That was the first time Maki had ever been confessed to.
Well, not that it was particularly surprising anyway. While many people have acknowledged Maki's elegant red hair, lavish lavender eyes, slender fingers and her delicate piano playing, she had always attended all-girls schools out of her own free will. Sure, she had a handful of fans who had admired her musical talents, but most people were too intimated by the girl's beauty and wealth to really approach her personally.
Therefore, not only did Maki not have any potential love interests, but she also didn't have many friends to speak of - not that she minded anyway. From a young age, she had always been focused on studying so she could inherit her family's business as soon as possible. It wasn't really her idea to do so, but she had never wavered from this path.
Well, not until she was approached by the troublesome Kousaka Honoka anyway. From the moment she joined Muse, the other eight members showed her that life wasn't just a straight road to the future, there were more things to be discovered and passions to explore. She was incredibly grateful for Honoka and her persistence that led her to joining the group and everyone else that guided her.
Yes, naturally, she was also very thankful for having Yazawa Nico in her life.
From the minute she met Nico, Maki knew that most of the time, Nico was not someone that she should take seriously. Maki viewed Nico as the childish upperclassman who had a short temper and a constant need for attention. She also knew that Nico wasn't exactly the best at her studies.
'I shouldn't get too involved with her in case she's a bad influence,' was Maki's first thought about Nico. Following her gut instincts, she limited her contact with the club president as much as possible.
Of course, that plan didn't go as expected.
Even though Maki tried her best to stay away from Nico, it seemed to be the opposite for the older girl. It appeared that Nico could not leave Maki alone for whatever reason.
'Fine. She can do whatever she wants to, I guess,' Maki thought to herself, finally giving in and loosening up. It was around this time when Maki began to understand Nico a bit better.
"You're all too naive!" Nico would shout in the club room whenever someone came up with an atrocious idea for their idol group. After getting everyone's attention, she would continue her lecture, "Idols must be smiling at all times, even when they're in pain! The moment they step onto the stage, they're supposed to share their happiness and energy with the audience! That being said, we have to do this instead!"
Although Maki thought Nico was a bit delusional for spewing out lots of nonsense, she most definitely had to admit that she admired Nico's flare for idols because unlike Maki, Nico had something that inspired her greatly and lit up her world. It was her motivation and her torch to guide her through the path that would lead her to the future.
Maki had secretly envied the girl for that, but there was no way she could ever admit it.
Truthfully, Maki was very well aware of her beauty, her brains and her wealth - which were things most people didn't have. However, even so, every time she stepped in front of the mirror, she could only see an ordinary girl with the same unattractive indifferent expression on her face.
Was she discontent? Was she unhappy with her life? What more could she want anyway?
Maki spent ages pondering those questions to herself. Eventually, at one point, she even caught herself thinking about Nico and the upperclassman's happy life even when the Yazawa family didn't have a lot of money.
It was only after she spent more time with Nico that she started to understand the girl a bit better.
Every time Maki was remotely down, Nico would always approach the girl, even if just for a quick moment, with the intention to cheer her up.
"What's wrong, Maki-chan? Are you just sad you're not getting enough quality time alone with Nico-nii?" She would always use the same stupid joke without fail, but surprisingly, it never got on Maki's nerves. Still, that didn't stop Maki from hiding her true feelings.
"Wha- Of course not! Don't decide things by yourself," Maki would retort.
"Hmm, is that so? Well, if you say so, but if you're lying to me, I'll have Nozomi give you one of her divine punishments!" Nico would respond before going back to whatever she was doing.
'It's not like you'd understand anyway.'
But the more Nico stopped to make Maki happier, the more Maki was intrigued by the girl. Before she knew it, the two girls would spend lots of time together, but they weren't exactly getting along. Having come from two different worlds, Maki would constantly find herself tangled up in ridiculous quarrels with Nico. They just had to have a difference of opinion for almost everything.
Still, Maki was far more interested in the girl than she'd like to admit. It amazed the musical prodigy to see Nico's beaming red eyes whenever she talked about idols or the dazzling and shining wide smile the club president would give when she danced, sang or performed. She was captivated by Nico's stupidity, foolishness and her absolute love for idols.
It really came as a big shock to Maki when she was confessed to by the one she had always secretly admired. Of course, being two people who had always infuriated each other to no end, Maki kept up her stoic persona.
She rejected the girl without so much of a second thought, but looking back on it now, she primarily did it out of nervousness - especially since Maki was never one to be honest with her own feelings.
Did she want to go out with Nico? She had no idea herself. She had never been in a relationship, much less with an idiot. However, one thing was clear to her though.
At this rate, she wouldn't be able to stay with Nico forever.
In the first place, Maki thought it was really cold of her to have rejected her so coldly in the first place. Luckily, Nico wasn't repelled by this and was still determined to win her over.
And that was exactly why Maki sought Nozomi, the fortune telling master, for help.
"So you rejected Nico-chi, hmm?" Nozomi asked Maki without even requiring an explanation. The red-haired girl was perplexed by Nozomi's level of spiritual power, but decided to ignore it to spare her own sanity.
"W-Well, yeah," Maki mumbled under her breath, "but I really didn't mean to."
"Then you really are into Nico-chi after all?" Nozomi inquired. Maki flinched and started to wave her hands defensively in front of her face.
"N-No, that's not it at all! I-I just... didn't mean to reject her, that's all."
"I see. I would usually be all for assisting you, but," Nozomi inched closer to Maki and smirked, "the cards are telling me not to help someone who can't even be honest with her own feelings."
Maki could feel her face turning beet red at Nozomi's comment. Being honest with her feelings? What was that supposed to mean?
"Nico-chi must be waiting all alone in the club room right now. This is your chance to stop by if you want some privacy, if you know what I mean," Nozomi said with a wink. She patted Maki on the shoulder before walking away. "Good luck!"
"Huh, what?! Nozomi!" Maki shouted after the third year student, but Nozomi ignored her. Out of frustration and desperation, Maki tailed after Nozomi, only to be led to the Muse club room.
"Stay here for a second," Nozomi ordered the first year girl. Maki, who was never one to disobey orders, complied, even though she knew what was to come soon.
Not even a minute later, her predictions were fulfilled when Nozomi came out the door... of course, with Nico following right behind her. The two girls briefly made eye contact before Nico turned to the other third year girl.
"Nozomi!" she yelled.
"Hehe, I'll leave the rest up to you two! It looks like Maki-chan has something to say to you, Nico-chi! With that said, I'm off to help Eri-chi again, so good luck~" Nozomi waved her hand at the two girls and walked away as soon as possible.
Maki could feel the tension in the air as soon as she was left alone with Nico. Well, not that the awkwardness wasn't to be expected anyway.
"S-So... Nice weather we're having today, right?" Nico spoke up, breaking the silence. Maki arched an eyebrow at the girl, but the strange comment somehow alleviated the pressure that was being put on Maki.
Maki took a deep breath and mustered up all of her courage to look Nico in the eye.
"Nico-chan... Let's get to know each other better."
A/N: Wrote this on a whim. I promise the next chapter will actually bring development! For some reason, I felt the need to recap through Maki's perspective this time. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm really inspired right now, so I've got lots of story ideas ready to be written down. Stay tuned for more!