All right, on to the next chapter. A quick thank you to the readers who left a review on the last chapter, it is much appreciated. My proper, more personal response to your review should already be delivered by now.
The disclaimer of today's chapter is going to be the same as always. After all, I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party nor do I, in any way, shape, or form, intend to pretend that I do.
"My shift lasted longer than expected, and by the time it finished Moca and I continued to chat for a bit. In Moca's defense, I asked her a few questions and held her up. I totally lost track of time."
"Thank you for your patronage, we hope to see you here again soon! Have a nice day!" Lisa said with a bright smile, tilting her head down ever so slightly as the words left her mouth. Peeking through the bangs that were now falling in front of her eyes, Lisa watched how the customer took her snacks and left the store.
As soon as the doors swung close, Lisa straightened her back with a soft sigh. The brunette took a moment to dust some dirt off her apron's front before turning to look at the person standing beside her.
"Someone sure has been in a good mood lately," Lisa noted with a small smile. The comment was meant to come off nonchalantly, but Lisa's words were met with a bright grin from Lisa's coworker. As Lisa silently wondered why she had expected any other reaction from her friend, she heard herself speak again, "Mind sharing your secret with me?"
"Of course, Moca-chan doesn't mind~. But we are still on a shift, right?" Lisa's coworker added the last bit as a question, but to Lisa, it felt almost like a statement in and of itself. Like Moca was reminding Lisa that she was slacking off on the job and needed to focus. Moca was quick to realize how her words could have been interpreted as Lisa as the younger girl was speaking again not long after, "When we take our next break Moca-chan will answer all the questions that Lisa-san has~. Speaking of breaks, aren't we due to be let out by now?"
"You're right," Lisa realized after a peek at her phone's clock. Pocketing the device before she could get in trouble for sneaking it in during work hours, Lisa turned around and raised her voice, "Boss! Moca and I are heading out!"
Moca and Lisa waited long enough for their manager to thank them for a good day's worth of work and saw the two girls off. Moca was all too happy to change out of her work clothes in favor of more casual wear, but Lisa was taking things at a much slower pace. Roselia's bassist was spending a lot of time mulling over what she should talk about with Moca now that she knew that Moca was available for a chat. It was not often that the two girls spent time together, so Lisa knew that she had to make the most out of it.
"Hello? Lisa-san? Anyone in there?"
Lisa shook her head to get rid of any lingering unnecessary thoughts. She was with Moca right now, the younger girl taking the time out of her schedule to help Lisa, so Lisa should make it count. With a renewed sense of determination, Lisa took a deep breath and offered the younger girl a smile.
"Sorry about that, Moca," Lisa apologized, hoping that Moca would be unable to see through her façade. It was always hard for Lisa to read Moca; the girl could either be very dense or surprisingly observant. And Lisa had no idea which kind of Moca she was talking with right now, "How about something to drink? I will go get something if you tell me what you want, my treat."
"Some coffee is fine, thank you," Moca said, the guitarist already looking around her to see if there was an available spot to sit at. Moca saw an unoccupied bench nearby and was about to claim it for herself when she saw the look on Lisa's face, "What? I have plans with the rest of Afterglow tonight and, knowing Ran and Tomo-chin, it will probably last late."
"With the rest of Afterglow…" Lisa echoed Moca and allowing her sentence to trail off. Lisa managed to snap herself out of her stupor without too much issue this time. Before Moca could comment on the crestfallen and empty look in Lisa's eyes, Lisa had already turned around to make her escape. The only words of farewell she uttered before leaving Moca behind were a quick 'I'll be right back'.
Only after she turned the corner and successfully created some distance between herself and Moca did Lisa slow down. Using her left hand to support herself against the shop's wall, Lisa slowed her breathing until it became controlled and steady again.
Roselia's bassist did not stay there for a long time or, rather, she knew that she could not afford to. Moca was not the type to rush others, but even Moca would eventually lose patience and start looking for Lisa if Lisa were to take too long. Lisa had to be the one to close the gap between them, no matter what.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lisa said a few minutes later, approaching Moca with a slight jog. Lisa carried two cans of coffee, one of which she immediately offered the waiting Moca. Moca accepted the gift with a grateful smile, and Lisa was all too happy to sit by the younger girl's side. The two girls quickly fell in a comfortable silence taking the occasional sip of their drinks until Moca lowered her can.
"What does Lisa-san need me for?" Moca asked without turning her head to look at her friend. Moca's composure almost broke hearing Lisa's reaction, but the guitarist managed to keep a straight face. Even Moca could tell when a situation was meant to be taken seriously, so she decided to get straight to the point, "Lisa-san has a lot going for her to keep her happy: friends, family, fashion, everyone in Roselia. So, if Lisa-san is coming to Moca-chan, that means that something is horribly wrong in Lisa-san's world, right?"
"You're as sharp as ever. Yes, you are right; but can you please promise you won't tell anyone about this?" Lisa asked the question in a mellow, subdued voice, and she did not move even after Moca had reassured the older girl that this little conversation would remain between the two of them. Lisa then took a deep breath to calm herself down before giving Moca a proper response, "It's Roselia. Or, I guess, more specifically… I think it is Yukina."
"Why is Lisa-san going to Moca-chan for advice about Minato-san?" Moca wondered out loud, the guitarist keeping her voice as neutral as she could while eyeing her senior to try and gauge the situation. When Lisa did not react to Moca's words right away, for better or for worse, Moca decided to push a little harder to see where the problem was, "I mean… isn't Lisa-san closer to both Minato-san and Roselia than Moca-chan is? So, wouldn't Lisa-san be able to know the answer to this problem better than anyone else?"
"That is… exactly why I need your help," Lisa's words caused Moca to give the older girl a funny look; it was clear that Moca did not understand what Lisa was talking about. After a moment of hesitation to pick which words to use to explain her problem to Moca, Lisa tried again, "I need someone else's opinion, someone who is not involved with Roselia. Someone else to help me figure out how to prevent Roselia from falling apart."
"That, and… Afterglow had a lot of problems in the past, too, right?" Lisa added slowly, the worry evident on her face as she gauged Moca's reaction to the reminder. Moca, however, remained silent and motioned for Lisa to continue, so that was exactly what the brunette did, "How did you manage to overcome them? How is Afterglow still together after everything the five of you have gone through?"
"If it is about us in Afterglow, we've all been friends for so long that we're already used to everybody butting heads against each other. Ran and Tomo-chin do it almost daily nowadays, but our friendship has survived worse things in the past," Moca added the second part with a soft chuckle, remembering the most recent disagreement her two friends had over the best shade of red. But Moca's bright and happy demeanor was quickly replaced by something more somber.
"But even the members of Afterglow have had situations that we probably should not have gotten out of in one piece. Those are the things that Lisa-san wanted suggestions for, right?" Moca asked to confirm Lisa's motivation, and Lisa wasted no time to bop her head in response. Moca then fell silent, a small frown creasing her forehead and her gaze focused on something in the distance that Lisa could not make out.
After much too much time had passed for Lisa's comfort, Lisa finally realized that this was not a topic she should make Moca talk about. But just as Lisa wanted to tell Moca to forget about it, Moca had found her voice again, "We always try to talk out our problems, and since we've been friends for so long, we know that we can be as bluntly honest as we need to be."
"It sometimes takes long enough for some hurtful things to be said in the group, though," Moca admitted with a sheepish chuckle. After taking a moment to take another sip of her drink, Moca turned to Lisa and said in as serious of a tone as Lisa had heard from Moca yet, "I think that the reason why we got through everything is that we managed to talk about the problems with each other."
"That's the problem… I don't think that the members of Roselia can talk out our problems very well, especially not with each other," Lisa trailed off with a sigh, mirroring Moca's actions and downing the remainder of her drink. The bitter-sweet taste of the coffee succeeded in comforting Lisa, but only barely, "And now that we're in this, I want to help everyone stay together, but I don't know how."
"Lisa-san, you haven't told me what problem Roselia is facing right now," Moca reminded her colleague and friend. Moca knew that this was not the right time to joke around and tease Lisa, but the look that Lisa gave Moca almost caused Moca to break into a laughing fit. But instead of laughing, Moca managed to keep a straight face and finish her earlier inquiry, "All that Moca-chan knows is that something is wrong with Roselia. What exactly happened?"
"Remember that live show that Afterglow held three weeks ago? Ako, Rinko, and I went to watch it and we ran into you and the rest of Afterglow after the performance," Lisa began, keeping a careful eye on Moca to see if Moca was following along. Moca appeared lost and confused at first, but then, as if a switch had been flipped in Moca's brain, the younger girl's eyes lit up in recognition. Lisa took this as a sign to continue her story.
"Ako may or may not have shown a recording of that live to Sayo, and Yukina may or may not have caught a glimpse of it," Lisa trailed off with a soft sigh, trusting Moca to understand where Lisa was going with this even if the brunette didn't finish her sentence. After a few seconds to try and figure out what Lisa was saying, Moca reached over and gave Lisa a few pats on the back. Something that Lisa appreciated greatly.
"And so, Minato-san is making everyone practice really hard to try and compete with Ran and the rest of us in Afterglow?" Moca wagered a guess, one that was quickly confirmed by Lisa nodding her head. Moca would be feeling better about herself for guessing correctly, but the rivalry between the two vocalists was not exactly what one would call a well-kept secret, "Can't Lisa-san get Minato-san to slow down so everyone has more time to rest between practice sessions?"
"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how that went for me, now do I?" Lisa asked with a dry chuckle, not bothering to raise her head to see Moca's reaction for herself; Lisa already knew what the younger girl's expression would be like, "What else can I do? I feel so useless, and if I don't do anything then somebody might get hurt again. Tsugumi pushed herself too much for Afterglow's sake a lot in the past and it will only be a matter of time until something like that happens to one of us in Roselia."
"I can already feel that Ako and Rinko are feeling unmotivated to practice in this current environment, Sayo has had bags under her eyes for a few weeks now so she is a ticking time bomb, even more so than she usually is. Don't tell Sayo I said that, though," Lisa added the last bit in a hurry, having realized too late what she had actually told Moca. Once Lisa was sure that Moca would keep her mouth shut, Lisa confessed the final piece of the problem, "And to be perfectly honest with you… I'm starting to reach my limit, too."
Moca lowered her head and remained silent after hearing Lisa's admission. The silence between the two girls only grew as neither of them dared to break it. How long were they sitting in that silence? Seconds? Minutes? Neither Moca nor Lisa really knew…
"I think, and you will probably not like hearing this from me, but I am going to say it anyway… I think one of you needs to snap and break for it to really get through to Minato-san," Moca began slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, almost as if she were afraid to hear the words she would say. Lisa was quick to voice her confusion at the suggestion, and Moca took a moment to think of a proper response. After a handful of false starts, Moca eventually settled on a decision.
"Lisa-san, you asked how we in Afterglow got through all the things that could have torn us apart, right? All the things that should have ended our friendship?" Moca asked for confirmation. Lisa nodded her head slowly, giving Moca that final push to finish what she was saying, "Aside from us being friends for so long, we've also been open and direct when one of us messed up. Tomo-chin and Ran were often the most vocal ones, but even Hii-chan and Moca-chan have taken that responsibility into our hands. Even Tsugu voiced her thoughts at times when we needed someone to step up."
"So, with that said, I think that someone in Roselia needs to snap and confront Minato-san to give Minato-san the wake-up call that she needs. Or perhaps collapse from exhaustion like Tsugu did in our first year, one or the other," Moca finished her explanation with a small shudder; the image of her childhood friend in the hospital bed was still enough to keep her up at night. Using every last bit of her willpower to block out the image, Moca stared Lisa straight in the eyes as she said the next few words, "And I think that Lisa-san knows who has to be the one to snap."
"I do?" Lisa echoed, staring at Moca with wide eyes as she tried to pick up where Moca was going with this. The only response that Moca was giving her was a small nod, so Lisa started listing and crossing out her options, "Rinko would likely not snap at all, or at least not in the way you need someone to snap in such a situation. At best, she would just avoid the practice sessions altogether if it ends up breaking her. Ako would only droop, whine, and complain, which is probably only a bad thing in this situation as it might seem like she is slacking off."
"Lisa-san will hold herself back because it is Minato-san we are talking about, and since it is Minato-san that Lisa-san wants to get back to her senses it can't be Minato-san, so…" Moca trailed off, hoping that Lisa would catch on to what she was saying. The defeated and dejected sigh escaping the brunette's mouth was all the confirmation that Moca needed to continue, "And then Lisa-san has to make sure that there is something to calm Sayo-san back down after it happened."
"You're right… I should probably message Sayo to make sure she knows what I am doing," Lisa thought out loud, grabbing and unlocking her phone as the words left her mouth. Lisa was about to start typing a quick message to her fellow bandmate when she felt a gentle yet firm grip on her wrist, "Moca?"
"If Lisa-san wants to make sure that this helps Roselia, then Sayo-san should not know about this. Or, at least, not before the moment she snaps in front of Minato-san," Moca said, not letting go of Lisa's wrist and, in doing so, preventing Lisa from finishing the message she was trying to send. After Lisa voiced her surprise at Moca's action, Moca knew that she had to explain to Lisa what the bassist was on the verge of doing.
"Think about it, Lisa-san: if you warn Sayo-san what you are planning to do, then Sayo-san's reactions may not be genuine enough to get through to Minato-san," Moca reasoned with the older girl, and Lisa found herself nodding slowly in understanding and agreement. This was the opening that Moca needed, and Moca wasted no time to take advantage of it, "You have to trust in Sayo-san. Trust that Sayo-san will be the same Sayo-san as always and act the way that you need her to act."
"All right, Moca… I understand. But I do have one question left," Lisa admitted slowly. Moca, who was already in the process of packing her bag and getting ready to leave, stopped what she was doing to listen to Lisa in curiosity. When Lisa saw that she had Moca's attention the brunette could not help but crack a grin, "When are you showing Afterglow this dependable side of yours?"
"That is a whole different issue, and Moca-chan is only here to help with Lisa-san's," Moca argued, turning around and away from Lisa. Lisa, however, would have none of this and started poking Moca in the sides until the younger girl finally relented an answer that satisfied Lisa, "Now is not the time for Moca-chan to show new sides to the others. It will only confuse everyone, so for now I will just be the same Moca-chan as always."
"I'm sure that Ran and the others in Afterglow will be overjoyed if they can see this side of you as well," Lisa said with a smile to try and comfort Moca. When this did not seem to be working, Lisa thought of a different approach she hoped would have better success, "Don't you want to hear them praise you for how much you have grown?"
"I do… but I know I can't," Moca said, looking away from Lisa to stare at the clouds drifting across the late-afternoon sky above her. After a few moments to contemplate what she should say next, Moca decided that she owed Lisa to at least say something; the older girl trusted Moca enough to open up about her problems, after all, "I need to be the same Moca as I've always been. That's just how Afterglow is like, and if I am too different then everyone will just worry about me when they don't need to."
"All right if you say so," Lisa nodded slowly, understanding what Moca was trying to say. This was not the first time that she heard about it, either. Moca took that as a sign that their talk was over and was about to get ready to leave, but Lisa's next words stopped her.
Moca froze for a split second and, had Lisa blinked at the wrong moment, Lisa was sure that she could have missed it. But before Lisa could try and imprint the sight in her memory forever it had already passed and was replaced by a brightly grinning Moca.
"Thank you."
And that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought, and until next time! Take care!