She had been staring at Aya a lot lately.
In all honesty, it was hard not to. She had a certain charm to her, one that Chisato couldn't bring herself to avoid. All the members of Pastel*Palettes were idols in their own right, but there was something about Maruyama Aya that made her more of an idol than the rest. Her unwavering belief in trying her best made her shine brighter than Chisato believed she ever could - though Aya had shown her otherwise. The five of them could shine together.
They could shine together, but...
"Chisato-chan, will you...go out with me?!"
Aya was infamous for being flustered, but that had to be the most red Chisato had seen her face. It had taken a lot of courage for her to ask, and Chisato couldn't say no. (Not that she would have otherwise, though she did have her concerns about having to hide their relationship.)
Her eyes had always been on Aya, but now her glances were far more telling.
"Is there something wrong with my hair?" Aya asked worriedly, eyeing her phone from across the room, anxious to get a look. Their concert would be starting soon, and she couldn't have a strand out of place.
"No, no," Chisato reassured her with a wave of her hand. "I was just...thinking."
With a relieved smile, Aya sat down beside her. "About?"
Now it was Chisato's time to blush bright red. "If I...put my hair in pigtails too."
The glint in Aya's eyes was eerily reminiscent of Hina. Aya rushed to the other side of the room, digging through the dressing room drawers for spare hair bows. Bows in hand, she sat herself down beside Chisato.
"Aya-chan." It was just a thought, Chisato tells herself, but she can't say no when Aya is this excited. Powerless, she sat still and accepted her fate, though she was oddly pleased as she felt Aya running her fingers through her hair with the utmost care, gently parting it into pigtails.
"There!" Aya said with undeniable pride. Chisato watched as she hurried to grab her phone (and selfie stick too, of course). When finally greeted by Aya's front camera, Chisato's embarrassment returned. "You look so cute, Chisato-chan!"
Chisato couldn't help but smile, allowing Aya to snap a few pictures. Just as she moved to take the last one, Chisato leaned in and kissed Aya's cheek.
"C-C-Chisato-c-chan!"
From outside the dressing room, Hina, Eve, and Maya giggled as quietly as they could to avoid drawing attention to themselves. It wouldn't be the end of the world if their concert started a few minutes late - nor would it be if Chisato and Aya showed just a small fraction of the bond they shared.