve encouraged me countless times too. I think that Nene and Rui are both in the habit of looking away from problems instead of confronting them, so your voice guided me to reconnect with Airi, Mai, and Shizuku. And yes, those were the A, M, and S I mention in conversation.” Minori audibly gasped, making Haruka giggle. “And when I felt too guilty and ashamed to stand on stage again, you encouraged me by putting, what, seven boxes together to form a tiny stage and making R and N be my audience. And when I ran away after all of you clapped, you chased after me and complimented me until my cheeks went red…you found me too and you never stopped encouraging me, Minori. So, thank you.”

“Thank you too, Haruka! Whether as an idol and a fan or as fellow groupmates in a depressed music group, we’ll find and support each other forever! Because tomorrow will be a better day!!” Minori exclaimed.

Haruka smiled. Minori couldn’t see it, but she could feel the warmth radiating from that circle. The same warmth that came from her idol. It was the same warmth that came from Haruka, no matter whether that was Kiritani or HPenguin. “Hehe, yes, because tomorrow will be a better day.”

Today, Minori was going to talk to Haruka at the ASRUN meet-and-greet! She stood in line and vibrated with excitement as her heart pounded and her palms began to sweat. She heard a fellow Haruka fan squeal, then she heard footsteps and the line moved up. Minori took a deep breath, then took one step forward. She clutched her bright blue meet-and-greet ticket even tighter with an even brighter smile on her face. That’s what Haruka always encouraged her to do, after all! However, a noise that dampened her spirits rang out beside her. Quick, fast breathing accompanied by the frantic rustling of fabric. Minori turned around to look at the source of the sound, but she was only met with a panicked, worried fellow Haruka fan. “Is everything okay?” Minori asked with a comforting smile.

“I lost my meet-and-greet ticket…! I had it just five minutes ago…!” the girl gasped. Minori looked back at the slowly advancing line. Only three people stood between the girl and Haruka. She didn’t have time to search, but Minori also didn’t have time to help if only two people stood between them and her idol. There was only one thing she could do.

“Here,” Minori said, holding out her bright blue ticket to the girl.

“H-Huh?”

“There’ll be plenty of Haruka meet-and-greet’s in the future! I want you to have it.” The girl broke into a smile instead of tears, then took it and stuffed it in her pocket.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed. Minori smiled too, but truthfully, she wasn’t sure how true her words were. Still, she had to believe in a better tomorrow where she’d get to meet Haruka with no obstacles in her path. That’s what Haruka wanted her to believe, so that’s what she’d believe! She turned to the side to step out of the line, but she heard someone shout before she could.

“Wait!”

Minori turned to look for the source of the voice. Wait. Was that Haruka? She had rushed out of her chair at the booth to talk to Minori! She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“U-Umm! My name is Minori Hanasato, an aspiring idol! My catchphrase of the day is ‘Keep going, more and more’!” Minori exclaimed. She…she reverted back to her idol introduction, didn’t she? Haruka’s expression softened and Minori felt like her heart might have melted at that moment.

“Hehe, well, that’s a very nice name. I think you’ll make a splendid idol, too.”

“Really!?” Minori exclaimed. Her heart jumped out of her chest at Haruka’s words. She had already failed ten auditions, so even though she wasn’t even close to giving up, that one sentence gave her the push she needed to keep going until at least fifty auditions!

“Yes. You helped that girl out, even at the cost of meeting me. Helping people and brightening their day is one of the most important parts of being an idol, so if you already have that, then you’re well on your way.”

Minori’s eyes widened, then she nodded solemnly. “Thank you. I’ll definitely become an idol one day; I won’t let you down, Haruka!”