HEEEEEEEEY! I'm back! Sorry if I just updated now. I'm having writer's block for the story. Plus, I've been busy with other stuff. So yeah. Thankyou for all the reviews/follows/favourites! It really means a lot. Here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live! Sunrise does.

On with the story!

Chapter 3

"Come on, Maki. Say it!" Nico said.

"N-No! Why should I?" Maki replied.

The two of them are currently having their breakfast. While Maki was still asleep, Nico woke up and decided to cook breakfast for them. Having found the eggs on the refrigerator, she decided to make sunny-side up eggs.

And ever since Maki was awake enough, Nico kept on teasing the catgirl on her ears and tail. She kept on making Maki mewl like a cat to which the younger girl tried to ward off. Seeing that Maki's being stubborn, the raven-haired girl pouted and continued eating her breakfast.

After eating breakfast, Maki grabbed a book from the coffee table, sat down on the sofa and began reading while Nico washes the dishes. After washing them, Nico sat down beside the redhead.

"Urgh. Don't you have anything to do other than reading?" Nico grumbled. She really can't get used to the quiet atmosphere of Maki's house. Her house is always noisy because of her sisters. The sudden change of atmosphere puts the raven-haired girl in a tensed state.

Maki ignored her and was absorbed with her book, although her ears picked the sound of someone shuffling and rummaging through the CD rack by the television. The raven-haired girl searched through the CD case for an interesting movie that she could watch. When she finally found one, she grabbed it and showed it to the pianist.

"Hey, let's watch this." She said while holding up a comedy film. Maki withdrew her attention from her book to look at the raven-haired girl.

"Eh? Why comedy?" Maki set her book down and knelt beside the petite girl and started searching for a movie she deemed appropriate; her red tail swished back and forth while searching.

"I wonder what her tail would feel like..." Nico wondered while she watched the redhead's tail movements. After a few seconds, Maki straightened and showed the raven-haired girl a musical movie.

"Eh? You want to watch a musical?" Nico checked the synopsis of it at the back. It tells the story of an ex-convict who's trying to redeem himself after paying his sentence. One his way to redemption, he met different people who were idealists and are making their stand during the revolutionary period in France.

The last time she watched a musical is when she still doesn't have her siblings. Her mother is fond of it and would often watch them with her.

"F-Fine. Nico-nii will watch musicals with you. Nico Nico Nii!" And with that statement, Nico did her signature pose.

"Yeah yeah." Maki ignored her senior's antics and placed the movie in the player. She pressed play after the two of them settled back on the sofa.

"W-What kind of sappy story is this?" Nico's voice trembled as her tears streamed down on her face. They were nearing the end where the former prisoner gave his final blessings to his adopted daughter and her beloved. After which, the daughter's true mother came to fetch the man and take him to the land where all who fell during the battle is alive.

"You're crying." Maki replied.

"Yeah, but..." Nico sobbed.

Once the credits started rolling, Nico's teary face glanced at the clock. It's already 4 in the afternoon, which means class is already over. A sudden knock on the door prompted the two girls.

"Maki-chan~!"

The said redhead froze to where she's sitting. The two of them locked their eyes momentarily. Nico saw panic and fear on the redhead's lavender orbs.

"Go go. Put on something to cover them. I'll buy you some time." Nico whispered while another knock on the door prompted their visitor's presence.

Maki scrambled to her feet and hurried ran to her room. Nico turned off the television and went to the door. She opened it, revealing her two other juniors, Hoshizora Rin and Koizumi Hanayo. Hanayo's clutching a paperbag in her hands.

"Eh? Nico-chan?"

"What are you doing over at Maki's house, nya~?" Rin asked.

"E-Eh... Nico's helping out Maki since she's sick." Nico replied. Rin looked like she doesn't buy it.

"E-Eh..."

"Rin? Hanayo?" Maki called out from behind the petite girl. She's wearing the same gray bonnet she wore yesterday to keep her cat ears out of sight.

"Maki-chan! Are you okay now?" Hanayo asked.

"Yeah. Kind of. I'm still feeling a little sick." Maki replied.

"Oh yeah! We've brought you homework, nya~" Rin pointed at the paperbag that Hanayo's holding up. Inside were papers containing notes that Maki had missed out during her absence. Hanayo gave the bag to the redhead, who thanked her.

"The teacher's getting worried." Hanayo added. "Do you need help in anything?"

"That's okay. I can manage." Maki assured the meek girl.

"Maki-chan! What's Nico-chan doing at your house?" Rin prodded.

"I told you, I'm helping her out." Nico pouted.

"Eh..."

"Come on, Rin. We can't bother Maki any longer. She needs to rest." Pulling the orange-haired girl with her, Hanayo waved goodbye to them. The two of them watched Hanayo and Rin walk away before shutting the door.

Maki checked the paperbag, noting the lessons and notes that she received from the two of them. Clearly, most of them are in Hanayo's neat handwriting. She'd have to thank the meek girl when she gets back.

"Seriously? Even after having such weird stuff happening to you, you still have time to worry about homework?" Nico asked in an awed voice. She's not much of a diligent student. She, along with Rin and Honoka where known as the "Three Idiots" of the group for having low grades compare to the rest of them. Nozomi once tutored her just to pass her exams.

"I-It's not like that. I just don't want to fall behind my studies; that's all." Maki retorted back. Her face flared up red in embarrassment.

"Riiiighttt..."

Night time has fallen and the two of them just finished eating their dinner. Nico's waiting for her turn in the shower. Maki went on ahead and took a shower while Nico's busy with the dishes. While waiting, Nico took the liberty of browsing Maki's library of books. She noticed that most of the books are all about constellations and music.

'I didn't know Maki was into star-gazing...' The raven-haired thought as she grabbed one book and started skimming.

"Hey, your turn to use the shower." Maki informed as she entered her room with a towel covering her body and her red hair's dripping wet. Her tail's wiggling behind her, removing the traces of water in it. After rubbing her towel on her face, she saw Nico skimming through one of her books.

"Nico-chan?"

The said girl was startled that she dropped the book. She was so absorbed in skimming that she failed to hear the door open and Maki entering. She hastily placed it back on the shelf.

"M-Maki! Jeez. Don't startle me like that!" Nico huffed while clutching her chest.

Maki decided not to say anything anymore and proceeded to her shelf while the raven-haired girl went to the bathroom. Maki picked up the book that Nico was reading: The Little Prince. It is a story of how a pilot was stranded on a desert meets a prince who had fallen to Earth from space. It's also one of Maki's favourite books.

'Great. Now she'll think I'm childish.' Maki thought as she placed it back on the shelf. She grabbed one of her astronomy books and began reading while waiting for her petite senior to finish her nightly rituals. After a few minutes, she heard her door open and close. Looking up from her book, she saw Nico slowly drying her hair.

After drying her hair, she hung her towel on the nearby chair and sat back down on the futon that Maki had lent her during her stay.

"I didn't know that you liked The Little Prince." Nico said.

"I didn't know that you knew it, Nico-chan." Maki replied, surprised that her senior knew the book.

"Well... I use to read them to my siblings back then. It was the only book that I liked." Nico replied while scratching her nose. She clapped her hands together, suddenly remembering something. Maki's ears flinched at the sudden loud sound.

"Maki! You still haven't said 'Nya'!"

"W-What?!"

"Come on, say it!"

"Why do I have to?!"

Nico pouted at Maki's stubbornness. She only wanted to see the red-head do it since there won't be another chance to see her like this in the future. It can also be a possible blackmail material in the future when they're alone.

"Say it!" Nico teased while bringing her fist near her face, imitating a cat. She crawled on Maki's bed, in hopes of intimidating her junior.

"No!" Maki backed away from the petite girl until her back touched the wall.

"Come on. Please?"

Maki saw the fiery determination in those red orbs. Nico wouldn't let her go until she says it. Slowly, she brought up her fist, imitating a cat's paw, to her face. Her cat ears are twitching and her tail's swishing back and forth behind her.

"N-N-Nyaaa..."

Unable to contain herself, Nico squealed and tackled the catgirl.

"Aaaaaaah. Maki-chan's so cute!"

Maki averted her gaze while she let herself being hugged by her senior. After being hugged enough, she pushed her raven-haired senior away from her.

"Come on. Stop it already." Maki said. Nico pouted as she retreated back. Maki gave out a long yawn and lied down on her bed. Their banter earlier had sucked the remaining energy out of her. She grabbed her blankets, said her good night to the other girl, and faced the wall, her back on Nico.

"But it's early." Nico mumbled in an annoyed tone. Heaving sigh, she stood up and grabbed The Little Prince again. Nostalgia came to her as she flipped the pages. Suddenly not in the mood to read, she placed it back on the shelf. With Maki asleep, Nico's bored once again. She sat down at the edge of the redhead's bed, looking over at the room. Seeing that there's nothing to do but read, she just settled down with scratching the red-head's ears again. She watched as the redhead shifted and relaxed once more with the soothing feeling.

She felt really bad that this kind of thing had happened to her junior. Nico knows that Maki's not the open-book type so she knew that the red-head want to ask for help but stubborn to do so. She saw how scared Maki is when she confronted the catgirl about it and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

When sleep finally came to her, she gave Maki one last pat on the head before lying down on her futon. Nico hoped that Maki would be better by tomorrow.

"Get well soon, Maki."

So how was it? Sorry if it feels like it's rushed. I'm running out of ideas. LOL. Anyway... See you soon! Please leave your reviews! ^o^