Nico groaned, so relieved that she could finally wear her own clothes again. She really couldn't believe she'd let herself get talked into trying to act like one of the other girls, or that anyone of them had allowed it to go as far as it had before someone complained. While it was overall painful watching everyone act out each other's typical behaviors, there were a few that did go beyond the expectations of the group, Nico had to admit that. Umi, despite being exceptionally apprehensive to even take part of things in the first place, got a little too into her role as Rin, to the point where it was making everyone very uncomfortable. Eri actually did a pretty spot-on impression of Hanayo, even if it was brief. Rin seemed to know Maki well enough, even if she'd only copied the 'tsundere' aspect of her personality. Nozomi and Kotori were clearly messing around while Honoka and Maki didn't even try with their respective roles, in Nico's opinion. All in all, this experiment had been a failure, just like their other attempts at finding a new identity. They'd need to go back to the drawing board again.
Nico paused for a moment, though. Hanayo had been the one chosen to imitate her. If there was anyone who had been so close to perfection, it had to have been Hanayo. As much as it had initially embarrassed the tiny third-year to witness it, Hanayo's performance of the 'Nico Nico Nii' routine had been almost exactly word for word, even the individual movements were right on the nose. Scarily so, even. Nico wondered about asking Hanayo about it. The first-year herself was finishing getting dressed a few feet away from her, after all. Nico coughed.
"Hmm?" Hanayo looked over at her. Perfect.
"Hey, Hanayo," Nico started to ask.
"What is it, Nico?" Hanayo asked.
"About that...when you were acting like me...how did you do that? I mean, you didn't even miss a beat. Yeah, you kind of went overboard with the lines, but everything else was spot-on. How did you do it?" Nico wanted to know.
"Oh, well, it wasn't that hard, r-really! Heh heh, we've been performing for a while now, so I've learned how to move fast, so I don't fall behind everyone else."
"Yeah, but that's one thing, and what you did was my own personal routine! Not everyone knows the whole thing to a T. I do it a lot in front of you guys, but it's always the shortened version. It's taken me years to put the whole thing together! It's like a science! But you got it the first try!"
A bashful smile spread itself across Hanayo's cherubic face. "I-I always watch my favorite idols really closely, so I tend to pick up on their moves and typical lines really easily...!"
She only realized what she'd said and how she'd said it after she saw the color drain from Nico's face.
The third-year was almost stunned to silence. Her eyes bulged wide, a hot blush spreading across her face like a crimson fire. Her heart might have actually skipped a beat just now. She pointed at herself with a trembling finger.
"S-So I'm one of your favorite idols? And you watch me...really closely?"
Hanayo's jaw dropped. "I...I...didn't mean it...e-exactly like that..." she was blushing even harder than Nico now, she could have potentially passed out from a self-implemented heat stroke at any moment.
"But you did...didn't you?" Nico said.
"Umm..."
"Well, well," Nozomi chuckled huskily under her breath as she tip-toed over near the pair, "What seems to be going on over here? Why are you two blushing so much?"
"Nico and Kayo-chin were flirting, nya!" Rin shouted from behind Hanayo.
"Oh, you don't say? What an interesting development~!"
Nico stomped her foot and jabbed a furious finger in Nozomi's direction. "You stay out of this, you washi-washi nutjob! This has nothing to do with you!"
Hanayo buried her face deep, deep into the palms of her shaking, sweaty palms. 'Somebody...please save me...'
