Girl: *sighs* I'm still stuck here…
Just get started already!
Girl: Yeah, yeah. *rolls eyes* So first of all, for lianacim14, there will be more HonoMaki scenes. This is a HonoMaki fic after all. KevinCruelz, the tail and ears didn't pop up when Maki kissed Honoka, they came up when Honoka started petting her. It basically shows how happy she is even though she doesn't say it.
Yay! Name suggestions!
Girl: Why don't I have a name? I'm already in my teens. Even those kids from the future already had names.
Because you are special. Name suggestions are: Houki, Korin/Kourin, and Ellie. Please vote on which name and/or spelling in the review section below.
Girl: Chinorwegia does not own Love Live but she owns me as an original character but neglected to give me a name or anything else beyond hair and eye color.
Hey! I'm not paying you to do that!
Girl: You're not paying me at all!
The way that the first-years were gaping at the menu gave off the impression that they hadn't gone inside a fast food place before.
"Um…" Kotori said. "What do you three want?" The second years had already placed their orders and were now waiting for the first-years to do so as well.
"Hm…" Maki pretended to be thinking about it but she really had no idea what they should order in a place like this.
"Just get us what you're having nya!" Rin said cheerfully. The cat-like girl was oblivious to the glare Maki sent her way as Kotori nodded and placed the orders.
"H-how much does it cost? We'll pay you back…" Hanayo said, pulling out a wallet,
"No, it's fine!" Kotori said, waving the money away. "We've got it covered this time!"
'Shit. Now we owe a debt to these vampires.' Maki clenched her fists and a low growl sounded from her throat. She had to force herself to relax. 'I suppose we should be grateful. We don't have that much extra money.'
The six of them ate at the same table but there wasn't much conversation going on. Afterwards, they split up and went in their separated directions. Honoka trotted back to her house, careful to keep under the umbrella.
"Looks like there's some time left in the day. Might as well open up the shop." Her home was actually a two floor building, with a sweet shop on the first floor and a living area on the second floor. Due to her living alone and being a vampire, the shop had no set hours. She just opened when she felt like it and closed when she felt like it. There were always some customers just walking around waiting for the store to open. Honoka had just made it back to the cash register when the door opened with a bell chime.
"Welcome to my shop!" Honoka greeted the customer. 'He must have come before if he goes directly to a certain product instead of looking around.' Honoka noticed, careful not to let the smile drop from her face.
"I'd like a pound of these." The man said, pointing to one of the sweets behind the glass counter Honoka was sitting behind.
"Okay!" Honoka said, grabbing a plastic bag and filling it up with the treat. She placed the full bag on a scale. "Do you mind if it's a little over a pound?"
"I don't mind."
"Is that all?" Honoka asked as she tied the bag shut. The man nodded. "That will be $5.01 please." The man passed her a ten dollar bill. She sighed, not liking to deal with change. Opening the cash register, she mentally calculated the change the man would need and gave it to him. He left without another word.
"…" Honoka closed up the shop again, not wanting to deal with any other customers. She went upstairs to her room and played dating sims on her computer. "Too bad none of these are real." She sighed as she finished yet another route. "But then again, who would fall in love with a vampire?" Looking over at the clock, she saw that it was already 8 pm. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she needed more food. "Good thing there's a convience store nearby." She zipped on a jacket and stepped out into the night. She walked quickly, wanting to ease her hunger as quickly as she could so she could get back to playing.
"Huh?" Honoka was just about to enter the convience store when she saw Maki sitting on the curb. She was still in her school uniform. 'Why is she out here in the cold instead of her house?' Honoka wondered. She walked over to the red-head, momentarily forgetting that she was hungry.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. Maki jumped slightly, not having noticed Honoka come near.
"I could ask you the same thing." Maki retorted after she recovered. She shivered and hugged herself tightly.
"I'm getting food. You want some?" Honoka offered. Maki shook her head. Honoka shrugged and went into the convience store. Maki stared at the asphalt in the parking lot.
Inside the store though, Honoka was still watching Maki. She noticed how the red-head was shivering even though no one else paid attention to the student. She went to the cashier and ordered three meat buns. After paying her, Honoka took her purchase outside and sat down next to Maki.
"Here." Honoka said, handing one of the meat buns to Maki. It was still warm, as evidenced from the steam.
"T-Thank you…" Maki mumbled, taking the offered food. She took a bite and smiled as it started warming up her body. Honoka imprinted the smile into her memory and took a bite of her own food.
"So. Why are you here?" Honoka asked again. Maki paused in her eating, the smile slipping off her face.
"Waiting for the store to close." She said in a whisper that Honoka was barely able to hear.
"Why?"
"The owner lets me sleep here after she closes down." Maki admitted, turning her face away from Honoka. 'Why am I telling her this? I don't want anyone's pity!'
"Don't you have a home to go to?" Honoka asked, bewildered.
"Me, Hanayo, and Rin share a house. But there's not enough room for all of us…and with Hanayo and Rin getting closer all the time…" She let the thought trail off. Honoka understood. After all, she had felt like a third wheel too when she was around Kotori and Umi.
"Don't your parents support you?" Honoka realized that was the wrong question to ask. Maki glared at her with angry eyes.
"Our parents supported peace with you vampires. They're all dead now and we were kicked out because we were pups who posed no danger to anyone. My family had lots of money, but that's all gone now." Then Honoka realized that Maki wasn't angry but that she was trying not to cry. The ginger-haired girl felt a surge of protective-ness in her and she put an arm around the younger red-head.
"Why don't you come with me, Nishikino-san? I live alone so there's more than enough room for you too." Honoka said.
"I don't need your help."
"I'm not helping you. You're helping me." Maki looked at her, confused. "I run a shop, but I can't open it during the daytime and it's hard to keep it going if it's just me. And there's no staff because I'm underage and shouldn't be hiring someone older than me anyway." Honoka explained. "So will you help me?"
"Can't be helped in that case then." Maki said, though Honoka could detect the gratitude radiating from the red-head.
"Then let's go home." Honoka said with a smile, pulling the werewolf to her feet.
Girl: …Review.
That's all you have to say?
Girl: It's not like I'm being paid for this.
I'm not being paid to write but I'm still writing aren't I?
Girl: You enjoy writing. I don't enjoy being here.
…Touche.
