Rokka: Oooooh… um… I got nothing…
Masuki: Come on, Rokka. All you have to do is start the intro. It's not complicated.
Rokka: But I have no idea what to say…
Pareo: There are many things to start with, Rokka-san~ Like Matsubara-san and Tsurumaki-san being together~
Kokoro: I heard my name~
Kanon: *giggles* It's nothing urgent, Kokoro~
Pareo: Or you could mention that Chu2-chan and I have been bathing together since she proposed to me~
Chu2: *blushing like crazy* PAREO! That's confidential!
Rokka: *sweatdrops* I think I've been scarred for life…
Masuki: I just got new blackmail material, hehehe~
Chu2: Masking, I'm warning you!
Ran: Xdante doesn't own us or anything else that is owned by someone else. The credits go to our creators.
Tomoe: How long can those 2 keep arguing like that?
Arisa: Days. I've seen it before. Don't ask…
Love Dream Days
Chapter 5: More Than Childhood Friends
Haneoka Girl's Academy had many interesting students attending it. From an oddball student council president all the way to a Shakespeare inspired ladies' … uh… girl. Among these special students are also ones who balance out the oddness of others with their own normalcy. One such student was Asuka Toyama (Kasumi's younger sister) who entered her classroom in the morning and greeted her 2 friends, Rokka and Ako, as usual "Hey guys."
"Hi, Asuka-san~" Rokka stated while smiling.
"The Sun has risen and given way to its rays of… uh… shine… I guess…" Ako said as Asuka simply rolled her eyes at her usual attempt to sound like some kind of dark summoner.
Asuka took a seat and put a magazine onto her desk. Rokka stated "I didn't know you read this kind of paper, Asuka-san. I usually see Kasumi-senpai with something like that."
The younger Toyama sighed and replied "This is hers actually. In fact, it's just one of her copies. She put it in my bag by accident. Ever since this great big wave of love washed over the bands, she's been bringing tons of these things home…"
Ako smiled and said "I can totally understand that~ I've been collecting these too and now they even have Kokoro-san and Kanon-senpai on the cover~" The drummer of Roselia wasn't wrong about that. Only 2 days after Kokoro and Kanon got together, they both announced that they're dating during their concert. There were mostly younger people there at that time but it didn't stop the media to acquire the new scoop.
"At this rate, there won't be a single free spot left on the cover." Rokka stated while being impressed by the power of advertisements.
"I'm surprised it's just those 3 that are on here. I mean, it's obvious who likes who in each band." Little did Asuka know that when she said that both Ran and Yukina were passing the younger ones' classroom and they were able to overhear everything. The 2 singers decided to wait by the door a little and see if they could hear anything else about the topic.
Ako laughed a little before replying to Kasumi's younger sister "Oh please, you totally thought that Kanon-senpai would get together with Misaki-san~ That reminds me, you owe me 200 yen~" and she held out her hand for the money.
Asuka sweatdropped and replied "I was kinda hoping you'd forget about that…" and handed her friend the money.
Rokka sweatdropped and asked "Are you guys sure it's nice to bet on their love lives…?"
Ako smiled and replied "It's not like we're harming them~ Plus, I still got some money on a few of my bets~"
"You just got lucky with that one. There is no way you'll win our other wagers." Asuka stated as she took her seat at the table.
At the door, Ran was growing a bit irritated "Are we really this pathetic?"
Yukina sighed and answered "Wish I could say no… though I am curious about their bets."
"There's no way they'll start talking about that." The Afterglow guitarist stated.
Rokka asked "Is there like a bet you're absolutely sure you'll win, Asuka-san?"
Ran sweatdropped and thought "What the heck… even spies in movies need more work and time to hear info like this… life is freaking scary…"
Ako was the one who answered the RAS guitarist "She thinks Lisa-nee won't be together with Yukina-san, even though Yukina-san loves her~" After hearing that, Yukina almost froze completely. She thought that if her band's drummer was able to tell she has feelings for her best friend, then there's no way Lisa hasn't noticed yet. Ako continued "I have more trust in Yukina-senpai and I know she'll ask Lisa-nee out~"
The Roselia singer blushed a bit and smiled. "I think I'll go easier on Ako for a while."
Ran simply replied "That's loyalty for you. Although, Ako may be more perceptive than we first thought…"
"Honestly… I think I'm not as reserved as I first thought…" Yukina said with a sweatdrop.
"I didn't mean that one. She bet on Kokoro-san and Kanon-san getting together. I don't think anyone else would have done that." The Afterglow singer replied.
Yukina simply said "True." then continued listening to the younger group of girls.
Rokka voiced her thought on the current topic next "Lisa-senpai being with anyone else other than Yukina-senpai? I actually hope Ako-san will win her bet. No offense, Asuka-san."
"None taken but why would you want that?" Asuka replied and asked as Rokka realized something after the question.
"Shoot! I got carried away and now they may figure out that I know about Yukina-senpai and the others!" the Ras guitarist thought while being nervous and also sweating. "Uh… w-w-well… um… Yukina-senpai is actually… uh…"
"Because she can see it, like I can~" Ako voiced her thoughts and Rokka was glad that she saved her. She was also not far from the truth, since the guitarist new about the group of girls and their meetings.
Asuka just shrugged and replied "I'll believe it when I see it." She took out her water bottle from her bag before she continued "I also don't agree with your opinion about Mitake-senpai and Aoba-senpai."
Now it was Ran's turn to pay closer attention. "Excuse me? I actually try to convey my feelings for Moca!"
Yukina looked at her puzzled and simply asked "You do?"
"Seriously, Minato-san?"
"You're in the group too." the Roselia singer replied, to which the Afterglow singer could only blush and turn her attention back to the younger girls.
Rokka decided to ask about this topic a little more "What's that one about?"
Asuka was the one to answer her question. "She thinks Mitake-senpai and Aoba-senpai will be a thing. I don't see it at all. If anything, I'm willing to bet that Mitake-senpai will marry one of her flowers."
"Mitake-san… don't cause a scene…" Yukina said as she was holding Ran back from bursting into the room.
The Afterglow guitarist and singer decided to stay put but still pouted as she said "Never thought I'd hear Kasumi's sister say that."
"It's almost time for class. We should leave." Yukina said as she and Ran got up and left the area without the younger ones ever noticing they were there in the first place. This situation, however, didn't help with their dilemma about how to express their feelings towards their loved ones. The girls were hoping that their special place could provide with some helpful insight.
After school, Chu2's Apartment
Yukina has just finished explaining the events she heard from that morning to the rest of the group. "So… what do you think?"
"Oh~ So that's where I left my magazine this morning~" Kasumi stated while giggling lightly.
Arisa looked at her and asked "That's what you've been paying attention to?!"
Rokka kept bowing and seemed to be having a panic attack as she kept saying over and over again "I'm so sorry, Yukina-senpai!"
Masuki sighed and made sure Rokka was seated into a comfortable position. "Listen Rokka, you didn't do anything bad and no one is angry at you, so just relax, okay?"
The young girl nodded and said "Alright… thank you, Masuki-san…" and she also smiled at her drummer friend.
Masuki blushed a bit and replied "Hehehe, anytime~"
Ran brought the conversation back to their original topic. "So what can we do?"
"How about a nice tea party?~" Kokoro stated with a smile on her face.
"That's more your thing, Kokoro… " Misaki stated while drinking some tea. Yes, after Kanon and Kokoro got together, they decided to invite the rest of their band to these meetings. They were surprisingly good at keeping the secret too.
"Hagumi agrees with Kokoron! That's what helped her and Kano-chan-senpai!~" the Hello Happy bassist said as Kanon blushed but still scooted closer to her girlfriend.
Chu2 sighed and said "I'm gonna have a migraine because of that band…"
Pareo massaged her shoulder while saying "Pareo will help you relax, Chu2-chan~"
"Mmmm~ Thank you, Pareo~ I love you~"
The other girl giggled and replied "I love you too~"
Yukina and Ran could only sigh while watching the 2 girls' flirting before their eyes. "We really need to think of something…"
"I have an idea~" Kasumi said as she was behind the singers with a smile while Arisa was right next to her. "Why don't you 2 do something for them that they like?~"
Yukina thought about it a little and replied "That's… not a bad idea."
"Easy for you to say. Tomorrow's Saturday and I'm pretty sure Moca's going to spend most of it at Yamabuki-san's bakery." Ran said as she crossed her arms.
Arisa sweatdropped and said "That might be true but we all have to make compromises for the other sometimes."
"Like how Arisa let me cuddle her all day yesterday~" Kasumi stated which made her girlfriend blush hard in embarrassment.
"Did you really have to say that?!" the blonde girl yelled but she still pulled her girlfriend in for a hug.
Ran sighed but ultimately admitted "At this point… I'm willing to risk it. At the very least, I can prove I won't marry a flower."
Rei laughed awkwardly a little before telling her "I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it…"
Chisato replied to that by saying "She IS Kasumi-san's sister. I'm pretty sure she was serious."
"Not helping, Chisato-san…" Ran stated a bit irritated.
Yukina took out her phone and called Lisa. It only took her a second to pick up. "Hi, Yukina! What's up?"
The singer took a deep breath as everyone else was silently waiting for the Roselia member to continue. Misaki was even covering Hagumi and Kaoru's mouths to make sure they remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, the silver-haired band leader spoke into the phone. "Hello Lisa. I was wondering… um…"
"Is something wrong? You always know what to say when calling me. Do you need help with anything?" Lisa asked on the other end of the phone and Yukina's heart melted once again, knowing that her childhood friend (and also love) is worried about her.
The singer quickly gathered her thoughts and spoke into the phone "Everything is fine, thank you. I just wanted to ask… if… you want to… have dinner with me tomorrow?" Everyone almost fell over when they heard Yukina ask that from Lisa. She wasn't sure why that was the case but then recalled what she has just said to her friend. She literally asked her out on a date. "Uh… I mean… um… I…"
Lisa could be heard giggling on the other end before replying to her friend's question. "I will gladly join you~ What time should we meet?"
Yukina started to blush like crazy but could still reply "I think… 6 p. m. should work… just come over to my house, I'll cook." Sayo and Rinko immediately jumped before her with their hands waving 'NO!' over and over again about that detail.
Even Lisa had her doubts about this issue "You? Cook? Are you sure about that? I would offer to help you but I'll have a dance recital with Ako and some of the others tomorrow and it will last until 5 or so."
"It will be fine. Look forward to a great meal." Yukina stated with newfound confidence but the girls who knew about her skills outside of singing could only sigh deeply.
"If you say so~ See you tomorrow then~" Lisa stated before hanging up the phone.
Yukina looked like she has just won the grand prize in a lottery, until she saw the looks on some of the other girls' faces in the room and then recalled what she had said. She's going to cook… "Um… I'd like some help… please…"
"Well… Kokoro-chan can ask the suits to make something for you~" Kanon suggested.
The blonde girl smiled and replied "It'll be no problem~"
"I don't want that…" Yukina said while looking out the window. "If it's for Lisa… I want to do it. I can't let others handle things for me."
Kaoru struck a pose and said "Such is the power of love, my little kitten. Lisa-san will definitely be swooned by the feelings your awful dish shall carry~"
Chisato sighed and pulled Kaoru away while saying "I'm never going to understand how you can have a fanbase of girls…"
Tomoe went next to Yukina and said "If you want, I can help you prepare the meal."
"I did not know you can cook, Udagawa-san." Sayo stated surprised.
Rinko was the one to answer "She… showed me Ako-chan's favorite dishes… so that… I could make it for her… one day…" and then blushed hard.
The older Udagawa smiled back at the keyboardist and added "Which will be soon~" making the other girl blush like crazy.
"I will help too, though you're going to have to put up with Kasumi being there too." Arisa said while Kasumi confirmed this with a nod.
Yukina nodded and replied "I appreciate the help but I want to do the main things…"
"No problem~" the star-loving girl stated as Sayo and Rinko could only think of how chaotic the Minato household will be tomorrow.
Next, it was Ran's turn, as she took out her phone and called Moca. The other girl picked up almost immediately "Hi, Ran. Your timing is great~ Moca-chan was just about to call you~"
"R-R-Really? Then… please go ahead and tell me what you would like…" Ran stated rather nervously as the others kept encouraging her with gestures.
"Okay~ Moca-chan wants Ran to come with her to lunch~" Moca stated on the other end of the line, which was loud enough for everyone closer to Ran to hear.
The Afterglow singer immediately blushed like crazy and replied "Uh… sure, what time should we meet?"
Moca can be heard giggling before answering "Moca-chan will pick you up at 11:30~ Be ready by that time, Princess~ Bye-bye~" she then hung up and left Ran as an even bigger blushing mess.
Being the person she is, Chu2 breaks the silence her usual way "As I said at the very beginning, you guys are pathetic."
"Shut up…" Yukina and Ran stated at the same time rather tiredly.
After another hour everyone left the tiny producer's home. Ran and Yukina even went to bed early to be prepared for the next day, which they can already feel as very tiring.
The next day, with Ran
It was 11:25 when Ran felt she was prepared for her meeting with Moca. The singer decided to keep using her 'same as always' philosophy and went with an everyday look for herself. As she went outside her house, she could already see Moca approaching. "She's unusually early…" Ran thought to herself but wasn't really complaining about it. She can spend more time with her crush this way.
Moca stood in front of her while smiling "Hi, Ran~"
"Hey, Moca. So… where are we going for lunch?" Ran asked while looking away a bit embarrassed.
The other girl simply smiled and stated "Yamabuki Bakery, of course~"
Ran was both surprised and unsurprised at the same time and could only respond with "Huh?"
"They're having a special couple's dish and Moca-chan can't get that on her own, that's why she needs Ran~" Moca informed the other girl.
Again, Ran could only respond with "Huh?!"
"Hm? Something wrong, Ran?" Moca asked as she looked confused.
After a few minutes, Ran finally registered everything and asked surprisedly "Couples?! We're not a couple!"
Moca laughs a little louder but after that, she smiles gently at Ran and says "You want us to be though~"
The singer gasped dramatically and could only ask "Was I… really that obvious?"
"Unbelievably so~ You and the others too~" Moca simply replied with a smile. "Don't worry, Ran~ Moca-chan wants to date you too~"
"W-w-wait… really?" Ran asked back almost not believing that this wasn't a dream.
"Yeah~ Moca-chan gave you plenty of opportunities to confess but Moca-chan got tired of it, so I decided to use the event to do it myself today~" the guitarist explained while Ran could only feel embarrassed and lame.
She sighed and said "I'm sorry, Moca… it's just… not easy to say those words… you know…"
Moca smiled and hugged Ran "Moca-chan understands~ That's why it took me so long to confess~"
The singer hugged her back while smiling and said "I still haven't asked you properly so…" she pulled away and looked Moca in the eyes then asked "Will you go out with me, Moca?"
Moca giggled then answered "Of course, Ran~ I love you~"
"I love you too, Moca." Ran replied before she kissed her girlfriend. After she pulled away, Ran continued "Let's go on that lunch date then."
"Yay~" Moca said while smiling and holding hands with the singer. Ran kept smiling and blushing but it was less intense than before. "Oh yeah, do you know what's up with Tomo-chi? Moca-chan tried calling her about a test next month but there was no answer."
Ran got a hold of herself and returned to her usual self when she answered "It's probably because she's helping Minato-san prepare for her dinner date with Lisa-san tonight."
Moca suddenly stopped and looked more serious than ever before as she asked "Ran… please tell me Minato-san isn't doing any cooking… or anything at all…"
The other girl sweatdropped and told her the truth "She… is trying to help… despite our skepticism about her skills…"
The guitarist sighed, took out her phone, and called somebody. It didn't take long for the person to answer and Moca only said 1 thing to her. "Hi~ Sorry to bother you but Minato-san is trying to cook with others again~" She then put her phone away and kept walking with Ran again.
The vocalist looked puzzled and asked "What was that about?"
Moca simply kept going as she replied "This will be better for everyone but especially for Minato-san~"
Ran decided not to ask anything else and instead tried to have fun with her girlfriend for the rest of the day. Although she didn't need to try.
A while later, with Yukina
"How… is this even possible…?" Arisa asked from nobody as she stood in the middle of an incredibly messy kitchen. Her girlfriend was in the living room tidying up some kind of disaster that involved Yukina and a magazine. The blonde girl decided not to ask anything and let the volunteering Kasumi clean up the mess.
One would actually ask why was Yukina in the living room? Well… she was way more than a nuisance in the kitchen, so much so that both Tomoe and Arisa forcibly pushed her out of there, so they could work in peace. Or so they thought before experiencing the aforementioned problem in the living room.
Tomoe sighed and asked "Is there anything we can salvage out of this?"
"Like you can actually eat dough harder than steel or meat that's burned darker than coal. Heck, she even ruined rice somehow! Isn't that prize-worthy or something?!" Arisa stated while feeling extra tired. She sighed and turned to Yukina "I think we're stuck with mashed potatoes at this point…"
The silver-haired girl sighed and replied "As long as there is something I can do."
"Oh no! You take a break! There is no way I'm letting you near food that needs cooking ever again!" Tomoe said while freaking out like crazy. Now she can understand Sayo and Rinko's worries from yesterday.
"But I-" Yukina wanted to protest but someone in the doorway cut her off before she could.
"You really should listen to reason, Yukina." Everyone turned to the doorway and saw that Lisa was standing there. The 3 girls in the kitchen were completely surprised by her presence.
Arisa rushed out to her girlfriend, who was almost done with the cleaning, and asked her "Kasumi! Why didn't you tell us Lisa-senpai was here?!"
The other girl looked confused and asked "Was I supposed to?"
The blonde girl facepalmed and muttered "Somehow I think that's cute…" Kasumi actually heard this and giggled a little.
Back in the kitchen, Yukina finally found her voice as she asked her childhood friend "Lisa… what are you doing here? I thought you still had a dance recital."
Lisa sighed and replied "Luckily, I was able to finish up my part early and that's when Moca called me about your plan for today." She turned to Tomoe and sighed "Thank you for trying to help Yukina. I'm really sorry about her. Please don't look down on her for this."
The drummer crossed her arms and sighed before saying "Well… I won't help her with stuff like this again but we're still friends."
"Good~ Arisa, Kasumi, thank you both as well, and please don't hold any grudges against Yukina for this~" Lisa said while looking at the girls in the living room.
Kasumi answered first "No harm done~"
Arisa sighed then said "Fine… but I won't help her in cooking again!"
Lisa smiled and said "Thank you~ Could you please leave us now?" That was enough for Tomoe, Arisa, and Kasumi to leave quickly. Well, more like Arisa was dragging her girlfriend away but the results are the same. The Roselia bassist turned back to Yukina and said "I'll clean up, you sit down and watch."
"Okay…" Yukina said and did as she was told until Lisa was finished. By that time, it was already 6 p.m. Yukina sighed as Lisa took a seat next to her at the table. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to do something for you…"
"I know." Lisa said and put a bag on the table before smiling "I brought dinner~"
The singer was shocked as she asked "What? But I told you that-"
"That you would cook, I know. That was enough for me to consider buying something for dinner." Lisa stated as she put the food before her and Yukina.
As Lisa started eating happily, Yukina could only look at the food and say "I don't deserve it…"
"Hm? We all need to eat, Yukina." Lisa stated while glancing toward her friend.
The singer sighs and explains "It's not that… I meant your kindness… you do so much for me and I… can't even make dinner for you after a long day…"
Lisa stopped eating as she said "Come on, Yukina… You're being too harsh on yourself."
"It's the truth and you know it, Lisa. I wish I could do something for you…" Yukina said while poking her food a little.
After a short silence, Lisa replied "There is one thing you could do for me~"
Yukina looked at Lisa with a raised eyebrow and asked "What's that?"
"Kiss me~" Lisa smiled lovingly at Yukina when she said that, which in turn made said girl blush redder than a tomato.
"W-w-w-w-what? Did you really just say…"
Lisa got closer to Yukina and said in a gentle tone "It doesn't have to be on the lips~"
"No!" Yukina said almost shouting before composing herself again and clarified "I mean… I would… love to kiss you… on the lips…"
The bassist giggled a little and said "I'm right here then~"
"Lisa…" Yukina started saying while turning to her completely, hugging her close and saying "I want to tell you first… I love you."
Lisa smiled happier than ever before and said "Thank you, Yukina~ I love you too~"
The 2 girls then kissed each other and were happy to be girlfriends now. After the kiss, Lisa took some of the food and held it in front of Yukina "Open your mouth, Yukina~"
The singer laughed a little but did as she was told and ate some of the food. After swallowing it she said "It's good. Thank you, Lisa."
"You don't have to thank me for this, Yukina~" Lisa stated as she kept smiling.
"I do. From now on, I'll always show you how much I care about you." Yukina replied while looking determined.
Lisa giggled at that and said "I know you will~ And I will show you my love for you as well~"
Yukina had a thought and said "Can you do something for me on Monday, Lisa? Actually, 2 things."
"Sure~" Lisa replied happily as Yukina told her the favor.
Monday, at Haneoka Girls' Academy
During the break before their 3rd period, Lisa went to one of the first-year classes. More specifically, she went to Ako's class and once she spotted her, she called her over. The younger girl happily went outside the hall and greeted her upper classman "Hi, Lisa-nee!"
"Hey, Ako~ Yukina said we won't have practice today~ We started dating and want to spend some time together this afternoon~" Lisa told the other girl.
Ako gasped and replied "That's great, Lisa-nee! Congratulations! And don't take this the wrong way but it was about time!~"
Lisa giggled a little and said "One more thing though~" she leaned a little closer and lowered her voice as she told Ako "Maybe you should stop taking your friend's money with your bets~"
"GAH?!" Ako paled completely before saying "Uuuuuu… how…?"
"Yukina and Ran overheard you last week~" Lisa stated as she straightened herself out. "Make sure you cancel it all or you'll get twice as much workload~ That's Yukina's message for you~"
The shorter girl cried a bit before saying "Yes, Lisa-nee…"
"Have a further nice day~" Lisa said and waved goodbye as she left.
Ako went back into the classroom and sunk into her seat. Rokka and Asuka looked puzzled but the younger Toyama did ask her "What happened?"
"We… got busted…" was all the short drummer could say as she sunk under her desk and her friends remained confused.
After school, Chu2's Apartment
The tiny producer sighed and stated "I'm gonna need a bigger apartment if this keeps up…" Naturally, both Yukina and Ran brought their girlfriends to the meeting and she knew, that they would keep doing it again in the future.
"At least it's nice and lively now, Chu2-chan~" Pareo stated while her girlfriend/fiancée was sitting in her lap.
"Lisa brought cookies too, so it's fine." Yukina said as she and her girlfriend were talking to Kokoro and Kanon while exchanging pastries.
"And Moca brought some extra bread." Ran stated while Moca kept eating one of the said bread.
Chu2 sighed again and said "I'll need a bigger fridge too…"
Rokka smiled and said "I think it's great that you inspired everyone to start confessing, Chu2-san~"
"Who should get together next?~" Kasumi asked while looking up at the roof and thinking.
Rinko fidgeted a little and said "We'll… see soon… I suppose…"
To be continued…
Pareo: YAY! We have 2 more couples now!~
Chu2: Hurray…
Yukina: Don't sound too excited.
Chu2: I never said you all could use my home as a clubroom!
Masuki: It is one though.
Chu2: MASKING!
Moca: This is funny~ Moca-chan approves~
Ran: *sighs happily* I'm finally not jealous anymore.
Kasumi: *to the readers* Thank you for reading! Please look forward to the next part~ Until then, let everything that sparkles enter your heart~ Bye bye~
Arisa: Kasumi! Stop scaring the readers! *sighs* At least she's my oddball.