So… it's been a while. And I am not just talking about the last time I uploaded; by the time this chapter goes live, it has probably been quite a while since I first started work on this chapter, too. Without going into too much detail, let's just say that I got swamped with real-life responsibilities and that it really took a toll on me… Thank you for your patience and understanding and let's keep moving forward with the story from here.
Since I know that people might read Shining Sunlight years after this chapter originally went live, here is a bit of a reference frame regarding how long it has been: the previous chapter (Chapter 35 – The Meetup (Part 2)) was uploaded on 5 March 2022. This chapter was uploaded on 31 December 2022. Has it been the longest break out there? No… but it's still a significant gap between chapters…
Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party
"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 starts 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."
After this announcement had been made, a short period of silence followed hereafter. Ako and Rinko waited for Moca and Ran to say something, anything, but the two members of Afterglow remained quiet. A few seconds had passed and one of the four girls was starting to lose her composure.
"Say something, anyone, please," Ako whined, waving both her arms rapidly in the process. Ako would quickly stop and apologize when she almost hit Moca in the face which, thankfully for Ako, Moca managed to laugh off. With that problem averted, Ako cleared her throat and tried again, "Moca-chin, Ran-chan, is everything ok?"
"Yeah, don't worry Ako. I was just thinking how—," Ran stopped mid-sentence to muffle a surprised yelp. Both Ako and Rinko flinched at this, and Rinko even asked Ran if she was okay. Ran had bigger things to be concerned about and barely registered the reaction from Ako and Rinko. Instead of focusing on the two members of Roselia, the vocalist of Afterglow turned her head immediately to face her best friend, "Moca!"
"I'm sorry, but Ran and Moca-chan should really put in our order," Moca explained in an overly sweet tone and stood up without saying another word. Moca turned around and began walking away from the table. It was clear that Moca had expected Ran to have followed her because when Ran didn't appear by her side Moca turned to Ran and raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, "Are you coming with me or do I need to do everything for you?"
Ran didn't seem like she wanted to get up from her seat at all, but one look from Moca was enough to convince her. Begrudgingly getting up, Ran waddled after Moca and followed her to order their drinks. The waitress standing by the door leading to the kitchen saw Moca and Ran walk through the café and approached them with a warm smile asking if they needed any help. After reassuring her that everything was all right, the two girls placed their orders, and the waitress told them that she would bring them their drinks as soon as they were ready.
The two friends didn't exchange a single word with each other until after they had placed their orders at which point Ran walked to a quiet corner of the café. The only things in this area were the set of potted plants which Ran used as a wall between her and the two girls from Roselia she had left behind. There were two tables in this corner as well, but both of them were conveniently empty so they wouldn't be bothered by other customers, either. Moca, now being the person to follow the lead, joined Ran and waited for Ran to open her mouth.
Fortunately for Moca, she did not have to wait for very long.
"What was that kick for?" Ran hissed, leaning her back against the wall behind her so she could rub her left lower leg comfortingly. Moca apologized for hurting Ran and while Ran had been thinking about making Moca take responsibility for her actions, she decided against it. Moca was not the type of girl to do something without a good reason and Ran knew that about her friend, so Ran tried to get the ball rolling on her own accord, "So what was the real reason you dragged me over here? It's obvious you don't want Ako or Shirokane-san to hear about this."
"I don't think it is a good idea to tell Rinko-san that we know—no, that we are the friends she had been playing with all along," Moca told Ran in the same tone a mentally-drained sleep-deprived elementary teacher would try to explain to a six-year-old why one plus one equated two. When the reasonings for Moca's decision didn't seem like they had immediately clicked with Ran, Moca took a deep breath and proceeded to explain to the best of her abilities.
"Look, Ran, think about it," Moca began, looking back to confirm that Ako and Rinko were still seated. Seeing that they were and that Moca and Ran could have this conversation without being heard by them, Moca continued, "Rinko-san was already anxious and uncomfortable talking to us about Lilac Blaze and she probably wouldn't have told us that she was Kite-san if Ako-chin didn't rat her out like that. How do you think you would feel if you were just exposed by one of your close friends to the people you formed a secret friendship with but never knew their identity?"
"You and I aren't just playing the same game that Rinko-san thought was obscure and nobody had heard about it," Moca pointed out, reminding Ran how Rinko had introduced the game to them when they had asked about this. To Ran's credit, she seemed to understand where Moca was coming from as Ran had started to nod slowly. Motivated by the prospect that she wasn't wasting her breath, Moca continued after taking a deep breath, "We're also the very same friends that she was talking about. If she were to find out, Rinko-san would probably feel very awkward around us from now on. And that wouldn't make anyone happy, would it?"
"Yeah, you're right, Moca," Ran admitted as she stepped away from the wall and stretched. Once finished, she saw Moca smiling a familiar smile at her; it was the very same smile Moca always had when she learned that someone else was seeing things the same way she was. Without giving Moca an opportunity to gloat, Ran said the thing they were both thinking about, "Let's head back before Ako or Shirokane-san start worrying about us."
Moca didn't see a reason to disagree with Ran's decision and took a step to the side to allow Ran to lead the way. Seeing this, Ran gave Moca a look but didn't comment, instead choosing to take the bait and return to her seat. Moca was only a few steps behind her.
The pair would arrive to see Ako and Rinko in a relaxed conversation with each other. Moca knew that they were having fun but, most importantly, that Moca and Ran's absence hadn't affected them too much.
'Ran was right, it was kind of rude of us to jump into Ako-chin's and Rinko-san's day together,' Moca frowned to herself as she watched the two girls in question sitting in front of her. This thought would soon be pushed out of Moca's mind to be replaced by a new one, 'It can't be helped… we already interrupted them so the least we can do is keep the mood up.'
"Ah, Moca-chin, Ran-chan, did you place your orders?" Ako asked cheerfully, shaking Moca out of her train of thought in the process in time to see Ran nod her head in confirmation. Ako waited politely until both Moca and Ran had sat down again before turning her attention to Rinko, "Rinrin, isn't there something you would like to say?"
"Right, there is…" Rinko trailed off, originally seeming like she would speak to Moca and Ran, Rinko instead took a sip from her milk tea. Rinko was clearly savoring the taste of the drink if her change in facial expression had anything to say about it. As soon as this sight appeared, it also disappeared, and Rinko took a deep breath, "I understand… that Ako-chan and I… might have gone too fast… for Aoba-san and Mitake-san. If there is anything that is confusing… I will do my best to explain."
Little did Rinko know that she didn't have to explain anything about Rinko's experience in Lilac Blaze to Moca or Ran. Moca looked at Ran and the two shared a wordless nod of understanding before Moca faced Rinko.
"I think I have two main questions if you wouldn't mind answering them?" Moca asked and Rinko, once again, reassured Moca that she was more than happy to do so. After fumbling around for the right words to phrase her questions, something which Ran and Rinko thought was for entirely different reasons, Moca finally voiced her thoughts, "What kind of a game is it, exactly? And Ako-chin also mentioned that Rinko-san's character in the game was super special, but what makes it so unique compared to other players?"
The second question resulted in Ran flinching visibly before shooting Moca a subtle but knowing glare. Moca, for her part, either didn't notice this or did a fantastic job ignoring it entirely. Instead, Moca was watching Rinko and waiting to hear the response the keyboardist would provide. But a part of her couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at this.
'I am sorry about making you share this information, but if the six of us are to be a synergized team of players, it's for the best that we know what your strengths and weaknesses are, Kite-san,' Moca thought to herself with a small, barely noticeable frown on her face. As this thought swam in her head, Moca was reminded of the first few days when the members of Afterglow were trying to learn about the game, 'We'll share more information about our avatars the next time we play together. Even though our playstyles should be obvious based on our avatars.'
"The game has a lot of… similarities with Neo Fantasy Online," Rinko began slowly, knowing that Ako had managed to get the members of Afterglow to try out the game a few months ago. Despite this, Moca could tell that Rinko was struggling to decide what she should and shouldn't be saying now, "We have a unique character in the game… we control and play as… and we use that character to… defeat enemies controlled by the game… to gather items. We do missions given to us by the game… and receive rewards upon completion… with which our characters can grow stronger."
"Sounds to me like it is a fairly simple premise," Moca lied as naturally as she breathed, knowing better than anyone how difficult certain mechanics of Lilac Blaze were to understand. Fortunately for Moca, her statement was met with a nod of confirmation from Rinko.
"That it is… after a while, at least," Rinko admitted the last part in a voice that was barely above a whisper before lowering her head slightly. Seconds came and went and Rinko had yet to raise her head again, and it took Ako shaking Rinko's shoulder for Rinko to focus on the conversation again. Rinko apologized for zoning out for a moment before picking up where she left off, "The characters in the game… are all based on colors… and each color has specific strengths and weaknesses. In that tournament I mentioned earlier… players were partnered with another player… and I was partnered with a red-colored avatar… who had very strong long-range attacks… but was vulnerable when enemies… got too close."
Moca took the opportunity to glance at Ran, wondering how Ran would feel having Red Endymion be described as such by someone else. Much to Moca's surprise, however, Ran hadn't reacted at all.
The story would be interrupted momentarily by a waitress approaching their table and placing the drinks ordered by Moca and Ran in front of the patrons. Both girls had gotten a glass of fresh mint tea, thanking the waitress for bringing the drink to them.
Ran looked up at Moca pouring the contents of the packet of honey into her drink with the ghost of a smile on her lips. Before Moca could open her mouth, Ran had already opened her packet and poured half of it into her glass before offering the rest to Moca. Moca made sure to thank Ran profusely for her generosity, much to Ran's amusement.
"But my avatar… and the reason why Ako-chan… was praising my avatar so much… is because my avatar is different… mine is not based on a color… but on a metal," Rinko explained shortly, pausing for a moment to take a sip of her drink. As she did this, the other girls all took the opportunity to enjoy their drinks as well. With a soft clink, Rinko lowered her glass to the table and finished her explanation, "So instead of the usual color rule… almost all other avatars have… my avatar's characteristics are based on the metal it is based on… and I have weaknesses and advantages… to match those characteristics."
"And your character was called Silver Kite, correct?" Ran asked after Rinko finished explaining. Despite already knowing the answer, Ran waited patiently for Rinko to nod her head in confirmation before asking her next question, "So what exactly are the characteristics of silver? I believe silver conducts heat and electricity well, so does that mean that your avatar is strong against heat and electricity?"
"You are mostly correct, Mitake-san… silver as a metal… has high thermal and electrical conductivity… like you said they would have…" Rinko began slowly, taking pauses where needed to think of the right words to say. After a false start or two, Rinko took a deep breath and tried to explain again, "Kite-san has a high resistance to fire-based attacks… due to the high thermal conductivity… but I am vulnerable… to electric-based attacks… Kite-san also… has high resistance to… piercing and slashing attacks… which has been important to us…"
'Resistance to piercing and slashing attacks…' Moca thought to herself as the last few words of Rinko's swam around in her mind. The image of an obsidian black spear-like arm being thrust at the silver-based avatar's abdomen flashed before Moca's eyes. The attack had done very minimal, if any, damage to Rinko's avatar, and now Moca finally understood why. As this realization began to dawn on her Moca could feel the corners of her mouth curl upwards ever so slightly.
"Moca-chin and Ran-chan sound very interested in Rinrin's character," Ako noted as she jumped into the conversation, surprising Moca in the process. Moca turned to face Ako and thought of something to say… but it was at that moment that Moca remembered something and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.
'Ako-chin helped me install Lilac Blaze on my computer and said she had helped someone else. That other person must have been Rinko-san!' Moca remembered how she had asked Ako to come over and help her install the program that Kuroba had given her. Now that Moca knew Rinko was playing the same game as Afterglow was and Ako had helped another person before Moca with the program… the puzzle pieces began to fall into place in Moca's mind, yet she still had to think of a way for Ako to not blow her cover, 'Now how should Ran and I dance around this issue? Ako-chin isn't one to understand subtle hints like this so what should I do? It would be pretty bad if Rinko-san learned that Ran and I play Lilac Blaze this way.'
Having expected either Moca or Ran to say something, Ako was visibly surprised when neither did. Seeing this, Ako felt the need to speak again to try and keep the conversation going, "Doesn't the game that Rinrin has been playing sound like a lot of fun? Ako sure wished that Ako could play it, too…"
"Why aren't you playing the same game as Rinko-san? I thought the two of you became friends through games," Moca asked quickly, hoping that the question would be enough of a distraction for Ako to lose focus. Ako wasn't one known for her incredible attention span and Moca was banking on this.
"Unfortunately for Ako, it just doesn't make sense for Ako to play together with Rinrin," Ako admitted with a dejected sigh. Before anyone could ask Ako what she meant by this, Ako answered everybody's unvoiced question, "As Rinrin hinted at earlier, the game requires a lot of time and energy for Ako to understand and play the game. Ako doesn't have the time or energy to focus on the game. Homework, studies, and all of Ako's other games got in the way…"
"Is that why you accepted you wouldn't be able to play the game?" Moca asked carefully as she watched to see what Ako's response would be. The small nod was all the reaction that Moca needed before she tried to console the shorter girl.
Tried to, anyway, because a certain someone had the best timing imaginable.
"Moca, I think we should go. Tomoe and Himari just messaged that they were done with their club activities for the day," Ran announced as she faced the guitarist, a silent conversation occurring between the two childhood friends. After Ran was sure that Moca understood the message, Ran turned to Ako and Rinko, "I'm sorry, but Moca and I need to go now. It was nice spending time with you two today, Ako, Rinko-san."
"Eh? What is happening?" Ako asked as she looked at Moca and Ran. It was clear that Ako was confused by the sudden announcement and the youngest of the group did not put in the effort needed to hide this fact. And while Rinko was more successful in masking her feelings, it wasn't difficult for Moca or Ran to see that even the keyboardist was shocked to hear that they were leaving.
"Ran and I had plans with some of our other friends and they are finally done with making us wait for them," Moca took the opportunity to explain as Ran watched her with an unreadable expression on her face. When Moca noticed this, she turned to her childhood friend and wasted no time voicing her thoughts, "What? Was what Moca-chan said wrong?"
"No, you weren't," Ran admitted begrudgingly, much to Moca's amusement. As Moca quickly downed what remained of her drink, Ran could be heard mumbling under her breath to herself, "Although I would not have used those words if I were you…"
Moca and Ran were quick to gather their belongings and say goodbye to Ako and Rinko before leaving the café. This left the two members of Roselia alone sitting at their table accompanied by a prolonged period of heavy silence. One that would not be broken until one of them managed to find the right words to do so.
"Rinrin? Are you okay?" Ako asked carefully, tilting her head to get a better look at Rinko's face. Rinko had been silent ever since Moca and Ran had left and Ako was starting to get worried, "Does Ako need to get help?"
"Ah, no, I'm fine… thank you, Ako-chan…" Rinko tried to reassure Ako with a forced smile, but even Rinko knew that this would not be enough. After a false start or two, Rinko seemed to have decided on what she wanted to say, "I was just thinking… that Aoba-san… and Mitake-san… were very easy to talk with… it almost felt… familiar, somehow…"
"Maybe it's because Moca-chin and Ran-chan are friends with Ako?" Ako thought out loud, thinking how close she was to the members of Afterglow through her connection with their drummer. Shaking her head to stop thinking about her sister, Ako turned back to Rinko, "Or maybe it's because Ako was here so Rinrin didn't feel too much pressure to talk in front of Moca-chin and Ran-chan?"
Rinko, albeit not answering Ako's question, considered what Ako had said. It made more and more sense to her the more she thought about it so Rinko allowed herself to push these worries to the back of her mind.
This allowed a new thought to take its place in Rinko's mind.
'I wonder when I get to talk to you again, Aoba-san, Mitake-san.'
And that is all for today! Yeah, a bit of a slower-paced chapter but considering the break between 35 and 36 I felt that this was the best choice. Not only has my fanfiction writing gotten a little rusty over the months but this should also be a nice way for you as the reader to get back into the story.
Anyways, thank you for your patience throughout the hiatus, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, please leave a review and until next time! Take care and Happy New Year 2023!