And we're back again with the next chapter! Now that this story has officially become over a year old, I can confirm that I plan to have this story last… for at least another year. Perhaps the better way to phrase that is that I have already outlined ideas for this story until approximately chapter thirty-five or so, and since we hit sixteen chapters in one year… you get where I am going with this, right?
Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party nor do I, in any way, shape, or form, intend to pretend that I do.
"To all the players of Lilac Blaze: are you tired of not having an end goal in mind for the game? Do you wish you could have more to do in this game? Starting exactly one week from today, you can!"
'It's been almost a week since they made that announcement, so we should be getting more information about that soon,' Moca thought to herself, turning her head to the side and staring out the window. It had been a wild ride for Moca lately, and not because there was a lot to do; quite the opposite, actually.
The members of Afterglow were quickly growing apathetic about the game as the desire to lounge about and wait for the new updates to arrive grew stronger by the day. The five of them would still meet up daily and log into the game, but Moca quickly noticed a dip in interest in the game from her friends.
Even right now, when the five girls had agreed to meet at the Udagawa household. Tomoe's parents were visiting relatives and Ako would be away all day to practice with her band, so the members of Afterglow had the house to themselves. And, once again, the focus of conversation turned to their most recent interest: Lilac Blaze.
Ran and Tomoe were busy discussing optimal strategies for a collaborative combination attack between Endymion and Chaos. The possibilities of Endymion supporting Chaos from a safe distance had been apparent to the two from the early stages of the game, but they still suffered from coordination issues.
Meanwhile, Moca and Tsugumi were rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen. Moca had insisted that she was not yet hungry only for her stomach to betray her immediately after. Tsugumi then managed to pull Moca to the kitchen to see what they could scavenge before Tomoe's roaring laughter could get the better of Moca.
As Moca and Tsugumi walked back to the living room where Ran and Tomoe were still discussing strategies, Moca's mind drifted back to Lilac Blaze. She knew that it was a long shot to get everybody attached to and interested in the game, but the initial response seemed to be positive. Now that her friends seemed to be drifting away from the game, Moca wanted to change that so that the five of them could have fun together again.
"But I have to deal with a little problem first…" Moca trailed off with a sigh, her mind drifting off to a familiar figure standing in front of the vending machine. The pink-haired girl had offered to buy some drinks and snacks for the group and had hurried to the nearest vending machine before anyone could stop her.
Had it been any other day, Moca would have not given it a lot of thought; it was normal for one of them to volunteer themselves to get refreshments for the group. What wasn't normal, however, was Himari's mood and demeanor.
Moca wasn't dense, quite the opposite, even. The guitarist prided herself in her ability to see through the fronts put up by the people around her. How else would Moca be able to consistently get under her friends' skin and tease the living daylights out of them?
Now that one of her closest friends so clearly needed someone to help them, Moca had to step in and bring attention to the issue. But a thought was holding Moca back.
'I can't go into this recklessly. Hii-chan not acting the same as always is bad enough, but if Moca-chan isn't acting the same as always then Ran and the others will grow worried,' Moca frowned, the image of Tsugumi and Tomoe panicking while Ran runs away screaming forced Moca to second guess her decision. After a false start or two, Moca finally settled on what she wanted to say.
"Say, Tomo-chin…" Moca began slowly, tearing her focus away from Himari to stare at the redhead. Moca's voice was usually filled with a playful undertone, one that either accentuated her teasing nature or exaggerated her successes. This time, Moca made sure to keep her voice steady and devoid of emotions to the best of her abilities in the hopes that she could get through to Tomoe.
Based on the look on Tomoe's face, Moca knew that it was working. That, or the redhead must have seen a ghost.
"Do you know what's going on with Hii-chan? She seems kind of down lately, wouldn't you say?" Moca asked her friend, making sure that she maintained eye contact with the redhead as the words left her mouth. When Tomoe did not respond to Moca's revelation right away, the guitarist tried again, "Moca-chan was wondering if Tomo-chin knew anything, since Tomo-chin seems to be the closest to Hii-chan lately."
"You're… not wrong there, Moca," Tomoe admitted with a small chuckle. Tomoe knew that this was not the time to be taking things lightly, so she turned serious right away, "I have noticed Himari's change as well. I think all of us have, right? Ran? Tsugu?"
Tomoe looked at her two friends in the hopes that they could voice their agreement with Tomoe. Fortunately for Tomoe, this was exactly what Tsugumi did, but Ran felt that a simple nod would be enough of a response.
"The problem is that I don't know how to really ask Himari about it," Tomoe sighed, and Moca couldn't help but silently agree with the redhead; approaching Himari about this issue was a much more fragile operation than if they were trying to get through to someone like Tomoe. Moca was stopped from drifting off in her thoughts by the sound of the drummer's voice reaching her ears yet again, "You seem to know a lot of answers to our problems lately. Think you got any solutions or ideas for how to get Himari back to her usual self?"
"Come now, Tomo-chin. Knowing the attack patterns of enemies in a game is different from being able to read Hii-chan," Moca said in a playful manner, likely in the hopes that she could lighten the tense mood in the room. When it was becoming clear to her that her attempt was unsuccessful, the guitarist let out a sigh and dropped the act, "Fine. I will go talk with Hii-chan and see if we can get her back. You coming, Tsugu?"
"Ah, me? Um… okay," Tsugumi, who had just gotten comfortable on the couch and grabbed a cookie from the plate, looked up in shock the moment Moca called out her name. With a small and dejected sigh, the youngest of the group scrambled to get back to her feet before shuffling over to catch up to Moca. Tsugumi opened her mouth to say something, but the look Moca was giving her prompted the brunette to remain silent.
It was only once the two girls were outside the living room of the Udagawa household that Tsugumi spoke her mind.
"Not that I don't like spending time with Moca-chan, but are you sure that it is a good idea for me to join you right now?" Tsugumi asked her friend as she took off her slippers and put on her shoes. Tsugumi had hoped for Moca to have given her a response by the time she finished getting ready to hear outside, but when Moca had yet to say anything Tsugumi tried again, "Isn't it better if it's just Moca-chan who approaches Himari-chan for this?"
"It probably would be… but Hii-chan is not the only person the great Moca-chan needs to have a word with," Moca trailed off, taking a risk and maintaining eye contact with Tsugumi as the words left her mouth. To the brunette's credit, and to Moca's surprise, Tsugumi managed to not look away for two whole minutes.
"All right, Moca-chan, you got me," Tsugumi relented and raised both her hands in a show of defeat. Moca's response was to give the shorter girl a quick pat on the shoulder and nodding in the direction of the front door, leading the way outside. Once the two girls were outside, Tsugumi turned back to Moca, "I do enjoy Lilac Blaze and I am having a lot of fun with Moca-chan and everyone else! It's a whole new experience and I am happy that we can experience it together."
"That's not what I was going to ask you about, actually," Moca smiled her usual smile, looking up in time to dance around a lamppost. After this maneuver, Moca waddled to a nearby bench and waited for Tsugumi to rejoin her side. Moca picked back up where she left off as soon as the brunette plopped down on the spot to her right, "Tsugu has always been very self-conscious when one of us is seemingly way ahead of you. Yellow Peace is more of a support-based character than an offensive powerhouse. So how does Tsugu feel about being unable to deal as much damage as someone like Ran or Tomo-chin?"
"Ah, that, well… I know what Moca-chan is thinking, but I really don't feel bad at all," Tsugumi said after a moment of hesitation. The brunette's first instinct was to deny the subtle accusation, but she knew better than to try and hide information from her friend. Instead, Tsugumi attempted to be as honest as she possibly could be, "I know that everybody has a different playing style. Tomoe-chan has always been up close and personal, so it would make sense that Tomoe-chan deals more damage than me. As for me—."
"Tsugu has always worked hard in the back and supported all of us," Moca interrupted Tsugumi before the shorter girl could lose herself in her negative thoughts. Moca's mood seemed to be infectious as Tsugumi cracked a smile upon hearing Moca's words. This positive reaction was exactly what Moca was hoping for, and Moca took the opportunity to dig deeper, "Do you think that Moca-chan made a mistake getting everybody into the game?"
"No! Sorry, I did not mean to yell," Tsugumi added the second bit hastily when Moca visibly flinched. After Moca reassured her that it was all right, Tsugumi tried again, "As I said earlier, I have a lot of fun spending time with everyone in the game. I can also tell that both Tomoe-chan and Ran-chan are having a great time in the game, as well. And… even though Himari-chan seems to have been struggling lately, I know that she has fun playing with us. Or at least I hope so…"
"Moca-chan hopes that, too. But I guess Moca-chan should not be asking how Hii-chan feels about the game to Tsugu," Moca trailed off, causing Tsugumi to stare at her friend while wondering what was going on in her mind. Moca saw the curious look that Tsugumi was giving her, but she chose to remain silent and not react to it.
Instead, Moca stood up, stretched, and walked over to the bush beside the bench that the two girls had been sitting on. After taking a moment to make sure that nobody but Tsugumi would see what she would do next, Moca kicked the bush.
The result was immediate.
The moment Moca's foot made contact with the bush, a shrill shriek filled the air. Tsugumi was about to ask Moca where the sound came from, but the brunette's unvoiced question would soon be answered.
Himari jumped out of the bush, her hand holding her ankle and her face scrunched up in a grimace. The bassist's dress had hints of soil and leaves on it, her hands were dirtied and bruised, and Himari's cheeks were marked by a variety of shallow cuts.
"Himari-chan?!" Tsugumi exclaimed when she recognized her childhood friend. Tsugumi couldn't believe her eyes; Tsugumi knew that she was being dragged along by Moca to find Himari, but to find out that Himari was hiding in a bush next to them all this time left the brunette speechless. Tsugumi stole a glance in Moca's direction in the hopes that Moca would save her, but to no avail.
"I think the better question would be 'how long have you been eavesdropping on us?'," Moca stated, her usual carefree tone replaced by a look filled with what Tsugumi could only guess was disdain. Moca gave Himari just enough time for her friend to recover from the pain, but once Himari did Moca did not hesitate to pounce again, "So how long were you planning on hiding in the bushes, Hii-chan?"
"I wasn't hiding… nor was I eavesdropping on your chat… not on purpose, anyway," Himari murmured the last part when she saw the look that she was getting. Himari then took a deep breath before she even wanted to attempt talking her way out of this mess, "I dropped one of the cans and got in the bush to find it. Then you two came here and it became awkward for me to crawl back out of the bush."
"Himari-chan…" Tsugumi said softly as she watched her friend lower her head in shame. It did not take long before Tsugumi was rubbing her friend's back in an effort to help Himari feel better. It also did not take long before Tsugumi turned to Moca and added in a hushed voice, "Moca-chan! Do something, too!"
But Moca refused to move. The guitarist simply stood there with an unreadable expression on her face and her hands tucked safely in her hoodie's pockets. It quickly became apparent to Tsugumi that Moca would not be lending her a hand, much to the brunette's chagrin.
It was only after Himari had calmed down that Moca finally broke the silence.
"I will be direct here, for the sake of Tsugu who is starting to get tired," Moca announced and, as if on cue, Tsugumi's hand shot up to her cover her mouth. After offering a sheepish apology to her friends, Moca turned back to Himari with a small frown on her face, "We make fun of Ran for running away all the time, but how about you, Hii-chan? Don't you think it's about time you started facing your problems?"
"Moca-chan! That's—!" Tsugumi began, but she was stopped before she could finish her sentence. It was not Moca who stopped her, the person who Tsugumi had expected to do so. With her eyes still wider than they usually were, Tsugumi looked at Himari, "Himari-chan? Why?"
"Because Moca is right. I mean, think about it: how long do you think buying a few snacks and some drinks would take, especially with the store being across the street from Tomoe's place?" Himari asked Tsugumi with a soft sigh, accepting Tsugumi's silence as the go-ahead to respond to Moca's question. After taking a deep breath, Himari offered Moca a shaky but still very genuine smile, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Moca, Tsugu. But if it is okay… I am going to take a page out of Moca's book and say that I will say the rest of what needs to be said when we are back with Ran and Tomoe."
"That's fine by Moca-chan," Moca shrugged, offering Himari a quick nod before taking one plastic bag from Himari's grasps. After waiting long enough to hear Tsugumi voice her agreement as well, Moca took the lead, "Let's go. Ran and Tomo-chin are probably going to start getting worried soon if we're taking any longer."
"Are you sure that it's not just your stomach who wants to eat the snacks that Himari-chan bought for us?" Tsugumi asked Moca with a grin. Tsugumi's smile widened when she heard a low grumbling sound, knowing that she hit the nail on the head. But Tsugumi was still Tsugumi, so seeing the defeated look in Moca's eyes was more than enough motivation for the brunette to change gears, "L-Let's hurry back to Tomoe-chan and Ran-chan!"
With a hungry Moca in front of the group, and Himari and Tsugumi trailing behind her struggling to keep up, the three of them made it back to the Udagawa household in a few minutes. Moca and Tsugumi were both making sure that Himari was still with them, but aside from a crestfallen look on her face the bassist seemed to be doing better already. Moca would almost describe Himari to be the same Himari as she's always been, if a little on the quiet side.
Once they were inside, Moca locked the door behind them and Tsugumi waddled over to Himari's side. The brunette took over the bag that Himari was carrying to free up Himari's hands to remove her shoes. While Tsugumi helped Himari, Moca walked around the two and entered the living room.
"Ran~! Tomato-chin~! We're back~!" Moca called out as soon as she knew that Ran and Tomoe could hear her. Both Ran and Tomoe looked up in surprise when they heard their respective names called, and this was when Moca decided to push a little further, "Did you two little girls behave well while Mama Moca was out?"
"You know that both Ran and I are older than you are by a few months, right?" Tomoe deadpanned, clearly annoyed by the way that Moca was treating her. A sidewards glance in Ran's direction told the redhead that she was not the only one bothered by it. With Ran's support beside her, Tomoe felt safe to comment on another thing that was bothering her, "And what did I say about calling me that?"
"You said a bunch of words that Moca-chan cannot repeat in the current company," Moca said with a serious nod. Moca was quick to realize that Tomoe would not take that laying low, so Moca decided to hurriedly divert the focus to something else, "Anyway… Tsugu and I ran into Hii-chan earlier, and Hii-chan has something she wants to say to everybody. Isn't that right?"
"I was kind of hoping to not be pushed in the spotlight this early," Himari muttered to nobody in particular once she got over her initial shock. Ignoring Moca's proclamation that there had been enough procrastination done already, Himari handed the bag that she was carrying to Tsugumi and faced Ran and Tomoe, "The truth is… I know that everybody has been having a lot of fun in Lilac Blaze, and I am happy that Moca managed to bring back so much joy to our group. Thank you, Moca."
"Don't mention it, it's what any one of us would do," Moca shrugged the compliment off. She knew that the usual Moca would gloat and bask in the praise, but she also knew that now was not the right time to do so. Himari wasn't done yet.
"But after a lot of thinking…" Himari trailed off, her breath getting caught up in her throat. Tsugumi shuffled over to Himari and rubbed her back gently, Ran and Tomoe stood up and closed their distance with Himari, and even Moca was giving the bassist her full and undivided attention for once. With her friends' support, Himari squeezed out the last bit of her courage and said the words she had been yearning to say. The words that she needed to say.
"I won't be joining the four of you in the upcoming update the day after tomorrow."
And that is all for today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review telling me what you thought, and until next time! Take care!