And here we are with the next chapter of Shining Sunlight. There will be an announcement I need to make, but this announcement will be saved for the end of this chapter.
A special thank you goes to Rider for leaving a review since the last time this story got updated. Thanks a lot for your continued support of the series!
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
She wanted to thank Ako for her kind words and support. Voice her gratitude that Ako had gone out of her way to try and comfort her. Or even say how much she wished that Ako could start Lilac Blaze so they could play the game together as well.
Unfortunately for Rinko, she would not be given this opportunity at all. It was at that very moment when a loud voice rang through the café, surprising both girls sitting at the table. They turned their head in the direction of the voice in shock in the hopes of finding the person responsible for the disturbance.
What Ako and Rinko saw would leave both girls speechless.
"See? I told you that I saw something familiar!"
Ako and Rinko were left speechless as a pair of girls about their age approached them. One of them was dragging the other by the wrist and seemed to be completely oblivious to the stares she was getting. The girl who was being dragged around didn't seem as unaffected, however, as she tried to squirm out of her friend's grip with little success.
It took Ako all but two seconds to recognize the two people who were now standing in front of her.
"Moca-chin and Ran-chan!" Ako grinned as soon as she gathered her voice again. Moca responded by giving Ako a cheerful wave but Ran merely nodded to indicate that she had heard and acknowledged the short drummer. Without wasting another moment, Ako already blurted out the first question that came to her mind, "What are you two doing here?"
"We were walking home and when we passed this café I saw Ako through the window," Moca explained casually, ignoring the sound that Ran was making beside her. Moca was about to open her mouth to say something, but it was at this moment when her gaze landed on the girl Ako had come to the café with, "You're Ako-chin's friend who came to watch our performance last month, right? Are you feeling better now?"
"Ah, um… yes, I am doing much better now," Rinko nodded with a small smile to mask how she truly felt at the reminder. On the one hand, she was touched that the guitarist in front of her was worried about her wellbeing. On the flip side, however, Rinko felt embarrassed at the memory of her succumbing to the heat that day. Shaking her head vigorously to rid her mind of these thoughts, Rinko realized she had to properly respond still, "Thank you for asking, um… I… don't think we… were properly introduced yet?"
"Don't worry, a friend of Ako-chin is a friend of mine," Moca smiled warmly with her hand outstretched as if in greeting. Rinko's gaze shifted between Moca's hand and Moca's face until Moca finished her introduction properly, "I'm Aoba Moca, it's nice to meet you, friend of Ako-chin."
A short yet heavy silence fell over the group immediately after Moca finished talking. Moca seemed to have been waiting for someone to break it, but when it became apparent that this wouldn't be the case she let out an exasperated sigh. Her shoulders dropped and she seemed to slump a few centimeters in the process.
Moca quickly recovered from this state and was determined to keep the conversation going. Moca took a step in the direction of Ran and nudged her friend's side with her elbow, "This is the part where you tell the class who you are. Do I really need to do everything for you~?"
"You don't have to tease me about everything, you know that," Ran mumbled loud enough for Moca to hear her. Despite the complaint being directed at her, Moca seemed to be surprisingly amused by Ran's reaction. Ran, meanwhile, ignored Moca's snickering, cleared her throat, and turned to Rinko, "Mitake Ran. I'm friends with both Moca and the sister of Ako. It's nice to meet you."
As soon as Ran finished her introductions, Rinko could feel the gazes focused on her. Both Moca and Ran were waiting for Rinko to properly introduce herself to them. Ako was trying to telepathically cheer her friend on with middling results. With a deep, shaky breath, Rinko braced herself for what she knew she had to do.
"I'm… Shirokane Rinko," Rinko managed before she lowered her head again. She couldn't. She wasn't able to say anything else after being put on the spot like that. But before she could run away, she felt a warm and comforting hand on top of her clenched her fists, "Ako-chan?"
"It's okay, Rinrin. Moca-chin and Ran-chan are good people. Ako can guarantee it!" Ako grinned in the hopes that her cheerfulness could help Rinko feel better. Although Rinko wasn't ready to jump in happiness, a small smile was more than enough of an indication for Ako that it had worked.
"So now that we've introduced ourselves… what were you two talking about before Ran and I joined you?" Moca asked as she plopped down on the spot next to Ako. Moca immediately turned her focus back on Ran when she noticed that Ran had yet to move, "Aw, come on, Ran. It would be weird if we were talking with Ako and Rinko-san while you and I are standing in the middle of a café, right?"
"That might be the case, but we shouldn't be here to begin. Ako and Shirokane-san came here together, so if the two of us were to barge in like this we'd be nothing more than an annoyance for them," Ran reasoned in the tone a sleep-deprived teacher would use to explain to her kindergarten students why one plus one was equal to two. Moca, who couldn't deny that Ran was making sense here, let out a deep sigh in resignation. While Moca was accepting that she made a mistake, Ran directed her next couple of words to Ako and Rinko, "Sorry for pushing into your time together, we will be on our way now. Oh, and Ako? Don't stay out too late or Tomoe might get upset again."
"Is Ran-chan my mother now or something?" Ako whined, much to the amusement of both Moca and Rinko. Ran, however, was taken aback by this comment and was about to respond to try and defend herself. But Ran didn't need to do this as Ako was offering a wide grin to Ran, "Ako is just kidding~. Ako doesn't mind if Moca-chin and Ran-chan stayed, but this is not Ako's decision to make. Rinrin, what do you think?"
Rinko's eyes widened when she heard Ako's question as she realized what this question signified. The poor keyboardist just remained silent as seconds slowly threatened to tick into the minute territory. Rinko tried to gather the best words she could think of to respond to Ako's question and—.
"We're interrupting, aren't we?" Moca asked as she was already getting up to leave. With Ran nodding once to show that she felt the same way as Moca did, Moca stood up and joined her friend, "All right, we'll be heading it out now. Was fun meeting you, Rinko-san."
Moca waved goodbye in Ako's direction and had already turned around. She and Ran were about to leave when a soft yet firm voice reached their ears.
"I… don't mind… if Aoba-san and Mitake-san stay around," the voice said in a volume that was barely above a whisper. Naturally, both Moca and Ran turned around when they heard their names be called. And their effort rewarded them with the sight of Rinko lowering her head and playing with the hem of her shirt, "I mean… Aoba-san and Mitake-san … are friends of Ako-chan… right?"
"But we—," Ran began, trying to reassure Rinko that they didn't belong here. Before Ran could even say anything more than a few words she was already interrupted, "Moca, what are you doing? You know we shouldn't be here."
"You're right. Ako-chin and Rinko-san made plans to hang out and we weren't properly invited to the party. But that was then and this is now," Moca added the last bit quickly with her signature smile when she saw that Ran was about to voice her thoughts. The moment Ran saw this smile she knew it was all over; Moca had made up her mind and there was nothing Ran could do to convince Moca to do anything else. Almost as if Moca could read what was going on in Ran's mind, the guitarist tried to reason with Ran again, "Besides, at this point, Rinko-san has effectively invited us to hang out with her and Ako-chin, right? It would be rude of us to turn down Rinko-san's invitation."
"I guess you're right…" Ran finally relented before following Moca's lead to bring a chair over. By the time Ran returned, Moca was busy going over the items on the menu. Seeing this, Ran let out a sigh and was about to sit down when she noticed that Moca was offering her the menu, "Have you already decided what you are getting? That is very unlike you. Usually, you would take a few minutes to decide on what you want."
"What can Moca-chan say~? The choice was pretty obvious once Moca-chan saw what this café had to offer," Moca replied with a playful shrug, much to Ako's amusement. While Ran took the opportunity to go over the menu at her own pace, Moca chose to turn to Ako instead, "So what were you and Rinko-san talking about before Ran and I joined?"
"Rinrin wanted to talk more about the game that Rinrin has been playing," Ako explained, her eyes darting to the side to try and catch a reaction from Rinko. For better or for worse, Ako didn't notice a difference in Rinko, so Ako continued where she left off as cheerful and energetic as ever, "Ako can't play the game so Ako gets to enjoy the game through Rinrin's stories. And Rinrin has a lot of stories to tell, right, Rinrin?"
Moca turned to look at Rinko and Rinko, who had yet to finish mentally preparing herself for this turn of events, tried to hide her face using her bangs. Rinko didn't know what it was that was causing her to feel so embarrassed, either. Was it that Moca and Ran were people Rinko wasn't close to before? Or was it her usual asocial shy nature that was hindering her from keeping the conversation going?
"That's great, isn't it? Finding a new hobby that is a ton of fun and one where you can talk about all day with your friends is a great thing to have," Moca said in a cheerful voice, and Rinko found herself staring at Moca with wide eyes. Moca was not oblivious to this fact as she quickly mumbled an addition to what she had just finished saying, "You are having fun with your new game, right, Rinko-san?"
"I am, yes," Rinko admitted with a small, shy smile. Rinko was then distracted by several strands of her hair for a moment or two before Moca cleared her throat and brought her back to the present again, "It… took me a while to get the basics. But now that I do… it's one of my favorite games to play…"
"Rinrin! Rinrin! You still haven't told Ako anything about what you wanted to talk about before," Ako whined, reaching her arm over the table to tug on Rinko's sleeve. Once she confirmed that she had Rinko's attention, Ako perked up and picked up where she had left off, "And it's a great way to help Moca-chin and Ran-chan understand more about the game. Ako thinks it's a good idea to begin there."
"If Moca-chan is allowed to say something here—," Moca said calmly, jumping into the conversation but being polite enough to wait for Ako to finish talking. Moca quickly glanced in Ran's direction who gave her a small, subtle nod. This was all the confirmation and motivation that Moca needed, "But Ran and Moca-chan know nothing about this game that Rinko-san is playing. So why not begin by telling Ran and Moca-chan more about what the game is about? Is it anything like Neo Fantasy Online?"
"A… little bit," Rinko began after a moment of hesitation, and Moca smiled encouragingly to motivate Rinko to say more about it. This action proved to be working as Rinko didn't waste much time to talk again, "We control a character in the game… and can explore the world freely… and fight the characters of other players… just like in NFO."
"We had an event a few days ago… where many players fought each other in a tournament," Rinko continued her story as she tried to recall everything that has happened so far. Before she had realized it, she was getting more and more comfortable sharing her thoughts with the three girls around her, "And after the tournament… I spent some time playing with… a group of friends… I met during the tournament. It was… a lot of fun. And I hope we can play together again soon."
"I'm sure that you will, Rinko-san," Moca encouraged Rinko with a smile, much to Rinko's relief. A short pause followed where the four of them looked at each other, waiting for one of them to break the silence. It was ultimately Moca who did it, "What's the game called? It sounds like it is a lot of fun."
"It is a game I found by chance one day… so I would not be surprised if… Aoba-san and Mitake-san have not heard about it yet," Rinko began before trailing off into a soft murmur. A gentle tap on the shoulder from Ako was more than enough for Rinko to realize what she was doing. Rinko shook her head vigorously, thanked Ako, and turned back to Moca, "It's called Lilac Blaze."
Despite what Rinko had claimed how she wouldn't expect Moca or Ran to recognize the game, both members of Afterglow sitting at the table reacted upon hearing that name. Ran's eyes widened ever so slightly when she recognized it and Moca frowned, glancing at Ran as if to convey a telepathic message to her friend. Neither of these actions were picked up on by either Rinko or Ako.
Rinko was too busy avoiding eye contact with Moca and Ran to see any changes on their faces. It was difficult enough for her to continue talking while focusing on herself, much less while she also had to pay attention to other things. Ako, meanwhile, was waiting for the right opportunity to jump in and cheer her friend on.
"Rinrin has an amazing character!" Ako said excitedly with a big grin and a twinkle shining in her eyes. Both Moca and Ran turned to look at Ako before returning their focus to Rinko. Rinko didn't comment on Ako's statement whatsoever, so Ako knew she had to keep up the momentum, "Ako doesn't understand the mechanics of the game well because Ako doesn't play it, but Rinrin has told Ako all about it. How there were different character types and that Rinrin's character was a super rare one!"
This statement of Ako managed to catch the interest of both Moca and Ran. They knew how much Ako loved playing games, so for Ako to be praising Rinko's character so much held meaning. It meant that whatever Rinko's avatar was that it was the real deal.
"Hold on a second… if Rinko-san's character is such a rare and unique avatar, wouldn't that be unfair to the other players?" Moca thought out loud, making a conscious effort to avoid Ran's gaze as the words left her mouth. Moca knew what Ran was thinking at the moment and she didn't want to have to deal with it. Not yet anyway, what Rinko had to say was more interesting and important to Moca, "I mean, if Rinko-san has a character that is rare and unique, that means that you have an advantage over other players, right?"
"It may sound that way… but I think what Ako-chan should have mentioned… is that every character has… unique characteristics and strengths. So my character has different strengths… than other characters do," Rinko explained, peeking up through her bangs to see if she was making any sense at all to Moca. Since Moca didn't seem like she was lost, Rinko decided she should continue her story, "But other characters have strengths… that I cannot compete with…"
"Don't be so down, Rinrin," Ako said, wasting no time in the process to try and comfort her best friend. Both Moca and Ran voiced their agreement which, in tandem with Ako's words, seemed to be making Rinko feel better. But Ako wasn't done trying to reassure Rinko, "Besides, even if other players can do some stuff that you can't, Ako is sure that Rinrin and Silver Kite-san can do incredible things that nobody else can!"
"Yeah, exactly what Ako-chin just said," Moca echoed the shortest girl at the table, her mouth working faster than her brain did. It didn't take long for Moca to put the pieces together, however, and Moca realized what had just happened. Armed with this newfound knowledge and a desire to find the truth, Moca turned to Ako, "Hold up… what did you just say, Ako-chin?"
"Me?" Ako asked, pointing at herself and blinking at Moca. If Moca didn't know any better she was sure that the young drummer looked like she was surprised to hear her own voice. Moca nodded which made Ako need to think about what to say next for a few seconds, "Um… Ako said that Ako believed that Rinrin and Silver Kite-san can do things that no other player can. Because Ako knows that Rinrin is a good player and Ako believes in Rinrin's abilities!"
"I think I understand… where Aoba-san's and Mitake-san's confusion… comes from, Ako-chan," Rinko began slowly, interrupting her friend and offering Moca and Ran a small apologetic smile. After waiting a moment to see if anyone would stop her, Rinko turned to the two members of Afterglow and picked up where she had left off, "You see… the characters are all given names… when the player first start playing the game. I think these names are… automatically generated by the game itself… to match the character."
"And when Ako-chan was talking about… someone else just now… Ako-chan was referring to… the name of my character in the game," Rinko explained slowly, raising her left hand to tuck some strands of hair behind her ear. Once satisfied and assured that her hair would not fall in her eyes again, Rinko spoke again, "My character's name… is Silver Kite-san."
And that is all for today's chapter! Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, there is an announcement that I needed to make. Essentially… I will be needing to focus on irl responsibilities for the foreseeable future. It has been fairly challenging for me to keep up with Shining Sunlight's progress lately as well, so… I will be putting Shining Sunlight on hold for now. I do plan to return to and finish this story, but as of right now it isn't something I can put 100% into it. So, to try and maintain the overall quality of this story, I think it is best for me to take a step back and not push myself to upload for the sake of uploading.
I don't know when I will return to uploading chapters for Shining Sunlight. I know that my schedule is pretty full until at least mid-July 2022, so it probably won't be before then. Hopefully, I can upload again by late July 2022?
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought, thank you for your understanding and support, and until next time whenever that may be! Take care!