Graduation was drawing near and rather than feeling proud or excited as she thought she would, Haruna only felt fear. What happened next? She'd come to love Arisugawa as her home, so the thought of finally being forced to leave was scary. Not only that, but she feared for her friends as well. How would they fare off on their own? And would they stay in contact, or slowly drift apart until they were strangers again?
That was what scared Haruna the most. She didn't want to see the end of Lyrical Lily. She didn't want to lose Miyu's kind, gentle spark. She didn't want to miss out on any of Miiko's stupid jokes or pranks. She didn't want to never hear Kurumi call her "Chairman!" ever aga—
"Hey, Chairman!" Speak of the—well, you know…
"Hello, Kurumi," Haruna tried to look friendly and relaxed, but her despondent tone gave her away. That, and the fact that she hadn't responded with her iconic, "Who are you calling Chairman?!" That was the first thing that tipped Kurumi off that something was seriously wrong here.
It took a bit of cajoling, but Kurumi was confident in her persuasiveness. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she convinced the other girl into confession. Now that was an unusual role reversal. But as silly as Kurumi was, she knew how to be serious when it really mattered.
"Aww, Haruna," she patted the other girl's back. "Do you really think we'll let you get away from us that easily?" she teased.
"Huh?" Haruna was still too lost in her own worries to register that Kurumi was trying to make her laugh.
"Come Heaven, Hell, or High Water, I think it's safe to assume we're all in this together for the long haul, even if our shows must come to an end."
Showing an unexpected burst of wisdom, as Kurumi continued to comfort Haruna, she reminded the other girl that growing up didn't have to mean growing apart. Likewise, maybe the true key to growing up was to go with the flow and evolve with time, meeting each new challenge as they came to it. That was how the future suddenly became the present, and when the looked at it that way, the future no longer seemed like a scary beast looming in the distance. This was why Kurumi was never serious about anything. Worrying about the future never did her any good. But it was clear Chairman was still stuck in her rigid way of thinking, even though she'd come so far since they first met back in middle school.
"Never thought I'd live to see the day where I was the one telling Chairman how to grow up while she was the one who wanted to stay a kid forever," Kurumi snickered. Haruna gave her a deadpan look, but for better or worse, she couldn't deny that Kurumi was right. About everything! It was something Haruna never thought she'd live to see the day of either, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. On the one hand, it certainly rubbed her the wrong way knowing that Kurumi was now in the guidance position over her, but on the other, it was heartening on multiple levels.
For one, it showed that maybe Kurumi was more mature than she let on, and Haruna didn't need to worry about her so much. For another, it showed Haruna that Kurumi and the others were still with her, even when she felt so alone.
"Of course we're with you!" Kurumi cried. "Heaven, Hell, or High Water! Don't you remember all the times we looked out for one another?"
There were too many instances to count, but one of the most prominent was when they were facing off against a board of nuns about their secret concerts in Lyrical Lily's earliest days. Kurumi and Miiko decided ages ago that if they ever got caught, they would take all the blame.
Back then, Kurumi apologized to Miiko, not wishing to drag the other girl down with her, if it could be helped. But as Miiko said, she would've been more upset if Kurumi didn't let her take the fall with her. It was also then that Kurumi expressed worry for Haruna.
"I'd just hate for Chairman to suffer any more than she already has. She's always so serious, ya know?"
"You were… worried for me?" Haruna sat up a little bit straighter, genuine surprise in her eyes.
"Don't insult me," Kurumi teased, but she nodded anyway. "And then you came to our rescue," she recounted.
When Judgement Day finally came, Miiko and Kurumi made good on their word to accept all the blame, but Haruna wouldn't let them.
"Everything they said was a big fat lie! I was part of it too!" she insisted to the nuns.
"Chairman, what are you doing?!" Kurumi cried, but Haruna shook her head fiercely.
"I am a member of the Disciplinary Committee, but first and foremost, I am your friend! I'm not so cold-hearted that I would allow my dearest friends to take the fall to save myself!" All for one and one for all, if one was going to fall, they would all fall down, too. Seconds later, Miyu joined in, professing her own guilt. None of them wanted to be without the other, even if punishment waited on the other side.
"Don't insult me," Haruna managed a small smirk of her own, and she and Kurumi shared a laugh. But that story was just testament to how far the girls were willing to go to protect one another, and stay by each other's sides, no matter what.
And there was another, smaller, lighter example a couple months later. After Haruna finally got with Miyu, there came a time when Kurumi and Miiko officially elected themselves as the resident "wing-women" to the happy new couple. Haruna was less than thrilled, but Miyu found it charming. The two came up with increasingly insane ways to help Miyu and Haruna have a romantic time together, even though it wasn't necessary. Perhaps the most annoying one, at least to Haruna, was when they'd sung "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" and when Haruna tried to tell them to knock it off, they just said she needed to worry less. Haruna matata, as they said.
But the time Kurumi was talking about now happened when she dressed up as a cherub, a literal wing-woman. Using a contraption she and Miiko built, while Miiko steered her towards the happy couple as they walked across school grounds, Kurumi took aim with her makeshift bow and fired an arrow with a heart-shaped tip at Miyu.
"NO!" Haruna bellowed, jumping in front of Miyu to protect her. The arrow bounced harmlessly off Haruna's torso. The tip was foam. It was an embarrassing moment for the Chairman, and Kurumi and Miiko received a tongue-lashing for it later, but Miyu thought it was sweet, especially because it showed how quick Haruna was to protect the people she cared about, and that was the point Kurumi was trying to make now.
"I'm sure we'd face down God or Satan if we had to!" she declared proudly. They were family, and family stuck together.
"Now, Kurumi, I wouldn't go that far," Haruna cautioned, a flash of her old Chairman side shining through. It was a bit sacrilegious to talk this way, but that only encouraged Kurumi to talk about it all the more!
"I mean it!" she said. "You know I never pay attention in mass, but I did always find the story of Lucifer interesting. They said some of the angels went with him. I wonder what it was like to defy God Himself so directly, to follow Lucifer out of Heaven, though High Water, and into Hell?" she asked. It was clear the topic made Haruna a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't deny that Kurumi had a point.
Technically, the story was only supposed to show how persuasive the Devil could be, but from Kurumi's perspective, it could also be a tale of intense, twisted loyalty. Of course, leave it to Kurumi to show sympathy for the devil. It was as she said once before, "I love konpeito! They're colorful and have little horns sticking out, just like every girl should!"
But, as reluctant as Haruna might've been to admit it, Kurumi's perspective was oddly insightful, and it was actually, really making her think! (Man, things were topsy-turvy today!) Haruna couldn't help but wonder what those angels must've been thinking when they took the fall with Lucifer. None of them were willing to stay in Heaven without him there. Even if one could argue that Lucifer did not deserve to be there, the idea of someone being devoted enough to someone else to follow them down a fall from grace was rather… touching.
Haruna felt tears prick her eyes, and in a moment of both clarity and haziness, she couldn't help but think, I wonder if, in that moment, Lucifer felt like the most beloved creature in the universe? Maybe he and God were no longer on good terms, to put it lightly, but to have someone love you even more than God? It surely is a sin, but…It certainly was appealing. Maybe the freefall from grace felt more like a flight to freedom…
"So anyyywayyy, as I was saying!" Kurumi's cheerful voice cut through Haruna's thoughts, "I'm sure we'll stick together long after graduation, and it's not like we'll suddenly no longer be able to make music anymore!"
"Yeah… you're right…" Against all expectations, Kurumi was actually cheering Haruna up and giving her some good advice and wisdom. Now Haruna was certain, she had more faith in it than anything else at the moment. Just because they were graduating, that didn't mean they had to go it alone! They'd have each other's backs, they'd keep protecting and caring for one another, no matter what! Come Heaven, Hell, or High Water!
AN: This is basically explains why LL is my favorite band (at least story and character dynamic-wise). They were so fun to watch, and the loyalty they showed one another near the end was just so sweet. I freaking love these girls!
