A/N: Hello friends! I'm back after God knows how long. Back with anime! An LLSIP fanfiction, if you haven't figured...

Things you should note for this fanfiction:
1. THIS IS A YURI FANFICTION (girl on girl/lesbian love). IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE, PLEASE LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE TO READ.
2. [y/n] = your name
3. You're a female! Not a male! Yes, much yuri here, very excite.
4. You're best friends with Nozomi, and Eli is NOT her bestie.
5. You're not going to find any dirty scenes here, you hentai! It's just pure, innocent (and young) schoolgirl love!

All set, popcorns and all? Okay. Let's go! :D

Update (18/08): As requested, all "suffixes" for "[y/n]" has been changed.
Update (10/12): Minor editing for all chapters!

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live! School Idol Project or any of their franchise.

"1! 2! 3! 4!"

The repetitiveness of Umi's voice, now almost chant-like, dulled me to sleep. It was just another day on the rooftop and I was waiting for my best friend, Nozomi, to finish her usual practice with µ's.

I have always been fond of the group of friends, joined the club, but didn't join µ's. It always seemed that the nine of them were perfection, and to add me into the group would definitely ruin the charm. Having always been there for them since they started out, I have been their lighting and sound manager during lives and produced all their albums. They always appreciated my encouragement and help, saying that they would never have made it to where they are right now without me. To outsiders, I was µ's producer, but to the group of girls, I was a friend; a helping hand.

I sat in the shade next to the closed door leading to the stairwell, getting a perfect view of their practice session. All their movements, ever so synchronized with each other, were so flawless in every aspect. The innocence in the voices of the first years; the enthusiasm in the second years; and the maturity in the third years' movement... with the exception of Nico due to her height. I chuckled at that thought. Nevertheless, they were perfection: nothing more, nothing less.

Despite their unwavering smile, their faces obviously expressed their fatigue, and I felt myself smile too. "They're pretty much at their best right now. Next week's live would be flawless, just like always," I thought, finally looking at Nozomi, her long purple pigtails swaying along with her movements and her emerald eyes met mine. She smiled at me knowingly, and for a moment, I thought I felt my heart skip a beat.

Sure, I had always thought Nozomi to be very attractive. Many boys would seem to visit the shrine not to pray but rather to feast their eyes upon my bestie... and possibly her rack. It's not as if I would ever see her in that way, but I could never help the jealousy that bubbled deep within my being, lethal and ready to pounce at anyone who would lay a hand on my one and only true friend. And all too soon, Nozomi's gaze left mine as her attention snapped back towards Umi's counting, her steps never once faltering.

"1! 2! 3! 4! Rin, you're not in time!"

"Sorry, Rin-chan isn't in her best shape without her daily ramen, nya!"

"Okay then let's call it a day. Good job, everyone! [y/n]-chi, is there anything you would like to add?" Umi turned towards me. "It's all good. You're all set for next week's live! Today's drinks are on me!" I grinned, heading towards the vending machine and ordering their favorite drinks that I had long memorized by heart. "[y/n]-chi, would you like some help?" Kotori chirped. I scooted over to allow Kotori to reach down and collect some cans. "Thank you, Kotori-chan." "It's no problem at all!" she smiled.

We walked back in silence towards the group and the group expressed their thanks for the drinks. They each collected their favorites and gulped them down thirstily. With a can of caramelized green tea in my hand, I headed to the back of the rooftop, letting the group have their space to cool down and to chat idly. Through the steel bars, the orange sunset was strangely calming for the first time.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" a Kansai-accented voice came from behind.

"Eh?" I turned around, feeling pleasantly surprised to see Nozomi standing a few feet behind, her gaze far away, probably looking at the sunset too. "Yeah, it is."

Instead of turning back and continue gazing out, I continued looking at her face, deciding her face made me feel more at ease than the beautiful view. She walked up beside me, eyes never once leaving the sunset. Ever so casually, she reached for my empty hand. It wasn't the first time holding her hand, but somehow, I felt my cheeks heat up. I lifted the can and took a sip of drink to try to cool myself down.

"Everyone has already left to do their own things."

"Oh? I didn't even realize."

"Are you okay, [y/n]-chi?" Nozomi asked softly, gazing softly into my eyes.

"Hmm? Yeah, everything's okay."

"You don't seem to be very focused today."

"Do I? I think I've been more focused today as compared to this whole week!" I laughed.

Nozomi smiled, but her eyes full of seriousness. "Is there something on your mind? You know I'm always here to hear you out."

"Nozomi..."

"Yes, [y/n]-chi?" she teased.

"Idiot."

Nozomi pulled me into a hug, relaxing into her warm embrace. She was always like a big, fluffy teddy bear. Hugging her was always like a heaven. All too soon, she let me go.

"Are you ready to go? Or would you like to stay a little longer?" she asked kindly.

"I'm good."

"Alright, let's go home." We picked our bags up and walked towards our apartment, hand in hand.

A/N: It's going to be a short series. How many chapters? I don't know; I have barely started on the next chapter. And I think that my writing skills have depleted quite a bit, so I apologize if it seems a little weird or anything. And as usual, reviews are greatly appreciated! :D