The preparations were finally complete. The members of Muse were in the back changing into their costumes as Eli checked over everything to make sure it was okay.
Walls covered in decorative bats and witches from Nico's family? Check.
Nico's family would be arriving shortly, and her little siblings seemed excited to go to "Super Idol" Nico's Party.
Maki's strobe lights working and lighting up the room adequately? Check. Neon colors danced on the walls and the idols were pretty confident they'd help gather others to dance with them. Maki's music choice would be perfect for that as well. They'd already begun playing the playlist, certain that there were more than enough songs and there really was a nicely balanced variety. It was clear Maki placed a lot of effort into this task, even if she denied it.
Rin and Hanayo's baked treats prepared neatly and placed with drinks? Check as well. Those girls had really gone all out. They'd made 6-dozen cookies decorated like ghosts and pumpkins, and brought four kinds of drinks. Honoka's family also provided three boxes of mochi and other sweets that were sure to serve people's cravings. They were placed all together in the front of the room. Despite not having the budget to offer real food, it would likely still be enough to make guests happy, especially the students.
Eli noticed it was almost time and hurried to check over the last preparations.
Nozomi's charms and bells from the shrine were place near the doors? Check. Signs were placed by those decorations, courtesy of Nozomi herself. "Protective Seal! Will you dare to remove it?" Behind each is a sticker of a silly looking monster.
Nozomi really couldn't get enough of trying to scare others it seemed. Even after a party at school was decided, she still proposed some interesting suggestions.
"Thank you for coming over you three. Now just sit back, relax and I'll show you what I had in mind in just a moment." Nozomi instructed as she went into her room to change. Nozomi seemed a little more cheerful than usual, and the glint in her eyes right before she walked away made the others worry.
What exactly had they agreed to?
Nozomi convinced Nico, Maki and Eli to go to her place to see her "special performance" that she assured would be exactly what they needed to make their party shine. The three were currently seated on the floor in front of a low table covered in a unique red and purple cloth. Gold lines weaved throughout it and it had edges covered in brown tassels.
Suddenly the lights dimmed and Nozomi walked out in a long red and purple robe. Her head was covered by a shawl and there was a veil over the bottom half of her face. She approached the others without a word and sat across from them, placing a crystal ball on the table between them which she covered in a cloth of similar colors earlier.
The room suddenly felt colder, and the girls weren't doing well at hiding their apprehension. Behind the veil Nozomi smirked, amused with how well her plan was going.
"Thank you once again for gathering here tonight," Nozomi spoke slowly and with a deeper voice that seemed to resonate throughout the room. "Today you will be witnesses to a séance. Please join hands and look closely at the crystal ball."
Despite cold the room had gotten, the girl's could feel with sweat on each other's palms. None of them questioned Nozomi's plan, as they weren't too sure of what exactly a séance was.
Nico, who sat in the middle, couldn't hold back from shivering. Maki tried to appear neutral, but was struggling to keep her heart rate steady. She noticed how tense Nico was and held her hand tightly, shifting a little closer. Whether Nico noticed it or not, the smaller girl did seem visibly less anxious.
Eli was doing the worst out of the three, her fear of the dark amplifying the eerie atmosphere caused by what they were witnessing. It was unbearable. She forced herself to hold out though, at least until they'd seen what Nozomi's demonstration.
Nozomi began mumbling a chant none of the other girls could understand while she closed her eyes. She was obviously incredibly focused and the words were being repeated faster and faster.
The cloth on the table began to move and the crystal ball glowed with swirling blue light. The room was steadily getting colder as well, and a light fog gradually filled the air. Why in the world did they agree to this?
The girls, even Maki, were nearly on the verge of tears when Nozomi next spoke, "The spirits will join us soon."
She continued her chant louder and louder before finally yelling out, "Etativel!"
The table cloth was moving more fiercely now and all three of the other girls were shivering, Nico clinging to Maki with their eyes shut tight. The fog in the room now much more apparent.
"N-Nozomi, stop! Please that's enough." Eli begged, arms wrapped tightly around herself, too frightened to move.
When Nozomi finally saw a tear escape from those bright blue eyes she decided it was definitely time to stop. "Okay, you can open your eyes now. I told all the mean spirits to go away."
Hesitantly, both Nico and Maki opened their eyes. Nozomi had turned the lights back on and the room wasn't as cold anymore. Even the fog was slowly dissipating.
Eli let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. It took her a few seconds to calm her racing heart before finally admitting, "Sorry but I…I don't think we'll be able to include this at the party."
Nozomi crawled over to a still very fragile looking Eli and wrapped her arms around the other girl, laughing softly. "There's nothing to be sorry for. If anything I should be sorry. I didn't expect my little display would scare you all so much." Nozomi glanced towards Maki and Nico, who were currently in a similar position and raised an eyebrow, smiling.
Maki noticed the look and instantly built a bit of distance between her and Nico, ignoring the upperclassman's protest, and instead focused on hiding the blush covering her face. "Eli's right, there's no way we could show something this scary at the party. I mean, just look at how we were affected."
"What do you mean? I wasn't scared at all!" Nico protested. Everyone in the room gave her a look that made it clear nobody was falling for it. "O-okay well maybe it is a bit too scary."
Nozomi laughed loudly at that and lifted the table cloth revealing the fan underneath in addition to the water filled with dry ice which created the fog. It was all a simple trick.
Even though the ritual was no more than a fan, ice and some fancy lights tricks, the girls settled for a typical Halloween party instead.
Apparently the outfit Nozomi used that night was an old Halloween costume that she had planned to use again this year if not for Kotori's generous offer. Nozomi was one of the first to rush to the back.
Now that Eli remembered, she realized she should go change as well. They would officially start in less than ten minutes.
All of Muse gradually emerged from their dressing rooms fully dressed and admired Kotori clearly well thought out designs.
Kotori herself was the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, though her outfit was a bit different from the one seen on screen. She was dressed in a suit with her skirt coming just above her knees. Green and yellow were mixed and matched all over it for design, with certain areas sparkling, and were also the colors of the signature hat.
Umi was dressed very similarly though her colors were a mix of light brown, green, and a little gold. Instead of a hat she was given a pair of brown bunny ears as well as she was the March Hare, companion of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Though with how shy Umi felt to have the other's see her like this, she looked like a very timid business bunny instead.
"Umi-chan it looks great on you! Better than I could've imagined!" Kotori exclaimed, truly pleased with her work.
Umi gave her a bright appreciative smile as she was really happy that she and Kotori matched. The outfit was extremely charming on the other girl as well.
"Ahhh! Kotori-chan this is amazing! Thank you!" It was none other than Honoka who spoke next. Her outfit was none other than the Queen of Hearts. She wore a long red dress, covered in black and white hearts, along with a small crown on the side of her head. She even carried a scepter with a similar design in her hand. Kotori was certain to give her an eye catching costume since the school president needed to stick out in case anyone needed her. The costume suited Honoka perfectly.
Kotori giggled at her friends enthusiasm, "I'm glad you like it Honoka-chan."
"Nya, this one is great too!" Rin spoke up, extremely happy to be dressed a black cat. It's probably what she would've chosen if she gone out to buy a costume anyways. Her outfit was comprised of puffy black shorts and a black button-up blouse, both decorated with gold buttons and stripes. To complete the outfit she wore black cat ears, a tail and even paws, which she was currently waving around excitedly. She playfully swiped at Hanayo who was dressed as a witch.
Hanayo couldn't help but laugh at her friends antics, "R-Rin-chan, stop. That tickles!" She wore a long black long-sleeved dress. The top was designed in a corset style with bright green lace over it, and her sleeved were made of the same lace. Atop her head was the accompanying black witch's hat and in her hand a small broom to complete the outfit. The whole thing was lightly covered in sparkles, making the outfit look a bit more glamorous than the average witch.
Nico was dressed up as a…wolf? It was difficult to tell since she looked a lot more like a puppy. She wore a gray dress that puffed out at the bottom with a fuzzy collar along with matching gray paws, tail and ears. Though her outfit was simple, the grays came in a variety of shades making it look more like real fur.
Nico decided to pull similar antics as Rin but on Maki instead, who didn't respond nearly as well, "Ah, d-don't! I'll drop the basket!" Maki was dressed in a white blouse and red skirt with a matching red cloak hanging over her. In her hand was a basket that Nico was playfully trying to snatch. She was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and it seemed like Nico was perfect at playing the Big Bad Wolf.
Nozomi and Eli were the last to finish getting dressed as they had been busy helping others earlier. Nozomi wore a short, white frilly dress with silver lace around her chest and shoulders. On her back were a pair of fluffy white wings and above her head a bright yellow halo. Similar to Hanayo's, her whole costume lightly sparkled and she gave a little twirl so the others could see the fully design.
Eli was dressed in a black corset-like top and tutu skirt bottom with black, pointed wings on her back and small horns on her head. The corset, skirt and wings had a bright red design flowing through them as well, giving a more elegant look. All in all her costume was a bit more revealing than the others, which she didn't really understand but assumed Nozomi may have made a request to Kotori…
She glanced toward said girl to find that Nozomi was indeed admiring the view.
Trying to hide her flush, Eli looked around to the others.
It looked like everyone had the same idea in mind and all at once they bowed. "Thank you Kotori!"
The party had now begun and the girls were split into groups and having a great time.
Kotori and Umi were already on the dance floor with Kotori letting loose and matching the music's rhythm perfectly. Umi was a bit more tense, feeling weird dancing in this kind of setting.
"C'mon Umi-chan, once you get into it it's easy!" Kotori encouraged.
Umi did her best to follow Kotori's lead and a smile rose to her face as she became more comfortable. After a few minutes the girl's were incredibly in sync, likely the result of practicing other dances so much together.
Honoka was walking around greeting everyone and making sure they had a good time. Her energy was putting all the guests in high spirits and she even danced with numerous guests, ensuring they had fun.
Rin and Hanayo were over by the snacks, trying their own creations while chatting with some of the guests, often receiving compliments on the treats.
Maki was handing out some chocolates from her basket to the kids, until she was approaches by Nozomi who whispered something and was given a chocolate.
Nico, who was also entertaining the kids at the time, witnessed the scene and was confused by it. She trailed after Nozomi to see what she was up to.
Nozomi went to Eli who had been getting them drinks, "Elichi~ I have a surprise for you! Open your mouth and close your eyes."
Eli stared back at her skeptically, "You can't be serious…" When she realized Nozomi was just waiting patiently without uttering another word she did as requested.
Quickly, a small ball was placed on her tongue and hesitantly Eli closed her mouth. She savored the flavor once she realized it was chocolate, and high quality chocolate at that. She opened her mouth ready to give Nozomi her thanks until she noticed how close the other girl was.
"Is it good?" Nozomi inquired. Without wasting another moment, the spiritual girl moved forward, closing the distance between their lips. The kiss was deep, but brief and before Eli fully comprehended what had happened it was over. "Mmm, oh, very good."
"Nozomi..." Eli stared back still dazed from the kiss and even more so with the look Nozomi was giving her. It felt like their costumes were very mismatched. Nozomi was definitely more the more evil one.
"You two need to get a room." Nico mumbled from the side, not loud enough to catch the attention of the other two girls.
She was about to walk off when she was caught by surprise. A flustered Maki was standing beside her, "Maki?! How long hav-."
Nico was cut off mid sentence and Maki hurriedly stuffed a chocolate like the one Eli had into her mouth. It really was high quality. She noticed that Maki face was only becoming flusher. Did she want to imitate Nozomi and Eli? The smaller girl smiled to herself, Maki was being so bold, and puckered her lips.
"D-don't get the wrong idea! I just wanted you to try one…" Maki denied, though it wasn't very convincing.
Nico reached up to give the younger girl a quick kiss on the cheek. "It was really sweet, thanks!"
Maki's face somehow managed to become as red as her cloak after that.
Eventually all of Muse ended up on the dance floor together, dancing in a circle with each other and were pretty in sync. Maki's music choice really was great. It was a lot of songs they had danced too in the past so it was easy for the girls to follow the rhythm.
Eventually a crowd formed around them and they all spread out to dance with the guests.
Little kids laughed with Honoka and Nico as they did silly dances. Umi and Eli were actually teaching a few students some of the harder dance moves. The others danced around just making sure everyone was having a good time.
As the party was coming to a close all of their energy was spent. The girl's were already finished with cleaning up and were about to head home for the night.
"Everyone, this was absolutely perfect!" Honoka shouted right before everyone parted ways. She looked incredibly happy, reflecting the expression of the rest of the girls.
The night had truly been a success. It was true, they could do anything when they all worked together. It ended up better than any Halloween they could've imagined.
Author's Note
Hi everyone! So sorry this really late...life got busy around Halloween. Hopefully you guys haven't lost your spirit though and are still able to enjoy the story.
This chapter was pretty rushed so I'm sorry again for that. I'll try to give myself enough to for future stories.
Big thanks to CharlotteValentine who initially suggested this story and also gave the inspiration for the séance scene! It was definitely my favorite part to write.
As always, I'd really love to know what you think and if you have any suggestions for how to improve future stories.
Hope you all had an amazing Halloween. :)