Note: I got no more chapters after this one...after this one I have to get writing the next few parts! But don't worry, I've got this planned out fairly meticulously.


Chapter 2: Akihabara Starlight Interlude

Honoka's Wish

Saturday late morning, June the 22nd.

At the top of the stairs to the Kanda Myojin shrine, Honoka Kousaka, Nozomi Tojo and Eli Ayase met for the first time in over 11 years, bathed in the familiar morning winds of the most famous shrine of Akihabara.

Honoka observed the last two members of µ's to meet her face-to-face against the backdrop of the city in the distance; Nozomi's hair wasn't quite as shocking as it used to be, now in a short ponytail similar to the one she had as a shrine maiden, and wore slim-fit jeans and a loose lilac shirt that hung quite a way below her neckline, while Eli wore a blue flannel shirt and cream leggings. Eli and Nozomi both were wearing glasses now, but...they didn't seem so different to the way they were. They had the same mature smiles, the same timeless charm to them as before, and they looked twice as lovely standing side by side. They raised their hands to wave hello to Honoka as she waved in kind politely.

"Hello, Honoka." Nozomi said, breaking the ice. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"It's wonderful to finally see you again, Honoka", Eli added, "we have a lot to tell you. But first, how about we visit the shrine?"

Honoka took two slow steps forward to begin their slow walk to the shrine, Eli and Nozomi by her side as they sauntered forward towards the shop to buy their prayer boards.

"It feels very different to come here as a visitor instead of a shrine maiden...I can't help but feel bad for leaving this shrine." Nozomi mused; while she had visited the Hokkaido shrine back in Sapporo, it was only ever as a visitor, and even then they were very occasional visits.

"So, Honoka...what have you been up to in the last 11 years?" Nozomi asked.

Honoka looked to the sky and made her trademark airy "hmm..." sound, wondering for a brief moment if she'd done anything interesting at all with her life, and for a brief moment, she forgot what she did for a living, before her entire life for the last 15 years flowed through her thoughts, and she replayed those years in her head, sifting through them for key points in her life. She wasn't expecting to be caught off-guard by such a simple question. Maybe it was that time of her life, she thought to herself; maybe she'd found herself approaching another crossroads in life.

She cut her thoughts off before she daydreamed any longer; she remembered what she needed.

"Um...well, I'm the co-manager of my parents' bakery in Akihabara now. I manage their finances and I help out with baking and cleaning...that's all, I think. I see Umi a lot, I guess."

"I suppose I really was justified in choosing you as student council president, Honoka." Eli said, giving Honoka the warm smile she'd always had.

"So, you and Umi see each other a lot?" Nozomi said, a sly smile forming on her face. "Well, how are the two of you doing? Are you both, you know..."

"Nozomi!" Eli quietly snapped, elbowing her indignantly.

"I'm sorry, Honoka, you don't have to answer that." Eli told her, noting that Nozomi was still smiling, and trying her best to hide it.

Eli poked Nozomi again, and Nozomi barely stifled a jolt of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Eli, you're just so cute when you're cross." Nozomi laughed.

With Nozomi ending her laughter with a small sigh, something changed, and the air felt different; Honoka felt comfortable again. The ice had broken.

"Aha...what do you do, Nozomi?" Honoka asked, tilting her head as she looked over to Nozomi.

Nozomi paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to word her answer such that it didn't seem like she was trying to show up Honoka.

"Ah, how do I say this? Well...let's just say I work for an international company with an office in Sapporo."

Nozomi winked at Honoka. Honoka wasn't sure what she meant by this exactly, and she hoped there wasn't some tax evasion scheme being hinted at.

"What do you do exactly, Nozomi?" Honoka asked, oblivious.

"I oversee one of the divisions of Mazda. They recently opened another office in Sapporo, but don't worry yourself with the details, Honoka. It's nothing too interesting."

Honoka gasped in wonder; her old friend, Nozomi Tojo, was an international career woman for a huge company now. "Wow...that's a big company..." Nozomi nodded in agreement.

Honoka turned to Eli and asked her in turn: "What do you do now, Eli?"

Eli shrugged lightly. "Nothing too interesting either, sorry. I run a small flower shop in Sapporo and I guess that's it...sorry, Honoka, I guess you were expecting something exciting." She laughed.

"Don't devalue yourself, Eli! That sounds beautiful...the idea of running a small flower shop sounds like a wonderful life. It sounds dreamy..."

"Ah, well, you can dream later, Honoka. We're here. Any of these emas stick out to you?"

Honoka turned around a full 360 degrees, looking up and down; the shrine felt so different to her now. It was so much busier: there was another shelf of Zenigata Heiji novels, the selection of emas had doubled in size, and there were assorted walls of merchandise all over the place...she felt slightly overwhelmed, like she was back in the shopping district. She hadn't really been here since 2012; back then, Nozomi had been her incentive to come here.

She remembered that there used to be µ's merchandise here when it was quickly found out that Kanda Myojin shrine was where the famous idol group µ's visited; there was a merchandise section, and even emas with their designs on them. Now, there was no µ's merchandise in sight, though there were plenty of merchandise from series she didn't recognise.

Honoka turned to see that Eli had already bought an ema with a simple illustration of daffodils on it, and Nozomi had one with an illustration of a shrine maiden on it. Feeling pressured, Honoka chose the first one to catch her eye; a red dragon-patterned one.

Nozomi beckoned to Honoka from a nearby bench, ema in hand.

"Come on, Honoka. Shall we go write down what we want on our emas?"

"Come over here, but I have an idea." Eli added. Curious, Honoka walked over.

Stood in a triangle, leaning in as if she were a coach giving a strategy talk for the second half of the game, Eli looked both of them in the eyes, confirming that they were listening intently.

"So."

"We write down our wishes...but we don't tell each other what we wrote down. We put our emas in different areas, and we promise not to read each other's wishes. Do you promise?"

"We promise." Honoka and Nozomi said in unison, nodding firmly.

Nozomi's wish was for all 9 members of µ's to reunite on the date Honoka had specified, with no issues getting in the way; she wanted nothing to get in the way of fate, and that all 9 of them would meet on the day Honoka promised her.

Eli's wish was for the former members of µ's to remain in contact even after their meeting for Obon; she didn't want fate getting in the way of friends, or that fate would be friends drifting apart yet again.

Honoka's wish was for µ's, and simply for µ's; all that the former idol group embodied, all of its legacy, and the bond between every member; she could not think of any simpler wish.

The three of them reconvened in the centre of the concourse, hands free.

"What shall we do now?" Honoka asked.

"I know exactly what we should be doing", Eli replied, "How about we slowly head downtown for lunch, then show us round the city again? I'd love to see how the place has changed in the last few years."

"And afterwards, let's hang out in me and Elicchi's hotel room, maybe for a drink after that. I'm in the mood for a girl's night later tonight." Nozomi added.


Akihabara Liminal

Saturday late night, June the 22nd.

Blanketed in artificial yellow by the streetlights outside Eli and Nozomi's hotel as she left, Honoka surveyed her surroundings and smelt the night air, saw sights electric and heard the sounds of a city charged with excitement; walking in the general direction of home brought her to the heart of Akihabara, where the streets exploded into a rainbow of hues as her view moved towards the horizon - she saw a valley of neon red, paired with neon green and punctuated with fluorescent thunderbolt yellow lights as the adverts on the screens on the side of the buildings cycled over and over, promoting movies Honoka couldn't see the titles for, drinks Honoka never paid attention to in the stores, cars Honoka never had any need for.

Tonight, Akihabara was alive, and at its heart was a former idol and her world.

Honoka was stunned motionless; maybe she'd had some to drink, but life seemed so much brighter to her now, if this was how beautiful her home could really be. Clutching her purse to her side as the buildings of Akihabara showed her things she didn't need, Honoka made a start down the Akihabara high street with a glacial pace, taking in the sights around her: two salarymen sat on the doorstep of a shop that was closed for the night, an advert for the new AKB48 release, another advert for an anime she didn't recognise, a group of people dressed in Harajuku street fashion.

Saturday nights were always the busiest times of the week for central Akihabara, at least until Obon, when tourists and Japanese alike would pass through the place on their holidays in droves. Honoka didn't come to this part of Akihabara very often at this time of the night or the week, nor did she remember the last time she had visited at this time, especially not with another person; Saturday nights in lively streets such as this wasn't really Umi's scene. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder in the centre of the street; it was thinned out where Honoka was, enough for uninterested passers-by to walk around the orange-haired woman in the white spring jacket walking at a snail's pace. She made a note to herself to try to drag Umi here on a Saturday night sometime.

Honoka heard a muffled song playing above all the rest from a place she couldn't locate. She made it out quickly; it sounded like A-RISE. Moreso, an A-RISE song she was sure she'd never heard before; it sounded a lot heavier than Shocking Party. There were some more aggressive elements to it, and they all sounded so much more mature. Their voices were smoother, but other than that...they sounded the same as always. Honoka wondered if she'd done the wrong thing disbanding her own idol group.

Honoka felt the city flowing through her; bright, lively, electric...alive, and for the next 15 minutes, Honoka found herself immersed in the sights, taking everything in step by step. Eventually, she found herself departing from the glamour of the main street, and couldn't help but feel a little sad the experience was over - she wasn't going to remember any of the shops she saw.

She found herself on autopilot, taking herself through the lesser-known back alleys and side streets around the houses in the neighbourhood.

Honoka encountered no people here; given that the neighbourhood had always been safe, a strange sense of tranquility took hold as Honoka found herself moving at a slow pace again. She could feel the character of the neighbourhood itself - It was just as charming at night.

It felt so peaceful - the noise of Akihabara was but a muffled buzz in the distance, fading away slowly into nothing. It was only Honoka, the night breeze and her own thoughts now as she wandered the labyrinthine neighbourhood on instinct.

It was the route she'd always taken home from school, and the route she'd always taken to and from downtown Akihabara, and she knew it well.

Silence had fallen over the streets now, and time slowed to a halt.

"Hold it right there." A feminine yet firm voice.

Honoka froze mid-step, fearing to turn around. She wasn't in the best position for a confrontation.

"Turn around. Don't be afraid."

Honoka slowly turned around, paying close attention to her every step on the way still for fear of a surprise. She looked at the other person's face first and recognised her face in the darkness immediately, even afer 7 years.

Shrouded half in shadow stood Tsubasa Kira.

She was dressed in an outfit that looked similar to the one A-RISE had worn for their Shocking Party video. Honoka wasn't sure if Tsubasa had just performed somewhere, but...just like in 2017 ashe looked exactly the same as she did 13 years ago, like the afterimage of a memory.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Honoka?"

Honoka simply stared at her openmouthed, wondering if she'd gone beyond tipsy while she was with Eli and Nozomi. She moved one foot back slightly, just in case her balance faltered.

"Aww, you're cute when you don't know what to say." Tsubasa said, unmoving. "How have you been since we last met?"

Honoka paused, trying to remember what she said to Nozomi and Eli, but to no avail.

"Umm...I manage...my parent's bakery now, I guess. Are you...still an idol? And Erena and Anju?"

"Ah, we're still idols. I hope you're living a life you're happy with, Honoka. Are you?"

"Hmm..."

Honoka looked down at the ground, a little bit more unsure of her life now.

"Oh?" Tsubasa tilted her head sympathetically. "If not, then what does make you happy in life? If µ's wasn't your lifelong dream either, then what do you aim for?"

Honoka still found herself at a loss for words; she wasn't sure if saying anything was the right thing to do here. She was happy with her work at the bakery, nor was she ever dissatisfied. Umi had once said differently about her own work in confidentiality, but...she was Honoka, not Umi.

Tsubasa interrupted before Honoka found the words to say: "I'm sorry, maybe this isn't the right time to be asking. Are you okay?"

She walked towards Honoka and turned her around. Honoka tried to comply, but instead lost her footing and started to fall.

Tsubasa caught her and brought her back to her feet, laughing a little.

"I'll walk you home."

Honoka didn't pay much attention to the streets Tsubasa guided her through silently; she sunk into a trance at the unrealness of her current situation, and what was happening. She was being walked home drunk by Tsubasa Kira in a silent neighbourhood.

Before she knew it, Honoka found herself standing outside her home, face-to-face with Tsubasa. It only felt like she'd walked one or two streets before getting here...

Still in her trance, Honoka surveyed Tsubasa for a few seconds, wondering what course of action to take, whether she should do something impulsive - after a few seconds, she hugged Tsubasa. It felt like the right thing to do.

"Thank you, Tsubasa..."
Tsubasa hugged her back gently without saying anything, ending the hug by moving Honoka away, holding onto her shoulders. Honoka thought she saw Tsubasa move forward a little to close in - but was unable to truly tell, as Tsubasa moved back, definitely keeping distance now, though still smiling.

"Goodbye, Honoka." Tsubasa said as she waved, crossing the street and disappearing into the alley like a ghost in the night.

Honoka entered her house, and walked straight to her room in a daze, removing her jacket and collapsing out onto her bed, falling asleep immediately.

Tonight she would sleep well.


Hopes and Dreams of µ's

Saturday night, June the 22nd.

At the end of Saturday as they lay in bed awake, every single member of µ's thought until the moment they fell asleep about their visits from a certain flame-haired guardian angel, and the ramifications of the plans she'd set into motion; what it would mean to see the rest of µ's, and how they had changed in the last decade, and what it would be to meet them again.

In this day lay the doubts, hopes and dreams of the fragments of a former school idol group.

Rin had managed to deal with stress long ago; she only wondered. Wondered about whether everyone was more mature than her, whether they could still handle her. For the most part, Rin was sound, and was prepared for whatever would happen come the Obon holidays.

Hanayo had managed to allay stress the same as Rin, a skill learnt from working with children as an assistant teacher in a primary school. Hanayo, too, only wondered, about how everyone would feel when they saw the new Hanayo, and if Nico was still into the idol scene. Like Rin, Hanayo would fall asleep in peace, prepared for whatever came her way.

Maki did worry, however; she was no stranger to worry, having stressed her way through 7 years of university to obtain her doctorate. She stressed about how her patients would fare while she was away, and her fellow doctors, but most of all she stressed about the ever unpredictable Honoka; would her plans go through? Honoka was never as meticulous as her, or even Umi or Eli.

Kotori could barely even focus - her mind still raced with her memories of the video call with Honoka and Umi, and she wondered if everyone else would be as nice as them. Kotori did not worry, no, she did the opposite. Kotori was nothing but excited for her meeting, and planned fully on hugging Umi and Honoka tightly when she met them.

Umi worried the most of all. She worried about Honoka in the back of her mind like she'd been doing for the last 25 years of her life, but this time she worried about one person in particular: Maki. She worried about whether things would be different when they met in person again - they hadn't fallen out - they'd simply lost contact, but Umi felt a jolt of forgotten longing when she remembered the slow kiss they'd shared at the end of the day when they'd met for coffee in Kyoto during Maki's university course (something that was meant to only be a brief lunch meeting). She felt like Maki didn't miss her like she missed Maki, and it was nothing but a mistake born of a one-sided feeling. Umi was afraid of dealing with the consequences of what had happened 5 years ago, but she knew deep down she had to face danger and uncertainty head on; she had to talk to Maki. It was the only way to end her own worry.

Eli and Nozomi knew no doubt, or the concept of uncertainty; Nozomi's complex management skills picked up from years as a career woman combined with her instinct and Eli's own planning skills, maturity and arrangement as a former student council president and a florist had meant they had the potential to go up against the world and win. They knew how to handle their drink, having had more than Honoka; still clear-headed, they were unstoppable. No worries, no words; after an extra hour in the hotel room together after getting back, Eli and Nozomi lied in each other's arms until they fell asleep.

Nico wasn't particularly thinking much; her thoughts felt like static on an untuned TV, drowning out any coherent thoughts she might have had. She was too emotionally exhausted to think, as she had been for most of the last 12 years. Nico went to sleep without a word in her thoughts, none she remembered anyway.

For a brief few hours in a fixed period in time in the universe, every single member of µ's lay asleep in their beds, dreaming. Like their waking hours, most dreamt also of the events of the last week or two, specifically, their visit from a certain orange-haired guardian angel; some didn't dream at all, not having had any dreams for a while.

Honoka dreamt of her own guardian angel as she lay face down on bed in full clothing; Tsubasa Kira, the idol from her home town, her former rival/friend. It was a vivid dream that Honoka would remember for a long time...

Honoka stood in the crowd at the front of the stage at the Tokyo Dome. The hall was packed to capacity, shoulder-to-shoulder, illuminated with pulsing lightning blue, and she swayed back and forth with the motion of the crowd to the red-hot beat of the music. She looked up to see A-RISE in brilliant, intricate black, red and gold phoenix-themed outfits; the wings and frills of the outfit were ablaze, though the fire did not spread, appearing to behave itself. Their fire forming afterimages on the stage, Erena, Tsubasa and Anju switched formations and moved as a trio with blinding speed, singing the song she'd heard in central Akihabara. At the front of the formation, Tsubasa moved forward to the very edge of the stage reached out her hand to Honoka, inviting her up to stage; the crowd raised Honoka up and lifted her onto the stage, Tsubasa pulling Honoka up proper. Honoka looked at her arms and realised she was wearing the same phoenix outfit as the three members of A-RISE; she didn't feel fire on her skin, but she felt it in her veins and she knew what to sing, what to do. Honoka joined A-RISE on their song and moved her body, but...something felt wrong. She was just barely executing the moves A-RISE were so effortlessly doing, and she was finding herself losing her breath and tiring out very quickly, like time was slowing down. Honoka noticed time was slowing down - as her muscles slowed from exhaustion, so did the crowd, the music and even A-RISE. She saw Anju laughing in delight, enjoying performing her own song; Honoka appreciated that Anju was enjoying herself, but...seeing her laughing in slow motion felt wrong to her, like something else might happen at any moment once it got slow enough. The lights eventually started to dim as time continued to slow down, and Honoka watched the crowd swallowed up by the darkness coming inward like fog. Eventually, Honoka saw A-RISE vanish, oblivious to the breaking of time and space, still dancing, and then it was just her and the lengths of her arms, fading to black.

Then darkness.