"It sure is beautiful today, isn't it, Tsubaki?" Aoi smiled, eyes closed, basking in the golden glow of the sun. It was the first time in about a week that the sky hadn't been a dreary, endless gray-white. How perfect and fitting it was that on Valentine's Day, the sun would at last peek through the clouds to smile upon them. But if anyone had asked Tsubaki, Aoi was the most beautiful thing about that day. The thought made Tsubaki blush, but she didn't have it in her to deny the feeling. Aoi was beautiful, inside and out. She radiated warmth and light just like—
"Wooaahhh!" Tsubaki's thoughts, and Aoi's "sunbathing", were cut short by a startled shriek several feet behind them. They whipped around to see Towa Hanamaki slipping and sliding her way down the sidewalk on some of the ice that still hadn't melted from the past week.
"Honestly, Towa, I told you not to run so—Gah!" Noa sighed, but Towa wasn't listening. In her panic, she grabbed onto the first thing she could to steady herself. Unfortunately, that thing just so happened to be Noa. Soon, they were both slipping and sliding down the sidewalk, repeatedly bumping into one another in attempt to not fall flat on their faces on the cold, hard concrete.
Eventually, Noa managed to run into the side of a building (intentionally) in order to stop their forward momentum. Both of the Photon Maidens trembled and panted, but it didn't take long for Noa to go right back to chastising Towa.
"Towa! You nearly made both of us crash!"
"Sorry! I needed something to steady myself!"
"And you thought my arm was a good idea?!"
"In my defense, I was panicking," Towa pouted and crossed her own arms. "I wasn't exactly thinking clearly!"
"You don't say?" Noa snorted, rolling her eyes.
As they continued to bicker and banter, walking past Aoi and Tsubaki without even noticing, Aoi and Tsubaki exchanged mildly concerned looks. They were just like an old married couple, weren't they?
ooo
"Hey, hey, Miiko!" Kurumi grabbed the other girl's hand and pointed to the nearby candy store. Because it was Valentine's Day, there were all sorts of new, fancy candies on display. "Let's go in!"
"Oooh, looks sooo yummy!" Miiko clapped excitedly, more than happy to allow Kurumi to drag her inside.
"Two of everything, please!" Kurumi cried excitedly, slapping a handful of bills and coins on the counter. The cashier's eyes and mouth went wide and his shoulders slumped, but Kurumi and Miiko were paying customers, so…
"Mmm! Try this one, Miiko!" Kurumi held out a small truffle to her friend. "It's got some really sweet, yummy caramel inside!"
"Ahh!" Miiko opened her mouth and Kurumi playfully placed the candy on her tongue. Miiko chomped down happily on the confection, but a second later, her face contorted in surprise and she stuck her tongue back out with the candy still on it. That wasn't caramel! It was… a vaguely spicy jelly. For a moment, she could only stand there, dumbfounded. But when Kurumi started pointing and laughing, Miiko couldn't help but join in too. She always found Kurumi's pranks so silly! And while they were laughing, another couple entered the store.
"Just try not to go too crazy, ok, Towa?" Noa sighed as she held the door open for the other girl.
Towa tripped over the threshold but managed not to go flying. "Just who do you think I am, Noa?" she complained, hands on her hips. "I'm not gonna—OHMYGOSH, NOA, LOOK! CANDIES SHAPED LIKE LITTLE CREPES!"
Unbelievable… Noa slapped her forehead, but when she removed her hand from her face and looked in the direction of the candy-crepes, she just so happened to notice… "KAWAIIIII!"
"Huh?" Towa looked over her shoulder, face suddenly warm. Was Noa talking about her? No, Noa was looking just slightly past… "Oh, Noa, no!" Towa sighed and shook her head, but it was already too late. Noa went barreling past her excitedly.
"KURUMIII! MIIKO! KAWAIIIIII!"
"Noa! Down! Bad girl!" Towa went chasing after her, but all of her admonishments were completely lost on Noa. The poor cashier looked seconds away from resigning. He was certainly questioning all of his life decisions that led him to working an extra shift on Valentine's Day. Watching two highschoolers acting just like an old married couple was not something he expected to see that day.
ooo
"C'mon, Shinobu, would it really kill you to put your Game Boy down for just a few minutes?" Kyoko teased.
"It's not a Game Boy, it's a Nintendo Switch!" Shinobu snapped back, eyes still glued to the screen as the Ferris wheel took them higher and higher.
"You know, the whole point of coming to the amusement park was to enjoy our time together!" Kyoko smirked.
"Wasn't my idea," Shinobu scoffed, fingers flying across the buttons. Kyoko only shook her head, smiling.
"You're gonna miss the best part!" she said. "Just look at this view! It could really inspire a girl to compose, don't you think?"
"Meh." Shinobu shrugged. "Your melodies are always too peaky anyway, last thing you need is to be getting inspiration from a place like this!" She chuckled dryly and Kyoko couldn't help but laugh as well. At last, Shinobu's eyes flicked up from her game.
View's not THAT impressive… Heck, I probably could've found something better on Google Earth! At least on Google Earth, she could travel the entire park with a bird's eye view. The same couldn't be said if they were stuck inside a tiny Ferris wheel cart. But right before she could return to her game, something else caught her eye that definitely couldn't be seen on Google Earth. "What the-?!"
Because Kyoko was facing Shinobu, she didn't see what was wrong until she looked over her shoulder, then she echoed Shinobu's cry. The cart just ahead of them was shaking violently! But… wait… Shinobu and Kyoko both squinted.
"Is that… Noa Fukushima…?"
"And Towa Hanamaki?! Just what the heck is going on over there?"
"Noa, knock it off!" Towa shrilled, gripping the sides of the cart as if they were lifelines.
"You started it!" Noa shot back accusatorily, repeatedly slamming her back against her seat as hard as she could.
"Oh, real mature of you, Noa! Who's the childish one now?!" Towa snapped bitterly.
Although Kyoko and Shinobu hadn't noticed it sooner, on the way up, Towa got the brilliant idea to shake her and Noa's cart a little to make things "more intense and exciting". Of course, at first, Noa panicked, in the same position Towa was in now. To hide her fear, she chided Towa for being so immature and thoughtless.
"What if you break something?!" she demanded, trembling.
"Awww, scared?" Towa stuck her tongue out, grinning, but once the Ferris wheel reached its peak, Towa decided to show some mercy to poor old Noa. That, and she really did want to enjoy the view! But that was her second mistake.
As soon as Towa stopped shaking the cart, Noa decided to get what she perceived as some well-deserved revenge.
"Waahh!" Towa howled in a panic as, while she was staring down over the rest of the park, the cart suddenly started to sway violently. "NOA!"
"Karma!" Noa shot back, shooting Towa the smuggest smile Towa had ever seen on her insufferable face.
"Noa!"
"Nope, sorry Towa, can't hear you over the sound of this cart shaking!"
"NOAAA!"
"Geez," Shinobu muttered, still staring at Towa and Noa. "And people say we act just like an old married couple!" She shook her head.
"Can't believe that that's what finally got you to put your game away," Kyoko snickered. "But you're right about the old married couple thing…" She cast a meaningful glance at Shinobu who suddenly reared back violently.
"WHAT?!" Their cart began to rattle and sway. The operators down below could only look up and shake their heads. Couples were always rather… excitable on Valentine's Day.
ooo
"So, what're you gonna get, huh, Muni? Everything looks so good! I'd try it all if I was allowed!" Rinku bounced up and down in her seat as she eagerly scanned the menu. "Actually, do you think that's allowed? Because if it is, I'm totally gonna—!"
"Rinku, I swear, you are a bottomless pit!" Muni sighed, shaking her head. She buried her face in her menu as well, but not because she was trying to decide what to eat. Rinku could just be so embarrassing sometimes! But embarrassment because of Rinku wasn't the only reason Muni's face was starting to feel a little warm… Soon, only the tips of her bunny ear headband were visible over the top of her menu.
Ugghhh, I can only imagine how many people are probably staring right now!
Extra unlucky for Muni, one of the last people she would've wanted watching her in such a sorry state was only a couple tables away.
How lovely! Esora smirked, chin in her hand as she relished Muni's suffering. Rei unwittingly came to Muni's aid.
"I'm happy to see you looking so pleased, Esora!" she said sweetly. "I presume you are enjoying yourself? I am too! This was such a lovely idea!"
Now it was Esora's turn to be a little tongue-tied. "O-of- of course, Rei! This is one of my favorite restaurants after all!" She smiled awkwardly but hoped that she looked charming and winning. "It also has the best deals for couples on Valentine's Day!"
"I love everything about it so far!" Rei nodded enthusiastically. Like Rinku, she was a huge foodie. "It was ever so generous of you to offer to invite all of Happy Around here! Is there any way we can pay you back?"
"Ah, no, Rei, it's fine," Esora chuckled quietly, but inside, her heart was racing. Didn't Rei realize that by coming out to dinner with her, she was paying Esora back? Not that Esora ever kept tabs if it was Rei.
Although, maybe I could've been a little more forthright in my intentions, inviting only her rather than her entire unit… But Esora had just been swept up in the heat of the moment! And in her defense, she tried to only invite Rei, but when Rei insinuated that she might've already been scheduled to spend the evening with her unit members, Esora just brought out an extra large wallet and offered to pay for everyone.
Then it was a mad dash to find dates for the other three so that she could have Rei all to herself. A few tables over, Saki was eagerly chatting with Maho. Maho seemed a little surprised by Saki's intensity and enthusiasm, but she smiled and engaged the conversation all the same. A few tables away, another couple was having a conversation, although it was far less civil.
"Towa! Quit playing with your food!" Noa slapped Towa's wrist lightly.
"I'm not playing with my food!" Towa shot back. "I'm playing with my—! Umm… cuttle-ry?"
"First off, it's cutlery," Noa deadpanned. "Second off, that doesn't make it any better!"
"Sorry, Noa, I'm just so hungry and this is the only way I can distract myself until the food gets here!" Towa was busy building a little fortress out of forks, spoons, knives, and napkins, although it was more like a lopsided shack than an actual building.
"Your center of gravity is all wrong!" Noa sighed and shook her head. "Here, let me do it!" She grabbed part of Towa's "tower".
"Hey! What happened to no playing with the… forks and spoons and knives and stuff?" Towa pouted, but Noa was already hard at work.
Towa's not the straight-A honors student, I am! If anyone's a master of the laws of physics, it's me, Noa Fukushima! I'm definitely gonna blow Towa away with this one! She'll be so impressed!
"Ma'am? Your dinner." One of the servers stared down his nose at Noa's "engineering masterpiece" and she yelped in surprise, jerking away from the complicated construction. A fraction of a second too late, she realized her fatal error…
"Noooo!" It happened in slow motion; she, Towa, and the server all dove for the silverware, but there was more than they could catch. The entire restaurant went silent save for the clattering utensils.
"Uhh… oops?" Noa grinned sheepishly, holding the one spoon she managed to catch. She and Towa were politely asked to leave the area at once.
"Can we at least get to-go boxes?" Towa asked hopefully. Noa wanted to die of embarrassment, and the server curled his lip in disgust again, but he retreated back to the kitchen, nonetheless.
My, my, Esora covered her mouth to hide a smirk. Just like an old married couple! In times like that, it was hard to imagine Photon Maiden as a distinguished and formidable rival DJ unit. Rei only sighed sympathetically.
"Ooooh! Jenga! That looks fun!" Rinku cried from several tables away.
"No, no it does not!" Muni grabbed Rinku's hands before she could touch the silverware, then she started blushing all over again when she realized what she'd just done. She groaned in embarrassment while Esora looked like a kid on Christmas. She was having a fantastic Valentine's Day!
Saki looked concerned as half of her unit was escorted out of the restaurant, but when Maho touched her hand and bid her to stay, she sat back down willingly. As worried as she was about Noa and Towa, Maho was right.
"They'll be fine, and we can check up on them later, but it would be a shame to leave the restaurant now, our food should be done soon too."
Saki smiled at Maho and nodded excitedly. Towa and Noa and the mess they made were quickly forgotten.
ooo
"LOVE BITE, YES, BITE ME!"
"Rika. Isn't the point of an intermission to rest your voice, not sing even louder than you were on stage?" Saori deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow as she and the rest of M4 headed backstage. In classic Rika style, just yesterday, she decided to hold a Valentine's Day concert in the city's largest park, and she managed to set it all up in the nick of time. As sudden as it was, though, Saori couldn't deny that she was having a blast too.
"Sorry, Saori, this is just the HYPEST VALENTINE'S DAY EVER, and I just can't help myself!" Rika's smile stretched from ear to ear.
"You don't say?" Saori smirked, but on the inside, she completely agreed.
"Still, Saori is right," Dalia said. She was having a blast too, but Saori had a point. "The concert is only half over, so you should save your voice as best you can." She handed the overly-excited vocalist a bottle of water.
"Thanks, Dalia!" Rika chugged the whole thing in just half a minute.
Saori's eye twitched while, from behind her, Marika laughed. "Even while resting, you always take it up to 11!"
"'Course I do!" Rika puffed out her chest. "Gotta make this the best Valentine's Day, or Night, ever for my very best three girlfriends ever!" She quickly pulled Dalia in for a kiss before making her way over to Marika to do the same, then she and Marika both set their sights on Saori.
"Oh, no, nononono!" Saori moaned, waving her hands frantically as she backed away as quickly as she could. Dalia stepped behind her to keep her from going anywhere else. Saori looked over her shoulder, betrayal and despair in her eyes.
"Sorry, Saori!" Dalia didn't sound sorry at all as she kissed Saori's head. Marika and Rika were still closing in on the helpless DJ.
"HEY, MARIKA!" All four of M4 were distracted by someone shouting from off the side of the stage.
"Towa?" Marika blinked in surprise. "And Noa!"
"Sorry for the intrusion," Noa winced apologetically. "But Towa heard you guys performing and—"
"I just wanted to stop in and say hi!" Towa waved a to-go box excitedly at the quartet of college students. They raised their eyebrows and Noa again wanted to die from embarrassment.
After getting kicked out of the fancy restaurant with only two to-go boxes to show for it, Noa was despondent.
"This was supposed to be a nice Valentine's Day!" she lamented. I just wanted to give Towa the best day I could! It was a sentiment she knew she would never say out loud. Towa, however, seemed just as oblivious as she was happy.
"At least we got our to-go boxes!" she cried triumphantly. Noa could only sigh and roll her eyes.
I swear, that girl only thinks with her stomach, and nothing else!
But the day was not over yet, and Towa happened to notice a flyer clumsily stapled onto a nearby telephone pole. "A concert! I know how we can make up for not being able to go out to dinner!" Then before Noa had time to protest, Towa grabbed her hand and dragged her away.
"Well, we're super glad you could come!" Rika threw an arm around each of the Photon Maidens, smiling as widely as Towa. "I think I saw the rest of your unit out there too!" It truly felt as if the entire city had come, and all six local DJ units were there too, not just Saki and Ibuki.
"Sweet! We'll totally try to catch up with them once intermission's over!" Towa cried, and despite herself, Noa started getting hyped up as well.
"I heard there was going to be karaoke at this concert too," she said. "Would you be opposed to a guest appearance from Photon?"
"OMG! A collab? I would LOVE that!" Rika slapped Noa's back heartily, then she looked to the rest of her unit for confirmation.
"Yes, Marika thinks that sounds super fun!" Marika clapped.
"Why not?" Dalia nodded. "The more the merrier!"
Only Saori looked anxious, for she did not know very many Photon songs well enough to have the confidence to DJ them live on stage without at least a little practice first. But seeing that she was outvoted 5 to 1… "All right, why not? I'll give it a shot!"
"Yay!" Rika cheered, then before any of them had time to blink, she finally lunged forward and got her kiss from Saori.
"Hey!" Saori complained, but before she could say anything else, Marika's giggling filled her ears as she swooped in for her own kiss.
Well, at least I'm not the only one getting embarrassed today, Noa smiled dryly. Beside her, Towa was laughing too.
Before long, intermission was over. While M4 returned to the stage, Noa and Towa left their food backstage before sneaking into the audience and reuniting with Ibuki and Saki. Maho was still with Saki, and the rest of Happy Around was not too far away. Esora was still with Rei. Yuka stood beside Ibuki, and although Noa couldn't see Kyoko or Shinobu, she had a good feeling they were around.
RONDO was also there, for Rika refused to let Tsubaki not show up, and all it took was interest from Aoi for Tsubaki to finally cave and agree to attend. The Lily quartet was also in the vicinity, too far away for Noa to reach, but just close enough that she could bask in their cuteness.
Maybe Towa was right, maybe this day, or night, can still be salvaged after all!
"ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE, ARE WE READY TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING?!" Rika bellowed excitedly. The crowd met her energy with roars and screams of their own. Dalia and Marika raised their arms to further encourage the crowd while, in the DJ booth, Saori blasted the airhorns. The energy was infectious, and before Noa knew it, she was jumping and cheering too. Then she felt a small, warm hand slide into her own. Towa was smiling up at her. That one expression, and the gentle squeeze of her hand, said more than words ever could (which was probably a good thing because it was definitely too loud for them to have a conversation).
People said Towa and Noa were just like an old married couple because of how often they bickered and bantered, but that was only half of it. Another part of being an old married couple meant knowing and loving the other person so deeply that, sometimes, no words were necessary. Noa smiled and squeezed Towa's hand back.
Thank you, Towa, thank you for making this the best Valentine's Day ever! You may be emptyheaded, but you've got a big heart!
Towa was thinking the same. Thank you, Noa, you're the best girlfriend a girl could ever befriend! Even if you drive me crazy some, no, most days.
Then, the music began again in earnest and the rest of the night was lost to song and dance and love.
AN: Happy Valentine's Day! Inspired off an idea I had months ago where all of the D4 couples were all cutsey and romantic and whatnot, then Towa and Noa just go barreling through in their usual nonstop argument/roasting mode, LOL!