A/N: Another Angel Beats anniversary - 10 years since the 10th episode! I think this calls for some Yui love, don't you?

This chapter was getting too long, as was the wait, so I decided to solve both problems and cut the chapter in half. Had to change the chapter title for this one though! Next one should be Operation Songbird. Anyways, thanks to everyone for your patience, and to Seiram, ZainR, and qwerty19 for the reviews!

Seiram: Right?! I swear someday the Battlefront guys are gonna be the best uncles ever. Or dads, for that matter. I've always thought Naoi would have a soft spot for kids (especially if they look at him like he hung the moon). I like that you noticed that little detail! Hint: Naoi and Yuri had an artist friend in their past. And yeah, the haircut is one thing - another is she probably expected some sort of joke about forgetting stuff. As for Yusa, I do love her little subtle bouncy moment in that episode! I've always associated her with GlDeMo in some way, so it felt right to make her the Battlefront's connection with the band.

ZainR: Noda instinctively fears her like he does Kanade, I just love it. XD The memories are there, deep down! And yeah, I kind of imagined Iwasawa (/GlDeMo) had a private number or burner phone situation going on. And I'm happy you liked the Ushio love! See, this is exactly what crossovers are good for... And Kanade and Yurippe, let's just say it's a topic that's been on Yuri's mind recently. If you liked that ending, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter a lot more!

qwerty19: Hah, thank you! That one scene in ep 8 has got to be one of my top favorite Yui moments. (Oh my God, Naoi's Frosty the Snowman.) Also, holy crap, you're so right. Considering the endgame, that's exactly what this has become. Slowburn GlDeMo with a side of NaYuri. XD

Alright, I'll delay this moment no longer. Hope you enjoy!


[Chapter 52]: Golden Girls


Last time on Heartbreak Cure…

The Battlefront stared at the phone. They held their breath in anticipation.

But not for long, because after three and a half rings, there was a soft click as someone picked up on the other end.

"Yusa!" Iwasawa's warm voice filled the air. "What's up?"

Yui fainted.


"Oop – girl down!" Fujimaki called out, motioning exaggeratedly like a flagger as a broad smirk stretched across his face.

"Oh dear," said Yusa. "Iwasawa? Please hold on just one second."

Noda peered down at Yui's unconscious form. "At least she didn't scream again."

"Can someone please revive her?" Yuri ordered, heaving a sigh as she crossed her arms. "She'll never forgive herself if she sleeps through all of this."

"This is so stupid…"

The cell phone breathed out a short gasp.

"Yusa…?" Iwasawa wheedled from the other end, her tone prompting and cautiously excited. "Why did that voice sound familiar?"

As Hinata and Shiina tried to help Yui sit up while Ooyama worriedly fanned at her face, Yuri broke into a huge gleeful grin and swiped the phone from Yusa. She said cheerily, "Well I don't mean to alarm you, Iwasawa, but she's just put you on speakerphone with a bunch of your biggest fans."

Peals of shocked laughter emanated from the speaker.

"I don't believe it," Iwasawa said through her laughter. "I don't — hang on, I need to put you on speakerphone too." Then, more muffled: "Guys, you won't believe who I'm talking to right now." There was a pause and some shifting sounds, then Iwasawa's voice came back clear and happy. "Alright, you're on speaker. Let 'em hear you!"

Yuri cocked an eyebrow at the phone in interest. "Wait, do you have Hisako, Sekine, and Irie with you right now?"

A chorus of excited cries in the background quickly answered her question.

"No way—"

"Is that Yuri?!"

"She remembers us!"

"I sure do," Iwasawa singsonged in response to Yuri. "Who've you got over there with you? I'm pretty sure I heard a whole lot of familiar voices."

Otonashi laughed good-naturedly, looking around at everyone. "I think a shorter list would be 'who don't we have'…"

Iwasawa's voice turned teasing. "Mr. Amnesia, is that you?"

"Not anymore," Otonashi said warmly, and chuckled again as he put an arm around Kanade's shoulder. "You have no idea how much I owe you."

"Owe me?" Iwasawa repeated, a bit of amused curiosity in her tone. "How so?"

"Your concert…" he said, and paused to share a reflective look with Kanade, then Hinata, Yuri, and Ayato. "When you played 'My Song,' it helped us remember who we are. In more ways than one."

Kanade nodded, putting a hand to her heart. "It must hold a very powerful magic," she said, as a thoughtful smile touched her lips.

The line went silent for approximately three seconds, before Iwasawa drew a sharp breath.

"Angel?" she said, sounding flabbergasted at first. And then her voice dropped to an awed, almost amused whisper. "So I restored an angel's memories…"

"I thought Hisako already told you she turned out to be human," Irie reminded her.

"Yeah, but it just sounds really cool that way," said Iwasawa, her grin audible as she took a moment to bask in the glory. "'My Song' is so powerful it can even bring back the memories of angels…"

And gods, Ayato thought smugly out of instinct. Casting an idle glance at Yuri, he resisted the temptation to say it. The reference would be lost on Iwasawa anyway, so really it'd just be a waste of his breath.

"You don't sound all that surprised," Otonashi noted. "By your song being magic, I mean. Though I guess if you've got your memories, and GlDeMo is back together…"

"Oh yeah, I figured it out." Her smug tone trailed off with reminiscent fondness. Ayato imagined she must be sharing a smile with her bandmates. There was another drawn out thoughtful pause, and then Iwasawa's voice came again with a slight corrective lilt. "Though… actually not all of GlDeMo is back together. Just the first generation. You guys wouldn't happen to have Yui with you by any chance…?"

Hisako cut in almost immediately, "I doubt it. We would have heard her screaming by now."

From Yui's side, Hinata called over, "Oh, she's here. She's just crying too hard to talk."

Sure enough, a dazed Yui, who'd finally come to at some point during the mention of "My Song," had her hands pressed against her mouth to prevent an outburst of delirious sobs. A steady stream of tears poured down her cheeks, no doubt exacerbated if not brought on by the sound of her own name escaping Iwasawa's lips. She tried to whine at Hinata for telling on her but it only tapered off into a shaky whimper.

"Aw, Yui…!" Sekine said, giggling. "Don't cry!"

"We miss you too!" Irie chimed in.

"Hey Yui!" Iwasawa called out to her. She raised her voice through the phone like she wasn't sure how far away she stood, and was determined that her voice reach the girl.

Yui whimpered again, making a noise that sounded a little like a bashful "hi" but got muffled by her hands.

Looking up from her spot in the bleachers, Nagisa gasped in recognition. "Is that Iwasawa? I don't mean to interrupt, but could you tell her hi for me?"

"Oh yeah, Nagisa Okazaki says hi too," Yuri said easily.

"Wow, you really do have everyone over there. Tell her I said hi back!" Iwasawa laughed, sounding tickled and yet rather impressed. "What's going on, where are you guys?"

"We're all here in Mizuzaka," said Yusa. "Actually not too far from the amphitheater. I was able to direct them to one of the concert posters."

"It's pretty convenient that you're coming to play here," Otonashi remarked with a wry smile. "We've been meeting in Mizuzaka since mid-April. It's kind of our main base in this operation."

"Convenient is one word for it." Yuri paced a little ways towards the amphitheater, gazing at it for a moment with the phone still gripped in her hand. The Battlefront members all followed to listen. "I prefer fate. This concert is exactly what we were hoping for to put the final phase of the operation into motion."

"Operation, huh…" Iwasawa sounded like she was smirking. "Yuri, I think in this life doing Operation Tornado during an official concert would be a little bit unethical."

Fujimaki, Hinata, and Matsushita all snickered at this, while Otonashi, Kanade, Ooyama, and even Ayato cracked a smile.

"Not Operation Tornado," Yuri said firmly, turning back to the group. "Operation Battlefront Reunion." She paced some more, a little faster, as if energized by the conversation. A breeze picked up and fluttered her hair, and her eyes glinted with purpose. "When are you free? I'm sure you must be busy planning for the concert and all, but I'd like to fill you in on everything, and hopefully discuss combining our efforts."

There was some muffled conversing in the background, then Hisako was the next to speak up.

"We're actually just hanging out right now," she said with an audible shrug. "We've got a few hours before tonight's rehearsal, so why don't we just come to Mizuzaka and meet up with all of you?"

Yui inhaled so sharply she might've sucked up a cloud.

"Don't faint," Hinata warned, putting a steady hand on her shoulder.

"I won't," she protested, though in Ayato's opinion she did in fact look about as woozy as a little drunk kitten.

Meanwhile, Yuri blinked down at the phone, eyebrows piqued in pleasant surprise. "That works."

"Great, we'll leave right away," Iwasawa said grandly. "Shouldn't take us more than forty-five minutes, depending on traffic. You said you're near the amphitheater?"

"Baseball diamond nearby. But we can probably meet you at the pavilion."

"We'll text Yusa for help if need be, but it shouldn't be a problem. I think you and I are pretty much on the same page here." Shifting sounds in the background suggested the girls were getting up off a couch. "Oh, and Yuri?"

"Yeah?"

"We've been calling it Operation Songbird."


When the call had wrapped up, Yuri handed the phone back to Yusa, who clicked it shut with a rather stylish nonchalance. She cast a glance toward the group that, if Ayato didn't know any better, was almost decidedly smug.

"I did tell you the weekend wasn't over just yet," she said, slipping the phone back into her purse. "Good thing we held off on that group picture."

"Actually we'll probably need to get a picture with just you anyway," Hinata informed her, absently scratching the back of his hair. "Yui's kind of going for a progression effect. Right, Yui?" He looked over his shoulder at her, then sweated a bit. "Oh – still crying."

In the aftermath of the call, Yui was still sitting in the dirt of the baseball diamond. Expression blank, eyes wide, cheeks still waterfalls. She sniffled through small watery breaths as she stared off into the middle distance (or the amphitheater, more likely).

"Aww," said Fujimaki. He plopped down next to her and shook her shoulder with an affectionate grin. Ooyama dropped down on her other side and patted her hair in a gentle there, there gesture. "Don't cry! You did it, kid. Never should've doubted you."

"You okay, Yui?" Otonashi asked, crouching in front of her. Kanade stood over them with an understanding smile on her lips, eyes softening as she watched over her friend. "You're not upset that they decided to put on the concert without you, are you?"

Yui sniffled again, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve.

"No," she said, her small voice coming out in a shaky croak. "It's not that. It's enough that they thought of me. I loved playing with everyone. I'd love to play with them too. I'm just… so happy they're back together. I'm happy they're Girls Dead Monster again. I'm happy they found themselves, and each other." Impassionedly, she clutched a fist against her chest. "No matter what, I'm a GlDeMo fan at heart. All I want is to hear them make magic again."

"Well, you know, you're pretty magical yourself," Hinata said fondly.

What that got him was a loving smile, shaky laughter – and the waterworks promptly surging back in full force.

"Good going, Romeo," said Fujimaki.

Otonashi shook his head at Hinata as he stood back up. "What is it with you two and baseball fields…?"

Drawn in by the crying, Ushio came up to Yui a few moments later and gave her a hug, followed by her animal entourage of Mitsuo and Botan who came sniffing. Mitsuo propped himself up on Yui's knees and tried to attack the tears with puppy kisses, as seemed to be his custom each week, until she squirmed away and started laughing again. Needless to say the girl was getting a lot of love.

Once Yui had gotten it out of her system, Hinata and Shiina helped her to her feet, and then – for the sake of having something to do until GlDeMo got here – they rounded everyone up and headed to the park entrance to take the group picture featuring Yusa. The Okazakis sat down at a picnic table in the pavilion, looking on in amusement as Kyou nudged Noda toward the group while Ryou readied the camera.

Noda rolled his eyes at the idea of doing this again, but from the lack of hesitation in stepping into place behind Hinata, Ayato wondered if the eye-roll was somewhat performative. Yusa also looked like she felt a little silly, but after some encouragement from Yuri and Yui, she modestly squeezed in on Shiina's left. Probably also due to Mitsuo flashing the puppy dog eyes again. Mostly everything else was the same as before, in terms of pose, except instead of making a face or attacking Hinata, Yui had retrieved the GlDeMo poster and was thrusting it in the air like a trophy.

Yui even convinced Yusa to get her phone back out and pretend to be calling Iwasawa, just to foreshadow the next group shot. In all fairness, as the group migrated to the picnic tables and gathered around the camera to look at it afterwards under the pavilion's shade, Ayato noted that it did add a certain something to the scene. If not merely nostalgia for where Yusa's old headphones should be.

"Mind of an artist," Yuri said, still in a good mood from the success of the operation. Yui preened at the praise.

Ayato watched Yuri for a moment, however inconspicuously. As he recalled, she'd been tired in the Ooyama picture, and annoyed by Fujimaki in the Noda one. But this time around, she looked… hopeful. Maybe even about as pleased as Yui. It was the same satisfaction he'd seen on her after she overthrew Kanade as student body president. The gratified grin of a job well done.

Talking to Girls Dead Monster on the phone, it was like she came alive with energy. That spirit, that leadership, it suited her. Came naturally to her. All that was missing in this scene was the white beret.

He hadn't realized it before, but… maybe this concert meant more to Yuri than he thought.

Nearby, a small voice interrupted his musings. Ushio was tugging on her mother's sleeve, rocking on the balls of her feet.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," she stage-whispered to Nagisa.

"Oh, I hadn't realized how late it was getting!" Nagisa said with a start, looking at her phone. "You and your daddy must've worked up quite an appetite."

"Come to think of it, same here." Hinata exchanged glances with the rest of the guys, and then with the Shibuya group. "I haven't had anything since this morning. You guys wanna go eat somewhere? I mean that's kind of a tradition too at this point."

"I know a great place to get nattō," Fujimaki joked.

"Gross," Yuri and Okazaki said dispassionately. They glanced at each other and uttered, in the simultaneous exasperated relief of kindred spirits, "Thank you!"

Ushio tugged on her mom's sleeve again. "You promised we could get ice cream."

"I did promise her ice cream!" Nagisa said anxiously.

"Ice cream sounds good." A jovial Matsushita raised his eyebrows enticingly at the group.

Noda snorted. "Great, just what Yui needs – more sugar."

Ayato failed to suppress a smirk. Was it just him or did that sound like borderline endearment coming from Noda? Apparently not just him, because Yui beamed at him lovingly for it.

Although Otonashi and Kanade were torn between their great love of ice cream, appeasing a cute child, and eating something actually nutritious, Ayato was able to recommend a place called Ishikawa Treats. Unlike its name suggested, it was a small old-fashioned eatery localized in Mizuzaka that specialized in ice cream but had a fairly substantial menu.

"I remember hearing about that place!" Ryou said, perking up in interest. "Yuri raved about it last summer. She kept saying—"

"'—I don't want to eat anywhere else ever again,'" Ayato finished for her, snickering. "I swear every Namisawa owner out there must've suddenly felt a terrible chill go up their spine."

"She brought leftovers to work twice a week for three weeks," Ryou said with a laugh.

Ayato shook his head, grinning. "She probably would've had us go there all year round if—" he started to say, and then cut himself off in embarrassed realization. His friends were watching (Yusa in particular squinting at him and then at Yuri questioningly), and… was he gushing? He frowned and looked away, forcing his features into something more impassive.

In fact, he could've finished that sentence in one of two ways. If she'd had her way – or if he hadn't ruined everything a few months later. He picked up the GlDeMo poster, mumbled that they should really put this back, and quickly got up to do just that.

"It smells good in there," Yuri muttered after a pause, sounding defensive and almost deflated for whatever reason. "I love their fries."

"Well then let's get you some," Hinata said, and promptly turned towards Yusa to discuss throwing the idea past GlDeMo.

At the current events board, Ayato slowed his smoothing the poster into place and snuck a sideways glance towards the pavilion, in time to see Yuri turning slightly in her seat. Perhaps she was just shifting, or had she been staring just now? He thought he'd felt observed for a moment there.

Maybe it was just his imagination. She was alternating between ignoring him and staring him down so much today that it was hard to keep up. He sighed and finished putting the poster back up. It could also just be Rumpelstiltskin or some other villain in the shadows waiting to strike.

He snorted to himself. Wasn't that a pleasant thought?

In the pavilion, Yusa attentively texted Iwasawa while the Battlefront briefly bickered over how to go about this. Yui had to be talked out of walking all the way back to the amphitheater and having everyone sit on the stage waiting for GlDeMo just for the effect. Others wanted to go straight to the ice cream place and just have the band meet them there. Only the Battlefront could go to war over something like this.

"We have to meet GlDeMo in the park first if we want to take the pictures!"

"Ishikawa Treats is only a ten minute walk from here," Hinata pointed out, displaying the distance on his phone. "We could eat first and bring them back here later."

"No way! I'll be bloated with ice cream," Yui insisted. "I need to look my best for the GlDeMo shot."

"She's got a point," Fujimaki admitted, as he and Ooyama winced down at their stomachs. "We kind of balloon up when we pig out."

"We could always have another sports festival," Otonashi said lazily, resting his chin in his hand.

"Otonashi, are you taking this seriously?"

"We should save the amphitheater for the actual performance."

"Yeah, this spot is already perfect if we're going for the surprise party factor—"

"But so is an ice cream parlor!"

"You people are thinking with your stomachs…"

"This is so stupid."

Mitsuo started barking excitedly and tugging at his leash.

"Shhh, Mitsuo! Don't you get riled up too!"

"Are you all seriously arguing over something this dumb?" Yuri said tiredly, having endured five to ten minutes of this already without the luxury of screaming at everyone to knock it off.

Ayato rolled his eyes. "What more can you expect from a group of imbeciles—"

"Oh, it's DEFINITELY a Battlefront party we're crashing!"

Everyone shut their traps at the exact same second and snapped their heads towards the familiar female voice that rang out from afar. Yui, who'd been pacing the aisle, stopped short and clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a heavy gasp. Ayato pivoted in his seat to follow the group's collective gaze.

There, standing smack in the center of the park entrance, were none other than Iwasawa, Hisako, Sekine, and Irie.

The golden girls themselves. Girls Dead Monster had arrived.

A surge of exuberant cries swept through the Battlefront as those sitting on the picnic benches quickly sprang to their feet. Victory sparked in Yuri's eyes like a fireworks fuse, and she rounded the table to meet them in the middle but was cut off by a squealing flurry of pink.

Ooyama, having loosened his grip on the leash in all the excitement, startled as it slipped from his hand. "Ah – hey! Mitsuo—!"

Yui and a tongue-lolling Mitsuo raced each other out of the pavilion in a musical mashup of yips and one drawn-out high-pitched wail. Mitsuo, bravely, skidded right up to Iwasawa and started jumping up on her legs, while Yui crashed into Sekine's and Irie's open arms for a group hug. At first Hisako just grinned and nicely patted Yui on the head, but then yelped in surprise as Sekine grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her into it.

"—can't believe you're here!"

"I knew you'd seen the concert!"

"What took you so long?"

Yui was for the most part incoherent, so filled to the brim with laughter and joy that there was hardly room left for intelligible words. She kept cry-laughing and squeaking "finally" and "missed you guys" and throwing her trembling body into more hugs. Ayato, from a distance, particularly appreciated the look of pure bewilderment on Hisako's face when she finally noticed Yui's devil-tail going haywire behind her.

Meanwhile, picking Mitsuo up and letting him sniff and trill in her ear, Iwasawa chuckled warmly at the sight. "Do I get to meet her, or are you guys just going to keep squeezing her until she pops?"

Hisako smirked at the mental image and stepped back, Sekine and Irie reluctantly releasing her as well. Yui still looked dazed and happy with a wistful expression on her face. "But what a way to go…" she mused to herself.

Iwasawa laughed, overhearing her, and Yui promptly flushed a deep shade of pink with embarrassment. She turned to Iwasawa shyly, biting her lip and wringing her hands but meeting the girl's eyes all the same. Stepping towards her, Iwasawa awarded Yui a reassuring smile.

"So Yui," she said, while still calmly holding a wriggly Mitsuo in her arms, "We finally meet. You and I didn't really get a chance to talk much when we were in the Afterlife together. But Hisako tells me you kept things interesting after I left."

"I'm surprised she put it so nicely," Hinata muttered from where the Battlefront was standing within earshot. Otonashi elbowed him to be quiet, smiling as he watched the scene play out between the two vocalists.

Yui briefly gave Hisako a look, unsure of whether or not to pout. The latter shrugged back at her with an innocent grin.

"She said I was interesting?" Yui asked timidly.

Iwasawa nodded, somehow managing to keep a straight face as a dog's wet nose barraged her cheek. "Apparently you gave the band a 'renewed energy,' and you always tried your hardest." She dodged another puppy kiss and beamed at Yui through a contained chuckle. "I'm told you had a lot of spirit."

Blushing, Yui glanced to Hisako again with slightly wider eyes. Hisako lifted a brow at her in return, folding her arms across her chest.

"What, you thought I'd talk crap about you to your big hero?" she said with a scoff, rolling her eyes. The innocent grin crept further across her lips and became fonder, more genuine. "C'mon, Yui. I didn't think you were actually that bad of a vocalist."

Sekine and Irie shared an impressed look. "I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder, huh," Sekine said aside to Irie.

"Coming from her, it's like a love confession," Irie whispered back.

"Oh, you'd know all about those, wouldn't you, Angel-lover?" Hisako snarled lowly, earning her an embarrassed squeak as Irie hid behind Sekine.

Yui ignored the other three and turned her focus back on Iwasawa, hands clasped in front of her as she tried not to rock back and forth on her heels too much. Iwasawa's eyes fell noticeably to the girl's restless legs, which were in fact still sparkling with remnants of spilled gold charm glitter at the shins. Embarrassed, Yui brushed a lock of pink hair behind her ear.

"I did try hard," she said, her voice soft but sure. "I wanted to do as much as I could." She looked at Otonashi for a moment, who returned her gaze with a gentle knowing smile. "I've always been like that. Ever since I regained the ability to move, I…"

She stopped herself there, surprised and then bashful at her own spontaneous disclosure. Hisako, Irie, and Sekine weren't able to contain their startled sounds as they looked on her in realization, while Iwasawa blinked twice before empathy softened her features.

A little daunted by that kind of attention, Yui swiftly changed the subject.

"Well, I was just really inspired by you, is all," she said, the demureness slowly fading in favor of giddy admiration. "You could sing and play the guitar at the same time, like the rock stars I used to see on TV. Your music always fueled my energy, pumped me up and made me happy 'cause I could finally dance. And after you played 'My Song' that first time, I thought… if you could realize your dreams, then… maybe I could too."

Iwasawa's eyes began to shimmer. "Yui, I—" she started to say, sounding deeply affected. Then while she was distracted, Mitsuo wriggled and dove at her cheek again, and she finally broke her composure with a yelp of laughter. "I'm so sorry – who is this little guy? Is he yours? I mean, if not, I should probably let him down, I just love him."

Arms crossed, Hinata harrumphed in a mixture of amusement and disapproval. "Ooyama, your dog's stealing Yui's spotlight," he said loudly.

"Yeah – hey Mitsuo, you player!" Fujimaki hollered, cupping his hands over his mouth like a megaphone. "Stop ruining the moment!"

Yui grinned, laughing along with Iwasawa. "It's okay," she said, and moved forward to give Mitsuo a little head scratch as Iwasawa held him out to her.

Once Iwasawa let Mitsuo go, Ooyama called to him and he obediently came running – straight up to Shiina. The latter's strange expression, as Ayato had only noticed just now, melted into a placated smirk as she scooped the dog into her arms and let him cuddle close.

"Hmph, right in front of Botan," Noda muttered, and Fujimaki looked immensely pleased with him as he muffled a surprised snicker. Kyou rolled her eyes but gave her boyfriend a coy look that he pretended not to notice.

Girls Dead Monster trotted over to join the others, with Yui leading the charge and more quickly bridging the gap between band and Battlefront. When the girls reached them, they all milled around excitedly greeting one another.

"That was some welcoming committee back there," Iwasawa said, grinning at Ooyama after Shiina handed Mitsuo off to him by the leash.

"I swear Mitsuo must have a sixth sense for Afterlife people," said Matsushita with a wondering chuckle. "Jumped right into Fujimaki's arms when he met him too."

"Maybe, but I think he just knows a friend when he sees one," Ooyama mused, earning a tiny "puhi-puhi" of agreement from the nearby Botan. Sitting at his feet, the little dog happily wagged his tail as he seemed to smile up at the group.

"Just like his owner, huh?" Iwasawa said fondly. Ooyama shyly grinned back at her.

Fujimaki scoffed, elbowing Ooyama in the side. "Okay, ladies' man. Now I see your game…"

"What?" Ooyama squeaked. "I don't have a game!"

"Oh, please. Using your cute dog to win tender hearts?" Fujimaki said, putting a hand over his own in mock appalment. "Nobody stands a chance against that handsome face."

"It's not like that—" Ooyama started to stammer.

"Which one are you talking about?" Hisako asked, raising an eyebrow at Fujimaki as her lips curved into a shrewd smirk.

Ayato snorted appreciatively, and instinctively turned to Yuri to share a meaningful look. A playful bad boy using humor to both express and disguise his feelings for his oblivious best friend? Only she would know exactly who they sounded like to him.

Sure enough, Yuri caught his look after a moment's surprise, and her lips twitched in faint amusement before she broke their connection and stepped forward to the head of the group. "Fujimaki, if you could hold off on the flirting for five minutes," she said firmly.

"Like telling a fish not to swim," Fujimaki grumbled, red-faced and pouting.

"That's an interesting analogy coming from you," said Otonashi.

Iwasawa, Hisako, Sekine, and Irie didn't seem to mind the ridiculous tangents and banter one bit. On the contrary, the patient grins on their faces only grew wider as their eyes shone with an endearment that Ayato found all too relatable.

However, Yuri cleared her throat and gave the boys a staredown that promptly silenced them. Satisfied, she faced Iwasawa and crossed her arms, getting into fearless leader mode.

"Now that you're here," she said, standing tall and serious-faced, "we have something very important to discuss."

From somewhere inside the crowd, a small childish voice piped up. "Ice cream?"

Yuri whirled around as the Battlefront parted to reveal Ushio standing in the middle with a hopeful look on her face. Many Battlefront members then turned to Yuri with the exact same hopeful look, which when she turned back around had subsequently spread to each member of GlDeMo.

"That's right," Yuri said. "Ice cream."

Hinata muttered wistfully, "Man, where was Ushio for Yurippe's penalty games…?"


A/N: Hope you enjoyed the Yui/GlDeMo love. Until next time!


Preview:

"Strong minds, weak hearts."

"I always thought you were an NPC."

"Yuri and Angel, best friends forever!"

"You were looking for us this whole time..."

"What in the world possessed you to order that?"

"The rest of the Battlefront members are up to you."

"I'm pretty sure there's a distinction between their powers."

"Where did 'My Song' come from?"

[Chapter 53]: Operation Songbird.