Juxtaposition of the Stars

It was always easy to tease the shortest idol in µ's, Yazawa Nico, about her shortcomings. It was always to compare her to the Russian idol in the group, Ayase Eli, the one who's the most mature and, honestly, the most beautiful one. The juxtaposition of the two never escaped Toujou Nozomi's mind; it was always there anytime she'd tease the shorter girl.

And yet, whenever she'd tease Nico about being compared to Eli, she couldn't help but notice the little things between the two girls. It's clear that Eli seemingly tolerated the jokes and enjoyed Nico's frustrated reactions; Eli had always seemed to find the whole situation endearing and kind of cute. Although it's not lost on the other members of µ's as they would often tease them as well. This only frustrated Nico further and it would cause her to throw her puff up her cheeks and pout. She'd ignore the other girls for a time unless they tried to bribe, or blackmail, for her attention. Most of the time, it works and once again, Nozomi would heartily laugh at the idol fanatic's actions.

One day, though, the blonde girl had pulled her aside and told the fortuneteller that she had a confession. Nozomi remembered that day being slightly warm, as summer was slowly coming into the region. The two would be behind the alpaca stable so no one else could interrupt them. There was a slight wind, as the two felt from the bottom of their skits but it would cool the two down, as it was clear Eli was nervous on whatever it was she wanted to confess. Nozomi had an inkling on what it was – but she was happy that Eli had trusted her enough to tell her by herself.

The taller blonde girl seemed unsure, nervous, but it was clear she had something on her chest that she had to let go. Nozomi remembered she softly smiled and quietly urged her to confess whatever lied in her chest.

"Nozomi…" the Russian girl started, "I've been doing a lot of thinking." She started to fidget with her nails and stared at them as she failed to meet Nozomi's eyes. Her smile never waned. "You… you know how you always tease Nico-chan about how childish she is? And… with how much prettier I am compared to her and everything… w-well… I've always thought that Nico-chan was always pretty, even though she's short-tempered and she has quite an attitude…"

She bit her lips. Nozomi never budged an inch but she did let out a soft chuckle leave. "Yes, what about Nico-chi?"

She continued to fidget and finally she came out with it. "Actually, I've always admired her cuteness! I always wanted to be short like her and be able to express myself as easily as she could! B-but I'm not jealous… I've…" Now a blush covered her pale cheeks which, once again, caused Nozomi to giggle even more. "I've admired Nico-chan…and I think I have a crush on her… isn't that strange? Especially since she's so childish…"

Nozomi shook her head assuredly, "Elicchi, it's okay. There's all sorts of things admirable about Nico-chi. She works hard to take care of her siblings and her cooking is extremely delicious! It's easy to see how you can fall for her!"

Eli seemed surprised at Nozomi's last statement about Nico but Nozomi smiled and chuckled sinisterly. "Elicchi, don't act so surprised! Don't think I didn't notice you admiring her, especially when it comes to siblings." Eli couldn't help but have her blush completely cover her face; she tried to cover herself but Nozomi couldn't help but laugh at the other girl.

"Nozomi… I hate it when you point things out like this!" She bent down to the ground to show how truly embarrassed she was. "How long have you known?"

Nozomi couldn't help but bend down to her level and flashed a bright smile. "You know, the cards can never hide anything from me!"

The juxtaposition didn't end in just comparing the two girls, though. During the snowy winter, Nozomi was once again pulled aside by the one and only, Nico Yazawa. Instead of having the obvious tells of a confession, if this was anyone else, Nozomi would have guessed something else differently. And yet, since this was the most immature one in the group, Nozomi could easily tell if there's something on her mind.

And yet, the peaceful snowfall during the short day as well as the stiff cold air made the school yard of Otonokizaka High School full of white snow almost calming. With the setting sun, creating a magnificent mix of gray with orange and yellow, seeing someone as fiery as Nico made the backdrop almost amusing to the fortuneteller. As someone who'd notice the meanings behind the cards, Nozomi always took the time to pay attention to the extra details of the world around her. This wasn't an exception to that rule. And yet, she still let her fellow third year classmate go on with what she's about to say.

"Listen up! I got something to tell ya!" Nico said in her harsh tone. This never bothered Nozomi because that was just how Nico spoke. "This thing you always do with me and Eli! Stop that! It's annoying and it's distracting me from becoming the world's greatest idol! I really need to focus all my attention on helping us win the Love Live!"

Nozomi couldn't help but smile at this opportunity. Just like Eli, Nico was easy to read. The cards could never lie to Nozomi and she couldn't deny her dear friends' feelings for each other.

"Whatever could you mean, Nico-chi? You act like you're in love with her or something." She giggled at the end of the sentence and watched the girl's reaction.

As expected, Nico's face turned completely red and unlike Eli, she didn't try to hide it.

"Well, are you? You're turning quite red, Nico-chi!"

"Hey!" She tried to cover herself as well. "There's no way I am!" But Nozomi knew the truth. The reactions she would get from Nico was always amusing but the truth couldn't be farther as it was obvious. But Nozomi couldn't force the two lovers together, and she knew that.

Since that winter day, Nozomi planned a way for the two girls to be together and somehow coax a confession from the two to eliminate the tension that rose from the confessions from those days. And yet… the juxtaposition of the two will never be lost on Nozomi, especially since their own stars had been opposite positions from the start.