All right… after the brief pause from the plot last chapter, we're right back to the main storyline of this story. Hope all of you enjoyed the little side-story chapter last time. A special thank you goes to Rider for leaving a review on the previous chapters!
We're having a little bit of a shorter-than-usual chapter today. A lot of things happened since the last update that has been keeping me busy and away from being able to sit down and write a lot. That, and since the last handful of chapters have been longer than what I had planned these chapters to go for, it was only a matter of time until we hit a shorter chapter.
Finally, a quick thank you goes to ReiTheMegaMawile for helping me plan out and write a specific section of this chapter. If/when you get to that part, you know which part I am talking about~.
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.
Two days had passed since the tournament event was held in Lilac Blaze and Moca could be seen stretching her arms above her head lazily. The school bell had just finished ringing, indicating the end of the school day, and Moca had to find something else to do.
Suppressing a yawn, she turned her head to look for and find her friends in her classroom in the hopes that she could hang out with one of them. This, however, was a wasted effort and Moca knew this. Both Himari and Tomoe had club meetings that would be keeping them busy so Moca couldn't rely on either of them to be available for hanging out.
Tsugumi was out of the question as well, Moca pondered with a sigh, knowing that the youngest of the group had to rush to the student council room. This only left one person for Moca to turn to…
"Are you coming or not, Moca?"
Moca perked up the instant she heard that voice say those words. Looking up from her seated position, Moca saw Ran standing next to her desk while holding her bag strap over her shoulder. The vocalist stared at Moca in her usual calm and neutral way while waiting for Moca to respond to her.
Instead of voicing her reply, Moca quickly gathered her belongings and threw them haphazardly into her bag. Moca could feel the judging stare of Ran drilling into the back of her skull, but Moca didn't stop to worry about that. Instead, Moca hurried over to her other friends before they could leave to say goodbye to them. With that done, Moca then followed Ran down the hallway as the two girls made their way out of the school building.
The moment the two of them stepped outside, Moca voiced the thoughts that had been swimming in her mind.
"Hii-chan sure was unamused when Moca-chan said goodbye to her just now," Moca noted, remembering the poorly-hid sour expression on Himari's face when Moca approached her in the classroom. What worried Moca even more was that she was the only girl who was receiving this treatment; Ran, Tomoe, and Tsugumi were all spared from Himari's bad mood. This caused Moca to come to the only logical conclusion which she shared with her best friend, "Do you think Hii-chan is still mad at me for what happened yesterday?"
"Moca, in case you may have forgotten, I was right there when you did that to Himari," Ran said in a deadpan as she stared at her friend in both shock and disbelief. When Moca didn't immediately respond to her, Ran took a deep breath and tried a somewhat different approach, "It's a testament to the strength of our friendship that Himari isn't voicing how upset she is."
Five flashes of lights indicated the arrival of five avatars in the area. Endymion, Lotus, Maiden, Chaos, and Peace all materialized one by one before four of them turned to a certain member of the group.
Moca had managed to gather her friends together and asked them to regroup in a certain location but had adamantly refused to give away any details on her plan. Himari had been trying to get Moca to reveal where they were going, and even Tomoe and Tsugumi had voiced their curiosity. But much to their dismay, Moca chose that moment to keep her mouth shut and leave her friends in suspense.
"What are we doing here, Lotus?" Himari asked after she saw that the five avatars had materialized in an open field. This area didn't resemble their usual go-to training ground at all. Himari also knew that none of the enemies in the area, the Flower Bunnies, would drop any worthwhile items for them, so that wasn't Moca's reasoning, either. They were cute to watch hop around the meadows, though, and Moca knew that Himari had to tear her gaze away from them to try and focus on Moca.
Himari was already adding another question before Moca even had the chance to try and give an answer to the first one, "What's your plan, Lotus?"
"My plan is simple. Endymion, Peace, Chaos, and I participated in the event that you sat out off," Moca noted calmly, unfazed by the emotional state that Himari was currently in. Without skipping a beat, Moca allowed a smirk to grace her face when she finally revealed her intentions, "Maiden, for you to catch up to us we need to help you get stronger. So today, we will be practicing your offensive skills."
"That sounds like a great idea!" Himari said in forced cheerfulness, a tone that Moca was able to recognize all too well. Sure enough, Himari was speaking again before Moca had a chance to do so herself, "In case it isn't obvious, Lotus, I am a green-colored avatar. I don't come with the fancy and flashy offensive skills that any of you have."
Moca frowned as she allowed Himari's words to swim around in her head. What the pink-haired bassist had said was true and Moca had to quickly think of a solution. Fortunately for her, she had already come prepared and was looking forward to seeing what kind of reaction she could get out of Himari.
"Don't worry, I've already thought about that," Moca trailed off, making sure that she used an all-too-familiar tone whilst saying those words. Despite the distance between her and her friends, Moca knew how her friends would have reacted to Moca using that tone. Which was how she also knew she shouldn't waste any time picking up where she had left off, "Let's start with the Spike Cannon."
"That… isn't what that skill is called, but I guess I can try," Himari mumbled before falling silent again. Moca and her friends watched in silent anticipation as Himari fumbled around with her keyboard before she found what she was looking for. Moca's patience was rewarded by Green Maiden sprouting short yet sturdy and sharp spikes all over the body of the avatar.
It was a skill that Himari had started to use right before the tournament had started. Despite their diminutive appearance, the spikes were strong enough to severely injure anything that attempted to hurt the green-colored avatar. Tomoe had even tested the effectiveness of these spikes, which was how the group of childhood friends learned it was a powerful defensive skill.
The biggest issue was Himari's tendency to panic and be unable to use her skills effectively. Instead of utilizing this skill to protect herself and potentially damage her attacker, Himari would usually scream and try to run away.
"So… now what, Lotus?" Himari asked as she turned to face Moca's avatar while waiting for Moca to continue her explanation. The shock and surprise were clearly audible when Lotus vanished before re-appearing behind Maiden, "Um… Lotus, what are you—?"
"And now… YEET!" Moca exclaimed cheerfully. Before Himari knew what was happening or could try to stop Moca, Moca watched as Lotus kicked a spikey Maiden away and into a pack of unsuspecting Flower Bunnies. The only sound that managed to drown out Moca's mirth as Maiden soared through the air was the high-pitched scream that Himari was making.
"And that, Maiden, is how we turn your strong defense into a decent offense," Moca beamed before turning to see how her other friends would react to Moca's demonstration. Moca had hoped to be met with words of praise for her ingenuity and creativity after finding this creative method to turn Maiden into an offensive threat. So it was a surprise for her when her friends were silent, deflating Moca's mood, "Aw, come on, no reaction whatsoever?"
"That…" Tomoe began slowly as she turned her attention to Moca. Moca waited patiently to hear what the drummer had to say to finish her earlier sentence. A few seconds later, Moca could hear Tomoe take a deep breath before muttering four words "Was pretty bad, Lotus."
"I agree with Chaos-chan here," Tsugumi chimed in as soon as Tomoe had finished talking. Without giving anyone the chance to interrupt her, Tsugumi continued berating Moca for her earlier action with a slight inflection in her voice, "How could you make Maiden-chan use that skill and then kick her across this field, Lotus-chan?"
"And only make Maiden fly for a hundred meters," Tomoe exclaimed, and Moca was about to apologize for her actions when her brain finally processed the redhead's words. Sure enough, Tomoe's voice lightened up immensely by the time she spoke again, "That's weak sauce, Lotus! I expected more from you! Watch, I'll bet I can make Maiden fly twice as far as you can!"
"Yeah—wait, what?" Tsugumi did a double-take when she realized what Tomoe had just said. Moca wasn't the only one who had been surprised by Tomoe's sudden change in demeanor after seeing Moca's actions. Tsugumi then tried to talk Tomoe out of doing it but to no avail.
"Maiden! Get back here and use your skill again," Tomoe called out to Himari, prompting Himari to shuffle back to the group after having been hurt by Moca's Lotus. Maiden was undamaged, as expected, but it was Himari who had seen better days; the leader of Afterglow was still very shaken from the experience.
"I don't wanna. Once was more than enough," Himari whined as Maiden dragged its feet back to the group. Tomoe kept insisting that Himari should allow Chaos a shot at beating Moca's record, much to Himari's dismay. After a period of back-and-forth between the two girls, Himari finally relented and activated her skill again, "But only once, all right? And nobody else gets to do this, either, this isn't a fun experience."
"All right, Lotus, watch and learn," Tomoe's grin was visible in Moca's mind as Chaos lined up its attack. Before anyone could properly respond or react to what Tomoe was doing, the blue-colored avatar had pulled back its left fist and launched it straight at the upper back of Himari's avatar.
Maiden would soar in the air for a long time, accompanied by a second high-pitched scream courtesy of Himari. But was Tomoe able to surpass the distance that Moca had achieved a few moments prior?
"Ran! Ra~an~!"
Moca's voice shook Ran out of her memories and back into the present. What awaited the vocalist was a knowing smirk plastered on Moca's voice and a pair of blue-gray-colored eyes staring right at her.
So not only did Ran have to try and hide her embarrassment from Moca of all people but she also had to find a way to try and distract her. This was a task that Ran knew would be incredibly difficult, if not next to impossible, to achieve.
"Yes, Moca?" Ran asked, keeping her voice as calm and steady as she could while addressing her best friend. The only chance that Ran had to not be ridiculed by Moca while in public would be to play along with her friend's antics, "Is there something you wanted to say?"
"Oh, right, Ran reminding me about what happened yesterday made me wonder about something," Moca began before trailing off. The guitarist even slowed down to a stop, forcing Ran to stop walking and turn to face Moca. Moca, knowing that she was blocking passersby from walking past her, apologized to the elderly couple behind her before hurrying to Ran's side again, "Have you been playing on your own by any chance? Endymion was surprisingly strong, much stronger than when Moca-chan fought against Endymion in the tournament."
Moca's question was referring to the whole reason why the five of them started playing Lilac Blaze in the first place. Moca had recommended the game to her friends as something they could do together. It was when they realized that they were having a blast with the game that the members of Afterglow decided to continue playing the game. Together.
Of all the things that Ran could have expected to hear, this was evidently not on that list. Moca watched in silent amusement how Ran's eyes widened ever so slightly before the vocalist turned her head the other way.
The two childhood friends would remain in this awkward silence for quite a while, too. Just as Moca was about to try and break it, Ran finally spoke.
"Of course I didn't, we agreed to play together so I have only played when one of you were playing with me," Ran began in an attempt to wiggle herself out of the uncomfortable position she was in. But Moca didn't believe Ran's innocence and kept prodding for an answer. Eventually, after only two jabs aimed at Ran's sides, the vocalist confessed, "All right, fine, you got me. I did some playing in my own time to try and get Endymion a bit stronger."
"See? Now was that so difficult to admit?" Moca asked in a sing-song voice, although she would never hear a proper response to the question. Instead, Moca turned serious and turned to her friend, "So how did playing on your own go? Must have been a much different experience from before when the five of us would play together, huh?"
"It was something different, yes," Ran admitted softly. Now that she knew that Moca knew about her playing on her own, it became much easier for Ran to talk about it. After hearing Moca's next question, Ran decided to share her experiences some more, 'It's only natural that we can't play together all the time so I was curious what it would be like to play on my own. It… was a very isolating experience."
"Isolating?" Moca echoed, curious by Ran's choice of words there but not surprised by them, either. After taking a moment to think of the right words, knowing that she shouldn't be pushing Ran's buttons right now, Moca picked up where she left off, "What do you mean by that?"
"That it is a much different experience from playing it with all of you," Ran replied slowly. Before Moca could take the opportunity to tease her friend about her answer, Ran was already attempting to elaborate on it, "Aside from the obvious difference of playing it alone. I know that I won't have other players to play with, but there were some other changes I noticed. Like how the game felt a lot… bigger and colder without any of you there."
"Ran's so cute~ Moca-chan is so fortunate to be able to witness this side of the amazing Ran," Moca said with a teasing smile, making sure that she took a quick step to the side so she could avoid Ran's retaliating jab. Once Moca was sure that she was no longer in danger she decided it was the perfect time to try poking the beast again, "You sure are brave to break the promise we made when we first started playing. How could you have the heart to go behind Moca-chan's back like that?"
"I don't want to hear that from the person who regularly spends hours every day playing on her own," Ran said in a deadpan, eliciting a sheepish chuckle from Moca in response. But if Moca had been worried that Ran was angry or annoyed she would be relieved to learn that the vocalist was neither, "Why did you break our promise then?"
Moca didn't respond to Ran's question right away, much to Ran's surprise. Having known Moca for as long as she had Ran was sure that Moca had a proper excuse ready for when Ran asked the question. So when Moca remained silent Ran didn't know what to do to break the silence.
It was therefore a huge relief for Ran that it was Moca who broke it for her.
"Moca-chan has her reasons, but now is not the time or place for either," Moca said, electing to avoid Ran's question entirely. It then became a race to see who could act first. Was Ran able to push Moca for an answer before Moca had the opportunity to try and distract her?
Unfortunately for Moca, there wasn't anything she could use to her advantage in this situation. Moca was alone with Ran, she had exhausted the earlier topic of Ran playing the game on her own, and her brain wasn't giving her any ideas for a conversation.
As fate would have it, Moca's eyes did land on something that caught her interest. A sight that pulled her attention away from Ran for the moment and made her forget that Ran was there at all.
"Ran, what's that behind you?" Moca asked breathlessly, her gaze still fixated on the sight she had seen. Ran's only action to show that she had even heard Moca's words was to frown in Moca's direction, so Moca tried to impatiently point to something behind Ran, "Quick! Turn around and tell Moca what you see."
"I am not falling for that trick again," Ran stated matter-of-factly, already recalling the last time she had allowed Moca's playful teasing to get the better of her. The fact that the two girls were out in public made the prospect of being tricked by Moca even scarier for Ran.
"Ran, please," Moca begged, trying to sound and look as sincere and genuine as possible. This strategy seemed to be working as Ran's resolve was starting to shake. Seeing her window of opportunity, Moca dove back in, "You know I don't often ask much, but please trust in Moca-chan."
"All right, fine, you win," Ran relented with a sigh, much to Moca's relief. Ran then followed Moca's instructions to turn around and tried to find what Moca was talking about. There was only one problem with this, "What am I looking for?"
"The building on the other side of the road," Moca said, moving her gaze between the building in question and her best friend's face to confirm Ran's attention. When Ran motioned that she knew what Moca was talking about, Moca pointed, "Now look at the second window to the right. Do you see anything interesting there?"
And that is all for today's chapter! Like I said earlier, we're having a bit of a shorter chapter today, but that's just how things go sometimes.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought, and until next time! Take care!