Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable

Chapter 17: To Omine (Part 1)

Minor edits to Chapter 13 have been made, in regards to the name change of Maki's father.

Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!

This is Nishikino Maki. I've had a… rough few days. A woman named Wakaki attacked me to try to turn me into a bird and kill my friends, and now that I'm recovered, nothing seems right! I was knocked out for a few days, but weird things are happening still. The only thing I love in this school is μ's. I miss Omine. And I… I'm scared, I don't know what's happening anymore…

"J-just like that!? Its gonna close down!?"

It took all of ten seconds for Honoka to barge in, interrupting Eli's and the principal's conversation. "K-Kousaka!?" Eli was about to scold her, but Honoka would have none of it.

"From the looks of it, that is the situation," Kaede said. "The closure of the school seems inevitable except—"

"M-Mama, you never said anything about that!" Kotori replied, with her mother giving a frustrated sigh in return.

"It's a new development. Starting next year, its very likely that Otonokizaka will stop accepting new students. "Except—"

"C-can't you wait a bit!? J-Just give us some time!" Honoka begged. "C-can't you just hold off for a little bit!? Just give us a week! No, two days! We'll figure out something, I promise!"

"… May I finish? Alright, good. The school will close, unless the open campus goes well," Kaede said.

"You mean when the visitors can check out the school?" Kotori asked, to which her mother nodded.

"Middle schoolers will be attending as well, to see if they're interested in Otonokizaka. The school will only close if the open campus doesn't go well," Kaede explained, earning a sigh of relief from Honoka… and a glare from Eli.

"Don't get excited just yet. It's in two weeks from this Sunday; barely any time! And if it does not go well, the situation will be irreparable," Eli said, before facing away. "Rest assured. The Student Council will fix this situation and save this school, Director. I promise. We will give you a list of events we wish to perform during the open campus…"

"I doubt anything I say will stop you. Do as you will, Ayase. But do not over-exert yourself and neglect your studies."

"Excuse me," Eli said, walking out the door, glaring at Honoka as she left; a glare the younger girl returned, before being confronted by Nozomi, who leaned against the wall. "Well? You got something to say, Tojo?"

"And just what will our star Eli do?" Nozomi asked, her armed crossed. Her Stand aura appeared around her, causing a single Tarot card to emerge from her pocket, facing Eli: The Star, inverted. "You know there's no way you can both save this school and deal with Yanigihori… at least, without allies…"

Eli glared at her oldest friend, however. "I'll do exactly what I have to do."

Without another word, she walked off.

When Maki returned to school from several days of recovery, there was no opportunity to simply take things slowly. Even before returning she had been alerted via text by Rin on the situation, and when she returned that Monday morning, it was Honoka who had taken the initiative to hold a meeting before school started to discuss the next course of action.

"I think it's clear- we should have a concert during the open campus!" Honoka suggested, with few objections.

"I think it'd be totally fun to perform for the middle schoolers, nya!" Rin said with a grin, pumping a fist.

"I mean… it would be cool to show how great we are to a whole new generation of highschoolers~" Nico said with a grin, flipping one of her ponytails. I mean, I'm graduating, so I don't really care if there's any underclassmen regardless! But I only got so many chances left to show off as an Idol!

"I just feel so sad… w-we might really not have underclassmen next year…" Hanayo said, dejected at the idea.

"Honestly, I think I'd prefer that," Maki said, before sighing. "But, it is a good idea to hold a concert for the open campus, I'd imagine…"

"I agree as well," Kotori said. "If we can impress the middle schoolers, they'll want to attend Otonokizaka!"

Honoka seemed to be thinking of an idea, opening her mouth and closing it. "Honoka… we don't really have any other ideas, anything you have in mind, you should share," Umi encouraged, earning a sigh from Honoka, who tapped her foot.

"I had a thought… what if… what if we could use our Stands during our performance?"

The group went quiet, staring their unofficial leader in the face. "Our Stands, really?" Nico asked, breaking the silence. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I mean… normal people can't see them! So maybe… maybe we could use our Stands for cool effects and stuff! What do you girls think?"

Umi was the first to speak. "I don't agree with this idea. What if there were Stand users in the audience we didn't know about? We could be making ourselves known to enemies for all we know!"

Kotori spoke next. "I disagree with you, Umi-chan. Our only enemies are the 'Arrow Hunters' who already know who we are. For all we know, we could attract new members! What if there's middle schooler Stand users who feel afraid because they don't know anyone else with their power? We could approach them and offer to be friends with them, to let them know Otonokizaka has Stand users who will accept them."

"I could make dancing kitties! This is an awesome idea!" Rin said enthusiastically.

"I disagree with the idea as well," Maki said, earning a frown from Rin. "I may not be a Stand user myself, but it still seems risky. We don't know what kind of Stand users are in this city still… there could be more than Yanigihori's gang. It puts us at risk!"

"I… I don't know how to feel. On one hand I know the risk, on the other, I think we could do some amazing effects with our Stands," Hanayo said. "I could go either way…"

"I'm with Koizumi," Nico said. "At the very least though, I don't see what「All Star」and「Sleepy Storm」could do, but I think「Circus,」「Cat Scratch Fever,」「Momoiro Clover,」and「Kaze ni Notte」could all do some cool things for our concert… but at the least our Stands could do some really cool things! But the risks are high too. I'm fine if we do, fine if we don't," she admitted. And with that, the Idol Study Club was more or less deadlocked on this decision.

There was little point in arguing about it more at this point, and the girls of μ's decided to leave it to be for the time being, although the thoughts lingered on their minds all day. At least until it was time for practice, and a new problem came. Umi seemed… distant during practice, moreso than usual.

"Girls, that was perfect!" Honoka said after a particularly intense little session, turning to face her friends. "I think we finally nailed that routine!"

"Goodie!" Kotori said, wiping sweat from her brow. "I think we're gonna be ready in time for the open campus!"

"Are you sure the president won't try to stop our concert?" Maki asked, looking at her friends. "I feel like she's gonna try getting in our way…"

Rin and Hanayo frowned. "We actually saw some of the Student Council earlier today… they actually asked us to perform-" Hanayo said, earning immediate looks from the rest of μ's, causing her to hide behind Rin. "B-but, Ayase-san seemed really annoyed by the idea…" Causing the girls to sigh.

"Regardless… I don't think Ayase will outright tell us to not perform," Kotori said. "All the clubs will have a chance to introduce themselves, and we're a club too. Ayase knows she'd be overstepping her bounds doing that! Then we can show our new song—"

"We're nowhere near ready," Umi interrupted, her look serious. "We're not in-synch."

"… OK… let's do it again then!" Honoka said. And sure enough the girls repeated their dance routine, not aware of just how annoyed Umi looked the whole time. "Perfection~!"

"You finally caught up to my skill level!" Nico said with a devilish grin, and even Maki seemed pretty impressed. Everyone did, except for Umi.

"Not good enough."

"What!?" The girls practically repeated in unison, followed by a groan from Umi.

"I don't think we can do better than that…" She complained.

"I'm sorry, we're just not good enough," Umi said, as she looked at her friends. That was the point Maki got pissed, storming towards her.

"What's not good enough about it!? Come on, tell us!" She demanded.

"It doesn't move me," Umi replied bluntly. "Not in it's current state. And I doubt it'll move others."

"I'm sorry, we should call an end for today," Umi said, sighing as she turned around. "Or at the least, we should begin sparring early."

"… Let's just go home for today," Honoka said, causing everyone to look at her. Not since Nico had joined had they skipped even a day of Stand sparring, even on days they didn't do their Idol training, with the dangerous battles that laid ahead. In truth the girls didn't mind having a day off from fighting, but it seemed unusual for her to call it so suddenly. "Everyone. Let's relax and work hard the next few days, OK?" She said with a smile, the group nodding, wishing to follow Honoka's wishes. Umi began to walk off, dejected as well, only to feel her friend's hand on her shoulder.

"Honoka…"

"Let's go to my place and talk, OK?" Honoka said with a smile, Kotori behind her. "Let's talk about what's really on your mind, Umi."

"… Promise you're not going to laugh at me?"

However, Maki went her own separate ways from the group at that point.

This was frustrating. What was Umi's problem!? They were all improving! It was so sudden, and the worst part was the girls being treated like they weren't good enough, or something! She made her way to the piano room, sighing as she sat down and began play a song that predated μ's; the song that had gotten her involved in all this in the first place.

Cheers for the love!
I'm glad to be here, our present exists right here!
Cheers for the love!
It's only just begun, I'm counting on you again tomorrow, we've yet to reach our goal!

It was a song she had been working on for a while, and while incomplete, she was quite proud of it. It had begun as a song to pass the time, before it had started to become a song she earnestly wanted to see completed. All she wanted to do was take her mind off of things for a bit and not think about μ's, and especially not Umi. And this song? This song was her's.

Smile when you're sad, let's blow it all away!
If you can laugh, the scenery will change, peeking through the clearing weather,
Even when you're unsure, the road leading to happiness,
Comes into view under the blue sky!

At least, if nothing else, this couldn't be taken from her. Unlike things like her future, being with her best friend… if nothing else, this piano was a choice of her's. This was uniquely her's, and even if μ's fell apart and disbanded, this would be her's and nobody could take it away. Even if there was nobody to listen, or nobody to be proud of her.

Maki frowned once more, thinking back to her childhood. She recalled that once in her youth, she had a big piano recital. She remembered how excited she was, to show off just how skilled she really was for the first time to a crowd. And how disappointing it was knowing that neither parent could make it, the two at a party for work. But she shrugged it off: I'm sure Mom really wishes she could come, but that just means I've gotta try even harder for her sake!

Rain falls from time to time but it's harsh without water,
Don't wither, nurture everyone's tree of dreams!

That's what Maki genuinely believed at the time. It was their housekeeper, Ms. Waki, who had instead taken her and cheered and supported her, the elderly woman acting more like a mother to her than her own had. The competitive girl was the smallest in the primary school division: she just knew if she won, she could've made them regret it! They'd never miss another piano recital, ever! They'd regret having never come in the first place…

… But ultimately Maki had placed in second. It was still a major accomplishment for the young girl; she had been mostly playing against 6th graders after all! Her hopes were fairly high even when she showed her reward to her parents, expecting their familial love: "You did so well, Maki! We're so sorry we missed it!" "You'll get it next time! For now, why don't we get ice cream?" "We're so proud of you! Our little princess!"

"I see, you didn't get first place."

Her father's words instantly pierced her heart.

"You're still the smartest girl in your school. That's far more important than playing the piano. As long as you study hard, it doesn't matter if you can't play the piano."

She thought her mother intended for it to cheer her up, but they just deepened the wound her father's words had already made.

"Your test at cram school was enough to make national qualifiers. Rather than linger your mind on this failure, you should take pride in that victory, Maki. It is all the proof you are a more than worthy heir to our family name."

"… F… failure!?"

It was the first time she ever rose her voice at her father, who simply adjusted his glasses as he looked back at her.

"Always remember, Maki… there is 'victory' and there is 'failure.' The world never rewards failure. You are a young girl, but you're old enough to understand this. The path in front of you will be 'arduous' and filled with hardship, I have no intention of simply giving our family's legacy to someone unworthy… take your 'victories' in stride and grow stronger from your 'failure.' This day was a 'failure' for you, while your mother and I achieved 'victory' in the connections we built at the party…"

The fact her mother just listened on, not saying anything, was yet another dagger into her heart.

"Grow stronger, Maki!"

Now!
Cheers for loving you!
With the courage to never give up, let's enjoy the present,
Cheers for loving you!
We can do our best so wave goodbye to yesterday and look forward!

Maki decided to stop doing competitive piano at that point. There was no point if she didn't win first place, after all. Her parents made that incredibly clear to her. But it was still her private passion, something that she could always fall back on for her own enjoyment. And sure enough, because she hadn't given up on music, she was a part of μ's. Because of that, fate had decided she would meet these people…

Maki sighed as she finished her little melody, her reminiscence ending as she decided to stretch… and clearly saw someone near the door, able to make out hair in the window. "… I'm sorry, who's there? Honoka? Rin?" The figure jumped a bit, seemingly trying to hide at that call. "Y-you're not in trouble or anything… were you just listening to that?" With everything that had been going on, it was hard to not be a little paranoid…

"… Yoooo…" The figure said, heading her way in with a nervous laugh. She saw a redheaded girl slightly older than her with a ponytail head in, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry… I just couldn't help but overhear it- what awesome music!"

Maki tilted her head, trying to remember her. She looked familiar. "Y… you're… don't you know Kousaka-senpai?" She asked, the girl's appearance starting to ring a bell.

The girl smiled as she got more comfortable, nodding. "Yup! Nikaido Fumiko at your service!" Fumiko said, giving a warmer smile towards Maki. "And you're… Nishikino Maki, right? One of the new members?"

"Y-yeah, that's me," Maki said with a nod, an awkward tension in the air. She had never been the most sociable person; a girl with few friends growing up, she wasn't used to such… spontaneous conversation. "And you're… I'm sorry, I don't really know much about you," she admitted, a small blush forming as the second year giggled.

"Don't sweat it! I've known Honoka, Umi, and Kotori for like… forever now! I'm usually hanging out with Mika and Hideko though," Fumiko explained, stepping further in. "You're really good at the piano, you know?" She complimented- one of the few people outside μ's to compliment her music skills. It felt… good, truth be told. "I wanted to ask… you write the music, right? Like that START:DASH song?"

"Yeah, that's me," Maki said, starting to ease up a little. "And Sonoda does the lyrics and dance routine, and Minami does our costumes."

"Yeah, had a feeling it'd be like that!" Fumiko said with a grin, leaning against the wall. "I don't know why; it just feels a little awkward to just… ask them that? Like we're all friends, but I've never been that particularly close to Umi and Kotori, and they're the ones closest to Honoka," she went on, as Maki nodded along. She didn't have another friend group outside of μ's and she hadn't really had them in middle school, usually just hanging out and talking with Omine. As silly as it sound, it almost sounded weird to her, the idea that she was seemingly closer to Honoka than a girl who had known her since they were a child. "Not that I mind! We all still get along well, and I know she's really busy with this Idol stuff… man, that's gotta be super hard, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a lot of hard work," Maki admitted. "I'm used to music, but the dancing and training exercise in a bit exhausts you so much at first. It takes a while to get used to it, and then it gets more intense, so just when you get used to it, it gets harder."

"Oh man… I can barely handle constantly having to keep up in Shogi with stronger opponents, so I can understand that," Fumiko said, sympathizing with her.

"You're part of the Shogi Club?"

"Yeah! I know I don't look like it, but it is really fun for me!" Fumiko explained with a smile. "Even though I'm not the best player in the club, it's what I'm usually doing when I'm not hanging out Mika and Hideko! It's so welcoming, almost like a second family… is that what μ's feels for you?" Fumiko asked, catching Maki severely off-guard.

"A-A second family?"

"Yeah! … Er, sorry if that was too sudden, I just got really excited for a second! We can— "

"No, no, it's ok," Maki said, going quiet as she thought about it. There was a feeling with μ's she never felt with anyone else. A warmth, a comfort, and a joy that no longer existed in her own home. She closed her eyes, remembering the battle with Wakaki, how she was transforming into a bird…

"Fight on μ's! Fight on μ's! Fight on μ's! Fight on μ's!"

Maki really felt that if she hadn't met those girls, she would not have been able to withstand or resist「Hawkwind's」call and temptation, letting go of everything and becoming another bird under Wakaki's control. But the things μ's had help her feel had given her strength, determination, and love. And she fought against the evil Stand, with that love that they had given to her. And with that, according to the rest, it had inspired Umi enough to finally awaken her hidden potential and summon a Stand…

Love that was both give and take: the love given to her by μ's, and the love she gave back to μ's in return. Love, like…"

"… A family," Maki said, finally starting to smile. "μ's… Is like a second family to me," she said, happy nobody else except Fumiko was around to hear that, which made the girl applaud.

"I'm so happy for you! For you, Honoka, and everyone else- I hope you all have a super awesome time being Idols!" She complimented and encourage.

"Since you were asking… are you, ah… interested…?"

"Oh, me? Nonono… I have a really, really bad singing voice," Fumiko admitted with a laugh. "I'm pretty bad at dancing and trying to keep in-synch with others instead of competing with them… The Shogi Club is my 'second family' honestly. I don't think I could take on a third! But… I'm really happy you're enjoying your 'second family~'" Fumiko encouraged, Maki's smile still remaining.

"I thought you'd be one of us, to be honest. I remember you being there in the beginning…"

"Oh, I was encouraging and supporting Honoka and the others from the beginning, yeah! I and the others tried really hard to get people to come to the first concert, but…" She frowned at that memory. "I really thought that was gonna be the end of that. But then… ahhh… errr… Koizumi! Koizumi and Hoshizora showed up, and I swear, they saved your group that day!" Fumiko said, with Maki deciding to keep that she had privately listened to the concert to herself. "Ahh… I sorta lost track of the time, sorry! I probably should get going!"

"Wait, hold on," Maki said, taking a step forward right as Fumiko was about to leave. "I wanted to ask… the school. Do you really think we can save the school?"

Fumiko paused. "You know… if it was anyone other than Honoka calling the shots… probably not. I can't see pop music saving a school usually… but, if its Honoka's dream and passion, I'm sure you girls can do it!"

"Why?" Maki asked, curious.

"Well… don't tell her I said this, but Honoka is pretty stupid. This whole idea is so absurd, only she could've started it! And only she could make it take off!" Fumiko began. "Honoka's a dummy who never sees the big picture, she just charges in one day at a time, and she trips and fumbles a lot because of that… but because of that, she'll do things most smart people don't. Because they think about the consequences and likely results, so they quit. But not Honoka. She'll charge forward until she absolutely can't go on anymore! So μ's, you guys, you're the product of that reckless passion, I think! So… she'll carry you all as far as she can, and when she can't, she'll drag you crawling until she just can't move anymore! You're all so lucky to have been united by Honoka… that energy is yours, as long as you're serious about it all. Even if you don't save the school… you'll come far closer to it than Ayase-senpai and the Student Council ever could," Fumiko declared. Maki didn't know what she expected, but certainly not that. "No matter what, you'll all always be able to be proud of what you did!"

"I… thank you," Maki said, still processing it all, surprised as Fumiko approached her. "I'm sorry, weren't you late for something?"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotta go to Shogi, but first… how about we exchange phone numbers?" Fumiko asked, taking out her phone. "We could keep in touch, maybe hang out sometime!"

"H-hang out?" Part of Maki really wanted to reject this and run out, it was both nerve-wracking and a hassle… but in the end, she took out her phone too. "I… I think that could be fun, yes," Maki said, smiling as she gave Fumiko her phone number, and vice versa.

"Awesooooome! Alright, I really gotta go, see you later Nish- Maki-chan! Let's make plans for the mall or something, alight?" She said, smiling as she began speedwalking towards her next destination, waving at her as she left the piano room.

"… W… what just happened?"

It took Maki a little while longer to fully comprehend she just made her first friend outside of μ's and Omine. And she just stood there, stunned, feeling emotions coming over her that she did not quite understand.

And then, it happened.

So caught up she was in her shock she did not even notice the red aura of power forming around her, and was caught immensely off-guard by the piano suddenly being played, and the figure that stood there.

"Ah…"

The name of the piano song was on the tip of her tongue; she had heard it many, many times, and played it just as many times as well. But in the shock of the situation, it did not come to her right away, instead of focusing on the figure.

There sat a feminine figure, dressed in a masculine tuxedo tail jacket, the outside of the jacket being red and inside (and its buttons) being white, as well as a red tie to top it off. The figure wore dress pants as well, also red, and expensive-looking black dress shoes. Maki tried to look at its face, but it was obscured by a mask; half white and half red, with only its left red eye, human-like in its appearance visual, and red hair tied into a ponytail.

"Ah…!"

Maki instantly knew what this was, and her curiosity started giving way to fear and anxiety. Even though she had never seen one, she was sure of it… this was a Stand. What sat at the piano was a Stand, and it was her Stand, she knew. She had already become a casualty of the brutal fights her friends had endured… now, was it her turn to enter the battlefield as well?

"Did you like it?"

When the Stand finished the piece, it stood up, taking a few steps from the piano to look at its master. Maki could also see the Stand wore gloves, also white, but with red sixteenth notes on the back of them. "W… what?"

"Did you enjoy the performance?"

Maki noticed the Stand spoke with her voice.

Maki sprinted home, not knowing what to do. She knew she should have immediately contacted μ's, but in her panic just sprinted home. That was fine too, right? Once she was home, she could take a nap. Nap and just… think about what to do. Call μ's then. For now, though, her head was pounding and she felt like throwing up. Hell, maybe throwing up would make her be able to focus on something other than this terrible anxiety. She just wanted to clear her head- and if no enemies was aware she had a Stand (other than Wakaki), then she was safe for now, right? Even the Arrow Hunters that kept fighting her friends were opposed to her, so… I just need to clear my head… that's all! "Ms. Waki, I'm home!" Maki yelled as she slammed the door behind her, taking deep breaths.

"M-Maki-sama, are you OK?" The elderly housekeeper asked, frowning as she got a look at her. "You're sweating so much… oh, please tell me you're not sick again!"

"I'm fine, honestly. I just… I don't want to be disturbed, alright?" She said. Maki hated treating Ms. Waki like some servant or dismissing her, but at the moment, she exercised the fact she worked for the Nishikinos and made her desires clear. "Please don't bother me unless its mandatory."

"Ah… Well, Ms. Maki, you should know, your father, he—"

"I'm not interested in what Feelgood is up to," Maki said bluntly, narrowing her eyes. "If anything, he's the last person in the world I feel like talking with right now!

"Now, now, is that anyway to speak to her, Maki?"

Maki's blood froze at the sound of her father's voice, having been so distracted by the evens that just transpired she hadn't noticed his presence. "… You're home early."

"Even the hardest workers should relax on occasion, and the paperwork was low. I'll have to leave earlier tomorrow to catch up, but it won't be a hassle," Dr. Feelgood Nishikino replied. A tall man at 6'1, short red hair, and glasses; despite his size he wasn't particularly intimidating naturally, but he had an aura around him that often-made Maki stop dead in her tracks when she thought of speaking to him. "When you inherit the hospital, you may make such luxuries as long as you work hard."

"If I decide to inherit the hospital," Maki shot back, dropping her backpack on the couch. "My future is my own, Feelgood."

"Still doing this first name nonsense with me? How utterly disrespectful," he replied calmly, not showing any cracks in his demeanor. "I raised you better than that."

"Ms. Waki did a better job in most cases," the older woman flushed, leaving the room to work on another chore. Despite it all, Feelgood smirked.

"The way you're talking, it's almost like you've disowned me as your father, Maki."

"I would if I could, Feelgood!" She almost yelled, before stopping, surprised she had actually said that. But still, there was no taking it back now.

But the man still smirked. "It might have been an accident, but I'm pleased to hear that, as I know that's how you truly feel deep down."

"…"

"We Nishikinos are not weak. You have it in you, our 'Nishikino spirit,' something that has driven us for generations. Even in the face of our own families, we must not be weak. You were good to say such an unspeakably terrible thing to me as opposed to hiding it. You're not willing to be pushed around so easily, even from your own father… and alas, until you turn 18, that is what I will remain. My house, my laws, my rules- your life."

Maki just glared back, wishing there was something she could say that would phase him, but she knew there was nothing. In these kinds of battle of wits and venom, nobody could defeat Feelgood. "Even now, you are my absolute pride."

"I hate you."

They were simple words, but powerful ones, and Maki did not stop her glare, feeling her anger boiling. "And I will never forgive you for using me like a chess piece and ripping me away from my best friend for your gain," and with that, she turned away, beginning to head off.

Feelgood chuckled. "And that is all fine by me, as the reality of the situation does not change… except for one thing. Give me your phone, please."

"M-my phone?"

"My house. I'm proud of you, but you're still my daughter… and I pay for this phone as well. You're grounded. You can have it back at the end of the week," Feelgood said.

"W-what if I'm in trouble or something and need to call for help?" Maki asked, a little concerned. Before it would have just been annoying, but with the threat of the Arrow Hunters and Stands. "I… D-dad, it's not safe. I'm sorry for what I said— "

"No, no you're not, and don't pretend to be. It's just my punishment… unless you are hiding something. I don't know the lock or password, so I won't attempt to look at it… unless there's something I should be concerned of?" He didn't even know about her School Idol activities, let alone Stands! And there was no way to relent. At least she could send out an email, but for now, all she could do was set her phone on the table and storm off, slamming the door behind her.

"And still, you make me proud," Feelgood said, taking out a cloth and cleaning his glasses. "No matter how disobedient you become, that disobedience is the result of your spirit refusing to be pushed around…"

And Maki threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillow and resisting the urge to scream into it. It was amazing, how quickly a day could go from good, to bad, back to good, and now terrible. At the very least she had the e-mails of her fellow Idols, and she made her way to her laptop to send out something to the rest.

I've been grounded and my dad took my cell phone away. I really can't talk right now. I'll head to school early tomorrow though.

Still though, it was frustrating; and she had no way to get into contact with Fumiko… she could only hope she wouldn't try to text her that night or anything. And with that she returned to her bed, eyes watering as she stared at the ceiling. In her frustration she had even let it slip out of her email that she had a Stand now! Everything was just so garbled at the moment, she didn't know what to do.

Damn him damn him damn him damn him!

She resisted her urge no longer and let out a muffled scream into her pillow, knowing the situation would not change either way. It was like her father said; the reality was that.

And as she lied like that, she thought back to her childhood, to her very first friend.

"Hi there!"

Maki didn't understood why this purple-haired girl had so suddenly approached her. Actually, no, she did. She was the Nishikino Princess as so many liked to call her, and she was used to people kissing her ass.

"You play the piano really good!"

"I… thank you?"

That girl smiled.

"Hey, wanna be best friends with me?"

Maki went to sleep dreaming of Omine, and her middle school life, before everything became so terribly complicated. As she drifted to sleep, she remembered she had not written Omine a letter in a few weeks, and made a mental note to write a new letter to her in the morning.

To Omine…

"You want to invite Ayase to train us to dance!?"

That night Honoka had begun a group call between the members of μ's.

"Yeah! Umi says she should teach us how to dance!" Honoka said with a smile into the phone, looking over at Umi and Kotori. "Umi-chan showed us a video… she's actually a really, really amazing dancer! It's making sense to me why her Stand is a part of her now… I bet if we could get her to help train us it'd be a big help!" Honoka said, hoping to get the others on-board.

"But how can we convince her to help us?" Hanayo asked, looking over at Rin, who was sleeping over at Hanayo's house. "She… well… you know…"

"Totally hates our guts!" Rin said, into Hanayo's phone.

"As long as I'm around, there's no need for another third year!" Nico said, 「Circus」nodding behind her. "She's clearly just jealous of us!"

"That's what I thoughttoo, but then I saw it… I started to understand what a talented dancer she is. And… truth be told, I can see why she sees us as amateurs. Why she won't respect our dancing for that. That's why… that's why I think it'll be worth it to have her mentor us, if we can convince her," Umi said, earning a silence.

"Did you hit your head when fighting Wakaki, or something?"

"Excuse me!?"

"Listen up, all of you! This is important… there are 'different kinds' of dancing in the world. 'Ballet dancing' is a world of difference than 'pop dancing!' I've seen Ayase's dancing in the past… and it's a world of difference in skill and rhythm! I can't deny that! However, it's also 'extremely different' from the dancing we do as 'School Idols!' The standards are different, and there are certain things we'll do that Ayase didn't have to… the standards Russia put on Ayase for ballet were sky-high, and she never made it professionally! We, however, are 'climbing the ranks' in the School Idol Festival! That's why she can't stand us!" Nico said, even stunning Umi into silence. "Maybe she is a better dancer than us. That's why she probably hates us so much as Idols… because even if our dancing isn't exactly on the same level as her's, we've made it farther than her! That's why I don't trust her! She won't be able to push aside that jealously while training us I'm sure… She'll just keep being an asshole to us out of jealousy over her own shitty situation instead of helping us evolve!"

"… I…" Umi admittingly hadn't thought of it from that angle, and couldn't think of a direct response.

"I'm opposed to it," Nico said. "She'll try to fuck us over, I'm sure of it."

"I and I just wanna have fun!" Rin said.

"She really scares me…" Hanayo said.

"All valid points…" Umi said, dejected. "I'm… I'm sorry to bother you all with this. I'll— "

"… I still think it could be worth it," Kotori said, finally backing up Umi. "It's true that her being jealous of us like that… kinda makes me a little mad to be honest… but I'm sure if she can put that aside, it'll be a huge boon for us! I think it's worth it, as long as she's willing to treat us fairly!"

"I still think it's a good idea!" Honoka said.

"Are you shitting me!?" Nico yelled into her phone.

"I'm not! I still think… Ayase-senpai is a really talented dancer, and a really talented Stand user too! Even if she's a big jerk to us… as long as we can find 'common ground' and she's willing to genuinely teach us, its worth our while to have her be here!" Honoka reasoned. "Right, Umi?"

"Well… yes…"

"Then I'm on-board! If she's really jealous of us… then we'll have to find a common ground to help break the ice! She was already willing to stop fighting me back at Yoshida Stadium, so we know we can reason with her! It won't hurt to ask… and if she's really intending on hindering us no matter what, we'll stop asking her for help!" Honoka said.

"H-hey! Hold on!" Nico tried to regain control over the situation, only to hear Kotori giggle.

"You know… after all of this, I really want to see her dance in-person now…" Kotori said.

"So do I!" Hanayo said, grinning, much to Rin's surprise.

"Nya, Kayochin changes her opinions so quickly~" Rin teased, earning a blush.

"Alright then… we'll ask her first thing tomorrow morning, then!" Honoka said, standing up.

"Good grief… fine! Don't blame me if it backfires though!" Nico said, hanging up her phone. "Honestly, I don't want to work with that dick…" She said to herself with a groan before plopping onto her bed.

"Honoka, Kotori…" Umi was quiet before looking at her two best friends, both of whom smiled in her direction; still, she didn't feel confident. "Did I make the right decision?"

"I'm sure you did," Honoka said, giving the other girl a hug. "And even if it wasn't… that's how we learn and grow up, right?"

"… You're getting smarter, Honoka," Umi said with a smile, before giving her a hug back.

"Yeah, like look at me! A few months ago I was just a lazy girl, now I'm a kickbutt Idol Stand user!" Honoka said with a big grin, earning a giggle from Kotori. "I even started trying to write lyrics again! Actually, I want you two to take a look!"

"You? Write?" Kotori asked, surprised.

"I… didn't expect that," Umi admitted, earning a huff from Honoka.

"Is it really that hard to believe I want to write a little!?"

"Yes," both girls said in unison, earning an exaggerated cry from Honoka.

"Nobody believes in me…" She sulked, before grinning as she gave them both a piece of paper. "I was working on it all night! Whatcha think?"

"… It's…" Kotori said at first, eyes widening.

"It's…" Umi followed suit, her mouth open.

It's… good!?

It was not only Maki and the rest of μ's who had an odd day, however. For the wielder of「Dancing on the Ceiling,」it had been a less than… savory day after her encounter with Director Minami.

"From this point onwards, the Student Council will operate independently from the faculty to keep this school open," Eli announced to the Student Council at the beginning of their emergency meeting. "We are, at this point, the 'sole hope' remaining between this school and its closure. During the open campus event, we must 'do something' that will attract more middle schoolers to Otonokizaka," Eli announced, standing while everyone else sat. "At this point, there are no good or bad ideas. I am willing to hear any suggestions," Eli said. She noticed two girls were about to say something, but closed their mouths. "Is something wrong?"

"Er, no…"

"We're desperate for ideas. If you have anything, you should say it," Nozomi said.

"Alright…" The girl with short blue hair said, still clearly nervous. "Why don't we plan lots of fun activities for the middle schoolers? Like, the school's history is important and all, but I feel like we've been too stiff! If we can host really fun activities and throw them even outside of the open house, I think it'll help us out a lot!"

Another girl got bolder too. "Yeah! Like a lot of people think our uniforms are really cute, so why don't we show them off?"

"…" Eli was silent.

"Yeah! We should try showing off those things!" The blue-haired member of the Student Council said, getting fired up as she stood up.

"School Idols are pretty popular, right?" The other girl said, not noticing Eli's glare. "What if we used them to promote the school?"

"Don't we have some here at this school?" The blue-haired girl asked. "Ah… μ's?"

"Yeah! What if we got them to perform during the open campus?"

Uh oh… Nozomi thought, noticing Eli's left eye twitch as she closed her eyes.

"Great idea-!"

"Any other suggestions?" Eli asked, bringing an end to the other girls' enthusiasm.

"Other suggestions…?" The other girls repeated, dejected.

"… The alpacas?" One asked.

"… The alpacas?" Eli asked back.

"The alpacas."

"OK," Eli said. "Let's talk about the alpacas."

Eli was now looking at alpacas.

"So… these are it?" She knew of the alpacas, of course, but this had been Eli's first time looking at them close-up. They were cute, but Eli would never admit it.

"Yup! They're really popular with people from other schools too," the blue-haired girl explained with a smile. "The white one is named Lulu, and the brown one is Fufu!"

How can we use them to help promote the school? Even though they're our mascots, I don't know what we can realistically do with them, Eli said, looking at Lulu. Unfortunately, there was an aspect to these to not well known outside the First Years who usually attended to them, and it was that Fufu was known for being extremely jealous and protective of Lulu…

"… Eh?" Was all Eli muttered as she noticed it growling at her.

SPLAT!

It was around that time that Hanayo and Rin, now on duty for changing their water and food, were greeted to the sight of an extremely annoyed and fuming Eli, as three other girls of the Student Council panicked as they tried to use handkerchiefs to wipe the spit off her. "President Ayase…?" Hanayo asked, wanting to see if it was really her, earning a glare from Eli.

"Hoshizora, Koizumi…"

"Oh! You're the School Idols, right!?" One girl asked, clasping her hands together as she approached.

"Y-yes, we are," Hanayo replied.

"What great timing!" Another girl asked. "We were wondering if you could—"

"We have not decided anything yet," Eli interrupted, looking down at the two first years. Her cyan aura of power appeared, 「Dancing on the Ceiling」forming from her neck down. The other two girls did not visibly react, but nonetheless summoned「Momoiro Clover」and「Cat Scratch Fever」in response. The three Stand users stared eachother down, before withdrawing their Stands as quickly as they had summoned them. Nozomi did not visibly react, despite the appearance of the Stands before her.

"There is nothing more to say," Eli said, before turning away. "Come on. We have more important things to focus on…"

"Otonokizaka has a long and proud history, and has long-since played a role in the local neighborhoods, and has even produced several well-known community leaders. Futhermore, Otonokizaka was once a dedicated music school, and its abundance of aspiring artists has created an inspiring atmosphere that persists today…"

Later that night, Eli was practicing her speeches for the open house. She had even gotten her little sister Alisa to get two of her friends to meet up in the Ayase household to listen to her, one of them even being Honoka's younger sister. Eli loved giving speeches, smiling as she practiced her's; not even realizing she had bored Yukiho to sleep. "Futhermore, at Otonokizaka High, we—"

"Oh God, I got so fat!" Yukiho practically screamed as she bolted awake in her chair, looking around. "… Oh, ehehehe, I fell asleep…"

Good to know the entire family is full of idiots, Eli thought bitterly to herself, before sighing and forcing herself to smile. Still, if she had really fallen asleep. "I'm sorry, was it too boring?"

"N-no! It was really interesting, I swear!" Yukiho said, bolting up. "Especially that last part! It was super engrossing!" Yukiho said with a nervous laugh.

Eli kept on smiling though. "Please, I still need to fix it by the day of the open campus, so give me your honest feedback so it'll be the best it can be by then," Eli encouraged. She wasn't lying- even if these Kousakas were all idiots, if nothing else, they were honest.

It was to her surprise that Alisa spoke up first. "I didn't like any of it," she said, sitting up.

"Y-yo, that's way too blunt!" Yukiho said.

"Alisa…" Eli replied, blinking in shock. If nothing else, Alisa usually always supported her…

"Why are you talking about things like that?" Alisa asked.

"Because I don't want the school to close, what do you think?" Eli retorted.

"Then now's not the time for that… there'll be plenty of other times to explain the school's history," Alisa said. "I don't want Otonokizaka to close either, but… Eli, talking about this stuff in particular… is this really what you want to do?"

"W… what I want to do…?"

"What kind of ridiculous question was that, anyways!? What I want to do!? Isn't it clear I'm trying to keep our school from closing!?" Eli ranted to Nozomi the next day, unaware of the bizarre day μ's had as well, stomping around the Student Council's room. "Between this school closing and Yanigihori, I got my hands full! What else am I supposed to do!? I'm talking about what's important, the school's history and why it's important… why does everyone have such a problem with that!? Nobody wants their school to close… and I'm no exception! Can't they see that?"

Nozomi just gave a gentle smile, even as Eli began to have a small meltdown over everything she had been stressing over. "Maybe so… but aren't you trying a little too hard, Elichi?"

"Not you too! I'm on the 'offense' on all fronts! On beating Yanigihori and taking the arrow, and on using whatever methods we need to save the school! Everyone else just keeps giving these… these… absolutely ridiculous suggestions! I'm trying to be serious about this, dammit!"

Nozomi giggled. "I know, I know… You're far too stubborn though. I think a more… relaxed approach to this would work," she said. "The goal is to get middle schoolers to want to stick around. They don't want such a stuffy environment, they want to live in a cool, exciting place… that's what Otonokizaka should be. A place where every student can't wait to get out of bed to attend."

"Not you too…" Eli groaned, before hearing the door knock. "Come on in," She yelled out, surprised to see μ's' Second Years enter, a serious look on their face- even Nozomi's grin disappeared at the sudden appearance. "Do you have news on Yanigihori?" Eli asked once the door was closed, confident that would be the only reason these girls would seek her out.

"This has nothing to do with Yanigihori, the Hunters, or the arrow," Honoka said with a serious look, causing Eli to tilt her head.

"Then why are you wasting my time? Get lost," she said, about to get up and walk through the door, before Honoka took a step forward.

"We want you to be our dance instructor, for μ's!" Honoka said, stunning Eli into silence. "We want… we want to become better dancers, like you! We've seen your dancing skills, Ayase-senpai!"

"H… how… Nozomi!?" She looked over, as Nozomi just smiled, earning a glare and scowl from her best friend. "Damn you, Tojo!"

"Please, Ayase-senpai! We're serious about this… we want to grow as dancers, as Idols!" Honoka said. "I understand Your main priority is Yanigihori… but we want to save this school! And we've decided, with or without your approval, we will perform a concert on the day of the Open House! Nothing short of an enemy Stand will prevent us from performing!" Honoka said, Umi and Kotori silent but nodding along. "And so… we would like you to aid us in our dancing, so that we may be at our top performance on the day of the Open House! So we can represent Otonokizaka as best as we can; because no matter how you feel about us, μ's is a part of Otonokizaka now, and we have no intention of leaving!"

Eli wanted to say many things. She thought of storming out without a word, or rejecting them entirely, but after a minute or so of heavy silence she sighed. "… Alright. I'll teach you."

"… T-that easy!?" Honoka said with surprise, before nodding. "I-I mean, thank you so much, Ayase!"

"Make no mistake. I do not like you. I do not like anything about you. But I can no longer deny the popularity of the Idol Study Club," Eli admitted. "I do not understand why you do what you do, but it is as you say- you represent Otonokizaka, and nothing short of me physically attacking you all will prevent your concert. So, I will instruct you in dance so you can give a performance that won't embarrass us as a school," Eli said. "But, if we're doing this, you will meet my standards, and I am not an easy or forgiving teacher. If I feel you're not serious about this, I will drop you all in an instant. Furthermore, as much as I don't want this school to close, the Arrow Hunters are my priority- as should yours be. If anything related to the arrow occurs, at the very least, I will drop the lesson and anything else to react immediately. Are my terms fair?"

"Super fair! Thank you sososososososo much prez!"

"Do not call me prez."

"A-Ayase-senpai!"

"Better. I will meet you on the rooftops after school for your training," and with that the Second Years departed, and Eli glared at the smirking Nozomi. "You… why? My dancing, why did you send them my dancing!?"

"Why did you record them dancing in the first place?" Nozomi asked, before sitting down. "And let's just say… I did as the cards, as fate told me."

Soon she was alone in the classroom, but she didn't mind, looking at her tarot cards. "Time is running out; the clock is ticking down… It is only a matter of time until my own call to action…"

She looked out the window, levitating one of her cards to shield her from the harsh sun, the card itself being The Fool.

Teacher… How I wish I could return to Egypt to speak with you, who taught me of the power of the Tarot, Nozomi thought, looking out the window. Would you be proud of me? Would you approve of this path I've set on, teacher? Do I understand these cards as you do?

She opened the window, letting the breeze wash in.

I hope I am someone you would be proud of…

"Jesus Christ, you're even worse than I thought you were."

Operation "Train With Eli" was not off to a rousing start. She glared as she watched Rin fall on her butt on the school rooftops.

"Owowowowowww!"

"You're terrible. Are the standards of you School Idols so low you could make it this far like this?" Eli scolded, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry…" Umi said quietly, as Honoka nodded, Rin complaining more on the ground.

"I was able to dance just fine yesterday, you know!"

"You're failing because of your lack of the fundamentals," Eli said. "Spread your legs, Hoshizora."

"L… like this?"

"Good," Eli said, before pressing down on her back.

"Kyaa! That hurts, Ayase!" Rin complained, looking back.

"You need to be able to press your stomach to the ground with your legs spread like this," Eli said. "Your flexibility is extremely important to a dancer- this is now one of your priorities."

Just thinking about that makes my dick hurt! Rin thought in despair, and nobody else seemed particularly enthusiastic about the idea.

"I knew she was bad news…" Nico muttered. Much to everyone's shock though, Kotori was able to immediately do it.

"Hehehe~"

"Holy shit, Kotori! Nice" Honoka complimented, but Eli remained unimpressed.

"Don't just stand there watching her! Can the rest of you do it!? Don't you want to charm people with your dancing!?"

The rest of the training that came was equally brutal. "Ten more sets of this strength exercise! Remain perfectly still in that pose for ten minutes!" It was one exercise after another pushing the girls of μ's to their limits. In truth the physical strength exercises were a breeze for most except Rin, Umi, and Maki, the first two of which had just begun her own strength exercises as part of her Stand training, and Maki who until now had no need for such intense physical activity. The balancing and stretching exercises, however, took their toll quickly.

Hanayo had been able to hold a pose for nearly seven and a half minutes, before falling down. "Ouch!"

"Kayochin! Are you OK!?" Rin asked as she broke her pose to rush over, and Hanayo tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, don't worry! I just lost my balance," Hanayo assured, as Eli turned away. "Huh?"

"We're done," Eli said, beginning to walk away.

"What's your problem!?" Nico yelled, as Maki also rose an objection.

"You don't have to put it like that! We're not used to these kinds of exercises- give us the chance to improve!" Maki yelled, earning a scoff from Eli.

"I've been judging you all today to make an evaluation. Now do you finally understand how incapable the lot of you are? The school's continued existence depends on the Open Campus. And here I am, wasting my time on you amateurs who clearly cannot get it together. If only you had gotten the memo last time!"

"… Last time?" Honoka asked, stepping forward. "What do you mean… last time!? Ayase!"

"… Hmph. You still don't get it? Your first performance, you were all recorded, and it was uploaded online anonymously…"

"Y… you!?" Honoka asked with a shocked gasp. "W… why did you do it!? If you hate us so much!?"

"I wanted the three of you to see how terrible you were," she said, earning shocked looks from μ's all around. "I was hoping that the lot of you would realize how amateurish you looked on camera… but it backfired! The masses just ate it up! You all ate it up, and now, here we are!" Eli was yelling, ignoring the angry looks given at her from μ's. Even Umi, who had suggested Eli training with them in the first place was becoming visibly upset, and Kotori of all people glared daggers at Eli. "Just continue these routines I've shown you, that's all you need to do. Do that and your performances will likely improve naturally. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do."

"「Cirus!」"

Even Eli was caught off-guard as Nico's Automatic Stand materialized, her prehensile whip wrapping around her arm. "So it's a fight you want, Yazawa!?"

"No! I just need her here so I can tell you the fuck off!" Nico yelled, 「Circus」for once not saying anything, but glaring at Eli all the same. "Who the hell do you think you are!? It's one thing if you don't like us, our dancing, hell, our personalities- but who the fuck do you think you are to think you can talk to anyone like that!?" Nico said. "I lead a bunch of trolls on a flame war against μ's before I joined, but even I would never have been so cruel to someone online, let alone their faces!" She scolded. "We've worked hard! We've suffered! We've even physically fought! We have worked hard, and we have given our all's into this! That much is the least you can acknowledge, Ayase!"

Maki remained quiet, covering her mouth as she stepped back. She could really see Nico's Stand. She still had not told the rest of μ's of her discovery, she didn't know how to, but this was her first time seeing the Stand of someone else.

"I'm sorry you never got to be quite as popular as we did, always losing your contests and performances in Russia," Nico spat, her Stand giving a tug of its whip. "But you have no right to say that shit to our junior's faces! Apologize!" It was the first time they had really seen her act like a Third Year, and it came as a bit of a shock to everyone else.

Eli just glared, summoning only the right arm of「Dancing on the Ceiling」and with a single swipe of her arm was more than capable of swatting「Cirus」away. "Tch!"

"… We can't do this without you, Eli-senpai," Honoka yelled out, the rest of the girls going quiet. "And you can't do it without us. One way or another, we have to work together. So, get this out of your system… and come back when you're ready to cooperate with μ's!" Honoka yelled, Eli glancing over at the gall of Honoka to suggest such a thing to her, that she needed their help. Yet nobody else yelled after her, and she stormed off.

But not before noticing the look of shock on Maki's face.

"… Let us continue Ayase's training exercises for now," Umi said. "For the time being, our flexibility is the target. We only have a little over two weeks to prepare for this concert! Even if she won't help us, we have to prepare and train as hard as we can! … Maki, are you OK?"

"… Yeah, I'm fine," Maki said with a sigh. "Just… it's been a long day."

The rest of μ's nodded, hiding their suspicions as well.

Maki wasn't able to bring herself to mention she had developed a Stand, however. And so, when normal practice had ended, she simply walked off on her own, feeling guilty about it. She just didn't know how to tell them, selfish as it may have been. When was the right time to do it? Should she try to call everyone early and explain it before class? Before practice? The usually calm and collected girl was so confused lately, she didn't know what to do…

"Hey! Maki-chan! That you?"

Maki snapped out of it noticing Fumiko smiling, walking over to her. "Hey there!"

"Oh, hello, Nikaido-senpai."

"Oh come on, don't be so formal with me! Fumiko is good enough…" Fumiko said with a smile, walking besides her. "Is ah… listen, I'm sorry if I bothered you last night. I talk a lot when I get excited— "

"What? Oh nonono, you didn't bother me! I ah… I got grounded. My dad took my phone away," Maki reassured, causing Fumiko to sigh with relief.

"Oh, thank God! Sorry, I thought I burned a new friendship the moment it began… er, you're gonna see like eight texts when you get your phone back! No need to read it though, alright?" She assured. "I just really wanted to make sure everything is alright… you seem down. Wanna do something to take your mind off of things? I was about to go meet up with another new friend!"

"I… no. My dad's already mad at me, I shouldn't go anyplace without his permission," Maki said, with Fumiko giving an understanding nod.

"Yeah, I totally get it! I'd do the same if I was grounded too… let's talk later, ok? I really wanna hang out with you sometime!" Fumiko said with a wave as she headed off in the other direction. Maki couldn't help but smile, her mood somewhat lifted… only to widen her eyes in horror at the look of a purple aura around her. No way!

"Awesome~" Fumiko said, grinning as she looked around her. It was hard to make in the distance, but Maki could clearly see something that resembled small feminine figures with butterfly wings flying towards her, dropping yen coins into her hands. "This is enough for a soda!"

Maki gasped, backing up and nearly screaming as she backed into someone, looking up at the visage of Nozomi Tojo. "T-Tojo-senpai!"

"So, you can see it too? Then you're one of us too…" Nozomi observed, tapping her foot. "I've been keeping an eye on her… She's a very new Stand user. Far too reckless and careless… Someone is enabling her, I think…" Nozomi observed, before smirking at Maki.

"So, why don't you tell me more about her, Nishikino-san?"

Later that evening, as usual, Honoka would go straight home from Otonokizaka to Homura. Am I making the right decision? Can the prez really put aside her distaste of us to work with us? She wondered. She knew that Eli's coaching as a dance instructor would make all the difference in the world to μ's. They had to be in top shape for the Open Campus, and she honestly felt Eli's coaching could get them there.

"Papa! Mama! Yukiho! I'm hoooome!" But for the time being she could relax. She had thankfully gotten little homework that night, so there was time to take a little nap and relax before digging into it.

"Welcome home, dear!" Mrs. Kousaka yelled out. "Oh, Honoka! A friend of yours stopped by earlier! She said it was urgent to speak to you… didn't have your phone number though. Did you make a new friend?"

"A new friend?" Honoka blinked a few times. "Er… what did this girl like?"

Mrs. Kousaka tapped on her foot. "Well, she's an Otonokizaka student so I didn't think anything of it. I can't believe she was your age too… she was a giant! At least six feet tall! Muscular too, with messy blond hair and a scar… Honoka, please tell me you're not mixing up with bad company…"

"I-I'm not! Otonokizaka, over six feet tall… Blond…"

A feeling of dread began to wash over Honoka as she noticed the door to Homura open once more.

"Ah, there she is! Hello!" Mrs. Kousaka greeted. "Did you enjoy the Tokyo Bananas?"

"They were some of the most delicious Tokyo Bananas I've ever eaten, I was hoping to buy more to pass the time… oh, there you are, Kousaka-san."

No way…!

"It's about school and your group, μ's. It's really important we can speak privately, if that's OK, it doesn't have to be here. This is a business, but its still your house, so I'll obey your wishes here…"

Honoka felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up at the unspeakably imposing figure that was Jori Yanigihori.

"However, it is fairly urgent."

"Ahhhh, so sorry I'm late!"

Fumiko laughed a bit as she met up with her new friend at the McDonalds nearest to Otonokizaka, still in her uniform. "I forgot something back at school so I had to run back, how embarrassing!"

"Hey girl, like, don't sweat it at all~" The other girl said with a grin. The girl was taller than Fumiko, and outside of her school uniform- short-shorts, a black tank top with the symbol of a fist on it, and even some sunglasses. "Like, I was actually late myself. Isn't that funny?"

"Yeah!" Fumiko said with a laugh, setting her food down and taking a sip. "I really gotta thank you… you know, I was so scared after that thing with that arrow… then I met you! Honestly, this 'Stand' stuff is really fun! I've been using mine to collect yen coins and stuff. I can only send out twenty on a time, but you know, if I just let them do their thing over time, I can actually get quite a bit of money!"

"Totally! Like… having a Stand is so fun and cool! I use mine to try to find money too… don't tell anyone, alright?" The other girl asked, with Fumiko making a motion to 'zip her lips.' "But like, Stand stuff aside… why don't you tell me about those girls? Those School Idols!"

"Oh, right, μ's! God, I love them… I mean, I've known Honoka, Umi, and Kotori for forever now… but I just became friends with another one of them!"

"… Oh?" Fumiko's friend asked, taking off her sunglasses. "Can you like, tell me a little more about her?"

"Yeah, sure! Her name's Nishikino Maki! She's a First Year… well, I haven't known her for too long so I don't know a lot about her, but she's the one who writes their music! God, being that talented as a First Year, I'm kinda jealous!"

"Yeah… same, to be honest!" The girl said, twirling a finger in her dyed purple streak of hair. "But if you don't know a lot about her… can you like, tell me more about them in general? They're just soooooooooooooo cool, I wanna like, know everything about them!"

Fumiko beamed up, happy that her friends had become so popular! She couldn't wait to tell Maki and Honoka about this! "Sure think, Hiijiri-chan! Whatcha wanna know about them?"

"… Everything, really," Said Hiijiri Takamaki, smiling as she sat her sunglasses down, grinning at her new 'friend.'

"Everything…?"

"Yeah," Takamaki said, making notes about everything that Fumiko told her to report back to Yanigihori. "I want to know everything about them!"

Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!

Chapter 18: To Omine (Part 2)

Maaan, I really wanted to get this chapter in last week, but between attending a Summer Creative Writing Institute (that ends this week) and a bit of a writer's block I couldn't! But, here we are, at least~! I really wanted this to be a two-chapter arc, but I had too much in-mind, so I think it'll likely be three chapters. Hope you enjoy!

For those of you unaware, "Omine" is not an original character for this story- she's a character from Maki's School Idol Diary, much like her housekeeper, Ms. Waki. You do not need to read those to understand this story as I'm not going to drop anything from those stories without explaining it properly, but I do integrate some aspects of them into this story; Hanayo's mother once almost being an Idol, for example, also came from those stories. So either go out and read them as I incorporate some aspects into Maki especially, or not! I promise I won't leave you in the dark regardless.

May ever road take you a memory of Great Days!