#locodol

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

---

“Anju-chan…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Excuse me?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Chrom! We gotta go!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

“Is that Nishikino-san?”

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

“Why are we hiding?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay. Go, go, go, go, go, go!”

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

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

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

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

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

“Stop yelling in her face!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I didn’t sneeze, it’s their name.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Honoka-chan.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hey!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We’re here!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, that makes sense.” Eli nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Excuse me?”

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No.” Maki answered quickly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

“We hope you all enjoyed yourselves!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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