"Nico-Nico-Nii!"

"Nico-Nico-Nii!"

"Nii...Nii..."

Yazawa Nico looked up from the sink to catch a glance of her sibling Kokoro and Kokoa bouncing around the kitchen, their littlest brother Kotaru quietly cheering them on, as they continued to chant their big sister's catchphrase with boundless energy. The third-year school idol couldn't help but feel her own spirits rise from observing them; even with all of the fans she'd most certainly gained since joining Muse, none of their cheers would ever be able to match the volume or passion of her siblings'. They were definitely one of her biggest inspirations, and the ones she would go to her most craziest lengths to impress.

And yet there was still another, someone whom Nico owed all of her gratitude and much, much more. The young woman's eyes hovered up toward the clock on the wall; it was almost 5. She would be arriving very soon. A hint of a blush, a faint tint of scarlet, briefly crossed her cheeks. She thought of that girl's face, her youthful expression, the way she was always grinning and smiling and never letting the downsides of life beat her. She was always shining, like a star that had come down from space to grace the planet with its presence.

Nico coughed. No, she shook her head, she had to keep herself focused, especially when in front of her impressionable little sisters and brother. Scrubbing away at the final dish, she quickly placed it into its proper cupboard before calling the three youngsters over to her. It might have been wrong of her, but she hadn't exactly told them anything about tonight's plans yet.

"Okay, you three, I want you all to be on your best behavior tonight; we're having a guest over."

"A guest?" Kokoa cocked her head to the side.

Kokoro was next to interject. "But, big sis, mom and dad said we shouldn't let anyone we don't know into the house!"

Nico shook her head. "It's fine; she's one of my friends from school. You've met her before."

"Ah! One of the other members of your idol group Muse! What luck!"

"Oh, they're all so cool and pretty! Can't they all come over? I want to see them again!"

"Back-up dancers!"

"Kotaru, they aren't her back-up dancers! Nico told us that herself!"

Nico grinned wryly; they sure changed their tune pretty quick when they heard about who was coming to visit. Granted, she hadn't even told them which member of Muse was staying over, but it wouldn't be long before they found out for themselves. Nico looked at the clock again. It was exactly 5. She wasn't holding out for her to be arriving on time, that girl wasn't normally partial to following schedules accurately, but Nico would have waited for as long as it'd take to see her. Despite her best wishes, her cheeks started to flare up again.

"Big sis, when is she going to get here?"

"Soon, I hope."

"What do you two need to do? Discuss the newest song? New dress designs? Your next performance?"

Nico coughed. "Maybe we'll talk about those things."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Nico nearly jumped, surprised that she would be so punctual, but she ran straight for the door nonetheless. She opened it without checking.

Kosaka Honoka was standing there with a cute little grin on her face, hands buried deep in her jacket's pockets. She looked as if she'd been standing there that entire time, just waiting for the right moment to pop out and surprise the third-year. Nico wasn't annoyed by that.

"Hey, Nico!"

Nico felt like she could finally breathe again. "Finally, you decide to show up!"

"Eh? I thought I had got here pretty early-"

"Never mind! Get in here already!" Nico snatched her by the sleeve and dragged her inside, shutting the apartment door behind her.

The three Yazawa siblings seemed more confused than surprised at first.

"Oh, it's not Maki?"

"You didn't bring Maki over?"

"No Maki."

Nico nearly so much tripped over her own words as she sputtered, "W-W-What made you three think it was going to be Maki, of all people...?"

Honoka pat Nico on the back, rubbing her palm in circles against it, sending a shiver down the smaller woman's spine.

"It's okay! I'm happy to be here! I'll try my best to live up to Maki's reputation!"

Honoka felt a little uneasy. Three little pairs of eyes were staring up at her, their pupils wide with awe and admiration, their mouths hanging agape. They might as well have been meeting a real celebrity in the flesh. Honoka wanted to say something, anything, to them, but she wasn't entirely sure what. She'd only met these three kids once before, and not exactly on the best circumstances.

"So you really aren't one of the back-up dancers?" Kokoa was the first one to speak.

"Whuh?"

"Are you sure that my big sis isn't the center?"

"Kokoa!" Kokoro snapped, "Nico had already told us-"

Honoka giggled. "No, I'm not one of the back-up dancers, and neither is Nico. We're all the same in our group; no one's any better than the other." Well, Honoka thought, she was supposed to be the center actually, but she figured that would have been an unnecessary complication to bring up to the kids. It wasn't like Honoka even considered herself to be more important than Nico or Eri or any of her other friends.

Kokoro and Kokoa's eyes were literally sparkling. "Wow! That's so cool! It's just like those magical girl teams we see on TV; all for one and one for all! You can't go on with the show if even one of you is missing! Right?"

"Heh heh, that's right!" Honoka beamed.

Nico returned with a bowl of snacks and some toys. "I'm back. Honoka, you weren't telling my siblings anything strange, were you?"

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing odder than what you've told them before, right, Nico-Nico?" the orange-haired teen teased with a sly grin. Nico blushed quietly in response; she'd been trying to forget that incident, and she had hoped in turn everyone else would forget about it too.

"Big sis, what are you doing with our dolls?" inquired Kokoa.

"I want you two to take Kotaru and go play in your room for a while," Nico instructed the three, "Honoka and I have some things we need to discuss for our idol group, so I'll call you when it's time for dinner!"

'Wow, she must have had that all planned ahead of time,' Honoka mused in her head as she watched on. Only she and Nico knew what they really intended to do, alone in the living room together.

Kokoro, Kokoa and Kotaru, however, weren't about to have any of that.

"Big sis, we want to stay here too! We don't want to go to our room!"

"We want to hear about all of Muse's upcoming activities!"

"I want a sneak peek!"

"But-" Nico looked back and forth between them.

"Come on, Nico! Pleeeeeease!"

"Pleeeeeease!"

Kotaru started tugging on Nico's pant leg. "I wanna stay too, sister."

Nico sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping. She could have spent over an hour trying to argue with them, but their passion for idols was absolute, just like her own; her sisters (and brother) would not have likely moved from the spot at all, and even worse they would be left hungry, with Nico still needing to attend to preparing dinner. Honoka's sudden bout of laughter forced Nico's head to swivel in her direction.

"It looks like you've lost the majority vote, Nico!" Honoka laughed.

The third-year was not having the easiest time here. "Okay, you three can stay, but instead I'm going to put the idol stuff away for now. No talk about it at all!"

"Awww...!"

"Instead, you should play with Honoka while I get dinner ready."

Nico's siblings turned to look at their newest playmate, eyes alight, and Honoka briefly felt like she was being placed on a platter, an apple shoved into her mouth, and was offered up as a sacrificial victim.

"You can handle three little kids, can't you, Honoka?" Nico knew what she was doing; she had to get back at the other girl somehow for her earlier quips.

When Honoka had been much younger, she had helped her parents several times by watching over her little sister Yukiho. There were only about three years between them, so it was more like a baby being cared for by a slightly older baby, but Honoka had managed to hold Yukiho's limited attention and watch that she didn't wander off. She was a little scatter-brained, but when it came to the important things (or things she personally considered important, unlike homework), she put her all into it. Nico's siblings were older than that, old enough to take care of themselves relatively well, so it shouldn't be any more difficult, Honoka tried to convince herself.

"O-Of course I can do it! ...I think!"

Nico had begun working on dinner ten minutes ago. She had only just now gotten the chance to place the rice into the rice cooker. Turning the dial and inputting the time, she left it to its devices while she returned to the stove, where a pot of water was bubbling hot.

"Nico-Nico-Nii! Nico-Nico-Nii!"

Nico dumped the noodles into the water and began stirring them, so they wouldn't sink to the bottom of the pot.

"Nico-Nico-Nii! Nico-Nico-Nii!"

Nico added in some salt to the water, continuing to stir, but she had to take a moment to flip over the chicken breast on the frying pan.

"Nico...Nico...Nii? Is that how it goes? Hmm, I thought it would feel a lot more empowering when I did it, but it's no big deal at all. Ah, I can't get it right at all!"

Nico stopped. Her head was beginning to pound. For the first time in her young life since she'd created both her 'trademark' pose and motto, she had actually regretted it, and she couldn't deny the shame in disparaging her own idol identity. After glancing over the rice, the chicken, and the noodles one more time, the young woman wandered over to the living room to witness the tragedy for itself. Kokoro and Kokoa were happily lost in their own world, full of idols and 'Nico-Nico-Nii's, as they darted in circles around the room. Honoka was attempting to keep up with them, but her lack of experience was painfully obvious. Nico stepped forward; she couldn't stand by and watch this travesty for any longer. Her headache was even getting more furious.

"...Is this how it's supposed to go..." Honoka uneasily lifted her hands over her head, trying to make the necessary hand gestures but failing miserably to lower the correct fingers.

"You're doing it all wrong!" Nico snapped.

"Ah! Nico!"

"You need to be more confident, and you need to be faster! If you hesitate for even a second, the public will take it as a sign of weakness and a lack of self-confidence, and you'll be chewed up and spat out before you even know what hits you! You need to lower the ring finger and the middle finger for both hands! And you need to put more swivel in your hips, and you have to make your smile much bigger! You have to look like you're enjoying every second of it!"

Honoka stared at Nico, at the two small children performing infinitely better than her, and then at her own hands. "It's a lot more complicated than it looks."

"Hmph! You bet it is!" Suddenly, Nico realized just how ridiculous this entire scenario must have seemed, with her offering inevitably pointless critique when there was food still in the process of cooking on the stove, "I almost forgot about the chicken! Argh!"

Honoka followed after her.

"Do you want any help?" she asked before she'd even entered through the kitchen doorway, arriving to catch sight of Nico hastily stirring the pasta with one hand and turning the chicken over with another. Steam wreathed in a circle over the pot, the oil sizzling in the pan. The second-year had little to no knowledge in the art of cooking, usually having left that up to her mother or Yukiho whenever home, but never before had a lack of talent prevented Honoka from trying to aid her friends. The smell of the food was also pulling her in like a dog on a short chain, if she had to admit every little factor playing here.

Nico opened a cabinet door above the right of the stove. She lifted herself up onto her tip-toes in an attempt to grab a bottle of fresh herbs and spices. Unfortunately, she was just a little too short, and her attempts to grasp it only served to push the bottle further away.

"Dammit..." Nico swore under her breath.

Honoka walked up behind the shorter girl and grabbed the spice bottle for her without any visible effort.

"Here you go!"

"...T-Thanks." Nico blushed.

"Are you sure I can't do anything to help you out? I'm no good at cooking, but your siblings seem to be able to entertain themselves without me. We can get dinner done much faster, and easier, if we work together!"

Nico pouted, eyes darting back and forth, contemplating over the idea as if it were in the same vein as choosing a major career path in life. Eventually, she relented, as she usually did when it came to Honoka's proposals. It almost always worked that way, and both of them quite well knew this.

"Alright, you can help."

"Dinner was really delicious!"

"Of course it was. Even if I seem like a klutz in everything else I do, I can still brag about my cooking when I want to. I was watching you eat, though, and you should probably slow down next time, or else you'll choke."

"Any time I get to eat your cooking is a good time to me! Hee hee!"

Nico coughed into her fist. "So..."

"Hmm?"

"You're really going to go now?"

Honoka and Nico stood in front of the apartment door, Honoka with her jacket on and Nico having removed her apron long ago. About a dozen feet away were three little heads poking around the corner, eagerly waiting with bated breath on what the second-year would say in reply. Nico cast them a wayward glance. She tried not to start blushing again; her sisters would have picked up on it immediately.

"Let's talk outside." she suggested.

"That'd be a good idea." Honoka agreed. As they stepped outside, shutting the door behind them, Nico and Honoka heard a few audible groans of disappointment. It was getting dark outside, and the temperature was steadily dropping. Nico could even see her breath, it coming out in little white puffs under the door-light overhead. Honoka looked like she was on the verge of embracing her to share warmth, she was on a loaded spring. Nico wasn't going to let that happen, though. Her Nico-Nico heart wouldn't have been able to handle it.

"Thanks again for letting me come over for a free meal!" Honoka started off again with a sheepish grin; she and Nico were equally aware of the former's recent lack of funds. She'd spent far too much on materials for their idol uniforms and even more on snacks for herself.

Nico shook her head, twin-tails flailing. "No, it's not a problem. I'm happy you even agreed to come over, considering I had to cancel our date because I had to babysit my brother and sisters. You must have been a little disappointed at Nico-Nico, huh?"

"Oh, I'm not really that picky about where and how we date, am I? I mean, a babysitting date is better than no date at all!" Honoka laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "I had a good time! Your sisters are really cute! Not as cute as you Nico, I mean, but you know what I mean! Right?"

Nico laughed herself, although it was a more like a spurt than a stream. Their laughter soon gave way to silence. It fluctuated now and then by the distant sounds of passing cars, and the chirping of an insect or two, but they were just stragglers in the wake of winter. Nico eyed her apartment door and momentarily pondered in the quiet if Kokoro and Kokoa were listening in on them right now.

"Nico," Honoka leaned in, bending slightly forward, and gently enclosed her lips over the older girl's. She pulled back to end the kiss just a second later.

Nico frowned; she wasn't going to just stand by and be deprived of what she wanted right in her face like this. Why, that would have been ludicrous. She was a school idol of a higher standard. She loved that one kiss, of course she did, but what was wrong with wishing to over-indulge once in a while? She wanted more kisses, and Honoka wasn't going to deny her that.

"Honoka, open your mouth,"

"Eh-"

Nico's tip-toes served her well as she raised her head to Honoka's level, and began to kiss her deeply.

"N...Nico..."

"Our next date, it can just be the two of us." Nico whispered.

"...Right..."

"Hold on." Nico ran back into the apartment but returned less than a minute later.

"And take this with you too." Nico thrust a black box, a bento box, into Honoka's hands before she'd realized it.

"What? This is...when did you..."

Nico could finally no longer hold back with that tingling heat invading her cheeks. "I had prepared it for you earlier today, to give you before you left! You...you better eat all of it, okay? I put a lot of my Nico-Nico-Nii's Supreme Love into it, just for you! Don't make a big fuss about it either, or else everyone will start talking, and they'll never shut about it!"

"I'll do my best," Honoka was so happy she could almost cry, though. She waved good-bye to Nico all the way to the stairs, and after nearly tripping over them from not paying attention, she decided to part ways with her girlfriend for the night. After all, they would see each other at school again tomorrow; that wasn't too long of a wait.

The next day, Honoka, Umi and Kotori gathered together at their usual spot under the tree for lunch.

"Honoka, you brought a bento box today? No bread?" Kotori asked as she eyed the black box suspiciously.

"It's quite large." noted Umi.

"Yeah, well, it's supposed to be special, but I don't even know what's inside it yet."

"You don't?"

Honoka shook her head. All last night she had been thinking about the bento box Nico had given her. This was the first time Nico had ever made her lunch. Their relationship was certainly progressing, and this was a sign of it, along with that passionate kiss. Ever impatient, she'd been tempted by internal forces to open the box beforehand, but somehow her will proved stronger. She didn't wish to spoil the surprise until the time of reckoning, and thankfully, that time was now. Honoka removed the lid of the bento box. Her eyes bulged.

Surrounded by numerous foodstuffs, in the center was a mound of fried rice, peppers and egg. Written over it in a splatter of red ketchup were the words: ' NI LOVES HO'.

Honoka threw her hands in the air. "My wife...!"

Kotori and Umi spat out their drinks in a conjoined response. "Wife...?!"

The first-years were eating nearby on a bench. Maki glanced over at them as she watched Honoka spaz about. The cool indifference on her face was nothing but a facade, a mask she wore to cover up the vicious, bitter envy surging beneath.