Review Corner:

Ulquiorra9000: Reiko may be shy but she is not quiet in the manga. She yells at Monoma occassionally. But I like your argument about her being more 'open' around her friends.

Chapter 24: This is Now

UA High School,
Musutafu, Tokyo Prefecture,
November 3

"What is she doing, Awase?" Reiko shot a curious stare at Yosetsu. "What is this 'never been done before' she is talking about?"

"I don't know! I don't know!" Yosetsu shook his head. "She's been acting weird these past two days. She's shutting me out. Maybe she's…" and then everything started to make sense. "She's preparing for an encore, and she doesn't want me to see it."

"Aqours take pride in being self-reliant," Chika went on. "We write and sing our own songs. We make our own costume. We finance our own expenses for shows and competitions. But tonight, I can't find a better song to express my feelings than this wonderful piece, so just this once, I make an exception." She found Yosetsu and locked her eyes on his. "Here's Aishiteru Banzai by Maki Nishikino from the Muse."

Riko's fingers started dancing on the synthesizer just as Chika burst into song like a canary

Aishiteru banzai, koko de yokatta
watashitachi no ima ga koko ni aru
Aishiteru banzai, hajimatta bakari
ashita mo yoroshiku ne mada gooru janai

Chika sang from the heart, putting everybody on a trance. Never once throughout the song she broke eye contact with Yosetsu, who could only stare at her blankly. Her intensity raised questions, and one by one the crowd turned around to see who she was looking at. Yosetsu felt naked as the audience looked at him, but he couldn't move, as if Chika had taken away his will with her voice.

Saa! Daisuki da banzai, makenai yuuki
watashitachi wa ima o tanoshimou
Daisuki da banzai, ganbareru kara
kinou ni te o futte hora mae muite

When she reached the coda Chika encouraged the crowd to sing with her, and the crowd responded enthusiastically in the hundreds. Glow sticks and zippos flourished in the air, turning the dimly-lit stadium into a sea of sparkles. They continued to chant until Riko played the last note. She got up and joined Chika to give the audience one final heartfelt bow, drawing the biggest cheers from the audience since the beginning of the concert.

Yosetsu still froze like a statue.

"Thank you! Thank you, Musutafu!" Chika and Riko said. "Good night!" They climbed down the stage and regrouped with the rest of Aqours. But as Kinoko Komori led them away from the stage, Chika separated herself from the group and walked toward Yosetsu. A few fans tried to get her attention, to which she responded with smiles and pleasantries. But she kept on her course.

"I'll leave you two alone," Reiko Yanagi tapped Yosetsu's shoulder. "Good night, Awase."

Yosetsu didn't even reply. He just stood like a fool until Chika was practically an inch away from his face. "Well?" she said with a small smile. "You need to say something. I worked really hard on that last piece."

"Wow…" it was all Yosetsu could muster.

"I wished I could sing it as good as the original."

"I like yours better," Yosetsu started to gain composure.

"Really? Have you seen Maki Nishikino doing it?"

"I don't have to," Yosetsu couldn't hold it anymore. He hooked his arm around her waist, grabbed her neck by his free hand, then kissed her lips. The taste of mikan made his heart skip a beat, and for almost a minute Yosetsu felt as if he was losing consciousness, so much he had to break his kiss to gasp for air.

Chika herself was lost in the sensation. Her body went completely limp, and if Yosetsu did not support her she would've sloshed to the ground like a heap of jelly. Her eyes shut close and her mouth gaped open. After a while her eyes fluttered open, and a faint whimper escaped her lips.

"Chika-chan, I need to tell you something," Yosetsu conjured up all the courage. It was mindblowing that all the fight he had been through, that close encounter with the Chainsaw Nomu in the forest, the burning buildings he had to deal with during his internship, none of them measured up to this moment, when he had to confess his feelings to this amazing girl. "I think… I'm in love with you."

Chika didn't answer. She just looked into Yosetsu's eyes for a long time, as if deciding what to do with it. In the end she just rested her head in Yosetsu's shoulder. "Aishiteru yo…" she sighed, almost inaudibly.

It was far from romantic fanfare as seen on fairy-tale movies and stories, but who needed it anyway? Yosetsu gently pulled Chika's head up, and kissed her again. This time she reciprocated, fervently, and the two teenagers shut themselves out from the rest of the world, entwined in an embrace that lasted longer than the concert audience.

Finally Chika found the will to push Yosetsu off her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and offered him a big, warm smile. "So… what does this mean?"

"I guess we are uh… we are in a committed relationship. Don't you agree?"

"Committed… as in boyfriend-girlfriend relationship?"

"You could say that," Yosetsu grinned awkwardly. "To tell you the truth, my friends had been calling you that, and I never corrected them."

"What? Why did you do that?" Chika squealed.

"Because I… I want it to happen," Yosetsu scratched the back of his head. "I always wanted you to be my girlfriend."

"Cheater!" Chika shoved Yosetsu playfully. "I told Aqours that I was in love with you."

"So they knew before I did," Yosetsu feigned aggravation.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one that wants it to happen," Chika flashed a devious smile.

Yosetsu grabbed Chika's hands. "From now on, you'll be the first to know about whatI think or feel."

"Likewise," Chika replied. "And I hope you can brace yourself, because I think of the whole world."

"I'm all ears for you," Yosetsu kissed her hands. "Now come, it's been a long day. I'll take you back to your hotel."

"Can you not?" Chika flinched. "I just got a boyfriend and the last thing I want is meddlesome girls getting on my face, asking things I'd rather relish in private."

"Oh, alright," Yosetsu smiled. "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Surprise me," Chika smiled back.

"I may know a place or two," Yosetsu said, "but it may require yet more… stamina, to enjoy."

"As long as I have you," Chika hooked her arms around Yosetsu. "I can sleep on the train back to Numazu tomorrow."