Disclaimer: Love Live not mine. ^_^
Chapter I (Umi's POV)
'Do I need to sacrifice something just to keep up? Iie, I already slashed out morning training with u's. I didn't think that it'll be this packed, though. I guess I'll wait and see how this progresses first.'
"Umi-chan, ohayo!"
I looked up to see who called me and noticed that I was already inside my classroom. Kotori, the one who greeted me, is standing beside a sleepy Honoka. I made my way to my desk and greeted the two.
"Ohayogozaimasu. Honoka, judging from the bags under your eyes, I assume you didn't get much sleep again last night. Watched another movie?" I smirked as Honoka pouted.
"You're mean, Umi-chan! I was up all night trying to finish our Math homework," then she looked away from me, embarassed. "Although I did read a manga or two 'or five,' that's why it took me a long time to finish."
I shook my head at Honoka, exasperated. 'Oh Honoka, you'll never change, will you?' "Maa, as long as you finished it, it's all good. But please be more responsible next time!"
"Mochiron!" she proudly shouted, then slumped against her seat, yawning loudly. "But because of that I'm still sleepy."
"Daijoubu, Honoka-chan. The day will pass faster than you know it," Kotori said while trying to get Honoka to feel somewhat better. I tuned out the two as our sensei entered the classroom. 'Not fast enough,' I sighed.
"Umi-chan, are you going somewhere? You're not going to eat lunch with us?" Kotori asked as I got up and headed to the door.
"Oh! Yeah, I forgot to tell you. I've got some extra studying to do for my Sandan Rank examinations in Kendo, so I need to go to the library or dojo whenever possible. Otou-sama said it's time for me to take it this year," I said as I offered them an apologetic look. "I may not eat lunch with you for the next few weeks or so."
"Aww it's that time again already? You're going to overwork yourself again, aren't you?" Honoka said as she glared at me while Kotori's giving me a worried look. "Umi-chan, you should eat first before going to the library."
I smiled at them, touched by their concern. Apparently, they still remembered when I first started to attain my Dan Rank in kendo years ago that I overexerted myself in studying and training for it, on top of my Kyudo and Japanese dance lessons, that I forgot to rest.
"Daijoubou. I know my limitations now. I promise to eat before the break's over. Ja!" I said as I dashed to the library.
I sat at a more secluded part of the library so as not to be bothered and began arranging the references I'll be using for my review. Time passed by and I guess I was so engrossed in my studying that if it wasn't for the book that I accidentally knocked over, I wouldn't realize that break will be over in 5 minutes!
"Oh well, one skipped meal won't kill me, and the two doesn't need to know about it. I'll just drink lots of water to feel full," I said as I hurriedly fixed my things so that I won't be late for my next class.
"Honoka, Kotori. I'll see you later during practice. I'm off to Kyudo practice now," I called to Honoka and Kotori as I slung my bow on my shoulder. The two smiled and waved at me as I went out the door, not realizing that I left a piece of paper on my desk. Unfortunately, Kotori saw it.
"Ne, Honoka-chan. Umi-chan left this," she said as Kotori picked it up. The two looked at it and was suprised to see the schedule I made for myself for the next 2 months. Apparently, I also have a district competition in Kyudo only a week before my Kendo exam, and also the week-long cultural festival where I'm expected to dance with my mother will be held in between the two events. Not to mention the live shows that we're currently booked in as publicity stunts before Love Live, which is almost every two to three weeks, courtesy of Eli.
"It's packed! I didn't even know she can do all these in one day!" Honoka exclaimed as they made their way to the club room.
"Poor Umi-chan. She's going to get sick if she doesn't take care of herself properly during this time. Should we tell the others?" Kotori asked as they paused outside the club room.
"Hmm, I don't think Umi-chan will like that. She'll just say that it's not their problem. Let's just see how she fares. She still has us to take care of her, right?" Honoka said while giving Kotori a thumbs up.
"Hai! We won't let anything happen to Umi-chan!"
"Otsukaresama," I called to my fellow members in the Kyudo club before I dashed off to u's practice. I was running a bit late so I decided to forego going to the club room and just change behind the door of the roof. As I was changing, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Good thing I already had my shirt and pants on.
"Ah, Umi! It's rare for you to be late. Why are you changing here?" I turned around and saw Maki looking at me while twirling her hair.
I smiled sheepishly at her while tying my shoelaces. "Gomenasai. Kyudo practice dragged on later than I thought."
She cocked her head at me, "Ne, Umi. Is it okay for you to juggle all your activities in one day? Won't you tire yourself out? I-I mean, not that I care or anything," Maki quickly backpedalled as she turned her head to the side, cheeks red.
I looked at her then giggled at how adorable she looked. "I'm used to it, Maki. Overworking is second nature at this point. But it doesn't really bother me." I could tell she wasn't really buying it. I offered her a small smile as I stood up and went to open the door. "Saa, Maki, ikimashou. We can't let the others wait for too long."
A/N: Hello! Since life happened, It's wonderful to finally go back to an old love of mine, writing! And since I honestly think there's too little Umi/Maki fics in the world, I decided to give my own contribution to this pair which is obviously underappreciated. Nothing fancy, just some Umi/Maki friendly romance as a starter.
Hope you enjoy this as you keep on reading!
Reviews are highly appreciated! ^_^
