#aleneshazam

Kanan steps out into the cool morning air. “Mari?” She asks again, walking up to the woman.

Mari sighs irritably and looks at Kanan. “Aren’t you going to go on your heroic quest now?” She asks snappily.

Kanan pauses. “I, er, just woke up,” she says hesitantly. “The thing you gave me last night really worked.”

Mari looks Kanan up and down, her gaze softening slightly. “Well, good,” she says, inching over to give Kanan access to the fire.

Kanan gingerly sits down, unwrapping a slice of hard bread and toasting it slightly with the campfire.

She eyes Mari uneasily, and clears her throat. “Thank you for patching me up,” she says.

“Well, I couldn’t leave you there to bleed out and die, could I?” Mari mutters.

“Still,” Kanan scratches the back of her head. “I owe you.”

“In that case, do me a favour and don’t get hurt again,” Mari says. She glances at Kanan, eyeing her scarred shoulder. “You’re not much use to your precious liege as a cripple.”

Kanan flinches slightly at Mari’s scathing remark. “I was trying to protect you.”

“If you sacrificed yourself for every girl you pick up off the road you’ll never make it to Dia, you know?”

“That’s…” Kanan opens her mouth to argue, but finds herself at a loss for words. Mari is right. Her loyalties are to Dia first and the people second. Eventually she just weakly says, “Well, I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”

“I know you can’t.” Mari sighs. She stands up, meandering towards Dolphine. Strangely enough the horse seems to have forgotten its fear of Mari, allowing her to pat the horse on the muzzle. “That’s what makes it so frustrating to see you try.”

The last part seems to be aimed for at herself rather than for it to be heard by Kanan. After a pause in which Mari just pensively pets Dolphine, she eventually clears her throat. “Come on, once you’re done with breakfast we should get moving. You want to catch up to Dia, right?”

“You’re not going to tell me to take it easy?” Kanan asks.

Mari shakes her head, smiling wryly. “And distract you from your chivalrous goal? You’ve shown me last night that you’ll do anything to protect Dia. Who am I to get in the way of that?”

She clambers onto the back of the cart. “Now, put your big muscles to use and pack up camp. I’ll be taking a nap in the meantime.”

Kanan raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to help pack up?”

“Did I or did I not just spend the whole night awake keeping your wounded ass alive? You do it.” Mari waves a hand from where she’s laid out on the cart.

Kanan sighs, but acknowledging her point, she goes up to the tent and starts dismantling the setup.

* * * * *

“Y’know, last night, when the wolves attacked, you were just out in the open,” Kanan mentions as Dolphine continues to canter over the beaten track. They’ve made it out of the woodlands a little after morning, and the landscape has gradually transitioned to wide tracts of rolling plains and low undulating hills over the course of a few hours. It makes Dolphine’s job easier, though, and it makes for a much less bumpy ride for Mari. “Why didn’t you wake me up immediately?”

Mari glances at Kanan from behind the cart as it rumbles along the flattened grass and dusty earth. “I was going to.”

“Really? Because it looked like you were going to, I don’t know, engage the feral dire wolves in fisticuffs instead,” Kanan says. She glances at Mari, and after a few moments of no response, she continues slowly. “Look, I already know you’re more than meets the eye. There’s no way a simple woodsman’s daughter would be so eager to embark on this journey. I may be a royal knight, but I’m no paladin. I’m not going to persecute you just because you have witch or druidic blood or something like that.”

Kanan touches a hand to her waist, feeling the scarred marks under her armor. “I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you’re a good person. I’m not going to judge you just for being different.”

The wheels go over a stone, and the cart rattles.

“A good person…” Mari smiles sadly. “I’m just a selfish girl who likes to meddle, Kanan.”

“Maybe so, but at least I don’t think you’re a bad person,” Kanan says, scratching her cheek. “I’m not going to press for an answer. I just want you to know that I’m not going to judge you for what you are, so you don’t have to hide who you are from me.”

She thinks for a moment, and then adds hastily, “I mean, if you want to, that is”

Mari looks at Kanan for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. “Thank you,” Mari says. She pauses, and tilts her head mischievously. “Are you this kind to any girl you met or just me?”

Kanan sits up straighter, looking straight ahead. “I want to trust you,” Kanan says, slightly shyly. “I enjoy your company, and I want to know more about you. That’s not unusual, is it?”

“Well, no, but…” Mari breathes out slowly. “How about this? Any relationship involves give and take. You be honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you. I answer a question, and you answer a question. How does that sound?”

Kanan nods. “Sounds fair.”

“In that case…” Mari licks her lips. “How do you feel about Dia, really?”

“You’re not pulling your punches, huh?” Kanan smiles wryly. “Well, I… admire her. And respect her. She’s the most incredible person I’ve met in my life. She is my liege. She gives my life meaning and purpose. I love her.”

She glances back at Mari. “My turn. Is your name really Ohara Mari?”

“Ohara is a false name, but Mari is real. I don’t have a last name,” Mari says smoothly. “What do you plan to do once you’ve rescued Dia?”

“Well… I’ll bring her back to the estate, of course. And then… She’ll ascend the throne.”

“Do you really want that to happen?”

Kanan bites her lip.

“I want her to be successful. I’ll support her no matter what,” she says quietly. “Why did you volunteer to come with me, knowing the risks?”

“You seem like an interesting person. The world doesn’t have enough of those to spare so I wanted to keep you alive,” Mari says. “Well, initially anyway. But now I just like you, so I don’t want you dying on me.”

She thinks for a moment. “Are you going to support Dia in spite of your feelings for her? You know that if she becomes queen you’ll have lost any chance of being romantically involved with her.”

Kanan grimaces slightly. “I never had a chance to begin with. I am her knight. That’s all I need to be to her.” She glances at Mari. “Why are you asking me questions like these?”

“Is that your question for me?” Mari smirks.

“Well… yeah, I guess.” Kanan says.

Mari hums, and says, “I want you to be happy. If I’m going to be honest, when I saw you I thought you were the most miserable person I’ve ever seen. You were tense and anxious and had all kinds of repressed feelings. Generally humans are happier if they’re being honest with themselves.”

Kanan wants to comment on how Mari said human like she’s not one, but the rest of her statement catches Kanan off guard.

Is she miserable? Kanan has never considered that possibility before. Sure, her life isn’t exactly the most exciting, but surely she isn’t miserable.

“I’m not—” Kanan starts to say, before Mari interrupts her.

“When was the last time you were happy? Like, truly happy. Not just amused, or entertained, but happy.” Mari asks.

Kanan thinks. Her mind combs through her memories of the past month, then the past few months, then the past few years, and comes up with the disturbing realization that the last time she was happy might’ve been years ago when she was still a squire.

“I… can’t remember clearly.” Kanan admits. “It might’ve been when I was first introduced to Dia and Ruby.”

“That long ago, huh?” Mari says.

Kanan shakes her head. “My work is not the most interesting or exciting. I may not be happy, but I’m satisfied simply supporting Dia and Ruby in their duties.”

Mari sighs. “Living life like an automaton is not living at all, Kanan… Can’t you put aside your duties to enjoy life for once?”

“Is that a question, Mari?” Kanan asks quietly.

“Well… let’s say it is.”

“No.” Kanan says firmly. “No, I cannot.”

Mari lets out a long sigh, and rolls over in the cart. “I know.” She says glumly.

* * * * *

Night on the plains is quiet. Unlike camping in the woods, where the forest life can be even louder than during daytime, all that can be heard is the rustling grass in the cool night breeze. The campfire crackles quietly as it slowly fades into embers, casting a faint orange glow around the campsite.

Kanan and Mari lie back to back in the tent, a canvas sheet drawn up over them as a makeshift blanket. Neither of them speak - even though they’re both well awake, there’s a heaviness in the air that prompts both of them to be silent.

Kanan has a lot to think about. She thinks about Dia, where she might be, what she might be doing. She thinks about home, if Ruby’s handling the estate alright, if the servants have managed to clean up the mess left behind by the fire. She thinks about Mari, and her strange prying questions that seem to cut straight into the doubts Kanan harbours in her heart.

Her duty is to serve Dia, and yet she loves Dia. Her oath decides their relationship, and yet she wants to be more than just a simple knight. After she goes to save Dia, no doubt Dia will ascend the throne post haste to avoid further complications, and what’ll happen after that? Kanan will no longer be her only knight. As queen, Dia will command all the royal knights of the land, and Kanan’s not even one of the more prominent knights.

“Having trouble sleeping?”

Kanan turns slightly to look over her shoulder. Mari isn’t looking at her, but she can tell Mari has her eyes open as well. She breathes out slowly, and turns back to face her side of the tent. “Not really,” Kanan says. “Just... thinking.”

“A dangerous new pastime,” Mari says. “What about?”

Kanan licks her lips. “…Not much. Nothing important.”

Mari snorts. She turns over, glancing at Kanan’s back. “You’re a terrible liar,” She says wryly, sitting up. “I assume you don’t want to talk about it?”

“You know me so well,” Kanan mutters.

“I’m sorry if I’m being pushy,” Mari says suddenly, causing Kanan to raise an eyebrow to herself in surprise. “As I said, I just want you to be happy.”

“I know,” Kanan sighs. “But my relationship with Dia is… not so simple.”

Mari is silent for a long while.

“…Mari?” Kanan asks tentatively. She turns around, and sits up as well. Mari is sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest, her back to Kanan. “Is something the matter?”

“I—” Mari almost bites her tongue trying to stop herself. She breathes out slowly, seeming to mull over her words. “Does it have to be with Dia?”

Kanan tilts her head. “…What do you mean?”

“You say that you can’t be together with Dia… at least not in the way that you want.” Mari says slowly, looking down at the ground. She traces a finger through the earth, and in the dim light Kanan doesn’t catch sight of a single sharpened fingernail scratching a deep line into the packed earth of the plains. “You haven’t been with anyone else, have you? Aren’t you curious if you could be happy with someone else?”

“Well I… haven’t ever thought about it,” Kanan admits. She thinks for a moment. “I’ve been told to focus on Dia all my life. My life has always revolved around her. Everyone else was either a subordinate, or an enemy.”

“All about your duty, eh? Sounds like you,” Mari sighs.

“I can’t keep Dia and Ruby safe if I’m focused on someone else,” Kanan shrugs. It’s true - she’s always had something to do that she just hasn’t had the time to consider such things. Ruby and Dia always comes before her own life.

“Well, I’m neither a subordinate, or an enemy.” Mari says.

Kanan looks sharply over at Mari. “What are you saying?” She asks. Surely she’s not suggesting…?

But Kanan’s suspicions are confirmed when Mari turns around, leaning forward so she’s on all fours. “I’m saying, why not be with me instead?” She says, prowling closer to Kanan with an alluring feline grace. Kanan feels her cheeks warm up slightly as she notices Mari’s tunic hang loosely over her ample form - from where she’s sitting, she has a pretty good angle to look down the neck of Mari’s tunic.

Before Kanan can formulate a response, Mari is already in front of her, fixing Kanan with this sultry, smouldering look that makes Kanan feel hot under the collar. She leans in close, just an inch shy of pressing up against Kanan. “If Dia’s never going to reciprocate your feelings, then it’s fine, right? Even if it’s only tonight. Even if it doesn’t mean anything more than a night of passion.”

Kanan’s mouth feels dry as she watches Mari’s advance. “I- Mari, I…” She tries to think of something to say, but it’s like a switch has been flipped in her mind - it’s all blank save for Mari’s hypnotic golden eyes and luscious lips and rosy flushed cheeks.

Mari practically drapes herself over Kanan, arms resting daintily over her shoulders, her legs comfortably straddling Kanan. Because of the dark, Kanan only realizes now that Mari isn’t wearing her skirt - just her tunic. She swallows, hoping her cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.

Mari leans in, her lips just barely brushing Kanan’s ears, sending a tingle down her spine. “Dia doesn’t know what she’s missing out on,” She whispers, her voice low and husky. “I’ll show you what a real woman’s like.”

She’s right. If Kanan can never be with Dia, then… then it’s okay to be with someone else, right? And Kanan has to admit at this point that she’s attracted to Mari, definitely on a physical level but also on an emotional one as well. And it’s so much simpler, what she feels for Mari. There’s none of the complications that plagues Kanan’s feelings for Dia. It’s attraction, raw and simple.

Mari cups Kanan’s cheeks with her hands, and leans in. She’s less than an inch away, all Kanan can see is Mari, her golden eyes rippling with desire but also this tenderness that catches Kanan off guard. “Is this okay?” She asks.

Kanan nods, and Mari closes the distance between them, pressing their lips together. Kanan closes her eyes, savouring the sensation. Mari is warm, her whole body’s warm, but her lips in particular almost seem hot. She leans into the kiss, her arms automatically looping around Mari’s back to pull her closer.

Mari’s way better than her at kissing. It doesn’t help that it’s more or less Kanan’s first romantic kiss, she’s lucky Mari doesn’t mind that much. Mari pulls back a little after the initial kiss runs its course, giving Kanan a sultry smile. She teases at Kanan’s bottom lip with her tongue, a tiny serpentine flick that’s almost electrifying to the senses. Kanan takes the cue and opens her mouth, allowing Mari to deepen the kiss.

Mari hums as she leans in, joyful vibrations spreading throughout her body and into Kanan’s as well. Their tongues touch, and it’s a heart stopping sensation and Kanan just wants to keep going. It’s terrifying how easily Kanan forgets about everything else in the heat of the moment.

Mari’s hands wander all over Kanan’s body, but she lets out a little whine of dissatisfaction at the chainmail still encasing Kanan’s form. Breaking off the kiss, she gives Kanan a moment to breathe before instructing her, “Take it off.”

Kanan doesn’t need to be told twice, shrugging off the mail like a snake shedding skin. She’s never felt like she needed something this badly before, and Mari’s eyes on her makes her skin feel like it’s burning.

“If we’re going to,” Kanan pauses, letting the word go unsaid. "I… don’t really know how it goes.”

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Mari purrs, pushing forward. She’s surprisingly strong, and Kanan finds herself pinned against the bottom of the tent. She leans close to Kanan again, and says seductively, “I know exactly how it goes.”

Kanan swallows, nervous, but also eager.

It’s going to be a long night.

* * * * *

“Lady Ruby…”

Ruby was just walking down a hallway from a visit to the chapel when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She squeaks, and whirls around in alarm, though she relaxes slightly when she sees the person behind her. “Oh, Archibald! You surprised me.”

“My apologies, Lady Ruby.” The old chamberlain bows deeply, laying a gloved hand over his chest. He rises back up, giving Ruby a kindly smile. “I suppose everyone is rather tense these days, aren’t they?”

Ruby nods slightly. Archibald is like a father to her, in the absence of a more conventional father figure due to her own parents being so busy with their work. She allows herself to lower her guard, and breathes out shakily. “It’s been… difficult, Archibald,” Ruby admits. She taps her index fingers together. “I… I’ve been speaking to Hanamaru, and she says I shouldn’t worry because it’s Kanan we’re talking about, but… I’m still worried.”

“It’s only natural, my lady,” Archibald says comfortingly. “Lady Dia is important to all of us in the Kurosawa estate. Not to mention the kingdom as a whole. And she’s your sister, after all.” He pats Ruby gently on the head, continuing to reassure her, “Besides, Dame Matsuura is out looking for her. If anyone can keep her safe, it’s her. Kanan may not be an inhuman questing machine like some of the first class knights, but she’s tough, and she’s resourceful. Most of all she’s determined. She’ll find Lady Dia.”

Ruby closes her eyes slightly as she’s being petted, almost like a small animal, and a surge of protectiveness rises in Archibald’s old, withered heart. Ruby has that effect on people. It’s why she’s so popular, even amongst the common rabble. But – Archibald has to remind himself that Ruby is quickly growing up. She’s not a child anymore, needing to bear the Kurosawa name.

“But that reminds me…” Archibald clears his throat. “With everything going on, I hate to put this on you, Lady Ruby, but the nobles of the Court have assembled to speak to you.”

“Are they going to ask for an update on Dia’s situation?” Ruby asks weakly, her mood brought further down at the thought of having to speak to the nobles.

“I know it’s intimidating, my lady, but you’re the only one who has the authority to talk to them, with Lord and Lady Kurosawa on tour.” Archibald puts a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, squeezes gently. “You have Kurosawa blood in you, Lady Ruby. The strength is there. You just need a little confidence.”

“I’ll try my best,” Ruby sniffs, before straightening up a little. “I’ll do my rubesty!”

“Atta girl,” Archibald smiles. He gives her a gentle push, changing course towards the foyer of the estate. “There is a carriage outside to take you to the palace. Shall I escort you as well?”

Ruby shakes her head, though she still gives Archibald a grateful smile. “It’s okay. I’ll go with the personal guard Kanan set for me. You’re needed here to coordinate the staff. The place is still a bit of a mess.”

“A wise decision, milady,” Archibald bows formally, though when he rises back up he has a twinkle in his eyes, like a parent watching their child who’s grown up. “All we need is a little more time. Convince them to wait a few more days before sending a search party. It’s all we need. This doesn’t need to be any bigger than necessary.”

Ruby nods. Right now, the only people who know about Dia’s disappearance are those in the estate, Kanan, and the Court. If the other noble houses knew of Dia’s kidnapping, they’d descend on the family like vultures. The Kurosawas have clout, but not so much that they can fend off the political machinations of the twenty other noble houses presiding over the kingdom.

“I’ll convince them,” Ruby promises. “I’ll make Dia proud.”

Giving Archibald a curt nod, Ruby heads back to her room to get dressed, maids-in-waiting already poised to help her change into a proper gown.

Ruby feels a pit in her stomach, but also a wild confidence borne of desperation. With Dia and her parents away, she’s the only one left to uphold the Kurosawa name.

It’s just a meeting with six of the most powerful and influential nobles in the kingdom of Ura. No sweat, right?

* * * * *

Mari watches Kanan as she sleeps. Kanan looks so peaceful like that, snoring quietly.

She snores. That’s adorable. Mari cracks a smile, but it quickly fades away when she remembers what she must do. She wants to stay there with Kanan, but she knows what needs to be done. She sits up, carefully extracting herself from Kanan’s embrace. It’s not hard with her asleep, and Mari’s own strength.

Kanan has a stray hair that droops onto her face, and Mari sighs, brushing it out of her face. She leans close, kissing Kanan on the forehead. “I’m sorry it has to be this way,” She says wistfully. She means it, too. Even now she feels that deep, primal attraction towards the knight. Mari wants Kanan. She wants Kanan so badly. To keep her close and never let her go.

But - she has to go. She needs to stop it before it’s too late. Sleeping with Kanan was bad enough, she can’t let it get any worse.

Standing up, she looks around for a moment and pulls Kanan’s map out from her belt pouch, discarded to one side during their heated moment. Scanning the map, her eyes settles on a spot along the Eoland range, and she places a finger on the spot, the tip of the finger glowing faintly. When she lifts it, a mark is seared into the paper. With a few more deft strokes, she scratches out a message on the margin of the map, before setting it down on the floor beside the sleeping Kanan.

With that done, she breathes out slowly, crawling out of the tent and stretching out in the cool night air. Across the plains, the horizon has only just begun to turn from dark blue to faint purple. Sun’s still a good few hours away, which gives Mari plenty of time to move.

She turns around, looking back into the tent. Kanan is still slumbering away, with no signs of waking any time soon. Her gaze lingers on Kanan for a moment, allowing herself to be tempted one last time before inevitably turning away and facing the horizon.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

She breathes in, focusing for a moment.

There’s a hurricane burst of wind, in her place is a great golden beast, with wings stretching from horizon to horizon and its head in the clouds. With a single flap of its mighty wings, it takes flight, vanishing into the skyline and leaving the campsite almost completely undisturbed despite the commotion.

Propelled forward by its powerful wings, the glittering serpent crosses the sky, spanning the length of plains and forests in only a few wingbeats. Below it the world blurs, melding together. The dragon closes its eyes for a moment, feeling the wind beating against its face.

But soon enough it is brought out of its stupor as it approaches its destination. Landing at the foot of an impressive mountain range, in front of a cave carved into the face of a cliff, the beast exhales a breath of smoke and ash that blots out the sky like a storm cloud. When the smoke dissipates, the dragon’s body is gone, replaced once again by the form of Mari, stepping out of the steam and haze into the open.

She waits a moment for all the smoke to clear, before closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh.

“Dia,” she calls out, stepping into the cave. It’s dark, but her golden eyes pierce through the darkness as easily as daylight, and she sees clearly the young woman sitting on the most ridiculously elaborate, gold-gilded king-sized bed look up.

“Mari,” Dia folds her arms. “So you’ve finally come back.”

Mari nods glumly, uncharacteristically quiet. Dia notices this, and her stern expression softens slightly. “Did something happen?”

“It’s…” Mari breathes out slowly, “It’s nothing. Have you given what we talked about some thought?”

Dia shakes her head, and Mari’s expression sours even more. “Mari, I’ve told you this again and again. My country needs me. The kingdom needs a ruler, and Ruby isn’t ready to take up that level of responsibility. I’m duty bound to take the throne.”

“Duty,” Mari snarls under her breath, before staring disapprovingly at Dia. “Not you, too? Tied down by ‘duty’ and ‘responsibility’, why can’t you see that it’s killing you on the inside? People are supposed to live free, not under slavery.”

“Slavery—?” Dia stops for a moment, shaking her head in exasperation. “Mari, to take the throne is an honour! It’s a heavy weight to bear, sure, but there’s no calling in life more worthy than this. It’s what I’ve been training to do all my life. How could I look at myself and be proud of what I’ve done if I stop now?”

Mari stares at Dia for a long moment, staying completely silent for a few seconds. She then breathes out lightly, and starts to walk deeper into the cave. When she’s walked past Dia, she pauses for a moment, not looking at Dia as she speaks up. “…Your knight is coming to pick you up. She should arrive before the week is up.”

“K-Kanan? She’s coming?” Dia says, alarmed.

“Don’t worry, she’s just doing her job,” Mari says bitterly, continuing to head into the cave. “She’s not aware of your feelings for her.”

Dia’s jaw tightens, and she runs after Mari. “Wait, what do you mean? You’ve talked to Kanan, right? What did you tell her?”

“I didn’t tell her anything,” Mari says, looking straight ahead. “But you do realize how she feels about you, right?”

Dia cringes, her cheeks turning red. “You… that’s not fair, Mari. You know that I can’t…”

“Yes, you can’t respond to her feelings, right? Because of your duty.” Mari’s nostrils flare for a moment, sparks dancing in the air, before her shoulders slacken slightly. “I just want you to be happy…” She murmurs, almost too quiet for Dia to hear.

Almost.

Dia purses her lips, not sure how to reply. “Mari… Kanan and I, we… it’s not that simple. If we were to pursue a relationship, she’d become a weakness. A weakness that other nobles can exploit. I can’t… I can’t afford that to happen to her.” She takes a deep breath. “But… even if we don’t get into a relationship, just having her by my side will be enough. I won’t be sad, Mari. It’ll just be the same as it always has been. I can bear with it.”

Looking at Mari, Dia realizes Mari is shaking slightly. “I just… I just wanted to do something to help…” She mutters. “You’re the first mortal that I’ve felt this way towards, why won’t you let me help you?”

“Mari… just the thought of wanting to help is enough for me,” Dia says, almost pleadingly. “You’re a dragon. I’m a human. Our worlds aren’t meant to intersect.”

Mari’s head drops, and she sighs. “You’re right. They’re not.”

Sprouting golden wings from her back, she launches herself into the air, disappearing into the shadows of the ceiling of the cave, out of Dia’s sight.

The woman sighs, staring up where Mari had hidden herself.

“It’s not as simple as dropping everything and leaving, Mari,” Dia says. “I can’t do that. Not while I still have options.”

She read a lot. Stories, myths, legends. She eventually came to a startling conclusion: she must not be like most people. Surely, she was treated differently because she herself was different.

In her childish desperation to find meaning out of the emptiness in her life, she filled that emptiness with delusions of grandeur. She believed she was an angel, struck from Heaven and descended to Hell. Her misfortune? A curse from God. Her loneliness? Penance for her existence.

Life moved on swiftly with this new discovery. For a time, it filled her heart. Her own imagination was enough to keep her moving, facing forward.

Then the little girl grew up. And her delusions weren’t as well received as they were in her early childhood. It was harmless at first. Teasing, joking, light ribbing. Her delusions made her the center of attention. It was almost fulfilling.

Then teasing turned to pranks, escalating in severity. The jokes were no longer harmless, made at the girl’s expense. Things went missing, diligently done work stolen and copied, or defaced. She was cornered during breaks and lunch, pushed around like a rag doll.

For a time, the girl bore it with patience. Her mother was still busy, all the time. She didn’t want to distract her from her work. She didn’t want to cause problems. If staying silent could keep things quiet, then she would be silent.

She thought, perhaps, it would end eventually. But it kept going. And it kept getting worse. Things of real value were taken from her. Jewellery, money. Public humiliation. The girl’s thoughts got darker, and darker, her delusions driving her into a corner. More than once, she contemplated ending it all, embracing sweet release.

But before she was driven to that, a light shone upon her.

She remembered the moment vividly still. It was in the wake of another merciless round of humiliation. The girl was curled up in a corner, out of sight, hoping she would just disappear.

That’s when she appeared.

“Are you okay?” An angel. A real one, not make-believe like the girl. She reached out with a hand of salvation, and for a moment the girl was so shaken she didn’t even know to take it.

“I’m new around here. Can you show me around?”

Like a drowning soul to driftwood, the girl grasped onto the hand, allowing herself to be saved.

Things got better. No longer alone, the girl was at last happy. The angel did not mind her delusions, delighted in them, even. She humoured the girl’s imagination, gladly going along with her daydreams. It was like a dream come true for the girl. She sought validation from her new friend, proof that her life was worth value. She confided in her as well, her fears, her weaknesses, the darkness in her heart. The angel took them in stride, soothing the wounds in the girl’s soul, showering her in love and affection.

They grew close.

Even the bullying stopped. It was like a miracle. Everything was good.

But it was not to last. Her misfortune reared its ugly head. Signs of unrest began to surface.

“Mana.”

The girl sat with the angel, staring out to sea. Their hands were intertwined, a physical manifestation of their connected hearts.

The angel tilted her head, looking at the girl with a gentle smile. “What is it, Yohane?”

“I saw the she-devils talking to you the other day,” the girl said carefully. She looked at the angel. “Were they bothering you?”

The angel shook her head. “I’m fine, Yohane. They just wanted something from me.”

The girl stared into the angel’s eyes, and she trusted her. She nodded, letting the topic go.

But she spotted more things as time went on. The angel was as radiant as ever, but she seemed less lively. Tired. Sometimes when she smiled at the girl, it wouldn’t quite reach her eyes.

Then one day, she was gone. The girl had only known after the fact that she was hospitalized for severe depression and anxiety. The angel had shouldered the girl’s burden, taking the torture that was intended for the girl onto herself. And even one as radiant as the angel could only take so much. She broke, refusing to see anyone, not even the girl.

The others blamed the girl.

The girl blamed herself as well.

She was cursed. To hurt herself. To hurt anyone around her. She shut herself away, putting on a stoic front. Emotionless, and unassailable. As for the delusions that caused this, she locked them away, knowing that it was exactly those that made her and the angel a target. Even if she was nothing without the delusions, even if she was just an empty shell, at least no one would get hurt.

And never again would the girl allow someone to be hurt because of her.

* * * * *

Yoshiko laughed as she finished her story, her voice hollow and bitter.

“So I distanced myself from the world. I’m not going to let it happen again, not to anyone,” She took a deep breath. “Especially not to you.”

“Yoshiko…” Yo’s voice cracked. “I never knew…”

“I’m not… proud of what I did.” Yoshiko looked away. “I relied on her. Too much. I could have— Should have— seen what was happening. But I let my happiness blind me. Because I was too selfish and cowardly to fight my own fights.”

She bit her lip, feeling a wet heat in her eyes. No - don’t cry, not now, goddamn it.

But no matter how hard she fought it, the dark memories dredged up long forgotten emotions, ones she’s tried to lock away for her whole life. Tears rolled unbidden down her cheeks, and she broke down, the mental walls she built up crumbling as she felt, as vividly as ever, the crushing guilt and regret that had haunted her for her entire life.

She turned to the only person she could - Yo, sitting next to her - and clung onto her for dear life, using Yo as an anchor to avoid being washed away by her emotions altogether.

Momentarily caught off guard, Yo quickly regained her composure and put her arms comfortingly around Yoshiko, gently patting her on the back. “It’s okay,” Yo said soothingly. “Let it all out.”

As Yoshiko continued to wail and sob into her shoulder, Yo said quietly, “I’m not going to pretend to understand how you feel. You’ve been through so much more than I have… You’re so much stronger than I am.”

Yoshiko shook her head, somewhat petulantly, like a frustrated child. “I- I’m not… I’m a coward…”

“A coward wouldn’t throw herself under the bus, again and again, just to protect her friends,” Yo said patiently, but firmly. “You’re brave, Yoshiko.”

She looked away briefly, adding under her breath, “Braver than I ever will be.”

Yoshiko didn’t seem to catch that, just continuing to cry, exhausting her bottled up negative emotions in the process. Yo simply allowed her to do so, rocking her gently from side to side and tenderly stroking her along her back. Minutes of this passed, as Yoshiko let out years’ worth of distress and insecurities.

“But you know…” Yo murmured quietly. “You don’t have to bear it alone anymore. You have friends. People who care for you.”

She licked her lips, trying to think of a way to vocalize what she was feeling. “This Mana... she took it all onto herself. Your pain and hers. We don’t have to do that. I’m not going to take responsibility for all of your problems, and I’m not going to ask you to bear all of mine, either. But there are things that we can share. Weights that we can carry together. Aoki, for example. Pressure from our peers. That’s not something that we should shoulder individually. That would break anyone.”

She paused for a moment, seeing if her words were having any effect. Yoshiko seemed to have calmed down a little, though she was still sniffling and hiccupping. “And it’s not just me. There’s Ruby, and Hanamaru. Hell, even Chika and Riko. We’re all in this together. There’s no need for you to be alone, when you’re surrounded by people willing to support you.”

Yoshiko took a shuddering breath, and pulled back a little so Yo could see her weak smile. “Thank you,” she said hoarsely, wiping the trickle of tears off her cheeks.

“It’s the least I can do,” Yo said. “Given how I’ve… not been the best to you recently.”

Yoshiko shook her head, but Yo put a hand up to silence her objections for the moment. “Just… as I’ve said. I’ve kept you hanging ever since we had the talk. I haven’t really done anything to move forward either, so…”

She took a deep breath, and with newfound determination she stared into Yoshiko’s eyes. “I’m going to confess to Chika. She’s going to turn me down properly. Completely break my heart. Then I can move on and give you the attention you deserve. I can finally be the girlfriend that you’ve waited so long for.”

Yoshiko’s eyes teared up again, but this time not from her repressed memories, but from long overdue joy. Smiling tearily, she cleared her throat and leaned in close, her breath tickling Yo’s face. It was obvious what she was aiming for, but she still paused with an inch between them, and asked breathily, “Can I?”

Rather than answering, Yo leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together. It was clumsy and impromptu, and Yo felt like it would have been much better under more romantic circumstances, but it was still a magical experience. The last time they kissed was when Chika broke Yo’s heart by going out with Riko. Yoshiko had kissed her to prove a point.

This time, they wanted it. Both of them. It was like a spark passed between them, drawing them close, a magnetic force binding them together and urging them to push for more and more. Needy hands wandered each other’s bodies, pulling them close, tangling in hair and sneaking under clothes. They were breathless, but energized; emotionally exhausted yet jubilant.

Yoshiko was smiling from ear to ear, and Yo had a lopsided grin on her face. Both were breathing heavily, and being so close together they could feel the rise and fall of each other’s chests, and their beating hearts beneath. “That escalated quickly,” Yoshiko murmured breathlessly.

“It could escalate more,” Yo blurted out, not even sure if she was ready for what that implied but still desperately wanting more.

Yoshiko’s cheeks, already flushed, grew a darker shade of red. But instead of going further, she pushed gently against Yo and cleared her that. “That’s very tempting,” Yoshiko said, shyly tracing a pattern onto the bed sheets. “But you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

She licked her lips nervously. “I’m… not sure if I’m ready for it.”

Yo breathed in, clearing her head of the manic desire that had temporarily overtaken her in the moment of exhilaration. “Right. No, you’re right, of course. I just— I got caught up in the moment.”

Yoshiko nodded, understanding what Yo meant completely. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long. Ever since that first kiss. Yoshiko felt like she was getting drunk off of the affection Yo was showering her with.

But now that they were this close, old fears flared up again. It would be so easy for either of them to get hurt. One misstep and everything could have been for nothing.

For however much Yoshiko craved intimacy, she was just as afraid of actually getting it.

“I need to get used to… thinking about myself,” Yoshiko said quietly. “And what you said as well. It’ll take a long time for me to get back to being normal.”

“You don’t have to be ‘normal’, Yoshiko. You’re you,” Yo said.

Yoshiko shook her head. “You’ve been helping me see my flaws since the first time we’ve met. I didn’t learn my lesson the first time around. I… want to be normal. I want to be better.”

“Until I am, I don’t know if I will ever be ready.” Yoshiko looked down. “I’m sorry if you wanted more.”

Yo shook her head. “It’s only fair that it’s my turn to wait. Besides, I have my own problems to sort out. I… don’t know if I’m ready either.”

Sitting a little straighter, she took both of Yoshiko’s hands into her own. “But we can work through them together. Your change. My problems.”

“Together,” Yoshiko breathed, looking down and smiling. “This sounds ridiculous and cheesy and dumb, you know that?”

“Yes, but,” Yo leaned forward, pecking Yoshiko on the lips. “I’m cheesy, and ridiculous, and dumb. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Yoshiko rolled her eyes, giggling with uncharacteristic glee. “Thanks, Yo. Today just went from the worst to the best.”

“You’d think seeing Aoki get punched would make it best by default,” Yo smirked.

Yoshiko considered that for a moment. “Even bester,” She decided, flashing Yo a wonderfully wide smile. But then she thought a little more, and her expression grew a little more serious.

“But just to be completely realistic, I’m a lot to handle.” Yoshiko began, “I’m not very good at talking. I can be temperamental.”

“That’s okay,” Yo said softly. “No one’s perfect.”

“Are you really okay with someone like me?” Yoshiko asked, her voice small.

“That’s a silly question,” Yo said. “I’m okay because you’re the way you are.”

* * * * *

In the end, Yoshiko had ended up staying the night. Her mom was fine with it, and Yo’s mother seemed all for it as well. At first Yo’s mom was concerned about Yo’s suspension, but after a quick defense from Yoshiko, she even offered to talk to the school to lift the punishment.

They went to bed early that night, the events of the day taking their toll on their exhaustion. They slept together, cuddled up under the sheets. Yoshiko fell asleep quickly, all the crying having tired her out completely, but Yo stayed awake for a while, content to just hold Yoshiko and enjoy her presence, though she eventually drifted off to sleep as well.

In the morning, Yoshiko woke up in a tangle of limbs next to Yo. For a moment she panicked, wondering why she was in bed with Yo, until she remembered what had transpired yesterday.

She lay there, for a moment overcome with conflicting emotions.

She couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. Despite all of her missteps, despite her messing up again and again and misinterpreting what to do, Yo was still willing to accept her. Even after hearing her story, knowing what she’s done to Mana, she didn’t turn her back on Yoshiko.

She pinched herself, to make sure she hadn’t just retreated so far into her mind that she was hallucinating.

No, this was real.

She had to resist the urge to squeal out loud. All this time, she had fully expected Yo to change her mind and decide she didn’t like Yoshiko all along. But she didn’t.

It sucked that her laptop was broken, sure, but that hardly put a dent in Yoshiko’s newfound happiness. Despite being terrified to death that she’d let Yo down again, messing up somehow and ruining their relationship, Yoshiko was feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks.

She carefully freed at least her upper body, turning to look out of the window. The sky was bright, the sun well up into its daily arc. Yo was suspended, and she herself was given time off due to the circumstances, so neither of them was required to go to class.

The clock read about 9AM. She didn’t want to wake Yo, but it was necessary to free her legs from beneath the girl. She pushed Yo gently, shaking her by the shoulders. Yo mumbled something incoherent, and opened her eyes blearily.

“I had the weirdest dream that we actually managed to kiss,” she said, still only half-awake.

“We did manage to kiss,” Yoshiko informed her.

“Oh.” Yo said, taking a moment to absorb that information. “Cool.”

Her cheeks turned red, but she took the news in stride as she glanced at Yoshiko, “Does that mean we’re dating now? I don’t think we established that.”

“Well, everyone at school thinks we are now,” Yoshiko shrugged, feigning disinterest. “Might as well, right?”

“I feel like that’s a really arbitrary way of deciding if we’re dating or not,” Yo said, but nevertheless she smiled and snuggled closer to Yoshiko. “I mean, not that I mind.”

Yoshiko’s cheeks flushed, a warm fuzzy sensation spreading throughout her body just at Yo’s proximity.

It was strange.

In spite of everything, all of her worries and her doubts about whether or not this was the right course of action, and wondering if Yo would get hurt because of her... now that Yoshiko was actually there, with Yo right beside her, those concerns seemed utterly insignificant.

She still felt them, just as acutely as ever, but being with Yo just seemed… right.

The last time she felt like this, she was with Mana.

Yoshiko shook her head as doubt crept back at the recollection of her. It was going to be different this time.

“Hey,” She spoke up abruptly, trying to distract herself. “Do you have plans for today?”

“Well, I want to talk to Riko later,” Yo said. “About… y’know. I don’t want her to think I’m actually trying to take Chika away.”

“It’s not like you could. From what little I’ve seen those two are stupid in love…” Yoshiko mused.

She wondered if things could have gone better between her and Yo if they had just been more honest with each other, like Chika and Riko seemed to be.

“It almost makes you jealous, doesn’t it?” Yo said, causing Yoshiko to look up in surprise. Was Yo thinking the same thing as her?

“They seem so… functional,” Yo tilted her head, smiling self-deprecatingly. “I wonder how they do it.”

“I’m sure we could be functional too, given time,” Yoshiko said quietly.

“You think so?” Yo looked down at her hands. “It took me this long to be able to come to terms with my own feelings.”

“One can hope, anyway,” Yoshiko mumbled, before she sat up, and got off the bed, stretching languidly. “Can we get breakfast now? I’m hungry.”

Yo smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Let’s look at what we’ve got downstairs.”

* * * * *

Riko sighed. Despite by and large being quite good at studying, she found herself unable to focus on the lesson, the teacher’s rambling about the Edo period going way over her head. She spun the pen in her hand, clicked it twice, spun it again.

“Riko,”

She sighed again, and looked out of the window. Yo didn’t come to school. She heard the news about her being suspended, but it was still a bit of a shock to come to school and find her desk empty.

“Riko—”

She picked up the pen, and doodled a treble clef onto the corner of her notebook. She felt bad for Yo. She was just standing up for the girl she liked, she shouldn’t be punished for that. Sure, she punched someone, but it was righteous self-defense, right?

“Riko!”

Chika jabbed Riko right between the shoulder blades, causing her to squeak out in surprise. “Whuh- What?” She looked around. The whole class was looking at her. Riko whimpered, her cheeks turning bright red.

“Ms. Sakurauchi… please pay attention in class,” her teacher said, mildly annoyed. “Now, can anyone tell me when the Edo period was officially ended…”

Riko breathed out, slumping forward slightly and trying not to draw any more attention to herself.

“Hey, Riko,” Chika whispered, leaning forward. "What’s up? It’s not like you to get so easily distracted.”

“It’s nothing… just worried about Yo.”

Riko breathed out. “The rumour that she and Tsushima are dating has spread. Not all of it is good, too. I heard some girls saying that she’s picked Tsushima just to make herself look better.”

“We know that’s not true, though,” Chika said. “Isn’t that the important thing? Yo’s not the kind of person who would mind, either.”

“But still,” Riko murmured. “It feels like we should do something about it.”

Chika shrugged, and turned to focus back onto the lesson. “I’ve tried before. People will say what they want to say,” She said. “We should wait until she gets back before trying anything.”

Disappointed, but acknowledging Chika’s point, Riko sighed and focused back on the lesson as well.

Eventually the bell for the end of school rang, and Riko breathed a sigh of relief as she stretched her arms out after a long day of taking notes.

“Hey~” Chika sidled up behind her, draping her arms over Riko’s shoulders and pulling her in a loose hug. “You’re gonna go to the music room again?”

Riko nodded. “I want to submit a composition for an upcoming contest,” she said. “You don’t have to wait for me, I’ll probably be a while.”

Chika pouted, but nodded and gave Riko a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “We playing tonight?”

“I’ll login if I can,” Riko promised, waving her off as Chika left the classroom.

She sighed, touching a hand to the spot where Chika kissed. A year ago, she couldn’t even imagine being this physically close to someone. Now she couldn’t imagine a life - at least in the near future - without Chika.

As she started to head over to the music room, her phone buzzed.

<Yo>

Hey

Are you busy?

Riko tilted her head at the text.

<Riko>

Not really

Did you need something?

<Yo>

Actually yeah

I kinda want to talk

In person

Its pretty important

Riko raised an eyebrow at the message. It didn’t seem like Yo to arbitrarily exaggerate something, so it probably was important.

<Riko>

Can it wait?

I’m at school right now, but I can meet you somewhere

<Yo>

Uhh

Can I meet you at your place?

I might need to swing by Chika’s afterwards as well anyway

<Riko>

Sure.

I’ll go home and wait for you?

<Yo>

Yeah, okay.

Thanks.

Strange. Even through text, Yo seemed tense. Normally she’d be more casual. Breathing out somewhat uneasily, Riko put away her sheet music - she could compose another day - and prepared to head home.

* * * * *

Yo fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously as she and Yoshiko stood outside Riko’s house.

“What if she hates me?” Yo said suddenly.

Yoshiko shook her head, holding Yo’s hand. “You’ll be fine,” she said consolingly. “Riko won’t hate you.”

“What if she hates me and she tells Chika and Chika never talks to me again?”

“Yo.” Yoshiko stared flatly at her. Yo stared back, and sighed after a few moments.

“…Right, you’re right. I’m just being dumb,” Yo said meekly.

“I thought I’m supposed to be the pessimist,” Yoshiko said jokingly. She sighed, and squeezed Yo’s hand. “Look. If you’re not ready for this, you don’t have to do this.”

“No, I do.” Yo said, her voice firm despite her nervousness. “I… I need this. For closure, if nothing else.”

“Just say what you need to say,” Yoshiko said. “You said we’ll start sharing burdens. I’ll be there to support you.”

“Yoshiko…” Yo smiled, and took a deep breath. “Okay. Here goes.”

She stepped forward, and pressed the doorbell. A few nerve-wracking moments later, the door opened, with Riko standing behind it in the doorway.

“Hey, Yo,” Riko said, smiling at Yo, then noticing Yoshiko and nodding at her as well. Her gaze did wander over their held hands, but she didn’t comment on it. “Yoshiko.”

“Can we come in?” Yo asked nervously.

“Oh, of course! Would you like to go to my room? It’s a little cramped and messy, but at least Mom won’t walk in on us,” Riko said, leading them inside and upstairs.

In spite of her claims, Riko’s room was neither cramped or messy. Books were neatly shelved away. The bed was tidily done, and the piano was pristine, a protective cover draped delicately over it. Riko gestured towards the bed and seats. “You can sit wherever. Do you want anything to drink? Tea?”

“It’s… fine,” Yo said, sitting down on the edge of Riko’s bed. Yoshiko sat down next to her. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Well, alright,” Riko murmured, sitting down on the piano bench and looking towards Yo. “So, what’s this about having to talk? Is everything alright?”

“Everything is… fine. Nothing is wrong, if that’s what you’re worried about, it’s just…” Yo took a deep breath. “I need to talk to you about… Chika. I want your permission to do something.”

“Chika?” Riko frowned, confused. “Permission to do what?”

“I— well,” Yo cleared her throat. “I’ve… well. For the longest time, I’ve had a… a crush on Chika. Even up until recently, I’ve had lingering feelings for her. Even when you two are together, and happy.”

Riko nodded slowly. She glanced at Yoshiko, then back at Yo, gesturing for her to continue.

“I don’t— I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take Chika away from you. Because I’m not. I just,” Yo took a deep breath. “I want to give Yoshiko the attention she deserves. And I don’t feel like I can do that if I’m still thinking about Chika, even if just a little bit.”

“I want to confess to Chika. And I want her to reject me. I think that will give me the closure I need to move on,” Yo said. “I wanted you to know that I’m planning to do this.”

Riko’s expression was unreadable for a moment. She breathed out slowly, nodding slightly. “Okay. I… appreciate you telling me this. I might have misunderstood something if you didn’t.”

She glanced out the window for a moment, over the balcony and at Chika’s room. She then turned back to look at Yo, and smiled at her. “I’m not going to get mad, if that’s what you’re worried about. Really, I’m grateful you trust me with this. And… I trust you too. If you think this is something you need to do, then you should do it.”

She chuckled, playing with a strand of her hair bashfully as she continued, “Actually, Chika and I were kind of worried. You seemed a little out of it lately. I’m glad you’re trying to get to a better place. And,” She grinned at both Yo and Yoshiko. “Congratulations on finally getting together. Took you long enough.”

Yo blushed, as did Yoshiko. “Riko!” Yo whined. “You’re supposed to be the nice one. Is Chika infecting you?”

“Well, it’s your fault for taking so long to do it.” Riko shrugged. She stood up, and gave her a small smile. “So, are you going to do it today?”

“As soon as possible,” Yo said, trying hard not to grimace. “It’s going to hurt, but… I’ll be better for it.”

“Then you can do it right here,” Riko said. Walking over to the balcony, she leaned slightly over the edge and shouted, “Chika! Are you there?”

There was the thumping of feet, and Chika threw the window open, leaning out as well. “Riko! I thought you were staying at school?”

“Change in plans,” Riko said. “Hey - guess who’s here with me?”

Chika frowned, tilting her head. “You have a guest?”

“Yup!” Riko turned around, beckoning for Yo to come forward. “Actually, she has something to say to you.”

Yo swallowed, the fluttering in her stomach getting worse by the moment. As though sensing her nervousness, Yoshiko gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You can do it,” she said quietly.

“…Thanks,” Yo said.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward onto the balcony.

Riko smiled and retreated, gesturing for Yoshiko as well. “Let’s give them some space,” She whispered.

Yoshiko nodded, and the two of them stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Now alone in the room, Yo took another steadying breath and gave Chika a shaky smile.

She checks her phone; there’s a picture from Chika of Riko and her in proper kimonos in the Aqours group chat. Ruby’s complimenting them like the nice girl she is, and a selfie confirms Hanamaru is with her. Dia’s telling them not to stay out too late. Kanan and Mari are conspicuously both offline, to exactly no-one’s surprise. They’ve probably already eloped off to the Bahamas for the New Year’s or something...

...Yo wants to visit the Bahamas someday, she’s heard the beaches there are very nice. She wiggles her toes thinking of hot sands beneath her feet and a warm sun in the sky.

Momentarily distracted, Yo stares off into the night sky with a blank expression, before shaking her head and focusing back on reality, saving daydreams of a tropical escape for later. She scrolls through her contacts list, stopping at one person’s name. Yoshiko’s not online either.

She breathes out again and snuggles into the heat of the kotatsu, picking up a magazine from nearby. It’s two weeks out of date, but Yo really likes the designs of the dresses so she keeps going back to them. The layering on the waistline would probably go really well with someone with a slender frame…

Yo flips a page, listening to the flutter of the paper. She flips another page. Then another.

Flip, flip, flip.

Yo’s never noticed how nice page flipping sounds.

The magazine settles on a special about the ‘upcoming’ New Year’s Eve. Her eyes glide over the article. ‘Top 10 spots to spend the last and first night of the year with your loved one’. Surprisingly, ‘at home’ is an option, though there’s the stipulation that a home-cooked candlelit dinner is ‘absolutely necessary’.

She smiles, briefly entertaining the thought of treating Yoshiko to a home-cooked candlelit dinner before dispelling it with a shake of her head. Yoshiko said she’d be livestreaming anyway, and it’ll run all the way until two or three in the morning. At most it’d be a romantic home-cooked late night kitchen raid.

Rolling over onto her stomach, she lets out a sigh, still smiling albeit wistfully.

Everyone is spending their New Year’s with their significant other. Well, not Ruby, but that’s because Leah’s on the other side of the country. Plus Ruby mentioned video-calling, so that kind of counts.

Yo gets it, though. Yohane is a huge part of Yoshiko’s life, and it has been for a lot longer than Yo’s been around. She’ll get to spend plenty of time with Yoshiko later on, anyway. There’s no need for Yo to feel anxious.

And yet…

Yo can’t help but feel a little melancholic as she closes her eyes, just listening to the street traffic go by. At least everyone else is having a good time, and just drinking in the festive mood is enough to keep Yo entertained for the most part.

She’s about to drift off into sleep when she’s jolted awake by the doorbell going off. She looks up sharply, her ears straining to pick up on whoever’s at the door.

“Open up! I’m freezing,” Yo’s heart leaps at the voice, and immediately she scrambles hastily to her feet, running up to the front door and throwing it wide open with a wide smile.

Sure enough, standing in the doorway is Yoshiko, wearing a heavy white coat, her hair dusted with snow and her cheeks red from the cold. She rubs her hands together, trying to warm herself up. When she sees Yo, her lips curl into a small smile, and she takes a small step closer.

“Hey,” Yo says breathlessly. “What brings you over here?”

“My kotatsu broke,” Yoshiko says, avoiding eye contact with Yo. She folds her arms. “It’s cold.”

“What about your livestream?” Yo asks.

“Turns out a lot of my little demons are busy with festivities. Rather than summoning them I’d rather they enjoy themselves on this night of spiritual energy,” Yoshiko says, before glaring at Yo, though the look lacks any real bite. “What is this interrogation, anyway? Aren’t you at least going to let me in?”

“Oh, right,” Yo steps aside, letting Yoshiko go past into the house. As Yoshiko walks past, though, Yo gets a mischievous smirk on her face, and she adds casually, “You know, if you wanted to see me you could’ve just called.”

Yoshiko freezes for a moment, her cheeks coloring red. She scuffs the floor with her foot, and murmures, “...I didn’t want to seem clingy to you.”

Yo giggles and shakes her head in bemusement.

“I wouldn’t ever think that,” she says, pulling Yoshiko a little closer and planting a small peck on her cheek. “After all, I wanted to see you too.”

Yoshiko blushes and looks away, flustered. “W-Well, I mean my kotatsu is also broken…” She mumbles.

“Of course it is,” Yo sighs. Typical Yoshiko luck. Closing the door behind them, Yo hangs up Yoshiko’s coat and gestures for her to head inside. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that mine is fully operational.”

“Evidently,” Yoshiko says, sighing as she feels the rush of warm air from inside wash over her. Stepping into the living room, she mumbles under her breath to excuse her intrusion before sitting down at the kotatsu.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” Yo comments as she goes to fetch some tea. “My home is your home.”

“It’s about courtesy, Yo. The manners of nobility.”

“Since when did you care about that?” Yo asks jokingly. It’s a rhetorical question, though. Yo knows that despite the fact that Yohane can come off as egotistical and self-absorbed, Yoshiko is the most polite and sensitive girl you can ever find.

Coming back with a tray and two steaming cups of tea, Yo sets it down on the kotatsu and nudges Yoshiko with a foot. “Move over,” she tells Yoshiko.

“There’s plenty of room on the other sides,” Yoshiko complains half-heartedly, even as she shuffles over to make space for Yo.

“I know.” Yo sits down next to Yoshiko. It’s cramped on just one side of the kotatsu, but Yo doesn’t really mind. Looping an arm around Yoshiko’s, she rests her head on her shoulder. She can feel Yoshiko stiffen up for just a moment before relaxing, in time with her breathing out slowly.

“Happy New Year, Yo,” Yoshiko murmurs.

Yo nods, closing her eyes in contentment. “Happy New Year.”

The clock chimes as the hands all return to twelve.

2. Friends and Family

Ruby paces the room nervously, pausing every so often to shoot a fretful glance at her phone on the table in the middle of the room before resuming her circling of it. Hanamaru yawns, thoroughly unimpressed as she watches her best friend wear the tatami flooring of the room down to the wood. She takes another slow bite out of the rice cracker in her hand and rests her head on the table.

A few more minutes of this passes, and Hanamaru runs out of rice crackers. Shaking the cracker box forlornly, Hanamaru sighs and ambles out of the room, leaving Ruby to fret alone. Ruby glances at Hanamaru as she leaves, but quickly resumes circling the table, keeping a nervous eye on the phone.

Hanamaru wanders out into one of the many hallways of the sizeable Kurosawa household. She’s staying over so she, Ruby and Dia can go to hatsumōde bright and early the next morning. Tonight, though, there’s another event worth keeping an eye on.

Eventually Hanamaru finds her way to the kitchen, where she finds Dia making three cups of tea. Dia nods her head in greeting as Hanamaru goes inside to grab another box of crackers.

“Has Leah not called yet?” Dia asks offhandedly, as she sets the cups down on a platter alongside an assortment of treats and snacks.

“No, zura,” Hanamaru sighs, examining the label on one box. It’s an expensive brand, brought by one of the Kurosawa’s relatives in Osaka. She cringes, realizing how much her snacking must be costing the Kurosawa family. “…er, you don’t mind me taking more, do you, Dia?”

Dia laughs and shakes her head. “Of course not, you’re here as a guest of honour. We have plenty of those lying around from last time we visited our uncle, and Ruby’s not a fan.”

Hanamaru breathes out in relief and grabs a box, following behind Dia as they make their way back to Ruby’s room. Pushing past the door, Hanamaru is unsurprised at the sight of Ruby, still pacing around the table and occasionally going to nudge the phone, as though that might achieve something of worth.

“No news from Leah?” Dia asks Ruby, setting the tea down on the table. She sits down at the table, legs folded neatly beneath her in proper form, and takes one of the cups, sipping at it daintily.

Ruby looks at her sister with watery eyes, and shakes her head despondently.

“Why don’t you send her a text to ask where she is?” Dia suggests, to which Hanamaru simply says flatly, “I suggested that, zura, but Ruby is worried that she might bother Leah.”

“Really now?” Dia raises an eyebrow and looks over to Ruby for confirmation, who tries to avoid eye contact out of embarrassment. Dia sighs, and shakes her head disapprovingly. “You two are dating, no? A show of concern wouldn’t be amiss. Do you really think Leah would think that you’re a bother?”

“Well, no…” Ruby admits reluctantly, before shaking her head and saying, “B-But still, she might be busy, and if I messaged her then she might be inconvenienced.”

Dia breathes out in a slow sigh, sharing an eye-roll with Hanamaru. “Well, then there’s no point to doing all that pacing either. It’s not going to make Leah come online any sooner. Sit down, have a cookie,” She instructs, gesturing at the snacks she’s brought from the kitchen.

“But…” Ruby protests, but Dia fixes her with a stern look. “Sit. And eat,” Dia repeats, more firmly this time, and Ruby acquiesces with a whimper.

Watching Ruby fret over her phone while nervously nibbling on a macaron, Dia can’t help but feel a little touched at the realization of how far she’s grown since joining Aqours. Ruby used to be so quiet and shy that Dia worried she might never find a partner at all; and now here she is, waiting on a call from a girlfriend that Ruby had proactively asked out.

Dia recalls how much of a nervous wreck Ruby was when she shakily typed out the message to Leah after their visit to Hakodate. But she still did it, completely of her own power, celebrating when Leah had agreed to go out with her almost immediately. Dia’s surprised at how smoothly that went, actually, but she supposes the two have good chemistry together.

But — Dia thinks, smirking in bemusement at Ruby’s current state — She clearly still has a lot of growing to do. A little bravery won’t be enough to cover up her naturally jumpy and jittery personality. Though, that does make her think.

“Say,” Dia says, suddenly curious. “Why Leah?”

Usually Dia doesn’t like to pry, but it’s New Year’s and maybe she’s a little curious about her little sister’s love life. What made Ruby take the leap? What gave her the courage to move forward with asking Leah out?

Ruby squeaks and blushes, while Hanamaru snorts in a most unladylike manner, spraying crumbs over the table.

“I didn’t know Dia was the gossipy kind, zura,” Hanamaru says, chortling.

“I’m not gossipy, I was just curious, is all,” Dia says defensively. “I’m allowed to be curious about how my sister’s doing!”

“So you’re gossipy, zura” Hanamaru teases, laughing when Dia glares at her. “But just between you and me, I know why Ruby likes Leah, zura.”

“H-Hanamaru!” Ruby squeaks in a strangled voice. She tries to cover Hanamaru’s mouth, but Hanamaru just ducks out of the way and seeks cover on Dia’s side of the table.

“So, we were talking the other day, zura, and the topic got brought up,” Hanamaru begins.

“Hanamaru please,” Ruby pleads, evidently dying from embarrassment. Unfortunately for her the girl is on a roll, and Hanamaru gleefully continues, “Apparently Ruby’s into rebels, zura.”

“Oh no…” Ruby moans, sinking to the floor, trying to hide from Dia’s surprised expression.

“Rebels?” Dia repeats, quirking an eyebrow. “That… explains a lot, actually…”

“Ruby had a little crush on Yoshiko when they first met, too,” Hanamaru explains, and Ruby just lets out another embarrassed whimper. “And apparently she had a huge crush on Kanan when she was small, zura.”

“So that’s why you always wanted to hang out with us,” Dia smirks at Ruby, thoroughly amused.

Ruby groans. Dia’ll never let her live this down. Ruby knows it’s terribly cliched, the prim and proper daughter of a family falling in love with a rough and tumble rebel, but it’s just so romantic that she can’t help herself.

Plus, Leah’s just… nice. And she brings out a fire in Ruby that she didn’t even knew she had in her.

“I don’t think there’s a problem with that,” Dia says quickly, trying to alleviate Ruby’s mortification. “They do say that opposites attract.”

“It- It’s not just because she’s a rebel and she’s different,” Ruby stammers, lifting her head. “It’s not that shallow…” She sounds like she might burst into tears.

Hanamaru blinks, and glances at Dia, who nods quickly. “We’re not calling you shallow, zura,” Hanamaru says soothingly. Dia nods. “There’s nothing wrong with liking someone who’s different than you. And I’m sure there’s plenty other reasons you like Leah.”

Dia breathes out slightly as Ruby calms down a little. It seems as though she’s insecure about her relationship; which is perfectly understandable, given it’s her first, and really they’ve only been dating for a few days. Though as far as Dia can tell, Leah doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to easily agree to going out if she didn’t actually like Ruby, so Ruby can probably relax a little.

“She’s being awfully late, though,” Ruby murmurs forlornly, slumping over the table and resting her cheek on the cool wooden surface. “I wonder what’s taking her so long.”

“She’s probably just busy,” Dia says comfortingly. As though on cue, Ruby’s phone beeps, and she jumps, startled. “Speak of the devil. That’s probably her,” Dia pats Ruby on the back. “See?”

Ruby shakily checks the phone. Sure enough, it’s a message from Leah, apologizing for being late. They had a family dinner that ran way over time. Dia and Hanamaru breathe a sigh of relief, and then exchanged looks before smiling at Ruby. “We’ll leave you to it, then,” Dia says, standing up.

“Don’t you lovebirds stay up too late, zura,” Hanamaru says, earning a fresh blush from Ruby.

As they file out of Ruby’s room, they hear the video call connecting, and Ruby stammering out a greeting: “L-Leah? Uhm, Happy new year! It’s… good to see you…”

“She’s grown up so much,” Dia says, sniffing dramatically. “She’ll be married before we know it.”

Hanamaru nods. “Yeah…” She says softly. She looks up as a clock chimes twelve from somewhere in the house, and smiles as she turns to Dia. “Happy New Year,” she says, bowing politely. Then she remembers something, and she adds, “And happy birthday!”

Dia’s smile is almost as bright as Ruby’s when the call went through.

A/N: Ruby liking rebels is a personal headcanon of mine with how she initially fawns over Yoshiko in the manga and with Leah in the anime. KanaRuby is also a popular ship, so I just combined all of that into one mega-headcanon. I know Kanan’s not exactly a rebel but she’s got the cool tough-girl aesthetic going on so it counts :P

3. Passionate

It’s quiet up on the penthouse suite of the Awashima hotel. Downstairs the guests are frolicking and enjoying themselves, soothing music playing as some sort of New Year’s Eve event is being held on the outdoor terrace and garden. There’s a buzz of chatter and excitement in the air, but the activity doesn’t quite reach the top floor where Kanan is.

Standing out on the balcony, leaning against the cool metal railing, she closes her eyes and drinks in the atmosphere of the island. Awashima always had a touch of magic to it, in Kanan’s eyes. In the morning seabirds circle the pier, cawing in a noisy yet reassuringly consistent cacophony. There’s always a gentle breeze coming from the sea, rustling leaves and swaying branches. It’s surrounded by ocean, so the murmuring susurrus of the waves can always be heard.

The last part is probably Kanan’s favorite. There’s nothing Kanan loves more than the ocean, and everything it brings with it.

“Kanan~~”

Well… maybe there’s one thing. Kanan breathes out, and smiles as she feels a familiar set of arms loop around her waist from behind. A soft warmth presses up against her back, and all she has to do is turn her head slightly for Mari to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. Mari’s only wearing a bathrobe, not that Kanan’s wearing much more.

A pleasant hum issues from somewhere deep in her chest as she leans into the kiss, pushing for more, and more, and more. It takes the threat of asphyxiation to break them apart, with Mari leaning back to catch her breath. It’s always Mari who stops first, since Kanan’s lung capacity is off the charts.

“You’re awfully forward tonight,” Kanan notes with a smile. “What’s up?”

“Do I need a reason to kiss my totally hot girlfriend?” Mari simpers, putting her lower lip into a pout. Kanan hates it when she does that, because Mari has really nice lips and it makes Kanan really want to kiss her.

“Well, no… but it helps your totally hot girlfriend get motivated,” Kanan grins toothily.

Mari laughs airily. “In that case… maybe it has something to do with how you ditched me to stand out on the balcony all stoic and dramatic like. What were you doing out here, anyway? Aren’t you cold?”

“Not really,” Kanan shrugs, holding out a hand to catch a drifting snowflake. She watches how it melts away in her palm. That’s a lie - she’s actually pretty cold, but she thought Mari had dozed off in bed and didn’t want to disturb her by getting clothes. “I realized the snow’ll probably be     gone by morning, so I wanted to take a better look at it.”

Mari stares at Kanan for a moment before sighing and going inside. Kanan watches her go, briefly wondering if she’s ruined the mood by coming out here. But her doubts turn out to be unfounded when Mari returns a minute later with a fluffy throw in her arms, which she drapes over Kanan’s shoulders.

“Don’t catch a cold, we still have practice tomorrow,” Mari says.

Kanan glances at Mari before smirking. “Since when were you the responsible one?”

“Well, one of us has to, and it sure as heck isn’t going to be the one who goes out into the snow in a thin hoodie and panties.”

Kanan looks down at her attire and chuckles. No one can really see the top floor that clearly, especially with the lights off, and Kanan’s gotten accustomed to the privacy. “It’s not like anyone can see,” She says. “Maybe you should try it.”

Mari rolls her eyes and squeezes in under Kanan’s arms, so the throw blanket can warm them both up. “I’ll pass,” she says wryly. “I don’t fancy frostbite.”

They stay there for a while, simply enjoying each other’s warmth as they stare out into the sea. The lights of Numazu glitter like stars across the bay, and next to it is the wide expanse of the open ocean, moonlight dappling the waves with a pale silver glow. Snow drifts past them slowly, just barely visible in the night sky.

“Kanan,” Mari suddenly says. She looks serious, and Kanan gets the feeling that Mari’s thinking about the same things she is. She suspects all three of the third-years are. It’s inevitable, after all, and fast approaching.

Just as Kanan expects, Mari continues, “I feel like you should be the first to know. After we graduate, I--”  But before she can finish, Kanan silences her with a gentle, yet passionate, kiss. “Don’t. Please?”

Her eyes shimmer with barely restrained emotion, and Mari can’t find it in her to push the topic. At least not tonight. Mari knows Kanan has been stressing over what might happen to them after they graduate. Not just between the two of them, too, but with Dia, and the rest of Aqours.

“...You know we’ll have to talk about it eventually,” Mari says quietly.

“Maybe,” Kanan acknowledges. “But not tonight. Tonight’s just about you and me. I don’t want to spoil the mood. Besides,” She licks her lips to wet them, “I feel like we need Dia here for a conversation like that.”

Mari breathes out slowly, taking in Kanan’s words. Then she smirks.

“Well, in that case, there’s a very conspicuous lack of ‘you and me’ going on,” Mari says, her voice low and seductive.

Kanan chuckles throatily. “I suppose there are better things to look at aside from snow,” She says.

“Like what?”

“Like you.”

In a single, smooth motion, Kanan sweeps Mari off her feet, carrying her in her arms bridal style. Mari blushes, but manages to keep herself from swooning too much at the gesture. “Show off,” She says, looping her arms around Kanan’s neck.

“You know you love it,” Kanan grins as she heads back inside, nudging the balcony door shut with a foot.

“I do,” Mari admits happily, as Kanan plants a little kiss on her cheek.

They make their way to the bed, and Kanan practically tosses Mari onto the mattress, earning a laugh from her as she bounces once on the bedsprings. “Being a little rough, aren’t you?” Mari asks teasingly.

Kanan smirks, and clambers onto the bed as well, positioning herself so she’s trapped Mari under her between her arms. “I can be even more rough if you want,” She says huskily.

“Let’s continue where we left off,” Mari says, a hand idly tracing the line of Kanan’s ungodly abs.

“What was that?” Kanan asks in faux-innocence, “I seem to have forgotten.”

“You were about to totally go to town on me for round two,” Mari says, and Kanan grins, more than ready to give her what she asked for. Before that, though, she stops and glances at the clock.

“Happy New Years,” she murmurs in Mari’s ear.

Mari doesn’t get a chance to reply for the rest of the night.

A/N: Kanan was probably actually freezing her tits off but didn’t want to wake Mari who was lying on top of most of her clothes, and Kanan spoils Mari like there’s no tomorrow.

4. Hatsumōde

Riko looks really pretty in a kimono. In fact, it’s almost unfair how pretty she looks.

Her kimono is, of course, pink, with a slight purple gradient towards the bottom, embossed with floral patterns. Her hair is done up in a high bun, and she has these cute pink floral pins in her hair to hold her hairdo in place. She smells like cherry blossoms, and she seems to being wearing a light dusting of natural-looking makeup that accentuates her natural beauty.

Chika would be insanely jealous if it weren’t for the fact that this absurdly pretty girl wasn’t her girlfriend, and even then Chika’s still a little mad that Riko can be this beautiful.

Chika’s own kimono is a pink-ish shade of red, and her obi belt is yellow and orange. It’s old and well worn, but hasn’t lost its lustre with age, still looking as good as ever. Even though Chika thinks her kimono looks good, she can’t help but feel a little self-conscious as she and Riko walk together towards the local shrine.

“It’s nothing amazing… there are probably bigger shrines in Tokyo,” Chika says to Riko. “But it’s where my family has always gone for Hatsumōde.”

Riko shakes her head slightly, and smiles. “If it’s with you, it doesn’t really matter how big the shrine is, Chika,” She says, squeezing Chika’s hand.

“Aw jeez, Riko…” Chika says, flustered.

Riko has this way of catching Chika off guard. Chika likes to think that she’s perceptive, even if reality proves otherwise sometimes (She still apologizes to Yo for neglecting her). But Riko keeps managing to find new ways of making Chika feel embarrassed and loved at the same time, and it’s kind of infuriating.

Riko’s kind of an infuriating girl, but in a good way. If that even makes sense.

Like tonight - Chika spent the whole night trying to look good, because she knows she looks kind of plain and Riko just naturally doesn’t. Then Riko shows her up so effortlessly.

Used to be that Chika would get disheartened. Not anymore. Now she knows that she can be more than just that plain girl down the street. Aqours taught her that. So she holds her head up high, because she scored a girlfriend as pretty as Riko and that’s gotta count for something, right?

“It’s snowing,” Riko realizes, looking up. Chika looks up as well. It is; flakes of white slowly drifting down from the vast inky sky. For a moment Chika can’t tell the difference between the flakes and the stars.

“Wow,” Chika breathes, because what more can you say? It’s a pretty scene. They continue to walk, but at a slower pace, taking in the sight. Despite the snow the sky is clear. Though that means it’ll probably be melted away by morning, it makes for an amazing night view.

They walk a bit more, and the shrine comes into view down the road.

“I wonder what the others are doing?” Riko muses.

Chika glances at her for a moment. “Ruby is video calling Leah, and Yoshiko is doing her livestream.”

Riko smirks. “Right, but she’d probably turn-tail and go visit Yo instead because she’s too lonely on New Year’s Eve.”

“Yeah. That sounds like the chuuni dork we all know and love,” Chika giggles.

Riko laughs as well. “I didn’t expect them to get together,” she says.

“Neither did I,” Chika recalls.

It was a shock, in many ways. Yoshiko had been acting the same way the whole time, and while Yo seemed to pay a little more attention to Yoshiko than before it wasn’t more than explainable through simple friendship. But, Chika supposes, they do live close together. And Yo was always good at attracting odd people.

“They’re good for each other, though,” Chika decides. “I feel like they always get left out.”

Yoshiko has always been a lonely soul, especially before she joined Aqours but even after it. And as much as Chika tries, it’s hard to consistently make time for both Riko and Yo.

“They are,” Riko agrees. “Yoshiko looks much happier during Guilty Kiss meetings.”

They continue to walk.

“Kanan and Mari aren’t online,” Chika notes, when she checks her phone.

Riko chuckles. “I could have guessed that.”

“Hard to believe they weren’t even talking to each other at the start of the year,” Chika says. “Now they’re kind of joined at the hip.”

Riko nods. She remembers the big argument they had in the classroom, and it took Chika of all people to break it up. That was right after Yo almost killed herself trying to rescue the costume.

“I guess they were always close. Aqours just rekindled that,” Riko says. “And– What about Ruby? She’s really changed.”

“Oh, yeah. She really came into her own, huh?” Chika thinks. “I guess going on stage really helped her build character… I mean, she’s really talented, and plenty cute. She should be proud of herself.”

Riko smiles, remembering how Ruby was the first time they met. Riko can’t imagine meeting a more shy and quiet creature. Now Ruby’s... still shy and quiet, Riko supposes, but definitely a lot better than before. Being on stage worked wonders on the girl.

“She’s even dating now… It’s kind of incredible how much she’s changed.”

They continue to walk, up to the shrine. “And Dia and Hanamaru, too. They’re not dating anyone but they’ve changed a lot, too. Dia’s a lot less uptight, and Hanamaru’s so confident now,” Chika says.

“I guess that’s just the kind of effect that Aqours has,” Riko murmurs, as they stop in front of the shrine proper.

They fall silent for a moment, offering their prayers to the god of the shrine. After a few seconds they glance at each other, and smile, stepping away from the shrine.

“What did you wish for?” Chika asks, when they've gotten out of earshot of the shrine.

Riko smirks and shakes her head. “It’s a secret,” she says, prompting a pout from Chika. “I’m not going to tell, even with that face.”

“Aww,” Chika huffs, disappointed.

“You’re going to find out eventually,” Riko says mysteriously.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Chika asks, confused. Riko just shakes her head again, and gently takes Chika’s hand, pulling her over to buy a fortune.

Chika gets a moderate luck, while Riko gets misfortune. “Yoshiko rubbing off on you?” Chika asks teasingly.

Riko glances at Chika. “The only girl allowed to rub off on me is you,” she says with a completely straight face.

Chika blushes, not expecting the blunt flirting from Riko. “I, um…” Chika stutters for a moment. “Same,” she finishes lamely.

Riko giggles, her hand warm despite the chilly snow drifting down from up above. “I think you’ve changed a lot too,” She says, leaning closer to Chika.

“In a good way?” Chika asks.

“Of course,” Riko nudges Chika. “How could you even think otherwise?”

“Well,” Chika breathes out. Riko looks over to Chika sharply, but she seems to hesitate for a moment.

Riko grips Chika’s hand a little tighter. “We’ve come so far. You’ve led us so far. I think I speak for all of us in Aqours that we’re proud of you. You’re our fearless leader. Even if you can have some stupid ideas sometimes, even if sometimes you feel uncertain, you’ve always kept moving forward, haven’t you?”

“Riko…” Chika looks at Riko for a moment, before lowering her head. “...Do you think we’ll win Love Live?”

Riko blinks, surprised by the question. Then she grins, and says, “Was there ever a doubt?”

“Yeah,” Chika raises her head and smiles at Riko. “Right. Of course we’re gonna win. Sorry for saying dumb things.”

“Come on. Let’s go home,” Riko starts to head back the way they came. “I bought pudding. Do you want some?”

“Do I!” Chika says eagerly.

As they make their way back, Riko pauses to say quietly, “It’s been a good year.”

Chika glances at her for a moment. “There were ups and downs, but… yeah. It was.”

“Here’s hoping that the next will be just as good,” Riko murmurs.

“It will be. I know it will.”

“Happy New Year, Chika.”

“Happy New Year, Riko.”

A/N: Happy new year! I don’t have anywhere else to put this so I’ll put my Love Live Sunshine retrospective here.

It’s been a good 2 years. It really has been. This chapter has Chika and Riko thinking about what’s changed in the year, and while writing this it got me thinking, too. Unlike SIP (which I only caught the tail-end of,) I was able to watch Sunshine develop from day 1. I still remember worrying if it would just be a lackluster sequel to SIP. However those worries are unfounded - Sunshine is a fantastic show, and despite its flaws I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world. I’ve never been more grateful to have had the privilege to be in a fanbase than in the Love Live fanbase, which kickstarted my passion for writing and encouraged me to do art.

I’m not very eloquent when it comes to my own thoughts on the matter, so I won’t bore you all with a long treatise on the subject. But I’d just like to say that truly, I’ve never been so invested in a group of characters as I have with the Aqours girls. Everyone in the group is unique and special, and seeing their development through the series has been an absolute joy.

She crossed the quarter line without even realizing it, not even running out of breath yet, but she still surfaced, taking a breath of fresh air and starting to move her arms, transitioning from the push-off into a proper crawl.

I’m going to take a break from Immortal Legends.

Yo couldn’t stop thinking about Yoshiko’s decision. It came as a shock to her, of course, and Yo couldn’t help but feel a little left out that Yoshiko had made this decision without her. It was a selfish feeling, for sure; Yoshiko didn’t owe anything to Yo to include her in these decisions. But still, Yoshiko had promised that they would try their hand at the tournament together, even if in different level divisions.

Beyond that, though, Yo can’t help but be worried. Even though Yoshiko promises that it’s going to make things better, Yo knows how much the game means to her. How much blood, sweat, and tears she poured into it. Putting aside whether it was a healthy habit or not, Yoshiko’s life once revolved around that game. The fact that Yoshiko was willing to stop playing Immortal Legends was… concerning.

But then there was the other thing.

I’d like to spend some more time with you.

Yo felt her stomach flutter just at the memory of Yoshiko’s reasoning for quitting Immortal Legends. She’d been too stunned by Yoshiko’s decisions to properly react to that at the time, but now that Yo’s had some time to think about it, she was surprised at how forward Yoshiko was.

…Yoshiko was trying her best to make their relationship work.

Yo exhaled, trailing bubbles in her wake. Yoshiko was always the one who was trying, the one moving forward. You were always too busy stuck in the past. Stuck in the long-dead hopes that something will happen as long as she pined after Chika for long enough.

Yo felt sick. Self-loathing was a feeling rarely felt by her, but there was no other way You could describe how she felt these few days.

“Watanabe!”

She could only hear the voice of her swim coach vaguely through the water, but it was enough to jolt her back to reality.

She had a split second to slow down before she smashed face first into the side of the pool. She still did smash face first into the tiles, but at least she managed to brake enough so the impact produced little more than a bruised forehead and a wounded ego.

Bobbing up to the surface, Yo laughed self-deprecatingly as she looked towards her coach. “Sorry, Coach Masuda. I was… uh, distracted.”

“No, really?” Masuda sighed, kneeling down by the poolside. “You’ve got to get your head in the game, Yo. Official competitions may be on hold but that doesn’t mean you get to rest on your laurels.”

She gestured for a timekeeper to approach and looked at Yo’s times. She frowned and turned back to Yo with a disappointed look on her face. “Your times have gotten worse by a few seconds. Is everything alright? Have you kept up with training?”

Yo cringed. She didn’t think it would be that bad. “No, Coach. I’ve been training every week. It… it’s probably just not my day.”

Masuda breathed out, and nodded, reaching down and patting Yo on the shoulder. “Let’s hope that’s the case. You’re our team ace, Yo. The first and second years look up to you as an example. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Yo nodded, giving Masuda a sharp, “Yes, ma’am.” Satisfied, Masuda gestured for the next batch of swimmers to enter the water. Yo clambered out of the pool, gratefully accepting a towel from a junior.

“Thanks, Ayane,” Yo smiled at her, eliciting an excited squeak.

“Y-You’re welcome!” The girl said. There was a long pause as the girl glanced towards her friends, who nodded encouragingly. She turned back to Yo and started hesitantly, “Er, Watanabe?”

“Yeah?” Yo tilted her head.

“Um… if you don’t mind me asking…” The first year leaned a little closer. “What… er, rather, how do you know Tsushima Yoshiko?”

Yo blinked. She didn’t expect that question. “Uh… come again?” She asked, thinking she may have heard wrong.

“It’s just… my friends are saying that they’ve seen you hang around Tsushima a lot recently, and they’re curious why that is.”

“Oh! I see,” Yo nodded. She paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. “We played the same MMORPG, is all, and there’s an event in the game that’s coming up.” Not technically a lie.

“Oh. So you’re just, er, gaming friends?” Yo nodded, and the first year breathed a sigh. “I see. Okay, sorry for taking up your time.”

“No problem,” You smiled, and wrapping the towel around her shoulders, she walked towards the changing rooms. Having done her reps and benchmarking tests, she was free to leave.

Just as well, she had something important she had to do.

* * * * *

Yousoro: Tank on left

BigBOI: on it

Yousoro: 10 sec CD on AOE

BigBOI: k

GngsKhan: aight

Yo breathed out, her eyes trained on the monitor. On it was the familiar visuals of Immortal Legends, showing Yo and her party mid-raid. It was a grey, gloomy dungeon, with aged stone bricks and mist drifting across the floor. Yo’s character stood side by side with another devil in heavy plate and an undead lich against a towering skeletal dragon and its horde of zombified dragonlings.

On Yo’s command, the plate warrior ran to the left, blocking off the advance of a small cluster of the dragonlings. By themselves the mobs were fragile, but because the dragon boss kept spawning them it became an uphill battle to hold them off while Yo and the lich kited the dragon to grind down its health pool.

Yo remembered Yohane telling her that most undead enemies had large HP reserves but low mana - once she could bait its strongest skills, it would be a long while until the dragon could perform them again.

Yousoro: baiting the breath attack

Yousoro: khan, refresh necro shield

The lich raised his skull-tipped staff, and an aura of grey particles surrounded Yo’s avatar. She immediately darted forward, using Blink to bypass the front guard of dragonlings and launching a fireball straight into the large dragon’s ribcage, detonating it once it’s inside. The dragon roared in pain, and Yo knew she’d attracted its aggression.

As soon as the fire effect faded away, the dragon hissed and suddenly reared back on its hind-legs, seeming to inhale deeply despite possessing no organs. Glowing black spots coalesced in its maw, and then it suddenly lurched forward, a spray of inky black fire surging from its jaws towards Yo’s avatar in retaliation. She immediately moved to dodge, but even then, the spray had too much spread, catching the lower half of her avatar as she rolled to the side.

Thankfully, with GngsKhan’s shield buff, the attack only took off about a quarter of Yo’s health, putting her in the perfect spot to counterattack. Activating one of the macros that Yohane had helped her set up, her character immediately launched an unavoidable volley of flame-jets, stunning the boss just long enough to set up for the big hit - an orb of lava that consumed most of Yo’s MP. When it hit, though, it clung to the boss’ frame, continuing to burn away at its health until it was easily dispatched by a few sword swings of BigBOI.

As the model of the dragon dissolved into dusty particles, and the spawned dragonlings disappeared as well, Yo let out a deep sigh, typing a quick congratulation into the chat.

Yousoro: Thanks for the assist, guys.

BigBOI: np

GngsKhan: im not gonna leave her highness’ apprentice hanging lol

Both of her party members were acquaintances of Yohane, who agreed to help Yo complete a quest she couldn’t clear on her own.

BigBOI: btw

BigBOI: yousoro

BigBOI: rumor has it that Yohane is quitting

BigBOI: cuz she got beaten by the american champion

BigBOI: is that true?

Yo sighed. BB wasn’t the first person to ask her about Yohane. It was fairly common knowledge at this point that Yohane had taken Yousoro under her wing, so when Yohane went missing for a day or two Yo started getting private messages in the dozens asking about Yohane. Yo answered them in the same way:

Yousoro: She’s taking a break for now.

Yousoro: I’m not at the liberty to say anymore.

BigBOI: i getcha

BigBOI: well if you ever talk to her just tell her we miss her

BigBOI: the raid scene just isn’t the same without her lol

With that, her party members teleported away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Yoshiko was a legend in the community. Or rather, Yohane was. Her legacy was much more than just her player character. She’d pioneered raid strategies, inspired top tier players, influenced the beta development of the game, even had a location named after her in honor of a record-breaking expansion raid.

Yo wanted to believe that Yoshiko wasn’t so fragile that a single defeat could make her abandon all that she’s accomplished. She desperately wanted to.

Eying the greyed out entry of Yohane in her friends list, though, Yo couldn’t help but feel a deep unease. She was missing something from the picture, something big. If only she’d looked a little harder…!

She blinked suddenly, as a message popped up on screen.

SakuraSketch: Hello?

SakuraSketch… They’re new. Yo didn’t recognize the name. She clicked open their character profile. Level 1. A complete newbie. They were wandering around the starting town for devils. Sighing, Yo quickly typed up a private message while teleporting to Gehenna.

Appearing in the travel hub of Gehenna, Yo looked around the map for SakuraSketch. After a while, Yo finally tracked them down to the Main Street where all the low- to mid-tier shops and services were provided. Summoning a fiery steed beneath her so she didn’t have to walk the whole way, Yo made her way to where SakuraSketch was on the map. She stopped a few paces away from SakuraSketch’s avatar - a succubus type demon with long dark-red hair and delicate wisp-like wings floating behind her.

Yousoro: Hello.

Yousoro: Is there something you need from me?

SakuraSketch turned around to face Yo.

SakuraSketch: As you can see, I’m just starting out…

SakuraSketch: A friend mentioned that you knew a lot of secrets about getting a good start…

A friend, huh. Yo breathed out, thinking the situation over. Not to brag, but she was one of the better known mid-tier players at this point; not just because of Yohane’s mentorship, but also through legitimate achievements. If SakuraSketch’s friend was someone familiar with the speed at which Yo climbed the ladder, it wasn’t entirely unfeasible.

Yousoro: I see.

Yousoro: Well, I guess I have some time to spare.

SakuraSketch: Thank you very much!

SakuraSketch: Once I’ve gotten used to the game, if there’s anything I can help with…

You sighed, smiling wryly to herself. The student had now become the teacher. Would Yoshiko be proud of her?

Yousoro: It’s fine, call it a welcome package.

Yousoro: I myself was taught by a friend anyway, so… let’s call it paying it forward.

Yousoro: When you get to grips with the game, you go help someone as well.

Yousoro: Anyway, let’s start with the basics…

* * * * *

“Ah~” Yo yawned. She ended up not getting much sleep at all. Even after Sakura had logged off, Yo kept playing, smashing herself uselessly against a dungeon boss. It was one that she had easily taken down with Yohane’s guidance, but now she found it an almost insurmountable challenge.

She’d been relying too much on Yohane as a safety net, maybe.

Shaking her head, Yo tried to stay awake as the bus made it’s way down the road leading through Uchiura, the gentle drone of the engines acting like a lullaby song to her sleep-deprived mind.

“Ah, there she is!”

Yo blinked, just about to slip into a nap when an energetic voice roused her from her sleep. Chika bounded onto the bus like an overactive puppy, running over to Yo and crashing into the seat next to her. “What’s cookin’ good lookin’?”

Riko trailed behind her, looking much less energetic than her girlfriend. Her eyes were slightly red, and she was rubbing at them and trying hard to stifle a yawn. “Chika, if you say that again we’re breaking up.”

“Aww.” Chika pouted, crossing her arms sulkily. “Fine.”

A few seconds later, though, it was like she’d forgotten about the scolding already. “Oh! Yo, have you heard? Apparently, we’re getting a new school director!”

You tilted her head. “…We had an old school director?”

“Well, obviously. All schools have a director,” Riko pointed out.

“Oh…” Yo nodded absentmindedly. “Right.”

Chika frowned. “Hey, are you okay? You seem down.”

Yo suppressed a flinch, looking away from Chika somewhat guiltily. “I… don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine! Just… tired.”

Riko eyed her nervously, while Chika just frowned deeper. “How come? I thought you were being careful, what with the friendly swim meet this Saturday.”

Yo sighed. That’s right. There’s going to be a swim meet in four days. She’d almost forgotten. “Oh, yeah. That.”

“Are you really okay?” Chika reached over, trying to feel Yo’s forehead. “Are you sick? You look kinda out of it.”

Yo shrank away from Chika’s touch, suddenly feeling a twisting in her gut. “I said I’m fine, Chika,” She snarled, a lot more aggressively than she’d intended.

Immediately she regretted her decision when Chika flinched back, a look of hurt crossing her normally sunny expression. “Crap- Chika, sorry. I’m just… a little busy right now. That’s all.”

Riko put a hand on Chika’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sure Yo’s got things under control.”

Begrudgingly Chika nodded, apologizing quietly to Yo for prying. Yo shot Riko a quick look of gratitude, which she just responded with a small encouraging smile.

“Anyway!” And again Chika seemed to recover within moments of being down. “The new director!…”

While Chika blabbered away excitedly at the possibilities (“A secret government agent, looking for talented students to recruit into their top-secret spy project!” “An evil stuffed toy intent on pitting students against each other in a surreal killing game!” “A wizard!”) Yo tuned the conversation out again, unable to maintain her focus.

Everything was a mess. Yo and Yoshiko had bonded over Immortal Legends. But even if they did spend more time together now, after Yoshiko had quit the game, she just felt more distant than ever. Despite Chika and Riko becoming closer by the day, despite Yo giving them her full blessings, Yo still couldn’t let go of the part of her that wished it was her in Riko’s place.

Yo didn’t know what to do. She had no idea what she even could do. Life used to be simple, easy to understand. Now Yo just felt…

Lost.

“Hey.”

Yo looked up. Chika was looking at her with a pensive expression. It wasn’t her usual energy, but it wasn’t accusing or upset either; just, thoughtful. Gentle. “If there’s something bugging you, you can always talk to me about it. You know that, right?”

Yo closed her eyes for a moment, breathing out slowly.

“Yeah,” She nodded. “I know.”

“Okay.”

Chika nodded as well, turning back to face the front of the bus.

Yo felt a little after that. Maybe. She put her hand on her chest, thumbing the Anchor pendant beneath her uniform for comfort.

* * * * *

As it turned out, the new director of the school was not a secret government agent, nor an evil stuffed toy, not even a wizard.

She was a foreigner.

“Hi everybody~!” Ohara Mari said, from the stage in the auditorium. “My name is Ohara Mari, and I’m going to take over the directorial duties of this school starting today!”

It was announced during homeroom that there was going to be an assembly during the last periods of school, where the new director would be introduced and their ambitions for the school explained. Yo didn’t pay much attention to the details, but she probably should have.

Mari was the girl that Kanan was talking to the other day. Also, the girl who beat Yoshiko. And apparently, now she was also the director of the school.

Yo’s head was spinning.

“Now, some of you might be wondering why a student is the director, to which I raise you - screw the rules, I have money!” Mari laughed, and it was so absurd that a few students even started laughing along before Kurosawa Dia, who had been standing behind Mari, fixed the assembled students with her steely glare.

“Your goals, Ms. Ohara.” Dia coughed into a fist.

“Oh! Yes, that,” Mari nodded, shuffling through what looked like a stack of cue cards before losing track of the card she needed and just tossing the stack aside eventually. Clearing her throat, she paused for dramatic effect before launching into her speech.

“As some of you might be aware, our school is suffering from a crippling lack of new students. As part of my installment as director of the school, I am to bring this academy out of obscurity and into the limelight as one of the forward-thinking and modern educational institutions in the region!”

Yo snorted. Ura Girls was many things, but ‘forward-thinking’ and ‘modern’ were definitely not words Yo would have used to describe the school.

“Which is why I’m going to start by adding a multimedia room into the school, equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, and an array of custom-build computers optimized for the most high-end tasks. I have also drafted up a ‘digital education’ syllabus which we will be implementing on a rotational trial basis, allowing students access to this multimedia room during class time.”

There was a murmur of approval that went through the assembled students. One of the biggest issues with the school was how backward it seemed, especially compared to some of the fancier schools in big cities like Tokyo, or heck, even Numazu.

“Of course, this means there’ll be free wifi for everyone in the school.”

A cheer erupted through the hall, though it was once again quickly silenced by Dia’s unrelenting glare.

“And the other thing this school needs is publicity. Whatever we implement into the school, this is still a small institution in an insignificant region of Japan. We won’t get many more students coming in if we don’t get the Ura Girls name out. In fact… there is a possibility that the school will be shut down if we don’t improve our school’s prospects.”

A ripple of concerned whispers went through the student body, but Mari just smiled confidently and cleared her throat again.

“This is where I come in. Not many of you may know, I transferred here from America. In America, I was involved in a video game - an MMORPG - called Immortal Legends. I was ranked first amongst some 6 million players in the US alone. There are four servers active for Immortal Legends: the US, China, Europe, and Japan. In returning to Japan, I also transferred my Immortal Legends character to the Japanese server.”

Oh.

Oh.

Yo could practically see all the pieces fitting into place. All the disparate events she’s witnessed over the past month were starting to come together.

She looked around wildly, trying to spot Yoshiko in the crowd.

“Upon arriving in the Japanese server, which has a healthy 1.5 million odd player base, I challenged the #1 player in Japan to a duel. I won that duel. It has been less than a week since then, and I have already received more than thirty interview invitations, and have been featured in a dozen large-scale publications. An estimated 30% of the Japanese population now know my name. Imagine the possibilities if we put that publicity towards this school!”

Yo couldn’t find Yoshiko - the first and second-year classes were too far apart. Yo bit her lip nervously and turned her attention back to Mari, who was still continuing with her presentation.

“But that’s not all. Why stop at myself? There is an event in the game coming up, a national tournament that will also attract the attention of gamers across the globe. In it, teams of nine players will be pitted against each other in glorious combat. Imagine the news, when a team comprised entirely of our school’s students beats out the nation’s best professional players in their own game! Not only will it bring raw publicity, it will also showcase our school’s willingness to embrace the future, demonstrating our openminded school spirit!”

Yo glanced at Dia. The girl looked faint, staring at Mari in abject horror. There was muttering in the crowd, equal parts excited and doubtful. But ignoring all that, Mari pushed on.

“Everyone, we stand at the threshold of greatness. The potential is there, I know it. Everyone in this school can shine and excel in their own way, but only if they’re given the chance to. This tournament is that chance. So I ask you, students of Uranohoshi Girl’s Academy: are you with me? To protect our school? Or are you willing to see the school fade forever into history?”

So that was Mari’s game this whole time.

It was a plan that Yo couldn’t even begin to imagine on her own. As she stared at the girl on stage, her image started to overlap with the confident, extravagant avatar she’d witnessed in Immortal Legends.

It was wildly ambitious, a borderline insane gamble. But… it might just work.

Mari stepped back, allowing Dia to take the mic. She stepped forward shakily, looking at Mari with wide eyes, before clearing her throat.

“Er… that was our new director… Ohara Mari.”

At first, it was just a lonesome clap, awkward and tentative. But then more students picked up the call, and soon there was a storm of furious applause as the girls cheered and clapped for their new, innovative school director.

“Shiny~☆” Mari waved at the cheering students as she exited the stage, disappearing backstage. Dia glanced at her, then at the clapping students, and eventually sighed and allowed them to work off their excitement as she followed Mari backstage.

Yo, however, was too busy pushing through the crowd in search of Yoshiko to notice. She managed to cross over to the first year section, locating Hanamaru and Ruby, who mostly just looked confused.

“Ruby! Hanamaru!” Yo said breathlessly, managing to find a spot next to them. They turned and nodded politely at Yo, though their expressions quickly shifted to concern at Yo’s anxiousness. “Have either of you seen Yoshiko around?”

Ruby moved to shake her head, but Hanamaru seemed to think for a moment. “I think I saw her leave a little bit before the end, zura.”

“Okay, thanks!” Yo said, and pushed back into the crowd towards the auditorium exit.

After a great deal of jostling and trying to avoid the flow of girls now starting to migrate towards the exit as well, Yo managed to get ahead of the crowd and ran out of the auditorium, running out into the school courtyard. She looked around, out of breath, only relaxing when she spotted a familiar cascade of dark blue hair from behind a bench.

Yo jogged up to Yoshiko, who was sitting quietly on the bench, her expression focused and contemplative. After a few moments, Yoshiko looked up at Yo and smiled faintly. “Hey. Why the hurry?”

“I—” Yo hesitated. “I wanted to talk to you. About… that. Just now.”

Yoshiko’s composed expression flickered, and Yo could definitely spot a flash of a grimace before she managed to recover.

“What about it? I think it’s a wonderful plan. I couldn’t have thought of it,” Yoshiko said, diplomatically. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the woman who defeated me.”

Yo shook her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “That’s not… what I want to talk about, Yoshiko.”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” Yoshiko looked at Yo. There was a level of wariness, a guardedness to her, that made Yo feel ill. Like she’d been kicked in the guts.

Yo breathed in to steel her nerves. “Are… are you going to compete?”

Yoshiko stiffened, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face - surprise, hope, apprehension, sadness, then… then just tired resignation. “No. I said I was going to take a break, and I mean it. I’ve already been beaten, anyway. What’s the point?”

“But—” Yo tried to argue, but Yoshiko just stood up, her hands balled up into fists. “I said no, damn it!”

Yo stopped, staring at Yoshiko. Yoshiko stared back, breathing heavily.

“I’m…” Yoshiko’s gaze slowly dropped down to the ground. “I’m sorry.”

“N-No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed the topic,” Yo shook her head. She reached out for Yoshiko’s hand, tentatively, but Yoshiko just shied away from the gesture.

Trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest, Yo closed her eyes and turned away from Yoshiko. “So, um… are you going to come to the swim-meet this Saturday?” Yo said, clumsily trying to change the subject.

“Uh.” Yoshiko had to take a moment to adjust to the new topic. “Yes. Er, if you want, I can come.”

“Please do.”

“I will, then…”

Yo nodded awkwardly. Yoshiko nodded as well, just as awkward.

“I…”

Yoshiko picked up her back, which was on the bench next to her. “I need to go.”

Yo didn’t try to stop Yoshiko as she walked away, her head down, her posture stiff.

Yo felt like she was about to cry.

When she boarded the bus to school, she was still checking her phone to see if Yoshiko had said anything else. As she’d expected (but not as she hoped), there was still no response. She sighed, pocketing her phone again and staring glumly out of the window. After Yoshiko’s crushing defeat at the hands of Mari, Yo’s had this bad feeling bubbling in her gut that she just couldn’t shake, and her experiences of getting into trouble with Chika has taught her to respect those gut feelings.

She could tell that Yoshiko was badly shaken by that loss, but she wasn’t sure just how bad was it. She bit her lip, revisiting Yoshiko’s expression in her mind. It was more than frustration, more than just defeat. It was resignation, desperation, and… a chilling sense of acceptance.

Yo didn’t like that expression. Her instincts had screamed at her to chase after Yoshiko when she left, but at the same time, she wanted to respect Yoshiko’s wishes for some alone time.

As she was lost in thought, the bus drew up to the Tochiman inn, and Chika and Riko filed onto the bus, holding hands and laughing about something or another.

“Yo! Good morning!”

Chika waved cheerfully at Yo, before frowning upon coming closer. “Hey, you okay? You seem kind of, uh, out of it.”

Yo blinked, shook her head slightly, and looked over to Chika, smiling weakly. “Hey. Sorry, I’m just… distracted.”

Chika hummed, eying Yo suspiciously, before turning to Riko. “What’d ya think? Isn’t Yo a little out of it?”

“Um…” Riko looked between Chika and Yo, before saying uncertainly, “Well, you do look tired… have you been sleeping properly?”

Yo laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. Riko hit the nail on the head - she’d been online most of the night, checking to see if Yoshiko had come online at any point, as well as keeping an eye on the fallout of the duel between Yohane and Mari.

“Ah— You were up playing, right?” Chika suddenly said, grinning. “The duel between Yohane and Mari - it must’ve gotten you fired up, huh?”

“T-The duel, right.” Yo laughed airily, smiling along with Chika. “You got me, haha…”

Riko leaned close to Chika and whispered, “This is that Immortal Legends game, right?”

“Right!” Chika nodded, and laughed, elbowing Yo in the side. “I introduced you to the game, but now you’re even more addicted than me, huh? Jeez, you really have no self-control, huh, Yo?”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, you impulsive mikan…” Yo smirked wryly, pinching Chika’s cheek.

“Oww!” Chika whined, turning to look at Riko with puppy-dog eyes. “Riko, Yo is bullying me.”

“She’s… got a point,” Riko said.

“Etu, Riko?” Chika reeled back, in mock horror at the betrayal.

“Sorry!” Riko said, only a little apologetically. “It’s just, you really do have no self-control sometimes…”

“Oh yeah, you’d know,” Chika said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Chika!” Riko blushed and slapped Chika lightly on the arm. “Stop!”

“Get a room, you two,” Yo grumbled, with mock disgust. She sighed, though, as her thoughts returned to their previous topic, and she glanced over to Chika. “Hey, Chika?”

“Yeah?”

“What did you think about the duel?” She asked, curious about Chika’s view of it. “You saw it, right?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I did.” Chika pondered the question for a moment before starting slowly, “I guess it was surprising? Like, Yohane is one of the top Japan players, and she got totally bodied by Mari. Though she’s the US champion, so maybe it wasn’t as big a surprise.”

“It’s gotta be a shock to Yohane’s fans, though,” She said as an afterthought.

“Hm.” Yo nodded slowly, before asking, “…How do you think she felt?”

“Who? Yohane?” Chika asked, tilting her head. “Well… I’m not her, so I can’t say for sure, but… if I were the best player on the server, and I got totally trashed…”

Chika frowned, thinking hard. “Mmm… I’d say I’d feel pretty dang useless. I’m the best, but I’m still not good enough to win… something like that?”

Yo nodded thoughtfully, mulling the response over.

“Something like that, huh.”

It made sense to Yo, but she’s long since learned that she and Yoshiko thought very differently. She didn’t dare to make too many assumptions about how Yoshiko felt - she didn’t want to come off as pushing too hard or being too insensitive. Yo knew that she could be a bit oblivious at times.

Sighing, she shrugged and decided to drop the subject for now.

“So what did you two do over the weekend?” She asked instead.

“Oh! Well, I took her over to Awashima to look at the marine park.” Chika paused. “It was fun, but she didn’t like the frogs.”

“You showed her the frogs?” Yo frowned. “That’s not very romantic.”

“Right?” Riko said, sighing in exasperation. “You’re the worst girlfriend.”

But despite saying that, Riko leaned subtly closer to Chika, their fingers intertwined together. The small motion didn’t slip past Yo’s notice, but she didn’t say anything about it. All she could do now was support the two of them silently, cheering them on in her mind. Riko was shy and Chika was obtuse, sometimes, but they deserved to be with each other.

At least, that was what Yo kept telling herself.

Trying to distract herself from those toxic thoughts, she then asked, “But the marine park was fun, right? Did you see the penguins?”

“I did! They’re very cute.” Riko smiled, though she frowned slightly at the memory. “Though they didn’t smell the best…”

“Oh!” Chika spoke up suddenly, perking up. “We met Kanan!”

“Did you now?” Yo asked, curious.

“Yeah!” Chika nodded excitedly. “She’s gonna be in school today!”

“Really?” Yo tilted her head. “She told me her grandfather still had a few days until recovery…”

“Apparently her gramps didn’t want her to miss any more school, so he called off any appointments for the week and closed up shop.”

“Wow, that’s nice of him,” Yo commented, glancing out of the bus window as it turned a corner and came into view of the school station. Shouldering her bag, she stood up, thinking out loud: “Maybe we can visit her during break?”

“Yeah! That sounds good,” Chika said excitedly, as they got off the bus.

Yo looked around as they walked up the long slope to the school, glancing about distractedly. She almost walks into a streetlight, and nearly

Noticing Yo acting off, Chika leaned in, tilting her head comically sideways. “What’s up?”

“Huh?” Yo blinked, and quickly smiled, shaking her head. “Oh, it’s nothing. Come on, we’re gonna be late.”

Chika stared at her for a while as Yo hurried up the slope, before eventually shrugging and following after her, with a confused Riko bringing up the rear.

* * * * *

“Ahhh, I thought she’d never stop!”

Chika complained loudly, once the bell for morning break sounded. “Honestly, what’s the big deal with binomials anyway? I’m gonna run an inn, not be a rocket scientist…”

“You should always keep your options open, Chika,” Riko said firmly, tapping the open exercise book on Chika’s table. “Now, you need to finish this now or you’ll have to stay back after school, so get working.”

“Why is homework even a thing anyway…” Chika grumbled. She glanced over to Yo, who was resting her head on her table and staring across the aisle at Chika and Riko. “Oh, right… you were going to go see Kanan, right? You don’t have to wait for us, you can just go.”

Chika grimaced. “I’m probably gonna be here for a while…”

Riko nodded in agreement, and Yo sighed, scratching her head as she stood up. “I’ll tell her you said hi,” She promised, waving them goodbye and leaving the classroom.

Honestly, it was just as well - Yo needed some time to herself. Dealing with Chika and Riko, lovely as they were, was frankly exhausting.

She wanted to speak to Yoshiko. But, Kanan would have to do.

She made her way over to the third year’s classroom, poking her head in through the doorway and looking around. Kanan’s nowhere to be found, but there were a few of her seniors on the swim team, sitting and chatting, so she walked up and waved hello.

“Ah, Yo! What’s up?” One of the seniors - the swim team captain, actually - grinned, waving at Yo as well.

“Is Kanan around?” Yo asked. “I was told she’s at school today but… looks like she’s stepped out.”

The seniors glanced amongst each other for a moment before turning back to Yo.

“Uh… yeah, she was here, but she left with Ohara to talk about something…”

Yo frowned. There was that name again - Ohara. Kanan mentioned them when they hung out. “Ohara? The rich family?”

“Yeah, their daughter transferred back in after being gone for a year. Ohara asked if she could speak to Kanan privately, so they went up to the room. They just left, you should be able to catch her if you’re fast.”

“Okay, thanks, Cap! I’ll see you during practice tomorrow!”

“See ya, Yo.”

Yo turned and ran out, heading for the roof. Going up the stairs, she slowed down, carefully making her way past the open door and stopping just short of coming into view from the rooftop.

“…What did you want to talk to me about that couldn’t be done in the classroom, Mari?”

Yo peeked out from around the corner, taking care to keep quiet. She felt bad for listening in, but at the same time, her curiosity couldn’t be contained. Kanan was on first name terms with the Ohara girl - Mari - so they had to know each other. Yo didn’t remember anyone by the name of Mari being in town, and she knew just about every girl in Uchiura.

Kanan was standing on the roof, with her arms crossed, her expression impassive. Yo hadn’t seen Kanan like that in… ever, really. She always seemed so at ease and easy going, it was kind of unnerving to see this side of her - cold, and inscrutable.

The girl she was talking to was blonde, around the same height as Kanan, with dazzling golden eyes. A foreigner? And- her name was Mari? Yo studied her features again, and indeed, she very much resembled the Mari that had defeated Yoshiko in Immortal Legends. Kanan knew that Mari?

Mari had a smile on her face as she said, “Well, I wanted to catch up with you, Kanan. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to my best friend.”

She put heavy emphasis on the end, and Kanan almost seemed to flinch at those words. But just as quickly, Kanan recovered her composure, breathing in and fixing Mari with a hard stare.

“Why are you back, Mari?” She asked quietly. “Why come back? Why now?”

Mari’s smile slipped at Kanan’s question.

“That’s it? No ‘welcome back’? No ‘how have you been’?” Mari’s expression quickly turned into a frown. “Just, that?”

Kanan turned away, looking away from Mari.

“I didn’t want you to come back.” She said, her expression unreadable.

“You didn’t…” Mari looked shaken for a moment, before she shakes her head, hardening her expression. “Of course you didn’t. Silly me, why would Kanan ever want me back?”

She laughed airily, shrugging and starting towards the stairs. Yo jumped and prepared to leave, but she stopped when she saw Mari pause right before the corner.

“Just so you know, I’m not back because of you,” Mari said cooly. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m back for the school, and nothing else.”

Then she suddenly changed tones entirely and flashed Kanan a smug grin. “Ciao~”

Rounding the corner, she seemed only mildly surprised to find Yo standing in front of the stairwell, staring at her. Mari smirked and put her finger to her lips in a shush gesture, giving her a wink like she’d told Yo some kind of inside joke. She then breezed past Yo, heading down the stairway with a spring in her step.

But despite her confident smile, Yo had just barely managed to catch a flash of wetness at the corners of her eyes. Yo stared at the girl as she rounded the corner of the staircase and disappeared from sight, then turned back to the rooftop.

As she wondered what to do, she heard Kanan sniff, and start walking towards the stairs. She didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping by Kanan, so she beat a hasty retreat, quickly heading back to the second year classroom before Kanan could catch her.

All the while, she couldn’t get the conversation out of her head, replaying the short back-and-forth over and over again in her mind. Kanan knew Mari, who was also the American champion on Immortal Legends, who had beaten Yoshiko, who had been in shock because of that. A strangely interconnected web of events.

…It seems things are going to get hectic again… Yo thought, wearily, as she went back into the classroom.

* * * * *

Time flew by in class. Yo barely paid any attention to class - she could just ask for Riko’s notes anyway - and the moment they were released from class, she bolted to her feet, cramming all of her things into her bag.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Chika asked, looking up from the maths exercise that she still hadn’t finished yet. “A date?”

“No, just the first year’s classroom,” Yo said quickly, shouldering her bag.

Chika had a sly smile on her face. “Tsushima?”

Yo blushed, looking away. “Shut up, Chika. Your girlfriend is waiting for you to get done.”

Chika pouted, looking briefly down at her work before back up at Yo. “But it’s booooring.”

Riko reached across the table and pinched Chika on the cheek. “Finish it. Or we can’t go home.”

Chika sighed, her gaze slowly dropping back down to the page. “Fine. You have fun with the first years, Yo. …I’ll be stuck here for a while…” Finishing her sentence gloomily, she reluctantly continued to write, under Riko’s watchful supervision.

After silently cheering Chika on, Yo left the classroom, hurrying down to the first year’s classroom.

Since school had only just ended, it was still crowded and busy, and Yo waited a few moments at the door for the stream of fleeing students to subside before heading in. Hanamaru and Ruby were still there, idly chatting as they slowly packed up. They noticed Yo in the doorway and waved excitedly.

“Yo! Good afternoon, zura!” Hanamaru said, smiling at her as she approached.

“What’s up, Hanamaru, Ruby?” Yo grinned, giving the two of them a salute. She looked around, before turning back to the two. “Is Yoshiko not around?”

Hanamaru was about to answer when a shrill, obnoxious voice sounded.

“If you looking for the freak, she’s already left.”

Yo narrowed her eyes. “Aoki.”

Aoki sneered at Yo from across the room. Both girls’ glares were frigid, and the tension was palpable.

But then Aoki shrugged and turned away, going to leave the classroom. “I’m busy today so I don’t have the time to deal with the rabble. Come on, girls. Let’s go.”

Yo glared at her as she left, before turning to Ruby and Hanamaru for confirmation.

“She did leave,” Ruby nodded.

“Right…” Yo sighed, and straightened up, giving them a quick smile. “Okay, thanks a bunch you two. I’m gonna go, then.”

Just as she was about to leave, Ruby spoke up suddenly.

“Um! If you happen to bump into Yoshiko, um…” Ruby tapped her fingers together awkwardly. "Could… could you ask her to cheer up? She seemed… off, today.”

Yo thought about it for a moment. It had to be the defeat, right? She nodded, saying, “I’ll try my best, but you know how Yoshiko can be sometimes.”

Ruby and Hanamaru laughed - they did know. All three of them were well aware of Yoshiko’s temperament - maybe that’s exactly why Ruby asked Yo to go instead of seeking Yoshiko out herself. Waving goodbye to the girls, Yo left the room, hurrying downstairs towards the entrance.

There were still throngs of girls loitering around the school grounds, slowly filtering out through the school gates, and it took Yo a while before she could track down Yoshiko, whose distinctive bun set her apart from the crowd.

Yo was about to run up to her when she stopped suddenly, caught off guard by an unusual sight: Yoshiko was talking to a group of girls, who looked like they belonged to the relatively popular clique.

Yo frowned, but she actually knew some of the girls in the group - they were on the swim team - so she let the conversation play out, watching as Yoshiko nodded in response to something the girls said. Yo couldn’t see Yoshiko’s expression - her back was to Yo - but it seemed like the girl Yoshiko was talking was satisfied, nodding with a smile before departing with the rest of the group, leaving Yoshiko standing alone.

Yo gave her a few seconds before stepping up, calling her name and waving. “Hey, Yoshiko!”

Yoshiko flinched as though she’d been hit, and turned around slowly, giving Yo a weak smile. “Ah… hi, Yo…”

Noting her reaction with some worry, Yo asked cautiously, “So… what were you talking about?”

“Oh! It’s, erm…” Yoshiko shook her head quickly. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“They weren’t giving you any trouble, were they?” Yo said sharply, eying the departing group suspiciously.

“No!” Yoshiko said quickly, shaking her head insistently. “No. It’s… it’s nothing, really. We just wanted to talk.”

“Well, okay.” Yo acquiesced, holding up her hands placatingly. “I just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright. Especially with…” She trailed off, but she was sure Yoshiko knew what she was talking about.

Yoshiko grimaced.

“About that…” She breathed in. “I’d… like to apologize for that, actually. I lost my composure and ran off without explaining anything. Sorry.”

“No, that’s okay! It’s fine. It must’ve been a shock.” Yo said, remembering what Chika thought of the duel. “I don’t blame you for needing a moment to yourself. At least you look like you’re… doing a little better now? Are you going to be okay for the tournament?”

“Well…” Yoshiko hesitated.

“Actually… I, erm…” She closed her eyes, breathing in a deep breath to steel her nerves. Somehow it was harder to tell Yo than to muster up the resolve to actually go through with her decision.

“I’m… going to take a break from Immortal Legends.”

Yo felt her heart stop for a moment. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Yoshiko. “You… what?”

“I was… thinking.” Yoshiko said slowly. “That maybe I should… spend a little more time… doing something else.” She looked at Yo hopefully. “Maybe… spend some more time with you?”

“Well,” Yo blushed, not sure what to what to say in response. “…Good for you? I mean, um, I’d love to hang out with you more, yeah. That sounds… great.”

She really didn’t know what to say. It was really good that Yoshiko wanted to do things other than Immortal Legends, and it was really sweet that she wanted to spend more time with Yo, but at the same time, it had Yo worried. She knew how much Immortal Legends meant to Yoshiko. For her to just… give it up…

“What about the tournament?” Yo asked, after a moment. “Weren’t you looking forward to that?”

A complicated expression flashed across Yoshiko’s face before she shook her head and smiled at Yo. “That’s… well, I’ve already been champion once. I should let others have a shot at it, right?”

“I… guess…”

Yo nodded slowly. She was still uneasy, but there was nothing she could think of to say that wouldn’t upset or offend Yoshiko in some way. She didn’t want her to think that Yo was opposed to her being more proactive in her life or something.

Besides, Yo did want to spend more time with her. It could be the turning point in their relationship that Yo was waiting for.

She jumped suddenly - Yoshiko had gently tugged on her hand. Their hands weren’t in contact for long, but the sensation lingered on her skin, making her suddenly hyper-aware of her sweaty palm. They hadn’t held hands since the day when Yo was sick and Yoshiko had come to visit her in her bedroom - but the brief touch reminded her of that time.

Yo glanced up at Yoshiko, who was smiling at her.

“Um… should we go? You don’t have swim practice today, right?”

Yo stared at her for a moment, before shaking herself from her reverie and nodded quickly. “Yeah, before the queue at the bus stop gets too long…”

They set off, walking past the school gates. Despite her unease, Yo starts chatting with Yoshiko about inane school life, trying hard to ignore that gnawing doubt in her mind. Yoshiko was trying to change for the better - that was a good thing.