Chu2: *clears throat* Sup? Welcome to the 3rd part of the story. Now, for obvious reasons, only us RAS girls are here in the intro but honestly, who needs the rest when you already got the best?~
Rokka: I wouldn't mind having Poppin' Party here.
Masuki: Or Pastel Palettes.
Pareo: I'm with Masuki on this one~
Rei: I take Rokka's side here~
Chu2: Oh please, you just want Hanazono to be here.
Rei: *smiles and shrugs* Is that so bad?
Chu2: Considering she has rabbits in her head instead of a brain, I'll say yes!
Rei: *chuckles* Makes her cute though.
Pareo: Nobody can beat Chu2-chan's cuteness though~
Chu2: *blushes hard* Geez Pareo… don't go saying things like that…
Masuki: *chuckles* We found Chu2's new off switch.
Rokka: Ehehehe… at least we're lively… *turns to the reader* Xdante-san doesn't own me or anything from our franchise but he does like us enough to keep up with this story and share it with the rest of the world. Please enjoy~ *bows*
Chu2: MASKING! Quit patting me already! I'm not a damned rabbit!
Rokka: *sweatdrops* I'm gonna try to stop Masuki-san… before Chu2-san actually does something to her…
Love Dream Days
Chapter 3: Poppin' Date
Almost 3 weeks have passed since the special RAS concert and, naturally, every news media kept going on with this topic. As the band girls of Hanasakigawa were having their lunch in the courtyard (as usual), Arisa was annoyed that her target of affection, namely Kasumi, kept talking about the new star couple.
"Aren't they cute in this picture?~" Kasumi asked the rest of the girls while showing a page from a magazine that had Chu2 and Pareo pose in it while linking each other's arms. Plus, they were on the cover too.
Aya giggled and replied "They do seem happy together~ Even Chu2-san~"
"I wonder how they were able to make so many pictures in so little time." Hagumi thought and asked.
Kokoro came up with an answer for her "Probably the power of love~" Almost every other girl giggled at that and found the answer cute. All but Arisa, Chisato, Kanon, Rinko and Sayo, since all of them looked annoyed and defeated.
"I really wish they would change topic…" Sayo voiced as the other girls from the 'love group' only nodded their heads.
The guitarist's wish was somewhat granted as Tae asked "So does this mean that Chu2 and Pareo always liked each other?"
"Maybe not always but judging from that kiss, it had been there for quite some time." Eve answered between a few bites of her food.
Kasumi thought of an idea and asked "Why don't we each say who we like?~"
Arisa almost choked on her food after hearing that while the others seemed to have turned to stones. "What the hell, Kasumi?! What brought that up?!"
"Well, it is nice to be in love, right?~" the vocalist of Poppin' Party answered her bandmate while smiling at her. Arisa kept blushing at that beaming smile that was more radiant than the Sun to her.
Kanon fidgeted a little and said "Kasumi-san… that would be… so embarrassing…"
Rimi also voiced her worries while blushing "For most of us too…"
Saaya noticed something though and asked her friend and bandmate "Wait, doesn't the way you asked the question imply that you have a person you love, Kasumi?"
Said girl froze and sweatdropped as she was about to take another bite out of her lunch. She smiled awkwardly and replied "I guess you guys are right~"
Kokoro jumped up and yelled "I don't mind saying mine!~ It's-" her mouth was suddenly covered by Misaki's hand.
"Please don't go yelling that out loud… it would be embarrassing… for everyone…" the DJ girl said as she made sure her band leader would settle down and not give Kanon a heart attack. Naturally, Misaki knows her blue-haired friend's feelings for the ultra-hyper girl.
At that moment, Rinko suggested an alternative "How about… we just say… if we like girls… or not…"
Chisato replied "It's not a bad suggestion but considering the amount of time we spend around each other and the fact that we all go to an all-girl school, I think it would be best to ask if anybody has feelings for guys." The guitarist was met only with dead silence. "Yeah, just like I thought."
"Some of us are more obvious than others though, like Rimi-rin and Himari-chan." Tae stated casually. This obviously caused Rimi to go redder than a tomato.
Hagumi looked confused and asked "What makes you say that, Tae-san?"
The other girl simply said "Kaoru-san~"
"Oooooooooh~ I see what you mean~" Hagumi replied with a smile.
Aya was curious about something as well and turned to the star-loving girl "Kasumi-chan, do you really have someone you're in love with?"
Everyone in the group turned to the pink-haired girl in shock but only Chisato was able to ask "Aya-chan!? I thought we discussed this!"
"We only discussed that everyone here likes girls. I'm not asking Kasumi-chan to tell us who the person is, only to tell us if she actually has a girl who she is in love with." Aya replied.
Chisato sweatdropped and thought "Of all the times Aya-chan could be smart, it just had to be this one… and she's still so cute!" she was also blushing a little.
Kasumi smiled brightly and actually answered "Of course I have someone I love~ She's the greatest girl ever~"
Arisa almost spat out her food at that comment and she was about to shout something before Chisato quickly put a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Arisa-san… that was close." Said girl only nodded in understanding.
Aya didn't help the situation because it was her turn to say "Oh~ How nice~ I have a girl I love too~"
That caused Sayo to cover Chisato's mouth with her hand. "You should pay attention to yourself as well."
Most people would think that Sayo herself was safe since her crush goes to a different school but she couldn't be any more wrong about that. Rimi came with the next comment "Oh, I know that Tsugumi-san has a girl she also likes~"
Kanon was the one who covered Sayo's mouth and stopped her outburst. "Please… just stop…" Each girl calmed down and returned to their regular selves. The others didn't mind the awkwardness, since Kokoro and Kasumi can be oddballs too.
Without thinking, Arisa turned to her band leader and said "Hey Kasumi… my Grandma needs help with buying some stuff tomorrow. Can you help me with it? She has a long list."
Rinko, Sayo, Kanon, and Chisato almost spat out their food after hearing that. Rinko thought "Ichigaya-san… is very brave~"
Kasumi smiled brightly at Arisa and replied "Of course I will help~ Then we can spend the whole afternoon together since it's going to be a Saturday~"
Arisa blushed hard and simply said while smiling awkwardly "Yeah… we'll… have fun… hehehe…"
The rest of their lunch was spent in peace but only because it lasted for 2 more minutes after this. Some of the girls were almost late from their classes too.
The same day, a while later, at Chu2's apartment
"Nice one, Arisa! You grew a spine~" Tomoe complimented her friend while also giving her a friendly slap in the back. Although it was a pretty strong one since the keyboardist almost fell over from the impact.
"Ugh… thanks… I just don't know what came over me…" Arisa replied.
Ran crossed her arms and said "Sounds like jealousy to me. After these past few weeks, I actually understand you."
Chu2 rolled around in her swivel chair and told the Afterglow singer "If you got a problem with me, I'll have Masking throw you out!"
Said girl just shot a quick glance at Chu2 before saying "Oh no. You leave me out of your petty arguments."
"I'm your boss! You do as I say!" Chu2 said back to her while crossing her arms.
Masuki had a wicked smirk on her face and asked the tiny producer "Then what is Pareo exactly?~"
Chu2 was shocked greatly at that. She turned back to her computer while replying "I can so hate you sometimes… also… she's your boss too…"
"Please teach me how to do that." Tomoe said to Masuki who simply nodded her head with a grin.
Yukina turned to Arisa and said "In any case, best of luck to you tomorrow, Ichigaya-san."
"Tell us how… it went… please…" Rinko told the keyboardist of the other band, to which Arisa simply nodded. The group scattered not long after the commotion and Arisa went to bed early in order to be fully prepared for the next day.
The next day, around 10 a.m.
Arisa had got up very early in the morning (by her standards) and kept preparing for the day ahead of her. She decided to confess to Kasumi when the time was right, although she wasn't exactly sure when that would be. It did help to look at some romance novels and movies but in terms of telling when the right time would actually be… they were no use. As Arisa was almost finished with her preparations, her grandmother called for her "Arisa! Kasumi is here!~" The keyboardist almost fell over from the shock but was able to get a hold of herself and sprint to the entrance quickly.
"Arisa!~" Kasumi exclaimed excitedly as she saw her friend appear.
"Kasumi, how come you're here so early?" Arisa asked while tilting her head a little.
The starry girl giggled and replied "I couldn't wait to spend time with you, Arisa~" The keyboardist smiled at that but she soon started to panic when Kasumi added "By the way, your Grandmother said she's already done the shopping."
Arisa started sweating like crazy, as she was desperately trying to come up with something good to salvage this situation. "Um… yeah… she said she… doesn't want us to… waste our time with grocery shopping… so she um… did it anyway…" The blond girl was hitting her head on a table in her imagination while thinking "Lamest… save… ever…"
Kasumi smiled even brighter than before and said "Oh, that's nice!~ This way, we can spend more time together, doing various fun things~"
"Uh… yeah… sounds good." Arisa let loose a sigh she wasn't aware she was holding in and thought "I'm sorry for lying to you, Kasumi… I promise to make it up to you."
"Let's go then~" Kasumi said, as she dragged Arisa away while holding her hand.
"Hey! No need to rush!" Arisa said while blushing and saying goodbye to her Grandmother. Strangely enough, she could have sworn that her Grandma mouthed "Good luck~" as they left. Arisa made a mental note to never underestimate the elderly ever again.
A few minutes later
"So what did you plan for today, Arisa?~" Kasumi asked as she and the other girl were just going wherever their feet took them on the streets of the city.
Arisa didn't want to admit that and luckily, she was able to improvise quickly. "We're getting some snacks from Saaya's family bakery first."
"Ooooooooooh~ Perfect idea Arisa~" Kasumi said while smiling brighter than the Sun. At least, that's how it seemed to Arisa in her mind.
Once the 2 girls have reached the bakery and went inside, they saw 2 of their other friends there, namely Himari and Tomoe. The drummer noticed them first and said "Hey, Himari-chan~ Look who came in~" Said girl looked where the taller one was looking and smiled.
"Kasumi-san~ Arisa-san~ Are you here to meet with Saaya-san?" The afterglow bassist asked to which Kasumi shook her head as an answer.
"Arisa and I came for some snacks~ We're spending the day together~" The leader of Poppin Party answered with the same bright smile she had on her face from before.
Himari smiled and actually felt relieved "That's actually good because Saaya-san's mother said she stepped out and won't be coming back for a while."
Tomoe also added "Saaya's mom is in the back, I'll call her here for you guys."
"Wait! I'll do it!" Himari exclaimed and quickly went to the back of the store.
"I'll come too!~" Kasumi said as she followed Himari.
Arisa asked Tomoe "Is Saaya away because she knew we would come here?"
Tomoe chuckled a bit before answering "Yeah, but I was the one who told her that. She left and made sure you 2 would not be bothered by anybody else."
Arisa looked suspiciously at Tomoe before asking "Then why are you and Himari-san here?"
The drummer sweatdropped and answered "Ehehehe… I was curious… and I thought maybe… seeing you 2 will help me confess to Himari…"
"Wait… aren't you on a date now with her?" Arisa asked as she got confused.
Tomoe sighed sadly before answering "I wish… originally, we just came to get some bread for Moca… Himari volunteered to get them and I decided to tag along with her."
Arisa smiled a little and said "If I can muster up the courage to ask Kasumi out, I'm sure you can do the same with Himari-san."
The Afterglow member smiled back at her and replied "Thanks… that actually helps a bit." As if on cue, Kasumi and Himari returned, each of them holding a bag. "Got everything?" Tomoe asked Himari, who nodded with a smile and a wink.
Kasumi went back to Arisa's side and said "Arisa~ Saaya's mother said it's on the house for us~ Isn't it great?~"
Arisa laughed a bit and replied "Yeah… it's perfect." The girls left the shop after that and while they were walking, the keyboardist sent a quick text to Saaya, thanking her for the snacks. Just a few minutes later, she received a reply saying "Just make sure you treat her well, Arisa~" with a smiley next to it. She knew Saaya was like the mother of the band but sometimes… she can really overact that part…
A little while later, at the park
Kasumi's excitement was shown clearly, as she and Arisa were sitting under a large tree on the grass while eating the pastries they acquired earlier. "Mmmmmm~ Saaya and her mom have really outdone themselves this time~ Right, Arisa?~"
The keyboardist wasn't fully listening to her partner but she was able to reply by saying "Yeah… sure…" and kept eating her share of the treat. She suddenly felt Kasumi shaking her excitedly "What is it?"
"Arisa! Look!" The vocalist was pointing up at the sky. Arisa was confused but followed her love interest's finger to a cloud that was shaped like a perfect heart. The keyboardist now knew that even nature itself wanted her to confess. Maybe even higher beings too. "Isn't it pretty?~"
Arisa nodded and replied "Yeah… very." She turned to her partner and said "Hey, Kasumi… you know how you suggested that we should just… say who we love yesterday?"
Kasumi nodded and said "Of course~ Sorry if it was too much of a bother, Arisa…"
"I want to tell you mine…" Arisa said as Kasumi turned her head towards in surprise and shock.
"You have someone you love you too?" The starry girl asked, to which Arisa simply nodded. Kasumi smiled and said "That is so great, Arisa! But… you really don't have to tell me, if it makes you uncomfortable…"
Arisa shook her head and replied "I want to tell you… because… she's amazing."
"Really?" Kasumi asked.
"Yes… she can always make me smile, even though she drags me to all these dumb events…" Arisa said and she took a deep breath before continuing with her description "She can be a handful but that's a thing I actually like about her… I'm never bored with her…"
Kasumi turned to her and asked "Have you told her all this yet? I'm pretty sure she would love to hear it~"
Arisa sighed as she turned her whole body towards her partner, held Kasumi's hands in her own, looked her in the eye, and said "I've just told her… it's you, Kasumi…" The other girl was completely surprised. Arisa decided to continue after a minute of silence "I fell in love with you… every second I'm with you is like a dream come true… and… you deserve to know… a part of me really hates it when you talk so much about Chu2 and Pareo's relationship… because I want you to talk about us instead... I'm sorry… I really had to get that out…"
Kasumi giggled a little and replied "It's fine~"
Arisa smiled a bit and continued "I'm sorry to just spring this on you, especially with how you have a crush too… I just… had to tell you… can we still be friends?"
Kasumi shook her head while shedding some tears. Arisa was really starting to regret her decision for this whole day. After a few seconds though, Kasumi spoke up "We can't be friends, Arisa… I love you too much to stay like that!~"
Arisa was completely shocked by that statement. It took a couple of seconds to gather her thoughts but once she did, she asked Kasumi "Wait… so that means…"
The guitarist nodded and finished the thought "You're the girl I've always loved~ I can always count on you, Arisa~ I know I do dumb things from time to time but honestly… as long as you're with me, I'm fine with everything~ I feel I could do anything~ I love you, Arisa~"
The blonde girl started tearing up and hugged Kasumi tight, who immediately hugged her back. During the contact, Arisa asked "Kasumi, will you be my girlfriend?"
Kasumi giggled and replied "I already am, Arisa~" The girls pulled away and they shared a sweet, tender kiss under the tree as the whole world seem to have stopped completely. Only the 2 of them were existent in their world now and they didn't need anybody else in it at the moment. After they finished, Kasumi asked "So, is this our first date then?~"
Arisa giggled and replied "Of course, Kasumi~"
"Yay!~" Kasumi exclaimed and went back to eating her food. Arisa did the same and after they were done with that, the 2 girls started walking away from the spot, which would later become their first special place. They'll have a lot of those in the future.
A while later, in front of Kasumi's home
It was getting late, with the Sun setting slowly on the horizon. Both girls knew that the time for them to say goodbye (only for today) was coming closer and closer. Kasumi said "Today was the best day of my life~"
"Mine too~" Arisa replied but she also added "I just wish it wouldn't end…"
"It doesn't have to~" Kasumi said while giving a loving smile to Arisa.
The blonde girl got confused and asked "What are you talking about?"
The guitarist answered "Spend the night at our place~ My parents and Aa-chan won't mind~"
Arisa thought about it for a minute and asked "What about clothes for tomorrow?"
Kasumi smiled brighter at that and replied "You can borrow mine~"
The keyboardist blushed hard but smiled and said "I appreciate the thought but… let me go home to tell my Grandma about this. I can also pick up some spare clothes while I'm at it."
"Sounds good~ Let's go then~" the starry girl said as she started leading the 2 of them back to Arisa's home.
The blonde girl was surprised and asked "How come you're coming too? I can get some stuff by myself."
Kasumi giggled and answered "I want to spend as much time with you as I can~"
Arisa was surprised but it turned into a smile very quickly, then she said "That's great~ Kasumi, will you come with me to a… unique place tomorrow?"
"Of course, Arisa~" she answered with the brightest smile that Arisa has ever seen.
At the keyboardist's house, Arisa quickly told her grandmother what happened, even the part where she now has a girlfriend. The elderly lady simply smiled and even said 'It was about time~' before offering some tea to Kasumi. Once Arisa was finished packing for the night, the 2 young girls left for the Toyama residence. There, the other family also voiced their approvals, with Asuka also admitting how her sister cannot hide her love-struck state. Kasumi and Arisa washed up and talked to each other a bit more in bed before deciding to call it a day and go to sleep.
The next day, Chu2's apartment
"Are all of you gonna bring your girlfriends here?!" Chu2 asked annoyed by the group of girls that still kept meeting up at her place. This time, however, there's 1 more person with them as Pareo and Kasumi were in the kitchen preparing some snacks.
Arisa crossed her arms and replied "So what if we do? We're basically just following your advice."
The tiny producer was about to say something back but she couldn't, so instead, she decided to focus on her work again. Ran said "Nice one, Ichigaya-san."
"I'm just stating facts…" Arisa said while blushing a bit.
The vocalist of Afterglow just kept smiling as she replied "You still annoyed Chu2 and that's a win in my book."
After a few minutes, Kasumi and Pareo entered the living room and put a few bowls of snacks on the table. Pareo sat down next to Chu2 and offered her favorite snack "Here you go, Chu2-chan~ Jerky~"
Chu2 smiled and took one but before starting to eat it she stated with a smile "I love you, Pareo~" and kissed her cheek. As the tiny producer was eating the snack, her girlfriend was gently hugging her close to herself.
At the same time, Kasumi sat in Arisa's lap. "Here you go, Arisa~" the brown-haired girl said as she was holding some biscuits on a tray shaped like bonsais.
The blonde girl smiled and said "You're the best, Kasumi~ I love you"
Kasumi giggled and replied "To me, you're the best Arisa~ I love you too~" The 2 girls shared a kiss and after that, they started eating their treats. The rest of the girls present decided to strengthen their resolve and do what Arisa has done. Being braver when getting together with their loved one.
To be continued
Kasumi: Now I understand why we weren't allowed to read the scripts~
Arisa: Yeah… sorry about that…
Kasumi: It's fine~ I like the result~
Chu2: Yeah yeah, hurray for you two. Just to be clear, who's gonna be next?
Yukina: We shall see when the time comes.
Ran: A part of me is actually scared about that…
Chisato: Tell me about it…
Kasumi: You guys will be fine~ I know it~
Rinko: Wish I had Toyama-san's optimism… about this…
Kanon: *to the readers* Uh… thank you for reading… please leave a review if you like… um… and we hope to see you in the next chapter as well… um… Goodbye!