Yume was smiling her familiar giddy smile, her butt practically bouncing in her seat with excitement.
"Big news about tomorrow! You'll never guess!" she told their gathered group of five.
"What is it?" Mahiru's "get to the point" tone brought a pout to Yume's pink lips, but her voice remained just as enthusiastic as she continued.
"Well I messaged the Venus Ark girls, and it turns out they're able to get the time off too! They're coming on our trip!"
"That gets me going!" Laura replied quickly.
"Mm, that's great," Koharu agreed with a gentle smile.
"Yeah, why not?" Mahiru chimed in, starting to sound a little excited herself.
Only one of them hadn't weighed in on the news, and little by little every other head turned in the direction of the pretty theatre club member with long red hair, expertly formed as always into the shape of a bow atop her head.
"...Ako-chan?" Koharu eventually asked.
"Hm?" She played dumb even as her face went and betrayed her, a frown playing on her lips, and her cheeks quickly starting to blush.
"How do you feel if some Venus Ark girls come on our trip?"
"Fine! W-why should I mind if some Venus Ark girls come?" she answered, the strain in her voice obvious.
"Reeeally. Even Kirara-chan?" Laura prodded with a smirk.
At that point Ako's face finished turning the colour of her hair. Her fingers dug into her skirt under the table, so that they wouldn't form into a claw shape and get pointed Laura's way.
"Nnnya?! I certainly couldn't care less about whether *she* is coming!"
Yume didn't even blink. "I'm sorry, Ako-chan. I thought it'd be fun!"
"F-fun?!" she questioned incredulously, before she could stop herself. Great, now even her mouth was betraying her.
"Ako-chan, kawaii!" Koharu chimed. Ako's fingers gripped the fabric of her skirt harder, and her frown deepened. It quickly became too much for her.
"She's a brand thief! An idol pirate from that accursed ship! The enemy!"
Yume's big brown eyes shifted to concern.
"Uuu... I knew I shouldn't have invited her..."
"No, it is fine," declared Ako, quickly and shakily standing up. "I shall simply withdraw my own attendance." She kept her face as stoic as she could (not particularly), her heart thumping violently in her chest.
"Ako-chan!"
"Ako!"
The girls called out to her, but she turned with a dramatic flourish, and started clomping away stiffly in the heels of her S4 uniform. A set of looks of exasperation and disbelief were shared around the table, before their faces turned to the fleeing redhead. Watching as Ako glanced back over her shoulder, saw them all looking at her, and snapped her head back straight with a "Hmph!" they could hear in their heads.
Mahiru shook her head, fingers pressed to her forehead in stress. Laura's frustration manifest in a hand pushed through her long pink hair. Yume slumped forwards in her seat, resting her head on the table. Only Koharu's face remained calm, showing a placid sort of smile.
"What do we do?" Yume whined.
"Do we really have to pick one to go?" Laura asked.
"We shouldn't *have to*," Mahiru complained. "Isn't she being a bit too childish?"
"Ako-chan says things like that. I don't think she means it," Koharu suggested.
"Maybe..." Laura cautiously agreed. "But is she going to stop meaning it by tomorrow?"
A proper smile broke out onto Koharu's face. "Oh, I think so!"
"How can you be sure?" Laura asked. Yume lifted her head, hope breaking through onto her face.
"Juuust a feeling." There was a mysterious edge to Koharu's voice, a conspiratorial sparkle in her violet eyes.
Laura looked blankly back at her, paused for a few seconds. Then she suddenly broke into a grin. "That gets me going!"
Ako flopped herself into bed, exhausted. It had been such a long day filming Ako Nyan Nyan, practising the choreography for a new song, and training in the gymnasium that she'd barely had time to think about the situation from that morning. Now that she had a moment to herself though, even the M4 posters on her wall weren't enough to keep the cloud over her head away. She stared at Subaru's perfect face, but felt nothing. Couldn't even bring herself to grumble internally about Kanata's smug, disarming smile. All she could think about was Kirara.
Why did she have to be coming? Ako had been looking forward to this trip ever since Yume had first suggested it, some time up in the mountains absolutely what she needed after the last few months of busy aikatsu. Even Mahiru's filling up the schedule with a bunch of outdoor activities hadn't managed to dampen her enthusiasm. Kirara coming, though, was unacceptable. What was that pastel-haired airhead going to bring to the trip anyway, other than trouble? Probably just wanted to come rub Fuwa Fuwa dream in her face some more, condescend her with more stupid cat toys...
Ako dug her fingers hard into Subaru-kyun, hugging the plush doll to her chest. "Aaaah, she's so irritating!" she said out loud.
"Who is?" The familiar voice came from the door, soon followed by a knock. Ako sighed. If it had been anyone else, she'd have angrily told them to stop eavesdropping and let her get some sleep, with all of her usual fluster. Instead she rose back up onto her feet and padded over to unlock the door. "Come in, Koharu."
"Good evening, Ako-chan." Koharu stood there in the doorway, dressed in slippers and a pair of sky blue pyjamas, printed with clouds and stars. Ako too was wearing her sleepwear, a tiny pair of shorts and a button-up shirt both in pale pink and trimmed in white, a little detail of a cat's face on one side of the chest of her top. "I'm coming in." Koharu gave a quiet rendition of the set phrase, and entered. Then she strode on over to Ako's bed, sat down on the edge of it, and patted a spot next to her. "Come sit."
Ako reddened a little. Since when was Koharu this direct? She remained staring near the doorway, watching the violet-haired girl warily. The events from that morning played over again in her head. It wasn't until a good five seconds later that she started to cross the room toward the offered seat on the bed, gingerly sitting herself down next to Koharu in a fashion much like a shy kitten.
It was even longer before either girl spoke.
"You seem... different." Ako broke the silence.
"Do I?"
"Yeah. I guess you grew up over there on Venus Ark."
"And you haven't changed a bit, Ako-chan."
Was that a jab? Ako didn't give it her usual reaction. "Humu..." She let herself lay backwards onto the bed, her legs still left bent over the edge. She stared at the ceiling, slowly allowing her aquamarine eyes to close. Thinking, but saying nothing.
"Hnnya?!" Her eyes suddenly shot back open as she felt Koharu's hand on her tummy, resting there gently. It shouldn't have surprised her, they'd always been a touchy-feely pair of friends, at least in private. It had never felt like this before, though. Her body tingled, uncomfortably, and the redness of her cheeks spread rapidly across her face, seeping all the way back to her ears. What was going on with her?
Whatever it was, she had to shift her focus. Even if it meant starting the conversation she'd been dreading. "I suppose you're here to convince me to go on the trip tomorrow."
"I'm here because I'm your friend, Ako-chan."
"...thanks." Ako could barely enunciate the word, suddenly hit by another wave of guilty recollection of how she'd acted that morning. She went quiet again.
"Hey. Sit up." Koharu's hand gave Ako's stomach a tap to emphasise the request. There were no doubts at that point - Koharu was definitely being more assertive!
Ako did as suggested, and immediately felt the weight beside her start to shift. Koharu moved to sit behind her, one leg on either side of her hips. Then the designer's hands grasped Ako's shoulders, and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"Nyaaa..." She had forgotten how good this felt.
"You really don't want her to come?"
"No," Ako admitted. Few were the secrets that could be kept from a Koharu backrub.
"Why not? She's really crazy about you, you know..."
"She just acts like that because she knows it gets to me!"
Koharu responded with a gentle laugh from behind her. "Is that what you think?" Her fingers dug carefully into Ako's shoulderblades, and the redhead just about purred as she felt the physical stresses of the long day melt away.
"Of course! She took Fuwa Fuwa Dream, and now just holds it in front of my face!"
"Oh? I thought she wanted to be double muses with you." There was a hint of superiority to Koharu's tone, the girl clearly trying to make a point.
"O-only after she stole it away from me first!"
"Didn't she win it fair and square?" More of that knowing tone. If not for how wonderful the backrub felt, Ako might have gotten angry. "The way I see it, you're ruining this trip for yourself, just because your rival is coming."
"Of course I am! Who wants their rival to come on a trip with them?"
"Yume-chan and Laura-chan don't seem to mind."
"But that... that's completely different!"
"Who's making it different? You, or Kirara-chan?"
Ako closed her eyes, her breath escaping her mouth in a defeated sigh. She'd never thought about it like that, and the more she did, the more she thought Koharu might even be right. She usually was. "...fine. I get your point."
Koharu's thumbs worked in small circles, starting just on either side of a point perhaps about midway down Ako's spine. The bow-haired girl sighed again, but this time it was more of a sound of contentment.
"You don't have to like her, just... try to be nice to her, okay? For me?"
Those last two words caught Ako off guard. Why did Koharu care so much about it? And why did she have to ask like that, knowing she'd never say no?
"I guess it can't be helped," Ako delivered one of her catchphrases, but without its usual passion. Still, she brightened a little.
Koharu smiled behind her. "After all, it'd be a shame to let some girl mess up your time off with your friends."
Ako groaned, face re-reddening. "How did they take it?"
"Honestly? They'd probably all go without you."
Ako pouted. "Choosing the Venus Ark girls over me? Well, let them! I didn't want to go any- mph!"
She suddenly found Koharu's hand pressed over her mouth, cutting off her words. She shivered at the electric sensation of touch to her lips.
"Don't be silly. We all want you to come. Are you really going to let someone like Kirara stop you?"
The hand left Ako's lips, and more of her fire returned to her. "As if I, Ako Saotome, would ever! And after the trip, I shall take back Fuwa Fuwa Dream!"
Koharu gave a defeated chuckle. "Alright."
"Koharu?"
"Mm?"
"Thanks for always looking out for me."
"You're so cute, Ako-chan."
The two girls remained there on the edge of Ako's bed a little longer, the massage continuing until the redhead caught her head starting to nod. She was asleep the moment Koharu encouraged her head to the pillow.