"Maki-chan!"
The red haired girl jumped as Nozomi threw the door to the clubroom open, the first year whipping her head around to see her two pigtailed seniors walk inside. Maki set her novel face down on the table and set her steely gaze on the girls.
"We need your help, Maki-chan!" Nozomi continued as she approached her friend.
Maki took notice of the camera Nozomi held in her hand and sighed.
"Not this again."
"Actually, it's not what you think," Nozomi began, walking around the table to sit opposite of Maki. She set her camera down on the table and leaned forward, elbows on the table and hands propping up her head. She grinned as Maki raised a single eyebrow in question. "you see, I'm writing something."
"Writing something." It came out as less of a question with Maki's monotone inflection.
"Indeed. But I'm having trouble with this one scene. You see, I want to capture the emotions of the characters just right. Their facial expressions, their racing breathing and heartbeats, the blush on their cheeks!"
Maki continued to stare at her, crossing her arms. "And?"
Nozomi flashed another grin. "I want you and Nicochi to act out the scene!"
"I refuse."
Nozomi immediately pouted, then sighed as she realized she would get no pity from Maki. She turned to look towards the clubroom door.
"Help me out, Nicochi!"
Maki turned to look in the same direction and realized she hadn't seen or heard from Nico since the two girls had walked in. Nico stood next to the closed door, arms crossed and head down. She looked up with an angry expression at Nozomi.
"You roped me into this!"
"But Nicochi, I barely had to say anything at all to convince you. At least not after I told you the details of my plan," Nozomi said, grinning and using her eyes to gesture at Maki. Nico turned away from the two, trying to hide the blush creeping across her face.
Nozomi turned back to look at Maki and was shocked to find Maki had her eyes closed and was blushing, as well as twirling a strand of red hair between her fingers. Nozomi resisted grinning again, sure she had Maki's participation locked down as well.
"I-I don't understand you at all, Nico-chan. But if it's to help a friend, I guess I can go along with it."
When Maki opened her eyes, Nozomi had two thin, stapled packets of paper in one hand and her camera in the other.
"Excellent. I wrote the dialogue as a script for both of you to act out."
She handed one packet to Maki as Nico walked over to the table and sat down next to Nozomi, snatching the other packet from her hands. The two girls barely got to skim the first sentences before Nozomi slammed her free hand on the table, causing her two friends to jump.
"W-what was that for?!" Nico asked, a hand over her heart.
"Don't read ahead! Your reactions won't be genuine if you do. Just follow me."
Nozomi stood and quickly made her way towards the room's exit. Nico and Maki shared worried looks before following the spiritual girl out of the room. They walked down the hallways of the school in silence and soon found themselves outside of the school. In a few minutes they stood behind the school in a quiet and somewhat secluded area.
"What are we doing here?" Maki asked when Nozomi came to a stop. Said girl turned around slowly and smiled at her two friends, holding her camera up.
"This is where the scene takes place, of course. Behind the school. It's a very important conversation and the characters wouldn't want to be disturbed or interrupted. Or overheard."
Maki and Nico shared another worried glance as Nozomi giggled.
"Come on, you two. Face each other and get acting. The first lines belong to Nico. And remember to perform the action instead of reading it out loud."
The two sighed but did as they were told, swallowing down some jitters as they lifted up their packets. Nico took a deep breath, glanced up at Maki one last time, and began.
"Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me here. I know you're a really busy person."
"Just get on with it—Nozomi, isn't that a little rude?"
"Come on, Maki-chan. It's part of the character's personality."
Maki shrugged and looked to Nico, who took that as her cue to continue.
"Fine," she read. "I won't waste too much of your time. I'm sure you get pulled back here all the time, anyway."
"What do you mean?" Maki read, though she was genuinely beginning to get swept up.
"Stares silently and—Ah, sorry, that was action."
Nico looked up and Maki followed suit, the two locking gazes. Nico gave her a grave look, and although she knew they were just acting, Maki thought she didn't like that look.
"You know, I've never told anyone this, but I think a lot has changed since I met you. A lot about me has changed. I used to be a loner. I distanced myself from everyone and felt that they had failed me. But really, I felt like the real failure. But this group has given me the chance to start again."
"I feel the same way. I've always been alone, and—"
Maki stopped and glared up at Nozomi, who gave her a confused and innocent look.
"Nozomi... Did you write this about us?"
"Of course not, Maki-chan."
"Nozomi..."
"Any resemblance to real life is purely coincidental."
Maki sighed and looked up at Nico, who was staring down at the script with a very determined look on her face. Was she reading ahead?
Surprised, Maki asked, "Nico?"
Nico looked up at her and said in an even tone, "Keep going, Maki-chan."
Too confused to resist, Maki did just that.
"Oh, um... I feel the same way. I've always been alone, and burdened by my parents' expectations for my future. Being with everyone gave me the freedom to do what I really wanted to. And of course," Maki made eye contact with Nico again, giving her a genuine smile, "It's really all thanks to you."
"W-what?"
Maki didn't notice that Nico had gone slightly off script and simply continued reading.
"It's true. You're the one who started it all, back in your freshman year. And we couldn't have gotten as far without your passion."
"Maki-chan," said Nico, barely above a whisper. She flinched as she remembered the script and looked back down at it. "No way. Your talent is what really propels us forward. If anyone deserves praise and thanks, it's you. It really inspired me. You really inspire me."
The girls didn't register the sounds of Nozomi's sniffling as they looked up at each other and searched each other's eyes for sincerity, scripts abandoned.
"Do you really mean that, Nico-chan?"
"Of course I do! Where would muse be without you? You helped muse out even when you weren't a part of it." Nico paused, expression saddening. "I just got in muse's way."
Maki shook her head, her expression resolute. "It wasn't your fault. Your old group abandoned you—"
"I pushed them too hard. It was my own fault."
"Even so, it hurt you. You were alone after that. How could you have trusted us right away? But without the Idol Research Club and the clubroom, we would've been done for. And your expertise about idols was important, too."
The three girls stood in silence, Nico and Maki staring at each other. Nico's hand tightened her grip on the script, crumpling it some. She wasn't stupid. She knew what Nozomi was up to. Sure, Maki did, too, right? But this was still a great excuse to be honest without fear. She looked back down at the script. She resisted the urge to turn the page, almost sure she knew what was in store. She simply found her place in the script and continued.
"I've gotten off topic. I didn't bring you out here for this."
Maki glanced back down to her script as well. "What for, then?"
Nico's grip tightened slightly. "Even though we've only know each other for a short time, I feel like I've gotten to know you really well. I've really enjoyed our time together. That's why..."
Nico turned the page and stared at the words at the top of the second and last page. All it said was Go for it, Nicochi.
"Nozomi, why is the last page blank? Are we d—"
Nico took a step forward, getting extremely close to Maki. The younger girl startled as she turned her head away from Nozomi and looked into resolute red eyes. She felt but didn't see a small hand on her cheek. It slid down slightly, cupping the side of her face, but Maki concentrated on the small smile and steely gaze Nico gave her. She was painfully aware of every millisecond as Nico inched her face closer and closer, straining on her tiptoes. Just as Nico was about to pull away and blow it all off as a joke, Maki's eyes slid closed. Emboldened, Nico didn't hesitate to close the gap between them.
For a moment, all the two could register was how soft each other's lips were. Their heads were spinning, their palms were sweaty, and they stood stiffly in place. To the surprise of all present, Maki was the one to deepen the kiss, wrapping her arms around Nico's waist and pulling her closer. As their lips began to move, Nico clasped her hands down on the back of Maki's neck and pulled her slightly down.
Nozomi blushed at the sight, and the warm sensation on her cheeks provoked in her the thought that she was intruding on a private moment. She slipped away from the scene as quietly and quickly as she could, victorious and joyous warmth spreading across her chest, a grin on her face.
Maki and Nico separated as the need for arm overwhelmed them, and two stared at each other through half-lidded gazes as they caught their breath. As the cogs in their minds began once again to turn, the two tried to resist blushing as a series of questions tormented their minds: what now? what did this mean? where would this lead to? Neither girl wanted to simply walk away and return to the way things were before, but they were afraid to speak their minds, lest the other turn her down.
"Nico-chan."
The raven-haired girl looked into violet eyes.
"You never finished your sentence," Maki said, red hair twirling around a finger and cheeks rosy.
"You're right, Maki-chan," Nico said with a wide grin. "That's why... I want to ask you... to be my girlfriend."
Despite the fact that she had practically been invited to say those words, Nico still felt her heart speed up and chest fill with a preemptive feeling of disappointment, prepared to overwhelm her heart at the command of the younger red head. When said girl gasped as if surprised, or perhaps embarrassed, and blushed more deeply, Nico felt her heart lighten immediately.
Maki could do nothing but nod her head vigorously, and Nico giggled at the sight of the tsundere girl being overwhelmed by emotion. Nico hugged her briefly and tightly, surprising Maki, before taking hold of her hand and leading her towards the front of the school.
"Wah—Where are we going, Nico-chan?"
Nico interlaced her fingers with Maki's, smiling up at her with all the joy her small body could produce.
"Our first date! I'm not gonna waste any of your time. After all, I'm sure you're one over eager to begin a relationship with the greatest idol in world, Nico-nii."
Maki opened her mouth to respond, but changed her mind and simply smiled, allowing Nico to lead the way into their future together.