This is a little something for my guilty ship, cuz I said so. Based more strongly off the live stage plays because of reasons you'll probably understand quickly haha
Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.
A Hug For Hikari
Ever since Hikari had finally moved back to Japan and transferred into Seishou Music Academy, so many things had happened.
In fact, too much had happened to put into words; there were all of her complicated feelings regarding Karen and their childhood promise, the teachers thrusting the girls onto the stage to do battle with faceless Korosu, the giraffe and his strange magics pulling the girls into endless dangerous revues, the shattering of perpetual time loops that had snared the girls for centuries, and Hikari's final revue with Karen, who had saved her from an eternity of repentance.
So much has happened since Hikari had transferred, some to do with unexplainable occurrences beneath the school building, whereas others were completely normal occurrences, such as sleeping in for class, or flunking a pop quiz, or being made to eat her least favorite vegetables.
It's undeniable that a lot has happened over the months, but not all of it has been scary or stressful. Putting the revues and all to do with the giraffe aside, Hikari had initially struggled quite a bit with getting acclimated to her everyday school life.
Ever since she'd stepped foot into Seishou, the tension and distance between herself and the other girls had been glaringly obvious. They had already established their cliques and friendships; Hikari was an outsider who had pushed her way into the middle of it all.
She had ruined Nana's endless time loops and forced the 99th Starlight Festival into motion.
She had roused Karen's old memories of her, and thus created tension between herself and Mahiru, who had seemed to reject Hikari at first.
And she had helped Karen defeat Maya and Claudine, who had always been at the top.
For a while, Hikari felt that just about everything she did here made someone unhappy in some way, and though she'd never been the best at showing her true emotions, she had always felt bad about the disturbances she'd caused.
And yet…
And yet…
Little by little, the other girls had started to open up and accept her.
Mahiru had come to terms with her feelings about Karen and about herself, and taken Hikari into their shared room.
Nana had accepted Hikari's win and the progressive flow of time, and had agreed to move forward with everyone.
Futaba had called her by her first name after Hikari had spoken about the merit of Futaba's unique acting skills and figure.
Maya had acknowledged and accepted Hikari's version of Claire in their version of Starlight.
And all throughout the many, many other plays and performances they had given together, the other girls had come to accept Hikari into their circle, and helped her fit right in.
But above all the rest, there was one particular memory that always stuck out in Hikari's mind and brought her comfort.
It had happened at the very beginning, after their teachers had made them fight one another in the revues, but the girls had refused to steal from one another. They had all worked together instead to defeat the Korosu, and afterward had gradually offered their first proper greetings to Hikari.
And words were all it had been, for the most part. But the ones she always remembers most vividly had been a bit different.
"Bienvenue! It's nice to meet you, Hikari!"
Claudine had spread her arms wide in a lavish motion before scurrying across the stage and throwing her arms around Hikari without a second thought.
It had taken everyone by surprise, most of all Hikari herself. After all, that had been the first hug she'd received… for as long as she could remember. The last time anyone had hugged her before then had probably been when Karen had tearfully hugged her before she'd left for London at the age of six.
Since then, Hikari hadn't exactly made any friends at any of the schools she attended in England, least of all the Royal Academy. And it seems she'd been doing nothing but fighting since then, all the way until she'd come back to Japan.
So for everyone here to have accepted her had been one matter.
But for a classmate, who had more or less been a complete stranger to her at the time, to have trusted Hikari enough to have gotten so close to her... For Claudine to have put their differences and troubles aside all for the sake of making Hikari feel undeniably welcome…
Hikari thought about that moment often, even many months after she had already become a part of the group.
Things have quieted down since then. The revues and time loops have ended, and the girls only return to the giraffe's stage when Elle summons them to fight Korosu every now and again. Hikari has gotten closer to everyone, most of all her roommates, of course.
But she still can't help but feel nervous sometimes, mostly that the other girls might still resent her somehow.
After being alone for so long back in England, it's a relief to finally have friends again - and so many of them. Hikari has never had this many friends before in all her life, and certainly not all at once. And since she'd met them all and grown close to them, she's found herself to be increasingly more needy of physical contact.
And for whatever reason, she mainly wants it from Claudine again.
After a successful play, or even after a win against the Korosu, the other girls often hug one another, and it's typically Claudine or Nana who will initiate such things, though Karen is sometimes first as well.
But whenever Claudine looks at her, all Hikari typically receives from her is a pat on the back or words of congratulations.
And Hikari knows that's her own fault. Because she's not good at expressing herself, and she'd been the one to maintain that distance between herself and all of the others, not just Claudine.
But no matter how hard she tries, she can never bring herself to step forward to join those group hugs, or raise her voice loud enough to find the words to ask for one.
Perhaps Claudine had only hugged her at the beginning because it was a foreign custom of greeting someone.
But either way, it had awakened something within Hikari; something childish and innocent and difficult to put into words. She wants Claudine to hug her again, like she had before.
But she knows she'll never be able to justify bringing up such an odd topic of conversation even if she wanted to. Therefore, Hikari decides on a plan for herself to implement.
After weeks and weeks of observing the others, she'd taken note of the situations that tended to result in Claudine hugging someone else for some reason or another.
Hikari scribbles out a list one evening when Karen and Mahiru are settling down for bed. And of course, her two roommates have never seen Hikari sitting up so rigidly at their shared desk and jotting things down quite so seriously before, so it naturally piques their curiosity.
"Hikari-chan?" Mahiru calls out to her. "What are you writing?"
"You look like you're really into it!" Karen says.
Hikari blushes and quickly covers her paper with her arm.
"Nothing…"
"Oh~?" Karen squeals. "Could it be a love letter?!"
"Bakaren."
"K-Karen-chan!" Mahiru squeaks. "O-Of course it's nothing like that! R-Right, Hikari-chan…?"
Hikari shakes her head.
"It's not."
Mahiru sighs with relief.
"Of course not. But if it's something you need help with, just let us know."
Hikari nods, but says nothing more. She looks over her list and is satisfied with the results.
Starting tomorrow, she's going to try creating situations where she might earn another hug from Claudine.
For starters, Hikari makes sure to study harder than usual for an upcoming quiz. She studies so diligently that even Mahiru and Karen are puzzled by her dedication.
"Hikari-chan…?" Karen says that afternoon, poking her shoulder. "Is this quiz, like, half our grade or something and no one told me?"
"No," Mahiru says. "It's just a normal quiz. Hikari-chan, is there any reason you're studying this hard? I don't think it's going to be that difficult."
Hikari just continues reading over her notes.
"I want to do good."
"You mean 'well'?"
"Yeah."
"Good for you, Hikari-chan!" Karen chirps.
"It's a bit unusual to see you studying so much," Mahiru says. "But I guess that isn't a bad thing."
Hikari studies all that evening, and when the quiz is distributed the following day in their history lecture, she moves through the questions rather confidently. After re-checking her answers and handing it in, she returns to her desk to sit and read quietly.
The teacher grades the quizzes as she waits for other students to finish, then at the end of class calls them up to receive their grade. Hikari sits quietly as the rest of her friends start standing up and revealing their grades.
"Eighty-five," Kaoruko says. "That's good enough for me."
"Hah! I beat you by two points!" Futaba goads.
"I got a perfect score," Junna announces.
"As expected of our Class Rep!" Nana praises her.
"Ninety-seven," Claudine says proudly. "And you, Tendo Maya?"
"Ninety-eight points."
"Ch..."
"I got a ninety-five!" Mahiru smiles.
And then Karen comes scampering over, flailing her paper around.
"Yeaaaah! Seventy-two! I didn't fail!"
Hikari watches Karen go running straight over to Claudine in her glee. She might just be choosing the nearest person to throw her arms around, but Hikari is just a bit jealous about who it'd been.
"Nicely done, Karen!" Claudine hugs her in return and pats her head while Karen giggles.
Hikari fidgets in her seat until her name is finally called. When she receives her paper, the teacher compliments her score of ninety-three, and Hikari thanks her. The others are all waiting as she returns to them.
"Well?" Nana prompts. "How did you do, Hikari-chan?"
Hikari turns her paper around to reveal her score.
"Ninety-three."
"Wow!" Mahiru claps. "That's great, Hikari-chan!"
"Yeah!" Karen says, prying herself off of Claudine. "You were studying really hard for some reason!"
"Was she?" Claudine smiles. "Well then, good for you, Hikari."
Claudine steps up to her, and Hikari tenses up in excitement, hoping for a hug. But Claudine only raises her hand and pats it onto Hikari's shoulder.
Hikari deflates just a little bit, and right afterward Mahiru and Karen move in from either side to hug her instead. It isn't that she dislikes theirs or anyone else's hugs (because she'd gotten some from Nana now and again, too). But there was just something special to her about when Claudine had done it.
Again, perhaps it had just been a greeting, but it had really warmed Hikari's heart and made her truly feel welcomed here. Claudine was just a good hugger in general too, and Hikari wants to experience that again.
With her first plan failed, Hikari moves on to the next thing on her list.
The next time Elle and the giraffe call them to fight Korosu is a few nights later. Hikari fights as hard as ever alongside the rest of them.
But when they finish the fight and cheers of accomplishment start to go up, she tactfully places herself near Claudine. As Nana and Junna hug, and Karen grabs hold of Mahiru, Hikari waits hopefully for something from Claudine.
But after commending Maya for her impressive fighting, Claudine turns to Hikari and holds up her hand for a high-five.
"Nicely done, Hikari!"
Hikari just nods and lightly taps her palm against hers.
Not a moment later, Nana comes scampering over to throw her arms around Claudine in celebration of their win. Hikari watches on with harmless, helpless envy, wishing she could do it as easily as the others could.
Her next plan is sort of similar.
Typically, before and after going onstage for a performance, the nine of them will get into a circle and generally always stand in the same order. But for a small recital a few nights later, Hikari places herself beside Claudine.
Everyone recites a good luck chant and then comes together for a group hug. But Hikari is jostled a bit and pulled in by Karen more than anyone else, and she barely even feels Claudine's contact at all.
And even after the recital when Hikari returns backstage, she casually seeks out Claudine in particular. But Karen and Mahiru rush to her first and hug her, and then Nana does as well. By the time Claudine gets to her, Hikari is already being smothered in affection, so Claudine merely offers her words of congratulations.
After Hikari's third consecutive failure that week, she decides to change tactics that Friday night.
Everyone has gathered in the lounge for their usual movie night in their pajamas and already started snacking. Rather than trying to seek praise in the form of a hug, Hikari changes her methods based on what she'd often see Kaoruko do to get a hug from Futaba.
About halfway through the movie, Hikari gets up from her spot on the couch with Karen and Mahiru and makes a point to walk directly next to the couch where Claudine is sitting. Hikari pauses and not-so-nonchalantly mutters out loud.
"I'm kind of cold…"
Now, her theory is that the nearest person (Claudine) will get up to offer her a friendly hug. Kaoruko often made this complaint and somewhat forced Futaba into snuggling up with her, so it's Hikari's hope that maybe Claudine will offer the same outcome in the form of simple contact.
Plus, Hikari had made absolutely certain to select her target and stand within range of her specifically, so someone else like Mahiru or Nana wouldn't take the liberty upon themselves to hug her instead. She'd thought it all through very seriously.
And when she mumbles her comment, no one but Claudine hears her, because they're all watching the movie and chatting.
Claudine turns to look at Hikari curiously.
"You're cold?"
Hikari nods.
"Mm."
She gets a little excited when Claudine stands up, and Hikari prepares herself for a hug at long last.
But instead, Claudine picks up a blanket that had been slung over the back of the couch, and drapes it around Hikari's shoulders.
"There. How's that?"
Hikari's posture slumps just a little.
"Good."
"Bien sûr. Make sure those two keep you warm then, all right?"
Hikari nods, and Claudine sits back down. Slowly, Hikari makes her way back to her couch, where Mahiru and Karen are waiting for her.
"Hikari-chan, are you cold?"
"You should've said something! Here, here! You sit in the middle!" Karen wiggles back to make room, and Hikari sits in between them. Karen snuggles up and hugs her from behind while Mahiru reaches back to put an arm around her shoulders.
Hikari blushes faintly, because she still really loves cuddling up with her roommates and being close with them.
But she still just can't shake the desire to have it be Claudine again. Perhaps it's silly and childish of her, but she really wants to experience that feeling of acceptance again; the first hug she'd ever received here at Seishou.
For the remainder of the movie, Hikari sort of spaces out and gets lost in her thoughts, wondering what else she could possibly do to achieve the outcome she desires. She's still mulling things over by the time the movie is done and everyone gets up to head to the restrooms to brush their teeth.
When everyone starts saying goodnight to one another, no one really hugs as they say goodbye, since they'll all be seeing each other again tomorrow, so Hikari just watches sadly as Claudine turns away and heads off to her room. Karen and Mahiru appear on either side of Hikari and each put an arm around her.
"Hikari-chan, are you still chilly?"
"Why don't we all sleep together tonight?"
Hikari doesn't oppose the notion, because she always loves sleeping together with the two of them. When they arrive back at their room, Karen and Mahiru take their pillows and extra blankets from their beds, and lie down on the floor on either side of Hikari in her sleeping space. They cuddle up close and hug her from both sides, murmuring goodnight wishes before gradually drifting off to sleep.
And truth be told, Hikari hadn't exactly been cold to begin with.
But now she's snug and warm tonight for sure.
The three of them sleep in a bit on Saturday morning, then slowly begin rousing themselves to head to breakfast with everyone.
Hikari remains as quiet as ever, but somehow her roommates notice that's even quieter than usual - or rather, it's a different kind of quiet, even for Hikari.
And all the rest of the morning as they're doing laundry and other chores, Hikari is more distracted than usual, which is very troubling for Mahiru, who has to be extra mindful of both her roommates to make sure they don't mix the colors with the whites.
Both Mahiru and Karen end up sharing several confused glances with one another in regards to their companion, but neither can seem to come up with an explanation for Hikari's odder-than-usual behavior.
They keep their concerns to themselves for as long as they can. But when Hikari ends up spacing out and pouring nearly an entire bottle of laundry detergent into the washing machine, Mahiru can't stay silent any longer.
After yelping and jumping forward to pull Hikari away from the machine to cap the detergent, Mahiru puts her hands on Hikari's shoulders.
"Hikari-chan, what's the matter? Something's definitely off with you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Karen nods in exaggeration. "You've been acting a little strange lately, even for you."
"Karen-chan, don't be rude."
"Ahaha, sorry~"
Once they start talking to her, Hikari blinks herself out of her trance and look between both of them.
"Sorry," she mumbles. "It's nothing…"
But neither Karen or Mahiru are convinced. The former takes her childhood friend's hand in hers and looks sternly into her eyes.
"Non-non, Hikari-chan! That's no good! If something's bothering you, you gotta tell us so we can help!"
"Karen-chan's right," Mahiru agrees. "Hikari-chan, you can talk to us about anything!"
For a moment, the laundry room is silent, save for the whirring of a few machines. Hikari looks back and forth between her two roommates again, but finally sighs and caves.
"Okay… the truth is… I wanted a hug…"
The other two blink and look at each other.
"A hug?" Mahiru asks.
"Well why didn't you say so! That's easy!" Karen opens her arms wide and throws them around Hikari to pull her into an enthusiastic hug that nearly knocks her over. "There! How's this?"
"K-Karen-chan, easy!" Mahiru supports Hikari from behind, pressing close to her a bit more gently. "Hikari-chan, is this what you wanted?"
Hikari blushes a little and returns their embrace, but she shakes her head.
"Well… it's nice. I really like it. But that's not what I meant…"
"It's not?" Karen moves back, clearly puzzled.
"Hold on," Mahiru says. "Let's talk more back at the room."
So she and Karen lead Hikari out of the laundry room, and they head back to their dorm. They all sit together on Mahiru's bed with Hikari in the middle and the other two eagerly waiting to hear what she has to say.
"So, so!" Karen prompts her. "Hikari-chan, what do you mean by that's not the kind of hug you wanted? What other hug is there?"
"Easy, Karen-chan. Give her a minute." Mahiru knows Hikari has difficulties expressing herself, so she doesn't want to rush her.
Hikari takes a moment to configure her thoughts, twiddling her fingers in her lap.
"I want a hug," she mumbles again. "But… from someone different…"
"Eh?" Mahiru asks. "Like who?"
Hikari blushes and lowers her head.
"Saijou-san…"
The other two aren't sure how to react to such an unexpected answer.
"From Kuro-chan?" Karen blurts.
"Now that I think about," Mahiru says. "Hikari-chan, you have been sitting and hanging out around Kuro-chan more recently, huh? Can I ask why you want a hug from her?"
Hikari is like an embarrassed turtle sinking deeper back into her shell. But she does her best to explain.
"When I first came here… I kind of interfered with a lot of things… But everyone still accepted me anyway. And Saijou-san was the first person to…" She can't say it, so she just tapers off.
Thankfully, Karen and Mahiru remember exactly what she's referring to.
"That's right!" Karen says. "Kuro-chan ran up to you and gave you a biiiig hug!"
"It was really sweet of her," Mahiru smiles. "That's Kuro-chan for you!"
Hikari nods.
"It was really nice…"
"So you wanted another hug from her, huh?" Karen nods like she's just comprehended some massive truth.
Hikari nods again.
"Yeah… But we aren't really that close… I didn't want to be weird and just ask her for no reason…"
"So that's why you kept standing next to her whenever we finished a fight or a performance," Mahiru says. "You were hoping Kuro-chan might get excited and hug you."
"Ahh… we got in the way sometimes, didn't we?" Karen realizes.
"It's okay," Hikari reassures them. "I really like your hugs, too."
"Phew! That's a relief!"
"But you mainly want a hug from Kuro-chan…" Mahiru says. "It makes sense. That was a very special moment for you, wasn't it, Hikari-chan?"
Hikari fidgets some more.
"I don't want to bother her."
"You're not bothering Kuro-chan!" Karen says. "That's impossible! But it might be easier if you just asked her directly for a hug!"
"Now, now, Karen-chan," Mahiru has quietly started forming a plan of her own, but she doesn't let on just yet. She intends to enlist Karen's help, so she tries to pacify her for now. "It isn't easy asking someone for a hug, especially if it's not something you normally ask anyone, let alone that person."
"That's true… Hikari-chan and Kuro-chan are hardly ever together… That must be tough."
"It's okay," Hikari murmurs. "It's not a big deal anyway."
"But Hikari-chan-!" Karen is clearly upset to see her sad, but Mahiru sends Karen a compelling look.
"Karen-chan? Why don't you come with me to collect the laundry now?"
Thankfully, Karen must see the spark in her eye and is mindful enough to keep quiet about it. Though she does gasp and grin and give a big obvious wink, but thankfully Hikari isn't looking.
"Okay, Mahiru-chan!"
"Hikari-chan, why don't you start on vacuuming while we're gone?"
"Okay."
Hikari gets up slowly and kneels down to start folding up her blankets rather absentmindedly. Mahiru takes Karen by the hand and guides her across the room.
"We'll be back soon!" And with that she pulls Karen out the door.
Mahiru sets a quick pace for Claudine's bedroom with Karen in-tow. Karen follows along a bit confusedly.
"Uh, Mahiru-chan? Isn't the laundry room the other way?"
"Karen-chan, we're obviously going to see Kuro-chan!"
"Huh? How come?"
Mahiru just lets out a long, long breath.
"Why do you think, Karen-chan?"
"Hmmm… Oh! Are we gonna tell her Hikari-chan wants a hug from her?"
"See? That wasn't so hard was it?"
They reach Claudine's room in just minutes, and Mahiru knocks and calls out.
"Kuro-chan? Are you there?"
"Oui. Come in."
Mahiru and Karen push their way in to find Claudine dressed comfortably for the day, just cleaning up her desk a bit.
"Mahiru, Karen. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Kuro-chan!" Without any more warning than that, Karen sprints across the room and throws her arms around Claudine. Claudine is clearly startled, but manages to react in time and catch her.
"Karen-?!"
"Wow!" Karen says. "You really are a great hugger, Kuro-chan!"
"Pardon…?"
Mahiru sighs and walks over more slowly, taking Karen by the scruff to pull her off Claudine.
"Karen-chan, let's explain it to her properly."
"Please do," Claudine says. She sits down at her desk chair and offers them the bed.
Mahiru handles most of the talking.
"Well… it's about Hikari-chan…" She starts explaining what Hikari had just told the two of them. "You see… it just made her really happy when you hugged her that first time, and she wants you to hug her again. But she just can't bring herself to ask you."
"She's been trying to do stuff to get you to hug her all week!" Karen explains. "But even though it made a lot of sense to her, I don't think anyone else understood what she wanted…"
"And that's all we really know," Mahiru finishes. "So we wanted to come tell you about it…"
Claudine listens with a look of touched amusement on her face all the while.
"That Hikari… she's really precious, isn't she? But I understand why she couldn't just bring herself to ask, either. We aren't exactly the best of friends like you two are to her."
"Yeah…" Mahiru says. "So do you think maybe…?"
"Say no more." Claudine stands up right away. "I'll go right now."
"W-Wait!" When Mahiru calls out to stop her, Claudine pauses and looks at her curiously. Mahiru elaborates. "I think Hikari-chan told Karen-chan and I in confidence. So we don't want her to know we told you about this. Do you think you could be subtle about it?"
"Ah, I see." Claudine sits back down. "So I'll need a good excuse to do it, hm?"
"That's easy!" Karen blurts out. "Next week when we perform Sleeping Beauty, Hikari-chan is the lead!"
"That's right!"
"Parfaite! I'll do it then," Claudine decides. "And don't worry, I won't make it obvious that I know about this. I'll act as normally as ever this week, and then I'll surprise her next Friday."
"Great!"
"Thank you, Kuro-chan!"
"It'll be my pleasure."
So with their own little secret plan now decided upon, Mahiru and Karen need only to act as if they never said anything to anyone.
After they fetch their laundry and return to their room, they find Hikari struggling with the vacuum, so they help her out.
All the rest of the day, Hikari is a little more despondent than usual. And at dinnertime, she keeps stealing glances at Claudine, which now makes perfect sense to her two roommates, and to Claudine herself.
Though now that Claudine knows Hikari's wishes, she is a bit kinder than usual, and smiles at her even more frequently. But for the sake of not revealing that Mahiru and Karen had come to her, Claudine plays dumb a while longer.
But it'll be worth it in the end, she's sure.
All throughout the next week, the girls work hard at their rehearsals after school.
Hikari does her best as the lead of Sleeping Beauty, and even though Claudine is onstage with her as her fairy godmother, Hikari focuses on her acting and doesn't let her personal wishes cloud her mind.
And as soon as practice is finished each evening, Claudine is certain to congratulate everyone as usual, though she's a bit extra cheerful with Hikari.
"Well done, Hikari!"
And each time, Claudine can see the quiet hopefulness in her eyes, and it kills her not to just scoop Hikari into a hug right then and there. But Claudine holds out as promised.
By Friday, Hikari has more or less let go of her wish for a hug from Claudine. She's much closer to her than she'd ever been before, and Hikari is all right with being good friends with her.
She focuses on her role and the performance for tonight, giving her all out onstage as Sleeping Beauty. Everyone gives a stellar performance that has the audience standing with applause.
When it's time for the final bow, Hikari takes center stage as the lead, and everyone lines up on either side of her, with Karen as her prince on one side, and Nana as the evil queen on the other.
When the curtain finally falls, the girls all erupt with applause and cheers.
"Well done, everyone!"
"That was wonderful!"
"Hikari-chan, you were amazing!"
Karen gives Hikari a brief squeeze, and then Nana pulls her in from the other side.
"Hikari-chan, good job! The audience loved your Sleeping Beauty!"
Hikari blushes.
"Thanks…"
"And it seems they weren't the only ones…" Nana nudges her forward toward where the rest of their friends are waiting backstage. Mahiru is applauding and bouncing up and down.
"That was wonderful, you guys! Great job, Hikari-chan!" She subtly nudges Futaba and Kaoruko, whom she'd spoken to earlier; the plan was to have everyone else hype Hikari up, all so that she could enjoy the grand finale.
Futaba grins and gives Hikari a thumbs-up and a firm slap on the back.
"Nice goin', Hikari!"
"Very well done," Kaoruko praises her.
"A very unique Sleeping Beauty indeed," Junna agrees.
"Kagura-san, wonderful work tonight," Maya says with a smile.
All around Hikari, everyone claps for and praises her. She feels a heat wash over her from head to toe, and her lips wobble in the beginnings of a smile.
But then, it's really as if her dream has come true.
Claudine scurries her way past everyone else, bubbly and bright with excitement as she calls out.
"Hikari! That was incredible!"
Of course she plays it up just a little bit, but Hikari doesn't need to know that.
Hikari is shocked and nervous and delighted all at once as Claudine hurries over to her with her arms wide. And with all of their friends surrounding them and smiling and clapping, Hikari almost doesn't realize this isn't a dream.
Claudine crashes into her with a soft and fervent passion, nearly picking Hikari clean up off her feet and jumping up and down with her a bit as she folds her arms around her in the biggest, warmest, softest hug ever.
Hikari makes a withering squeak of a sound, too happy for words. All she can do is raise her shaking arms and try to hug back as best she can.
Claudine giggles, resting her chin on Hikari's shoulder and nuzzling into her hair while letting Hikari cuddle up against her collar.
"Hikari, you were marvelous! Fantastique~! Just wonderful!"
Claudine offers as many praises as she can think of, genuinely happy and excited for her. And with everyone else celebrating Hikari as well, it truly allows for her to have her moment.
Hikari finally cracks a smile, clinging onto Claudine tighter and tucking herself close.
It's the same. The same warmth and acceptance and love as she'd felt the first time. Only now it's even greater, because everyone else is cheering for her, too.
She's so happy. So, so happy.
She can't even speak, but a few tears do end up dripping down her cheeks.
Mahiru and Karen look on with accomplished smiles, and the others grin and clap for a while longer, letting Hikari have the full extent of her moment.
Claudine gladly holds onto her for as long as possible, stroking through her hair. Then, she lowers her voice a bit so only Hikari can hear.
"We're so glad to have you as a part of our team, Hikari."
She gives her another little squeeze and keeps her close.
Hikari hiccups softly against her, but there's a smile on her face all the while.
"Thank you… Saijou-san…"
It isn't often Hikari says anyone's name other than her roommates', and it makes Claudine very giddy at the moment.
At last, Claudine lets go of her slowly. But Hikari seems perfectly content to stay. She continues hugging Claudine like a baby animal for another minute or so, clinging, until Mahiru has to gently pry her off.
Hikari wipes her eyes, but her smile is brighter than anyone has ever seen it before.
That evening, they all celebrate with a big feast and snacks, dedicating the night to Hikari and voicing just how thankful they all are to have her.
When it comes time to clean up and go to bed, Claudine gives her another hug before turning her over to Mahiru and Karen.
Hikari doesn't stop smiling all night long, even in her sleep.
And in the days that follow, a certain new routine of sorts emerges.
Not only does Hikari really love getting hugs from Claudine, but Claudine just thinks her so precious and sweet she can't stop herself from hugging her more often.
From then on, Claudine hugs Hikari every morning when they see each other, every evening before parting for bed, and sometimes just randomly in the hallway or outside whenever they make eye contact.
It always makes Hikari smile, and Claudine certainly doesn't mind.
It's an adorable sight to behold every time, one that brings Hikari closer to Claudine and all the others every time.
Needless to say that, between Karen and Mahiru, and more recently Nana and Claudine, and sometimes everyone all at once, Kagura Hikari is never lacking for a hug ever again.
A/N: I just really loved that improvised hug Aiai did in the live, and Hikakuro is my guilty ship, so I needed to whip up a cute little something for them. Wholesome and fluffy and without an ounce of drama or anything else. It was fun! Though it did feel so weird to have Hikari actually say someone else's name, since she definitely doesn't remember anyone's but Karen's and Mahiru's haha
Please review!