I...got in T1 in the Nico event! Triple the the Nicos!

I ended up in T3 for the Eli event in JP though, oh well…

But medfes was great, had tons of fun!

Ahem.

This is the main reason why this came out late as it is. My apologies.

Right! Next Chapter time! This'll be longer than my usual chapters, and it's Nico-centric. Yay! I mean, it's the perfect chapter number to write about the dead, right (if you count the prologue as chapter 1 at least)? /Note: 4 means death, etc/

Enjoy!

The Science of Spectral Magnetism

Chapter Three

I see the ends of the sky

The distant world that nobody knows about

Surely the small stars shine

In the same night sky

"Whoa...I picked the perfect night for this. Lucky!" An excited ebony haired lass said as she looked through her camera lens a vivid sea of lights down below, representing the perpetually busy city of Tokyo. True to her junior's description, the view from the overarching hilltop by the Hibiya park was the perfect spot for a good star photography. Yazawa Nico grinned in satisfaction as she took a snap of the scenery.

Being an arts major in photography, she developed a habit of just snapping away with her trusty camera at every moment or instance she deemed was something that should be captured. She was admittedly biased to certain motifs so her pictures consisted mostly of specific photographic subjects—one of them were the constellations and another were idols. She loves idols, very much so that it was an aspiration she bore almost all her life.

Almost because she ended up not becoming the idol she wanted to be. One who stood on a big and dazzling stage, dancing and singing to the melody of love and life, giving the people who listened the energy and happiness to give their all for tomorrow and their future—that kind of idol. In the grand scheme of things, that probably was for the best, she had to accept that fact with all the strength she could muster; fighting off her stubborn and misplaced pride. It was no secret that she was reluctant in just letting go of a dream that she worked towards all this time.

But some dreams will only remain dreams, she needed to set it aside; understand the difference between ambition and reality. Besides, it was silly, she was just not the right person to provide such positive feelings to anyone—a brooding and selfish failure of a sister. Not everyone was as fortunate to even be aware of their objectives, she was already lucky in that regard. Of course she was.

"Koutarou would love this…" She absently murmured to herself as she slowly set up a tripod.

Yazawa Kotarou was only 5 when he had been diagnosed of cardiomyopathy. There was no way of knowing about it prior because he had been born with a record of having a healthy, normal heart—until one day he was just found fainted on the floor by Nico. She remembered crying so hard, running frantically towards the hospital as she carried her lifeless sibling's body. Cursing herself for being so slow, for being athletically weak, for being so self absorbed that she failed to notice something this important. She remembered praying to every god she knew to help her get there on time, to ensure her brother will be okay. Truly enough, she was able to make it and the boy was attended to before it was too late. She was forever grateful that there there had been a hospital nearby.

No matter how many Nico Nico Smile she did to reassure her little sisters that things will be alright, she had only trembled. She knew she had to be strong for them, but she had only felt an immense weight crushing her. She was only still in high school then, there was a limit to what she could do. She was no adult. Kokoro and Kokoa held both of her hands and squeezed it, their own way of saying they understand, reassuring her that she wasn't alone in this. Nico felt her eyes water up again, but this time with a mix of appreciation and relief. The dread of loss had not been only hers to feel. They were young, but both girls knew how it was when their father had passed away.

"N-no good, I'm starting to remember…" The onyx haired girl said as she shook her head, holding back tears that were forming in her eyes. "I'm here to take pictures of the stars! Get it together, Nico…"

It was a clear night, not a cloud to be seen. The moon was round and big as it shined brightly among the sea of deep blue. Nico found herself impressed by the fact that there were stars at all. Light pollution was always a problem, and big cities like Tokyo hardly ever have night skies this pretty. In the past, she had to travel to the Kansai region just for it. She should be grateful to have the fortune of witnessing this rare occurrence and beauty, but here she was, lamenting over the past again like a broken record.

Whenever she was alone and it was silent, her thoughts almost always go back to that time whether she liked it or not. It was as if she were sleepwalking through life, as if she had already died but not yet noticed. But unlike normal sleepwalks, the scenes were vivid, like it only happened yesterday. She would go through the feeling of fear and helplessness again and again until she catches herself and stop. It was for this reason that she tried her best to occupy herself with activities.

Her siblings loved looking at the stars, as much she did in fact. Koutarou especially loved it, any picture she took would make the young boy happy. It was in this vein that Nico decided to take up photography for College. She didn't plan it at all, nor did she think she was exceptionally talented at capturing good photos, but she realised that in this medium she would be able to make someone smile, just like the idol she aspired to be. It wouldn't be so bad, would it?

She knew she was not a brilliant student—she excelled at nothing. As much as she hates to admit, her love for idols had been the only thing remotely remarkable about her. Her extensive collection of idol merchandise were the only things she had been proud of, and even then, it was such a niche hobby that it brought nothing to the table but weird looks from people who did not appreciate the craft.

Regardless, her mother had insisted that she pursue her goals, whether it was being an idol or a photographer—she assured her child that she shouldn't worry about the family and just do what she wants. Her mother had never pressured her for anything, only gave her encouragements to do her best, without holding back. Nico remembered hating how her mother singlehandedly took it upon herself to do everything on her own, but she also thought it was really cool. She was a competitive person by nature though, and she didn't want her mama to be the only one to look cool.

Even if being cool meant she had to give up on her life long dream of becoming an idol.

It had been a blur, but she remembered selling all her idol merchandise, begrudgingly so. Other than giving up her dream of becoming an idol, this had been one of the most difficult decisions she made in her life. She knew she had to do it, she did not have the luxury to be sentimental or idealistic about her idol love or her life anymore—besides, doing this would not only help her start anew, it would also help her shoulder funding her pursuit of higher education. She needed to steel herself and become practical. Giving up was the mature thing to do.

From January of her senior year in high school until the month of her graduation in March, all Nico had done was work part-time and look after her brother—of course while making sure she had passed all her subjects and getting accepted into the University she had picked. Although her grades weren't all that great, she managed to pull it off. Being accepted in Tokyo Polytechnic University felt like a dream for her. Not because she had been dreaming of studying there, she actually didn't. But the fact that she made it into a University at all was something she could feel proud of.

She secretly thanked her crimson-haired inspiration for that.

So don't forget

In just a short amount of time

A miracle engraves its way to your heart

Gently waiting for tomorrow

A strong gust of wind startled Nico from her musings. She felt a lone cherry blossom petal land on her nose in process. The spring season had already started in full force, but the wind was still a bit chilly. Draping a cotton jacket over her shoulders, she smiled gently at the memory that crossed her mind. No matter how long it had been, the recollection of a beautiful and headstrong girl always managed to invade her thoughts—reminding her of that fateful encounter three years ago that shaped her into how she was today.

As a graduating senior in high school, Nico stressed about many things, namely: schoolwork, college entrance examinations, taking care of her siblings, her several part time jobs, Christmas, her hair, and other things she's currently forgetting. It drove her insane. In these times, keeping up the cheery and happy persona was exhausting, she used it in almost every situation that it had become second nature. Deceitful as it was, it wasn't easy to stop. No one ever batted an eyelash anyway. On her own however, she was nowhere near as cute or charismatic—she was a hugely disagreeable grump. Liking sweet and cute things contrasted to her habit of hiding away in high or dark places to either reflect or brood. If her father saw her now, he would probably be disappointed at how jaded she had become.

Wandering around the hospital at night was not something she would normally do, especially since she always found the place scary. But Nico felt like letting herself go after a tiring day from school, work and taking care of siblings. Probably because it was the weekend, the head nurse she recently befriended was nowhere to be found. She initially thought she could just idly chat with her until she felt satisfied, but alas. The place was huge and eerily quiet, she saw nurses walk by her occasionally but that was it. At some point in her aimless strolling, she heard a faint singing voice. At first, she was frightened. But after listening carefully, she realised it couldn't be a ghost. Following where the sound came from, she discovered the hospital rooftop.

The voice was clearer, full and powerful. She liked it. Somehow it made her feel a lot more relaxed. At the last step of the stairs, she paused, savoring the melody gracing her ears—it would definitely stop once she opens the door. But she was curious, she wanted to put a face to this brilliant voice. She breathed deeply and held the knob, turned it as lightly as possible, trying to make sure she doesn't make a noise and distract the nightingale as she sang.

A sense of triumph filled her when the singing did not show any signs of stopping while she swung the door open. She continued to close her eyes, just taking in the lullaby as much as she could.

Tender wishes

Wavering thoughts… That's right…

It's not only gently being by your side

Change is beginning. Do you understand?

Nico opened her eyes and blinked several times, realising the song had stopped.

D-did I get caught listening in?!

"Hmm, that doesn't sound right either…" She heard a voice murmur.

A girl with distinctive red hair, presumably around her age, stood on the edge of a slightly elevated platform, scribbling on a notebook. If she just barged in without knowing what was actually happening, the scenario would have looked like a suicidal attempt in which she wrote her last will before jumping off. It wasn't likely, but she really hoped that wasn't the case. Surprising her would be dangerous, so she stayed immobile, just studying her intensely without saying a word. Because hey, she was very pretty.

After a while, the redhead finally looked in her direction, most likely feeling eyes on her. Confirming there really was someone looking at her, her face slowly became flustered. Nico found it strangely amusing, adorable even.

"H-how long have been standing there?!" The girl stuttered.

"Um, for a while, I guess?" She found herself answering. "I didn't want to startle you. You might fall, you know?"

Her faced burned that it almost matched the colour of her hair. How dare she decide to underestimate her sense of balance? Even though she was a kid, it was still embarrassing to have someone listen and stare at her for so long. It did not help that the girl was not in the least apologetic, smiling sheepishly like she did.

"T-that's none of your business," She jumped down from the platform.

"Geez, I was very considerate for your life there. Rude much?" Nico crossed her arms in irritation. Her awe and fascination diminishing as the seconds passed.

"You could have announced you were there! You didn't have to stay quiet or stare at me for so long!"

"I—I wasn't staring that long!" She huffed, feeling her cheeks reddening. "And I didn't want to interrupt your singing so…"

The two of them stayed silent for quite sometime, trying their best not to look each other in the eye. Despite the chilly December wind, Nico didn't feel that cold. Seeing the girl's face properly made her feel conscious somehow, and her reactions were unimaginably fetching.

"...it's not even completed yet…" The scarlet haired lass timidly voiced out, breaking the the ice of their standstill.

Her ears perked up at this. "What?"

"Th-the song...it's not done. I've been struggling with it for a while." She explained, hugging the notebook to her chest.

"Huh…" Nico was not sure why, but she felt enthralled. She unconsciously walked closer to her in the process. "Why do you think you're having trouble with it?"

Oddly enough, the amethyst eyed girl felt comfortable enough to share her story. She was a very cautious person, she could tell from how she carried herself. Yet here they were, still complete strangers to each other, but with an indescribable bond drawing them together more than they expect to understand in such a short period of time. It felt surreal, but it also felt amazing. It replenished her in a way she could not describe. What she could ascertain however was how she enjoyed herself with this mysterious and sassy girl. After a while, they just sat down on the concrete floor without a care about dirtying their clothes.

"You'll inherit a hospital?!" Nico could feel her eyes almost bulge out from the surprise. She wasn't sure if she should be amazed or jealous. "I-isn't that great then? Your future is already assured!"

Instead of a positive reaction, the red haired girl gave her a confused look. "Is it really? It somehow feels like my life's decided for me...I mean, I'm thankful and everything, but…"

"Well, is becoming a doctor something you see yourself doing in the future?"

"M-my parents expects me to be one, so I guess…"

"No, no, I'm asking if you could see this yourself. Like, is it something you want to do?" Nico wasn't sure if she was putting a bit of her self in the question. She had decided on giving up something she wanted to do in place of something she needed to do just recently, she knew how tough it was. If this girl was having the same concern, perhaps she can be of help.

The vermilion haired girl just played with her locks, her face contorted in indecisiveness.

"I don't know...I like creating music, I also love playing the piano...but I don't want to disappoint mama and papa either..."

The earnestness in her voice somehow neutralized the greediness of it all. Would she be as greedy if her family was a little well off? She could probably do it, she looked like a really talented girl, and she had the financial capability to maintain both—all she had to do was build the resolve for it. "Then that's fine, isn't it? You can always do both," Nico closed her eyes as she crossed her arms. "If you have the power to do it..seize the chance? There are people who only had to choose one over the other."

"...I have to admit, on many occasions, I never had to decide on anything. I was given things and I just accepted them. Some I didn't even like or asked for, but I took them, I was grateful. If I were to follow what you're suggesting though, it'll be the first time I'll be deciding something for myself."

"Does it scare you?"

"A bit."

Nico planted her palms on the floor and leaned on them as she stared at the dark sky. "You'll be fine."

The red haired girl giggled slightly.

"You just met me. How would you know that?"

"Instinct?" She said with a lopsided grin. "You seem like the type of person who would be fine no matter what you decide on, that's how I feel."

Whether it was the temperature or something else, the lavender eyed girl felt heat rising up to her cheeks.

"Wh-what's with that...you're weird."

"You know, I wanted to be an idol," Nico stood up, she held up a clenched fist in a gesture of determination. "I wanted to make everyone smile, sing them songs and encourage them to do their best all the time."

"...wanted?"

"I'm not very lucky. I had to give it up," She explained. "It's a silly dream anyway…"

It took all she could to hold down the tears that were forming. Just when she thought she was finally over it and accepted her new decision, being reminded of it somehow made her feel insecure and vulnerable—that she probably could have thought about it better, that maybe she didn't have to give it up. Absorbed with these thoughts, she hadn't realised that the scarlet haired girl stood up as well and positioned herself opposite her, looking straight into her eyes with a determined and reassuring look.

"It's not silly."

"What?"

"I think it's great. I'm indecisive and only think about what I want, but you...you want all that for so many. I don't know why it had to end up that way, but giving that up must have been a great hurdle. I think it's amazing that you were able to decide and stick with it."

She wasn't sure if she should be laughing at all of this. How she can be so open and emotional in front of a stranger, someone she met just a few minutes ago. Nico didn't even know her name but there she was, tearing up like a child from her mere words of encouragement.

Just then, a vibrating sound brought her out of her impassioned moment.

Crap, how long has it been?

"I-is something wrong?" The scarlet haired girl asked, a look of bafflement on her face.

"I...well, my brother's confined in this hospital, I just went out for a bit to get some fresh air since he was asleep anyway…" She explained, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Understanding dawned on the other girl's face. She almost forgot they were in the hospital.

"Oh."

"I-I gotta go...um, thank you. You have a great voice, and I just know you'll be a great doctor someday too. So just keep going, okay? See you!"

She scrambled towards the rooftop door awkwardly before she heard the redhead call out to her.

"Wait!"

Nico wordlessly looked back to face her once again, an expectant look on her.

The taller girl hesitated for a second. "If you continue to make people smile, you never really gave up on it. You're an idol in whatever you do. Please remember that."

Nico could see the small smile on the girl's face as she said this. It was beautiful. She couldn't put into words how elated she felt just then. The sudden urge to give her a super idol treatment rose in her chest, she felt her fingers forming the sign she knew so well.

"Nico Nico Smile ! I promise to always do my best and make everyone smile!"

After one last look, the ruby eyed girl ran off. In her wake was a dumbfounded girl who was still speechless over her antics.

"Pff...what a weirdo." She chuckled in amusement.

They never saw each other again after that. She tried going to the rooftop several times but was left with nothing but a piece of paper with a bit of drabble on it. It was the only memento she had of the crimson haired girl. At least, that's what she liked to believe; the handwriting was reminiscent of her impression of the mysterious girl. After three years, Nico still kept it in her care—maybe wrote a few things on it too.

Finally finished setting up her equipment, she stared at the city lights once again, nothing but bright and homely colours carpeted the landscape, like stars on land. Positioning herself, she started taking pictures of the sky, excited at the thought of showing her work to her family as well as her underclassmen.

"This night will be the witness to the great Niconi's super photography of the very rare starry sky of Tokyo!"

...

The next day, rain had decided to pour down. Hard. Nico did not usually mind when it happened, but today she felt irritated that it did. After working on the pictures she took from yesterday, she fell asleep in a very uncomfortable position and woke up with a nasty stiff neck. She had a class in an hour, and was supposed to meet up with two of her juniors at the Kudanshita station, but it had been 20 minutes past their meeting time, and she was stuck on one of the bus stops to shield herself from the downpour—with 25 other people. She grumpily twiddled with her phone, texting one of her girls she was meeting up to go ahead without her. Running in this weather would just be stupid, especially since she never had an umbrella.

Droplets of water dripped from her soaked hair in a 3 second interval. The mingling breaths of the people stuck in the bus stop enforced the moist building up in the air. She felt impatient and was considering to just make a run for it. Thankfully, the rain was slightly letting up, giving her the chance to do so.

The ground was slippery and a sizable amount of people opted to wait the rain out, making the streets fairly empty. Cars lined up on the road, a pretty slow moving traffic keeping them stationery. Whether it was the road or the side streets, Tokyo would always be busy, in the ever changing society, it was the absolute constant. In her 20 years of living in this city, she was always amazed at how fast paced it was. But today, it felt like time momentarily stopped for just for her.

The station was only a few blocks away, it would only take her 5 minutes even if she walked, so she did. Heavy raindrops were reduced to light drizzles, ushering the once idle crowd to start moving again, as if a big green light flashed before them. Nico would have preferred to walk alone for little bit longer but she had her fun. Marveling at an empty street was something only she would appreciate anyway.

She could feel her phone vibrating from her jacket pocket just then, probably a reply to her message earlier. She pulled out the phone and checked anyway, and surely enough, the message came from one Koizumi Hanayo, her shy and mild mannered underclassman. Although that was the case in hierarchy, Nico considered the girl a very good friend. Both her and her childhood friend Hoshizora Rin. She met the two on her second year of College, and they've been hanging out since then. Despite her petite nature, she loved eating. Both Hanayo and Rin shared that enthusiasm with her so most of their time was spent hunting good food places around Akihabara, Chiyoda, Kanda and Jimbocho.

We haven't reached the station either Nico-chan, got held up by the rain too. ;;（ﾉ´д｀）;;

Let's just meet at the station?

"Papa, papa, my ball fell…" She heard a child say as she sent a reply. They were at a pedestrian crossing, the traffic light was still on red so the people just hurriedly made their way across.

"Leave it alone, we'll just get you a new one." A tall man in a suit answered his kid who only carelessly held onto the fabric of his pants as he walked.

She was close to her destination, the Kudanshita station was within sight. She only needed to walk a bit further past the crossroad to get there. But as much as she wanted to keep to herself, her eyes wandered momentarily towards the direction of the conversation she overheard. Almost all of the people had already crossed and the traffic light was close to going back to the go signal, but a little boy still ambled alone on the road, as if looking for something.

Nico clicked her tongue. "Hey kid! That's dangerous!" She said as she went after the absent-minded child who only looked up at her with a teary eyed face and a nose dripping with snot.

"My ball…"

Her mind raced when she saw the traffic light turn green. She picked up the child and ran back to the side of the road. Traffic accidents in the city happen all the time, and she didn't want one to happen if she can help it.

"Listen, the ball can wait. We can't have you wander around without your mom and dad, okay?"

"Papa…"

"Yeah, this is a problem. I don't think your dad noticed he lost you," She sighed, she was really going to be late for class today. She ended up bringing the young boy to the nearest police office and bought him a ball too so that he would calm down. The questions for the report took longer than she expected so she texted Hanayo of what happened and told her again to go ahead. Things just weren't going right today.

As it drizzled the entire time, she was technically soaked. Nico felt slightly sick as she walked out of the police station, rubbing her nose to prevent a sneeze from coming.

"I could really use something warm…"

As the thoughts of warm and aromatic miso soup played enticingly in her mind, she did not notice a speeding car going towards her direction in desperate strides. The next thing she knew, she was rolling on the hood of a car, smashing into the windshield right after. Its impact rendered Nico frozen as she hurled helplessly down the road and landed headfirst on the asphalt. The vehicle did not stop and just left the raven haired girl sprawled on the ground, bleeding. A car chase broke out, and she obliviously walked into the middle of it.

Pain and confusion dominated her thoughts. She couldn't tell in which direction she was facing, nor from where the voices came, but she could somehow discern individuals coordinating to direct traffic; mostly likely away from her. She heard phones click to life from those calling emergency services. She could feel herself swimming in warm and sticky blood—her own blood. She couldn't breathe, all she felt was pain all over her body. Her eyes felt heavy, it was difficult to get them to open.

Am I dying here?

She wanted to let out a chuckle but ended up coughing out blood. The faint cry of sirens were getting louder, closer.

...that's too bad...

Nico felt like crying, but she hardly felt anything anymore. Maybe she was crying, she just couldn't tell. Death was a delicate subject for her, it was something she seldom thought about—it took her father away, almost took Koutarou away—yet here she was, hovering between life and death, the numbness spreading in her body. Will the ambulance arrive in time to help her? She didn't feel like hoping anymore.

Amongst the low murmurs that grew louder as the second passed, she started hearing the panicked voice of Hanayo. Was she imagining things? How did she find her?

"Nico-chan! Oh no...oh no, Rin-chan..."

Her voice was shakier than usual, as if she was crying. She could feel the meek girl hold her hand tightly, to a point where it actually hurts.

"H...Hana...yo…" She wanted to look at the young girl, tell her it'll be alright, but it was difficult.

"N-Nico-chan! You shouldn't talk…the ambulance will be here soon, so just hang on for a bit longer..." The chestnut haired girl coaxed.

"Couldn't it be a bit faster?!" Rin exclaimed, her voice was just as shaky.

"Hanayo...Rin...my heart...give it...to Koutarou," It took everything she had in her to get those words out, she gave Hanayo's hand one last squeeze as she did so. "Be happy...okay?"

Hanayo and Rin stared at each other in bewilderment. Their friend talked as if she wouldn't make it. It scared them.

Mama, Kokoro, Kokoa, Koutarou, Rin, Hanayo…I'm sorry…

Nico imagined herself dying without any regrets, she did everything in her power so that this was the case, but in the end, she did have one after all—and she can't do anything about it. Not anymore.

This is it for me.

Hanayo's eyes dilated in horror as she felt Nico's hand loosen under her grip.

"No...no...Nico-chan...Nico-chan!"

"Thank you so much for your time." A scarlet haired girl bowed her head slightly and slipped on her sneakers.

"You're always welcome, Maki-chan. Visit us again, okay? I'm sure the kids would be delighted." A ruby eyed woman who was still in her business clothes saw her off the foyer, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, I'll take you up on that offer Yazawa-san. I'll be heading out now."

"Take care."

Closing the door behind her, Maki exhaled deeply. She had no idea how long she had been holding it, but she hoped the family she just talked to didn't notice. She stared at the nameplate of the run-down apartment building and thought of the ebony haired ghost named Nico. She had successfully unraveled the mystery about her, and learned a lot more. She should be proud, she should be happy, but all she felt at the moment was an odd twinge of melancholy.

"It's gonna be hard facing her now."

Chapter dooone! Yay.

Okay, so the stuff from three years ago's order might be a taaad bit confusing, so the simplest chart about this would be:

Nico POV: Summer - Koutarou incident→ Autumn - Part-time/come to terms with giving up being an idol/sell idol merch/decision to go to College→ Winter - Meets Maki

Maki POV: Summer - Help out at the hospital/meets Yazawa family → Autumn - Unknown → Winter - Meets Nico

Here's how Nico looks like by the way, just for reference (drew it myself, apologies for the horrible drawing and camera quality):

Nico in College - p u u dot s h/gNNop/2049b604fc dot j p g

Ghost Nico - p u u dot s h/gNNpd/80d824dbcc dot j p g

Because I can't really put the actual link in here, copy those, remove the spaces and change the dot into actual dots. → "." this dot. It should work.

Yes, this whole thing was just a day before Nico died, a few flashbacks and a forward, haha. I use italics a lot, some of them just to emphasize a word, sometimes they're thoughts. The weird italicized paragraphs throughout the story is the lyrics from the song 'Hane wa Shitte Shimatta no?'. It's sung by Nico, try listening!

It'll be relevant to the story too, so...dun dun dun!

Sorry for the lateness, this time I got caught up with the Rin and Kotori event...tee-hee! I hope the length makes up for it! See you next time~.