Nico did make for a cute magical girl.
With her black hair in twintails adorned with light pink bows and a frilly, cream-colored dress with a pink skirt, Nico felt in her element. She stuck a pale arm out, twirling the plastic, glittery wand in her hand, smiling to herself as she watched herself in her reflection. It was almost like looking into an alternate reality, one where she could make dreams come true with magic over might. It was warming.
Nico brought the star-shaped tip to her lips, which were curled in the cheekiest smile she could muster. She could feel the blood rushing through her like she was on-stage, and as she struck a pose with her right foot forward and her right arm extending the wand out as far as she could towards the mirror, she cast her spell.
"Nico-Nii's cast a love spell on you!"
She side-eyed her desk, particularly focusing on her stuffed bunny, which didn't move. Maybe she could workshop that as a call at the start of a live if she could fit it into the list of calls she already made for when her dream career became a reality. She looked back to her reflection and pursed her lips, almost as if kissing the air and blowing her kiss to the mirror.
Maybe "sexy" wasn't the kind of image she could take. She was much more a pastel pink magical girl over a fiery red. It didn't stop her from posing with her hands at the top of her head, fingers pressed against her palm in her right hand like a drooping rabbit ear. That was more her speed, she realized, as she looked at herself in the mirror. This was more the image that she was looking for.
If only she could do something like this at the party without being laughed at. The rumors she heard about those Roppongi parties tended to favor the sexy over the cute. They were much more in Nozomi's wheelhouse than her own; they seemed much more inviting to someone who didn't see her skirt every time she looked down at her chest. As much as the magical girl outfit suited her, it felt like one of few she could have gone with without looking like a complete idiot.
"I'll be going as an incomplete idiot," Nico huffed, her wallowing quickly interrupted by percussive rasps against her door.
"Nico!" Her mom called out from behind the door. "Nozomi's here and she's looking for you!"
"She's here!?" Nico asked incredulously, swiveling her head to check the time. 7:59. She was right on time. Where did all the time go, though? "Hold on one second!" She yelled, turning on her heel to open her wardrobe and grabbing a light pink purse. Slinging it over one of her shoulders, she was finally ready to go, and after closing the wardrobe, she headed for the door. As she opened it, she saw Nozomi and her mom sitting on opposite sides of a coffee table, with Cocoa, Cocoro, and Cotaro all clinging onto their mother. They all turned to face Nico, and smiled, with the kids peeling off of their mom and clinging instead to Nico's ankles.
"So cool, onee-chan!" Cocoa yelled.
"That's so cute!" Cocoro said.
"Nico-Nii," Cotaro mumbled.
Nico bent her knees, giving each of her siblings pats on the head. "Hey, everyone!" Her siblings cooed and cheered as she gave them pats and smiles, along with her "Nico Nico Nii" flourish of hand gestures, which they were quick to imitate. After they imitated her, they scrambled to stand in a row, with Cocoa and Cocoro giving her warm smiles while Cotaro gave her his signature blank expression. Nico's mom stepped away from the couch and behind her youngest kids, squatting down and scooping them all up in her arms for a big hug.
Nico stood up, and turned her attention to Nozomi, wearing what could barely be described as a sports goalie outfit: her striped shirt showed more than it covered and her shorts covered almost none of her thighs. As Nozomi struck a pose and grabbed the whistle that dangled from her neck and rested against her chest, Nico couldn't help but feel weird. She tilted her head up so she could face Nozomi, not even thinking about how much more mature she looked.
Nozomi barged forward, her arms extended and ready to embrace Nico. Nico slowly opened her arms for her, and Nozomi crashed into her, suffocating Nico in her bosom. She looked up with frustration; she knew Nozomi couldn't handle being taller or bustier, but it felt like salt in the wound all the same.
"Nicocchi!" Nozomi cried out, "you look so cute!"
Nico grinned. "I know. Where'd you get this outfit from, anyway?"
"Don'tcha know that the school chairwoman's daughter's into fashion design?"
"I did not," Nico replied before pulling away slightly from Nozomi-at least, far enough away from her chest that she wasn't smothered. "Aren't you going to be cold wearing that?"
Nozomi tilted her head. "I brought a coat, Nicocchi." It at least explained why Nozomi wasn't absolutely freezing to the touch. Nico pulled away from the embrace, and Nozomi's arms lingered around her for a second longer. "Should we get goin'?"
"I'm ready if you are," Nico said. She wasn't going to drag her feet through this. She had already done that enough just thinking about this party by herself. It was also difficult to say no to the smile on Nozomi's face, one that grew as she processed Nico's answer and tugged her over to the front door. She had almost forgotten that her family stood right behind her until she heard the chorus of "bye, Nico!" from them.
"Make sure not to be out for too long!"
Nico turned around, and her mother gave her a smile and that characteristic hand symbol: thumb, pointer, and pinky out. Nico gave her the exact same sign back before she put on her coat and kicked on her shoes.
As much as she wanted to wear something a bit thicker, nothing would fit the magical girl aesthetic quite like a pair of nude flats, shoes she wore for college auditions. If Nozomi could suffer baring her midriff in a club for a few hours, she could withstand the cold November night for the duration of a walk to the train station and a walk from the train station nearest the club to her final destination.
Once Nozomi tugged on her coat and zipped it up, covering her Halloween costume with a warm poofy purple, she looked at Nico, busily zipping up her own coat, smaller and pink. Once she finished, she flipped up her coat's hood. Nozomi's hand grazed Nico's, capturing it, and Nico turned to face Nozomi, her expression asking what she was even doing.
"Just so we don't get lost from each other," Nozomi justified.
Nico looked at her for a few seconds, gave her a quick and curt nod, and faced the door once more, grabbing it and pushing it open. The cool night air greeted her cheeks, immediately pinking them. She slipped her hand into her pocket, and let Nozomi lead the way.
"This party sucks."
"Come on, Nicocchi! We're not even in the club yet!"
"I know. That's why it sucks."
It was going to take awhile before they would be entering the club. The large, square, brick building taunted everyone in the line that wrapped around the perimeter of it with flashy, multi-color lights peeking out from foggy windows and a muted, throbbing rhythm of a kick drum to some song Nico could barely make out through the walls. It was oddly attractive; the more she stood next to the door, waiting for the group of gyaru who made Nozomi's costume look wholesome to get with the program and take another step forward, the more she felt anticipation building up inside of her, and it was quickly reaching a fever pitch inside of her. Nico wanted in, but no matter how much she pulled and tugged, Nozomi stayed put, moving only when the line moved in front of her.
"Come on, Nozomi!" Nico groaned. "Do we really have to stand outside like this?"
"If you get out of line, you'll be kicked to the back and it'll take longer. I promise this'll be worth it!"
"I hope it is," Nico sneered.
Nozomi elbowed her. "Once you're indoors," she reasoned, "you won't be outside and waiting. It'll be entirely different!"
"I bet," Nico said, eying the group of girls behind her, girls that looked like they went to an expensive high school without scholarships who were in kind turned away from Nico, flirting with some group of guys that were behind them in line and giggling all the while. If the people that were entering the club were like this, then certainly, Nico would have a bad time. They seemed like the kinds of people who would be mean to her for no reason.
"Nozomi," Nico huffed, "do you know how many people will be here?"
Nozomi pursed her lips in thought. "I think there's gonna be about a thousan' or so." Judging by the line alone, Nico believed it. At the very least, out of those thousand, there was going to be a cavalcade of characters, much more than the sample size of the cliques immediately flanking her, she hoped. It was that hope that led her to step out of line and check out if there was anyone, but she was quickly tugged back in line by Nozomi's hand around her wrist.
"Nicocchi!" Nozomi scolded. "What on Earth are you doing?"
"I'm just seeing who's in line," Nico said, tilting her body so she was technically standing in line, but able to see a few more groups of people ahead. "Is this better?"
Nozomi smiled. "Tell me if you see anyone cute!"
"Trust me," Nico said, looking over her shoulder. "Cuties will come to you. You don't have to actively search people out like I do!"
Nozomi put a hand on Nico's head, giving her a few pats. As embarrassing as it was, it was also incredibly soothing, and before she knew it, she was pushing her head into Nozomi's palm. "You'll find someone, I promise."
Nico understood completely that Nozomi was just saying that to be nice. Even if there were people here who were interested in her, would they even be a good fit? They could have just been guys who saw that she was doing something similar to cosplaying a character from a cartoon and been completely abhorrent because of it. She immediately shook the thought off; that was a worry for when she was an actual official idol. Thinking about otaku could wait. She leaned, using Nozomi's hand in hers as leverage as she desperately sought someone to take her mind off her rancid thoughts.
And two groups ahead of her, Nico found exactly what she was looking for.
She was tall, a whole head taller than the two girls who flanked her. Her hair was a fiery red, hiding the headband that sported two black cat ears. Even from far away, she could feel this mature aura radiating off of her; it felt like she was slightly older than Nico. Yet, none of that really spoke to her like her eyes. Sharp and radiantly purple, even if she were looking at her phone in disinterest Nico felt attracted to the intensity of her glare, even if her lips were sunk in a lazy frown that showed she was barely even thinking.
That distracted, yet focused gaze towards her phone immediately turned into a confused and helpless expression as one of her friends, a thin girl with an orange bob cut, linked arms with her and tugged her forward, her lips parting to let out a surprised gasp. It was honestly really cute, so refreshingly innocent; it was like Nico didn't need to worry about being intimidated by her if she were so easily disarmed.
Nozomi pulled her away from her vantage spot and back into line. Nico yelped, the once-dreamy expression that was on her face immediately turning into an accusatory squint she pointed towards her friend. She swore that if looks could kill, she'd be free from Nozomi's grasp so that she could talk to the mysterious redhead she just saw.
"Hey! What gives?" Nico asked.
Nozomi's smile grew. 'Someone found someone cute, I bet," she replied before motioning towards the line and the gap between them and the group in front of them.
Nico stepped forward. "She was more than cute, Nozomi! I don't know how to put it, but she was just…"
She really wished she had her pen and paper. Words weren't able to capture the redhead's beauty, not to the extent that poetry and music did. There was something so bewitching about her, even through the whiskers below her eyes and the dark spots on her cheeks. She knew that if she could, she could write an entire album's worth of lyrics about her, all without even knowing her name.
...so perfect. Her words weren't even words, whatever huffs of air came out immediately snuffed by the music from the club. Nozomi watched Nico's lips, reading them, and she wrapped an arm around Nico, pulling her in tightly.
"That's so cute!" Nozomi cooed. "I thought ya were gonna have to look all night for someone. Looks like ya got someone already!"
Nico straightened up, her eyebrows furrowing. "Come on, Nozomi!" She whined. "Do you really have to say that?"
"Not my fault you're easy to read, Nicocchi!" Nozomi giggled, resting herself against the club. "Hopefully I can be as lucky with this as you are!"
Nico grimaced, hiding her clenched teeth behind a smile. "I hope so too." Given the redhead's looks, she needed Nozomi's luck. At least, they were about ready to turn the final corner of the club.
Time flew quickly as Nico idled with Nozomi, occasionally leaning out of line so she could take a glimpse of her target. It was so interesting just looking at her, seeing the way she seemed so intent even when it was clear just how bored she was. In one of those glimpses, both of her friends were at one side, and Nico saw exactly where the waistband of her black leggings were. Her legs were endless. The more time passed, the more she saw little things about Maki: her posture, the ease with which she stepped forward like every motion was choreographed, and the more irritated she got when Nico was tugged by Nozomi, all the way until they were stopped by a bouncer at the front of the door.
Nico reached into her bag and pulled out her identification, showcasing her status as a high school student. She was let in, and the warmth of the club welcomed her as much as the blaring lights and deafening rumble of bass. Nozomi was quick to follow her in, where they were immediately greeted to a baggage claim. Nico unzipped her coat and Nozomi did the same, giving the lanky man behind the counter their stuff. After getting numerical slips, they wandered off.
"Well!" Nozomi shouted, trying to be heard over the music. "I'll let ya find your redhead! I'm gonna have some fun!" Nozomi ran off towards the dance floor, leaving Nico alone. She let out a sigh of relief, but she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of how enthusiastically Nozomi was just able to run off like that, like she was really ready to let loose for the night. Yet again, Nozomi was free, able to find someone whom she wanted to find. Nico still had to find the mystery redhead, and thus, Nico walked over to the dance floor.
In the corners of the dance floor were large speakers, subwoofers that came up to Nico's chin topped with two speakers next to one another, each one feeling like it was blaring at max volume. A few meters away from each of them were square cushions which were large enough for Nico to lay upon no matter how she adjusted herself. And in the middle of those was a small group of people, each of them costumed, and she could see Nozomi intermingling with some of them; none of them, though, were the mystery redhead.
Nico sat down on one of the cushions, looking around her seat and wondering if she was just behind her. She was the only person sitting down on her cushion. She looked around at the other cushions and they were even more devoid of life. Even peeking around the ever-growing group of people proved that there was nobody sitting down except herself, and even there, the throbbing of the music was beckoning her to dance. She should have brought earplugs to drown it out.
Regardless, Nico stood up, if only to get away from the blasting music. As she walked between speakers, she saw lights, rows of multicolored lamps flashing different colors and filling the room with its strange, exotic colors. It was almost too loud for her to think about recoiling from the flashing lights. It was abusive to her senses, for sure, but she wanted to do a final scan, hoping that she had missed the redhead on her first pass.
The first pass became the second, and the second became the fifth, all without a sign of her. There wasn't a single pair of black cat ears atop radiantly red locks that she could see, nor was there that oddly mature aura that surrounded her; it had been all swallowed up by the aggregating crowd senselessly pursuing itself and consolidating into an amalgamation of sweat. She could completely understand why the mysterious redhead wasn't showing her face, and it was far beyond Nico being too short to scan the crowd and find her. Someone of her caliber and dignity didn't deserve to be a part of that mess.
The redhead was a woman like Nozomi, but that was the one similarity they had.
Nico claimed defeat in her search with a groan, falling onto the closest cushion she could find. Her fingers gripped onto the white leather covering, feeling its oddly rough but smooth texture. It didn't matter to her that the bass was boosting directly into her ears; it was better than exposing herself to the heat from the pile of bodies in the middle of the floor, which had become egregious enough for Nico to feel from her distance away. The redhead would find her way to the dance floor in time, and Nico needed not worry about it.
The leather cushion rose from under Nico, and she looked around, wondering who had joined her. The aggrieved tone she was about to give to her guest was neutered immediately when she saw who it was: it was the redhead, clad in her black shirt and leggings, with a cup of dark brown soda in her hand. She knew it from the marks on her face, the intense and disinterested glare, those radiant sharp and purple eyes. It was almost like a miracle had happened, and Nico had received her wish. She kept staring, hoping that the redhead didn't mind being stared at.
The redhead's lips wrapped around the straw, sucking down a bit of her drink, before pulling away and noticing Nico staring at her in the corner of her eye. She turned to face her, staring directly into her eyes. It might have been the heat, or it might have been the staring, but Nico felt a surge of warmth rush through her spine.
"Can I help you?" The redhead asked, slight irritation in her voice. What a way to introduce herself. Such a beautiful voice, but at the same time, so pointed, provoked, like Nico missed an undercurrent of bitterness in her aura the first few glances she got of her. Yet again, she didn't know whom she was dealing with, did she?
"How are you enjoying the party?" Nico asked, filling the silence between them with something besides club music cranked a bit too high.
She gave a shrug. "I'm not really into partying. I just had a few friends who pressured me into trying this one."
Nico's smile grew slightly. "Same here. I had my wrist twisted by my best friend to come here. It's much more her thing than it is mine." She gestured to the crowd, and Nozomi peeked out of it for a few seconds before slipping back in. "She's the girl in the referee costume," Nico said, giving air quotes for what Nozomi excused her costume as.
The redhead kicked her legs out. Nico didn't even bother mirroring the motion; they were so much longer than hers. "Seems like she's having fun, though. I hope Rin and Hanayo are having fun…"
Nico tilted her head. "Who?"
"They're the friends that dragged me here." She said, a slight flush forming in her cheeks as she realized she hadn't even introduced herself. "I'm Nishikino Maki, by the way." Maki's lips curled into a slight smile, much more inviting than how she was before.
"Like, the Nishikino?" Nico asked, not realizing that it would be a question that left Maki glaring at her disapprovingly. If she were someone with a name like Nishikino, she would have worn it with pride, but it seemed like a sore spot for Maki.
"Yes," she said, annoyance clear in her tone. "The Nishikino. I'd prefer if we didn't talk about that, though."
"I'm Yazawa Nico-N-" Nico stopped herself before she could go on, realizing that she was talking to a potential suitor. "I'm a third year student at Otonokizaka. What about you?"
"I'm a first year at UTX."
Nico's eyes widened. Maki was a first year? With her build? With her mature aura? She was two years younger than Nico? Well, if she was a first year, it made sense that she'd be going to UTX of all schools. It made her think of the rejection letter she got from that school personally.
"I wanted to go to Otonokizaka," Maki said, "but my parents made me go to UTX because it has a better chance of me ending up going to a high-tier medical school."
"But you're going to UTX!" Nico remarked. None of what Maki said was making any sense, but it made for great conversation; it was definitely better than being out there, grinding against some nobody she didn't know. "Why would you want to go to Otonoki?"
"The atmosphere." Maki said. "UTX is incredibly cutthroat. It reminds me of all the stress I have from my parents about doing the best that I can do and forcing me to do something I don't want to do."
Nico breathed in, ready to reply to her answer, but the more she thought about it, the more thought-out it seemed. It was surprisingly mature.
"My parents think I'm out at the library studying, actually," Maki added. "They'd kill me if they knew that I was doing something like this. And even if I don't really like partying," she said, taking a pause and reaching for one of Nico's hands, "it's nice being able to do something that I wanted to try out."
Nico smiled, resting one of her hands against Maki's. She looked down, seeing how large her hands were, fingers long and elegant. Nico pulled her hand away, not wanting to show Maki just how much her hand was dwarfed by Maki's. "I see. I'm glad my mama was understanding enough to let me go without much complaint." She said, kicking her legs out as far as she could.
"I wish my parents were like that," Maki replied.
"Well, uh, maybe you can meet mine sometime."
Nico hadn't even realized what she said until the words had come out, her eyes growing wide as Maki cocked an eyebrow, as if she were wondering if she heard Nico's comment correctly. As she recognized what she said, Maki's eyebrows furrowed.
"You can't just ask something like that!" She said. "What's with you?"
As quickly as Maki took the offensive, Nico did as well. "Hey! It's not my fault that I think of you as a friend!"
It was a good save, and one that gave her the momentum as the only reply Maki could give was a "ueh!?" Nico smiled as Maki's gaze looked elsewhere, her own not moving from Maki's eyes.
"That's cool, right? If we can see each other more often?" Nico asked, her voice softening as she spoke each word. She couldn't believe what she was saying. It felt miraculous, being able to express herself like that and make clear what she really wanted from her. She wanted to close the distance. She wanted to spend more time with her.
She wanted to be with her.
"I guess…" Maki mumbled, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the music.
"What was that?" Nico asked, leaning in. "It's too loud in here!"
"I said I'd be fine with it!" Maki yelled, her voice pointed but loud enough to be heard clearly.
Nico smiled. "Sounds good to me! What's your number?"
Maki reached up with one of her hands to idly twirl one of her locks. "I'll give it to you when we leave here."
"Are you willing to promise that?" Nico asked, lifting one of her hands and sticking out her pinky finger. "Like, pinky promise it?"
"Eh?" Maki asked, the spinning of her finger in her hair speeding up slightly. Maki's cheeks grew even redder, until they matched the color of her hair, and her gaze was lost, confused, even. She was on the back foot, and Nico stepped forward by giving her a smile, turning her wrist and leading her pinky with it.
After a few seconds, Maki nervously pulled her hand away from her hair to interlock her pinky with Nico's. Nico curled her pinky around Maki's, her smile growing as she looked at Maki's flushed face. She was trying to express some kind of expression between confusion, disgust, and comfort, her finger curling around Nico's with the same kind of intensity Nico would have given coloring with her siblings.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Nico asked, tilting her head as she pulled her hand away from Maki's. "It's a bit, well."
"Stuffy? Loud? Annoying?" Maki rattled a few answers to her question, each one as correct as the one prior. Nico hummed, barely audible over the throbbing music.
"Any of those," she remarked, giving a slight shrug. "I think I found the best thing this club has to offer."
"Eh!" Maki's noise was one which was a mixture of adoration and disgust; the smile she wanted to give by being told something so cute was muted by just how cheesy it sounded to her. She flushed redder, returned her hand to her locks, and looked away. Nico kept looking at her, the nervousness that coursed through Maki, the way she darted her eyes around the room looking for something else to look at. She was just so beautiful, even as she idled around. It was like Nico was staring at an angel, and not one of those from those really boring and insane texts that made angels out to be ugly.
Maki was a halo-wearing angel who wore a white gown despite being in a black shirt and leggings.
Nico reached forward, but Maki batted her hand away. "What are you doing?" Maki asked.
"I'm gonna see if there's anywhere in this club that's a bit more quiet than here. I'm getting a headache." Nico said, grabbing the smacked hand with her other hand, dramatically over-nursing her injury.. "Want to come with?" Nico tilted her head and gave her a wide smile, one that she hoped would convince Maki to join her.
Maki stood up and stayed put, looking at Nico sitting next to her. "Well, I might as well," she said, tapping her foot against the floor as she waited for Nico to stand up next to her. "I should probably talk with Rin and Hanayo and see if they're fine with me doi-"
"Relax, Maki," Nico said. "You're at the club. It's a place where you're meant to let loose. At least, that's what Nozomi told me."
"Nozomi?" Maki asked.
"The friend that dragged me here."
Maki nodded idly. "I see."
"Anyway," Nico said, grabbing Maki by the wrist and tugging her forward. "Let's explore!"
As Nico roamed the perimeter of the dance floor, she realized that there really wasn't much of anything that she could explore. Attached by a few staircases was a bar, which had a few people leaning against it. It was the first place-the only place from where she was-where she could go which wasn't the floor, and with Maki's wrist in her hand, she led her there, despite the pleas from Maki that she already had a drink in her hand, even if it was almost gone.
"Where else is there to go besides here?" Nico asked, motioning around the bar. In one direction, there was the dance floor, where Nico really didn't want to go again; even if the bar wasn't that far away, she could feel some level of peace of mind coming to her, the air less heavy with the scent of a combination of different body odors and heats. In the other direction, though, there was a long hall, one that seemed to lead to a staircase once far enough to the left, and a door that was opened on the right. Nico peeked, seeing that it was opening up to what was probably an outdoor smoking section for an adult night out; for them, it was probably just a place to get some fresh air.
"There, for once," Maki pointed at the door Nico was staring at before moving the arm Nico grabbed at, mockingly pulling her. "Shall we?" Maki asked, a small smirk playing on the corners of her lips that Nico found simply irresistible.
"Good idea," Nico said, letting Maki take the lead as she wandered towards the outdoor area, following a few steps behind. It was like a dream; she didn't think when she first saw her that she'd be taking her somewhere. Yet, as the cool air grazed her sweat-drenched skin, it was a reality. The outdoor area was pretty small, barricaded by a wooden fence with a cement floor. In the corner, there was an electronic piano, one similar to the one she spent all her after-school time playing on, finding the best chords to her songs, or plucking out melodies.
Nico didn't need any of that. Maki was a treasure trove of songs, and as she saw the piano, she tugged her towards it.
"You play, too?" Maki asked as they reached the piano, sitting down on the left side of the piano bench.
"A bit," Nico said, walking over towards the right side of the bench and sitting down. The throbbing bass was still a nuisance, but there was enough silence in the air that, when Nico pressed the power button and tapped a few keys, she could hear the piano. She turned to look at Maki with a small smile. "But I'd love to play for you. I'm a singer, after all."
"Really?" Maki asked, resting a shoulder on the keyboard right next to the keys. "I'd love to hear it," she said, leaning onto the piano.
Nico cleared her throat, and found her first chord. As she pushed the keys down, and they sounded, she looked at Maki, and started singing.
"I love you, hooray!"
As Nico sang her song, she slowly plucked out her chords, feeling her heart race and her hands become shaky. It was an original song, one that she didn't realize the words, melody, or chords to until she sang them and played them. She ran entirely on the desire she had to make Maki happy, to impress this beautiful UTX student enough for her to see each other on equal footing, and with a love song, all on top of that. The one song style she never thought she'd be able to sing, and she did it, on the fly. Even if it were only for twelve bars, Nico felt tired after she finished, a half-minute of music feeling like hours to play, her emotions all condensed in one chorus.
And Maki clapped, a smile on her face. "That's really pretty," she said.
"Thank you!" Nico said, scooting slightly so she could listen to Maki play. "Can I hear you play a bit?"
Maki flushed, but she leaned towards the center of the piano, her right foot searching for a pedal. After a few frustrated taps and nothing found, she started anyway.
Maki's hands were unfollowable and the music was simply amazing, far beyond what she had expected to hear from her. It astonished her the way she played, taking control of the entire keyboard and bending it to her will. It was such a far cry from the chords she played to accompany herself, and the music she played was simply beautiful; she wasn't just showing off how fast her hands could play. She was showing off her talent, her dedication and love for the piano, all in about a minute's worth of music.
Nico clapped. It'd be wrong not to clap. Even if she were a stranger to Nico, Nico would have clapped. "That was amazing!"
Maki nodded. "Thank you. I wish I could play piano more, but my parents aren't fans of me doing it."
"Why not?" Nico asked.
"Why do you want to know?" Maki shot back, irritation clear in her voice. It was enough to stun Nico, leaving her wordless. As Maki looked at her expression, her countenance soon mirrored Nico's, a mixture of shock and sadness. Still, she held herself tall.
"Sorry…" Nico whimpered. "I really am."
As much as Maki looked like she wanted to stay indignant, something caught the better of her, and she slumped. "I'm not really used to having people talk with me. I'm sorry about that."
"Hey, it's fine!" Nico said. "I didn't know I was hitting a sore spot."
Maki gave her a small smile. "Maybe when we get to know each other better, we'll be able to talk about it." She rested her hand atop Nico's, completely covering it.
"You think so?" Nico asked.
"I know so." Maki said, her smile growing. As Nico looked at her, and the confidence she radiated in her smile, she smiled back, growing slightly wider than Maki's.
The biggest night of her life was closed off with Maki's hand in hers, with them idly sitting next to each other, only moving to scoot closer to each other.
"Did ya get to meet up with the redhead?"
Nozomi's question lingered through the cool air, the excitement in her voice almost tangible to the touch. It had been the first question Nozomi had asked Nico since they left the club, the silence between the two of them palpable throughout their time walking to the closest station and riding the train (although the silence on the train was much more out of courtesy to the others). Now that they were finally out of the station closest to their homes, Nozomi felt it was a good idea to start conversation.
"Her name is Maki," Nico replied, thumbing through her phone. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in talking with her best friend; rather, she was pulling out her contact, proof that she had indeed spent her time with her. She gave Nozomi her phone with the contact,complete with a picture of her looking three-quarters at the camera, tilted to the left, against the wooden backdrop of the outdoor area of the club.
"Lemme see!" Nozomi cooed as she grabbed Nico's phone from her hand and checked out her photo, her name, and everything else. "The Nishikino?" Nozomi asked.
"Yes," Nico sighed. "Don't mention it to her, though. She feels the name's a bit of a burden."
"I'd see it as a burden too, if I had a last name like that," Nozomi replied before focusing on Nico's phone, tapping at it rampantly for a few seconds, enough time for Nico to show some concern.
"What are you doing, Nozomi?" Nico asked.
"I just sent her a text, Nicocchi!" Nozomi said, giving back her phone with pride. Nico's eyes widened and she looked at her phone screen, seeing the message Nozomi sent her.
I had so much fun Maki-chan!
"Maki-chan?" Nico asked, noting the honorific. "Do I call anyone -chan, Nozomi?"
"Come on," Nozomi whined, her voice equally teasing and helpful. "I wanted to make it look like you had some real fun!"
"I'm sure Maki will buy that excuse." Nico said, returning her attention to her screen. She knew the route to her apartment by heart, so she let her feet walk while she put her attention to her phone screen and Nozomi, ever the helper. Part of her wanted to scream at her, but that part was quickly muffled when her phone vibrated in her hand.
I had fun too.
Nozomi looked over Nico's shoulder, reading the message on her phone. "Looks like she liked it, Nicocchi. Hopefully you and Maki-chan," Nozomi said, emphasizing that honorific, "get to talk again sometime soon."
After a bit more walking, Nico glanced over to Nozomi. Her fists were balled up right next to her chest, her body wiggling slightly with each step she took. As much as she knew it was a good thing, it was slightly concerning to see.
"Nozomi?" Nico asked. "You're scaring me."
"But I told you the party would be worth it, and I was right!" Nozomi said, almost like she had made a bet with her and won. "You got to meet Maki, and honestly, she looks really cute! You two would be a great match!"
Nico rolled her eyes, although she really appreciated the thought. "What about you, Nozomi? Did you talk with anyone or get anyone's number?"
"There was this one girl that I got a number from. She's tall and apparently she goes to UTX. Her name's Eli, and she's blonde and has really good legs..." Nozomi trailed off in her thoughts.
"That's enough from you, Nozomi. I'm glad you found someone there."
"Thank you, Nicocchi!"
"Don't mention it. Like, seriously, don't." Nico said as they came to a fork in the road. Nico pointed in the direction that didn't lead to her place. "Isn't your apartment this way?"
Nozomi tilted her head before looking down the path. She turned to face Nico and gave her a nod. "Well, I'm off! Tell the kids I say hi!"
"I will," Nico said, watching as Nozomi went down her own path. Nico continued down her own, not stopping until she reached home. Once she was at her place, she opened the door, the warm air grazing her cheeks; it felt so good to be home.
"I'm home!" Nico said, her voice loud enough to get her mother's attention, but quiet enough not to wake her siblings. Kicking her shoes off and closing the door behind her, she walked into the main room, making a beeline for her room.
"Welcome home!" Her mom said from the couch. "Did you have fun?"
"Tons," Nico replied as she opened the door and slipped into her room. She knew that she'd have to talk about it later, but for now, all that was on her mind was the text message Maki sent her, her phone screen brightening up her room until the moment she turned on her light.
She took her socks off and stripped out of her outfit, putting it away in her wardrobe. She grabbed an oversized tee-shirt and threw it on, letting it stand as her pajamas for the night. Then, she turned her focus to her phone once more, looking at the message. She wandered to her desk and sat down on her chair, deciding the best move was to just go for it.
You want to hang out sometime soon?
Putting her phone down, she looked at the notebook tucked in the corner of her desk. She grabbed it, along with a pencil nearby, and got to work. Just the thought of Maki made it easy for her to remember the words that came so easily to her when she serenaded her, the melody coming just as naturally to her. Even if she didn't have sheet music to write it down, the lyrics, she hoped, were enough to help her. Either way, she put the chords above the lyrics, in case she needed to remember.
As she finished her chorus, her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and read the message.
You're so forward.
Nico pouted, but she was working on another message.
Does next Saturday work for you?
Nico's pout immediately became a smile. That was what she wanted to see. Her serenade wooed Maki, even if she had immediately discredited it; she sang it to her, and as sheltered as she was, it was clear that she had some sort of adoration of what she did.
She was planning her first date with Maki. She wasn't going to call it that in front of her, though.
Sounds great to me! See you Saturday!