"I'm Kousaka Honoka, just an average student here in UTX, spending my time with my friends, Tsu-chan, An-chan and Ere-chan. But, i have a little secret, teehee~ Do you want to know? I'm actually a celestial being Honor-chan from planet idol. My duty here is to fight the darkness in your hearts, hyaaa! While doing so, i'm collecting love-love energy to power up my idol level. It was a hard task for a clumsy girl like me but you know- Ahh, they are here again. Sorry, time to transform and save the world. Magical, Celestial, Love power charge! Magical school idol of love, Honor-chan, here to catch your heart!"
Mistakes weren't meant to be corrected, it was there for us to learn from it. Surely, every one of us had made one or two unforgettable errors, which forever etched in our book of life. However, if God made a reset button to fix one mistake or gaffe in my life, i would probably mash that button until it broke. Why? Because this day, i...died. Honestly, it was much better if i met a blue-haired water goddess in the afterlife then started my own adventure with a dysfunctional party of an explosion-maniac archwizard, a masochist pervert crusader and the goddess herself to slay the demon lord. But my fate was far too unforgiving. To start with, this was certainly my strangest day ever, i woke up in a moving train without anything except for this god-forsaken outfit, and just when i thought it couldn't get any worst, i encountered my former teammates here in the remote mountains. Due to the desperation to hide my identity, i had done something magical... something i instantly regretted forever. And so, my new life as a magical idol of love had just begun.
We trekked the mountain paths towards the direction of Maki's vacation house. While walking, nothing much happened except that Kotori was awfully clingy to me today. Perhaps, she was starstruck of meeting a real-life magical school idol or just excited, i did say that i would let her meet Kousaka Honoka after all. Of course, whenever Kotori tried to get 'touchy-touchy', Umi's jealousy heated stares were there too, burning behind my back. Well at least, my identity was safe...for now. Yet strangely, i couldn't shake the feeling that i forgot something...important. Oh well, for sure it would come eventually. But for now, i must satiate my hunger. I still hadn't eaten anything yet, so my stomach was grumbling like a lion already.
We arrived at Maki's vacation house not too long after. Everyone was amazed at how big it was. It had a clean fireplace, high-class ceiling, and plenty of rich-thing stuff. Honestly, my stroll would be more enjoyable, if not for Kotori, who was cuddling in my arm all the time.
"Kotori-chan, you need to do the designs right?" I said with not-so-obvious intentions of getting her off me. She easily complied and let go of my arm. Thank god, if that was a few seconds late, i felt Umi was going to 'love arrow shoot' me. My ashen haired friend was pouting, but it quickly turned into a bright smile, almost teary-eyed when she said something completely baffled my mind. "I'm sorry, i'm just glad you're back, Hono-"
"Kotori, Eli is going to say something!" Umi interjected. She was engaging a conversation with the other members but my mind was too messy to care. 'I'm sorry, i'm just glad you're back, Hono-' It was Honor-chan right? It should be...then why those words sent a chill through my spine...did she...
Eli's clap made me snapped out of my brief trance. When i turned my attention to them, they were circling the blonde, waiting for her to say something. The quarter-russian let a few coughs and took a deep breath before speaking, "Listen everyone, the preliminaries will be hard especially if we are dealing with A-rise here. But i'm confident in our abilities, so let's aim for number one." While my beautiful ex-senior was successful on giving a morale-boasting speech, perspective-wise it also increased the pressure for others. The thought of last chance, must not fail or i had to do my best were surely enough recipe for disaster in the not-so-distant future.
"Then, let's start with the basics." Eli's second clap signaled the start of their practice. Umi, Kotori and Maki were isolated inside the house, doing their own stuff. Umi with lyrics, Kotori in costume designs and Maki for the music. Meanwhile, Eli was training outside with Nozomi, Nico, Hanayo and Rin. I sat on the side, watching them like i used to do. Their new steps were much harder and more complex, probably with the mindset of 'we need to level with A-rise to beat them'. Nevertheless, it was...beautiful, they were truly practicing, not doing some couple's stuff. But after a few minutes, someone was lagging behind and it seemed that they had to take a break because of her. However, it looked like she was aware of it as she made an excuse to be alone. Should i follow her? Hey, not my idol group, not my problem right? But my legs said otherwise. Before i knew it, i was already chasing her.
I found her near some trees, sitting there or more like sulking there with her eyes downcast. "There you are, Hanayo-chan. Your heart told me you're in trouble right?"
"Ah..Honor-chan..." Hanayo replied with a gloomy tone, not bothering to look at me.
"You can talk to me if you want, i may be in a human shell but i am an all-knowing celestial being inside, teehee," I said proudly, huffing my chest as i stood tall beside her. But inside, i wanted to slap myself and scold with "here you go again, Honoka." Yet, i couldn't bring myself to leave her, not like this.
She took a deep sigh before answering, "...It's nothing..maybe the Muse was better..without me..."
"Why do you think like that, Hanayo-chan." I tilted my head, acting all curious. But of course, i knew the answer myself. Of all members of Muse, she was the inferior one. Eli was mature and leader-like, Nozomi was the mother archetype, Kotori had talent in costume designing, Umi had a skill in poetry for the lyrics, even though a first year Maki was already in charge of composing new music, Rin was given a light and athletic body, and Nico? Err..what.. about Nico? Ahh! She had that 'Nico Nico Nii' thing. So of course with these diversities of character in the group, she was probably feeling like she was just nothing much ordinary and wouldn't make a change even if she left.
"Isn't it obvious, i'm just nothing much ordinary, i bet it will not make a change even if i leave..."
I let a few minutes of silence between us. I sat near her without saying anything while the rice-loving girl cried her heart out. Sometimes, that was the best medicine, far greater than sweet words or comforting lies.
...
...
...
"...I'm sorry..i know i'm so pathetic...i.i hate my-"
She was still walloping herself in self-pity when i interrupted her. "Hanayo-chan..." I said her name with a genuine concern, "...That was stupid." Followed by a cold voice?
"WHAT?!"
"WHAT?!" We were both shocked by my merciless remark. This was bad, i forgot even if i concealed myself with a perfect disguise, my normalcy had no ON/OFF switch anymore. Meaning, this magical school idol of love was slowly turning to Dark Honor-chan, the deathly school idol of darkness.
"Listen Hanayo-chan, you are not like them and you will never be... in this world, you can only be you. That's why no matter what happens, you should never hate yourself, understand."
"...You can only be you..." You as in Koizumi Hanayo, not the Watanabe You from love live sunshine, just to be clear.
"That's right, anger, resentment, and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others, it only changes yours," I added. My voice still trailed to the cold side of me. But thankfully, she seemed to be a lot mentally stable now. It just needed one more push. "That's why you need to fill yourself with the strongest force in the universe."
"...Strongest force...in the universe?"
"L-O-V-E! Nothing can be stronger than that, teehee." Except for death, death was eternal. "Tell me Hanayo-chan, you love school idols right? And most importantly, you love the Muse right?"
"Tha-that's right, i love school idols and the Muse, and that's something that will never change!" She shouted as she stood right at me, mimicking my 'faito dayo' pose. Her aura was much brighter than before, and her eyes had the usual glint of life. I was glad...even in this state, i still managed to help her. "Thanks Honoka-chan, i'm all better now." It took those words few seconds to register in my brain.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" She said 'Honoka-chan' right? Wha-what happened? How did she find me out? I thought my acting was fool-proof. Was this because of the lack of 'teehee~'? This was bad, truly bad...what should i do? Now, Honoka you should calm yourself first. I didn't have any mind-erasing magic spells like in some anime, so i had to improvise. I read in some manga books that if you hit hard the back of the neck, the person would faint immediately. Well, time to know if it was the same for real life. "Step one, distract her attention and make her sure to turn away from me. Step two, chop her in the nape assassin-style. Step three, after fainting, leave her there. Step four, when she wakes up, approach her like nothing happen and tell her that earlier it's just a dream. Step five, profit and appreciate how smart you are."
I praised myself for devising a sound plan in a short amount of time and immediately put it in action. I stood near her and pointed my finger towards the direction out of her line of sight, acting all shocked. "Ah, is that a high-quality Basmati rice over there?!"
The rice-loving girl fully trusted my words and quickly turned her head, just according to keikaku. ( Translation note: Keikaku means plan)
"Really where, where? I don't see a thing..."
"Sorry, Hanayo-chan...but no one must know who i really am..."
"It was there a second ago, just keep looking, teehee~" Step one complete.
"THIS IS IT!" My eyes lit as i held my right hand, centering my target to the upper part of her neck. But before i could give a high-speed chop, Hanayo spoke, "Ah, by the way, i'm sorry Honor-chan, my tongue slipped..." She said while frantically searching around. "I said Honoka-chan instead of Honor-chan. How embarrassing...it's just Honoka-chan always cheer me up like that whenever i'm feeling down. So, i guess..."
"No worries Hanayo-chan, At first, i was startled, comparing a higher cosmic being like me, to a boring bread-lover like Honoka-chan. I mean, we're totally not related at all, this Honoka-chan ehe ehe ehe." I could only laugh awkwardly while i shook my head and crossed my arms, hoping that she couldn't catch my hidden intentions earlier. "But you know, the stars told me that where ever Honoka-chan is, she is doing her best. That's why you need to do your best too, teehee~" Well, she was doing her best alright, her best to hide away from you.
"You're right Honor-chan. Thank you, really thank you. I'm going back to the others, the new steps may be hard but i won't give up." With her newfound courage, she bowed her head and made her way to the practice site.
I waved her goodbye and shouted, "Remember, L-O-V-E! And your heart will be always in the right place."
After cheering Hanayo up, i planned to return to the vacation house, hoping to satiate the growling lion in my stomach. But on my way there, i spotted the raven-haired girl. She had a troubled face as she looked up at the big tree. Obviously, i ignored her and chose my stomach first. I crept away from her, muffling any noise. "This time for sure, i level up my sneaking for this. I can do this...almost there..."
"Honor-sama, there you are!" Seriously, did this girl have a built-in Honoka radar in her? Why was this scenario always happening? I concealed my defeated sigh before approaching her, asking her what was the problem.
"Oh Nico-chan, my celestial sense is tingling again, you're in trouble right?" I didn't have to be a mind-reader to know what she was thinking, i could easily trace it in the slightest actions. Based on how she looked on that tree, i bet that was the root of her problem. "Get it, tree... root...oh nevermind."
"Ahh Honor-sama, you're right as always. You see, this squirrel over here took my prized wristband." That pink wristband she was talking about, was the one Cocoa gave to her when she started her idol career on her first year, which didn't end well. Even so, she still kept it as a good luck charm over the years.
"Nico-chan, did you forget already, you're speaking to an all-powerful heavenly persona. Mou, it's looks like i have to demonstrate my magic again." I began waving my wand on a heart pattern while chanting my magical idol spell. "Magical, Celestial, Love power charge: Honor-KICK!" After casting, i kicked the tree with all my might. The leaves fell and so Nico's wristband too. I caught it coolly with my wand, then handed to my ex-club president with a cute wink. Mission complete, no magic needed. "Here Nico-chan, important things should always keep close~"
"Thank you...Honor-sama!" Nico said with complete devotion. I confess, seeing the petite girl all polite and nice was quite a refreshing view for a change.
"No worries, nothing is impossible for a magical school idol like me," I said with a cute tone and pose. But enough talking and more eating. "But you know Nico-chan, using my spells quickly deplete my star energy, i need to replenish it with human food teehee~" Actually, using my spells made me slowly die inside. So embarrassing! Where did i get those ideas anyway? It was even made with a complete anime-like synopsis. Note to self: Limit me from watching any anime with magical school girl setting.
"Of course Honor-sama, i will prepare a grandest of feast for you."
We walked our way towards the mountain house then entered the kitchen, the whole place was sparkling clean with the utensils neatly arranged and the refrigerator packed with foods. Seeing these things only raised my expectations. What kind of meals did Nico make? I sat on the kitchen stool, humming happily while waiting for my 'grandest of feast' to arrive.
"Here Honor-sama, i made it with the finest ingredients."
As Nico presented me her meal, i couldn't help to show enthusiasm. It had been a very bad day, but finally its eating time. I tightened my grip on my spoon and fork as i let my eyes gaze on...tomato? "What's this? Tomato salad, tomato juice, tomato pasta, tomato salsa, tomato tarts, roasted tomato, tomato quiche, grilled tomato, tomato, tomatotomato, tomatotomatotomato, tomatotomatotomatotomato. Arghh! What's with all the tomato madness!"
"Umm..Nico-chan..what is...this?" I asked meekly. I tasted her cooking before when we went on the beach training camp. Even though she only cooked simple dishes back then, everything was all delicious. But now...
"It's all tomatoes, Maki loves tomatoes, Honor-sama." Even her eyes were reflecting tomatoes, since when did Nico become a tomato maniac. "Nico-chan what happened to you? Somebody! Anybody! Save me from this tomato hell!"
"What's the problem, Honor-sama...do you not like..tomatoes..." The raven-haired girl noticed that i hadn't touched the food and asked it with a cold voice. Her eyes were almost lifeless as she held...a knife with an almost stabbing stance. It was then when i understood everything, i misanalyzed...this girl wasn't a tomato maniac, she was...a tomato yandere!
"It's not like that but..i think having..meat is better, Honor-chan is a growing girl after all tee..hee.."
The short girl banged her fists loudly on the table. "No! Those things were bad for you. C'mon Honor-sama just a bite, i promise you will like it, just like Maki..."
"Nico-chan, you're scaring me right now..."
"Just a bite Honor-sama...once you taste it..." She got herself a spoon, then scooped some tomato salad, forcefully shoving it closer to my mouth. But when it was inches away, her spoon was intercepted with my fork.
"Nico...i said i wanted meat right?" Dark Honor-chan appeared! This was bad...very bad, this was the worst time to lose my normalcy. My remark left Nico shaking out of anger. But surprisingly, i was pretty relaxed, staring at her with no fears in my eyes.
"Why can't you see Honor-sama? I'm just doing this for your own good...tomatoes are the best! Tomato is all you need, ha ha ha ha!" She lost it! She was now laughing like a crazy person. Yet, my dark self remained unwavering. I stood up from my seat, passed Nico, went to the fridge and started selecting the ingredients.
"...Honor-sama..what are you doing?" The tomato yandere asked with a scary-quiet tone.
"If you are not going to cook it for me, then i'll do it myself," I answered shortly. I chopped off some meat and started heating the pan.
"Too bad...ha ha ha...it was really too bad...HOONOOR-SAMAA...Ha ha ha."
"Yeah.." I replied plainly. I planned to make a raw grilled steak and prepared the sauce shortly with Worcestershire, mustard, honey and much more condiments i could find. "Wait! Isn't this the part where i will be super scared of facing this tomato yandere? So why i am so calm as an ocean about this?"
"Aha haha ha..." Nico gave a broken laugh before saying something really scary. "...Then, If you're not going to taste it for me, then i will force you myself..."
"Sure, feel free to try," Once again, I said casually. I even sipped the sauce, tasting if it was delicious. "Still lacking, maybe mayonnaise will suffice." Meanwhile, Nico was slowly creeping from behind, i knew she had something with her hands but i was too hungry to care.
"...Honor-sama from now on..we will always be with tomatoes..." After muttering that, she stabbed me with a tomato-designed fork which i quickly parried. She was not aiming at my vital spots at all...NO! IT WAS A TRAP! In her other hand, i saw...raw tomatoes! The first strike was a clear diversion, she was planning to add tomatoes in my sauce from the start. On that moment, everything was in slow-mo. It was a matter of who was quicker, her hand against mine. It was a heart-stopping moment for me, but in the end my fingers prevailed.
"Yare yare daze...you almost spoiled my sauce..." I posed on 45-degree angle while fixing the tip of my cap. Why did i suddenly become super cool? My wig looked like it fused to my cap and i was overflowing with masculinity. On top of that, i easily restrained Nico with only using one hand, but the raven haired girl was still not admitting defeat. "TOMATOOOOOOOO!" Even in her final words, she was a lost case. Yet, i knew it was not her fault.
"...I see you've fallen already my friend. Deathly, Chaotic, Darkness power charge: Dark Honor-PUNCH! ORA!" After casting, my fist buried on Nico squarely to her stomach. It made a cracking sound and left my ex-club president excruciating pain with her knees slowly meeting the floor.
Before completely passing out, i moved my face to her ear and whispered, "Your darkness...is way too bright for me." Then, i walked away, not even looking back. Seriously, since when did i become a total badass, this was mildly disturbing. I acknowledged two things that day: First, i was traumatized by tomatoes. And the second, i was more afraid to myself than any other scary people out there.
"Nico-chan are you alive? Please answer..."
And so, i ate my steak peacefully with an extra serving of unconscious Nico on the floor.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..Nr..gh..."
"Nico-chan, Nico-chan..."
"...Honor-sama...what happened?"
"The darkness of your heart has taken over you. Good thing, i'm here teehee~" I used the remnants of my original plan on Nico. Well, i couldn't really say, "You tried to add tomatoes to my sauce, so i punch you so hard that you lose consciousness."
"I remember now...i tried to...i tried to...sorry Honor-sama.." The short girl said while on the verge of crying.
"It's alright, don't cry. It's all the tomatoes' fault. Tell me Nico-chan, is there something stressing you lately?" So stressing she assaulted me, merely because of tomatoes.
"Well...it's because of Maki-chan. You know we always fight back then right? But now, everything is fine...it's just..i don't want to return to that anymore. I love Maki, and if she loves something, then i must love it too right..." Well, that explained the whole tomato obsession thing. Obviously, i had to do something about this, or else i would be facing another tomato dish on dinner.
"Listen Nico-chan, there's no right way or wrong way to love. We all love someone. But you know, love is not only for others, you have to love yourself too," I said with a saintly voice while holding Nico's hand, basking her with my divine magical idol aura. "Even though you feel Maki-chan is your world now, you've your own world before meeting Maki-chan right? Every day our world is expanding, so don't limit it only to one person okay."
"...Honor-sama..."
"For now, you should rest first, i know your stomach in pain. Don't worry, i will cast a healing spell on it shortly."
"Thank you Honor-sama...umm how did you know that my stomach is hurting?"
"Ack- I-i know because...i'm...an intergalactic being from another planet. Mou, Nico-chan forgot already~" Seriously, just how long this facade would last, it was like carrying a time bomb that could explode any second.
"..Ahh it's not like that Honor-sama..but i need to cook first. The others might be hungry now."
And so, Nico cooked again, this time reverting back to her old cooking. After that, she went to Maki, who was composing her music on the first floor. This left me to deliver food to Umi and Kotori on the second floor. Well, i couldn't refuse, after all i needed to give the feisty couple some time to discuss things with each other. I walked my way on the higher floor and chose Umi's room first. I didn't want to fully go to her bad side, so i figured it might be a good chance to lessen the hostility.
"Umi-chan, Umi-chan, i have some snacks and refreshments teehee~" No response huh, that was expected. But the second floor was strangely quiet today...did something happen or maybe she was in the zone in composing the lyrics.
"Umi-chan i'm coming in..." Still no response. Well, no use of just standing here. I pulled the doorknob and entered the room, however the blue haired girl was nowhere to be found. I did find a note on the study table saying, "Don't look for me. - Sonoda Umi."
"She's fine, she's a growing girl after all," I mumbled, trying to convince myself. At least, Kotori wasn't like that right?
That was my expectations, but when i went to Kotori's room, it was deja vu all over again. This time, a sign with the words 'help me' was there, hanging on the wall. After that, i was quickly approached by Nico, who had a worried expression on her face. "Honor-sama, Maki is missing!"
"I know, so were Kotori-chan and Umi-chan. Nico-chan tell the others to meet back at the living room. Leave those three to me."
I ran outside with my heart getting heavier and heavier. "Girls where are you? Don't go full Honoka you hear." I was exhausted, plus the restlessness was creeping over me. But i had to go on...i had to find them. If anything happened to them, i couldn't...
As i let my eyes thoroughly scan the area, i found them easily...all the three of them. They were all outside not too far from the house, sulking there like Hanayo earlier. Well, that was anticlimactic.
We were back in the living room, the raven-haired girl rallied the others just as i ordered. I stood to the side and let Eli do her thing.
"So what happened?"
"I'm sorry, i couldn't think of anything for the lyrics..." Umi apologized as she bowed her head.
"Me too, i really tried but i'm in a slump today." Kotori followed with the same tone.
"Well, i'm not like them, i..i just want to breath fresh air," Maki said, still acting all high and mighty, but it wasn't convincing anyone.
"Ehh but Maki-chan, your music sheets were all blank nya."
"That's because-"
"That's enough" Eli clapped her hands but that didn't establish the order. Everyone was distressed and falling apart. Comments like "so what now?", "if we can't present a new song, we can't win the love live." and "we also have to beat the A-rise..." didn't help much either as it only increased the tension in the small living room. Goodness gracious, i was only gone for a few days and this was already happening. In the midst of this, Eli was staring at me, i wasn't the dense type so i immediately knew she was asking for my help or intervention. Those eye stares could be easily translated as "Oh great and beautiful Honor-sama, i know i'm not worthy of your ever-shining radiance yet we seek your limitless knowledge to help us in our hour of dire." But again, i had nothing to do with them...not anymore, in fact i could bid my farewell now that i already accomplished my goal here.
"Maybe we should...quit nya..." That remark took everyone by surprise even me because it came from the usually energetic and cheerful Rin. On the contrary now, she had a pained expression which was similar to mine back then.
"Wha-what are you saying Rin, didn't we promise to join the love live together!" Nico shouted with a familiar anger. It was the same face she showed when i said the words 'i quit' to her before. She was about to approach Rin, giving her a piece of her mind when her lover stopped her...just like that day.
"...Rin-chan..."
"I know i'm stupid but tell me how can we join the love live, we can't even make a song, our leader is gone and we have to beat the A-rise nya." A dead silence filled the air. Nico managed to calm down and everyone had their eyes downcast. Not even Eli or Nozomi knew what to say. Because it was the truth, Rin spoke what everyone fearing in their minds. After all, we weren't in some sort of anime where we could win things through the power of friendship because plot armor didn't exist in real life.
"Don't be like that, i can make the lyrics just give me some time..."
"So can you make it before the preliminaries nya?" Umi flinched, destroying the feeble reassurance she set a few seconds ago.
"I-i think Rin is right..." The redhead reluctantly raised her hand. "...Logically speaking, the hurdles are just too high this time.."
"Maki, how could you!" The raven-haired girl was on with her pointless rage again.
"Don't fight, Eli-chan do something." Kotori looked at Eli for guidance but the quarter russian was out of words.
"Magical, Celestial, Love power charge: Heart Shower!" I shouted, making sure to garner their attention. I prepared to give myself a mental beating after, but for now i had to help them. I couldn't stand seeing them like this, drifting apart from each other. "Now don't worry, i cast my spell. Everything is fine now teehee~" I said with a sweet voice, trying to smooth out the heavy tension. Some of them were pacified while some were clearly pissed, replying with...
"How can you say that? Can't you see! Everything is not-"
"Everything is going to be fine Umi-chan. Trust me, a magical school idol never lies." I felt stupid for muttering those fake words again, nevertheless my intentions were true. "For now, let's split into three groups, each one for Maki-chan, Umi-chan, and Kotori-chan. And help them in their things."
"But, Honor-chan what about our practice..."
"Well, if you can't make a song, you can't practice. That's why it's our priority number one right now." I solved their problem through logic. But still, it was very strange, seeing Eli became this...unassertive. Nozomi anxiously looked at her lover, mentally asking what was the problem. But the quarter russian evaded any eye contact and meekly said, "Ah..let's follow her for now.." The rest were looking at the blonde too, questioning her if they should listen to me. But it was shrugged off instantly when Kotori, Nico, and Hanayo quickly gave their approval.
"With Honor-sama on our side, nothing could go wrong," The raven-haired girl said confidently as if endorsing me to rest of the Muse.
"That's right, Honor-chan is the real deal. She is really someone from another planet." Hanayo added with full enthusiasm.
"Well, why don't we follow her, at least we have a goal now." Kotori giggled. While i understood why Nico and Hanayo were completely enamored to me, the one that baffled my mind was Kotori. Why she was so clingy earlier? And why did she side with me, a total stranger in her perspective?
"Well...i guess it's decided then..." Umi announced bitterly. Everyone nodded and accepted my temporary leadership for now.
Like i suggested, we split into three groups: The first group had Maki, Nico, and Eli. The second group consisted of Umi, Nozomi, and Rin. And the last group were only a duo of Hanayo and Kotori. Me? I was a wild card so i could group where ever i want, plus i needed to supervise them so i would be shifting groups from time to time. This was really weird because i felt like i became their leader again. But at the very least, as their ex-leader and temporary leader i wanted to set things straight, maybe that would lower the guilt that i was feeling.
I went to the group one first, mainly because of Eli and her weird behavior earlier. I never saw her this...passive. Surely, something must've happened. I found the redhead and the raven-haired girl still inside the house but the blonde was missing. When i asked where Eli was, Nico eagerly answered that she went in the storage room, looking for some camping equipment.
I trod my path towards the storage room, then entered it shortly. The whole room was dark, hanging only with a blinking faint light like Nico trying to fix her grades. It was also full of boxes and almost like a labyrinth with its area. Why did Eli choose to go here all by herself? She was afraid of the dark right? "Eli-chan, Eli-chan..." I shouted her name while dusting my magical school idol outfit.
"Who's there? Honor-chan...Honor-chan is that you?" At least, i got a response this time but her voice was meek and shaky.
"Yeah, where are you?" I asked while trying to locate her voice.
"I really can't say, there were boxes everywhere. I did find the camping gears though." She shouted back. Luckily, it took me a little time to find her. She was carrying a couple of bags on herself, probably some portable tents and sleeping bags. We both had relief in our eyes when we saw each other. "Thank God, if this some other cliche fanfic. This will be the time where the door will close on its own, locking us here and forcing us to have a heartwarming talk with each other."
"Well, let's go back, the others must be worrying about us teehee~" I extended my arm, offering to carry the sleeping bags.
"Yeah." She smiled at me and gladly took my offer. While a few meters from the exit, we started to hear voices. We were happy at first, thinking perhaps they were really looking for us. But our happiness turned into a horror when we started to piece out what they were talking about.
"Rin, what are you doing there?"
"Oh Kayo-chin, someone left the storage room's door opened. Since Rin is a good samaritan, Rin is going to close it."
"NOOOOOOOO!" It seemed that Eli and i both had the same reaction in mind as we began sprinting our way to the door. However, it was too late...we were quickly locked from the outside. Eli banged the door, hoping that Rin and Hanayo would hear, but no one responded. Seeing how red the quarter russian hands were, i stopped her and held her hands, trying to give her a bit of encouragement. "Well, we were trapped here, but even in these dark times, we must never lose the light to move forward teehee~" As if on cue, the faint light which illuminated the whole room gave up on us. I was totally lost for words on my luck, i did say 'dark times' but this was a new level of misfortune. Meanwhile, the taller girl was- "EEEEKKKKK!" letting her shrill shrieks filled the room and clinging to me like her life depended on it.
"Eli-chan calm down, it's just the darkness." I tried to pat her on the back with the intentions of calming her down. However, because of the quarter russian uncontrollable squirming, she managed to tip my hat, wig and eye mask all at once.
"ELI-CHAN!"
This was bad, i reverted to normal Honoka-chan and to make it worse, the new leader was just beside me, CLOSELY beside me. Fortunately, the darkness was my friend and kept Eli's eyes shut. But i couldn't even bend my body as the quarter russian's squeeze was becoming tighter. By the current flow of things, it was only a matter of time before my identity would be revealed. As soon as she opened her eyes, it was over. The first thing she was going to see, was the smileless face of the person that they were searching for.
"KKYAAAAAA!" Eli screamed loudly again. She was starting to overpower me as she pushed her weight forward, making us both fall on the ground. I used this chance to get away from her but she quickly locked my movement with another full body embrace.
"Don't hug me i'm scared!" My arms and legs were in a deadlock. At this rate...NO, i wouldn't let that happen, i could still move my whole body. I began slowly wriggling my way out until my head reached something...very soft, which immediately filled my head with happy thoughts...like those dozens of cat videos on the internet. No mistaking it, these were BREASTS, Eli's BREASTS.
I resumed wiggling my body. However, Eli's breasts were surprisingly big. "85..no..86..87..don't tell me 88! Good lord, just how much love God gave in this person!" Before i completely engaged my mind with this 'boob' talk, i managed to get my head halfway through. But, when i tried to move further, Eli began another barrage of screams. "HYAAAAAAA!" She was cuddling me like no tomorrow and pressing it more to my face. "El..-cha..your boobs...i'm..slow...ly..losi..ng...air..."
...
...
...
Afterlife?
"Where am i? Why is everything all white here? I'm just in the room full of darkness and despair a second ago..." I asked to no one in particular. Well, because no one was here, only me and the white horizon.
"Is someone there, please answer? Kotori-chan! Umi-chan! Hana-" I gasped. Someone did answer but she was formless, just a powerful voice in my head, telling me that. "..I died...it was 'death by boobies'..."
"It has been a good 16 years of my life...i have no regrets.." I wholeheartedly stated. Even though, after all what happened, i loved my life. Yes, it had more bad things than the good, but i could still proudly say that i was glad i lived.
"Huh, i can still go back? So i wasn't totally dead.." The voice informed me.
"Nah, i like to stay here, it's been so long since my heart feels this at ease..." Let say i did go back, for sure it would be only another sets of misfortune, waiting for me like Mario saving Princess peach just to find out she was taken in another castle. At least here, i had a peace of mind.
"What are you saying i must go back? Someone is waiting for me?" 'Someone is waiting for me' i felt wasn't the Muse, Yukiho or my parents, so who was it?
"I still like to be here, i'm an avant-garde who doesn't dwell on the past. I believed everything happened for a reason..."
"What 'One punch man' and 'Nanatsu no Taizai' will air their season 2?! That was..tempting alright, but i already read the manga. Well, if there are nothing more interesting things out there, just let me sleep. I'm tired..."
"WHAT HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED?! Are you kidding me, that wish is beyond the power of Dragon balls."
"See? You complied easily. Lying is not good you know..."
"What do you mean 'it's not like i'm doing it for you okay, so don't get the wrong idea', what are you, a tsundere? Just give it up, there's nothing you can do to make me go back."
"...Project: Honoka Requiem..."
"What's that..it sounds familiar..." Requiem as in the song for the dead right? Well, that was fitting. My memories were still in a blur but it somehow resonated to me as something important something i must do...
"Well, can you at least tell me about this Project: Honoka Requiem?"
"What? Hey, don't go 'i don't want to give spoilers' thing after pulling my leg, speak."
"Am i not worried about what will happen to the others? Hey, don't change the subject! I'm dead you know, how can you expect me to worry?"
"What?! Eli will go to jail!" I couldn't argue on what the voice told me after all her boobs WERE the murder weapons. I could easily predict what would happen next: Everyone was going to be double-shocked on finding me dead. Then Eli, thinking herself was responsible, was going to turn herself into the police. With the lack of leader, the Muse was going to be disbanded and Otonokizaka's students would drop because of the issue, resulting the complete closing of the school. All happened because of one's person boobs. How tragic...
"Yeah, yeah..i know...i'm not selfish you know.."
"Voice...i need to go back..."
When i opened my eyes, i found myself back in the dark storage room, with Eli's boobs still suffocating my face. "..It's..real..ly..hard..to..breath..her boobs..are way too big..." Despite of slowly dying of asphyxiation, i squirmed way out little by little until i managed to slip my mouth, desperately breathing small amounts of air through her cleavage. I continued moving slowly but surely till my head fully passed her boobs. I was in her belly button area when i felt my hands were now movable. This made things easier as i pushed her to the side, completely escaping her grasp. Then, i frantically searched for my fallen wig, cap, and eyemask, however...
"Honor-chan..is that you? Why is..your hair is different now?" Eli asked. She still had fear in her words but she was now returned to her senses, to her rational and mature self.
"I'M SCREWED!" Wait! She didn't recognize me...she still called me Honor-chan. Silly me, of course she didn't, i was facing away from her. Meaning, in her perspective, she only saw my back and the color of my hair, not my face.
"Ahh Eli-chan the truth is when i lost my wand, i've also lost the source of all my magical idol powers, reverting me back to my human alter ego. That's my only weakness as a magical school idol of love, so it's a secret between us okay~" I immediately threw my wand to the side as i spouted this nonsense. Good thing, my excuse making skill level was very high and always saving me in these critical situations.
"I'm sorry it's all my fault.." Her voice was shaky as if she was crying. I knew she had a side like this but i never expected she was this much of a crybaby. "..I'm..really..."
"No, no, please don't apologize. Times like these happen haha." The only thing she needed to apologize for, was having a bust size of 88. Aside from that, everything was acceptable. "Don't worry, once i find my wand, i can get us out of this in no time teehee~"
"Then, let me help you.."
"NO! Ack- i mean don't. Just rest there, i will be done shortly hehe~"
"Why? Do..you think i'm...no good too?" Was she sniffling? I was facing the other way around, but i could definitely hear sobbing noises. And what did she mean by 'no good'?
"No, no definitely not don't think like that. If you want, i can grant you a wish." Well, whatever it took to stop her crying. I couldn't focus searching anyway if she was like this.
"A wish..."
"Well, in this form my powers are limited only to human capabilities but Honor-chan will try her best teehee~"
"Then...can i hug you?" That wasn't a wish at all, it was a DEATHWISH. It wasn't even 5 minutes when i came back to life yet my fate was bound to enter the death's door once again.
"AH- i think..my wand is over there...Eli-chan, i'm just going-"
"I knew it, you really think i'm just a burden to you..."
"You can hug me! In fact, i love hugs! It replenishes my star power. But Honor-chan human identity is an interplanetary top secret..."
"Don't worry, i will hug you from behind. So please..." Even while facing away, i knew she was making a puppy dog eyes. Well, i already died once, so might as well die twice. I sighed in defeat as spread my arms in a lateral position as if accepting my fate.
"Eli-chan come here!"
"Honor-chan!" For the next thing that happened, she tackled me from behind then swiftly locked her arms against my waist, pressing her boobs deeper on my back. She was taller than me by a few centimeters so her head was leaning on my hair. It was that time when i noticed that she was shuddering. I guess this was her usual behavior every time she was forced to deal with the darkness. I could easily picture her in my mind, all by herself in a dark room, hugging her stuff toy while waiting for the light to come.
"Honor-chan i'm sorry, you should be searching for your wand instead of this.."
"No worries Eli-chan, waiting for help is all fine too." Finally, she stopped crying and shaking, i guess it was all fine now. "Wait, this is not fine at all!" Let say, help did arrive, not only they were going to find me as Kousaka Honoka, but they would also know that i cosplayed and tricked them for food. Just thinking about their reactions were already giving the chills. I HAD TO ESCAPE.
"You're really something Honor-chan, you're shining just like her..." 'Shining' huh, i felt someone said that word to me before.
"What do you mean Eli-chan?"
"Ah it's nothing, it's a long story..."
"Well, long stories are perfect fit in our situation right?"
She was silent for a minute and reluctant to speak, but in the end, i managed to make her talk, after a few lines of "don't worry, you're secret is safe with me" and "no fair Eli-chan, you already know Honor-chan's secret."
"Well, how should i start..i haven't even told Nozomi about this. Umm...you read my past right? Then you must know about ballet. Back then, i started to be a ballet dancer at a young age like my mother and grandmother. I practice hard every day and take my lessons seriously. All my classmates were very supportive and always praising me. It was that time, when i stupidly thought of myself as 'special', someone who was above the others and easily do what others couldn't. But as i grew up, i realized i wasn't 'special' at all. I failed at every ballet auditions i joined and started lagging in both class and ballet lessons. It was so unfair, i thought. I never slacked in practices and gave a part of me in ballet, so why there's always someone better? Why i can't win? It was that point when i decided to give up my dreams, until i met Nozomi and...Honoka-" I instantly coughed when my name was there. Like i had been struck by an arrow. The guilt instantly surfaced in my mind.
"Honor-chan are you alright?"
"I'm alright..i bite the dust..i'm fine now..please continue."
"If you say so...where was i again..ah Honoka, my first impression of her was, she's stupid, another hero wannabee who wanted to save the school. She presented me her idea of being school idols, which i quickly rejected. Even so, she didn't give up, no matter how many times i rejected her. On the contrary, she persevered more and her group of 3 quickly grew to 7. I confessed, my objection to her idea was something personal. She kinda reminded me of my old self: Stupid and thinking that the world would always go her way. But when she extended her hand to me and asked me to join the Muse, i felt a heavy burden was lifted to me. I'm starting to smile more and looking forward dancing again. It was also that time when my feelings for Nozomi bloomed and-"
"Umm...Eli-chan can we skip that part..i'm already familiar with it." By familiar, i mean i knew the whole story because i was there the whole time.
"Oh..okay..umm so i thought this circle of happiness would last forever until she left...Honoka, i mean. I tried to not act shocked or distressed in front of others, but inside i'm just like Umi and Kotori too. In an instant, all her responsibilities were shoved to me, but i'm not really great as a person. Although people see me as more leader-like than her, Honoka was unlike the others...she was 'shining'. To back it up, it was Honoka's idea that saved the school, not mine. So when i was appointed as the new leader, i wanted to refuse right away. I'm not Honoka...i'm not 'special'...i can't accomplish what she can...my light had already been long gone.." Something wet was dripping on my neck...it was her tears.
"Eli-chan..."
"Umm...Honor-chan, do you know why she left us?" Eli asked me sincerely. Meanwhile, i wasn't dying on hugs this time, but sheer guilt was killing me inside. I never expected i managed to influence their lives like this. The idea of revealing myself did cross my mind, yet i couldn't...in this state, i would only hurt them more.
"Whoa that's really a long story, but you know Eli-chan there's something bothering me. This light and shiny thing, it's not because 'my light had already been long gone', it's because you give up. You told me this Honoka was 'shining', right? But i think she wasn't great of a person either. The only difference was, she didn't give up..." I made a lighthearted speech, hoping to alleviate this growing guilt in my heart, but it had the opposite effect.
"Well, she did give up...she gave up on us..." Eli said, this time not holding back her tears.
That remark stung me and made me chew my words. I could only counter with a weak reassurance like Umi earlier. "Eli-chan don't cry, Honoka-chan didn't give up on the Muse."
Because it was Muse, who gave up on Honoka-chan.
"...Really..how can you say that easily? We tried to find her you know, but it's like she vanished in the thin air..she really doesn't want us to see her now.."
"Eli-chan, the darkness in your heart will only grow stronger if you keep thinking like that. Just trust me, a magical school idol never lie right?" On the contrary, this magical idol of love was born full of lies. This was the main reason why they should never know my identity.
"..Really..."
"Well, i can't tell you why Honoka-chan left because it will violate the Celestial code 542 but i'm sure she doesn't hate you." I put my hands in Eli's hands, sharing my warmth and sincerity to hers. "In fact, if she's here right now, i bet she's hugging and comforting you, just like me."
"Honor-chan, i'm glad i met you. To be honest, when we first met, i thought you just cosplayed and freeload for food. But there's no doubt in mind now, you're really a magical school idol." I coughed loudly again after hearing that. My whole body became a target practice for a bunch of imaginary arrows. The guilt, the guilt was back with a vengeance. It was that point when i made a lifetime promise to bury this secret only to myself.
"Honor-chan are you alright?"
"Don't worry...it's the dust again.."
"Haha, you're clumsy too, just like her."
"See now you're giggling, you should be more confident in yourself. Your life may be full of dark now, but don't give up and for sure the light will COME!" As if on cue the light did come, but on the outside. Eli was relieved when she heard the sound of the door opening. Meanwhile, i was...
"I'M SCREWED FOR REAL!" I got sidetracked and lost my chance to escape. Our position wasn't too far if turned their heads from the side, not to mention Eli was just tightly hugging me from the behind. THIS WAS CHECKMATE!
"Hey Eli, Honor-sama are you there?"
Chance of survival 0%
"Nico, Nico is that you?"
Chance of survival 0%
"Yeah i'm here with Maki, that idiot Rin locked this door, right? I heard it from Hanayo."
Chance of survival 0%
"Well, let's go now, you found the camping gears right?"
Chance of survival 0%
"Yeah, just a minute..."
Chance of survival 0%
"Good, then what are we waiting for." This was the worst, their footsteps were getting closer and closer. Was i really out of moves? The only thing i could think of was to summon my [Moon Platinum] and gave them all a beating of 'Dark Honor Punches'.
Chance of survival 0%
"Wait, just stop there. I'll be the one who'll be meeting you both."
Chance of survi- Wait! What?
Eli was still embracing me from the back when she whispered, "Now's your chance, go find your wand, i'll stall them. Your human self was top secret right?"
"...Eli-chama..."
"But wait, aren't you still scared in the dark?" To present my proof, she was still trembling lightly.
"Yes but, i won't give up now and i won't run away either. I have to shine like Honoka-chan right?"
"Thank you Eli-chan..."
"No, i must thank you Honor-chan my mind is all clear now.."
I couldn't waste this God-given opportunity, i hastily moved away from the taller girl and fetched my wand shortly. I still had no a clue where my wig, eye mask and cap were, so i searched the ground with a fast pace. My time was running out and i still had no progress. It was then when i noticed a button-like in my wand. After pressing it, a strong colorful light enveloped the room. Seriously, it had a feature like this all this time. If i knew it beforehand, i could've prevented myself from dying earlier. I raised my wand like a torch while walking, and found my magical idol paraphernalia near a fort of boxes. I quickly put everything on then raced my way to the exit.
"Magical school idol of love Honor-chan, here to catch your heart teehee~" I muttered my magical school idol catchphrase as i met the three outside.
"Honor-sama, i'm glad you're okay. Was that light made by you?" Nico asked, looking at me like i was some sort of her childhood superhero.
"Yeah, i'm brimming with lots of star power now, thanks to Eli-chan."
"Well, if she's really a magical idol, why she didn't use her magic to escape?" Maki retorted with a typical smart girl remark.
"Maki, do you question the greatness of Honor-sama? Honor-sama please forgive her, she's cranky when she's hungry." Nico bowed on the redhead's behalf.
"It's my fault, why Honor-chan can't use her magic that time." Eli chuckled then secretly winked at me.
"What Eli you too, you believe her? She's so shady you know?"
"Maki take that back! I'm sorry again Honor-sama, she doesn't know what she's talking about." The raven haired girl bowed to me again. Meanwhile, i could clearly see the tiny bits of irritation starting to form on Maki's face.
"No, it's okay heehee~"
"Tsk. Whatever let's go now." Maki clicked her tongue and started to walk away from us. She was immediately followed by Nico, who excused herself to me before chasing towards her lover.
"Well, Honor-chan, let's go too."
"Yeah..."
We walked deep into the woods till we found a good place to camp. Eli went back to the mountain house for food while Nico was off somewhere, gathering wood for the campfire. This left me stuck with the group princess, but what i got was more like an uncomfortable silence. It was expected after all Maki was the type who would never make the first approach, plus she viewed me as 'the shady girl that we met at the station' so i doubt we were going to have a conversation anytime soon.
...
...
...
Ten minutes had passed and no one had uttered a word. Well, playing the silence game was fine by me. I had my own problems to deal with anyway. Project: Honoka Requiem...It sounded so familiar...why did the voice want me to go back? Hmm...
"AHHH!" I shouted and stood up out of reflex. Maki just stared daggers at me for a second then averted her gaze after.
"Sorry.." I could only apologize for my sudden surge. Because finally, i had remembered something crucial. The Project: Honoka requiem...was my Bankai...the final form of the prototype that i was wearing right now. So there existed something more wretched than this god-forsaken outfit, WHY? At least, this answered the mystery of this dress, but i still had to find why i was on the train.
...
...
...
Another silence had come to pass. Well, i could get used to this. I guess we wouldn't have some heart to heart talk, unlike the others. "Finally, some peace and quie-" Just when i was about to relax and stretch my arms, Maki's cellphone rang. But for some reason, the redhead didn't answer the call after looking at the caller. She had an irritated look and gritted her teeth. Not even a minute, her phone rang again. This time, she didn't bother to touch her phone. The ringing continued for the third, fourth and fifth time until she finally pressed the call button. She let a loud 'tsk' before answering though. "Hey Maki-chan, if you didn't want to be bothered by that call, there's a magical solution called 'turning off your cellphone'."
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry, there's not much reception here...yeah...i understand...I'll attend the marriage interview as soon as i get back. Yeah, there's nothing to worry about. Bye." The call ended and Maki had a hard shaking grip on her cellphone. Hey, hey, hey, what just happened here? If i heard it correctly, the whole talk was about a 'marriage interview'. She and Nico were still dating, right? And no matter how i looked at it, their relationship was going strong now. So what was the deal of attending this marriage interview? Ughh, i didn't want to poke my nose into someone else's business but i had a bad feeling where this was heading.
"Umm...Maki-chan, about the..."
"So you heard it, don't tell the others until i break up with Nico," Maki answered coldly, but it wasn't the same cold reply she always gave now and then, there was a hint of sadness in it.
"Well Maki-chan, do you mind telling what's the problem?" Actually, i already had an idea on what was the problem itself, but it was still in the hypothesis stage.
"It's none of your business! Oh, i remember, you're an all-knowing celestial idol, then why don't you use your 'magic' that you're talking about." She got me. As expected from a first-year honor student, always using logic to counter an argument.
"Hmm...you know, you're right. Magical, Celestial, Love power charge: Heart slip, your memories are now mine teehee~" This was a gamble, my information was only limited to what i heard. So if my guess was wrong even in the slightest detail, then game over. But this was the only way to make Maki talk. Arghh! Whatever, time to present my theory. "Well, according to your memories, your parents were bugging you to attend a marriage interview lately. Of course, you want to refuse right away, but you've never talked back to your parents let alone inform them about your relationship with Nico-chan."
"You're really annoying, but yes you were right." Thank God, i was right. Well, it wasn't really hard to guess, but a tiny detail in her story kept bothering me.
"Umm...Maki-chan, why do you want to break up with Nico-chan. According to your memories, you loved her so much and things are going smooth between the two of you as of late. So why-"
"Because this is REALITY!"
"Reality? What do you mean by that?"
"I told you it's none of your business. Stop badgering me!" Maki shouted. She was right Honoka, it was none of your business now. But i couldn't leave her like this, not when i knew she was going to be unhappy.
"IT IS MY BUSINESS, MAKI-CHAN. I'M YOUR LEADER." Honestly, if i put myself in Maki's shoes, i would be quite annoyed at myself. It wasn't my style to be this forceful, but this girl was one heck of a stubborn princess.
"You're just saying that now, then you'll leave us just like her!" Her? Did she mean me? Oh boy, i suddenly had a bad feeling. One ticket to slightly angst train, please.
"What are you talking about, Maki-chan?"
"It's nothing. What part of 'it's none of your business' don't you understand? JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"There you go again, you know i can't do that. Not when your heart was telling me to save you!"
This time my remark somehow hit her hard as she didn't speak after. Maybe because she was still contemplating if should or shouldn't tell me the whole story, about this 'REALITY' she mentioned earlier. After all, this girl had lots of trust issues and always chose to bottle her problems to herself. "Listen Maki-chan, we can repeat this conversation for the hundredth or even the thousandth time, and the outcome will still be the same. I won't give up, i will never give up because saving people's heart is the duty of a magical idol."
...
...
...
"...Fine, I-i guess i could tell you, but don't tell the others especially Nico."
"Of course, you have my word as a magical idol of love." Finally, we were having progress. Well, whatever the source of her problem, for sure i could solve it with logic.
"It all started when Honoka left-" I coughed loudly at the introduction. The guilt was haunting me again. Suddenly, i felt nauseous like something churned in my stomach.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, i'm fine ahahah, please continue."
"If you say so. Well, i've always thought the Muse was a magical place, a place where we're always could've fun and a place where we could always be together. But ever since she left, our leader i mean, the magic of that place had all died out. In an instant, i was slapped back to the REALITY that we will all have to separate. Soon, the third years will graduate and leave us, which will strain my relationship with Nico. Why? Do you ask, because i knew that idiot will pursue her idol career, which will limit our time to be together. But it's not only her, once i graduate Otonokizaka i'll be busy becoming a doctor too, and i doubt we'll be seeing each often after that. So it's best to end it here while it's still fresh...this is REALITY, no matter how much Nico and i loved each other, that isn't enough to live in this world..." So...in other words, this was all my fault again. Like how Eli doubting her leadership, Maki became somewhat scared to the future. She was always this pragmatic but with my leaving and the third years pending to graduate, made her overthink what was going to happen.
"Ahahahaha!" Actually, i had no idea what i should do. But first, let's do something about this grave atmosphere.
"Why are you laughing? This is a serious matter for me! Dammit, i shouldn't have told you about this, i'm leaving now."
"Sorry Maki-chan, it's just you're thinking it too much."
"What's wrong with thinking it too much, it's the truth. I'm the sole heir of Nikishino Hospital, so of course my parents will be expecting me to produce a future heir."
"Listen Maki-chan, what's important is today more than anything else. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." Pretty good advice right? I ripped it off from Kung-fu Panda. Master Oogway would be proud.
"The present..."
"Yes, tell me Maki-chan. Do you really want to end your relationship with Nico-chan?"
"I told you none of that matters now. This is nothing but a stupid high school crush, i'm sure i'll forget it in college or when i meet-"
"Then, what if you didn't forget?"
"Huh?"
"What if you didn't forget her even after all time that passed? It's sad...Maki-chan, wanting to be someone, you yourself pushed away. You'll constantly regret about it, thinking the what ifs or if i could only go back. And i'm going to tell you now, that feeling is so painful." Because i was feeling that all the time. Why did i leave them? Sure, they would be shocked if i told them i couldn't smile anymore. But maybe if i thought it hard enough, i could find another ending. I missed them...even though i was the ninth wheel, i missed them so badly. Umi's scolding, Kotori's pampering, Maki's cold retorts, Rin's exuberance, my idol discussions with Hanayo, Nozomi's teasing, my little sister's talk with Eli and even Nico's Nico Nico nii. I missed it all and seeing them just in front of me hurt me so much. The fact that they were so close to me yet now unreachable...
Well, no use of thinking that now, since we had no save/reload in life. All i could do now was to move forward and believe that this decision was right.
"Then, wh-what should i do? I-i can't disobey my parents but i don't want to lose Nico either. Tell me Honor-chan, what should i do!" She was now openly crying in front of me. I reached my hand towards her hair, gently caressing it.
"Just follow your heart Maki-chan, you might think this is the clichest advice ever. But that all there's to it really. Don't think about your parents, Nico or this REALITY, and think about Nikishino Maki. What do Nikishino Maki want?" She hugged me all of a sudden, baring her raw emotions towards me. Obviously, all i could do was to hug back. This was strange, the Maki i knew would never open up to strangers, but i guess love had its ways of changing people.
"...Do you really think i could do all that?" She asked while her face was still buried on my shoulders.
"Maki-chan, WE make our own REALITIES." I sincerely assured her with a firm hold on her hands. "And besides you're not alone anymore, you got your parents, wonderful friends and a loving girlfriend. For sure, unlike me, you can discover an answer that will leave everybody happy."
And so, we continued to hug for a few minutes. Maki was still sniveling, so i just gently patted her head, acting like a mature Onee-san.
"Honor-chan..."
"Yes.."
"...Can you just stay with us? I know this is stupid, but you greatly remind me of her, Honoka.." What was this? Her eyes looked so tamed and the way she talked was very serene. Was this the fabled, Maki's dere side? This was the first time i saw her like this, i almost wanted to say yes for a second.
"Ahaha i'm sorry but i have a duty to fulfill and also...someone is waiting for Honor-chan, but i'm sure our paths will cross again."
"Ahh..no i'm sorry, so you have a special someone too." 'Special'? Was that person was 'special'? Hmm, i really didn't understand, how that person was 'special' in any way. But perhaps, she was right, because that person accepted the for who i was.
Maki stood up, stepped a few distance then turned again to me. Her face looked like she finally found her resolve. "I decided once this training camp is over, i'll let my parents know about my relationship with Nico. They might be disappointed in me, but i'm not going to give up until they accept us. Thank you Honor-chan, i think i can compose a music now. We have to win the love live for Honoka and the seniors."
"Well, no worries Maki-chan, i'm a magical idol of Lov-AHHH!" A part of my memories came flashing to me again. Suddenly, my hands couldn't stop shaking as sweats started to appear in my body. This sensation...was fear.
No, impossible...so that was what its true purpose...why the voice wanted me to come back...The project: Honoka Requiem was...
"Honor-chan, Honor-chan, are you alright? You screamed again." Maki's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She had an anxious expression while shaking me on my shoulders. Meanwhile, mine was a horrified one, but i managed to hide it by bowing my face.
"...I'm fine, sorry Maki-chan..."
"Mou, you don't need to say sorry. You helped me greatly after all."
"...Yeah...sorry.."
"Hey what wrong with you? You're acting weird all of a sudden."
"...It's nothing...really...sorry Maki-chan..."
"If you say so, i'll not ask any further. But if you feel like talking, i'll be at the mountain house, okay." Although she said that, she was reluctant to leave me at first. I just told her that it was something magical school idol of love related, then never spoke any further. It took a few minutes for her to actually leave me, but promise to return and check on me later. I only nodded as my response.
As her image faded in the forest, i finally opened my mouth. "I'm sorry Maki-chan but no matter how hard all of you try, it's useless. Because once my final form is complete, i'll automatically win the Love live..."
That was right, the spirit of competition was dead, the Love live was going to be a one-sided massacre between me against every other idols. Sorry everyone...
