Notes: Ah, yes. Great idea, me, to write a new story in the face of FOUR ONGOING PROJECTS. I'd advise you to stay away from this thing because it's not complete either, but if you can stomach another one of Ottermelon's Unfinished Stories, then I'm not going to stop you.

This chapter is basically Chapter 5 of Till We Make Our Ascent, but re-skinned for YohaRiko. (Shameless plug for you to go and check that one out if you haven't already, it's one of the few things I've written that I actually like.)

Her mind was elsewhere, thinking of what she would do after school, when she heard it.

Her body reacted before anything else; in reaching for her bag, her hand stopped midway through its course. The sound was distant, and perhaps her movements froze out of a sense of respect, as though it would disappear if she continued to ruffle papers and squeak her chair around.

Though she would never admit it to anyone, she had always wondered what she would do if this day ever came. Which emotion would overcome her first? Of course, of course she would run to the source of the sound as fast as her feet would take her, but what would she say when she got there?

Most importantly, what feeling was the sound trying to convey?

This very scenario had played in her mind many times over, but that didn't mean she had an answer to any of those questions. And now that this day was finally here, she was forced to make peace with this fact.

Still, her feet carried her out the door and down the hall, towards her salvation. Class had just ended for the day, and she almost bumped into many a surprised student in her hurry. She paid them no mind. How could they not appreciate that sound, that beautiful sound? Years of being on the fringes of normal social standards probably helped her ignore the stares, as well.

The crowds of students thinned the closer she got to the end of the hall, and conversely, the sound rang louder in her ears. The initial rush of adrenaline faded, and she slowed to a stop. Raising a shaking hand to the door, she sidled up to the window set in the middle, allowing her to peer inside.

Their new school had a music room and a piano, but for the four months that Yoshiko had been there, she had yet to hear a single note played on its keys. That was not for the lack of talent at this school. She knew that much. She could fathom a guess as to why the piano sat untouched, but various reasons, flimsy or otherwise, prevented her from receiving a definitive answer from the person in question. Their talks were mostly in passing, and she knew better than to breach a sensitive subject with a sentence as brutish as "Why haven't you been playing recently?"

On the off-chance she did receive an answer to that question, she knew what that answer would most likely be.

"It's not the same, you know?"

Yet, there she was with her back to the door, her maroon hair swaying gently across her back as she moved to the music. Her sudden appearance at the piano, after so many months and after Yoshiko had all but banished this scene to the land of fantasy, was almost dreamlike.

Musical proficiency had always been a mystery to Yoshiko. Whether she was faced with keys, strings, frets, buttons, or anything of the sort, she could liken the process of playing music to some sort of ritual. Just the right amount of air here, just the right amount of pressure there. Fingers placed here - but not for too long, because they had to be moved at lightning speed to play the next series of notes.

It was a ritual that Yoshiko never understood. She figured that those who did understand worked some sort of magic on the keys or strings, to produce the perfect sound at any given moment. They knew the precise steps needed to concoct the perfect ritual, the perfect musical piece.

And she was sure she was witnessing a ritual at this very moment, as the girl worked her magic on the keys. Her hands moved with both speed and grace, and each time her fingers pressed down, the resulting note resonated in Yoshiko's ears.

She couldn't see the girl's expression, but just from her gentle movements and the quiet confidence of her hands, Yoshiko guessed that she had surrendered herself to the music. She was likely smiling, her eyes closed to further immerse herself. Yoshiko felt a soft smile spread across her own face, and her eyelids began to fall, yearning for the same love that this girl surely felt…

She leaned in. The door gave under her weight. She scrambled to stop her fall, pressing her hands into the door, but the door only swung in more violently.

Ah… it was already open…

She had no time to reflect on her grave mistake, as she tumbled into the room with an unpleasant thump. The playing ceased at that moment, an errant note hanging in the air.

Yoshiko whined in pain, her elbows smarting as a result of her throwing out her arms a moment earlier. She looked up and saw the girl at the piano had turned around, her golden eyes the very picture of surprise. "Yocchan?"

Had she missed the sound of that voice this much? Though high with worry, it was almost as musical as her piano playing. "Riko. Fancy seeing you here," Yoshiko grunted, thankful that she had found her voice despite the fact that Riko's own still echoed in her ears.

Riko looked from the door, swung wide open, to Yoshiko, sprawled out on the ground. She did so multiple times, a hint of red rising to her cheeks. "Were you… spying on me, by chance?"

"N-no!" Yoshiko scrambled to her feet. "Not spying! I was…" she fumbled for a better word. 'Spying' was too implicative, too morally questionable. "I was just listening!"

Riko seemed dubious for a moment longer before her face relaxed into a sigh. "From outside the room?" She shook her head, but the accusation had disappeared from her voice. "Why didn't you just come inside?"

Because I wanted to savor the moment. That was the real reason, the real answer, but there were other answers that weren't exactly lies. "I wanted to see if it was really you playing."

Riko nodded slowly, turning back to the piano. "Yeah. It's really me." She ran her left hand across a series of white keys. "I'm a bit rusty, though. I don't remember the last time I made that many mistakes."

"What? I won't let my little demon talk about herself like that." Yoshiko stepped forward. "It was beautiful. Angelic, you could even say."

Riko ducked her head, and for a moment Yoshiko wondered if she'd said the wrong thing, or if she'd said too much. "Thanks, Yocchan, but I'm a bit worried. I hope it's just what happens when you don't play for a while."

There it was: the question that Yoshiko was most afraid to ask, but her ache to know the reason why had only increased by the day. Riko herself had breached it so casually, all but handing her an opportunity to ask. It would be natural, not forced: "Why haven't you been playing recently?

"...I miss your music."

"...Well, don't mind me," she said. "Don't stop playing just because I'm here." She motioned towards the piano.

Riko didn't see her encouraging gesture, as she was now fixated on the keys. What was going on in her mind? Had she, perhaps, dredged up an unwanted memory with her own words? Her hands still moved up and down the keys, but they seemed aimless, without purpose. Her expression was similarly lost, as though her eyes were on the piano, but were truly looking at something else.

"Riko?" Yoshiko tried, taking another step closer. She could reach out with ease and rest her hand on Riko's shoulder, or better yet, take one of her gentle, magical hands in her own -

"You know what?" Riko reached up abruptly after several moments of near-stagnation, making Yoshiko jump. She lowered the piano cover on top of the keys, and seeming assured that the piano was properly closed, gave Yoshiko a sudden and unexpected smile. "I think I'm done for the day."

"Uh…" Yoshiko didn't know how to react to the sudden mood shift.

"Do you want to hang out? It's been a while since we've done that, too." She rose from the bench, and Yoshiko had to step aside to allow her room to leave. "How does coffee sound?" She didn't seem interested in any dissenting opinion, as she was already halfway out the door when she made her suggestion.

Yoshiko reluctantly followed her, itching to point out how school had just ended and Riko couldn't have been playing for long.

Numazu, being more urban than Uchiura, had no shortage of shops, cafes, and places for bored high school students to kill time. Still, Yoshiko found herself missing the quaint cafe that she and Riko had frequented last year, together with the rest of Aqours. It was quieter, more peaceful - when the nine of them weren't making a racket, at least.

This cafe, while not that large, didn't seem to afford that same intimacy. Not quite loud, it still bustled with the business of a typical early afternoon.

Riko sat across from her, sipping her drip coffee. Yoshiko wanted to comment on how little creamer and sugar she'd adorned it with, but perhaps that was out of jealousy, seeing as her own coffee was almost beige in color. The walk to the cafe had been short, only punctuated with small talk on how much Riko liked their coffee and pastries.

Yoshiko pondered on how to approach the piano again, if Riko even wanted to keep talking about it. She probably didn't want to be around it for much longer… That would explain her sudden change of heart, how she had left the room as quickly as Yoshiko had tumbled into it.

Those few moments, where it was just her, Riko, and the piano, had been nothing short of magical. How could she have forgotten what Riko could do when she put her fingers to those keys? It was selfish of her to think so, but she wanted to hear it again, to ingrain it so deeply into her memory that it would haunt her dreams, even if she found her way back to heaven one day.

"How have you been, Yocchan? It seems like you've been pretty busy, since we haven't hung out in a while."

Right. They had other things to catch up on, as well; the texts and brief chats they had exchanged up until now were hardly enough. Yoshiko craved more. "I suppose," she said, shrugging. "Lots of rituals and demonic streams. More of the usual."

"I hope you're putting aside time to focus on school, too." Riko raised an eyebrow, her spoon clinking around inside her coffee cup. "You're almost halfway done."

"Ugh." Yoshiko blanched. "Don't put it like that! I want to draw out my rose-colored youth for as long as possible."

"Is it really rose-colored for you?" Riko giggled, and Yoshiko's heart soared at the sound. "I'd think it's closer to pitch black."

Yoshiko crossed her arms, considering this impressive observation. "That's true. Perhaps pitch-black, but with speckles of rose?" Or cherry, she thought, seeing the girl in front of her.

Riko held her gaze on Yoshiko, the intent contained within almost crossing the boundary into staring. Yoshiko almost buckled under her stare when Riko said, "I wish I was a second-year again."

It was Yoshiko's turn to stare, but just like earlier, she couldn't read Riko's expression. It was a little frustrating, and Yoshiko had to choose her next words all the more carefully because of it. Was she thinking about Aqours? It was inevitable; Aqours had brought them together, and for a long time thereafter they would surely associate the others' presence with memories of Aqours, if not for the rest of their lives…

Failing to find a decent response, she could only settle for a simple, "Why?"

Riko stared into her coffee. Yoshiko wanted to think that she was thinking just as hard about her next words. "I feel like I had less to worry about."

Yoshiko frowned. Seeing her apparent confusion, Riko hurried to correct herself. "I mean, I had a lot to worry about. We both did, with Aqours and all," she clarified. "But I'd rather have to worry about that than what I'm worrying about now."

"And what are you worrying about now?" Yoshiko could hazard a guess, but she wanted to hear it from Riko directly.

Riko exhaled, as though it took a physical effort to respond. "Exams, college, moving out. What I'm going to do after high school."

For once, Yoshiko's hunch was right. She nodded, and though the gesture was little more than a platitude, she hoped that Riko understood her sympathy even though she couldn't yet relate to those worries, far away as they seemed to a second-year like herself. "Aren't you planning on going to music school? You'll be fine." Knowing how you sound when you play, you have to be. Her own biases aside, Yoshiko truly believed it. Without Riko's compositions and arrangements, Aqours would have never been anything more than an idea in the mind of one fearlessly optimistic high school girl.

"Ah…" Riko pursed her lips. "I don't know about that."

Yoshiko tilted her head. Again, it wasn't a matter of her not knowing why. It was a matter of whether Riko would be okay with telling her, whether she trusted Yoshiko enough with sensitive information. She wanted to think that Riko did, but ultimately it was Riko's decision, not hers.

"Yocchan. You saw me playing in the music room earlier."

"I did…"

Riko nodded to herself. "You go on and on about how unlucky you are, and usually I agree, but…"

Yoshiko scratched her head. "What does this have to do with luck?"

"Everything. That was the first time I've played in months. My mom never yells at me, but I feel like she's about to since the piano in my room is just gathering dust. Exams are only getting closer, too."

I thought so. "I…" Again, Yoshiko had to prevent herself from giving away more than she needed to. "I couldn't tell."

Riko offered a half-smile in acceptance for the compliment."Maybe you couldn't, but I made a lot of mistakes. As I got further into the piece, I felt more and more discouraged, because it was like I'd lost all the years of practice and discipline. Just because I'd neglected it for a little while. When you barged in, your timing was almost perfect. I was pretty close to giving up anyway."

"W-well, what were you playing?" Yoshiko asked, seeing where this conversation was headed. "Maybe it was the piece that was too difficult."

"It was just a piano cover. I saw an anime last season that I loved the opening for, so I made my own arrangement on the piano that I could play whenever I wanted. At least, that was the plan," she added, her brows furrowing. "Sure, I added some flourishes, runs and arpeggios where I probably didn't need to, but it was nothing compared to the classical music that I've been playing for years."

Yoshiko was, simply put, at a loss for words. What had happened to the fleeting fantasy of just twenty minutes prior, where she wanted to lose herself in the music emanating from the piano room? She had played that scenario in her head ad nauseum, but somehow she had failed to picture, even once, the soured aftermath.

Riko's prolonged absence at the seat of the piano had told her this was a clear and present possibility. It was selfish of her, to only want the moment and not the emotional fallout that followed.

Riko peered at her intently. Yoshiko wondered if she was too transparent, if her worries were playing out on her face without her knowing. "You want to know why, don't you? It would be rude of me to say that and leave you wanting for an explanation."

That confirmed it. There was nothing left than to go along with it, inadequate as she felt when it came to dealing with this problem that so apparently weighed on Riko. "You should know that I will always bear the problems of my little demons," she tried with a sweep of her hand, coming in dangerous proximity to the steaming cup of coffee that sat next to her. "I-if you're comfortable with that, that is."

"Of course." Riko smiled, a genuine one, in contrast to the half-hearted smile from earlier. "We're friends, right?"

The simple declaration caught Yoshiko off-guard. "You're my little demon!" she corrected, feeling a flush rise to her face.

Riko laughed airily at Yoshiko's flustered gesturing, but a darker visage soon took its place. Yoshiko returned to attention.

"I graduate in a few months, and it's right off to music school for me. That's always been the plan. But I've been thinking lately about that. If that's what I really want. I think I'm comparing my ideas about music school to our time in Aqours, and…" She bit her lip, retreating into her thoughts to deliberate her next words. "...and it's really no contest.

"I mean, look at us, Yocchan. We did it. We did it," she repeated, as though she was still coming around to that fact. Yoshiko couldn't blame her; everything, the multiple failures culminating in their final victory, had gone by so fast. "We won the Love Live. Sure, if you ask anyone, a successful career as a professional musician is better than anything we could do as teenagers, but… how can I achieve that same success when I'm spending hours sweating over a piano? When the professors are yelling at me because I played two eighth notes instead of a dotted-eighth note and a sixteenth note?

"I feel like it's unfair for me to compare Aqours to anything that comes after, because this is what happens. Suddenly, what seemed so sensible and fun became… daunting."

Yoshiko tapped her finger on the table, letting it fill the silence while Riko waited for her to respond. "Well, if you don't want to go to music school, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know!" Riko huffed. Yoshiko flinched at the unexpected force of her words, and her sudden movement rattled her coffee cup and spilling its contents onto her hand. A few stares turned towards their table. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Riko nearly tumbled over herself in her rush to clean up the spilled coffee. "Did it burn you?"

"I'm fine. It's cooled down already," Yoshiko murmured, saving any comments about hellfire and brimstone for another time.

There wasn't much to clean up, and so Riko crumpled up the used napkin with a sigh. "That was uncalled for. I just… I ask myself that all the time, and I can never find an alternative. So… I concluded there's no reason for me to feel like this, but I still can't bring myself to practice. I'm just frustrated."

Yoshiko didn't want to give herself too much credit, especially because she didn't want to fear the worst for a dear friend of hers. But those fears were now confirmed, and now the greatest blessing in Riko's life, in both of their lives, up until now was anything but. If it threatened to derail her dream and send her into confusion, it was almost a curse.

Either Riko interpreted her pondering as an aversion to responding, or she was becoming increasingly self-conscious of the emotional baggage she'd just imparted, because she attempted to take back her speech. "Y-you know what? Just forget I said anything. This isn't your problem, and you probably just wanted to hang out with me… not give me life counseling..."

"Stop right there, Riko." Yoshiko brought her hand down on the table, though she was careful this time to avoid her coffee cup. "Didn't I tell you that Yohane will bear the burdens of her little demons, worldly as they are?"

"You did, but…"

"But nothing." Yoshiko cut her off. "I think you should go for it."

"Huh?"

"Go for it. Keep playing the piano. Chase your dream. That kind of thing."

"But I don't know if it's my dream anymore."

Yoshiko leaned in and studied the girl across from her, all of her fears, her nerves, and her aspirations considered. Riko shrunk back under the scrutiny, but held her gaze. "Earlier, when you were playing in the music room. What were you feeling?"

"Uh… I was feeling pretty down?" Her voice tapered off at the end. She didn't sound sure of why Yoshiko was asking. "Like I said, I made a lot of mistakes."

"No, besides that."

Riko opened her mouth, but she didn't seem to find the response she wanted. "...I don't know what you mean."

Yoshiko took a deep breath. This wasn't just about herself, her own happiness, or how she felt around Riko. She was still acting selfishly, in a way; giving Riko the right advice would surely earn her the praise and affection she had been sorely missing from her. But more than that, this was about Riko's future. "Do you know what I saw when I looked into the room?"

"You saw me, didn't you?"

"Not just that!" She leaned farther into the table, determined to get this point across. "I saw a girl who looked like she loved her music, who wanted for nothing more than to sit at the piano for hours. Who could get lost in the magical sounds that resonated when she touched a key. Who could touch the hearts of the darkest demons -" at this, she pointed at her own chest "- and the holiest angels alike… but most of all, she could make her own heart sing." She pointed at Riko, the very muse of the words she believed in with all her heart.

Riko seemed stunned, her mouth open in a soft "o." Her face was bright red, too, and only then did Yoshiko realize that she had leaned in further the longer she spoke, until their noses were almost touching. She snapped back into her own seat, trying to ignore the blushing contest the two were currently participating in. "I think… you still love it, if you allow yourself to. Why would you give that up?"

"R-right…" Riko all but whispered.

Seeing her close to shutting down wasn't reassuring. Had she said the wrong thing? Worse still, had she said too much? Desperate for a more tangible response, Yoshiko backtracked. "I mean, it's okay to feel how you're feeling. But maybe you can still find a different kind of happiness with your piano. Not the kind we found with Aqours, but… it is an angelic instrument. Don't underestimate its potential." Especially when you're behind the keys.

Riko's eyes were still unfocused, and Yoshiko was about to ask if she'd heard any of that when she finally came back down to Earth. "Sorry. It's a lot to take in, but… You're right."

"I am?"

"Yes. Yes! You're right!" As her words became more confident, her smile grew. She reached across the table and held Yoshiko by the shoulders. "I knew I was right to tell you."

An odd facet of their situation struck Yoshiko at that moment. "Why did you ask Yohane? I mean, besides the fact that I walked in on you playing."

"You're not the first. I talked to Chika-chan and You-chan already, and they more or less told me to not give up. That they have full confidence in how well I play, and that they'll support me if it means following that dream. Doesn't that sound just like them?" She smiled at Yoshiko.

"Tell me about it." Yoshiko could already imagine how it played out: Chika grabbing Riko by the shoulders and telling her to keep shining, to never let her brilliance fizzle out. She would probably top off her motivational speech with some cheesy anime quote. "Believe in the me that believes in you!" she would shout, throwing her arms wide, with You offering her a full-on sailor's salute to complete the spectacle.

Yoshiko was still snickering at the image when she felt Riko's eyes boring into her. "Sorry," she stammered. "You were saying?"

"You can imagine it, right?" Her eyes sparkled with laughter. It seemed that Yoshiko's imagination was close to the real passing of events. "They made a big deal out of it, of course.

"They mean nothing but the best for me, but I think if I still fail after all that, they'll be disappointed. And if I'm still in a funk after hearing their advice, it's like I'm letting them down. I just… I wanted someone to tell me that it's okay to feel this way."

Yoshiko shrugged. "When you mentioned Aqours, I think I knew. How do you come back down from that? Or, rise back up, in my case."

"Yeah. Maybe I just needed a break. If I keep thinking about Aqours when I see a piano, I'll never get better or keep improving."

"Take your time. The flames of Hell are always waiting for Yohane."

In truth, Yoshiko wanted nothing more than to hear Riko play again, but she didn't mind being a little more patient if it meant getting the pianist back on her feet.

Riko hummed in thought. "Maybe not. When you said I looked like I loved the piano earlier… maybe you're onto something?"

Yoshiko felt her ears burn as her impressive imagery was brought back into the conversation. She hoped that Riko's innocuous stare meant that she'd taken it as a compliment, and nothing more. "Oh. Don't mind that, I was just-"

"I think I'll give it another shot, but I need you there to make sure I don't keep regressing." She smiled at Yoshiko. "Will you come back tomorrow, Yoshiko-chan?"

You want a private audience? With Yohane?!

Yoshiko returned the smile with a wicked grin. "Anything for my favorite little demon."

Thanks for reading! This shouldn't be much longer, I want to wrap this up succinctly.

For now, it's back to taking 2 years to update my other stories.