At first, the flicker of ginger hair that Riko spotted out of the corner of her eye did not faze the young pianist at all. She merely smiled softly to herself and kept her attention locked onto her notebook, devoting her focus to finishing up an assignment for English class tomorrow. After all, spotting Chika on her balcony late at night was not unusual. Riko had a clear view of the Takami family's ryokan from her bedroom window.

Nonetheless, after completing merely two or three sentences, her burning curiosity begged her to take another glance and see what Chika was doing at this hour. Her cheeks turning bright pink in self-conscious guilt, she leaned her head back to take a peek out her window. A wave of disappointment washed over her when she saw that Chika was no longer out on the balcony. With a sigh, she allowed her eyes to explore around the side of the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of that familiar friendly face through her window. Instead, in the twinkling starlight, she barely made out the faint outline of a body sprawled out on the rooftop. Did a cat crawl onto their roof? The figure seemed too large to be an average pet, though. Perhaps a bird? Although her vision was not completely reliable during the night, Riko firmly believed that she saw arm-like limbs on the creature, so those ruled out that possibility. Besides, Riko could have sworn that she saw light orange fur beneath a top layer of silver moonlight.

Wait.

Riko nearly toppled her chair over as she scrambled to her feet, dropping her pen as she made a mad dash towards her bedroom door. She practically slammed into the wall as she scurried over to fling her door open and rush down the stairs. A startled yelp sounded behind her, but she didn't have a chance to look back at the figure carrying a tray of tea and pears in the hallway. Nonetheless, she called out to her mother behind her as she shakily slipped her shoes on at the front door. "I left something at Chika's!" she gasped as she sped out the door, hoping this simple excuse would alleviate her mother's concerns.

In a daze, Riko's mother watched her usually serene daughter disappear in a whirlwind. Carefully, she opened up the door to her daughter's room, deciding to leave the snacks there for when she returned. Upon viewing the messy scene that awaited her there, she murmured softly, "She didn't even turn off her desk lamp."


"AAAIIIIYYEEEEEE!"

Chika's eyes flew wide open as the shriek reached her ears. However, she remained in her same position, laying back against the rooftop to gaze out at the stars. Even if she hadn't recognized the voice, Chika knew of only two people who could screech loudly enough to be heard from the roof, and it was too late for Ruby to be passing by. If she knew Riko at all, she would guess that the redhead would join her up here within 5 minutes.

"Ch-chika-chan..." A head and two pale arms poked up from the other side of the roof, and Chika perked up immediately.

Now she turned her gaze away from overhead to peek back at her guest. "Ah, Riko-chan! You got here faster than I expected!" she chirped cheerfully. She sat upright and smiled warmly at the pianist. "Did you come to see the stars, too?"

"St-stars?" Riko echoed, gasping as she finally heaved her entire body onto the safe, sturdy surface of the roof. Her face was bright red with... what, exactly? Chika couldn't be certain. Fatigue? Frustration? Relief?

"Yeah! The sky is so clear tonight, and my sisters wouldn't let me go out too far since it's late and a school night and everything." Chika shrugged. "So I came up here!" She patted the spot on the roof right next to her, inviting her friend to come on over and appreciate the scenery.

Riko hesitantly crawled over, and when she finally reached Chika's side she let out a sigh of relief and slowly brought herself up to a sitting position. Although her face didn't betray any emotions, the way she asked, "So you just felt like coming outside and looking at the stars?" revealed everything she was feeling. The question was innocent and genuinely curious, but her tone carried a certain lilt that suggested she was skeptical. And concerned. As if she wanted to pry but didn't want to push.

"You caught me!" Chika gave her a sheepish grin and turned her attention back to the sky once more. Carefully she placed her hands behind her head as she laid back, getting comfortable. "Ever since we were little, Kanan-chan has told me that when she feels down at night, she likes to stare up at the stars. Normally, she'd swim when she needed a pick-me-up, but she finds the night sky really beautiful and soothing too." She reached out one hand towards the sky, splaying out her fingers so that she could peek at the specks of light glittering between them. "She's so right! Stars are amazing. They just shine on brilliantly with their own light. They are so bright that everyone can see them!" Stretching her fingers to their limit, Chika extended her hand further and further upward as she tried to reach for the stars. With a loud huff she let her arm flop back down onto the roof beside her, the palm of her hand empty and starless. "I want to shine like that too, you know?" She gazed wistfully at her limp hand, and feebly she began to curl her fingers into a fist, only to unfurl them, then pull them in, and then let them fall loose once again. "I saw it once, back at the qualifiers. I wondered if staring at the stars would help me see it again. Like… BOOM!" She jolted upright, and Riko visibly jumped beside her. "I wanted to be struck with star power! It'd hit me like magic, and then I could start glimmering brightly too!" Chuckling awkwardly, Chika gave Riko a half-hearted smile. "That sounds crazy, right? Ehehe… I don't blame you for getting upset with me for being on the roof so late."

Much to her surprise, Riko didn't seem irate or even irritated. Instead, her eyes seemed to glow with a certain softness. A certain warmth. There was a comfort in the golden glow of her eyes that Chika wanted to just capture and wrap herself up in, so that she could feel safe and secure in its embrace. "You already have that star power, Chika-chan," she whispered. Before Chika could protest, Riko wriggled her shoulders and lowered her upper body onto the roof, so that she was now looking up at the vast expanse above. "I read somewhere that stars, people, trees, buildings… we're all made of the same basic material. It just gets reused and recycled throughout the universe. In that sense, we're kin to the stars."

Kin to the stars? Chika furrowed her brow, considering that claim carefully. "Everyone has that sparkle inside," Riko continued. "Some people know how to harness it, while others have to search longer and harder. I think you've found it, Chika-chan."

Chika looked down at her fallen hand once again, which still laid in the same position. "I'm definitely taking longer than other people," she whispered.

A sudden hand on her leg startled the ginger-haired girl, and she turned to fix her attention on the gentle smile that awaited her. "Sometimes stars get covered by the clouds," Riko murmured. "But they're still there, putting their heart and soul into shining, and when that cloud passes, they may turn out to be the most beautiful, brilliant stars out there." Now Riko turned to look back up at the sky, her eyes flickering around as she looked between different cloudy patches among the twinkling lights. "The type that guide people who are lost."

"Oh!" Those simple words stirred up a vivid memory, and Chika couldn't help but leap up to sit erect again as she excitedly recounted it to Riko. "Err, sorry," she said with an awkward grin as she saw that Riko had clutched her chest in shock. "I'll try to move less suddenly, hehe. Anyway, You-chan used to tell me how sailors use the stars to navigate when they get lost! No matter where you are, the North Star is always north, or something like that…" Images bubbled up in her mind of "Captain" You and Kanan pointing out constellations and guideposts with her late at night, exploring the sky as if it were a stretch of land or the wild sea.

Sufficiently calmer now, Riko nodded in thoughtful agreement. "I've heard that too. No matter where we are, we're all connected by the same sky."

"The same sky, huh?" Chika mused. "I guess… school idols really are like stars!" Slowly, steadily, she reached her hands up towards the twinkling expanse overhead once more. "They dazzle and connect people from all over! Groups like μ's and A-Rise really have that power!" Her eyes, which had moments ago been clouded over with doubt, now began to burn fiercely with renewed passion. "If we really are made of stardust, then we can do it! We can shine like those stars! But we'll use our own fire and make our own light, until our names are in lights too!" Excitedly she turned to face Riko as her enthusiasm and revitalized passion began to spill over, hoping it would blossom inside of her too. She simply had to share this amazing, inspiring feeling! Not just with Riko, or even with Aqours, but with the world!

"Chika-chan…" Riko breathed. For a moment, Chika feared she was going to express doubt. Of course their situation was difficult, and climbing to the top would be no easy feat. Chika was painfully aware of the trials they had to face, but that didn't mean she had to stop. She couldn't stop now without knowing how far they could go, or how brightly they could glow. "I think you're absolutely right. You're like the North Star yourself, Chika-chan." She rested her chin atop her knees and gazed dreamily at the peppy, perky girl. "Believe it or not, you've been a guiding light for Aqours. We were all drawn to you, and that's how we're able to shine."

Chika shook her head vigorously, not believing Riko's words for a second. "No, no, no! You all had your own light! If anything, you're the star here, Riko-chan!" The composer's face flushed deep red once again and she began to splutter incoherently. "What? I'm serious! I think that's why I was so drawn to you in the first place. You had this glow about you that was hiding deep inside, and I finally saw its full potential when I heard you play the piano. It was always there, but you just had to get rid of that big, nasty cloud." She giggled and reached out to grab Riko's hand with both of hers. "But you're not like a North Star," she continued. "You're more like a shooting star, because you helped my wish come true! You're the reason why I have faith in miracles!" Beaming widely, she gripped her friend's hand a little tighter, hoping to express her gratitude in the simple gesture.

As soon as Chika's grip slackened, though, Riko pulled her hand free and completely turned away. For a moment, Chika was hurt; did she say something wrong? Hesitantly she allowed her hand to creep towards the shyer girl's face and brush her bangs out of her eyes. "R-Riko-chan?"

The Tokyo native dared to tilt her head back a little, and much to Chika's relief, her cheeks were bright pink. They also felt hotter than a spa bath, which she found puzzling. Was she embarrassed? Rather than provide any explanation, though, Riko just turned her attention back to the sky. Her fingers danced over the rooftop until she could clutch Chika's hand again, and then she gave it a small squeeze. In a very quiet, but heartfelt tone, she whispered, "Thank you, Chika-chan. You know…" She hesitated before whispering, "The moon sure is beautiful."