I don't own Love Live

Enjoy this long chapter.


Nico held her gaze to the white door, brows furrowed in focus as she strained her trained ears to listen every sound behind the closed door.

She pressed the side of face and heard a whiff of melodious voice, harmonizing with each words and rhymes. The song was foreign and Nico remembered her mother often play it back home.

"…and it's me you need to show… How deep is your looooveee…"

The voice wavered at the end of the note, sounding broken and bitter as if the lyrics weren't sappy enough already. Nico heaved a sigh and finally entered the room.

Maki had a beautiful voice so it's nice to hear her singing like this. The sappy song, fortunately, brought the best of her voice as she ended her singing with a closing ad-lib.

"Come on, Maki. Bee Gees is not going to make your mood better and what you sing is not even their happy songs."

Maki looked at Nico, completely indifferent at the older girl's sudden interference.

"How about Friday I'm in Love? But sadly today's not Friday and I'm not in love."

Maki covered her face with a pillow when Nico joined her on the bed.

"You're acting like a kid. Care to tell Nico-nii your problem?" she put her hand on Maki's belly and caressed the skin suggestively. "Or maybe you want to skip the talking?"

Nico knew Maki was never good with words and always ran to music whenever she had a bad day. Despite her blunt personality and her enormous pride, Maki was actually quite sensitive and seeing her moody like this had made Nico worry.

"Damn. You look like shit."

Maki sent Nico a flash of her middle finger. "Why are you here? I remembered I changed the lock."

"You forget to lock the door, stupid. I know this apartment has the best security but don't get too careless," Nico answered sharply. "You should be lucky Nico-nii is here instead those piss-smelling fratboys."

"Cute, Nico. Did you make that on yourself?" Maki waved her hand in dismissal.

Nico sighed as if she's the one who had her heart broken and went to the grocery bag on the floor. The rustling caught the redhead's attention because Maki was peeking from behind the pillow. She showed her face to Nico completely when the older girl opened a can of tomato juice from Maki's favorite brand.

"I'm not accepting gratification," Maki sneered at the sight as she took the juice. The redhead opened the can and swallowed the content in big gulps. Her face went through various expressions from bored, surprised, disgusted, and—unsurprisingly— ending in agony.

Maki put down the can. "The juice tastes like a mix of turpentine and brown sugar. Did you check the expiration date?"

Nico took offense at the statement but she didn't say anything. Taking the can, she sipped the juice and frowned. The juice tasted fine.

"Can you stop speaking in tongues and tell me what's going on?

Maki scoffed. Her mind was a mess. She couldn't rely on her logic anymore because of certain someone. She wished she could just sleep and forget about everything—if she could— but Maki didn't want to sleep because all she could think was Umi. It didn't bode well with her.

"The research I've been doing will likely end up failure because the research mouse I'm using is messing with my head. The mouse is immune to any kinds of chemicals I used. Surprisingly, it also infected me with a dangerous disease; it's frustrating."

Nico cringed at Maki's riddle but she knew Maki was telling the truth.

"Umi's driving you crazy eh?"

"I'm not crazy," Maki replied, collapsing back to the bed. She turned her back on Nico and took her phone. "Not yet."

Nico then took the liberty to lounge around Maki's spacious unit. She opened the mini fridge and found it packed with instant food, which was ironic because Maki didn't seem to care about her health despite her status as a medical student.

Once she returned, she found Maki was asleep while loosely holding her phone. Carefully picking the phone, Nico pressed a random button to illuminate the display.

I want to see you.

Maki fell asleep before sending the message. Pressing another button, the screen showed an image of a sleeping Umi, bare and glowing, with a glimpse of white sheet covering her chest. Maki probably took it when she was straddling Umi.

Nico sighed. Maki was never this attached to someone, not even when Nico was still dating Maki. Jealousy brimmed inside her chest but Nico ferociously kept the unwanted feelings away. Putting the phone down, Nico walked to the door to leave the unit.

Nico pressed a button on her phone and called Eli. Her voice reverberated on the hallway as she listened to the beeping tone.

"And it's all fun and games until somebody fall in love."


Umi scribbled some words on her notebook before turning the page of her textbook she's currently reading. She had to finish her paper about global economy before the end of the week. Umi was glad the library wasn't that crowded—

"Do you know where I can find Kama Sutra?"

Umi almost snapped her pencil in half as she looked up to see the crazy person who asked such shameless thing. A student sitting beside her gave a dirty look before leaving.

"I believe there's no such thing in here, Nozomi."

Nozomi grinned and sat on an empty chair in front of Umi. Her naughty smile was quite disarming.

"You're here alone? Where's Maki?"

Umi put down her pencil; her mood suddenly went sour. "I don't know. I'm not her mother."

"But you're dating her. Everyone and their mothers know that."

Umi didn't know which one she wanted to do most: rolling her eyes or blushing like mad. She did the later. "We're not dating and will never be."

It sounded half-hearted but Nozomi accepted it. "Whatever suits you."

Umi stared at her reflection in Nozomi's aviator, and dared to guess that Nozomi was staring back at her. Feeling self-conscious, Umi quickly hid her face behind the book.

"You're cute. A bit shy, but still cute."

Umi made a face. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"And know how to clap back too. No wonder Maki is falling for you," Nozomi grinned.

"Say that one more time I'll-"

Nozomi raised her hands. "Whoa there, missy. The news is just there and I'm always in for latest gossips," she put down her aviator to show her green eyes. "But enough about you. Let's talk about something else."

"Okay," Umi agreed while nodding her head. She's glad with the sudden change of topic."Please tell Eli to keep her hands to herself. Honoka is not her punching bag."

"Eli?" Nozomi's brow rose at the statement. "You should tell her yourself. I don't know anything about that."

"You were there at the party. Surely you're sober enough to pay attention about it," Umi reasoned without missing a beat.

The older girl's lips pursed to a thin line. "They brought these themselves. Besides, they're not my friends. Why should I care?"

"But you invited them."

"Nope."

Honoka and Nozomi weren't that close, but Eli was another case. Both Nozomi and Eli were practically ready to pounce at each other every time they're together. "Eli's not your friend?"

"We're not friends," Nozomi deadpanned.

"But you're always flirting with Eli."

Nozomi shrugged. "Flirting is not befriending spelled backward, hon."

"Oh," Umi decided not to pry more answer.

She understood that some people prefer to keep their relationship casual. That's what she'd been doing with Maki (although she didn't know how long it'd last).

The only stable relationship she knew was Honoka and her designer girlfriend. Honoka might be a bit on the wild side and Kotori probably still believed in tooth fairies but their relationship was strong and enduring.

"You up for another party this week?"

Umi looked up, eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know why Nozomi invited her, or why now of all times. She contemplated to refuse but she was curious too.

"Where?"

"My place. And bring Honoka with you. Nico will definitely be there too."

Umi's brow knitted. "More trouble?"

"That's the plan," Nozomi agreed with a huge grin. "Honoka wants to settle with Eli. Nico probably will ask for a rematch with me because she wants her money back."

"Money for what?"

"To die another day," was all Nozomi said. She put on her aviator back as she stood up. "Coming?"

"Maybe."

Nozomi took Umi's pencil and wrote something on the corner of Umi's notebook. "Here's the address. The party won't start soon, so be late 'kay?"

Umi accepted the note with small smile. "Thanks."

Nozomi was already on her feet, running her fingers through her long hair. Staring down at Umi, Nozomi gave another smile.

"Why don't you ask Maki to come with you? You know, that girl needs to see the light of the day."

Umi felt her cheeks getting hotter at the mental image of a certain redhead. "Never gonna happen. Maki hates party and I'm sure she-"

"I'm sure she'd be happy to go."

Umi slinked back to her seat. No way would she win this argument. "I hate you."

Nozomi cackled. "The pleasure is mine, dear."


Not far from where Umi sat, Rin was in the middle of reading a thick encyclopedia. Her favorite things were video games and books. She might not be on the bright side but she loved reading, especially history. And although some people found library boring, Rin always found library more entertaining than midnight parties.

"Rin-chan?"

She looked up from the book and eventually found Hanayo standing in front of her.

"Oh Kayo-chin. Something I can help?"

Hanayo's class was visiting library to research some classical literatures as a pre-requisite before finals. She already found what she came for and decided to prolong her welcome when she saw Rin sitting on the corner.

"Just looking around," the bespectacled girl answered. "Actually I don't know why I'm here either."

"This place is perfect for lost child. Let it embrace you, Kayo-chin," Rin replied with an easy smile. She put down the book and motioned at Hanayo to sit beside her, which the latter refused.

"What are you reading?"

"World history although most of them are bullshit. History is written by the winner I guess," said Rin as she closed the book. Then she turned her attention to Hanayo and noticed that her childhood friend was looking a bit flushed. "What's wrong?"

"Ah I'm fine. I'm just... Well, I have a problem with my final assignments. It's about world history. A-and I was wondering if you could help me out?"

Hanayo was never good with history and the teacher had warned her that if she failed this one, she'd need to redo the course next year. She looked up to Rin, silently hoping the other girl would help her.

"Sure," Rin replied.

Hanayo nodded, peeking at Rin with a shy smile. She had to say something but this girl was never good with words.

But Rin was still waiting for her, staring at her with those clear eyes and a curious tilt of her head. "Kayo-chin?"

That awkwardness again. Hanayo didn't know when it started but she knew what it was. It started when she was seven and everything went down from there.

It was frightening, the feelings she had, but Hanayo admitted she liked to feel butterflies in her stomach every time Rin was around.

"Can we start doing the assignments now? O-or if you're busy with something, we can do it tomorrow perhaps? Yes?"

Rin closed her book and stood from her chair. Slinging her bag, she trotted her way to the flustered girl. She took a moment to observe Hanayo; from her flushed cheeks and the way she fiddled her fingers, it took no genius to deduce what this girl had in mind.

"How about we go lunch together and try to finish that assignment of yours after that?"

Rin was glad her voice didn't waver. Watching Honoka flirting with her girlfriend on the phone had taught her some tricks alright. She had to hold her smirk at Hanayo's adorable squeak.

"You will?"

Rin tilted her head, winking.

"Let's get out of here."


"Yes. Kotori will continue her study in the States next month. I believe this is the best chance to show her talent in this business."

"Well, I wouldn't expect any less from Miss Kotori. Still young and already won numerous awards for her contribution in fashion industry. One of a kind indeed."

Kotori swirled her champagne, smiled, and nodded to show them that she's listening. She's not. She kept her eyes to the other side of this grand ballroom, particularly to a familiar ginger on her right. It's enough to make this boring banquet bearable.

"I heard Miss Kotori is single right now? There must be a lot of men dying to get to know you."

"Men?" Kotori scoffed at the statement. She couldn't imagine herself with men. It's a pretentious idea. "Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. I think I prefer to be with someone who doesn't treat me like a trophy. Now if you excuse me."

The banquet had been a tradition in her society. Everyone wore extravagant clothes and smelled like expensive perfumes. Executives, CEOs, stakeholders, conglomerates, and millionaires were rubbing their shoulders in this grand party. Music came from the corner where the musicians diligently played their instruments for entertainment.

It was a voluptuous scene and Kotori simply didn't understand the purpose of it all. People would talk at the same time, telling everyone their stories, which she thought were not even interesting to begin with, and laughed at anything that's not even funny.

Kotori didn't want to associate herself with them. She never liked to attend this kind of party, but she needed connections, so she had to force herself to go.

The ginger approached her and poured some more champagne into her glass. She left without a word, giving a passing glance that seemed like nothing for anyone who saw it. Minutes later, Kotori excused herself. Everyone was too drunk to notice her absence. Kotori didn't care.

She entered the restroom. Washing her hands, she heard a flushing noise from one of the stalls then a soft click of the locked door. Kotori kept her eyes to her hand, a smile pulled on her lips. The feeling of strong arms around her waist was… exciting.

"I begin to think you're stalking me, Honoka."

Honoka leaned her face on Kotori's shoulder. "I wonder," she whispered. "A friend offered me a job here. Never thought going to see you either."

"You sure you're not lying?"

"Why would I?"

"Because you're a bad liar and currently obsessed with me."

"Who doesn't?" Honoka hummed a dark tone in the back of her throat. Honoka could be a goofy airhead but she was also capable in striking a monosyllable sound that always turned Kotori cold inside out. "Those men are hitting on you."

"I believe I already made myself clear back then."

"Really?" Honoka pulled back to turn Kotori so the girl would facing her, blue eyes piercing into Kotori like a sword. Fingers softly touched her chin, holding it. "You don't sound too convincing."

"You're so annoying when jealous." Kotori closed as she tilted her neck to let those plump lips touched her skin. Each kiss was like fire for her, burning her slowly, hurting her, and she'd gladly embrace them all. "I still have to go back you know."

"Maybe it's time to use that expensive concealer you bought last week." Honoka chucked against her sensitive point and Kotori suddenly forgot the probability of getting caught having sex in the restroom.

As Honoka lifted her up onto the counter, Kotori quickly pushed up her white dress within seconds. This wasn't the first time for her, that she and Honoka had fucked in a bathroom—they did it almost like a ritual—but Kotori always yelped and whimpered like it's their first time.

She tangled her fingers on the ginger locks, breathing heavily through mouths while Honoka clumsily pulled her underwear. Honoka's hands were cold and bare, it almost burning her skin.

The mirror rattled with their harsh movements and Honoka stared at her reflection in the glass. For a moment, she felt disgusted at herself, with what she's doing and what she's going to do when Kotori finally left her, but Kotori moaned in her ear, smothered her insecurities until she felt sharp sting on her back and the eyes that stared at her were cloudy and tired.

"I'm sorry," Honoka whispered as she kissed the girl's sweaty forehead.

Kotori didn't say anything for she was still reeling. A moment later, Kotori pressed her lips on the side of Honoka's neck.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Honoka didn't get it at first but soon realization came to her as she eyed Kotori in weary.

"What? How did—"

Kotori was too weary to answer with a word so she kissed Honoka again and tightened her embrace. "You're the only one I've ever had. No way in hell I would leave you."

"Yeah," Honoka muttered quietly under her breath. "I won't stand a day without you here too."


Umi chopped the pepper slowly, tossed the pieces into the bowl and moved down to tomato. Both Honoka and Rin weren't at home. Honoka said she had a part time job somewhere while Rin was with Hanayo. It was Honoka who usually cooked for them and now that Honoka was absent, it's up to Umi to prepare herself a dinner.

She's supposed to attend the party tonight but Umi was too tired to go. She'd had a rough week and party was the last thing she needed.

A knock came from the door and Umi stopped. Umi frowned as she glanced at the clock. It's a bit late for an inspection.

She opened the door.

"It's a bit late for a visit, don't you think?"

"I'm a student of this academy. I have access to enter this place."

Indeed she was, but the dorm's gate was closed at ten and Maki probably bribed the security to let her in.

"And why are you here?" Umi asked. She opened the door wider but hadn't invited Maki to enter the room. She didn't want to.

"Just wandering around."

"This late? Doing what?"

Violet irises stared straight at her. "Looking for a psychiatrist because I'm slowly losing my mind."

Umi looked down and tried to keep herself from smiling. She let Maki enter the room and locked the door. Turning around she saw Maki was sitting on the counter, chewing the sliced tomato she deliberately took from the bowl.

"Okay, but what are you really doing here?"

"You seriously want me to say it?" Maki started to sound annoyed.

"Is that too much to ask?"

"Why do you have to make this complicated?"

Umi dropped her hands on her sides as she saw Maki was looking away from her. These conversations were never going to get them anywhere, Umi realized, but Maki was a tough shell to crack and this was the only way she could talk. Umi would take the chance she get.

Umi took a deep breath, she didn't dare to move an inch. This was her room, but in reality it's Maki's own territory. Maki owned everything Umi had.

"If this is all we're going to do, I think you should leave now."

Maki wanted to leave, and she would do just that if she was in the right mind, but apparently she was a bit confused with the situation and it pissed her off.

Umi waited for a response but Maki was busy looking at the shelf where Rin stored her video games. The older girl contemplated to sigh but she had been sighing too much these days, so she just shook her head.

"I took my time to visit you and you're going to throw me out just like that?" Maki asked again, jumped off the counter and walked close to Umi. "Imagine how difficult this is to me, Umi."

That's not the answer Umi wanted to hear. She should've known.

"Just come here and kiss me," Maki whined.

"Go kiss Nico for all I care."

"She doesn't kiss like you," Maki hung her head, muttering to the floor than to Umi.

"My face is up here you know."

Maki had too much of a pride. She refused to bow down to anyone or anything, even it would hurt her later.

"I'm numb when I'm with you. A good kind of numb, I can forget everything. I like it when I kiss you, when you're naked," she walked to Umi, cornering her against the wall. "That's all I can tell you."

Umi scoffed. Her finger traced the detailed lining of Maki's blouse and she smiled at the absurdity of this situation. "Still not enough for an answer."

"Oh? And can you provide a better answer?"

Umi thought of her feelings for Maki and if she's careful enough to look, maybe she'd find love inside the myriad of emotions she had for this girl. Maybe. "I hate you actually."

Maki stepped back, completely torn in between angry that Umi hated her or she was more shocked at the brutal honesty. Umi held a smile; Maki was always so easy to read.

"You're a narcissist. Unfair, despicable, rude, standoffish, spoiled, and vile. I loathe everything about you."

Maki was glaring at Umi with fury. From her wrinkled brows and the way she clenched her jaw, Umi prepared herself to strike one last blow.

"And regardless how awful you are as a person, yes, I do love you."

And as if someone threw a bucket of ice cold water to her face, Maki felt her body shivering all over. It made her more confused—more agitated. She never considered love as an option because she's afraid of the consequences it would bring. Love was bound to promises; it turned people stupid, dependent. She refused to be that idiot and yet here she was.

Umi looked at Maki, but Maki wasn't looking at her, somehow making this confession worthless. She walked past Maki, intending to finish her salad, and Maki's voice roped her in.

"You think love is enough?"

Umi could hear her beating heart in this silence. She didn't have a proper answer for that. The future seemed so far, covered in uncertainty. "It's not," she closed her mouth and tried again. "But I can love you and I think that's good enough."

Maki groaned. This wasn't how she planned it. She never thought Umi would easily destroy her defense with such simple answer. Umi made her want to hope, to believe that this happiness would last.

Maki pulled Umi close, messily unbuttoned her blouse, and pressed her feverish palm against Umi's flat stomach.

"What you have is just a wishful thinking. You'll leave me like everyone else," she muttered. Fingers on the back of Umi's neck, Maki kissed her, sucking the air from Umi's lungs and Umi was sure her poor heart would explode.

"Say it, Maki. I know you understand," Maki smothered her with another kiss. Umi didn't know how she's able to survive this onslaught. "Say it. Please."

"We are a mistake," the redhead breathed, lips only millimeters apart. "And if this mistake can keep me with you—as crazy as it seems— I will do it all over again."

The confession… it was pure Maki. Incomprehensible, passionate, burning slowly. It rendered Umi weak, unable to think, giddy, exceptionally jolly—all at once.

This relationship would destroy her someday but, as Maki eloquently said, she'd stay for the ride for she was already in love with Maki.


The music was extremely loud; it pounded through her body, shaking the bones. The bass practically drowned out the cheers and shouts. Lights flashed red, yellow, blue, green, and lasers bounced off the walls following the rhythm.

She checked her surroundings. Nico, currently having another drinking game on the bar. Umi and Maki… Eli shrugged, probably busy playing chess or whatever it was. Honoka, that girl was screwing around with her rich girlfriend. Nozomi… now where the hell was she?

She leaned to the bar and sipped her drink. The music was good and she found herself nodding to follow the beat. She grinned to herself when she saw Nico stomped angrily to her. From the look of her face, girl looked like having her ass kicked again.

"Losing again?" Eli asked as she put her glass down.

Nico grumbled. "Stop talking."

Eli ordered a glass of water. Smiling at the bartender, she pushed the glass to Nico's face, which the girl accepted with a sulky face.

"Where's Nozomi? I need to settle score with her," Nico quipped as she drank the water.

"That girl you challenged a minute ago has a low alcohol tolerance and you can't even win against her."

"Shut up. I need my money back," Nico balled her fist at the thought. "I need something to keep me going until next week."

Eli observed Nico closely. This girl had been a promising type. Nico was witty, ambitious, quick on her feet, resourceful, and having a head as tough as nails. Her mother was a single parent and had to take care another three children and Nico did not want to be a nuisance. She tried not to depend on anyone else even if it meant she had to do something questionable to ensure her survival.

Nico wasn't a bad person per se. She only made too many mistakes in her life.

"You don't have to do this," Eli surmised.

Nico sneered without looking at Eli. "I can live just fine with the way I am now. I still get food, money to keep me from dying, a roof above my head. At least I'm not a whore."

"Just barely," Eli quipped.

"But still livin'," Nico slapped her glass onto the bar, looking considerably bright as if she hadn't consumed any liquor at all. "You're blessed with grace while I'm blessed with suck. We're all not as lucky as you, Eli."

Eli's lips formed a tight smile. Nico's words were like acid on her and she knew she had to do something about it. Unfortunately, Nico wasn't all that happy to receive any form of pity.

"Hey," Eli put her hand on Nico's shoulder before the girl walked away. Curious crimson met clear blue, Nico raised her brow at Eli's sudden gentleness. "You can crash my place if you want."

A satisfied smirk was all Nico give. "Thanks but don't get your hopes up. My services ain't cheap."

"Get out of here."

Nico sent her a wink and disappeared into the dancing crowds. Eli silently prayed for Nico's survival tonight. As much as she disliked Nico's preferences, she cared for the girl like she's her sister.

Whatever. Tonight would just like any other nights: crazy, destructive, plain fun. Tomorrow's still far away and she'd enjoy this moment.

She pranced up the stairs and checked a few rooms. There's no sight of Nozomi. Eli frowned as she walked down the hallway.

She pushed the door to master bedroom. Cool air rushed onto her, evaporating the heat she had gathered from the dance floor below. She padded across the room and found Nozomi in the balcony, looking up at the sky.

"Toujou."

The girl smiled. "Ayase."

She stood beside Nozomi but instead mirroring what Nozomi did, she had her eyes on Nozomi.

And no, Eli wasn't looking at Nozomi like an predator to its prey. It was a very appreciative stare, tracing each curve with admiration, as if she's running invisible fingers all over Nozomi.

"People are looking for you," Eli began.

"People? You mean Nico?"

The taller girl laughed. "She's one of them."

"How's she doing?"

"Definitely losing."

"That's too bad. Well, I guess I have to play a bit easy tonight."

"She's not going to be happy if she knows you lost on purpose," Eli acknowledged with a small smile.

"That's her problem. I'm here to entertain after all."

"Actually you're more than that."

Nozomi turned her head to look at Eli. She faltered. Only Eli could give her a look that made her feel thousand different feelings in a millisecond.

"Oh God, you're in love with me."

"Now that's reaching. I never said that!"

"It's written all over your forehead."

Eli's face went red. "You're not making this easy for me."

"But I'm making you happy," Nozomi smiled, the same easy smile that Eri was so fond of. "Nozomi the happymaker. How's that sound to you?"

Her brain was whirling for another reply but she found none. Eli cursed under her breath. She's supposed to be the cool one here, the dominant one. Only Nozomi who had control over her like this.

"I think you owe me a drink, Nozomi," Eli mumbled, leaning against the railing. "And probably a dance too."

"And then what? A kiss on your cheek?"

Eli glanced at Nozomi and stayed like that for a moment. Gentle but calloused fingers swept along Nozomi's face, brushing Nozomi's bangs aside so Eli could see those brilliant eyes. "That'd be nice."

Nozomi held on Eli's hand, kissing the palm, enjoying the its roughness against her soft lips. "Gladly, Elicchi."

Eli and Nozomi weren't like those couples who need to reassure themselves with declaration and empty promises. They didn't say 'I love you' to each other like those hopeless romantics.

They're just them.

And it's not a bad thing.