author's note

the grandma of umi's that i actually based on my great-great grandma is here (who still parties with the younger generation of my family at the age of 85..) love u g'ma lmao

i'm excited to have these "telling the family" chapters over so that i could share with you guys kotoumi's baby, also because i feel bad for umi-- so yeah expect kotoumi's relationship to be official soon. in the next next chapter, we'll find out the gender of baby seagull! #genderrevealparty yayyy and that means Muse will gather together again!

because kotori will speak french in this chapter and i don't trust google translate, italics like this "whattup" that kotori says is in french.

i didn't realize i'd write this long about umi's family, honestly :00 so the next chapter will have umi's father's reaction, and then a timeskip to two months :D

Responses for Reviews:

IamGayandaSinner: and umi is an archer too so she knows how to aim things well-- ok ill shut up before umi comes to life just to shoot me for being shameless

Hiei's Curry: *panic intensifies inside kotoumi while they calmly talk about children* and i'm glad you seem to like yui, she's my favorite 'OC' for this story! yui will definitely do something here for the two of them to speed up the process..

With all that said, lez go!

Disclaimer: The Love Live franchise and its characters are not mine.


Chapter Seventeen: A Little Selfish

It's been a few hours since then, lunch has passed and it was time for them to pick up Umi's grandmother, but still, Mr. Sonoda didn't leave the room, or at least go down. They only heard footsteps of him entering and exiting other rooms upstairs, but Umi was too..too disappointed to take a look or talk to him.

"Kotori, Umi, don't worry," Yui comforted the two with a smile "Father is always like that. It's the same way he reacted to my marriage with Kazuma. He keeps scolding us for being immature but.. ain't it immature, the way he gives us silent treatment--"

"Yui." Mrs. Sonoda sighed, flicking her eldest daughter's arm "Don't talk like that about your father.. not a good example for your niece, right?"

"That's my line, Mother..!" Yui mumbled. Soon, their heads turned to Kotori, whose phone was ringing.

Umi saw the irritation in Kotori's eyes when she saw the caller ID.

"Um, Aunt.. may I go to your garden for a moment? I need to take this call."

"Go ahead and take your time, dear." Mrs. Sonoda nodded, pointing towards the garden's shōji "Umi, stay here and wait for your girlfriend. Yui and I will get the car ready."

"Okay then-- wait, she isn't my girlfriend!" Umi exclaimed, blushing out of embarrassment

"..yet, at least..!" she added once she heard Kotori enter the garden.

"Yeah, yet." Yui laughed, exiting the house with her mother "Wait, why do you need to accompany me, Mother?"

Mrs. Sonoda could only smile at her eldest.

"So that those two lovebirds can have a few minutes alone, of course."

"Ah.." Yui nodded "You're wise, Mother. I definitely got it from you."

"Naturally, you and Umi are smart because of me, not because of your father."


On the other hand, curiosity got the bunny and Umi was eventually listening behind the shōji door. Kotori was speaking fluently in French, as if she knew the language all her life.

Umi, on the other hand, learned a bit of French as a foreign language class in college, so she understood just a few words.

"I'm sorry, Aciel, I can't meet up with you at the moment.. could you find someone else to tour you around in Tokyo? Hiyori, perhaps?" Kotori walked back and forth, feeling irritated "I'm not in Tokyo at the moment, and no, I don't.. I don't live alone."

"Aciel?" Umi muttered, trying to process the French language in her mind "I don't understand everything exactly other than Kotori saying she can't help this Aciel with something..?"

"No, you see.." Kotori saw Umi's hair from the corner of her eye, a small but mischevious smile forming across her lips "I'm at my girlfriend's hometown right now, Aciel. You can't stay with me either since we live together, but I do know some cheap hotels near the popular landmarks."

Ah, little did Kotori know that Umi knew a little bit of French, enough to understand that Kotori called her her 'girlfriend.' If Kotori knew, she would be a blushing mess like Umi.

"G-Girlfriend?!" Umi mumbled "Is this one of the guys that would flirt with her..?"

"Yes, yes. It was great talking to you, and apologies I can't meet up with you. My regards to the rest of the boys. I hope you guys enjoy Tokyo."

"Seems like she's done.. tch, why is she still talking to--"

"Found you~" Kotori giggled, opening the shōji door wider "It's bad to eavesdrop, Umi-chan."

"..it's bad to lie, too." Umi, startled at first, pouted, looking a bit upset. After all, she thought Kotori just lied to avoid going out with the guys "Let's go?"

"Wait, wait.. you understood?" Kotori looked at her, puzzled "Hey, wait~!"

"You don't have to lie about me as your girlfriend," Umi muttered, cupping Kotori's chin with one hand "all you have to do is ask."

"U-Umi-chan..?"

"Just a bit more," Umi thought, closing her eyes "just a bit more and our lips would touch."

"Ah.. she's so close." Kotori thought as she stared at Umi's lips, unconsciously closing her eyes as well.

"Kotori, Umi, as much as I enjoy this show.." Yui interrupted their moment, a smug grin across her face "we have to go and tell Grandma about your little one."

"Yui-nee..!" Kotori backed away, blushing madly "H-How long..?"

"Long enough to realize my sister is truly getting some action while I get mine once a month." Yui sighed, then let out a laugh "Not dating, no official relationship my ass. No couple that's just 'co-parenting' would do things like that, especially since the child can't even see yet, and isn't even born yet. You two can just get back together, y'know?"

"Yui-nee.." Umi groaned, rolling her eyes as she walked towards the entrance of the house "you ruined it."

"Hm?" Yui looked behind her, then got startled when Umi slammed the door "Oh.. seems like I made Umi pissed by accident. If she's the same like before, she'll spend the entire day avoiding me now.."

"...Y-Yui-nee, you think she'll avoid me too?" Kotori asked, slightly sticking her bottom lip out "It's because.. one of the guys that used to court me wanted me to tour him around, but I just know he's doing that to try and persuade me to date him, so I told him I'm.. I'm at my girlfriend's hometown, but I spoke in French! I think she got upset because she thought I was just using her..but again, I didn't know Umi-chan knows French!"

"Ah, no wonder why.. She learned French cause of boredom and for extra credit in college, but also because she wanted to visit France one day. Reason why, I don't know.. Honoka said it might be to visit you, I don't know. But," Yui explained, patting Kotori's shoulder "why do you have to lie? You do know my sister's heart is still yours. You could ask her to be your girlfriend for real. Unless you love someone else?"

"It's..always been Umi-chan, and I just realized it days ago." Kotori muttered, blushing slightly "But I don't know..! I don't know how to tell her--"

"You know, my sister may be a poet herself, but she does enjoy a good love song once in a while. A love song that"s written just for her, to be exact. Or..or simply something handmade that's just for her. A business attire, since Umi thinks some of her suits bring her good luck." Yui smiled, then let out a chuckle "Let's go? We don't want to keep a sulking Umi waiting."

True to her words, Umi spent the rest of the ride leaning against the other side of the backseat, barely talking to Kotori while pouting.

Soon, Kotori felt her phone vibrate during a red light, which she quickly checked.

Yui-nee (Umi-chan's sister)

Yui-nee: Don't worry. What you told me earlier stays between us. You should be the one to tell my dense sister how you feel, after all.

Upon lifting her head up, Yui just smiled at Kotori through the car's mirror and soon drove again.


When they reached the homecare, there was an elderly woman talking to another elderly woman outside, but one bore resemblance to the Sonoda's.

Her hair, although now more white, had a hint of blue in it and her eyes were the same color as Umi's, but more honey-ish. Upon parking, Umi quickly went out of the car with a smile, waving to get her grandmother's attention.

"Grandma." Umi grinned, then bowed before embracing her grandmother "It's been a while, I missed you loads. Have you been doing good? Eating healthy?"

"Of course, my grandchild. Show me how well you've grown.." Grandmother Sonoda chuckled, cupping Umi's face "You look more charming than I remember! Tell me, do you have someone special already?"

"Actually, Grandma.."

"Yoo-hoo! Hi, Grandma! Oh, hello, Mrs. Arima! I hope my grandmother wasn't much of a bother." Yui smiled, bowing "How have you been these days?"

"Don't mention it, Akane here accompanies me well, especially since my children and grandchildren are often busy.. well, I'll go back inside, alright Akane? See you tomorrow?"

"As always, Suzune." Grandmother Sonoda smiled, then let out a sigh when she heard her friend enter the homecare "Yui, Umi, you two don't usually pick me up, nit even in the past. Why did you guys decide to tag along with your mother?"

"Well, I want to visit Grandpa, too. And.. I have someone important for you to meet, or..remember?" Umi chuckled nervously, beckoning Kotori to exit the car and go to them "Remember Minami Kotori?"

"Ah, yes.. your first crush, first love, and I think you two married once when you were little kids with rings made from flowers from your mother's garden." Grandmother Sonoda nodded, then smiled again when she saw Kotori come towards them "My, she has grown into a lovely lady!"

"H-Hello, Grandmother. It's been a while since I've seen you, I'm sorry for only visiting now." Kotori smiled. When Kotori was little and slept over, Umi's grandparents took care of them since her parents would be busy tending the dojo while her sister would be studying.

"Kotori, no need to be formal with me. Speak comfortably, as if I'm your grandmother, too. After all," Grandmother Sonoda sighed happily as Yui helped her down the stairs "you and Umi were glued together when you two were little, so I took care of you often, didn't I?"

"Eheh, yep! I remember having some of your homemade cookies, and Umi-chan would steal us some when you weren't looking."

"Ah, so it was you two! And all this time, I thought it was Yui."

"Don't pin the blame on me! See, this is what older siblings have to deal with.." Yui muttered, opening the car door "Let's go to Grandpa already, Father is just at home sulking anyway."

"Huh? Why is my son sulking? I thought he'd be glad that his youngest is here for a few days."

"Well.." Yui eyed Umi, who just coughed and stayed silent "Umi, still angry?"

"Seems like someone is like their father and is sulking, too." Mrs. Sonoda giggled. She sat in the passenger's seat and stayed inside the car the entire time, letting the 'youngsters' do their own thing "Yui, what did you do to her and Kotori?"

Unfortunate for Umi, since her grandmother was in the car, she had to sit in the middle of the backseat -- which meant her plan of ignoring Kotori failed, since now, she sat beside her.

"Well, let's say I interrupted a moment between the two of them." Yui chuckled as she fastened her seatbelt "Grandma, let's go to Grandpa? Kotori and Umi have important news to tell you both."

"I suppose it is also proper for your grandfather to know whatever the news may be."


Cemetery, 2 PM

Since they arrived and walked around the cemetery, looking for the grave, Umi was quiet and had a sullen look.

"Yui-nee, why..?" Kotori whispered to Yui as they walked, pointing at Umi, who walked ahead of them "She's so quiet.."

"Ah.." Yui smiled sadly, still talking in a whisper-like tone "When Grandpa was ill, terribly ill, Umi couldn't go home. The day Umi was able to go home, however, was the day of Grandpa's funeral. Until now, she regrets the fact she wasn't able to visit Grandpa."

"Oh.. I feel bad for Umi-chan.."

"Since then, she tries her best to balance her time between work and family or friends. Sure, she hasn't seen our parents for a while, but she always made time whenever I visit her in Tokyo."

"We're here." Umi muttered, pausing in her tracks as she knelt in front of a grave. She wore a sad smile as she wiped the dust off the grave with a piece of cloth, then she bowed slightly "I'm home, Grandpa. I'm sorry I haven't visited in three years."

Sonoda Kishi

November 22, 1938 - May 29, 2015

"I.. I brought someone along with me, Grandpa. I have some news I hope you'd like, although I know you'd scold me a bit." Umi chuckled, beckoning Kotori to come closer to them "Well, I did introduce her as my girlfriend before, as someone I want to spend my life with.. but for now, we're slowly getting there. Grandpa, she's.. still the woman I love."

"Ah, hello, Grandpa!" Kotori smiled, slightly blushing with Umi's way of describing her "I'm sorry for only visiting now. It's been a while, hasn't it? The last time I saw you was our middle school graduation.. and now, look at us~ We're fresh graduates, Grandpa!"

Yui chuckled as she laid down a picnic mat, beckoning her mother and grandmother to sit down. The two still talked to Umi's grandfather, mainly Umi updating her grandfather about what she's been doing.

"Now, Umi, what is it you want to tell us?" Grandmother Sonoda interrupted, going in front of the grave "Dear, I told you I'd be right about Kotori finding her way back to our Umi one day."

"Mou, Grandma.." Umi sighed, slightly embarrassed "Well, I know you'd feel slightly angry about this, maybe a bit disappointed but.."

"Kotori is pregnant and it's your baby?" Grandmother Sonoda asked calmly, still smiling "I saw how Kotori often held her stomach during the car ride, sometimes accidentally showing her little bump."

"Wha- You saw? You knew and you're not mad?" Umi cocked her head slightly, raising her eyebrow "And why?"

"Because your grandfather and I liked Kotori for you." Grandmother Sonoda hummed, then looked at the shocked Kotori "Dear, how far along are you?"

"T-Thirteen weeks, Grandma.. You're not disappointed?" Kotori asked, slightly worried "After all, Umi-chan and I.. we aren't married."

"Yet, my dear. You aren't married yet." Grandmother Sonoda corrected her "I'm disappointed, sure, because I didn't raise her to do such things before marriage, but.. there's nothing I can do but support you two. I'm sure her grandfather would feel the same way. And besides, there's a time for everything."

"Hey, Grandma, you think you can make Father think that way, too? He seemed severely disappointed when he found out about it earlier." Yui questioned "And yeah, yeah, Kazuma and I will try to conceive.."

"Ushio? I honestly don't know. Your father has been strict with raising you two because he wanted you two to grow into perfect women who could inherit the dojo and all.. And yes, please do try to conceive so their child has someone to play with."

"Hey, they can just have another child, can't they?"

"Actually, Yui-nee.. it's a bit risky for me to carry another child after this one, so," Kotori smiled sadly, touching her stomach "I decided that this little one will be my only child and I'll eventually tie my tubes when I give birth, Dr. Nishikino recommended it as well. So, unless Umi-chan.. has a child with someone else, this little one will be an only child like me."

"I don't think Umi would have another child with another person." Mrs. Sonoda commented, taking a sip from her water bottle "After all, Umi doesn't like to share."

"How is that related to what she's saying, Mother?" Umi asked, despite knowing inside she wouldn't want to marry anyone or be with anyone else if it weren't Kotori "Maybe I'd like another child, after all."

"If you have another child with someone else, eventually, your child will have a step-parent from Kotori. And you've always hated the idea of having to share Kotori, even when you were little, you'd say you want to hang out with her sometimes without Honoka--"

"Don't reveal my secrets like that!" Umi whined, covering her face "How cruel of you, Mother!"

"Am I lying?"

"..no."

"Good thing you know." Mrs. Sonoda smiled, then looked at the flustered Kotori "So what I'm saying is, if you ever want a child with another person, you'll eventually have to share your child with Kotori's 'partner.' If you don't like sharing Kotori herself, what about your own flesh and blood? And come to think of it, Kotori, how do you truly feel about Umi?"

"Mother, I think it's best to leave that to themselves, right? They can solve it." Yui sighed, then smiled at Kotori who mouthed 'thank you' "But hey, now you know more about my sister."

"Oh, I already knew she didn't like sharing." Kotori informed them "Umi-chan used to glare at Honoka-chan when we danced Wild Stars because my partner was Honoka-chan in the dance, not her."

"Kotori--!"

"Reminds me of the time little Umi cried when Kotori had to go home after a sleepover, she insisted Kotori could just live with us." Grandmother Sonoda chimed in, patting her granddaughter's back "Umi, it's fine, though."

"Why must you three always team up against me..?" Umi muttered, covering her face with her hands again "Kotori, too..!"

"Because you get easily flustered like your father, and it's fun seeing how you two react to things."

"Mother.."

"In short, my sister can get a little selfish and possessive of what she knows is hers." Yui laughed upon seeing Kotori and Umi blush "It's like Umi doesn't want to share the feeling of being the parent to her child to anyone but Kotori. And hey, maybe she doesn't like the feeling of having someone else love Kotori romantically, too."

"I.. I suppose that's true. But mou, stop teasing me! I-It's true I don't want to have any other child anyway..!" Umi whined, then turned her head to avoid Kotori's gaze "I want to have a family with Kotori only, anyway.. and this little one is enough."

Once more, Yui began teasing her sister and Kotori, who were both blushing even more after what Umi said.

"Ah, they'll be a fun family to see, right, Yume?" Grandmother Sonoda whispered to her daughter-in-law, watching Yui tease the two "Kotori and Umi, I mean."

"Yes, Mother." Mrs. Sonoda smiled warmly "I couldn't ask for a better person for our Umi."

Finally, Yui stopped teasing the two after a few minutes, and they focused on talking to Umi's grandfather.

On the way home, though, Umi spoke up to defend herself again.

"W-What's wrong with being a little bit selfish with my possessions, anyway?!" Umi blushed.

"Ara~ So you do admit that Kotori is yours? Kotori, is that true?"

"Yui-nee..!"

Poor Umi, she didn't hear Kotori say 'yes' to Yui's question.

Kotori, after all, didn't mind Umi being a little selfish about her and felt happy upon hearing Umi say she only wanted a family with her and no one else, especially when Umi said their little one is enough.


sidenote:

the sonoda family may seem a bit ooc, but i really imagined them that way. after all, when they showed a glimpse of umi's mother in the love live movie, i couldn't imagine her as the strict parent but umi's father. as for the grandmother.. i don't think it's suitable for a grandmother, who usually loves their grandchildren so much, to be strict--

umi's mother has regrets in the past for not being able to support umi's passion in engineering, that's why she's making up to it now :') now the question is,

how will mr. sonoda, the strict, stern and barely affectionate father react?

also, i dont know if you guys noticed but umi and her sister are closer to their grandparents in this story, hence them calling them "grandma and grandpa" instead of "grandmother and grandfather"

anyway, i've been a bit busy these days with building minature dollhouses for my nendoroids and writer's block is a pain in the ass, so this took a while to write :'(( i usually get motivated to write after a quick jog around my village-ish condominium, but since there was one confirmed case of covid-19 in our condo, i had to stop having those quick jogs just to be safe ugh

as always, reviews are highly appreciated!

until next chapter, stay safe and wash your hands always!

-zumi