Three knocks. It was always three.
"It's open!"
Nick stepped into the room and saw that Momoko was in the middle of doing her hair up into her signature ring-shaped buns.
"I should have figured you'd be in here," Nick teased.
"Nick, despite evidence to the contrary, it's not that easy getting my hair to stay in buns like this," Momoko giggled. "It takes time and practice."
"Almost like Doremi-chan and her hair buns, honestly," Nick answered. "Well, you ready to head out?"
Momoko just smiled in response. "Music to my ears. I've been waiting for this for weeks now."
Nick reached out take Momoko's hand in his own, and they both made for the front door. "Mom, we're heading out now!"
"Have fun at the concert, dearie," Minori proclaimed.
Once the two were clear of the Asuka house, Momoko suddenly gained a large burst of energy and proceeded to race down the street, unwittingly dragging her boyfriend along behind her.
"Ack, easy, Momoko! We've got plenty of time!" Nick exclaimed.
"Nick, remember what happened the last time we went to one of their concerts?" Momoko quipped.
Nick simply nodded, not wanting to relive that particular memory, of the idiot who had stolen Momoko's preferred spot and getting a fierce cursing out from the yellow witch. Nick had never heard Momoko swear like that before, but it had honestly been fun watching her put that jerk in his place.
And so, Nick began to run himself, keeping pace with his girlfriend until they reached Central Park, where the concert was being held.
It was no secret to anyone in the city of Misora that knew the couple that Nick Kelly and Momoko Asuka were huge fans of the up-and-coming indie rock band Sonic Speed Riders. Even though the group had only formed about two years ago, they had proven quite popular among the citizens of Tokyo and beyond, with whispered rumors of a world tour possibly happening soon.
And by some stroke of luck or strange coincidence, their next concert fell on today, May 6th, Momoko's birthday. Momoko had practically begged her parents to let her attend the concert, and they had ultimately agreed after Nick had offered to split the cost of the tickets.
"Is anyone in our spot?" Momoko asked.
"Nope. Coast is clear," Nick answered. "Let's get over there before someone decides to be a jerk."
Nick and Momoko made their way through the rows of people towards their preferred spot, settling in until the show started. They wanted to get here at least fifteen minutes early to beat the rush, after all.
"This one's going to rock so hard, I can already tell," Momoko giggled.
"Considering how much of a hit the last one was, I honestly don't see this train stopping any time soon," Nick quipped.
Momoko glanced back at Nick, feeling a huge surge of affection for her awesome boyfriend. She honestly felt so blessed to have a boyfriend like Nick. He wasn't one of those super-classy peeps or a superstar athlete or anything like that, but just himself and no one else. Nick made no apologies for who he was, and Momoko had always admired that fact about him.
Momoko tapped Nick on the shoulder, distracting him from his constant stage-gazing long enough to look back at her.
"What's up, Momoko?"
The yellow witch took her chance, putting both of her hands on the green witch's shoulders and yanking him closer so she could kiss him.
Though surprised by Momoko's sudden forwardness, Nick quickly returned the kiss in kind. In his honest opinion, Momoko was the perfect girlfriend. She didn't need to be one of those prissy prim and proper ladies or one of those high-maintenance snobs that they always saw on the channel 22 drama shows (what did people see in those corny soap operas, anyway?). All Momoko ever really wanted from Nick was to be with him.
Once the happy couple were forced to part due to needing to breathe, the crowd began cheering, signaling that it was almost time for the show to begin.
"You think they'll have some new songs today?" Momoko wondered.
"Johnny said they've got some surprises in store," Nick answered.
Nick and Momoko reached out to hold hands as the five members of Sonic Speed Riders appeared on the stage, feeling an immense warmth spreading through their bodies from they were connected.
"I love you, Nick," Momoko stated happily.
"I love you, too, Momoko," Nick responded.
Momoko wrapped her arms around Nick so he could pull her close while the band introduced themselves to their audience.
And soon enough, the concert began in earnest.
"What I wouldn't give to go to one of those concerts again..."
I subconsciously let my finger trace the stage from where I was. It still hurt, honestly, but as long as there was a way to fix it, I'm definitely not gonna be the one complaining. Leave that to the experts, I say.
"They had really good music," I admitted, glancing at the tiny girl resting on my shoulder. "Histoire, are you detecting any Tome Fragments?"
"Two in total," Histoire answered me from her perch on my shoulder. "We should probably get going if we hope to find them quickly. ...will you be okay, Nick? I understand how much she means to you..."
"Remember what I said, Histoire? I'll do anything to fix this..."
I glanced at my other self, holding his girlfriend (technically mine, too. Same person, after all) without a care in the world. I allowed a tear to fall this time.
"...anything."