Part of the Saten Ruiko Day 2019 Countdown, published at different times. This is entry #2 featuring my 3rd favorite fictional character as of November 2018: Yamabuki Saaya from BanG Dream! Girls Band Party.
Yeah, so… same deal with Moca back on the 1st, but slightly differently so (it's almost the opposite, really). The people who know me would probably have expected Saaya to still be on the #2 spot. To people of the fandom who only see the posts and fics about and/or including Moca (and, more generally speaking, Afterglow), which is fair as there are more Moca-inclusive (13) than Moca-exclusive fics (12) on this account if we do not count this one, it will likely be a surprise to see Saaya in here, to begin with. But here she is anyways!
I want to take this moment to properly thank Reiriniverse for all the work and dedication she has put into creating the cover image that you can see if you scroll up. Thank you so much, Rei~!
While I am not sure it constitutes as a spoiler, I'm going to say it here just in case: potential spoilers for season 2 of the anime. I'm using a character with a decent role in the story who got revealed well before the second season aired, but just in case… also, because of this, her characterization may not be perfectly accurate as this oneshot was written after S2E6 first aired. Yeah, I am taking full advantage of the fact that these characters were added to the character list not too long ago.
Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party
"Ah, we're finally done… Kasumi and the others sure made our stay here longer than it should have been."
In the later stages of the afternoon, a young brunette who was sitting on the floor stretched her arms high above her head and heard her bones crack with an audible pop. Feeling a lot more relieved now, she took a moment to pick up her bag and look around to make sure that she had not forgotten anything. She did not want a repeat of last week when she had to run back late at night after only realizing that she left her favorite scrunchie the moment she arrived home.
It had been a long day at school for Yamabuki Saaya, one that felt even longer than it actually was thanks to the multitude of tests and assignments that she had to do. On top of her regular schoolwork, Saaya also had to deal with her band leader's usual antics which, despite enjoying the show of Kasumi running away from an Arisa colored with feathers, did tire the brunette out to an extent.
Saaya now found herself in one of the practice studios of the Galaxy Live House. After much persuasion on her end, Saaya, with the help of Rimi, managed to coax the other members to practice in the practice studio for their upcoming live. The drummer of the band had stayed behind to help tidy the place up after the day's worth of practice and assured her friends that she can clean up on her own.
After an extra twenty minutes spent in the place, Saaya finally managed to gather her own belongings only to be thanked by one of the staff at the live house.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Saaya bowed respectfully at the younger girl in front of her, noticing that she had grown a lot more confident over the weeks that Saaya had known her. Gone was the shy and reserved demeanor of the girl; she was now as open and confident as Saaya was herself, if not more so.
The girl who had addressed Saaya was about two centimeters shorter than Saaya was. Her blue-colored hair was held in place by a star-themed scrunchie, with the end of the bundle draped over and down her right shoulder. Her fringe split up into three sections and her bangs were long enough to frame her face. Her big green eyes were protected by the black glasses that were sitting comfortably atop her nose.
'You've really grown, haven't you…?' Saaya thought to herself with a smile that she successfully hid by pocketing her drumsticks. Then, as realization dawned on her that she should be doing something more as well, the drummer of Poppin' Party dug in her bag and took out a paper bag which she offered the younger girl, "Here you go, Asahi-san."
"F-For me?" Asahi Rokka asked, finding to her horror that she had stuttered involuntarily once again. Blushing slightly at the slight misstep on her end, she timidly accepted the paper bag with a smile, "Thank you, Saaya-san."
Saaya, having pulled out an identical paper bag of her own, smiled in response before motioning for Rokka to follow her. With Saaya leading the way out of the studio, the two girls both made themselves comfortable. As soon as they found their place outside, they took out the pastry that was hidden in their respective bags and munched on them in silence.
Neither girl said much after that moment, both lost in their own unique set of thoughts. For the young guitarist, she was savoring every warm bite of the bread that she put in her mouth. Humming softly in delight, Rokka could not help but wonder how a pastry this warm and soft could exist, especially as it would likely have been in Saaya's bag for hours before she could have gotten it. She made sure she would remember this pastry so she could get more when she visited the bakery herself in the future.
Saaya, on the other hand, did not seem like she was very hungry at all. She just stared at her half-eaten snack with an empty look as she weighed her choices in her mind. It did not take long for Saaya to come to a decision and ultimately break the silence between the two of them.
"Asahi-san?" Saaya trailed off whilst lowering the bag that she was holding. The drummer had a forlorn look on her face, and Rokka knew that whatever it was that was bothering her senior it must have been something big. Rokka nodded silently and made a gentle motion with her hand, indicating to Saaya that she should continue which the brunette did gratefully, "Asahi-san has changed a lot since I met you, and… I wanted to know how you did it? Can you please tell me, Asahi-san?"
"Eh, but-but why, Saaya-san?" Rokka blurted out before she could help herself. Realizing what she had just done, she hurriedly apologized for raising her voice before quickly adding in a gentler tone, "Saaya-san is already amazing! I have watched all of your live shows and not once did I think that you were bad!"
"Thank you," Saaya smiled a wry smile, silently appreciating the gesture from her junior as it did reassure her a bit. It did not clear the doubt plaguing her mind, however, and she knew that she had to formulate her problem a different way if she wanted to have a meaningful answer.
Saaya then fell silent again as she considered her options. How could she properly convey the problem she was working with so Rokka could understand? A few seconds later, Saaya's eyes widened ever so slightly when she finally found a way, but she did not like that it had come to this.
"I need to improve myself, and I have reached a wall that I can't break through on my own…" Saaya finally relented, her voice low and tense as if she had been struggling with this for months. Rokka was silent and allowed Saaya to continue, something that Saaya was very thankful for, "Maybe Asahi-san thinks that I am this amazing drummer, and I am flattered that you think that I am, but I still have a long way to go. Not just for myself but for my friends as well, I need to become better and I need your help."
"I think I am starting to understand what you are going through, Saaya-san," Rokka said slowly, carefully calculating every single word that she said to try and avoid a potential misunderstanding. She also did her best to try and maintain eye contact, something that had always been a problem for her, "And you wanted to know how I grew and what helped me to grow these past few weeks?"
Saaya did not respond immediately, but the slight inclination of her head was all the confirmation that Rokka needed. After a short pause, one that Rokka tried, and failed, to break several times, Saaya took a deep breath and added with a shaky smile, "Maybe hearing how you did it can give me an idea on how I could improve myself?"
"I had a good reason to keep trying…" Rokka finally admitted, finally breaking eye contact to look to the side somewhat embarrassed. Rokka knew that she had to say what she was about to say and thus steeled herself to sound as determined as she possibly could, "My Papa and Mama are amazing people and worked so hard to give me this chance. If I don't take it then their sacrifices will have been for nothing."
"My life is not only my own anymore, and whenever things get hard for me I have always thought of the same thing over and over again," Rokka said with a small smile, hesitantly reaching out to touch and hold on to Saaya's shoulder in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. It did at least make sure that Saaya was focusing on her entirely which Rokka took as her cue to tell the drummer her secret, "I can either give up and let everyone know that they wasted their trust in me or I can work hard so Papa and Mama can be proud of me."
"What I am trying to say is, um…" Rokka trailed off as she frowned slightly. After a second or two contemplating something in her mind, the blue-haired girl nodded and continued in a serious tone, "Whenever I get angry or sad at myself that I cannot do something, I know that I can either let it consume me or use it as motivation to try and improve."
"And it's with each of the challenges that you managed to grow and soar beyond it, isn't it?" Saaya asked almost lifelessly, trying to process what she had just been told. Rokka nodded in confirmation and before she could respond to this, Saaya remembered something that she had told the best friend of a friend of hers not too long ago.
"Having that empty hole can lead to anger, hate, or despair. Or it can make you reach for the sky and soar again."
'To think I could have forgotten something so important… I really should learn to do the things I tell others to do…' Saaya thought to herself with a deflated smile before eyeing the girl in front of her. Saaya couldn't help but see the younger girl in a new light now, and it was with this realization that she opened her mouth again, 'Asahi—no, Rokka fully understands that, what am I doing being so humiliating in front of her? Am I not her senior? Get your act together, Yamabuki Saaya!'
Rokka, blissfully unaware of what was happening in Saaya's mind, could only contemplate what the older girl was thinking. And, in an effort to try and break the silence, spoke in a meek voice, "Maybe Saaya-san can find something similar to help her?"
"…I don't have to," Saaya muttered so soft that Rokka wasn't even sure if Saaya had spoken or if it was her mind playing tricks on her. Rokka got the confirmation she needed when Saaya looked up at her and nodded with a smile, but the younger girl quickly noticed something: the smile was different from the ones she had seen before. Instead of being filled with hesitation, Rokka could tell that it was built on newly-found self-confidence.
"Thank you, Asa—no… Rokka! Thank you, Rokka," Saaya said while bowing in Rokka's direction. When Saaya straightened herself back up again she saw that she had confused the younger girl, so she quickly raked her brain for a way to try and explain what had just happened, "I really needed that talk, more than I thought I did. So thank you, Rokka."
"Ah, it was… it was my pleasure," Rokka said hastily, shaking both of her hands in mild embarrassment at the praise that she was getting. In an effort to escape being put in the spotlight, Rokka bowed quickly in return, and it wasn't until she stood again that she said something, "I am just glad I could help."
"You did more than just 'help'," Saaya said, hoisting her bag up and throwing one of the straps over her shoulder. After she had made sure that it was secure, Saaya turned back to Rokka with a smile, "Tell you what, I'll convince Kasumi to give you a free pass for all of our shows from now on."
"Wouldn't that be unfair to the other fans of PoPiPa-san?" Rokka asked, tilting her head slightly to the right as the words left her mouth. Despite her brave words, Saaya could easily tell just how excited Rokka was at the prospect of that free pass. This realization caused Saaya to chuckle sheepishly, though neither girl could say anything else as Saaya's phone chose that moment to vibrate to indicate that she had received a message.
Saaya quickly apologized to Rokka before pulling out her phone to see what the message was about. Upon reading the contents of the message, Saaya's eyes widened ever so slightly, but she did not react in any other way. Her fingers danced around the screen elegantly making Rokka wonder why Saaya could not have been the keyboardist of her band before turning back to Rokka.
"Sorry, Rokka, but I have to go. Looks like Kasumi and O-Tae are getting restless and they want to practice again. Even though we have just finished this practice session, they want to play more…" Saaya said apologetically, adding the second part in a soft murmur and hoping that Rokka did not hear her. She was about to pocket her phone again when a different thought crossed her mind, and instead of getting ready to leave she ended up holding her phone in front of Rokka. When she saw the confused look on the younger girl's face, Saaya elaborated, "Can you please add your phone number for me? Then we can keep in touch and I can send you the details of our live shows when we get them."
"Ah, um… okay…" Rokka muttered as she entered her phone number, having been caught off guard by the sudden request. Once she had entered her number and double checked to make sure she had typed it in correctly, she returned the device to its owner and smiled shyly, "There you go, Saaya-san."
"All right, thank you," Saaya accepted the phone again and quickly sent a message to Rokka's number to tell the younger girl that it was her. Pocketing her phone, Saaya knew that she had to say goodbye for now or be bombarded when she reached Arisa's place.
"Thank you again, Rokka, and hopefully we can meet up again sometime under better circumstances!" Saaya said, waving goodbye and making signs that she would be heading out, "Bye, Rokka!"
"B-Bye…" Rokka waved mildly, only for the action to not be seen by Saaya as the older girl had already turned around fully. Rokka remained standing there with her arm waving almost limply until well after Saaya had left before she realized that she was alone out there. With no real reason to stay outside in the cold night breeze, Rokka decided that she would be better off going back inside again.
Even though the two girls had gone on separated paths, for the time being, they knew that something was born that night. A bond that had not truly existed before then was formed, and it would be something that both girls would cherish in the months to come.
One girl learned more from herself, having received the confirmation and reassurance of another outside her social circle of what she had to do. She knew that all that was left was to gather the strength to do what she knew she had to do, and she knew that she would be able to do it. She had gotten through bad times before and this would only prove to be another small bump on the road for her. Or at least, so she hoped.
The other girl received the recognition and appreciation that she had been craving for since arriving in the city. Despite her act creating the illusion that she was strong and brave, she feared that she would have said something to make things worse. With a renewed sense of self-confidence, she knew that she would be able to stand up and grow from this exchange even more than she could ever have hoped.
But despite the differences that day, one thing was true for both girls: they would both be sleeping peacefully and at ease that night.
And that wraps up today's oneshot! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, please go and tell Reiriniverse on Tumblr how great the cover image is, and please tell me what you thought of this oneshot in a review. Until next time, take care!