Honoka: Hey guys! We're from the cooking story! You know, the one where Nozomi-chan went all cuckoo?
Maki: Don't remind me.
Nozomi: But there's no cooking involved this time right?
Eli: Uh... no?
Nozomi: Then I'm okay~
Nico: Oi. Let's just begin already.
Honoka: Yup! Enya-chan doesn't own Love Live! (Was Nico-chan here just now?)
XXXXXX
"Group date?!" Umi exclaimed, her face starting to turn a bright red. Honoka nodded in excitement as she twirled around with her handphone held securely in her hands.
"Yup! Think about it, we're all dating anyway! Might as well go together as Muse yeah?" Maki gave the leader a deadpan look before giving her own opinion about the current matter at hand. "Plus it's not like we're going to cook anything again!"
"There's a good reason why we have never gone on group dates before. Take a good damn look on Umi's face." Maki pointed to Umi, who was on the verge of fainting.
"Hmm... But at least we could all take a day off from practice! This way, we won't have to practice without all nine of us present!"" Kotori quipped in, supporting Umi's limp body.
"Rin nyagrees with Kotori-chan! Rin's sick of practicing in sub-units!" It was true, they were practicing in sub-units to cater the fact that most of the group members loved to skip out on practice.
"You're just unhappy that Umi's not gonna go out with me on a practice day which will give you a reason to slack off!" Nico replied, shooting an accusing look at her girlfriend.
"I'm not going to let my romantic life blind me from what's important!"
"Yeah but... we're actually the only sub-unit to attend at least 65 percent of practice... Even Elichi skips out once or ten times..." Nozomi trailed off, starting to bring up her hands to count the number of times Eli has skipped out on practice just to spend more time with Hanayo.
"Hey! Why did you immediately assume it's ten?! You're the one who drags Maki out on a parfait date which causes me and Nico to be unable to practice!" Eli argued, countering Nozomi's complaint.
"And when Eli goes out to have her well deserved time with Hanayo, Nico-nii is always left alone!" Nico backed up Eli, for once agreeing with the choreographer.
"But Nico-chan, you mean our navigators' meet up wasn't enough?" Hanayo spoke up, her presence in the clubroom already been long forgotten.
"Heck no! The two of you get to talk about your dates, leaving poor Nico-nii alone without any dates to talk about!" Nico slammed her fist on the table, startling everyone. "And Umi, when the heck are you gonna take me out on a date?! I don't care if it's a study date, I just want to spend some alone time with you!"
"Nico-chan, you could do that tomorrow! The group date is the perfect chance for us to have a adte without the worry of missing practice! After all, practice for tomorrow is officially cancelled!" Honoka said, taking Nico's hands into hers.
"Since when did I agree Honoka?!"
"Your opinion is null and void."
"Even you Maki?!" Kotori used this time to take out a notebook out from her bag and placed it on the table for everyone to see.
"Guys, I made this to see which couple has the most dates!" Kotori flipped to a page where five couple pairings could be found along with a string of numbers.
"What's this...? Wait, these are the dates I brought Hanayo out on a date!" Eli said, realising that the numbers were actually dates of the dates each couple has went on.
"Woah! Honoka-chan went out on a date 16 times nya!"
"Nozomi's no better... She forced me and Rin to practice by ourselves 12 times..."
"Hang on, Kotori and Rin are faring no better! They went out 11 times!"
"See Nozomi, I've only went on a date with Hanayo seven times! It's way less than yours!"
"And Nico-chan went out on a date... uh... oh dear." Nine pair of eyes focused their attention on the blank against the NicoUmi box, indicating their lack of dates.
"Yeah... I kinda pitied Nico-chan so I did up a box and chart kind of thing..."
"Let's go on that date."
"Wait, Hono-"
"Poor Nicocchi..."
"Even you Nozomi?!"
"Seeing that blank space is equivalent to me not getting my daily dosage of rice!"
"Oh come on, not you too Hanayo..."
XXXXXX
"Dates are supposed to be a secret affair! Having the whole world knowing that we're on a date is like-" Umi wanted to complain but was shushed by Nozomi.
"Don't be like that yan~ You're dating Nicocchi, the flashiest and vainest idol in the world!"
"That's ri- Wait, no I'm not!" Nico immediately denied the fact that she was vain and flashy, though the others weren't convinced.
"Umi-chan loves you for your courage to shamelessly expose yourself!" Honoka said, placing a comforting hand on Nico's shoulder.
"That's not a good thing!"
"Ah Honoka-chan~" A figure with auburn hair accompanied with two others approached Muse. Or to be more specific, the two other figures were the ones who approached the group while the auburn figure charged into Honoka's arms.
"An-chan! It's so good to see you!" Honoka nuzzled her face into the figure's hair, nearly causing the taller figure and Umi to blush furiously.
"E-Erena! Geez, don't start fainting here!"
"Tsubasa, this is so shameless! Anju, please control yourself!" Anju stuck out her tongue and proceeded to go back to... whatever romantic stuff they were doing prior to Erena's interruption.
"I assume that A-RISE was invited for our group date?" Eli asked, noticing Tsubasa and Erena.
"Yes, that's right. We felt bad that Anju wasn't able to flirt with Honoka as often as she likes so we accepted Honoka's suggestion of having a group date. I hope you don't mind." Tsubasa explained, pointing at Anju.
"Not at all. Come on, we have only a few hours for our date. Let's go Rin-chan!" With that, Kotori dragged Rin away from the group.
"U-Um... I'm sorry to interrupt but I want to bring Eli-chan to somewhere... I'm so sorrrrrrrry!" Hanayo ran away with Eli in her grip, her apology soon fading away.
"Wow, I didn't expect that." Nico commented after seeing how the rice lover dragged Eli away.
"Speaking of unexpected, I am now going to take Nozomi out for a date. Which is unexpected as she's usually the one bringing me out. Bye!" Maki hastily brought Nozomi into a busy street, easily losing the remaining group of people.
"Well then, I suppose me and Tsubasa should be going on our date. Even Anju and Honoka are no longer here. See you around." Erena said as she led Tsubasa to a street where many arcades could be found. Nico and Umi turned around to look for Honoka but realised that Erena was right about them being missing.
"Well damn it." Nico sighed as she ruffled her hair, her hair miraculously not being messed up.
"What should we do now?" Umi asked, starting to feel awkward.
"Huh?"
"You know this area more than I do. I'm sure there are some places that you like to visit?"
"Oh. Well..."
XXXXXX
"Um... What is this restaurant?" Umi asked Nico, who was sitting opposite her in a maid restaurant.
"It's a maid cafe. We've been to one when we found out that Kotori was working here remember?" Nico said, not looking up from the menu provided.
"Oh, right. So um... what exactly is this...?" Umi pointed to a drink meant for couples. Nico paled after reading the smaller print found below the picture of the drink.
"A-A drink... meant for two...?" Nico choked out, not wanting to tell Umi about the smaller print. 'Oh my god, no wonder only couples order that damn drink...'
"Oi, how long are ya gonna decide?!" A maid with a plaster on her left cheek and a scowl asked, slamming a hand on the table. Umi was about to complain about the maid's attitude if Nico didn't interrupt at the last minute.
"U-Umi! That's a delinquent maid, that's just part of her character!"
"Little girl, step outta my fight."
"Why you... Fine, I'll have this drink!" Umi pointed to the couple drink she had just asked, surprising the maid.
"A brave one ain't ya? Alright, I'll get it for ya." The maid disappeared, leaving Nico and Umi to themselves.
"Umi... Please calm down. She's just acting according to the given character." Nico caressed Umi's hand, calming the lyricist down.
"Still... she insulted you..." Umi trailed off, shutting up once their drink arrived.
"It's not a carbonated drink, right Sora?" Nico asked the maid, who simply grunted in response. "Okay, thanks a lot!"
"You know that maid?"
"Uh..."
"Here's the damn straw." Sora appeared once again and placed a straw that had two extensions. "Just so ya know, it's a drink for couples."
"W-Wha..."
"This is why we should never sell this Sora..."
XXXXXX
"Ohmygoshtheyaresocute!" Hanayo squealed out, her words coming out in an intelligible mess as she pointed to a plush toy. Eli smiled and placed a hand on Hanayo's shoulders.
"Shall we go in then?" Hanayo nodded eagerly as Eli led her into the idol merchandise shop. As they were browsing, Hanayo stopped at a shelf.
"They've even made plushies that look just like us!" Hanayo said, bringing down a plush toy of Eli. "Plushie you is so cuddly..."
"Hey, don't go saying stuff like that in front of me~ I'm cuddly too~" Eli whined, bringing Hanayo into a tight embrace.
"Hehe~ Eli-chan is cuddly too! Oh wait, I know!" Hanayo gently broke away from Eli's hug and reached out to grab a plush toy.
"A Hanayo plushie?" Eli dumbly asked as she held the Hanayo plush toy in her hands.
"You mentioned that you will be going back to Russia for Christmas right? So... I want you to think of me when you see this plushie..."
"I love you so much Hanayo!" Eli teared up as she heard her girlfriend's touching reason. Before they could do anything else, they were interrupted by someone.
"Ahh! The Muse plushies are out!" They turned their heads only to see Nico and Umi facing their direction.
"Um... What's that book over there?" Umi pointed to a book right beside Eli. Eli picked it up and flipped through its contents, blushing furiously once she reached the end.
"This is a book that little girls shouldn't read. Hanayo, let's buy what you want and move on to the next location!"
"Okay! Excuse me miss, how much is these two plushies?"
"3476 yen."
"Okay here's 4000 yen! Keep the change!" With that, the EliPana couple dashed out of the shop, leaving the NicoUmi couple stunned.
"Uh... What's the big deal over that book...?" Nico went over and flipped through the contents, quickly realising why Eli had reacted that way.
"What's wrong Nico?"
"Uh... Here! Two Nico-niis are better than one right? Nico nico nii~" Nico performed her signature catchphrase, trying her best to distract Umi away from the book.
"Well... I would prefer the real Nico-nii over a plush but I guess it can't be helped huh?" Umi nuzzled her face into the plush's head, unwittingly sending an arrow through Nico's heart.
"No fair! Doing your Love Arrow Shoot to my heart!"
"Ehhh?! When did I do that?!"
XXXXXX
"Ehehe~ Rin-chan you're just so adorable in this dress~" Kotori said as she placed a frilly dress over Rin's current clothes.
"R-Really...? I mean, Rin's not adorable and doesn't really look good in frilly dresses nya..." Kotori's expression softened as she cupped Rin's face.
"Rin-chan, never ever look down on yourself. You look good in a lot of things, especially in these types of dresses. Remember Love Wing Bell?"
"Y-Yeah. Rin remembered everyone liking what she wore on that day..."
"Precisely. Hanayo-chan once told me about your past, and you wanna know what I think?"
"W-What nya...?"
"That those boys who teased you back then were actually masking their feelings for you. You know how they are, acting all manly when in fact they're just fragile beings underneath that facade."
"Kotori-chan, you sound really scary nya."
"No I don't? Anyway, go try this on!" Kotori thrust the dress into Rin's arms and pushed her into a changing room, forcing the cat-like girl to change. "And show it to me when you're done!"
"That was a great encouragement Kotori." Umi said as she approached Kotori.
"Where's Nico-chan? Aren't you two supposed to be on a date?"
"Right here!" Nico appeared with a few sets of clothing in her hand. "Hey Umi~ Go try this on for me will you?"
"It sounds so dubious... Plus I don't need new clothes, I have quite a few at home." Umi replied, dismissing the idea of wearing dresses.
"Kotori, do your begging thing!"
"Umi-chan, please!" Kotori brought her hand to her chest, a pleading look on her face.
"Ack... You two don't play fair..." Umi admitted defeat and trudged her way to the changing room. Just then, Rin stepped out from the changing room, a hesitant smile on her face.
"H-How does Rin look...?" Rin asked, lifting up the hem of the skirt slightly. Nico and Umi nodded in approval while Kotori clapped her hands in glee.
"You look amazing Rin-chan! I told you that you are suited to such cute clothes!"
"That's right Rin, don't demean yourself."
"And stop trying to buy time, I wanna see you in those clothes! C'mon, chop chop!" Nico pushed Umi into the changing room, waiting for her to change as she watched Rin and Kotori walk out of the store hand in hand.
'I wonder if Umi will be that open with me... Nah...'
XXXXXX
"Hey Umi, where do you wanna go next?" Nico asked, looking directly at Umi.
"Heh?"
"Don't 'heh' me, where do you want to go?" This was when Umi had to pause and think. She had never expected Nico to ask her for the next location, she was actually contented with her petite girlfriend bringing her around for their date.
"Uh... Could we catch a movie then? Or if you think it's too boring then..." Umi was silenced by a flick to her forehead. "Ow. Why did you do that?"
"Umi, as long as I'm with you, nothing is boring. Come one, we need to buy tickets right?" Nico led Umi to the cinema where the screen showed two movies that started at the same time. "Which one do you want?"
"Um..."
"I'll make things easier. Does 'Designs Of Passion' sound like a shameless movie to you?"
"YES!"
"Okay then. Excuse me, may we have two tickets for 'The Mistress's Maid'?"
"Which tickets would you like to purchase?" Here, Nico had to think. Normally she would utilise her height and get a child's ticket but with someone like Umi around...
"One adult ticket and one child ticket." Umi said, taking out her wallet from her bag. Nico stood dumbfounded at Umi's action, unable to believe that Umi of all people would lie.
"Here you are miss." The cashier handed over two tickets for the movie, Umi happily dragging Nico to the snacks counter.
"What would you like to drink? Think of it as my treat?" Umi asked, a smile on her face.
"F-Fruit punch...?" Nico sweat dropped, it wasn't often that Umi smiled. Even when Nico had confessed to Umi, Umi didn't smile back but had instead blushed tremendously. Umi nodded and went over to the counter to purchase their drinks and a bucket of popcorn while Nico waited.
"Hey Maki-chan look, a stray Nicocchi!" Nozomi suddenly appeared out from nowhere and patted the smaller girl's head. Maki stifled a giggle as she saw how her senior was puffing out her cheeks.
"Nozomi, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Oh my, I thought you were well aware of our date."
"Don't tell me you want to watch a movie with us..."
"Not really Nico-chan, we actually just came out from one." Maki twirled a strand of her hair as she noticed Umi still stuck in line to buy the drinks. "By the way, which movie are you going to watch?"
"The maid movie. Which one did you two just watched anyway?"
"The one you was referring to Nicocchi~ Want some spoilers?" Nico thought about it for a moment and shook her head vigorously, rejecting Nozomi's 'kind' offer.
"No thanks boob demon, where are you guys heading now?"
"Oh, today's a Saturday." Nico didn't understand the point of their date falling on a Saturday. After all, dates were dates regardless of the day it was held.
"Your point boob demon?"
"We have movie marathon dates on Saturdays!" Nico resisted the urge to punch herself in her face for asking such a question that led to unexpected answers.
"I'll take it that you'll be watching the other movie then."
"Yup. Oh lookie, Umi-chan's back with the drinks and popcorn! We better get going, movie's starting in five!" Nozomi and Maki disappeared, going off to catch their movie.
"Was that Nozomi and Maki?"
"Yeah. Hey let's go in, the show's starting in five minutes." Umi nodded and followed Nico into the cinema hall where they will be watching the movie.
XXXXXX
"Next time, let's rent the other movie. Heck, I didn't know that it was a NC-16 show!" Nico sighed as she patted Umi's shoulder. They had made a bad choice but who could blame them? The title was rather misleading if they failed to notice the rating sign, which they did. Well to be fair, the cashier didn't bar Nico from watching such a show...
"If what we watched was NC-16, then I guarantee that the other one was at least a R21." Umi muttered, her hands still covering her eyes.
"That's the highest rating a movie could have y'know..."
"Precisely how indecent it could be if we watched it. The title itself is just as bold as the content."
"Point taken, even if you didn't see the movie before. So, where shall we head to next?"
"Heh?!"
"Not again. I know it's cute and all but really, we still have quite sometime before I bring you to a special place." This piqued Umi's curiosity as she tried to ask Nico where was the location she mentioned.
"Nico?"
"No."
"Nico-nii?"
"Not gonna work."
"Nico-chan~"
"Ack, you'll be the death of me in this rate."
"Nico-chan~"
"N-No means no! Know what, let's head over to the arcade!" Nico dragged Umi to the arcade, a disappointed look crossing Umi's face. "Oh come on, when did you learn that face?!"
"Nozomi. We had a lily white 'Make your girlfriend's heart melt' session. I'm glad Rin and Nozomi insisted in that lesson." Nico made a mental note to maul the other two lily white members the next time she sees them.
"Urgh... There's a driving game over there, it's supposed to be a hit. Wanna race?"
"Huh? Uh..."
"Hey~ Umi-chan! Nico-chan!" Honoka called out to them, waving her hand to get their attention.
"Honoka? What are you doing here?" Umi asked, surprised to see Honoka and Anju at the arcade.
"We're here to play Dance Evolution Arcade! Oh I know! An-chan, you said that you wanna race right?"
"Yup!"
"Then Umi-chan can play with you!" Honoka pointed a finger at the blue-haired lyricist, surprising Umi.
"M-Me?!"
"Yeah! Then I challenge Nico-chan to a Dance Evolution Arcade stand off!" Nico smirked as she folded her arms haughtily.
"You sure? I'll have you know, my dancing skills are second to none!"
"Not when you're going against the DDR champion! An-chan, make sure you leave Umi-chan in the dust!"
"Will do~ Now Sonoda-san, let's go start our racing battle~" Anju led Umi to the racing game, immediately proceeding to sit on the game seat. Umi followed her action and placed the amount of coins needed to play. After selecting all of the choices needed to start the game, they were brought to the starting screen.
"Ready? Goooooooo!" Anju expertly handled the gear lever and hit maximum speed, instantly leaving Umi in the dust. Umi, however, was having some problems with her car.
"Help me! I don't know how to drive this thing!" Umi then drove the car into a pool of water, the driver thrashing around in the water.
XXXXXX
"Wow, I never knew you sucked at driving. When we're of age, I'm going to be the one getting the driving license." Nico told Umi, which earned her a look of disbelief. "What?"
"Nothing, just that I'm worried for your safety since you're shorter than the average Japanese female..."
"SCREW YOU!"
"T-That's shameless!"
"Okay okay. Why don't we go to a library?" This statement had shocked Umi, she was fully aware that Nico hated books with a passion. So of course Umi had every reason to say what she wanted to say next...
"You're not Nico are you? What have you done with her?!" Umi drew her bow (where did she even get that) and aimed it at Nico.
"What the heck are you saying Umi?! I wanted to go there since you liked reading! Geez!" Umi then lowered her bow, staring at Nico warily.
"Are you sure...?"
"YES!"
"Do the song in which you made fun about Maki then. Only the real Nico would know about it." Nico mentally facepalmed at Umi's request but complied with it.
"Maki maki maa~ I'm tsun tsun Maki-chan, and I looove tomatoes! When I inherit my papa's moolah, I'll turn Japan into tomatoes maki!"
"Oh good, you're the real thing." Umi heaved a sigh of relief as she placed the bow behind her back, soon defying whatever laws of reality.
"Why the hell didn't you trust me?"
"Cause I never thought that you'll put my interests first over your dislike?"
"I love you enough to spend an agonising three hours studying Maths with you." Umi was about to reply back when they were interrupted by another couple.
"Oh hello again. How is your date coming along?" Tsubasa asked, having just exited the library with Erena. Tucked under Erena's arms were books, all which would make Nico cringe should she simply read the title.
"Very well, thank you for your concern. I assume that you had a date at the library with Erena-san?" Umi asked, having just noticed the books under Erena's arms.
"Yeah, she loves cooking. I'm normally her taste tester when she wants to cook up something new. Right Erena?"
"Yes, that's correct. We can't let Anju to taste anything since she's... uh... leaning on the overweight side..."
"Just like Honoka then. Tsubasa-san, should you feel ill when Erena-san requires your assistance please feel free to invite Nico over."
"Why me?"
"You're severely underweight remember? Even I agree with Eli that you need to fatten up..." Umi sighed, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder.
"Then we shall take up on your offer next Sunday. I hope that you'll enjoy your date." Erena swiftly said before pulling Tsubasa away from the NicoUmi couple.
"Okay then? Let's go in and hunt for some books!"
"Nico, books aren't prey."
XXXXXXX
"Finally! Umi, let's go!" Nico said, interlocking her hand with Umi's as she rushed out of the library, not heeding the poster's message of 'no running in the library'.
"Go where?" Umi asked, the books that she managed to borrow held securely in her free hand. Nico simply grinned as she made a sharp left turn at a junction, the buildings flying past them. After 20 minutes of running, they came to a small hill tucked away from the chaos of the city.
"Here! I wanna end our date with this sweet ass sunset!" Nico said as she pointed to the sun.
"This sunset is indeed beautiful..." Umi's lips cracked a smile as she tightened her grip on Nico's hand. Nico noticed the smile on Umi's face and decided to ask a question that she had wanted to ask a few hours ago.
"Why did you smile at the cinema? From my experience, you hardly smile except at our lives and when you're actually mad..."
"I... I've always wanted to have a date with you at the cinema so I..." Nico sighed in relief after knowing that the reason was not as bad as she expected it to be. It was also that relief that made her come to a realisation.
"Wait... Doesn't that mean that you didn't enjoy the other aspects of the date?!"
"No! I was happy to have a dream come true! That's why I couldn't stop myself from revealing my happiness! And since we're on this topic, you still haven't explained to me your relationship with that maid!"
"Urk."
"Come on, I told you what you wanted to know. I think I deserve the same." Nico averted her eyes before admitting defeat.
"Okay fine. I work part-time there. That's why I know Sora okay? Don't go getting some weird ideas..." Nico said as she walked closer to Umi before pressing for a kiss.
"Mmph?!" Umi was surprised by Nico's sudden action but returned it anyway. As soon as they parted, they sat down on the grass and enjoyed the sunset, their hands interlocked.
"Oh right, give me the days where you have to work."
"Why?"
"So that I could implement sub-unit training on those days to minimise the time wasted."
"Hm. Fair enough."
XXXXXX
Extra:
"Umi-chan, why did you decide to have our sub-unit training at a maid cafe of all places?" Nozomi asked, picking up a spoonful of her parfait and popping it into her mouth.
"Yeah! Rin wanna go to a ramen place nya!" Rin whined, twirling her carbonara.
"Well I wanted to come here. Is there a problem?" Umi asked, sipping her drink. "Hey you! Yes you, you delinquent!"
"Whaddya want?!" Sora came over to their table, irritated by Umi's calling.
"How much is it for you to punch this girl over here?" Umi then pointed to Rin, who flinched after seeing Sora.
"Oh so ya wanna have a Sora special eh? Since ya Nico's woman, I'll give it to ya for free." Sora replied, cracking her knuckles.
"Then I'll take it. Although is it possible if you give it to Rin here in private?"
"Sure thing, lemme call Nico out then." Sora then gripped Rin's collar while tapping on a short maid's shoulder. The short maid then proceeded to Umi's table after Sora had disappeared Rin, the latter pleading for Nozomi to help her.
"Umi?! Why are you here?!" Nico asked, shocked to see Umi and Nozomi in the restaurant she's working in.
"I wanted to see you."
"So that's why you wanted to 'practice' here! You just wanted to see Nicocchi!" Nozomi held up her fingers to make quotation marks, finally understanding why Umi decided to 'practice' at a maid cafe as she had mentioned.
"I don't want to miss practice too." Umi calmly replied as she beckoned Nico to sit. "Please grant us a few minutes of your time."
"Urgh. By the way, Rin doesn't know what does the Sora special include right?"
"Only the punching part. Hopefully Rin comes out with her legs unharmed." Nozomi paled at what she had heard, deciding to ask Nico a question.
"Hey Nicocchi...? That maid... is getting too much into her character... don't you agree?" Nico shook her head and replied as coolly as possible.
"Not really, she's actually a real delinquent. Just that she has a heart of gold under that tough exterior of hers. Oh and you don't have to worry about Rin, Sora is a big fan of her."
"Well I bet that's a bonus for her. I should bring her more often next time..." Umi commented, sipping her drink once again. Nozomi sweat dropped as she ate the last of her parfait, worrying for her future safety.
'Maybe I should cut down on my dates with Maki-chan...'
XXXXXX
Umi: So how was it?
Rin: Scary! She punched Rin in the abdomen nya!
Hanayo: How could she do such a thing?!
Rin: Then after beating Rin up, she patched Rin up and asked for an autograph nya!
Kotori: Oh she's one of your fans!
Umi: I'm so glad that we have such a fruitful practice that day.
Rin: (Like hell it was nyaaaa...)
Hanayo: With that, see you next time!