So since it's Valentine's Day... I thought this chapter would be suitable to post, even though I wasn't planning to upload this today. Oh well, better for you all!

I do not own Aikatsu Stars!

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"Laura."

Laura paused and turned around. "What is it, Yume?"

Yume twisted her fingers around as a nervous habit. "I… When we were watching Subaru and Ako…" Laura raised an eyebrow. "I had a weird feeling in my chest."

Laura and Mahiru glanced at each other.

"It didn't hurt," Yume added. "But, it happened every time I looked at them…" She stared up at Laura and Mahiru. "Do I not like Ako anymore?"

Laura and Mahiru deadpanned.

"I don't think that's the case…" Laura replied. She shook her head. "It can't be because of Ako."

Yume's eyes softened. "Thank goodness! I don't know what I would have done." She sighed in relief.

"Maybe it was Subaru that made you feel like that?" Mahiru commented.

Yume's eyes widened. "Subaru? Does that mean I don't like him?"

Mahiru's eye twitched.

Laura sighed and put her hand on Yume's shoulder. "No, Yume. You still like Subaru. I don't know but…" Laura glanced at Mahiru. "Maybe you like him more than you thought."

Yume blinked. "Huh?"

Laura shook her head and stepped away. "Come on, let's go."

She and Mahiru went off.

"H-hey, Laura! Mahiru!" Yume pouted. "I don't understand." She moaned.

Laura sighed and turned her head to Yume. "We don't know either, Yume. You have to figure this out for yourself." With that, she walked away again.

Yume blinked. She still didn't understand. What Laura said. Did she really like Subaru more? Could you like someone more than you already do? To like someone… Yume thought of Ako again. She liked Subaru, right? Maybe she started liking Subaru the same way Ako liked him! Of course. Now she had to go talk to Ako!

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A knock came from the door.

Ako rose to her feet and went to open it.

"Yume?" Ako blinked. "What is it?"

Yume played with her fingers in front of her. "I wanted to check up on you… are you okay?"

Ako's face fell. She turned her gaze away. "Thank you, Yume. But… I'm still a little confused."

Yume's expression dropped. "Oh, I see."

Ako stepped back awkwardly. "Well, if that is all-"

"No!"

"Huh?" Ask blinked. "What is it?"

Yume looked up shyly at Ako. "Can I… talk to you?"

Ako realized that the blonde was being serious about something. She stepped aside and let her enter. Yume went inside and sat down on the bottom bunk. Ako went over to a chair and pulled it around to sit facing her.

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Um… Ako…" Yume finally spoke.

Ako silently watched her.

"You like Subaru, right?" Yume asked.

Ako's face flushed immediately. "Wh-what?" She shrieked.

Yume waved her hands. "You talk about him a lot and you say that you do, right?"

Ako cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh yea. I-I don't know." She raised her eyes to look at Yume. "What- what does this have to do with anything, anyways?" She shouted.

Yume leaned forward and grabbed Ako's hands, staring into her eyes. "I think I like Subaru."

Ako's eyes widened. "What?" She squawked.

Yume nodded. "Yea… I was telling Laura ad Mahiru about how I felt when I was looking at Subaru, and they said that I might like him more than I think. I… don't really understand, but I thought of you!"

"M-me?" Ako yelped.

"Yea," Yume continued. "Because you like him too! So can you help me?"

Ako blinked. "What do you want help with?"

"How do I know if I like him?" Yume asked.

Ako lowered her gaze and stared at her feet. She cleared her throat. "Wh-when you like someone…your heart beats faster. At the sight of them, at the sound of their voice." Yume's breath hitched, but Ako continued. "You want their attention. You want them to see you." Ako thought of all the times she dressed up for Subaru. "You'll want to see them more often. You're happy and content when they're around you." Ako's mind drifted to the time Kanata followed her around on her free day, and how her attitude changed by the end of the day. "You can get comfortable around them." Yume thought of the most recent time she fell on Subaru and how they sat together. "And… you like everything about them, even if they're flawed." Ako finished softly, imagining Subaru, but also Kanata.

Yume stared at her hands. What Ako said… it felt like what she felt with Subaru.

Ako snapped her head up suddenly, her face a bright red. "B-b-but I don't know th-that well! So don't t-take my word for it, okay!"

Yume smiled at Ako. "I see."

Ako stared at how calm Yume seemed and gulped. "Yume… I don't think you understand."

Yume tilted her head. "Huh?"

"I mean, do you know what liking someone means?" Ako asked again.

Yume frowned lightly. "You just told me…"

Ako shook her head. "No, to like someone." Yume still had a confused look. Ako sighed. "When you like like someone, you want to be with them."

Yume frowned harder. "I don't understand."

"It's like your parents!" Ako said finally. "Your parents like each other!"

Yume's eyes widened. Her face began to burn. "O-oh! Like that?"

Ako nodded.

"And that's what it's like to like someone?" Yume asked again.

Ako nodded once more. "Do… do you get it now?"

Yume nodded quickly. "Yes! I think I do!" She stood up. "I think I'll go to my room now…"

Ako stood up with her. "Wait, Yume."

Yume turned to watch Ako, as she suddenly pulled something out of her desk's shelf. She handed it to Yume.

"Here, go read these." Ako instructed.

Yume blinked at the items. "Magazines?"

Ako flushed. "Yes!" She pushed Yume, towards the door. "Don't tell anyone about this! Good night!"

She slammed the door, leaving Yume out in the hallway. Yume stared at the shut door for a moment before looking at the magazines in her hands. On the cover was M4. Yume raised an eyebrow. "Why does she want me to read this?" She muttered, wondering. Yume just shook her head and took the magazines with her back to her room.

Back inside her room, Ako leaned her back against the door, breathing heavily. That was definitely the strangest conversation she's ever had with someone.

She got up and moved to her desk again. Ako sat down and folded her arms, leaning her head on them. She gazed at the items on her desk. Her eyes caught a glint of something bright orange. Hanging off of a hook on the wall, was a small cat shaped charm. Ako's eyes widened when she spotted it, and her face burned again. Slowly she reached out to it, taking the charm into her palm. She rolled it around in her hand, watching it.

Ako closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the cat figure. Soon, she drifted off to slumber, with figures dancing on her mind.

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Ahhhh You guys are going to have to have some patience because I am running out of chapters! Haha, I'm like, half way through chapter 45, but that arc is going to get a little complicated? I think? So I'll need more time to work on it. As always, thanks for reading!