author's note

HERE COMES THE GENDER REVEALLLLL also i may or may not make kotori confess by the end of this chapter or next chapter :3 and to add, kotori is now 5 months pregnant/21 weeks. it's been five months since the first chapter.

the readers have spoken, so the confetti colors are...

Responses for Reviews:

IamGayandaSinner: #TEAMKOTOUMI FOR DA WINNN

tzumisa9: Team girl as well uwu

Hiei's Curry: being an inside softie is a trait of the Sonoda bloodline. and hm.. of course, if/when they marry, Kotori takes the Sonoda last name uwu

RotundApple: I'm glad you love this fic!! it was fun writing umi's family, especially yui. i grew up in a family similar to umi's, so it was like looking back and taking a trip down memory lane while writing about them :D as for the confession.. all good things are worth waiting for, so stay tuned for that ;)

toyguy32: we're all #teamgirl here arent we X)

Nitsuy: it's been a while as well, so i took matters into my own hands and wrote this :DD baby Koto will make papaUmi! go crazy with her onegais

With all that said, lez go!

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

Chapter 19: Confetti

After a few more minutes of waiting, the doorbell rung again and an excited 'first-time aunt' (aka Honoka) opened the door.

"Hey." Maki waved, holding a black balloon that had 'Boy or Girl?' written on it in her other hand "Honoka, aren't you too excited..?"

"Honoka, you're an aunt, y'know. Not the mom or dad." Nico sighed, making her way into the living room "Whoa, Kotori.. you're glowing! But not as much as Nico-nii~"

"Eheh, thank you, Nico-chan. Maki-chan, I hope you didn't mind picking up the gender reveal balloon for us." Kotori smiled warmly, giving them the little tray that had pins "Team boy or girl?"

"Girl."

"Boy."

"We have a new member!" Eli cheered, wearing a blue party hat. Apparently, Honoka also brought some pink and blue props; whistles and party hats, to be exact. Everyone in the room was wearing the accessories, due to Honoka forcing them "Nico~! Come here and wear the hat, too!"

"I'd rather not, Eli." Nico rolled her eyes as she pinned the blue pin on her sweater, then she sat down on the 'boy's team' side of the sofa "Maki, why do you think it's a girl? I feel like Umi is the type to have a son, y'know? Unless.. you know the gender already?!"

"N-No! Mama's people already put the confetti inside the balloon by the time she contacted me, and she even sealed the envelope that says the gender shut!" Maki groaned as she handed the envelope and balloon to Umi "I-I just think it's a girl, is it that bad?"

"Team girl for the win!" Nozomi blew her whistle as Maki sat beside her "Well, wait.. what do we do now? We can't just pop the balloon already..!"

"Oh, right! You guys remember our old social media account when Muse was active?" Nico asked, to which everyone nodded to "Some fans are commenting on the last post, saying they saw Umi buying baby things recently. While some say that maybe Kotori is pregnant and Umi is the dad, some say maybe it's Eli, or even Honoka! It's causing a riot, honestly--"

"What? They're still arguing over ships?" Eli snickered "And I thought Garasu No Hanazono was enough to confirm NozoEli."

"You have Storm in Lover, which is equally gay. Some of them still ship EliUmi and KotoHono, too." Nico chuckled, taking out her phone to show Honoka the comments "You guys never made your relationships official, anyway."

"Is the password still the same as before?" Umi asked as she took out her own phone, inputing the details of the Muse account "Perhaps I should clarify things."

"Wait, you're gonna make it official that Kotori is carrying your baby? Shouldn't you ask her first?" Nico pointed at Kotori, who just cocked her head slightly "Well, what do you think, preggo?"

"Well...I think it's fine? The fans might be curious, after all. The only thing is, how?" Kotori muttered, then smiled "Ah! Maybe take a video of us popping the balloon later! Or a livestream? Or even just a simple photo would do!"

"Good idea. But um.. can you control her?" Nozomi pointed at Umi, who was furrowing her eyebrows while scrolling down her phone "I feel like--"

"Aw." Umi suddenly smiled as she read a comment outloud "'Does it matter who is with who, anyway? If Umi did buy baby things for her partner or herself, I'm just happy for her. They aren't idols anymore, they have their own life.'"

"Now that's a true fan! And Umi-chan.. please don't glare at me, I'm in a happy relationship myself.." Honoka shivered as Umi shot her a glare "Have Kotori all for yourself!"

"Only if she allows me-"

"Ah." Kotori winced in pain, touching her stomach. Quickly, Umi rushed to her side, with the rest of the Muse members looking worried.

"Kotori-chan, are you okay?!"

"Should I call Mama?"

"Kotori-chan is going in labor, nya?!"

"Should I start the car?"

"Are you okay, Kotori?" Umi asked, putting her hand on Kotori's stomach. Soon, both of them looked at each other, then smiled "It kicked!"

"Y-Yeah.. it took me by surprise.. it's the first time, after all. I'm sorry for worrying you guys." Kotori giggled "Seems like this baby is excited to have you guys here."

"Eheh, we're glad to be here for you too, seagull!" Nozomi clasped her hands together "Why don't we put our phones aside so we could stop reading comments and just.. oh! Let's play a game about which Muse song or sub-unit song is written for who!"

"I do not like how that sounds, Nozomi." Umi groaned "If you are curious about Kaguya no Shiro de Odoretai and Mermaid Festa Vol.1-"

"Exactly! Why is it so shameless?" Honoka chimed in, genuinely curious "Like.. why? It's so out of character."

"A romance song must be a bit shameless, right? After all, romantic love usually comes with a hint of lust." Umi said, then told Kotori to sit down on the sofa "Why are you curious, anyway?"

"Well, who was it written for?"

"..that.. I am not answering such. Not at my child's gender reveal party."

"You're no fun, Umi-chan~ Then..what's your relationship with Kotori now?"

"We're not together yet. I'm still waiting for Kotori." Umi hesitantly explained, then sighed "I'll just go and use the bathroom real quick."

When they heard Umi go upstairs and into the bathroom, everyone just stared at Kotori.

"YOU HAVEN'T TOLD HER YET?!"

Kotori could just laugh nervously before taking a sip of water. She silently thanked whoever built this house as the walls were soundproofed.

"Ah.. this will be hard to explain.."

"You didn't tell her how you feel?! It's been two months since you realized, Kotori!" Nico groaned "Two. Months!"

"I know..! It's just.. well.." Kotori let out a sigh "It's so hard to confess..!"

"You could just get on top of her and kiss her--" Maki's gaze suddenly fell on Kotori's stomach "Ah. Right. No sexy time when there's baby inside."

"Well technically, it's fine, but awkward. I mean.. I can't look at my child without thinking about the time I had sex with their mother while they were inside the womb-- Ow.." Eli winced in pain after Nozomi hit her head "It's true..!"

"W-Well.. no, I have my own way, without.. that." Kotori blushed lightly "I made Umi-chan a suit. It took.. two months because I spent the first few weeks trying to make up lies as to why I need to take her measurements, and then I could only work on it whenever she's not home.."

"A suit? Why? Also, isn't that quite..complicated to make?" Hanayo asked. A small smile formed on Kotori's face as she looked down to her baby bump.

"Yui-nee told me that Umi-chan believes some of her suits bring her luck. She only wears one suit during important meetings, when I asked, she said it's her lucky suit. I wanted to make her something that would.. remind her of me, of our little one. Something that would cheer her on." Kotori explained without removing her gaze on her bump "So I made a nice suit! As well as a little love-song, but both of them are already wrapped up."

"Oh, is that the one you asked help for? The title.. 'Sign', wasn't it?" Maki asked, to which Kotori excitedly nodded to "It's a good love song. I'm glad I was able to compose a beat for it."

"You heard it?! What is it like?" Nico questioned "I wanna know~!"

"I think it should stay between Kotori and Maki for now, Nico-chan. After all, Kotori-chan is planning a surprise confession for Umi-chan." Nozomi recommended with a soft smile "Ah, right, Kotori-chan! What's the weirdest food craving you've had?"

"Hm? Oh.. well.." Kotori wondered for a moment, then she heard Umi leave the bathroom and go down stairs "Umi-chan! What's the weirdest food craving I've ever had so far?"

"Pickles dipped in cream cheese, topped with cinnamon and strawberry milkshake as the drink." Umi calmly replied "At first, you wanted sushi, but you weren't allowed to have sushi.. so you sent me out to look for pickles and make homemade strawberry milkshake at 4 AM."

"Eheh.. I'm sorry about that~ It's not my fault it's what your baby wants!" Kotori reasoned "I hate pickles too, you know..!"

"It's fine though. Anything for you," Umi approached her, then bent down to kiss Kotori's stomach "and this little one."

"It kicked again!"

"Ah, to have a wonderful family like that.." Nozomi sighed "Hey, Elicchi, when do you plan to give me a baby?"

"You say that like a baby is a toy, Nozomi.." Eli muttered "Let's try after I propose to you?"

"Planning for babies already, nya?" Rin scoffed "Pets are better! If you drop 'em, they'll live! If you drop a baby, it dies!"

"Yeah, babies don't come with instructions. That baby seagull," Maki pointed to Kotori's stomach "is lucky because her parents are prepared."

"Her? It's a boy!" Nico argued "See? He kicks a lot, so he's a boy! He's athletic!"

"Excuse me? Umi is a living definition of an athletic girl!"

"They'll be arguing for a while.." Hanayo sighed, then smiled at Kotori "Kotori-chan, have you thought of names?"

"Ah, yeah! I like the name.. Umiko. It carries on Umi-chan's family tradition of sea-related names, and it has three syllables like mine. What about you, Umi-chan?"

"Hn.. Kohaku, maybe? It means amber, like your eyes." Umi considered "But wait, what if it's a boy?"

"Asahi..? It means morning, and morning is always a sign of a brand new start." Nozomi recommended "Or Miyuki."

"I don't think Miyuki is a good name, considering how Umi's name ends with 'Mi' and she knows someone named Yuuki, who is head over heels for her. Sounds more like their child than Kotori's." Honoka chimed in, then pointed at Kotori, who now wore a frown "See..!"

"Definitely not Miyuki..! Asahi sounds nice because Umi-chan likes mornings." Kotori mumbled "But mou, I really like Umiko..! Sonoda Umiko.. sounds beautiful, doesn't she?"

"Sonoda Asahi sounds very manly, as well." Umi smiled, as if she's thinking about the day their child would be born "But we should probably wait until our baby is born, no? To know their attitude and aura."

"Mm, that's true! So if I were you, I'd keep a list of names for now, and we can continue calling it baby seagull!" Honoka grinned "Gives Auntie Honoka more time to call it baby seagull!"

"Regardless of the baby's gender, though, we have a heartbreaker coming. Sure, Umi had the most love letters in her locker when we were in highschool," Eli chuckled, remembering the time where Umi would sigh after opening her locker due to the love letters inside "Kotori is a heartbreaker to guys. Remember that time Kotori rejected a fan?"

"A-Ah! Don't remind me that~!" Kotori whined, covering her face with her hands "I-I just find it creepy to fall in love with someone you don't know personally.."

"It's better to break their hearts with the truth than to pretend that you can reciprocate their feelings. That's what I'll teach my child." Umi sternly said, a hand still resting on Kotori's stomach "And ugh.. those love letters. Kudos to them for having the guts to confess but.. they were so cheesy.."

"You're cheesy, nya. Remember all the love letters you wrote for Kotori-chan whenever Lily White would try and write songs- Ouch, nya! What was that pillow throw for?!"

"Don't talk about that..!"

"Oh, so Kotori-chan never read those letters yet?" Nozomi giggled mischeviously "What was one of them again? 'To my Kotori--'"

"I said stop, Nozomi!"

Kotori giggled, watching two members of Lily White tease their center member.

"I wonder.. will you be easily flustered like your Papa, too, baby?"

They spent most of the afternoon catching up, teasing the two, and basically placing bets on the baby's gender. Surprisingly, Umi joined in their game.

At last, it's 4 PM, time to pop the balloon to know whether they'd have a little princess or a little prince (or samurai, as Honoka suggested.)

"Umi! Hold this tight. Kotori, you hold the needle and pop it on the count of three, okay?!" Nico instructed them as she handed the balloon to Umi "Maki, recording?"

"Yes! Just pop it already!"

"Alright, together, everyone!" Honoka excitedly grinned "One,"

"two,"

"three!"

Pop!

As Kotori poked the balloon, different shades of pink confetti scattered everywhere. On their heads, their shoulders, and of course, the grass below them.

At the same time, cheers erupted from the other seven members while Umi and Kotori took a few seconds to take it in.

"It's a girl! A baby girl! We're having a baby girl!" Umi excitedly yelled out once she realized, then hugged Kotori tightly "I knew it!"

"...seems like I have bets to pay." Eli muttered, then quickly smiled "Umi! Kotori! Congratulations!"

"Ah, she kicked again!" Kotori giggled as Umi backed away from the hug "Umi-chan, she's saying hi."

"My little girl." Umi chuckled, then sniffled "Oh my god, I'm really gonna be a papa.."

"Reality just hit you?" Nozomi giggled "Kotori-chan, she's crying."

"E-Eh?! Umi-chann, don't cry! I don't think our little girl would like to hear her Papa cry, no?" Kotori reassured her "She might think of it the wrong way.."

"O-Our little girl.." Umi sniffled, then wiped away some of her tears "Ours.."

"Yes, ours." Kotori smiled, putting Umi's hands on her stomach "Only ours."

"M-Man, I'm getting emotional watching these two.." Honoka laughed, wiping away her tears as well "I'm so happy for you guys. A little girl, another little Kotori that would take advantage of her 'please!' so Umi-chan could agree to whatever she wants.."

"Hmm.. now that you say it, I should teach her that, no, Umi-chan?" Kotori giggled as Umi met her gaze "After all.. it is useful."

"You two.." Umi could only let out a sigh, then smiled again as she put her hand on Kotori's stomach "Nineteen more weeks, my little princess. Nineteen more weeks until I can hold you. Until then.. don't give your Mama such a hard time, okay?

I love you. Papa and Mama love you."

"Ah, I can already tell she will be a Papa's girl." Hanayo chuckled "A-Ah, Rin-chan--!"

"Group hug, nya!!" Rin ran to the two, giving them the tightest hug she could "What are you guys waiting for, standing there nya? Come here!!"

"A-Ah, Nico-chan!"

"Come on already, Maki-chann!"

"Elicchi, over here!"

"Wait, wait! Let's set a photo-timer so we can take a shot! This is a good memory to keep!"

"I-I'm on it! I'll send it to the groupchat later on!"

"Everyone, on the count of three, say 'It's a girl' and smile! One, two, three!"

The seven other girls smiled directly at the camera, while Umi could only look at Kotori, who was looking at her baby bump.

"It's a girl!"

When Hanayo sent the photo to the groupchat, most of the members were busy talking to the two or touching Kotori's stomach. And, well, the team boy had to pay their bets.

Honoka was busy as well, of course. Teasing Umi, talking to her 'baby seagull' niece, and persuading the team girl members that she can just give them discounts at Homura as payment for the bet. But soon, she got curious and checked the photo while the others were occupied.

"I'm happy for these two." Honoka chuckled, looking at the photo. All seven of them were facing the camera, but the two at the center were focused on something else.

Umi, focused at the person she loves dearly, at the person she loved even more since the beginning of her pregnancy.

And Kotori, focused at the little miracle that came unexpectedly, the little miracle that brought the two together again.

Finally, after all these years, Honoka's two childhood friends found happiness in each other. What more can she ask for? After all, she was the one who began to match-make them during their junior high days.

"Umi-chann!" Nozomi called out, snapping Honoka back in reality "You have a garden full of confetti that you have to clean!"

"Don't remind me..!" Umi whined slightly "But ah.. it is a happy mess of confetti, though.."

"Who would've thought confetti could make us so happy?" Kotori giggled, sitting down on the sofa "I can't wait to meet you, my little girl. Ma chérie."

Soon, though, Maki and Eli offered to help Umi clean up the garden while the rest of the girls talked to Kotori (mainly about her confessing.)

While most of the said confetti had to be disposed of, Umi took a few strips of the pink confetti and put it in a little jar.

"Why are you collecting trash?" Maki asked as she emptied the dust-pan's contents in the trash "Weird."

"It's for keeps. I plan to keep one thing for every milestone my daughter has. In this case, confetti from the day we found out she's a girl." Umi responded, staring at the little glass jar of confetti "Maybe it's weird, but I want to look back at this one day."

"As expected of Umi. Of course, she'd make sure her daughter, her only child would have a memory box." Eli smiled warmly, then patted Umi's back "Umi, congrats."

Umi could only smile as she put the little jar in her pocket.

Indeed, who would've thought simple pieces of confetti would make her happy?

side-note:

i was so excited about writing this chapter, i finished it quickly! rejoicee!

also, i watched a replay of μ's final live and the tears, the emOTION.. just, wow. i felt like crying every time ucchi had to wipe her tears away. love live is more than "just an anime" and i don't regret joining this fandom at all (maybe i regret spending a shit ton of money but that's different.)

so, it is a baby girl! a baby kotori that will soon tease papa!Umi and use her onegai skills that she inherited from mama!Koto.

reviews are highly appreciated, and as always, stay at home and wash your hands! take care!

until next chapter (where kotori may confess!)

- zumi