Note: Man I don't know why I thought writing about six ships simultaneously would be a good idea
Pairings: Nozoeli, Nicomaki, Kotoumi, Rinpana, Honotsuba, Erenanju
"Honoka, no."
"Wait, hear me out, it's really -"
"No," Eli flat out interrupted her, crossing her arms with a stern look. "I don't like it when you begin sentences with 'I just woke up with a great idea', even less if it involves me."
"But you didn't even listen to the whole thing," Honoka complained with a pout. "So mean...Nozomi always lets me finish my explanations."
"Well, Nozomi is too kind to act any differently." Eli's eyes softened at the mention of her best friend before they narrowed in seriousness again. "But whatever suggestion you have, I refuse."
"I refuse," Honoka mimicked her in a deadpan voice, "you sound just like Maki. Fine, don't hear my amazing plan about boosting µ's popularity then, I'm sure Nozomi will love it."
"Ah, wait, Hono...ka..." Eli found herself reaching in vain after the energetic second year who had already excitedly dashed out of the club room, determined to find her other senpai to pitch her idea to.
"Somehow...I have a bad feeling about this..." Eli muttered under her breath, uneasily rubbing her arms.
Eli regretted ever saying those words. Though she had never been much of a superstitious person, she had still respected the unspoken law of never voicing pessimistic forecasts because doing so might amplify the chances of said pessimistic forecasts to happen by a thousandfold. But she went ahead and jinxed it, and who else was there to blame besides herself?
Well, she could always blame it on Honoka. Technically, there was only Honoka to blame this time around, but Eli was at fault too for letting it get so far in the first place. Maybe she really should have fully listened to Honoka's plans, and under the pretense of improving the plan, altered it.
But now it was too late. Voted with six in favor, two against and one impartial, Honoka's idea had gotten the stamp of approval from the members of µ's. Well, most of them.
Maki didn't care much for the plan but wouldn't vote against it as long as she was left in peace. She was the impartial vote.
Predictably, Umi immediately vetoed the idea.
And when Eli voted against it, it was simply out of protest. And pride. She was not going to give Honoka the satisfaction of coming up with a decent plan after having just told her otherwise, and she was most definitely not going to sell herself on an auction.
Well, this probably needed some further explanation.
On that day during lunch break, buzzing with endless energy and unrestrained excitement, Honoka had relentlessly run around inside school from corner to corner to personally gather every member of µ's, urgently pulling them to the club room before sprinting off again to collect the next one. And when all of µ's were finally present, eight pairs of questioning eyes focused on their leader, wondering what she had come up with this time.
And she didn't disappoint, widely grinning as she announced, "µ's will hold an auction!"
"We will?" Umi and Maki skeptically said while Rin and Hanayo shared a confused look. Nico seemed to wait for the other shoe to drop while Eli's gut feeling told her to stand up and gag Honoka before she could start something that sounded like a big mistake. But she missed her chance when Nozomi asked, "An auction? What do we auction off? CD's? Personal belongings?"
"No, no, nothing like that. You'll understand when you see, here," Honoka pointed to a spread out magazine on the table. "That's where I got my idea from! I can't believe A-Rise held an auction without us knowing, I would have – well, I wouldn't have been able to bid much, but I would have loved to be there at least."
Nico was the first one to grab the magazine and scan the opened pages, muttering what she read in fast, strung together sentences which gave the other members a fair idea of what the content of the article was about.
"A date with Kira Tsubasa got sold for 550,000 Yen?!" Rin exclaimed in shock, not even reacting to Nico's chop on the head for screaming into her ear. She pulled the magazine out of Nico's hands and read out loud, "'A-Rise managed to generate a revenue of 1,480,000 Yen in total in exchange for three dates, one with each member respectively. The money will be donated to various foundations."
Hanayo took the magazine with shaking hands and continued in a squeaky voice, "Several records were broken in the category 'auctions with school idols' that day. 'Most bids in a minute' goes to Toudou Erena, 'highest bid' goes to Kira Tsubasa and 'longest duration of a single auction' goes to Yuuki Anju."
"See, see?" Honoka excitedly said, sounding like she had been the one to break all those records. "All this money just for a date with them! And good publicity! We could need both, what do you think?"
"Honoka," Umi interjected with a sigh, "auctions like these are never held for the sole purpose of making profits. The money goes to charities."
"Oh," Honoka visibly deflated, shoulders dropping.
"Seriously, what were you thinking," Maki muttered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger while she watched Nico and Rin fighting over who got to read the magazine next.
"But," a gentle voice spoke up and everyone turned their head to the corner of the table, "this isn't a reason not to try, is it?"
"Nozomi?" Eli couldn't stop herself from uttering that name. Her mouth sometimes worked without the permission of her brain, letting the thoughts of her heart slip through every so often when it came to her best friend.
Nozomi smiled knowingly. "Don't we want to give our fans a chance to be closer to us, since they are the ones who made it possible for us to be where we are now? I think it would be nice for us to try and reach out to them, to let them know that we are thankful. After all, it's dangerous to take things for granted."
She expectantly looked into the round who had gotten quiet at her words. Rin and Nico stopped their fight and placed the magazine between them. Maki stopped playing with her hair, Honoka's stance instantly straightened again and Kotori and Hanayo looked at Nozomi with sparkling eyes.
"As expected of Nozomi, always thinking of everyone else," Umi finally said with a small smile, earning everyone's muttered agreement. "But," she added reluctantly, "I will still have to vote against it."
"Eh, why?" Kotori tugged at Umi's arm. "It's such a good idea and it could help you to overcome your shyness if you spend a day with a fan."
"A-a whole day?" Hanayo stuttered, suddenly looking horrified. "Dinner included?"
"Of course!" Nico burst out with a booming voice, startling both Hanayo and Rin next to her. "Dinner is the highlight of the day, the cherry on top. It's our duty as school idols to give our fans an experience they'll never forget - ah, why didn't I come up with this idea myself?"
"Probably because you never think," Maki remarked drily, easily dodging the magazine Nico threw her way.
"Now, now," Nozomi soothingly said, "fights are only good for a relationship if they are kept in moderation."
"E- Eh?" Face flaming up with a vibrant red, Maki glared at Nozomi. "What are you talking about?"
Nozomi innocently smiled and tilted her head. "Denial is unhealthy."
"Shut up, Nozomi," Nico growled, her cheeks just as flushed. "Weren't we talking about celebrity auctions?"
"They're both blushing, how cute nya," Rin squealed before she let out a pained groan because Nico had given her a chop on the head again.
"Yes, auctions," Kotori tried to ease the tension with a smile, "Honoka, have you already thought about concrete plans?"
"Of course!" Honoka confidently replied, nodding eagerly. "We should hold the auction in Akiba, and our fans will get the chance to bid for a date with each of us."
A hand shot up. "Objection."
"Elichi?" Nozomi questioningly gazed at the blonde sitting next to her.
"This may be a good way to connect with fans, but only with one certain spectrum of fans. No one normal can afford to bid along, which makes it unfair to the majority of our fans. So it would be better if we didn't sell our company for those with the biggest wallets."
"Couldn't you have said it differently," Nico said with a grimace.
Umi looked horrified as she repeated to herself, "Sell our company? It sounds so dirty..."
"Now, now," Kotori comforted her best friend by rubbing her arm.
"Eli has a point," Maki said with a sigh. "These auctions would be a privilege of very few fans."
"And it would be embarrassing if no one bid for me," Hanayo tremblingly said, shrinking in her seat.
"Don't worry, Kayochin, I would definitely bid for you!" Rin cheerfully said, throwing an arm around her friend and hugging her close.
"Rin." Hanayo happily blushed.
"Gag," Nico muttered before she said in a louder voice, "No one bidding for you is impossible, Hanayo. Have more confidence in yourself, you're a national school idol now for heaven's sake. You have your own dedicated fans who would do anything for you, so stop worrying!"
"Nico..." Hanayo whispered, visibly touched.
"Just like Nico said, you'll be fine!" Honoka optimistically said with a thumbs-up, "Right, everyone?"
The rest of the members nodded agreeingly, smiling at Hanayo.
"Don't worry," Kotori encouragingly said, "Hanayo is so cute after all. Who wouldn't want to bid for her?"
"And her breasts are impressive for a first year," Nozomi added with a cheeky grin.
"No - Nozomi..."
"Like I said, I will bid for you until I get a date!" Rin brightly said.
"I don't get it," Maki said with a shrug. "You see her every day."
Rin blew up her cheeks and huffed. "But then someone else will be on a date with her."
And the club room fell silent. With just one sentence, Rin had pointed out one major side effect of those date auctions.
"Guys?" Honoka asked in confusion, wondering what exactly she had missed in the split second that caused her friends to wear such stiff expressions.
No one wanted to explain to Honoka that the idea of someone they loved going on a date with someone else made them uncomfortable because no one wanted to admit to loving someone within this very same club.
"Spending time with a stranger is the point of those auctions, Rin," Maki said after clearing her throat, stealing a glance at Nico.
"Eh, I thought it was about raising money for charity?"
"That too, but you can't steal the chance to meet Hanayo away from our fans."
"But what if they steal Kayochin from me?"
It astounded the club members how honest Rin could be with her feelings when it came to Hanayo, being completely unapologetic about loving and cherishing her. To some extent, they wished they could be more like her in this aspect about their own loved ones.
"Rin," Hanayo placed her hand on top of Rin's, "you've been my best friend for the longest time, no one can take the place you have in my heart away from you."
"Kayochin," Rin happily breathed.
"What is this sappy show," Nico muttered beneath her breath, but didn't really mind the heartfelt and genuine feelings the two first years shared. "Moving on, where were we?"
"That most fans can't bid along in an auction?" Kotori offered.
"Exactly," Eli impatiently tapped on the table with her fingers. "It could backfire in many ways."
"I have to agree with Eli," Umi added. "Honoka, what if not enough people bid for us? We would only embarrass ourselves and lower our value when our auctions don't reel in a decent amount of money. And A-Rise has already set a very high bar that we have to surpass since we are three times as many people."
"I know, I know," Honoka whined, holding her head. "But if we only ever talk about the risks, we'll never get something done."
"I think it sounds like fun," Kotori brightly said, then turned to Umi on her right side, "Have we ever regretted following Honoka's plans, Umi? She's right, you know. If all we do is worrying about bad things to happen, we'll miss out on the good things too."
Umi's gaze at her softened. "So you can be mature about these things too, Kotori."
Kotori smiled at her, her hand automatically searching for Umi's to grasp. "I want to be reliable like you, Umi."
"Chrm," Eli cleared her throat, having caught on to the shifting mood between the two second year students. "I think it's time for a vote everyone."
All members of µ's nodded in agreement.
"Those in favor for the idea, raise your hands," Nico asked into the round while holding up her own hand. Six hands rose in the air.
"Umi?" Honoka asked when she saw her best friend's hands on the table.
Umi defensively crossed her arms. "I never said I agreed. Kotori is right of course about discovering new things, but I still think it's something we're not ready for yet."
"Hah?" Honoka let out a sound of disappointment, turning her head to the next one with their hand down. "Then, Maki? Where's your hand?"
"I don't really care," Maki replied with a shrug, "you can hold the auction as long as I get to stay out of it."
"That's no good," Nico shook her head, "we can't deprive our fans of their favorite tsundere, that will lower our overall value."
"Who are you calling tsundere?" Maki snapped, leaning forward in her seat to glare at Nico sitting opposite of her.
"Case in point," Nico said and gestured to Maki's stiff stance.
"You little-"
"Now, what did I say about fights in relationships?"
Nozomi, who had been sitting to Maki's left, placed a hand on her shoulder to gently push her back into the seat.
"Stop saying stuff that makes no sense," Nico complained.
"Did Nicochi just ask for a good breast rub she'll never forget?" Nozomi said, holding a hand to her ear. "I think she did."
"Stay away from me," Nico hissed, looking actually afraid as she subconsciously crossed her arms in front of her breasts. "Eli, please don't let Nozomi near me. Put a leash on her or something, just make her keep her hands to herself."
"She is not my pet," Eli drily said, though she herself wasn't quite fond of the idea of Nozomi rubbing Nico's breasts . "And I am still against the plan."
"Boo," Honoka said with a pout, her arm dropping on the table, pounding on it in frustration. "We can't do this with only six members of µ's up for auction."
"Then, in exchange for not participating in the auction, we three could hold an autograph session instead," Umi suggested, gesturing to herself, Maki and Eli. "I think an autograph is something every fan has a chance of getting."
"That's it!" Honoka clapped her hands. "How about it, Eli, Maki?"
Maki seemed to think about it for a second before she slowly nodded. "This is fair I guess."
"But," Eli protested, not wanting a compromise but an annihilation of the plan, "how can this be fair if only us three do this and the rest does something completely different?"
"We can always say that there will be a next time with switched members," Nozomi offered. "If the auction is a success, we will have to hold one again anyway. And then you won't be able to cheat your way out of it, Elichi."
Eli uncomfortably shifted in her seat. "Nozomi..."
"It's decided," Nico said, hitting the table once with her palm, tired of more discussion that would take up more of her lunch break time. "Soldier Game Trio does autograph session while the rest holds the auction. Accepted?"
Honoka and Rin excitedly pumped their fists in the air, shouting "Yeah!", followed by a more timid and quiet "Y-yeah" from Hanayo. Kotori clapped her hands together, smiling. "This will be fun!"
"My cards tell me so too," Nozomi agreed, her fingers tapping on her deck of tarot cards.
Eli bit her lip. She wasn't going to verbalize her bad feelings this time.
The autograph session was scheduled after the auction with a pause between those two events, so Eli, Umi and Maki had decided to be sitting in the audience too for the auction. The auction hall µ's had rented was packed full of excited fans, the press and some VIPs. For the latter group, the first two rows had been solely reserved for them and every chair had been tagged with a name.
When Umi took her seat next to Maki, who would sit in the middle between her and Eli, the second year noticed the logo of A-Rise attached to the backrest of the chair on her other side. Suddenly getting nervous at the thought of sitting next to the nationally famous members of A-Rise, Umi tried to shuffle her chair a bit closer to Maki but couldn't increase the distance to the yet empty chair by more than one inch.
"What are you doing?" Maki asked when she noticed Umi's fidgeting.
"Nothing," Umi quickly said, forcing herself to become still.
But Maki had seen the logo on the empty chair next to Umi. "Still nervous about meeting A-Rise? We are on equal grounds now, don't put them on a high pedestal or they'll start looking down on us."
Umi's shoulders relaxed and she let out a long breath. "You're right. I guess I'm still not used to it. Being a recognized idol, I mean."
"I think that's a good thing," Eli suddenly remarked, having listened in on them. Umi and Maki turned to her in surprise. "Like Nozomi said, it's dangerous to take things for granted. We sometimes rely too much on the things that are natural to us but are actually privileges."
Her gazed wandered off to the stage where nobody was present yet except for the moderator who was preparing his cue cards.
"Hm," Maki hummed neutrally. She did agree with Eli's view, but she had a feeling that the blonde had not been talking about fame.
Umi nodded slowly, wanting to comment on Nozomi's wise side when she felt something brushing her legs, flinching at the contact because she thought a bug was crawling on her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you? There's hardly any space between the chairs, is there?" A light and airy voice spoke up quite close to Umi's ear and she inhaled sharply when she could feel warm breath tickling her earlobe. Her relaxed stance and calmness was gone within a second.
Maki and Eli looked up to see that A-Rise had arrived. Predictably, Tsubasa sat in the middle with Erena on the left and Anju on the right, which was why Umi found herself sitting next to Anju.
"No – no harm done," Umi said after clearing her throat, staring down at her lap. But this was how she noticed that her leg was quite close to Anju's; if she spread her legs only a little bit, they would be touching with the girl next to her.
She tried to shift closer to Maki and the first year student let her, sighing and wondering how the calm and collected Umi could sometimes turn into a nervous child within seconds.
"A-Rise," Eli greeted them with a nod once they had settled down. Maki barely raised her chin in acknowledgment.
"Ah, if it isn't µ's," Tsubasa replied with a smile before her expression turned into one of surprise. "Are you not participating in the auction?"
"Erm, due to certain circumstances, it's not possible for us to spare a complete day for a date," Eli said with an apologetic smile. Maki suppressed a snort. Undeterred, Eli continued, "But we hope to make up for this by giving an autograph session after the auction ends."
"Ah, perfect," Erena said, "I've wanted an autograph from Ayase-san for the longest time. And from Sonoda-san and Nishikino-san too, of course."
"Please, call me Eli," the blonde offered. "And thank you, you flatter us. If you have something for us to sign, we can do it right away, there's no need to wait until after. I'm sure you don't have that much time to spare."
"Please and thank you."
Erena was quick to produce a little notepad and a pen from her white blazer, reaching over Tsubasa and Anju to give it to Umi who nervously took both and wrote her name in the bottom corner of the paper.
"How cute," Anju giggled upon seeing Umi's name written in tiny characters, barely visible on first sight. "I think I want to get an autograph too, is that okay, Sonoda-san?"
"Of - of course," Umi stuttered, quickly passing the notepad and pen on to Maki, who signed the top corner of the page, her characters moderately sized. And when Eli signed her name, she wrote in the middle in a larger size to somehow fill the page and make up for her fellow members' small writing.
When Erena got her notepad handed back, she smiled in amusement at seeing three completely different types of handwriting. "I will treasure it," she genuinely said, "thank you."
"Such pretty handwriting," Tsubasa remarked after a glance at the autographed page. "I'm envious. It's like you've been signing autographs for years."
"Again, you flatter us..."
"You practice calligraphy, don't you, Sonoda-san?" Anju asked, distractedly searching her blazer pockets for a piece of paper. "It's obvious by the way you hold the pen, so elegant and skillful."
"Really?" Umi unsurely said, but then smiled bashfully. "I do practice every day, thank you for noticing."
"You're welcome," Anju said with a wink but then faltered when she realized she had nothing for Umi to sign. "It seems like I don't carry a notepad around like Erena does."
"I came prepared," Erena commented somewhat proudly and satisfied. "It is an auction that µ's holds after all. I've expected the chance to run into some members."
"I've also prepared," Tsubasa said just as proudly, pulling out a wad of bank checks. "I'm not someone who likes to disappoint fans no matter of which idol group, but I hope Kousaka-san will be able to forgive me."
"Uhm," Maki felt compelled to ask if Tsubasa was still sane, but Eli sensed her intention and interjected, "That will be okay, as long as the auction is won fairly."
"Of course."
The audience suddenly erupted in loud cheers, wildly roaring and clapping, making the six school idols in the first row turn their heads toward the stage.
One by one, a member of µ's walked out from behind the curtains, waving at the crowd and making their signature poses. It was unbelievably loud in the auction hall, the sound of cameras furiously taking pictures blended in with the enthusiastic screams of the fans.
The introduction was kept short as the moderator knew that nobody had the patience to wait any longer to get to bid on their favorite idol, so he made a quick summary of rules and procedure.
The bid would start at zero Yen, the smallest step allowed was 1,000 Yen and if no particular sum was offered along with the obligatory hand signal, the bid would automatically increase by 5,000 Yen.
The first one to begin was Hanayo, and as she made her way to the front of the stage, she almost tripped and fell, causing the three µ's members sitting in the audience to tense up as well. But the first year student made it safely to the front and gave the fans a shy wave, which made them shout in excitement.
"Some - somebody save me," Hanayo squeaked, making the crowd only roar louder.
The moderator raised his hand to show that they were ready and would start as soon as it got quiet. Silence engulfed the room, everyone tensing up with anticipation, especially those who genuinely wanted to compete for a date. Hanayo nervously stood next to the moderator, a single light beam focused on her. She would have to stand there for as long as the auction took while the other members got to sit in the background.
And the moment the moderator gave the green light, someone in the back shouted "150,000!"
Surprised by the huge price surge, even the moderator seemed to have forgotten to ask if there were more bids until someone else yelled "160,000!"
"That's going to take a while," Tsubasa said with a sigh. "It always sounds like a fast auction at first since they start off high, but they are not going to make more jumps higher than this. The sum will slowly increase by 5,000 Yen until it reaches a point where common sense sets in and most people drop out."
"Seems like we have an expert among us," Maki commented, for which she earned a pinch from Eli and a warning glance from Umi. "What?" she said, not understanding what she had done wrong by simply stating an observation.
"Maki didn't mean to say it mockingly, this is just her usual tone," Eli said, apologetic.
"Don't worry, we know. That is part of her charm after all," Tsubasa said, smiling in amusement. "I believe Yazawa-san mentioned this once in her fan letters to us. If we don't get the chance to meet her personally today, then please send her our regards. We always fight over who gets to read her letters first, they are so amusing and never fail to make us smile even on rough days."
"She wrote about me?" Maki's hand suddenly reached up to play with her hair, twirling the ends around her finger. This abrupt motion had been mistaken as a bid by the moderator who shouted, "And another bid in the front row, 235 grand now – come on, people, I'm sure there's more potential, don't let this cute super idol down!"
And he gestured to Hanayo who was nervously shifting her weight between her right and left foot, blushing when the moderator directed the attention back on her again.
"Do I see a hand over there? 240 grand, no, 245 grand – ah 250 grand, now we're talking people."
Maki sighed in relief when she had been quickly outbid, but then tensed up again when she remembered what should be more concerned about.
"So about those letters..."
"Ah, yes," Tsubasa chuckled, sharing a grin with Erena. "Yazawa-san always gives us hilarious insights of µ's' daily routine better than any reporter could. We can tell from the writing alone that she holds dear every single member of µ's. It's quite obvious, especially when she's writing about Nishikino-san."
"Is that so?" Umi wondered, pleasantly surprised to hear about Nico caring so much.
"At least to some people Nico can be honest," Eli slowly said, giving Maki a side glance. The first year student was endlessly twirling her hair around her finger, staring ahead, her gaze passing Hanayo and landing on a certain black-haired girl wearing a pink cardigan.
"315 grand, 315 grand going once, going twice, going three times – sold! Lucky winner, hold up your number – ah, a little bit higher please – there we go, number 282 just won a date with Koizumi Hanayo, congratulations!"
"So Rin didn't get to vote after all," Eli commented, testing if Maki was still thinking about Nico. The lack of reply was a reply in itself.
"Kotori seems to be next," Umi said, straightening her posture in her seat as Kotori switched places with Hanayo. As the latter one sank down on the chair previously occupied by Kotori, obviously relieved about no longer being the center of attention, the second year student brightly smiled and cheerfully waved at the roaring audience. And when she spotted Umi, she excitedly waved at her too.
"What an aura," Erena commented, impressed. Tsubasa nodded. "I believe she is second to Kousaka-san in terms of aura."
Maki and Eli chose not to react since it was very clear from the beginning that Tsubasa's opinions on the members of µ's were slightly biased.
"Well, she is quite cute," Anju said with a giggle, clapping along with the enthusiastic crowd. "That reminds me..." She leaned towards Umi until their arms touched and innocently asked, "Say, Sonoda-san, are you dating Minami-san?"
"Da-dating?" Umi abruptly turned her head to Anju, but her blush only deepened when she noticed their faces being awfully close. She forced herself to face forward, rigidly staring ahead. "No, no, we're best friends, just childhood friends. What – what made you think otherwise?"
Maki and Eli shared a glance, no longer listening to the moderator but to the conversation next to them.
Anju chuckled, her eyes filled with amusement. "You see, I usually don't believe the media since I know firsthand how they like to twist truths into something more marketable. But..."
She reached out one hand to fix Umi's tie, placing it in a central position again. "If those rumors were just lies...then Minami-san wouldn't have to force a smile right now, don't you think?"
Umi turned her gaze to the stage, but her friend seemed to be still busy waving and smiling at the crowd. Umi doubted that Kotori had even seen their interaction. "I don't think I can support that statement."
Anju let out a short laugh, somehow humored by Umi's obliviousness. "Your way of thinking is intriguing, Sonoda-san."
With that, she put some distance between them again, turning to Tsubasa to discuss how high the A-Rise leader was willing to bid for a date with Honoka. Too preoccupied with her own troubled thoughts, Umi didn't hear the rest of the conversation but she would have been impressed at the enormous amount of money Tsubasa had to spare.
"Hey, Umi," Maki whispered, but in that moment the moderator chose to yell, "Bidding for a date with Minami Kotori, three, two, one, go!"
"180,000!"
"Umi!" Maki tried again, nudging Umi's leg with hers.
Startled, Umi finally looked up at her fellow µ's member next to her. "Yes?"
Maki lowered her voice again, "Do you want to switch seats?"
"Why?" Umi asked in confusion. "Do you want to?"
"No, I couldn't care less about where I sit," Maki impatiently said, but then reminded herself to speak quietly again. She carefully glanced past Umi at the members of A-Rise, only talking when she was sure that they wouldn't be listening on them. "I've got a bad feeling about her." And she subtly nodded to Anju.
Umi wanted to look in the direction Maki had nodded because she was unsure who she was talking about, but the first year student was quick to pull at her ear and make Umi face her again. "Don't look or she'll know I'm talking about her! This is like basic logic, geez."
"Yes, okay," Umi whimpered with a grimace, "you can let go now..."
"Eli, help me out here, it seems like Umi can be quite dumb at times," Maki whispered to Eli. The blonde sighed and leaned closer to the two, "Umi, you should be more careful about the things you say from now on."
But Umi didn't quite know what to make of Maki's and Eli's serious gazes. "What do you mean? I'm not Honoka, I'm always careful about what I say."
"Urgh," Maki groaned in frustration, which was drowned out by the moderator yelling, "285 grand, no 290, wow you people are on fire! 295 – which is in the past again because now we're at 300 – 305 – please, give me time to breathe -"
Despite the intense fight over her, Kotori's smile seemed somewhat distracted and almost forced. Both Eli and Maki had noticed that and somehow had the feeling that Umi was responsible for this.
"Umi," Maki impatiently said, "Don't forget that A-Rise are our biggest rivals. Even though they've been in the business far longer than we have, we've quickly become a threat to them. But it will be just as quickly over with one wrong move, so what Eli is trying to say is that A-Rise may be playing nice on the surface but are actually searching for a way to get rid of us. With a scandal. And if you're not careful, Anju might trick you into saying something you don't mean."
"No way," Umi muttered in disbelief, "they wouldn't. They've always played fair until now."
"That was then, when we were still an unknown group, but this is now. We're just warning you."
Umi frowned and faced away, gazing up at the stage again.
"345, 345 going once, going twice – no, a new bid, 350! 350 going once - and foiled again, 355 it is. 355 going once, going twice...going three times, sold for 355,000 Yen! Congratulations, you just won a date with Minami Kotori!"
Kotori smiled and waved at the winner in the back, making Umi wish she had bid along so she would be the one to receive her smile. But even if µ's was known on a national level now, they were still only school idols, which didn't come with as much wealth as adult super idols.
"I still don't think so," Umi finally said, not looking at Maki because her eyes were following Kotori's figure as she walked to the back of the stage, showing a thumbs-up to Nico, who was next.
"I've got no reason to believe they're playing dirty. They're here today to support us after all, and clearing their busy schedule just for this event says a lot about them," Umi said with an air of finality.
Maki sighed. Umi's calm and mature side only decided to show itself now. Too lazy to try to convince Umi otherwise, Maki crossed her arms and decided to follow the auction, rolling her eyes when Nico did her signature line and made everybody in the crowd chant it along with her.
Seeing that Maki had given up because a certain someone seemed to be more interesting right now, Eli decided to let things be for a moment, resorting to the role of a quiet observer. She had no reason to doubt Umi's capability of handling difficult situations, but the usually composed second year student was known to quickly lose her head as soon as embarrassment clouded her mind.
"Yazawa-san certainly knows how to please her fans," Tsubasa remarked when Nico blew kisses into the crowd, prolonging the start of the auction because the audience wouldn't quiet down.
"As expected of Nico," Eli said with a chuckle.
"Excessive," Maki muttered, frowning because Nico had almost waved at every corner of the room except at her. Not that she wanted to be specifically noticed by her, but she thought that at least Nico would acknowledge her fellow µ's members in the first row.
As soon as the auction started, the bid jumped from zero to six figures, rising every second with every hand signal.
Unlike the other members who had been mostly quiet through the auctions, Nico actively participated in her own, waving at every fan who bid for her and cheering the people on to bid higher.
Umi and Eli were impressed by Nico's ability to stimulate the bidders to make them go further than they would have under any other circumstances. Soon, they were about to cross the 300,000 Yen line with no stop in sight, and Eli was becoming more and more worried about getting hit in the face with Maki's frantic hair twirling.
But the auction finally seemed to slow down after a minute, now it was only a competition between three different people who always chose to raise the bid close before the moderator could finish.
"335,000...going once...going … nowhere because it's 340,000 now!"
"Come on, is that all you've got for me?" Nico pretended to pout, her voice higher than usual. "If you really love Nico, now is the chance to show it! And I will show my gratefulness on our date."
And her words achieved the desired result, several hands shooting up again, making the bid quickly pass the 350,000 line.
"She knows what she does," Erena said, impressed.
"And she's the only one who can pull that off," Tsubasa added with a chuckle. "It fits her."
"365, 365 grand going once, going twice, going three ti-"
"400,000!"
The crowd gasped in unison and then fell silent. With stunned expressions, Umi and Eli stared up at Maki who had abruptly stood up from her seat, fiercely gazing at the girl on the stage, who looked just as baffled.
"400,000..." the moderator slowly said, furrowing his brows when he recognized Maki as a member of µ's. He tried to recall if there was a rule about own members not being allowed to bid, but these kind of auctions weren't traditional to begin with. There was no official guide book for celebrity auctions and it seemed like µ's had neglected to establish stricter rules about eligible bidders beforehand. He looked behind at the leader of µ's, hoping for some hint from her reaction because depending on an either disapproving or neutral expression, he would know how she felt about own members bidding for each other, and then he would decide accordingly.
But Honoka just gaped at Maki with an open mouth, neither really disapproving her action or welcoming it.
The moderator could feel the audience getting restless, so he made a quick decision. The consequence would be something µ's would have to deal with later, he was just doing his job. "400,000 Yen it is! Who offers more?"
But the last few bidders, who had been heatedly fighting just seconds ago, all shook their head. They had already been pretty much at their limit before, bidding out of pride than anything else, but now it was simply impossible for them to go any further.
"Then...400,000 going once, going twice, going three times! Sold! A date with Yazawa Nico goes to fellow µ's member Nishikino Maki! Congratulations."
Maki sat down again, crossing her arms and ignoring the questioning gazes from both side. "I raised the overall value of µ's, didn't I, so shut up."
Eli closed her eyes with a sigh and massaged her temples. Just minutes ago, Maki was just as concerned about not causing any negative headlines, but now had given the media a perfect opportunity to sniff into their private lives. Eli could already see magazines speculating about an illicit affair between Nico and Maki.
Though thinking similar to Eli, Umi couldn't say she blamed Maki. She somehow understood her motivation after having witnessed people fighting over a date with Kotori. Now she could only hope that Maki's action wasn't going to have lasting aftereffects on µ's. Umi made a mental note to text everybody after the auction for an emergency meeting because they needed to discuss which excuse they were going for in front of the press.
Still trying to process what had happened, Nico kept staring at Maki with wide eyes, not making any moves to leave the front of the stage. Only when Rin tipped her on the shoulder did she seem to sober up, and she slowly walked to the back of the stage, all the while shooting glances at the first row in the audience.
"Well, that was unexpected," Erena quietly said, her words only meant for her fellow A-Rise members to hear, but Umi had been able to snatch it up.
"Is it?" Tsubasa said, not sounding surprised at all.
"It was actually predictable." Anju grinned. "They really are fun."
Umi stopped listening at this point. She didn't understand what Maki and Eli were so suspicious about, A-Rise was surprisingly down to earth and genuinely nice. Being on friendly terms with them would benefit µ's more than treating them like rivals. Umi wished she could be more open about wanting to befriend them, but she still felt socially awkward most of the times, and up until now, all she had done in the interactions between her and A-Rise was stuttering ungracefully.
"If you are mad, just say so," Maki suddenly said, pretending to be indifferently watching Rin waving at the crowd while she was actually fighting to keep her expression blank.
Eli and Umi shared a look behind Maki's head.
"We're not mad," Eli said with a sigh. "There probably would have been a better solution, but what's done is done. All we can do now is see what happens next and keep the damage in check."
"You don't have to go easy on me." Maki lowered her head. "I gave myself away, didn't I." Her voice became small. "You actually feel pity for me because you think I'm just a fool who can't control her emotions."
"Far from it," Umi disagreed, offering Maki a sincere smile when the first year student faced her with a vulnerable and insecure look. "You actually control your emotions too well, Maki, and we rarely know how you feel. But when you play the piano or sing, you show us all the emotions we usually don't get to see, and we know in those moments that you are happy. And now you have one more thing besides music to be passionate about, how could we be angry about this?"
"Umi..."
"That's right." Eli squeezed Maki's leg. "µ's will stick together. Always have, always will."
Being supported from both sides made Maki feel strong and invincible; she no longer cared about what the magazines might have to say as long as she had her friends to stand behind her.
She gave both Umi and Eli a small smile. "I'll remember that. Thank you, Eli, Umi."
Her upperclassmen smiled back at her, glad that they could get through to her which wasn't always an easy task.
"On a side note," Eli suddenly said, "did you just spend 400,000 Yen for a date with someone you argue with every day?"
Maki grimaced. "Papa's going to kill me."
TBC