Birds and Bright Bees
The meeting place was a simple bench, overlooking a small body of water and a relaxingly luminous horizon. It was the same place where Honoka had briefly chatted with A-Rise's Tsubasa. Though that particular meeting didn't end the way Honoka had hoped, it still left her with the impression that this was a good place for two people to have a potentially difficult heart-to-heart conversation. And so it was to that place that Honoka turned for a heart-to-heart with one of her closest and dearest friends, Kotori. The timing of this meeting was just a short time after the graduation of Eri, Nico, and Nozomi.
"You wanted to talk to me? Alone?" Kotori asked Honoka, as she sat down on the bench next to Honoka.
"Yeah" Honoka answered, "And I didn't think it was something that I could just do over the phone, or over texts. It's something that I felt should be done face-to-face."
"Ok." Kotori said, as she took a firmer posture, and held her hands together as though gripping a cup of coffee, "So what is it you want to talk about?"
"This… will probably take awhile." Honoka answered, after a tense pause, "There's a lot to go over. S-so please be patient with me, Okay?"
Kotori was a bit perplexed by Honoka's words, and especially Honoka's nervous tone, but she quickly replied with "Okay" for the sake of her dear friend.
"You and Umi are my best friends." Honoka stated, "I've always known that. But there's something else that I didn't recognize until you almost left for America."
Honoka and Kotori then briefly made eye contact, as Honoka wanted to ensure that Kotori was listening carefully. Kotori's very alert and attentive eyes thankfully made that clear.
"When I thought you'd be leaving for America… it was like… it was like my world was crumbling apart." Honoka stated, "As much as I hated the thought of our school closing down, I hated the thought of you moving away even more."
"I'm really sorry for that…" Kotori said in a slightly strained tone of voice, feeling deeply guilty over this event of, "I know I should have told you before, but…"
"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Honoka interrupted, "Actually, I learned a lot from all of that. And that's what I want to talk about now."
Honoka then looked over at Kotori with a sweetly serene smile in her face. Kotori was slightly taken aback by that smile, but also strangely enchanted by it.
"Since that incident, I've tried to focus more on other people." Honoka continued, "I've tried to be more considerate of my friends, my family, and my school. So I don't end up causing trouble for the people I care about. People like you and Umi."
"That's why you weren't sure about entering Love Live again, right?" Kotori asked.
"Right." Honoka answered, "But thankfully everyone really wanted to do it again, and it all worked out great!"
"Yeah, it was wonderful!" Kotori quickly chimed in, "It was a great experience, and lots of fun!"
The two girls smiled brightly and giggled over reminiscing on that wondrous success.
"But in order for Muse to do that, I decided to put something aside until the school year was over." Honoka replied.
"And that something has to do with me… and our chat now?" asked Kotori.
Honoka nodded, a bit uneasily.
"It's funny…" Honoka said with a quirky smile and blushing cheeks, "Eri and Nico would probably find it really ironic and silly that I've having so much trouble saying this, since it came so easy to me when we were trying to write that love song together!"
"Love song?" Kotori asked in a confused tone.
But then a light bulb went off in her head, causing her to go "Wait… do you mean…?"
Honoka bit her lower lip in a moment of tension, before deciding to push forward, no matter what!
"You and Umi know that I love you." Honoka said, "I told you both that before. But when you almost left for America… I realized that the love I felt for you is… is like…"
Honoka then sprung up excitedly, as nervous energy finally boiled over.
"Is like the love my dad feels for my mom!" Honoka exploded
Kotori blinked twice uneasily, but then blushed a deep red in sudden realization.
"…Eehhh?!" Kotori exclaimed.
There was then a tense pause, until frayed nerves gave way to a need for relaxation.
"S-sorry." Honoka said a bit sheepishly, while rubbing the back of her head with one hand, "I guess I could have led up to that better, huh?"
"No, you explained it well…" Kotori said, still blushing, "I'm very glad you feel that way…"
"You are?" Honoka asked, a bit surprised.
Kotori nodded uneasily.
"A big part of me has felt the same way about you for a long time now." Kotori replied, "It's a big part of why I wanted to always support you, and your dreams, and your ideas. You've always brought so much fun and adventure into my life! My life, and Umi's. Sometimes it could get a bit wild and scary... but it was always worth it in the end. And what's happened over the past year… I'll always cherish it. So many hopes and dreams coming true! And it's all because of you…"
Kotori then leaned over, and stunned Honoka by kissing her on the cheek!
"H-H-Hey!" Honoka complained, "This is supposed to be my confession to you! Not the other way around!"
Kotori giggled over that. Honoka would soon be laughing with her.
A moment later, the two girls would become locked in an embrace, softly caressing each other's arms and sides.
"It was hard keeping all of this to myself over the past year…" Honoka said.
"But you did it for Muse, right?" Kotori asked.
"Yeah…" Honoka said, as she became misty-eyed.
"That's fine. I understand." Kotori said, "Muse was worth it. But now…"
"Now it's time for us…" Honoka said, as her and Kotori made intense eye contact.
And so a close friendship began its blossoming into a flowery romance.