It's that time of the year once again. Happy birthday to, among others, Hello, Happy World!'s Tsurumaki Kokoro. And, like the previous few years, I'll just end up publishing something I've randomly decided to fill in the void. Did I fall back on something I am comfortable with? Did I decide to try my hand at something new? The cover image of this oneshot should already give it away, I think…
Speaking of the cover image, the image uses Guiding Black Cat Aoba Moca, Very Busy Vice-President! Hazawa Tsugumi, Deep-Sea Girl Kirigaya Touko, and My First Group Huddle Hiromachi Nanami.
Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party, nor do I, in any way, shape, or form, intend to pretend that I do.
It was a typical afternoon in the late summer months. The sun was shining brightly, fluffy white clouds covered the bright blue skies above, and the streets were filled with people. People hanging out with their friends or family or those who were in a hurry to reach their destination. One couple walking their dog was surrounded by a crowd of overexcited children who wanted to pet the four-legged ball of energy.
Meanwhile, in a live house known affectionately as CiRCLE by the people living in the neighborhood, the last strum of a guitar could be heard. A few minutes later, a group of five high school girls were packing up their belongings before they waddled to the lobby.
"Thank you for letting us use the studio again today!"
Words of gratitude like these filled the room as the five high school girls bowed their heads in the direction of the older lady. Three of them then split off and walked out the door while the remaining two continued to talk with the woman behind the counter.
"We would like to book the studio again this coming Thursday. What times will the studio be available?" one of the two girls asked as she took out her phone and cross-checked her calendar for her schedule. It didn't take long for her to realize that her schedule on that day was already filled to the brim, though there was a small window for her to choose, "Um… preferably somewhere between four and six?"
"I'm really sorry, but the studio is already fully booked that day," the woman behind the counter apologized, and based on the look in her eyes, the two girls could tell that she was feeling genuinely sorry. Before either of the patrons could respond, the older woman was already back to searching through the database on the computer, "I see that we have a slot available from seven to eight, will that work?"
A glance at her phone's screen was all that was needed for the two girls to know the answer. They regretfully shook their heads before saying their goodbyes and hurrying after their waiting friends outside.
"Ran, Moca, Tomoe, sorry to keep you three waiting," the pink-haired girl said as she left the studio behind her, the brunette that had stayed with her following close behind. Tomoe was about to open her mouth and say something, but Himari interrupted the tallest girl of the group, "Unfortunately, no luck. We need to either find a new place to practice or set aside a different time if we want to do it here."
"That's a shame, but there's nothing we can do about that," Tsugumi muttered, and the other girls voiced their agreement. Ran, for her part, simply bopped her head a few times to show that she agreed with her friends. In an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, the brunette turned to Himari, "Himari-chan, your skills on the chorus got so much better!"
"Aw, thanks, Tsugu! But the one who has improved the most is you, right, everyone?" Himari added the last bit as she turned to her friends, hoping that they would catch on to her motives. Moca and Tomoe were quick to jump on the opportunity to shower Tsugumi with praise. Tsugumi, for her part, was now desperately trying to put the spotlight away from her with a furious blush.
And the last girl of the group?
"Let's go home," Ran said once she made sure that the straps of her guitar case were securely around her shoulders. The vocalist was already standing a few steps away from her friends as if to show that she couldn't wait to leave. Ran's eagerness was met with a teasing yet obviously lighthearted remark from Moca. Ran chose to ignore this to turn to Himari instead, "You still need to finish your homework, right? The one that was due last week?"
"Please don't remind me…" Himari pouted, her shoulders slouched and the cheeriness she displayed before making room for a sullen outlook. Tsugumi was even sure that she could see her friend's spirit deflate upon the mention of the homework that she was procrastinating on. Eventually, Himari managed to gather her remaining strength to pick up her bass case and run after her friends. But when Himari finally rejoined them, a quick headcount told her that they were missing someone, "Tsugu? Is everything ok?"
"Ah, um… yes, it's just…" Tsugumi trailed off, acutely aware of her surroundings and that four pairs of eyes were focused on her. Tsugumi wouldn't let that stop her from saying what was on her mind. She was, however, not opposed to letting that extend the amount of time she would keep her friends waiting, "Moca-chan, if it's not too much trouble, could you please join me?"
"Not at all~. If Tsugu needs Moca-chan by Tsugu's side, then Moca-chan by Tsugu's side is what Tsugu will get," Moca replied all too happily, much to the amusement of her friends. As Moca reassured Tsugumi, she walked away from Ran, Himari, and Tomoe to move to Tsugumi's side, "Ran~ Tomo-chin~ Hii-chan~ take care on your way home. And don't skip out on your homework again, Hii-chan~!"
Moca made a conscious decision to blatantly ignore the indignant cry from her friend. Instead, with Tsugumi mimicking her action beside her, Moca waved her friends goodbye as Ran and Tomoe escorted a sulking Himari home.
With their friends' departure, it was only a matter of seconds before Moca and Tsugumi realized that they were alone together. Moca waited a whole minute, giving Tsugumi the opportunity to speak first and break the silence. When it became apparent that Tsugumi would remain quiet Moca decided to finally open her mouth.
"Not like I don't enjoy spending time with you or anything, but is there a reason why you singled me out to hang out with?" Moca asked Tsugumi in a tone that was unreadable for Tsugumi without making eye contact with the brunette. Instead, Moca was still looking in the direction that the rest of Afterglow had walked off to. After a second to contemplate on the best way to phrase her next set of words, Moca added, "Since you asked me specifically, does that mean it is something that Ran, Tomo-chin, and Hii-chan can't know about?"
"Sorry for asking you to spend some time with me, Moca-chan," Tsugumi apologized, tilting her head down so she could stare at the dirt near her shoes. After Moca made sure to convince Tsugumi that she didn't mind and was more than happy to hang out with her, Tsugumi took a deep breath, "But yes, Moca-chan is right. I wanted to ask a favor, and I can't ask Ran-chan, Himari-chan, or Tomoe-chan."
"Papa got a few new items and wanted more opinions from customers," Tsugumi explained and Moca's eyes lit up in understanding. Hesitantly, almost as if she didn't want to admit to it, Tsugumi started to explain the real reason, "Himari-chan has to catch up doing her homework so I cannot burden her with such a request."
"And Ran and Tomo-chin wouldn't be able to give an honest critique. All right, Moca-chan wouldn't mind helping out," Moca thought out loud, picking up where Tsugumi had left off. Never one to pass up on an opportunity to take a jab at her friends, especially when they weren't there to defend themselves, Moca added, "Ran wouldn't tell you if she enjoyed it and Tomo-chin wouldn't tell you if she disliked it. So that left me, right?"
"Yes, that is why I asked Moca-chan. Ah, but when you put it like that it makes it sound like you were the last resort; it's not like that at all!" Tsugumi hurriedly said when she realized how it might come across as to Moca. Moca, for her part, either wasn't bothered by it or chose to not voice it. But this wasn't enough to reassure Tsugumi, "Moca-chan, I—."
"Don't worry about it, Tsugu. Moca-chan already said that Moca-chan is happy to help, right?" Moca interrupted Tsugumi's stream of worry by physically pushing her hand in front of the brunette's face. Now that she knew that she had her friend's focus and attention, Moca smiled, "Let's get going to your parents' café. There's this awesome new manga I think you will enjoy!"
"Really?" Tsugumi was intrigued. When Moca recommended manga to her it usually ended up becoming one of Tsugumi's favorites. Tsugumi's eyes lit up in excitement and anticipation as she turned to Moca with a hopeful look, "What's it about?"
Moca and Tsugumi arrived at their destination about half an hour after they said goodbye to their friends. The two of them were in an animated discussion over one of the newest manga series that Moca had discovered recently. Moca was busy telling Tsugumi all the details that she could without ruining the brunette's experience should she decide to give the series a shot, and Tsugumi was soaking it all in. Tsugumi had even taken out a little notepad and a pen to take note on multiple occasions, much to Moca's amusement.
"Looks like we're here already, Tsugu," Moca noted the moment she recognized the familiar building that she was standing in front of. Tsugumi, who had been walking to Moca's left, needed a moment to look around her. Moca didn't let this opportunity to tease the shorter girl go past her, "Really, Tsugu? Isn't this your house we're at?"
"I'm sorry," Tsugumi apologized, finding the edges of her shoes more interesting than her childhood friend. After she's done her fair share of moping and sulking for the embarrassing act of forgetting where she lived, Tsugumi opened her mouth again. But the words that left the brunette's mouth weren't the ones that Moca would have expected, "Do you know those two girls, Moca-chan? They have been looking at us for a while."
"That's because Tsugu is famous as the best keyboardist of Afterglow," Moca gloated with a grin, choosing to ignore the obvious fact that Tsugumi was the only keyboardist of Afterglow. Now that Moca felt that she had praised Tsugumi enough, she turned to try and see what Tsugumi was looking at, "Who has caught your eye?"
The two girls who Tsugumi was talking about were standing a couple of meters away. They were far enough away that they wouldn't intrude on the personal space of Moca and Tsugumi but near enough to where Moca knew that it couldn't have been an accident. One of them had long wavy blonde hair with the bangs parted to the side and ending above her eye, while the other had light pink-colored hair that reached just under her shoulders.
It took Moca a few seconds, but she finally recognized one of them. Raising her arm in greeting and taking a step away from Tsugumi, Moca called out their name.
"Why, if it isn't Touko! What a coincidence running into you," Moca said as she approached the blonde girl, Tsugumi hesitantly waddled behind her and joining Moca's side. The girl who was addressed jolted in surprise, but she would quickly relax when she realized who had said her name, "What are you doing here? About to try out the amazing wares of the Hazawa Café?"
"Something like that, yeah. Oh, I should probably introduce you," Touko added as she turned to her friend with a smile and a bright shine in her eyes. Touko's friend, in contrast, was blinking dully as she took in what was happening, "Moca-san, this is my classmate and my friend, Hiromachi Nanami. Nanami, this is Aoba Moca-san, a second-year at Haneoka's."
Touko's friend, now properly introduced to Moca and Tsugumi as Nanami, turned to look from Moca to Touko and back to Moca. After staring at Moca for a few seconds, Nanami's brain finally told the girl what was happening as she let out a soft gasp, "Right, I'm sorry. I am Hiromachi Nanami, first year at Tsukinomori Girl's Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you, Moca-senpai."
"There's no need to be so stiff. A friend of Touko is a friend of mine," Moca smiled as she exchanged her greetings with Nanami. After the three of them got properly acquainted, Moca turned back to Touko, "Where did you hear about the Hazawa Café from?"
"Himari-san told me about it a few days ago, how it was her favorite café and all. I've been wanting to go ever since but finding a time where Nanami and I were both free proved to be difficult," Touko replied with a sheepish chuckle, and Nanami bopped her head to show that she agreed with what Touko was saying. Touko then muttered something under her breath, too soft for Moca to hear but Moca was sure she picked up the phrases 'Fusuke' and 'slave driver'. This was something Moca figured would be best left unsaid.
Moca couldn't help herself from smiling when she heard what Touko had to say about the café. This did not go unnoticed by Touko who quickly, albeit fairly hesitantly so, asked Moca what was making the older girl smile.
"The two of us were just about to enter the café as well," Moca explained, and Touko bopped her head to show that she understood where Moca was going with this. Unfortunately for Touko, this guess would be proven as Moca motioned for Tsugumi to join her, "Tsugu, do you mind if these two join us as well? Kirigaya Touko and Hiromachi Nanami, both are first years from Tsukinomori's."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. And sure, if Touko-chan and Nanami-chan are friends of yours, Moca-chan, then I don't see why not," Tsugumi responded to Moca's question before turning to Touko and Nanami and offering the two girls a warm smile. Touko and Nanami bowed their heads and voiced their gratitude, and it was only then when Tsugumi realized the mistake she made, "Ah, right, Touko-chan and Nanami-chan don't know who I am yet. A-Ahem, I am Hazawa Tsugumi, a friend of Moca-chan. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Wait, 'Hazawa'?" Touko exclaimed in shock once Tsugumi finished talking. The blonde girl looked between Tsugumi and Moca, but ended up looking at Moca when the next words left her mouth, "Moca-san, is Tsugumi-san really that Hazawa?"
"You didn't specify which Hazawa you are referring to," Moca pointed out with a laugh, much to the dissatisfaction of both Touko and Tsugumi. Nanami, on the other hand, seemed to be satisfied with watching from a distance. Quickly realizing that she couldn't keep up the fun for long, Moca cleared her throat and gave Touko a proper response, "Yes, Tsugu is the daughter of the owners of the café the four of us are going to. Hii-chan might be a regular customer at the café, but if you want some good suggestions then Tsugu's the one you want to ask."
"It's almost as if Tsugu knows the café better than her own home," Moca grinned before she blinked and realized what she had said, "Oh right… Tsugu literally grew up in that place, that would make a lot of sense."
"M-Moca-chan, you are embarrassing me…"
"Now what are we waiting for? Moca-chan was promised some nice new treats and Moca-chan will get them~," Moca said in a sing-song voice, grabbing a surprised Tsugumi by the wrist and dragging the brunette with her. It was all Tsugumi could do to not trip over her feet as she allowed Moca to whisk her away.
In Moca's haste to get to the café, she forgot that she was leaving Touko and Nanami behind. The two members of Morfonica watched as Moca and Tsugumi rushed off, remaining silent until one of them finally broke the silence.
"I don't think I can keep up with your friends at all, Touko-chan," Nanami muttered in a soft, dejected tone, causing a sheepish chuckle to escape Touko's mouth. Nanami chose to ignore this and instead turn to look at her friend, "What do you think? Should we join them?"
"It would be rude of us if we didn't. Moca-san invited us, after all," Touko pointed out, and Nanami muttered her understanding. When Touko noticed that Nanami wasn't feeling completely confident with Touko's decision, the blonde tried to convince Nanami in a different way, "We were already planning to go here, so what's going with two more people? The more the merrier, I'd say~ and Moca-san and Tsugumi-san should be very familiar with the café."
Touko hurried to the front door of the café, opened the door, and waited for Nanami to join her. Nanami hadn't moved a muscle, much to Touko's surprise. The blonde girl had already called out to her friend before she could try and stop herself from doing so.
"Right, sorry Touko-chan, I must have zoned out there for a moment," Nanami apologized as soon as she had caught up to Touko. Touko's face told Nanami that the taller girl wasn't happy with the explanation. Nevertheless, Touko kept her mouth shut which was something that Nanami greatly appreciated.
"So where are Moca-senpai and Tsugu-senpai waiting for us?" Nanami asked Touko, waddling after her friend and falling silent in awe as she saw the café's interior. Touko had told her a little bit about the café from what she managed to hear from Himari, but nothing Touko could have said would have prepared Nanami for this.
The two girls entered the café and were met by a welcome sight. The wooden pillars that were holding the roof up were as shiny and majestic as either Nanami or Touko could have imagined they were. A wide variety of paintings adorned the walls of the café, their presence bringing a warm a welcome atmosphere to the room itself. What's more, the lights that the café used were basking the round tables and wooden floors in a warm, shining, almost sunlight-like light.
Almost as if on cue, Nanami and Touko heard their names called. When they turned to look in the direction of the voice, they saw that Tsugumi was waving for them to join. She had managed to claim one of the café's best tables for herself, and neither Nanami nor Touko were about to let this opportunity go to waste.
The table Tsugumi and Moca were seated at was in a cozy corner of the café, far away from the usual hustle and bustle of the other patrons. Nevertheless, this spot was close to one of the café's large windows, so Touko knew that natural sunlight would not be an issue. The various picture ideas that she could take for her social media accounts were already beginning to stir in her head.
"Sorry, did we keep you waiting for long?" Touko asked as soon as she reached the table. After Tsugumi reassured her that they didn't, Touko plopped down on the seat across from Moca. Nanami, meanwhile, claimed the seat beside Touko right as Touko opened the floodgates, "Tsugumi-san, let's get right to business! Your family owns this place, right? So, what would you recommend for me and Nanami?"
Surprisingly for Touko, it wasn't Tsugumi who answered her question. Moca, who had been almost lazily scanning through the menu to see what she would be ordering, was now holding the menu for Touko. But when Touko tried to reach out and accept the offered item from Moca, the older girl pulled back with an expression that was unreadable for Touko.
"Isn't it obvious?" Moca replied with a nonchalant shrug when Touko asked her what her intentions were. Touko's response was to tilt her head in confusion, so Moca knew that she had to elaborate on what she was saying, "I am recommending everything on the menu. It's all amazing, right, Tsugu?"
"Ah, um… well… I do like everything that we serve here," Tsugumi finally admitted with a shy smile, turning away from her childhood friend to avoid Moca's gaze. After some gentle prodding from Moca, Tsugumi finally relented and gave the others at the table a more proper response, "It depends on what you want and what you like. So, what do you typically like to order at a café, Touko-chan? Nanami-chan?"
"Me? I prefer picking the top sellers and see what all the fuss is about," Touko said without missing a beat, accompanying her statement with a nonchalant shrug. She gratefully accepted the menu from Moca and took a few moments to find what she was looking for. Once she did, Touko handed the menu to her friend and turned to Tsugumi, "That lime-and-mint tea looked very nice, is that something you can recommend?"
Before Tsugumi even had the chance to try and think of a response, she was already interrupted. Nanami had found the item that she wanted to order and was currently asking the others for thoughts on her choice. Unfortunately for Nanami, the responses that she was getting were not the ones that she had expected to receive.
"Eh?" Nanami managed to utter once her brain had fully processed what Tsugumi had just said. Nanami then tried to hurriedly ask the question that was on her mind still, "What do you mean 'are you sure?', Tsugu-senpai? Did I make a bad choice choosing that?"
"Not at all, Nanami-chan, it's just that the drink that you chose isn't all that popular here as far as I can remember," Tsugumi explained in as gentle of a voice as she could. When Nanami didn't seem like she was following what Tsugumi was trying to say, Tsugumi tried again, "What Touko-chan wants to order is a popular drink. Unfortunately, the chili-choco shake doesn't sell all that well."
"Is that so…?" Nanami muttered dejectedly, lowering her head in the process. The menu slipped between her fingers and clattered on the table as Nanami's entire posture slumped. It took all of one second for Tsugumi to realize her mistake and try to rectify it immediately.
"B-But if Nanami-chan wants to order that then you should definitely go for it," Tsugumi tried to reassure the younger girl in a panicked rush. Tsugumi turned to Moca with pleading eyes, but Moca preferred to remain silent and watch the interaction unfold before her. Fortunately for Tsugumi, she wouldn't have to think of a way to cheer Nanami back up because Nanami's earlier cheery mood seemed to have returned, "So are you going with that, Nanami-chan?"
Nanami bopped her head a couple of times, and Tsugumi smiled. The brunette, knowing that she was the most knowledgeable and comfortable with the way that the café operated, took it upon herself to place their orders. Tsugumi stood up, stretched her arms above her head, and excused herself to find the nearest waitress.
Tsugumi's departure meant that the remaining three fell silent again. Touko was browsing through the menu to see if she could find anything else that could catch her eyes. Nanami, on the other hand, was looking around her to take in the sights of the café better.
This gave Moca all the time and room she needed to watch Touko and Nanami do their things. But even Moca knew that this silence couldn't last for much longer.
"I know that I shouldn't ask this until you've had a chance to taste your drinks yet, but what do you think of the café so far?" Moca asked Nanami and Touko, keeping her voice calm and steady. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Moca with blank looks. When neither Nanami nor Touko showed like they would give a proper response to Moca's question, Moca tried a slightly different approach.
"Look, Tsugu will probably end up asking the two of you this question as well. You know that she is the daughter of this café's owners so you might not be openly saying any criticisms you may have," Moca reasoned, and Touko voiced her understanding of Moca's intention. Nanami, on the other hand, was a bit more subtle in this expression as she merely nodded once. With both Nanami and Touko convinced, Moca decided it was time to ask her earlier question again.
"The best part of any café is the things you order, so I can't give you a full answer until we get our drinks," Touko said with an apologetic smile which was met by Moca trying to reassure her. After a moment of hesitation, which Moca noticed and eased by saying that she would not tell Tsugumi about it, Touko finally said what was on her mind, "While I like the interior of the café, I had expected something more… colorful and vivid, I guess?"
"What about you, Nanami?" Moca asked once Touko finished giving her answer. Nanami had to think about her answer for a second or two, but Moca would never be able to hear it. Before Nanami had a chance to try and respond to Moca's question someone was approaching their table and stopped the conversation at the table.
It was Tsugumi who had rejoined them with a waitress with red-colored hair who Moca didn't recognize following close behind the brunette. She must have been a new part-timer at the café, so Moca didn't think too much of it.
"Sorry to keep everybody waiting for so long," Tsugumi said as soon as she was close enough for Moca, Nanami, and Touko to hear her. Moca waved silently as her childhood friend apologized to the group, and Nanami and Touko hurriedly responded that they didn't mind. With the relief practically written on her face for all to see, Tsugumi plopped down on her seat before turning to the waitress that had followed her, "Thank you, Aiba-chan."
Aiba offered Tsugumi a small yet warm smile before continuing her work. As she continued placing the various drinks in front of the correct patron Tsugumi went to ask another question. The brunette's voiced managed to distract Nanami and Touko enough, but Moca knew the real reason why Tsugumi chose that moment to speak. Aiba had been observing Nanami for an unreasonable amount of time and Tsugumi wanted to tell her to stop making the customers feel any unease.
"What did you talk about while I was away?" Tsugumi asked as soon as Aiba left them alone to enjoy their drinks. Nanami and Touko were in the middle of sipping their drinks so they couldn't respond to Tsugumi's question right away.
"Nothing, really. You weren't gone for that long, so we didn't have much of a chance," Moca responded, holding off from enjoying her order the moment it was placed in front of her. Seeing that Tsugumi was satisfied with Moca's answer, Moca decided to have a taste of one of the café's new items.
The response was immediate.
"Wow, Tsugu, that was amazing!" Moca had a twinkle in her eyes that Tsugumi could rarely see. The last time she had seen such a sight was when Moca found out about Himari's fear of snakes. But this time Tsugumi didn't have to worry about Moca being called out for this by either Ran or Tomoe… or Tsugumi for that matter. But before Tsugumi could thank Moca for her input another comment was already being made, "But… I dunno if I like this strong taste. What is that? Licorice? It's kind of overpowering the rest of the drink."
"All right, I will tell papa what you said," Tsugumi noted, and Moca made a satisfied murmur before leaning back in her chair. Tsugumi was about to follow Moca's example before she seemingly remembered something else, "Speaking of papa… I had to tell Moca-chan that papa will try to watch our next live show. It's on a day off for the café so he will finally have time to see one of our lives again."
"It's about time he got to see the great Tsugu jam out on the keyboards again," Moca laughed, choosing to ignore Tsugumi's pleas to stop teasing her in favor of digging through one of her pockets. A few seconds later, Moca was offering a couple of paper strips to a confused Nanami, "Here, a couple of tickets to watch our live, don't forget to invite your friends as well~. We play next week Tuesday in CiRCLE at seven in the evening."
"You don't have to come to watch us if you don't want to, please don't feel pressured or anything," Tsugumi picked up where Moca left off, trying to ease the pressure that Moca had put on the shoulders of Nanami and Touko.
"Moca-san invited me personally so I would love to go! I'll make sure to give Shiro, Fusuke, and Rui a ticket as well," Touko trailed off muttering times and schedule to try and determine if she could make it to the live. It took until Nanami reminded Touko of the fact that Tuesday was a holiday for Touko to declare her decision, "All right, Moca-san, Tsugu-san, you will have five new fans in the audience! I will look forward to watching from the crowd!"
"That's great that's great. Tsugu and I will look forward to seeing you in the crowd," Moca smiled, and Touko pocketed the tickets that she had just received. This moment of distraction created an opening for Moca that she wasn't going to let pass, "By the way, Tsugu, when you were off to place our orders, I asked Nanami and Touko something. You wouldn't believe what Touko told me!"
Touko froze when she heard the tone that Moca was using. It was a tone that she was all too familiar with; she usually used it when she was about to tease Tsukushi, after all. It took Touko all of one second to realize what Moca was about to do.
"M-Moca-san!"
"It's almost time for us to get out there," Moca muttered, adjusting the guitar strap around her shoulder while Himari was making sure that Moca's outfit didn't get skewed in the process. With the band's leader fretting over how Moca looked, Moca took the opportunity to look around her and see what the rest of her friends were doing.
Ran was tuning her guitar, clearly unsatisfied with the way that the instrument was sounding. Moca could hear the vocalist mumbling words under her breath but not what the exact words were. Shrugging, Moca turned to look at Tomoe doing some last-minute stretches to get rid of any lingering nervousness and stiffness.
No, the person who caught Moca's eyes the most was Tsugumi. The brunette was peeking through the curtains and looking through the sea of people. Tsugumi was usually looking over her music sheets before a live, so seeing her be so worked up was a curious sight to behold.
"Tsugu, what are you so worried about? I am sure your dad will be there like he said he would," Moca said, trying to reassure her worried friend. When Tsugumi quickly responded that she had already seen her father in the crowd, Moca was left confused as she tried to figure out what Tsugumi was still looking for.
And then it hit her.
"Did you find Nanami and Touko yet?" Moca asked, side-stepping Himari and hurrying over to join Tsugumi in her search. In doing so, Moca ignored the questions that were thrown in her direction. Moca was much too interested in finding what Tsugumi was looking for to pay much attention to Himari pestering her.
"There! The third row on the right, that's her, right?" Tsugumi asked Moca in a hushed voice, pointing her finger in the right direction. Moca turned her head to look in the direction that Tsugumi had directed her towards and Moca saw them. The blonde-haired girl that Moca and Tsugumi had invited to the Hazawa Café a few days ago was there. And, true to her word, she had brought a couple of friends to watch the live with, too. Upon seeing the familiar face, Moca hopped back a few steps and Tsugumi turned around to face her, "Let's give Nanami-chan and Touko-chan a live to remember!"
"It's good to see you two so excited and fired up before our live, but I have one question for you," Tomoe stated in a strained voice, approaching Moca and Tsugumi with Ran and Himari close behind her. Moca and Tsugumi both turned to look at Tomoe in confusion and the redhead voiced the question that had been bothering her for some time now, "What, pray tell, are the two of you talking about?"
"Tsugu and Moca-chan ran into a couple of girls a little while ago and we got two new friends," Moca explained to Tomoe in the same tone a sleep-deprived middle-aged teacher would explain to a toddler why two plus two was equal to four. Moca quickly noticed that Tomoe was unamused with the way that Moca had responded, so Moca decided to take a different approach, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
And without waiting to see what any of her friends were doing, Moca took the first step out onto the stage.
Well, this was… a lot of fun. As should be obvious for long-time readers of mine (or even if you aren't but just look up the fanfics I have published already), Aoba Moca is my favorite character to write for from this franchise and Hazawa Tsugumi is up there (third, after Moca and Ran). Kirigaya Touko was a lot of fun in her supporting role from last year's oneshot so I decided to bring her back, and Hiromachi Nanami… we all have to start somewhere, right?
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this oneshot. I know it is shorter than the typical oneshot I publish this day of the year, but honestly… I am happy enough I managed to get this story ready for publishing in time with everything that has been going on. Both the obvious stuff as well as the less obvious ones.
Please leave a review telling me what you thought, and until next time! Take care!
