Universe Number 1 iDol
To prepare for future Avatar emergence, the iDol pilots of µ's continued to train heavily underneath the base Phoebus Apollo. While on break, these girls mingled with one another and the scene was no different from that of typical high school girls.
"And so I brilliantly stabbed into that iDol's core at its moment of weakness. It never saw the great Nico-nii coming!" Nico recounted her previous battle.
"Wow!" Honoka exclaimed, "That was so cool!"
"That's not how it went out…" Rin remarked.
"Uh… Nico, I did part of the work too, you know…" Eli added, "And Maki did help us from dragging the battle to a stalemate."
While the others were chatting away, Maki was quietly reading her book during this rest period. Every now and then, she took her eyes away from her reading and glared at that arrogant self-proclaimed "Universe's Number 1 iDol".
"Maki-chan, why the angry face?" Nozomi teased, "It's amazing how your charm point remains with such a face ya…"
"W-what… nothing!" she retorted.
"Nico-chi may act unreasonable sometimes, but there's a lot more to her that meets the eye." Nozomi droned on.
"I don't understand!" Maki retorted.
At the same time, in the Nishikino Mansion, Mrs Nishikino received a rare guest in her household. Captain Minami sipped a cup of hot coffee while reclining in the sofa. Mrs Nishikino joined her guest, sitting adjacent to her.
"Never would've expected you to end up as chairwoman of our old school and involved in iDols," Mrs Nishikino remarked.
"Ah, the hardships of a civil servant today." Captain Minami answered, "And you did what you said you would back then, becoming a nurse and even marrying a doctor. I thought Nishikino-san looked somewhat like you… but this is quite surreal."
"She doing all those dangerous fights, now that is surreal." Mrs Nishikino insisted, "But alas, my husband approves so we have to let her be."
"I know how it's like. Even my daughter's involved in this." Captain Minami confided.
"Would you oppose it?" questioned Mrs Nishikino, "As a parent, not as a civil servant."
"Uh… it's quite complicated… I cannot exactly deny her choice and it is indeed a worthy goal to pursue…" Captain Minami replied sheepishly.
"At least I fulfilled my part… Nine girls…" she thought.
By evening, everyone returned to their homes for the night; this was the same for Nico as well. Opening the doors to her apartment, she was greeted by the familiar sights of her younger siblings.
"Nico-nii!" they rang.
"Sorry it took so late. Training was tough in the base." Nico stated.
"Did those girls give Nico-nii trouble?" asked Kokoro.
"Kokoro, that's why we must give others proper guidance nico~" Nico replied, patting her sister's head.
"iDol…" Kotaro chanted, playing with an iDol action figure.
"Nico, you're back!" her mother's voice called out.
From the kitchen, Mrs Yazawa peeped out and greeted her daughter as well. The apron she donned was a clear sign of who's doing the cooking that night.
"I got something to tell you… later, in private…" she said.
The next day, school bell rang to herald the end of lesson hours and everyone was leaving for home. The iDol pilots of µ's were gathering up before going out for training as always.
At this point, all but one member were present at their common meeting point – outside the school gates. For Umi, tension was boiling in her very veins and her visage grew only grimmer over time.
"Where is Nico-sempai?" Umi demanded, "This tardiness is unbecoming!"
"She may be busy with something else…" Kotori suggested.
"But she's always so energetic when she gets to do iDol activities," Hanayo remarked.
"It's just one person. We can start without her," Maki justified.
"What if Nico-sempai were captured by aliens!" Honoka exclaimed, "We must find her before they take her back to their homeworld!"
"Honoka, aliens do not exist!" Umi chided.
"How would you know, Umi-chan?" Honoka continued, "Those Avatars are virtually aliens."
"Maybe Avatars are indeed aliens from space!" Hanayo cried, "I've heard of that theory once."
"I agree with Honoka-chan…" Nozomi remarked, causing only silence among the others.
"Uh… Nozomi…" Eli muttered.
"I mean; we should find Nico-chi instead. Training is not the same without Nico-chi." Nozomi explained, "In fact, I know where she lives."
"What about training?" Eli pointed out.
"I will contact the Captain about this… Maybe namedrop her daughter to gain more approval…" Nozomi said.
Following Nozomi's directions, they found their way into Nico's apartment. It was one of the older apartments left in Tokyo that were still inhabited, located somewhere near Akihabara.
"Wow, Nico-sempai actually lives here!" Honoka exclaimed, "If she had lived nearer, maybe she could've been in Otonokizaka Elementary School with us. Right, Umi-chan, Kotori-chan?"
"Nico-chan actually lives in this kind of place…" Maki thought.
"Not only that, Nico-chi has three younger siblings too," Nozomi said, "Two cute girl twins and a little brother, and they all look like Nico-chi too."
"How did you even know about these stuff?" Eli wondered.
"Okay. We are here." Nozomi said, stopping everyone.
She rang the doorbell, and Kokoro went over to greet these mysterious guests.
"Nico-sempai!" Rin called out, "…Wait, she's that small!"
"No, that's Kokoro-chan. She's Nico-chi's little sister," Nozomi said, "Kokoro-chan, is Nico-chi here today?"
"Yup, she's here helping out with moving the things out." Kokoro said, "We are moving out of Tokyo."
"What!" the rest exclaimed, except for Nozomi.
"But Nico-nii could not join us. She said she have to continue fighting the Avatars," Kokoro continued, "She's really the greatest onee-san in the world, the Number 1 iDol pilot in the Universe."
"Oh…" Honoka sighed, "You really scared us for the moment."
"Hmm… since there's eight of you, are you by chance µ's?" Kokoro asked.
"Yup! Are you our fan?" Honoka beamed.
"You girls need years before you catch up to Nico-nii's level, but working with her will guarantee your survival," Kokoro bluntly said.
"What?! I personally slain the giant Ymir!" Umi yelled.
"I singlehandedly destroyed Geras!" Eli joined in the outrage.
"But Nico-nii said it was through her guidance that you guys could even defeat those Avatars," Kokoro remarked, "I guess it's okay to be jealous of the great Nico-nii after all, but letting you take the glory is too much in my opinion. Remember who is your sempai!"
"What nonsense is this?" Maki cried.
"Oi, what's with the noise?" Nico called out, her head popping out to see the commotion, "You guys… What are you doing here?"
"Paying you a house visit, Nico-chi. We thought you might be abducted by aliens," Nozomi joked.
"More importantly, what's with calling us amateurs?" Maki cried.
"Nyeah, you owe us a lot of explanation!" Rin joined in.
"Nico-chi…" Nozomi said, displaying the upright The Moon card.
"My room now…" Nico relented.
At once, the nine girls of µ's loitered in Nico's private room. The walls and decoration was adorned with iDol related merchandise, which caught Hanayo's eyes as she was scanning the entire room.
"So this is Nico-sempai's room…" Honoka said, looking at the room in wonder.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Hanayo exclaimed excitedly, "You even have the Ultra Rare complete set of A-Rise to commemorate their first six months as iDol pilots!"
"Anyway, you owe us an explanation, you liar!" Maki demanded.
"Uh… my family's finally relocating out of Tokyo, so my Mum is out of town to survey the new place," Nico said, "Right now, it's only the kids and me around. So I've got to take care of them."
"Like a true big sister… Didn't know Nico-sempai has this side to her…" Rin commented.
"Huh? Of course I do!" Nico declared.
"So that is why you can't go for training for the time being," Kotori said.
"But you should've told us early," Eli lectured her, "But what's with your sister's words?"
"Since when we rely on you?" Maki cried, "All of us started on the same footing anyway!"
"And you were technically the last to join!" Rin cried.
"What lies have you been feeding them again, Nico-chi?" Nozomi joined in.
"Again?" Maki thought.
"Sigh… to them, I've always been an iDol pilot…" Nico said.
"Always?" the others wondered.
"Well, that's all you need to know…" Nico ended her statement, "Please leave…"
"Nico…" Maki muttered.
"Please leave!" Nico repeated.
As the other girls were leaving the room, Nozomi was last to take her leave. She glanced at Nico one last time before exiting the room.
"Uh… Nozomi, thank you for helping us…" Nico spoke.
While saying that line, Maki overheard that single statement from Nico to Nozomi.
"What is this help?" she thought.
After the episode in Nico's house, the rest of µ's loitered by the bridge nearby. Given recent events about Nico, it became their topic of discussion.
"That answered hardly anything." Eli commented.
"And Nico-sempai's a complete li-nya!" Rin grumbled.
"It would be difficult to work with Nico-sempai in the future if she keeps this up. Who knows how much secrets she keeps from us?" Umi speculated.
"But we have to work with Nico-sempai! We are, after all, a team and we will work together." Honoka said, "It doesn't matter if one of us fall behind; we will jst carry one another forward."
"Nozomi-sempai, what was the help that Nico mentioned before you left?" asked Maki.
"Huh? She mentioned that?" Hanayo wondered.
"After we start leaving the room, only those two were left in the room." Maki explained, "She thanked you."
"I was the one who helped them out with their relocation." Nozomi answered, "Nico-chi just wants to thank me for my assistance."
"You surely know a lot more than you let on." Maki pointed out, "Spill all of it!"
"I wouldn't know all of it, but I can fill you in on that I know," Nozomi said, "Let's begin from…"
The next day after school, students of Otonokizaka continued to leave their classes for home or club activities. The second-year trio just exited the school gates, where Maki caught up to them.
"Sempai, please tell the Captain I will be busy today." Maki said, overtaking the trio, "I need to attend to urgent matters."
"Huh… uh… okay…" Umi said.
"Maki-chan seems to be also in a rush," Honoka remarked.
"Excuse me, are you Kousaka Honoka?" someone asked.
The trio saw the source of the voice, belonging to a schoolgirl in a different uniform. Instead of the blue blazer they were familiar with, the girl donned a white blazer with tie – the uniform for UTX.
"Huh? I am." Honoka replied.
"Glad to meet you, leader of µ's," the girl said, "I am the Student Council President of UTX and I bear a message for you."
Meanwhile, Nozomi was holed up in the Student Council Room. She was supposed to be waiting for Eli to show up, so she fiddled with her Tarot cards to while away time.
On the table, there were four cards placed in sets of 2 each.
The Fool. The Justice.
The Sun. The Magician.
"Unprecedented…"
"Nozomi, stop playing with your cards." Eli called out as she entered the room, "We need to settle the Art Club's budget request by today."
In a nearby supermarket, Maki was looking around the vicinity. However, she was not there to shop; she had been stalking Nico. Her target was currently taking items from a shelf.
"Nico-chan's buying food…" Maki thought, "Preparing dinner for her siblings… she really is quite a responsible one…"
"…She auditioned for a placing as an iDol pilot back in middle school, but turned it down in the end. She cited family reasons…" That was what Nozomi mentioned the other day.
"Oi, you can quit looking at me!" Nico snapped, looking at Maki.
"Crap, exposed…" Maki thought, "Need to think this straight…"
"Because you were looking at me!" Maki retorted.
"That's because you looked at me first!" Nico retaliated, "Admit it, Maki, the wealthy heiress Nishikino Maki is a stalker."
"W-what! That's preposterous!" Maki exclaimed.
"So to atone for your crimes, you can pay for everything Nico buys today." Nico declared.
"Ha… now I can buy whatever I want without worry. Must empty all of Maki's pockets…" Nico thought.
"Hmm… at least I can get close to Nico-chan now…" Maki thought.
Meanwhile, Honoka was led by UTX's Student Council President into the remnants that used to be the Nishikino Hospital. The two were navigating their way around the sea of people and tents set up around the area. Both of them eventually stopped at a particular temporary ward, labelled "A-Rise".
The President opened the tent and went in, along with Honoka. A nurse was overseeing the unconscious members, while Tsubasa watched the news to kill time.
"Nurse-san, we would like to be alone for a short moment." The President said, "Tsubasa-san, I have brought Kousaka-san with me. Take your time with her."
With that, the President and the nurse left the temporary ward. Honoka found herself alone with the three former iDol pilots, particularly the only conscious one called Tsubasa. Her brown hair was relatively short that extended to her shoulders, and her eyes turned straight to Honoka's this instant.
"Welcome, Kousaka-san… leader of µ's." Tsubasa greeted, "From the leader of A-Rise, Kira Tsubasa."
"Leader? Well, we don't really have a hierarchy…" Honoka sheepishly admitted.
"Is that so? Everytime I saw you on interviews, I can see that raw charisma and energy radiating from you. You are definitely made to be a leader," Tsubasa professed, "But do you know why I asked you here today?"
"Uh… no?" replied Honoka.
"Of course you won't, it is a secret. I cannot risk too much people knowing it…" Tsubasa stated, "We, as A-Rise, fought long and hard to defeat the Avatars. I can assure you it was for no noble goal; we are just girls wanting to put our school up for relocation."
"Like us? We're also doing this for our beloved school, but to have an old treasured school moved out is something I did not hope for," Honoka confided.
"None of us hope for this, but I called you here today to warn you." Tsubasa said gravely, "Not everyone is fighting to defeat the Avatar menace; there are forces at work fulfilling their own ends."
"What… what do you mean?" asked Honoka.
"Once… I overheard a conversation between my supervisor and someone known as the Superintendent…" Tsubasa said, "This Superintendent made many strange requests…"
"Like…" Honoka wondered.
"He demanded for more girls to be enlisted… and that the fights be taken to Tokyo itself…" Tsubasa said, "Tell me, is this not what's happening right now?"
"Uh… yeah…" Honoka began to realise, "But why?"
"The reason for the former was to enhance defence… but the latter… I don't know, nothing knows, the second proposal was rejected…" Tsubasa said, "But I must warn you. Something's odd in Phoebus Apollo, and beware the Superintendent."
As for Nico and Maki, they had finished shopping and were returning to Nico's apartment. Since they bought so much, it was well beyond what Nico alone could carry and she enlisted Maki's assistance.
"Bet you don't do this kind of shopping, princess." Nico teased.
"Uh… of course I buy from supermarkets!" Maki protested, "And why must I tag along with you all the way here?"
"Not that I mind…" she thought.
"That's because we bought more than usual today," Nico said, "Nico cannot carry all of them by herself, so Maki will be my little helper today nico~"
"But thank you for your help…" she thought.
"Okay, we are here." Nico said, stopping by the door to her home, "You can come in, I guess."
Opening the door, Nico and Maki entered the house and began setting down the heavy load they had been carrying. Nico's two younger sisters dashed out to help out, alerted by the sound of opening doors.
"Nico-nii, welcome!" the twins greeted, "And the slanted eyes one…"
"What? It's Maki!" Maki exclaimed.
"Don't be rude to the guests, I know we rarely have them, but you should play nice with them," Nico lectured, "Be sure to show your Nico smile!"
"Nico-nico-nii!" the twins grinned instantly.
"…Her father, I believe, named her Nico. It means smile, so Nico-chi grew up wanting everyone to smile and enjoy themselves…" Nozomi mentioned that yesterday.
"My apologies, Maki-nee-san." Kokoro apologised and bowed towards Maki, "Welcome to our household again. Let's hope we'll get along."
"Uh… hello, I am… honoured to be your guest." Maki replied in kind.
"I will get Maki-nee-san a drink," Kokoa suggested, "We only have water though."
"Sorry princess, this house only has water to offer you," Nico nonchalantly remarked, "Not everyone's like your house."
"Whatever, water will do." Maki thanked, "Thank you, Kokoa-chan."
"They are really in hard times…" Maki thought.
"…They're living in tough times, truly. Nico-chi must act as a parent to her own sisters and brother. After all, their momma's all busy working 'round the country…" Nozomi pointed out.
Kokoa returned from the kitchen with a cup of water, which Maki sipped from.
"Okay, you guys play with Maki while I get dinner ready," Nico said, putting on her apron.
"Nico-chan, I think I will stay for dinner." Maki declared.
"What? Uh… I'm not prepared for this… Uh… I will get something special tonight…" Nico muttered.
Later, dinner was ready and the Yazawa siblings and their guest sat at the table. The dinner for the night was curry rice, one dish for everyone present.
"Curry rice! The last time we had it was Christmas!" Kokoa exclaimed happily.
"Curry rice…" Kotaro parroted.
"Okay, let's eat before it gets cold." Nico ordered, "Make sure everyone says their blessing first."
"Itadakimasu!" everyone called out.
As Maki scooped up some of the curry rice and chewed on it, she began tasting some of Nico's culinary skills.
"Wow, that's surprisingly good… Comparable to my chef…" she thought.
As Maki looked on, she saw a wild commotion erupting among the Yazawa siblings. Kotaro was stabbing into his curry rice with his spoon, as Nico tried to clean up the mess created. Kokoa laughed at the situation, while Kokoro nudged at Kokoa repeatedly.
"They are like a perfect little family… more of a family than mine…" Maki thought.
"…She lost her father long ago… how? No idea…" She recalled that from Nozomi.
"Nico-chan… she fought so hard for family… and now… they're getting to safety…" she thought, "Sigh, Tokyo is no longer safe… so it's for the best… Maybe Papa and Mama should get to the winter villa…"
After dinner, the younger Yazawa siblings were soon put to bed for their nightly nap. Nico kissed Kotaro goodnight, and kept away the toys laid on the floor. Maki calmly looked on, waiting for Nico to finish her matters.
"Hey, won't your parents be worried for you?" Nico asked, turning towards Maki.
"Called them beforehand. Mama's okay with me staying with friends, which was weird since this is my first time," Maki answered.
"Aw, I am Maki-chan's first friend." Nico announced.
"Don't push too far, Nico-chan," Maki scoffed.
"You even used such endearing honorifics for Nico, and not anyone else," Nico said.
"That's because you look more like an underclassman or someone's little sister," Maki commented.
"That doesn't change the fact I am both your sempai and I am their elder sister," Nico remarked, "And I will fulfil my roles to the end."
"Nico-chan…" Maki muttered, "…Uh…"
"I see, the lonely heiress Maki went with me home and even ate dinner with Nico," Nico cut off, "Don't worry, Nico will be Maki's friend. No seniority, just friends."
"What… that's only because you forced me to come here!" Maki cried, her face reddening, "But… uh, fine… and Nico-chan, you too… You don't need to handle everything alone. You are… we are in a team together after all…"
"Humph, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Nico proudly denied.
"Friend eh?" thought Maki.
"A team eh…" thought Nico.
Meanwhile, Honoka was still deep in thought over what Tsubasa cautioned her earlier. She was lying down lazily on the floor of the living room, when the door slid open.
"Nee-chan! You have to stop wiping the floor with your body!" the newcomer cried.
"Yukiho!" exclaimed Honoka, "What are you here for?"
"Watching TV of course…" Yukiho said, "…Hey Nee-chan, are you okay? You've been in a daze, more than usual."
"Uh… I…" Honoka began speaking…
"One more thing: Do not tell anyone of this. We cannot risk others." That was Tsubasa's last words before they parted ways.
"Nothing!" she suddenly declared.
"So that means there's something going on up there," Yukiho remarked, staring at her elder sister, "I know when you're lying, so you should just come clean with me."
"…Uh… how to put it…" Honoka stuttered.
"Boy problems, Nee-chan?" teased Yukiho.
"Of course not! Honoka has little experience with boys!" the elder sister cried, "No… it's just… what if someone does something that seems to put everyone in harm's way… or something like that…"
"Always one who poorly expresses herself in words, Nee-chan…" Yukoho teased, "I really don't know what you're talking about… But people tend to have misguided reasons behind their acts; they may think it is correct regardless of what consequences may happen because of their actions."
"That's your so-called help!" Honoka groaned, "I'd rather ask Dad!"
"You didn't even specify the problem! Are you sure it is not about boys?" Yukiho exclaimed.
Also, Nozomi retired to her home and placed several Tarot cards on the table. Pondering deep in thought, she tapped at the first set of cards.
The Magician. The Sun.
"The Magician has guided the Sun away from descending towards night."
She moved her hand away from that set and placed it over another set.
The Fool. The Justice.
"The Fool knows, or does she? And of course…"
Nozomi took out another Tarot card from the deck.
The Lovers. Reverse.
A few days had passed, and Nico spent them tending to her siblings at home. After a decent humble lunch, the four siblings were watching the afternoon news report. It was currently on a rather interesting topic for Nico.
"Yesterday at 1600, the Defence Ministry had acknowledged the sighting of a manifested Avatar. It has been codenamed as Maya, and has been successfully terminated by the iDol unit µ's…" the news reported.
The screen showed highlights of the battle, showing a translucent giant humanoid with a glowing halo above its head. Next few clips showed Thalia trying to attack Maya, but the translucent shape flickered away when it was too close.
"They are not even damaging it!" Kokoro exclaimed.
"If Nico-nii were there, she would cut it up instantly!" Kokoa boasted.
"You two, just keep watching." Nico told them.
The next clip showed Urania launching out one of its rope darts and shot through its halo. The halo was apparently its core and the translucent body vanished in thin air.
"...There have been no casualties reported due to Maya's emergence, with reports of it phasing through buildings. It has been speculated that…" And so the report went on.
"See, to defeat an Avatar, you need a team," Nico said, "And Nico is proud to belong to this team of nine capable girls."
"I thought Nico-nii said they are amateurs compared to your level." Kokoro reminded, "You trained hard as one since you're in middle school."
"They handled the Avatar without any human casualties; that's not the work of amateurs," Nico continued, "As µ's, we are all going to protect the nation and everyone's happiness nico~"
At that time, in the Minami household, Kotori was busy tending to her hobby of making costumes in her study. For her, fashion had always been her passion and it continued despite obligations as an iDol pilot.
Suddenly, her mother entered the study. A letter was in her hands, addressed to Minami Kotori in English.
"Kotori, we need to speak," her mother called her out.
For Nico's backstory, I am following the one where her father is believed to be deceased (implied to be either dead or just working away in Nico's School Idol Diary). For me, the dead father makes Nico's backstory more tragic and I think it makes the character more sympathetic.
UTX's Student Council President actually appeared in Love Live manga, portrayed as an antagonist who pits A-Rise against µ's. Nozomi implied that the President may have the hots for Eli and antagonise the quarter-Russian due to that reason.
In Season 1's last episode, it is implied that Mrs Nishikino and the chairwoman may have known each other in the past, though it is likely they have not been in contact for a long time (judging by their surprised looks when they met in START DASH's interlude).
Tarot Symbolism Corner
Kira Tsubasa: The Justice (her role in showing Honoka a glimpse of the truth)
To PenguinLady (if you are reading this), yeah... the Tarot thing is kinda inspired by Persona... though it is not the focus and is something on the side. It tells the story of this entire fanfic and Tarot symbolism goes to the very end.