Let this song give you power~

@macaron-lover

If there was one good thing about festivals, is that there’s booths that sells cold drinks. It was rather hot, it could be that one, its outdoors, and two, too many body heat. It was killing him. He came here, only because of one thing and one thing only, idols. He’s heard news that certain idols were coming here, performing and enjoying the festival too. So far he hasn’t seen any of them nor has he seen any performances.

But he won’t give up.

Choromatsu heard his order being called out so, he turns around and reaches over. Only to come into contact with someone else’s hand. It was his order wasn’t it? So it was his, those before him got their’s already. As he looks up, he froze.

❝S-S-S-Sonico-chan!?❞

Yet, for now, she was content just visiting the festival and supporting it by buying some little items here and there. Still, as it was already June, it was getting rather hot and she soon needed to drink something cold.

Moving over towards one of the booths, she requested for a soda, red eyes distracted in the cheerful parade.

So, as she turned around to pick her drink, her hand bumped to another one.

     “Awawa.. I am very sorry miss!”

She was quick to apologize, bowing forward as she did so. However, as she lifted her eyes she heard her own name being stuttered

Aigis returns her own little smile for the other. The model is quiet renowned around their class for being such dedicated hardworker, she heard that she’s almost always busy with school, work, and some other side-jobs. And yet she still manages to have some time for herself. 

“You’re as amazing as always, Sonico-san.” Aigis praised. “But please do remember not to push yourself to hard.” The bookworm then moves to the other girl’s side, motioning to the empty spot, silently asking if it’s okay to sit next to her before doing so.

“I was about to do some reading at the library as always, but it has gotten far too crowded in there for comfort…” The bookworm sighs. “Though, I suppose being outdoors every once in a while can do me some good.” As much as she loves to just immerse herself into the world of literature. It’s also not good to just isolate yourself in a room all day. Who knows, life might have more exciting plot twists to offer than those from fiction.

“So what will you be reviewing today, Sonico-san? I could help you if you’re having trouble with understanding something if you’d like”

The praising took her by surprise, a silly smile on her lips and a bit of fidgeting with the book in her hands.

      “I’m nothing too special! Aigis-san is always on the top of every class, it’s very admirable!”

She nodded energetically as Aigis requested to sit, and moved out of the way just enough for the blond to sit down comfortably. Soft crimson eyes following the other’s movements as she speaks.

      “Being outside is good for you after all~ I prefer reading outside that inside the library...”

She admitted with a smile, leaning back a little in a more relaxed fashion, a finger in between the pages of her book so she wouldn’t forget what she was on.

Fischcake and Tasty, huh? Just as Sonico had thought, she did mess up the signing for the word ‘gray’ but, Jupiter was going to guess that she was talking about some kind of color. She didn’t know what color it was supposed to be (if not a color, it was going to be some other adjective), but she was bound to find out later on so she wasn’t too concerned about it.

     She looked down at the cat cookies that Sonico was decorating and she still couldn’t figure out what it was that she was trying to sign. Maybe it was something that was too hard to depict in a cookie. There was also a limited color palette because everyone was using colored frosting, so maybe it was a hard color to use. Maybe she just didn’t get to it, there was also that.

     Jupiter was just going to have to be a good girl and wait for it. She was excited to meet the two cats that she planned on bringing along with her to the park. Jupiter loved going to the park herself as it was a relaxing place to go to. Of course, there was also the fact that Shugarl tended to like it as it was an excellent place to read at. Ponsol only liked going to parks if there were flowers nearby.

     As she was an anime lover in general, she loved going to see all kinds of animals. Whether they were wild animals or pets, she loved to see them all. You could see her watching over bunnies excitedly, or walk up to people walking their dogs and petting them for a while before letting them go on their walks again.

     Ah, speaking of cookies. She finished all of her cookies and she was wrapping them all up in colorful wrappings. She had made some cookies for Arashi, Shugarl, and Izumi. Ponsol already had received a present from her earlier that day so she didn’t make him another bag of cookies to gift to him.

           {I’m excited to meet them and play with them!}

     What’s better than looking at cute animals? Meeting cute pet animals that were familiar with humans, and so they were less likely to run away from you and would actually enjoy the attention that you were giving them!

Sonico was almost done with her cookies as well, but gray was not a color she had managed to find between the colors -maybe it had already been used up or maybe it just wasn’t too popular. It made sense, considering people were more given to pick bright colors like pink and blue when it came to decorate cookies. So for now she had given up -she’ll just paint the face in cream color and hope tasty wouldn’t mind the inaccurate reproduction of his face.

Though, it’s also said cat’s vision is limited to blues and grays... which means they might not realize her unfaithful work? She hoped so. They had a strong personality after all, and got into plenty of mischief and adventures behind her back.

Sonico was always fond of parks, and of nature in general. Walking through the mountains on a sunny day, for example, was a great way for her to relax. Just smell the nature and feel the sun warming you up! Not only that, but as her 5 pet cats could tell, she was quite fond of animals. It wasn’t strange for her to volunteer at local shelters when she had the time too. Not only could she take care of small animals, but she could help making sure they were comfy and happy~

Ah, Jupiter was about to finish with her own batch of cookies, already starting to pack them in little bags. Looking down at her own cookies -which were advancing as slowly as expected from an amateur- she couldn’t help but give a small awkward laugh.

     “Jupiter-chan is so good at this. Do you have experience making cookies?”

She commented, making the gestures just a bit slower as she didn’t wanted to mess up again. 

It seemed like the blond girl would leave at any moment too, so it might be better if they exchanged numbers soon. Wiping her hands -a bit of colored frosting on the tip of her fingers- she sunk her hand in the pocket of her Miku skirt, finding the phone without problem.

     “Ah, by the way... so we can keep in contact and plan when you can meet fishcake and tasty... want to exchange numbers?”

The bespectacled idol puffs out his chest proudly at his senpai’s impressed reaction like his luck in getting these priceless tickets were something that he can show off. “Hehe!~ I know right?! I feel like I just used a life’s worth of luck for these– WAIT YOU’RE NOT GETTING IT SONICO-CCHI!!!” Shiki raises his voice once again.

His free hand slamed against the table, causing the plates and cups to shake at the shock. At the corner of his eye, he notices that the kittens got startled from their meal too. “Ah! Sorry…” The boy apologizes sheepishly to both the felines and to their owner, quickly retracting his hand from the surface of the table. His voice now lowering in volume.

Where was he again? Oh yeah! “Listen, Sonico-cchi. I’m here to give these tickets to you!” He said with emphasis. “You like going to these sorts of places right?” Shiki then reaches over for her hand, and places the two tickets on top of her open palm. 

“I think you’d make better use of these tickets~” The young idols smile brightly as he pushes her hand back to her. “You’d be on break for a few days right? Why don’t you use that time to go out and have fun with a friend?~”

She was just nodding and clapping at Shiki’s great achievement. So lucky! He definitely deserved it considering how good he always was... at least until he raised his voice and slammed the table, the kittens rolling on the floor in shock and even Sonico herself almost falling backwards with a cutesy “Uwah!”.

She stayed there, perplexed, for a second. Shiki had now lowered his tone and bowed as an apology before adding some more.

      “E-Eh? F-for me? I-it’s true that I like traveling...but you were the one to win the tickets Shiki-san! You should be the one to enjoy them”

Once she noticed the tickets on her hand she rushed to shake her head, pushing them back to him.

Kajika was feeling excited, or at least more so than she usually was. Today was the first day that the volunteers would be assisting at the zoo and she was looking forward to meeting them. It was an intense job, to take care of so many different kinds of animals and to provide for all their needs so any assistance that could be provided, either monetary or physical was always appreciated.

Being a long time employer, she had been asked to help set up for the volunteers, readying the information that they would be provided with and determining where the temporary assistants would be most required.

Once everybody had arrived, a few ground rules and procedures had been explained to the volunteers both for their own safety and for the sake of the animals. After the talk was out of the way, introductions commenced and Kajika could not help but grin at one particularly enthusiastic individual. Coincidentally, it seemed like they were around the same age.

It’s decided….

Approaching the girl with a grin, the young heiress snagged her hands and gave them a playful tug.

“You’ll be helping me out for today, come along~”

It might be obvious for the tone of her voice and the way in which she was pretty much jumping up and down, but she was terribly excited about this. She might be majoring in marine biology, for she had quite the special affinity with the beautiful animals that were in the sea, but she loved all sorts of animals equally! And this was her long awaited opportunity to spend sometime with other animals!

More than that, she could actually help the animals, which made everything better! Hopefully, she’d be able to make some friends that shared her love for animals and her wish to help them out as well. What was there not to be excited about?!

She was practically bouncing on the ball of her feet, red on her cheeks and sparkles on red eyes, when one of the assistants that were giving them the instructions moved closer to her. Silver eyes and soft reddish hair, the lady before her eyes was incredibly beautiful and with a touch of strength in her step. Light red painting her cheeks, it took Sonico a moment to realize she was being addressed, and -awkwardly- jerk up.

     “Awawa... Y-yes! Let’s do our best t-together!”

Her voice squeaked a bit, making the blush in her cheeks grow in intensity, and her crimson eyes fell to the floor for a moment before looking back up, now at their hands, softly held together. Giving them a soft squeeze back, she made an awkward smile and exchanged looks with her.

     “I’ll be in your care today... Emn... Burnsworth-san?”

Rei wasn’t kidding when he said that he felt young in hearing the sound of a guitar, the instrument reminding him of the days he’d spent in the Light Music Club…Only this time, the one playing the guitar wasn’t hurling insults and threats at him. Or maybe it could be attributed to the sun fading into the horizon. Or both.

“Even if t'is mere practice, it still sounded full of promise, young lady.” Rei assured the girl. “But, ah, I shouldn’t impose on you…If you must insist, however, then who am I to refuse?” He then walked over, gesturing towards the empty seat near her. “May I?”

When Sonico commented on his ‘age’, Rei chuckled before answering, “I may 'look’ young, but I am a fragile old man within.” Contrary to his words, he looked like he could pick up the bench with her still occupying it without a too much of a problem.

The compliment was received with a humble smile, eyes low and cheeks painted of pink -almost red looking with the sunset beneath her. She held the guitar even closer to her chest, thoughts momentarily drifting to the person that had first taught her about the beauty of music.

     “I do insist. Please, do not worry and take a sit”

She moved just a bit to the side as to give him more space to sit down and nodded when the other asked if he could, inviting him to sit down. Assuming he really was an old man, she would want him to rest his body instead of forcing himself to stay up. The sky was turning violet and the wind was even chillier than before.

… why was she apologizing? He had been incredibly rude and unfair right now, lashing out his anger on her. She had all the right to get angry at it, to say he was the asshole everyone said he was. But instead here she was, bowing her head again.

“… As long as you understand” he finally said, eyes avoiding the earnest look she was giving him. What are you doing making him feel guilty like this? “Hah? If you’re gonna learn do it for yourself. I’m not going to be waiting for you to learn basic skills”

He huffed and rolled his eyes.

“I’ll take this, though” he finally said, reaching forward to get the bottle of water. “You aren’t all that useless I guess…”

His tone softened up considerably, and she finally allowed herself to look up back again, still in the middle of a dramatic bow, her long pink hair cascading over her shoulders. The piercing cold blue wasn’t stabbing her either, the older model avoiding her eyes. His words seemed harsh, but she could almost guess the kindness hiding inside them.

     “Awa?”

The sudden grasp on the bottle startled her, but she allowed him to snatch it away. So the water was ok! Crimson eyes sparkled brightly and her lips formed a smile as she nodded energetically up and down. She still had a lot to learn but this felt like an improvement!

Another day, another job, the same bullshit. He was getting more and more settled into the natural course of things, accepting that he might never be enough and that quitting might be the only solution. Natural, he repeated to himself.

After a row of awful photos that did nothing but get the whole staff frustrated, a break was called for, and the model stepped out for a breather. At least if he stepped out he wouldn’t have to hear the well-deserved insults against his person first hand. Cowardly? Maybe. But look if he cares. He might just leave soon anyway.

He had hardly walked out of the set when he hears his name and a japanese honorific. There isn’t many people that will call him like that, maybe Shino, but that clearly isn’t the voice of the little bunny. Tired more than curious, he merely continues walking towards the hall, expecting the person to give up instead of following behind him.

Not such luck. He hears rushed steps following after and turns around to see long pink hair and red eyes -the second just for a moment as she quickly bows forward so deep he can only see pink hair and silver headphones.

And a bag with a kitty pattern full of stuff.

He recognizes her -it’s hard not to when she has been getting progressively more popular over the past new months, almost reaching Arashi in the popularity ranks. The gesture might be kind, but he is too tired already.

“If you really want me to eat something as full of calories as cookies you are either very stupid or kind of cruel. Aren’t you a model too? You should know of better foods to eat in between sets.” he looks down on her, arms crossed over his chest “If you really don’t have a clue of what you did wrong, then I’m gonna have to question how the hell you got to this point. You might have a naturally good figure, but if you don’t take care of yourself you won’t last long in here.”

Ah, she knew it, but the cold stare of blue eyes still hit her hard, stinging almost as much as his crude words. She haven’t been called things like that in a very long time, and the fact that he was right about her poor choice only made her feel more apologetic. She should have planned this better... she wanted to make him smile and instead only made him more angry.

      “Ah... ah! I am very sorry senpai.”

She got up just to bend back down again, this time in a clearly apologetic manner

@macaron-lover

Ah finals, that time if the school year where almost every student in the school are stressing on about retaining information for them to be able to fill in the blanks of a sheet of paper to get passing grades. However Aigis is not one of those students that complain about the educational system because her grades are pretty top notch and she makes a habit of studying regularly. She never experienced the struggle…

The school’s library was a lot more crowded then usual, and it was noisier despite it’s maintain silence policy. So the blonde went out to do her reading someplace else. The courtyard was her second best bet. As she looks around for a spot to sit down, she spotted a head of pink hair with headphones that sticks out like a sore thumb in the crowd, Aigis casually walks up to them.

Of course, things got a bit harder the busier she was with her part-time, modeling and volunteering around town, but she was still doing pretty ok. She would still like to reserve at least one day to study everything over; have things fresh for the exams.

In one of her breaks between classes, she moved over to the courtyard. She put her handkerchief -kitty designed of course- on the grass by a nice tree and sat down to check over one of her books. She was humming to herself happily when she heard a voice calling out to her. Red eyes moving up, her whole gesture lightened up at the sight of her friend.

@macaron-lover

The little meowing that came from the room was rather enjoyable -much better than the usual silence- and she was soon out of the kitchen, a little tray with two cups of Ujicha and some rice crackers enveloped in nori.

She is setting the cups down when she notices Shiki calmly sitting down. Are? Is he alright? Usually he’d be more... jumpy, wouldn’t he?

Hearing his serious voice calling him, the girl jumps a bit, bright red eyes looking up at him with what seems like nervous seriousness, and she brings the now empty tray to her chest as if hiding behind it.

        “Eh... is there something wrong Shiki-san?”

She blinks twice and thrice really fast at the pieces of paper... were those... tickets? Just as she is focused in them, the black haired shouts and she jumps back startled, a small ‘Kya’ on her lips as she does. 

        “O-oh... ohh! That really famous and pretty aquarium? That is amazing Shiki-san! It is always rather difficult to find tickets for it after all! I hope you enjoy it lots.”

Finally, finally, the sun had begun to set; at the same time, Rei felt his strength returning as the bright sunlight gradually faded into the coming evening. Now able to leave the comforting shade of a coffee shop he’d been using as a temporary shelter from his mortal enemy, he could go about his business again. A parasol would’ve been helpful for him, if he wasn’t prone to losing it any chance it gets.

Passing through the nearby park while searching for a new dwelling, Rei’s ears suddenly twitched when they caught the distant, yet telltale sounds of a guitar. It wasn’t uncommon to have street performers around, but for this instance, the instrument caught his attention almost immediately.

Drawn to the music, or what could be called that, Rei soon found the source, keeping a respectable distance from the young lady as he watched her play her guitar. The scene brought back some memories for him, mostly fond ones.

Once the song was finished, Rei clapped his hands, aiming to get the girl’s attention towards him. “Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard someone play the guitar.” he greeted. “I must say that, it makes me feel young again~”

Sonico love the guitar, and there was hardly anything she enjoyed more than playing some tunes. It was the first thing she had come to love on her own - the first thing that lit passion in her soul. It was also the thing that connected her to all of her important friends back in Japan -and on the world! Ah, it had been a while since she had stood on a stage… but as long as she could play that was all that mattered.

So distracted she was in playing she didn’t noticed she was being observed until her fingers stopped with the last notes of the song, and a soft applause rose slowly. Red eyes blinking softly, she turned around towards the man curiously. The words making her giggle, a little red painting her cheeks as she felt a bit shy about being heard

      “Ah, I hope it was to your liking… even though it was mostly me just practicing. If you have a request I will try to play it. I mostly just know English Rock songs”

Now… wait a second… young again? He didn’t seemed much older than her.