Author's Note: Credits to LLSIF Wiki for the song translation.

Chapter 3

Let's play! A happy greeting tune
Let's play! Because I met you
It's both a sign and a miracle
I want to dream of our exciting miracle
It's starting, so come here and listen to my heart!

The instrumental section of the song began blaring out of the portable radio placed beside where Maki sat alone, as the three girls of the Muse Radio Broadcasting team began to move around the rooftop just as they had planned for the actual performance. Rin led the way towards the right, the other two running across to catch up.

Rin-chan really doesn't look well today... Hanayo thought to herself while she watched her childhood friend worriedly.

For the entire week, Rin had been avoiding her as much as she could: leaving earlier than her, replying to her questions coldly and directly, talking with their other classmates instead... It had been utterly painful for the brunette, who had never felt this aloof from her best friend. Their meals were filled with silence, yet both of them still ate and sat together. They were still each other's only close friends at any rate.

Especially with Maki sneaking off every lunch break to god-knows-where. Ever since the composer had started dating Nico, she no longer ate lunch with the other first-years; her non-committal answers to their questions accompanied by a flustered voice and a heavy blush.

Spinning around earlier than she should have, Rin took a step forward in the other direction. Hanayo spotted the difference from their usual routine a little bit too late, twisting her feet to no avail.

She collided into the orange-haired girl, the impact sending them both to the ground.

Time froze for the pair as they lay upon the floor with Rin pressing Hanayo down. In that instant, Hanayo could feel the warm weight of the catlike girl on her, so close that she could feel the girl's heartbeat pounding against her own chest, almost in sync with her own. Though she couldn't see the other's face the brunette could still smell her scent, the faint fragrance of Rin's shampoo wafting off her short orange hair.

She couldn't even feel the pain from having fallen down at all.

It was all she could do to lie there quietly instead of wrapping her arms around Rin. Given the chance, she would've wanted to just stay that close to her forever.

The moment soon passed into a different one though, when Rin lifted herself upon her hands, hovering over Hanayo unsteadily. As their eyes met, the brunette couldn't really discern what was going through the catlike girl's mind. Her eyes were hooded, with a dazed look that made Hanayo wonder if Rin had somehow taken more damage from the fall than she had.

Seconds stretched into one another as neither moved. Hanayo found herself slowly bringing her arms up towards Rin's waist.

The background music that had been playing up till that moment cut off abruptly, breaking the magic. With a shake of her head, the dazed look disappeared from Rin's eyes, and she immediately shot back upright.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Hanayo climbed back onto her feet as fast as she could, not daring to meet the eyes of her irate senior who looked about ready to pop a blood vessel.

"I asked you two to form this group with me because I thought you two were the most serious out of everyone about becoming an idol! But just look at you two today! You've been making nothing but mistakes the entire practice session!"

The brunette cringed under the verbal onslaught. "Sorry..."

"You've been slipping up throughout! In case you've forgotten, your audience is there! Stop staring at Rin!" Nico yelled as she pointed at the stairwell door where Maki sat beside the radio, and where their imaginary audience was supposed to be. "And Rin! All your actions today have been lacking energy! What's wrong with you that you're lagging behind for every single thing?!"

The two first-years were paralysed, stunned by the ferocity of the smaller girl who seemed to tower over them at that very moment. Their senior hadn't been this angry since the time Honoka had announced she was quitting.

"If you two are serious about continuing to be idols, then put your heart and soul into it! The way you two are now, you will never reach the audience! You won't be able to make them smile, understand?!"

Nico stood there seething for a few more seconds, before clenching her fists and taking a deep breath. "We're ending practice today. But you two better settle your issues before our next practice."

Storming off, the senior left the rooftop. And right behind her, Maki only shrugged at the other first-years with an unreadable expression before taking the radio and stepping into the stairwell as well.

Shortly after the door closed Rin collapsed back on the floor with her limbs sprawled out. The energetic girl was peculiarly silent, only staring blankly up at the sky with an expression Hanayo hadn't ever seen on her childhood friend's face before. It's all my fault... If I hadn't slipped up, this wouldn't have... I really don't like seeing Rin this way...

In the end, the brunette could only use the same old words she had been using all this time.

"... I'm sorry."

The words seem to have made Rin realise she wasn't alone, as she sat up and scratched at the back of her head. "No it was my fault, I'm sorry Kayo-chin."

"No, it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't distracted." Hanayo was desperate. That they had messed up so badly, it was her fault, right?

"But Rin turned around too early-"

"Yeah but-"

"Rin already said it was her fault!"

The outburst hung in the air, with Hanayo stunned and confused by Rin's sudden increase in volume. Meanwhile Rin had shot back up onto her feet, her expression close to furious.

"You're always like this, Kayo-chin! Rin doesn't like this side of you at all! Why must you always take the fault on yourself?!"

Being shouted at for the second time today, the brunette found herself rooted to the ground again. Just... just what did I do wrong?

"It's been like this since we were kids! Kayo-chin always thinks she's not good enough for anything! You run away from everything; there are so many things that you can do but you just don't believe in yourself enough to try!"

It felt like these were words that had been suppressed for a long time, bubbling beneath the surface. Are these Rin-chan's real feelings? Does she think I'm not good enough to be her best friend?...

"Kayo-chin is really talented and beautiful! So don't settle for anything less than what you can get! Rin doesn't want that at all!"

At that point Hanayo finally noticed the tears brimming at the edges of Rin's eyes. Now that was an expression she had indeed seen before, but only once. A very, very long time ago, when her best friend had been lost in despair after being teased by the boys in their class.

Ever since that time, she had never seen Rin cry at all. The orange-haired girl was her pillar of strength, the one who dragged her along to try out fun things. The constant source of excitement in her life. So why was she... Hanayo could only freeze there dumbfounded at the scene before her.

Rin stood there for a few seconds more, shivering with her emotions before yelling.

"Kayo-chin you idiot!"

And with that the catlike girl ran off as well, the stairwell door slamming behind her.

This time it was Hanayo who fell upon the floor with tears starting to come to her eyes.

What just happened?...

A few floors below, a certain pair was on their way to the clubroom to drop off the radio.

"... Was I too harsh on them?"

"No, you put on a good show."

"Eheh. You could tell, huh? But you shut off the music too early!"

"If Hanayo had done anything Rin would've just run away again, and they do need to be forced to face their issues. Though I can't imagine why Rin is acting like that."

"Maki-chan is one to talk~ You sent poor Nico for quite a loop too."

"... So what are we going to do?"

"Nico played the bad guy already~ We'll just have to ask someone else to meddle in their affairs."

"Them again, huh?"

"Who else? They are the team's mothers for a reason."