Kasumi: Hello and welcome back to the next part of our great story!~
Yukina: Toyama-san… I believe you are overacting a bit…
Kasumi: I'm just hyped to see what will happen this time~
Chu2: Which means you're hoping for another date part in the story.
Kasumi: *giggles and blushes a bit* That too~
Arisa: Kasumi, we have to let the others' stories progress too. It's not just us here, you know. Although… *blushes hard* I would like that too…
Kasumi: Awwwwwwww~ Arisa~ *hugs her girlfriend tight*
Ran: It's so good for them…
Kanon: Makes me wish I had Kokoro-chan here…
Chisato: Aya-chan for me…
Rei: Keep your fingers crossed that it's your turn then~
Kanon: *starts panicking* I-I-I'm too nervous!
Chu2: Then suck it up. It's your show today.
Kanon: Wait… WHAT?!
Chu2: Xdante doesn't own any of us or anything that is remotely mentioned from some other famous stuff. If he had, then we all would be married by now and we would probably be the new Avengers.
Pareo: Chu2-chan… I think you may have broken Matsubara-san…
Chu2: She'll live.
Love Dream Days
Chapter 4: Hello Happy Love World
2 weeks have passed since Kasumi and Arisa started dating, and things got even more interesting during that time. After the day that the girls got together, they were scheduled for a performance at Circle. It was a success for the band but at the end of it, Kasumi just announced to the world that she's dating Arisa and that nobody can claim her anymore. The blonde keyboardist blushed like crazy but smiled nonetheless, and she even gave her partner a kiss on the stage. The fans kept cheering at the event while shouting their continued support for them and it even seemed like they got more people coming to their concerts ever since.
At the schoolyard of Hanasakigawa, Kasumi got another magazine to show to the group. Rinko looked at it and said "Ichigaya-san… I didn't know… that you went… for a photoshoot…"
"We didn't. It's still from the concert. At this rate, all of us are gonna be on the cover once we all get together with someone…" the blonde girl stated while feeding her girlfriend some of her food.
Kasumi swallowed the meal and said "It's not bad~ Plus, our fans just love this kind of development~"
"It's actually hard to argue with that." Saaya voiced her thoughts before taking a bite out of her lunch. She then continued by saying "I never would have thought that this was the way to get more fans."
"People can have surprising reactions to things, Yamabuki-san." Sayo said "Not that it's a bad thing in this case."
Kokoro spoke up next "That reminds me~ We should discuss the details for our next live~"
Chisato turned to Aya and said "That goes for us too, Aya-chan. Don't forget it, like you did last time~" The blonde bassist added with a smile.
The pink-haired vocalist blushed and wore an embarrassed expression on her face when she replied "Chisato-chan, that only happened once!"
"It was actually 8 times~" Chisato stated calmly as she continued eating her food. Aya just sighed and decided to leave it at that. She didn't notice Chisato looking at her with a tender smile when she focused on her lunch again.
"When should we discuss the stuff, Kokoron?" Hagumi asked before continuing to eat her lunch.
The blonde leader answered "This Saturday should be good~"
Misaki spoke up next "Actually… Michelle and I have work on that day…"
"Really? Why does Michelle need work?" Hagumi asked as she was clearly trying to come up with an answer for that question.
"Uuuuuuh…"
"Bears need money to buy food and water too~" Kasumi stated as she fed her girlfriend some of her lunch.
Hagumi smiled and said "Oh~ That makes sense~" and when she wasn't looking, Misaki mouthed a 'Thank you' towards Kasumi.
Kokoro spoke up next "We'll inform Michelle and you next week, Misaki~"
"Yeah… thanks…" said the dark-haired girl before taking a sip of her drink.
Hagumi suddenly remembered something and told Kokoro "Oh no! I just remembered I have practice with my team! We're having a match next weekend!"
"Good luck, Hagumi~" Kokoro said to Hagumi, and then she turned to Kanon "Guess it's just you and Kaoru, Kanon~"
The blue-haired girls blushed hard and could only say "Fuuuuuuuueeeeee?!"
Chisato thought of an idea and said "Tsurumaki-san, Kaoru is unavailable this Saturday."
"Really? How come?" Kokoro asked as Rinko made sure to send a text message to Ako about this. 'I hope her phone's not on mute…'
Haneoka Girl's Academy rooftop
All the band girls were having lunch on the rooftop of the school, mostly because of the Afterglow members' insistence. The others didn't seem to be bothered by it and are now enjoying their lunch under the clear skies. While most of the girls were eating and chatting, Ako was in the middle of one of her dark tone monologues. "… As the great darkness shall descend on the stage of… uh…"
Tomoe laughed a little and told her sister "Ako, maybe you should leave your speeches for a time when Rinko-san is around~"
The younger sister pouts but then replies "Well… it would be good to have her here… I'll admit that…"
Yukina didn't show any signs of smiling but she was chuckling on the inside while thinking "Rinko should have heard that." She then heard some kind of noise and asked "Hm? What was that?"
Ako smiled sheepishly as she took out her phone from her bag and answered "Ehehe… that was me. I got a text message~"
"Ah~ How fleeting~" Kaoru said while striking a dramatic pose that only seemed to affect Himari.
Tomoe sighed and thought "I'm never gonna be with her…"
"Come on, Ako-chi! What's the message?!~ I want to know!~" Hina kept insisting while looking at the young drummer expectantly.
Tsugumi tried to calm her down but with little success. She turned to Ako and said "I'm sorry, Ako-chan. It'll be easier if you answer Hina-san's question."
"It's from Rin-Rin, she asked me to remind Kaoru-senpai about her show on Saturday." The Roselia drummer replied while smiling.
Kaoru immediately stood up and told Ako "Such great fleeting friendship we all share~ Keeping each other's agenda in mind~ So fleeting~"
Lisa sweatdropped and asked "Did anybody understand that…?"
"Honestly… I sometimes think that Kaoru-san herself doesn't understand what she's saying…" Ran said while looking away from the group.
All the while, Moca just kept eating her bread in peace. However, she was eyeing Ran's bread rather noticeably. The situation didn't go past Ran as she was glaring at her friend, signaling her not to even think about taking her food away. "What?" she asked innocently.
"I'm watching you, Moca." Ran stated menacingly but the bread-loving girl could only giggle in response.
Ako was typing on her phone while saying "I'll tell Rin-Rin that you're reminded, Kaoru-senpai~"
"My eternal gratitude to you, my little kitten~"
"I'm a descendant of darkness~ Not a kitten…" Ako pouted as the message was sent.
Tsugumi was puzzled by something though "Uh… Kaoru-san… you didn't send the student council a request to use the school props or even the venue for your play…"
"All taken care of!~" Hina yells as she showed a few papers to Tsugumi. The Afterglow keyboardist could only look through the papers in surprise.
The student council vice president then replied "Alright then, I guess…"
"Fufufu~ Of course they are~" came the reply from Kaoru. Everyone left it at that and resumed spending their lunch break in (relative) peace.
Back with the Hanasakigawa group
"Ako-chan… has just texted me… about Kaoru-san's play… this Saturday…" Rinko said once she received the message. She couldn't dare show it to the rest of the girls, as it would be evident that it was her who had Ako remind Kaoru about her play. It seems she can forget them quite regularly.
Kokoro kept smiling as she said "Oh~ Okay then~ It'll be only Kanon and me ~"
The blue-haired girl was extremely happy and nervous at the same time. The feeling left her quickly, as she also remembered something. "Um… Kokoro-chan… I can't go either… I have work that day…"
"Then we'll postpone it to a week later~" came the still cheerful reply from the leader of Hello Happy World.
"You can't do that!" Arisa burst out yelling, earning everyone's intense and surprise stares, while Kasumi was still eating some food from her girlfriend's chopsticks. "Uh… what I mean is… um…"
Kasumi had an idea of what was really going on and came up with a plan. She swallowed the food and stated "Arisa's right because we'll take over Kanon-senpai's shift that day~"
"Yeah, we will!" Arisa yelled while smiling. 5 seconds later she realized what she said and asked "Wait, we will?!"
"You will?!" Came the surprised response from almost everyone in the group.
Kasumi giggled before answering "Naturally~ We discussed this a few weeks back~ When Kanon-senpai has a band meeting but it clashes with her work, then Arisa and I will fill in for her once~" Arisa had to admit that her girlfriend can be very smart and creative when she wanted to be.
"Uh… yeah… exactly…" the blonde keyboardist added while still feeling rather doubtful about a day of work.
Kanon just kept blushing as she tried to think of a way to save herself from being with the girl she likes all alone with possibly for a day. Quit looking like that Reader, we all know what the girl is like! Anyway, she stated "I actually… don't remember agreeing to anything like that…"
"You just had busy weeks, Kanon!" Chisato jumped into the conversation, trying to save her friend from her own self-doubts. "I was there when you agreed to this! It really happened! You're just overwhelmed to remember it! Hahaha… silly Kanon…"
"I can testify for it as well, Matsubara-san." Sayo said, trying to resolve this awkward situation.
Kokoro was smiling but she was confused about what was happening, so she asked "Does that mean you can come, Kanon? I would really love that~"
With the 'L' bomb dropped Kanon couldn't really see any other option out of this. She decided to wing it and confidently stated "Alright, Kokoro-chan~ I can go to your place this Saturday~" while giving her love interest the happiest smile she could make.
Kokoro was so happy that she jumped up and tackled Kanon to the ground. "Hurray!~ We're going to have a great day together!"
All the while, the blue-haired girl could be seen blushing as smoke seemed to come out of her ears. Not much time was left after this event, so the girls picked up their things and went back to their classes.
After school, same day, Chu2's apartment
"That was quite the plan put together at the very last minute. I'm impressed." Yukina said while drinking some tea. Pareo made some for their guests.
Arisa was a little annoyed because "Except now my Saturday is ruined since I have to work!"
"Fueeeeeeee… I'm sorry Arisa-san…" Kanon said while sweating nervously.
"I don't blame you Kanon-senpai, I blame my girlfriend." The PoPiPa keyboardist stated as Kasumi looked shocked by that sentence.
"But Arisaaaaaaa… it's for Kanon-senpai~" the 'star' girl stated while snuggling up close to her girlfriend.
Arisa liked the feeling but she still said "I had our weekend carefully planned! I wanted to take you on another date! Now it's just going to be us working!"
"That can count as a date~ We will still be together~" Kasumi replied and she even kissed Arisa's cheek.
Arisa smiled and said "Well… when you look at it like that… I guess that's fine."
Rokka was in awe at the quick change of atmosphere around those 2 and asked "Is this what they call being whipped?"
Masuki laughed incredibly hard and answered "Oh my God! That is true, Rokka! Hahahahaha!"
Arisa blushed and pouted then shouted back at Masuki "At least I have a girlfriend!"
The RAS drummer suddenly stopped and looked defeated. "Tch… cheap shot…"
Chu2 stood up and yelled "Quit arguing like babies!"
Tomoe glared at her and stated "Says the small fry."
"I swear to God, I'm gonna kick you off my balcony! Ahem… anyway, the main thing right now is to make sure Matsubara doesn't screw this up!" The tiny producer stated as Kanon just couldn't stop panicking.
She grabbed her phone and said "Maybe I can still cancel!" At that, Chisato quickly took her phone, and Ran blocked the blue-haired girl's path to her device along with Rei. "Please, let me cancel! Kasumi-chan and Arisa-chan have a date anyway! I don't want to-"
"KANON-SENPAI!" Arisa yelled, making the others stop their current activity and focus on her. She walked up to Kanon and asked "Don't you want to have what Kasumi and I already have?"
Kanon looked to the ground sadly as she quietly replied "I want it… really bad…"
Arisa smiled a bit and continued "Then you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot. True, it's scary but the result can be a million times better than anyone can ever dream."
"Awwwwwwwwww~ I love you too, Arisa~" Kasumi said before kissing her girlfriend lovingly.
Chu2 looked away as she added "I'm pretty certain she likes you too…" Everyone looked at the producer's way this time in surprise before she continued "The signs are there and even I can see it. All that's left is for you to get together with her. Just do it and you'll be very happy."
"Awwwwwwwwwww~ Chu2-chan~" Pareo said as she hugged her girlfriend/fianceé and gave her a kiss.
Ran couldn't help comment on this situation by saying "Wow… even Chu2 has a tiny good part in her heart."
Tomoe nodded and said "Guess we can cross another wonder off the list."
"Masking, kick them out." Chu2 ordered Masuki while still in her partner's arms.
The drummer looked at her lazily and said "No."
Chisato gave Kanon back her phone and added "Don't make me regret giving this back to you."
The Hello Happy drummer smiled and replied "I'll be okay now. They're right. I'll do my best. For real this time~"
Saturday, Kokoro's Mansion
Kanon was standing in front of the gates to Kokoro's home. "I'm always amazed by this place…" She rang the bell that was on the left side of the gate and it automatically opened. She went to the back, which was their usual spot with the table and sweets, and saw that her band leader was already sitting there while humming a tune happily to herself.
Kokoro saw her friend approach, stood up, and waved at her "Kanon!~I'm happy to see you~"
"I am happy to see you as well, Kokoro-chan~" she replied back as she went to the table and put some juices on it from her backpack. "I brought these for us~"
"Ooooooooh~ Great thinking, Kanon~ We need all the energy for today~"
The drummer was confused by this and she asked "What do you mean, Kokoro-chan? Aren't we discussing the details of our next live?"
"Actually, I decided to postpone that to a later date~" the hyperactive girl answered with a smile but the statement made Kanon look at her friend and love interest in shock.
"But… why am I here then?"
Kokoro kept smiling as she answered "To have fun and make the world smile, of course~ Let's go!"
"FUUUUUUEEEEEEEEE!" was all that Kanon could say as Kokoro dragged her into a car and they drove off with the suits in the front. They also picked up all the snacks and the drinks from the table. Without the two girls noticing anything.
Local aquarium
Kanon always knew that the leader of her band can be very surprising but this was a new level for her. It was as if they went to the aquarium only because of her and she kept wondering whether there was a deeper meaning to this. The blue-haired girl decided to ponder this question later, as she and Kokoro were going through the display of fishes.
"Kanon, look here!" the happy girl called Kanon over to a small display of 5 fish.
"They're very cute, Kokoro-chan~" Kanon stated while looking at the fish swimming around.
Kokoro noticed something else about these animals though. "They're just like us~"
Kanon looked at her friend puzzled and asked "What do you mean?"
"They're colored just like our hair~" upon closer inspection that was true. There was a yellow, a blue, an orange, a purple, and a pink fish there.
Kanon giggled and pointed out "That's not really true, Kokoro-chan~ Misaki-chan is missing~"
Kokoro looked surprised and said "Oh, you're right! I'm going to call the management to put in a black fishy too~"
"Kokoro-chan!" Kanon tried to stop her friend but as it turns out, there was no need to do so. An employee of the aquarium came to them and the man put a black fish into the tank.
Kokoro put her phone away and turned to Kanon "Look at that, Kanon~ They heard us from over here~"
Kanon could only scratch her head and ask "But how…" then she noticed the suits giving her an okay signal. Once again, the jellyfish-loving girl was reminded just how much influence Kokoro and her family have. Speaking of jellyfish "Kokoro-chan, I found some jellyfish~ Do you want to come and see them… with me?" she was also blushing while asking this.
"Of course, Kanon~" the band leader replied and held out her hand for the other girl to take.
"Eh?"
"There are a lot of people here~ We don't want to get separated from each other~" was Kokoro's reply. Kanon was still blushing but she accepted her hand and the 2 girls went to take a look at the jellyfish exhibit.
Kanon was feeling like she was on cloud nine, as Kokoro never let go of her hand after that during the remainder of their visit there. In fact, she was starting to convince herself that what Chu2 said the other day might hold more truth than she initially thought. Only might.
Quite a while later, Fast Food Restaurant, Kanon's Workplace
Even after the aquarium experience, the group (suits included) only went to places that Kanon suggested, as opposed to the usual hype, there was only relaxation during this outing. They went to the park only to walk around, though the occasional cheering up of sad children still occurred. Kanon then suggested a café that wasn't too far from her workplace. Thinking of it now, they should have visited this place after checking how her friends were doing the work.
"Another order of fries, Kasumi-chan!~" Aya yelled back into the kitchen where Kasumi quickly got into the flow of making food. Meanwhile, Arisa was upfront, taking orders next to Aya.
"Yeah, this makes sense… Kasumi-chan never liked maths, hehehe~" Kanon thought as she walked up to the counter with Kokoro. "Hi girls~ Is everything going alright?"
Arisa smiled at them and said "Hi Kanon-senpai, Kokoro-san. They are now. Kasumi held up the line for a while before I noticed…"
"Arisa! That's not my fault!"
"Get back to work, Kasumi! We still have about 2 hours to go!"
"Okay~ Love you~" Kasumi replied and resumed her duties in the kitchen.
Arisa smiled and said back to her "Love you too~" with enough volume for her to hear it. She turned back to Kanon and Kokoro with a sigh but still smiling "She can be a handful at times… but she's the love of my life~"
"They actually attracted a small crowd with being so lovey-dovey with each other~ It was cute~" Aya added while smiling and giggling a little.
"Aya-senpai! They don't need to know that!" Arisa yelled back at the idol. Kanon and Kokoro giggled a little, ordered some food to go, and then left.
Chisato was sitting at one of the booths with a drink and she noticed some interesting things about the girls that just left. They were in each other's personal space the whole time. She smiled and said to herself "I give them an hour maybe 2 before they get together~"
"Chisato-chan!~ I have your fries ready!~" Aya yelled as her friend and idol co-worker went to get her order.
Sometime later, Kokoro's Mansion
It was getting dark by the time the 2 girls (plus the suits) returned to Kokoro's home. Once they got out of the car, Kokoro said "Just a minute, Kanon~ I have to go take care of something first~"
"Okay, Kokoro-chan~" she said as Kokoro happily went into her home. Kanon was surprised that after about a minute that her love interest left, the suits appeared in front of her seemingly out of nowhere. She was getting a bit nervous and asked "Um… y-yes?"
The leader of the suits told her "Matsubara-sama, your feelings for Tsurumaki-sama is obvious."
"Fuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeee?! I… I… I don't care if you don't approve!" Kanon replied a little louder than she intended but she looked determined and then continued "I love Kokoro-chan with all my heart! I'm going to tell her my feelings, even if she's going to reject me and hate me for it! And if she accepts me… then I'll never ever let her go!"
The suits smiled and the leader spoke up again "Not 'if' Matsubara-sama. It's 'when'."
"Wait… what?"
"We just wanted to say we support the both of you." They saluted and then left once again.
Kanon was actually happy. The suits were almost like Kokoro's parents and it seems like she just got the approval from all of them. She made up her mind to tell her leader about her feelings.
"I'm back, Kanon!~" Kokoro yelled as she appeared from the house and ran up to her friend.
Kanon felt a little bold and asked "Kokoro-chan… can I stay here… with you… for tonight… if… that's okay…?"
Kokoro's smile was brighter than the Sun when she answered "Of course, Kanon~ There's plenty of place in my bed for the both of us~"
Now the drummer was blushing like crazy again. She composed herself quickly and said "Thank you… Kokoro-chan~ Um… there is something… I want to talk about… with you…"
"Okay~ What is it?~" Kokoro asked as Kanon was fidgeting a bit.
She was a bit more silent than before but Kokoro was still able to hear her. "Could we… uh… discuss this… not while standing…?"
The leader smiled and replied "Sure~ The stars are going to come out soon~ let's watch them together~" They only had to wait for a little while for the stars to appear and the 2 girls were laying in the grassy backyard while looking at the night sky. "So, what did you want to say, Kanon?"
The drummer sighed and gathered her thoughts before telling her feelings "Kokoro-chan… I'm happy that we met back in the day… being with everyone in Hello Happy World was exactly the thing I needed to appreciate music again and myself… I will never forget what you told me when we first met."
Kokoro could recall that memory as well and said "Me neither, Kanon~ What I said back then still stands~ If you ever need some courage, take some of mine~"
Kanon smiled and turned to look at Kokoro, who was also looking back at her, and said "Thank you, Kokoro-chan~ There is something else…" she started blushing and continued "It's true that being with all of you is great… but being with you is fantastic… you are the bravest, the happiest and the most beautiful person I know… you're my brightest and happiest Sun, Kokoro-chan… and I… love you…"
Kokoro smiled and replied "I love you too, Kanon~"
The drummer smiled but she knew what the case was as she thought "She probably only means it as a friend… she's special like that…"
The leader of the band managed to surprise her though since she asked "Do you want to count this day as our first date?~"
Kanon almost fainted after hearing that. She kept looking at her love interest in shock as she asked "Kokoro-chan… I thought that you-"
"Couldn't feel the same way as you have for me?~" Kokoro finished her question, then did something that Kanon never thought that she would see. The band leader gave her a warm and loving smile, something that showed she views Kanon in a special way. "I have loved you for a while~" She reached out and held Kanon's hands in her own before continuing "I wanted to tell you how I feel today as well~"
This made Kanon very happy but also a bit suspicious. She asked Kokoro "Did you put the meeting on this day because you knew the others would be busy and Kasumi would take over my shift at work?"
Kokoro only nodded in response with the special smile still on her face. Then she added "I planned everything~ Although, I was surprised that Kaoru remembered her play today~ The suits took care of her paperwork at the student council, just to be sure everything was prepared~"
Kanon gave a smile that was similar to Kokoro's and she said "You did all this for me~ Thank you, Kokoro-chan~ Yes, today was our first date~ And it was perfect~"
"Not yet, Kanon~ There is one more thing missing from the perfect date~" Kokoro stated and Kanon knew exactly what that something was. The 2 girls got closer, hugged each other, and shared their very first kiss under the starry sky. When they pulled apart, Kokoro stated "Now it's perfect~"
Kanon giggled and said "Let's have a lot more in the future~"
"I love you, Kanon~"
"I love you too, Kokoro~"
The 2 girls stayed a little more under the night sky before going inside and then to bed.
The next day, Chu2's apartment
"Wow!~ Look at all this great stuff!~ I bet they can make many people smile~" Kokoro said as she kept checking out the tiny producer's equipment.
Naturally, Chu2 was completely annoyed by her actions and said "Tsurumaki! Quit touching my stuff and just stay put! This isn't a theme park!"
"Ehehehe~ Sorry about Kokoro~" Kanon stated to the girls that were present. The Hello Happy drummer decided to bring Kokoro for the gatherings from now on, just like Arisa always brings Kasumi. "Kasumi-san, Arisa-san thank you for yesterday~ I owe you guys one~"
Arisa smiled as she replied "You got together with the girl you love. I say that's enough."
"I'm with Arisa~" Kasumi replied happily.
Kokoro went to the middle of the room and said "Oh, I almost forgot~" as she said that, the suits entered the room and brought a few trays of sweets and drinks, then they simply left "I brought these for the meeting~ Everyone, help yourselves, there's plenty to go around~"
Masuki was surprised and said "Wow! Don't mind if I do!" she took a biscuit and ate it before continuing "These are great!"
Rei also took some treats then told Chu2 "Maybe it is nice to have Tsurumaki-san here."
"Hmph. As if! She has no jerky flavored treats!"
Kokoro presented an odd-looking macaroon to Chu2 and said "Kanon told me you like jerky, so we made a treat with it~ Try it out~"
The producer was surprised but took the tiny snack and ate it. Her reply was "Tch… Pareo…"
"Yes, Chu2-chan?~"
"Make sure the others don't eat any of this… it's actually good…"
Pareo giggled but nodded her head in agreement. She also added "I guess that means Tsurumaki-san is a welcomed guest from now on too~"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Kokoro sat down next to Kanon and they fed each other the treats, just like Arisa and Kasumi did. As for the others… they'll have to gather a little more courage to be with their loved ones in the (near) future.
To be continued…
Kasumi: *clapping* Bravo Kanon-senpai!
Kanon: *sweatdrops* Ehehe… thank you, I guess…
Chu2: It was mostly Tsurumaki anyway.
Ran: Don't ruin this for them.
Chu2: The only one ruining things here is you! And what you're ruining is my mood!
Ran: *smirks* Then I'm proud~
Chu2: MASKING!
Masuki: Okay~ *to the readers* Thanks for checking out this chapter! Get ready for more! See you guys then! Bye!
Chu2: I meant kick Ran Mitake out!
Pareo: Masuki-san has already left, Chu2-chan~
Chu2: Remind me not to do any favors for her…
Pareo: Yes, Chu2-chan!~