Yet another idea from 0mniessence! Not sad or angsty this time, haha! This is an idea they've allegedly had for years and just had other ideas they wanted written first, but now it's finally time for this one, which is great and hilarious and adorable! Set a year after the movie/graduation. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

Lights, Camera, Romance!

Even during their high school years at Seishou Academy, it hadn't always been easy to find the right time and place that would allow nine girls' schedules to align.

More often than not, even on their weekends and holidays, someone was almost always either practicing, visiting family, shopping, cleaning, training with other schools, or all sorts of other things.

Yet somehow, someway, the girls always made sure to gather together at least once a week, be it for a movie night, games, or simply chatting together.

It had been hard enough to arrange such a night when they'd all lived in the same dorms together and still been seniors with responsibilities to the Student Council, their underclassmen, and the stage.

So as you can imagine, it is immensely more difficult to gather the same nine young women almost a full year after they have graduated Seishou.

Not only had they all split apart to join different troupes and colleges, but they had ventured across the world with entire oceans between them.

All throughout the girls' first year of being high school graduates, there had barely been a time when more than five of them had been on the same continent for longer than a few days before one or more of them had needed to be on their way once again. Those who attended the same schools, like Maya, Mahiru, and Futaba, were the closest of the bunch, and even they didn't even get to see each other every single day.

It was a long, challenging, but exciting first year out in the world, to say the very least. They all traveled to experience new places, and some experienced new cultures, as well.

But overall, the nine friends kept in touch via texts, calls, and even the traditional letters. Someone was always chatting with at least one of the others at any given point of any given day or night, and with the advances in modern technology regarding swift and effective communication, they would all update their friends on each other's lives and going-ons, until all of them more or less knew everything that was going on in everyone else's lives.

Through this hectic but successful system, they eventually began planning a group get-together in order to celebrate one full year since they had graduated. The only condition was that all nine of them needed to be able to attend.

And it took almost two months' worth of trying and scheduling and waiting and planning, considering how fast-paced and ever-changing things in the theatre industry were. At one point, they even found a time when eight of them were free, but with Hikari stuck in Europe with the lead role of a large play at the time, they canceled their preemptive plans, knowing it wouldn't be right to do this without anyone.

But after those two months, though the actual year's mark had already passed, the nine girls finally found a portion of time when they would all be able to meet up. Being that the winter holidays were typically spent with family, seeing each other for Christmas a few months back didn't end up working. But somehow, things had fallen into place for late May.

Ever the more scrutinizing and responsible of the group, Junna was the one who made the arrangements.

They had agreed that, as much as they missed their old hometown, there was still an itch to travel and see new places; especially if they were all together. As Karen had stated via video call: "It'll be like a big field trip!" The others had agreed, and so Junna had made arrangements for them to meet up again in America. New York City, to be exact.

The girls all confirm one more time that they're free and able to make it for that one special week, weaving the time off into their busy schedules.

And then the countdown to their exciting reunion begins…

When the fated day finally arrives, Junna had been the first one to arrive in New York. After going to the hotel where the nine of them would be staying (and splitting the pay for, of course) and running a few other errands, she arrives at the designated airport to await the arrival of her old classmates. Depending on where they're coming from, everyone will be landing at different times, but they all will be arriving today.

The first plane to land is one both Claudine and Hikari had shared. They'd met up beforehand, as they often did living relatively close to one another in Europe, and flown over together.

The second Junna spots the pair and waves them over, all three girls burst into tears and come together in a group hug.

Next to arrive is Nana, who is already bawling before she even steps off her plane. The trio pull her in to join the hug. She latches onto Junna particularly hard and doesn't let go until Karen's plane flies in a little while later.

By this point Nana has recovered enough to be the photographer and memory-saver she'd always been, capturing the exact moment when Karen rushes through the crowd and collides with Hikari before bowling into the rest of them.

Last to arrive is the plane from Japan, which holds the four remaining friends. Kaoruko had traveled to reunite with the other three the day before so the quartet could fly over together, so she Futaba and the others had already had their own miniature tearful reunion.

But when the final groups combine at long last in that New York airport, all nine of them burst into gleeful tears, coming together in a massive embrace. Everyone hugs everyone, and there are even cheek kisses brushed here or there, depending on who was culturally inclined to do so nowadays. Nana and Junna manage to sneak in a kiss on the lips, as well. Futaba and Kaoruko had already done so back in Japan, and Karen, Hikari and Mahiru weren't ones to do such things in public.

That only left two of them.

It was no secret to anyone that Maya and Claudine's relationship had always been complicated, but even more so than that it was deep, profound, and fiery. In all their years of high school, they had never confessed any sort of romantic feelings for one another - at least not outright, though many would argue they had made their feelings clear in just about every other way possible.

For now, even though their eyes continuously meet across the hustle and bustle of the noisy airport, the most they manage is an embrace that lasts a bit longer than their hugs with anyone else had. And, of course, a few private murmurs.

"I've missed you very much, Saijou-san."

"It's been quiet without you, Tendo Maya."

"I take it that means you've missed the sound of my voice?"

"Idiot. We called every other day."

There is a warm moment, and an even warmer gaze, but nothing more.

From there, the nine friends make their way from the airport with all their luggage. Junna teaches them the ropes of how to best navigate New York, calling three Ubers for the girls to file into in groups and communicating with the drivers in her beautiful English.

Once they arrive at their hotel, it's a lot of activity trying to get everyone's luggage up to their room, all while Mahiru is trying not to lose track of Karen who is flabbergasted by the sights of the never-ending streets of tall buildings, and Hikari who is ready to wander off to pet every dog she sees.

Kaoruko has a few comments about the lack of cleanliness of the streets, but the hotel they are staying at is pristine and luxurious on the inside.

Junna leads them all up to their joining suites, which they split five and four.

The remainder of the evening is spent with the nine of them sitting together in one living room, chatting and catching up, telling stories about their recent endeavors, and ordering their first-ever New York delivery dinner.

Over the next week, Junna has a few things planned for them in order to experience the city and have fun.

But for that night, though they have their own rooms, beds, and couches, the nine girls fall asleep slumped over together or lying on the floor, just like they'd used to back in high school.

For their first full day in New York together, Junna has something planned that she's very proud of.

While the nine of them are enjoying a complimentary hotel breakfast early the next morning, she reveals her plans to them.

"What do you guys think about seeing an authentic American baseball game?"

It certainly hadn't been what anyone was expecting, but naturally, Mahiru nearly chokes on her omelette.

"B-Baseball?!" she gasps in bewildered excitement. "J-Junna-chan, do you mean it? Can we really go see a game?"

"Of course!" Junna grins. "There's a stadium about a half-hour train ride away from here. I knew you'd like the idea, Tsuyuzaki-san."

"Baseball, huh…?" Futaba mulls it over. "In this place? Sounds like a riot! I'm in!"

"It sounds barbaric…" Kaoruko mumbles. "But I suppose it could prove to be entertaining."

"It'll be so much fun!" Nana agrees. "I wonder if they really give you those little bags of peanuts and crackers and stuff."

"Baseball sounds awesome!" Karen cheers. "Maybe we can watch them get a hole-in-one live!"

"That's golf, Bakaren."

"It sounds like an interesting experience," Maya says calmly. "What do you think, Saijou-san?"

"Bien sûr. I wouldn't mind experiencing the culture of one of America's greatest pastimes firsthand. I'm in."

"Then that settles it," Junna smiles. "The game is this afternoon. We can explore the city in this area for a bit, then catch the train and get our seats."

"What about tickets?" Mahiru frets.

"Already taken care of."

"That's our Junna-chan!"

And so the group does just that, exploring the shops and cafes and places around their hotel for a few hours before returning to their rooms to shower and get dressed.

From there, they follow Junna's lead on how to navigate the train and subway systems here. After about half an hour, they exit the train at the appropriate station, and then proceed to walk a few streets to the designated stadium.

It's a massive structure, with already lines and lines of people waiting to get in. The weather is bright and sunny - perfect for a baseball game.

From there, it's about another half hour as the girls find their seats, buy food and drinks, and take in the atmosphere. They're the largest group of people all next to each other who aren't dressed in some kind of baseball or team memorabilia, making it glaringly obvious that they are foreigners. But the other fans don't pay them much attention.

The whole stadium is boisterous and lively as announcements boom over the intercom to get the crowd fired up, and music plays from various speakers to entertain the onlookers before the game begins.

Nana snaps pictures of whatever she can, while Junna gives the group a run-down of the teams that will be playing today. Mahiru is raring to go, living in her element even in a foreign country. Karen forgets the names of the teams almost immediately, so Hikari suggests she just recognize them by team color and cheer for whichever one she likes best. Futaba teases Kaoruko about her unwillingness to sit in her cramped little seat with a streak of dirt on it and changes spots with her, claiming she'll be standing for most of the game anyway. Maya snacks leisurely on a bag of trail mix, which Claudine occasionally picks from as well.

"Wow," she comments so Maya can hear her. "Americans really don't mess around when it comes to sports. Some of them have their entire bodies painted and tattooed."

"I suppose it's all part of being a good, supportive audience."

"I guess so…?"

Eventually the game starts. Mahiru excitedly mumbles to herself about all the proper baseball terms and jargon about each pitch and hit. Karen cheers every time anyone hits the ball any sort of distance, not caring at all about teams or anything else. Hikari sits quietly and watches the ball soar or be passed around, fixated on that alone and not absorbing any of the actual rules.

Futaba quickly gets into it and chooses to root for the red team because she likes how the players dive and slide and aren't afraid to get dirty. Kaoruko, of course, playfully antagonizes her by rooting for the opposing blue team. Junna, who knows as much as Mahiru does, is able to hold more knowledgeable conversations with her about the game, while Nana tries to take mental notes and follow along.

Maya and Claudine don't get very invested at first, but once things start heating up and the crowd gets into it, they're swept along in the excitement.

"That red team is pretty skilled," Claudine says.

"Oh?" Maya teases. "I think it's the blue who will claim victory."

"With that pitcher? In your dreams."

It's all a big, fun, confusing first quarter, considering their lack of knowledge of baseball and the language barrier. They can't really understand any of the announcements or the chants the crowd starts cheering, but it's still fun overall.

And then, the first break of the event is called. People in the crowd begin scurrying to the bathroom or to go buy more snacks as the game is paused for an interval.

And that's when the nine Seishou graduates are made to experience American sports halftime entertainment.

The large screens set up all around the stadium at various angles had been showing the field below during the game, and then, during break time, had gone to showing ads and commercials.

And then, suddenly, all of the screens reflect the audience members. A large pink heart appears on the screen as the cameras zoom in on a man and a woman in the crowd, and everyone starts cheering and hollering as the announcer goes on saying something.

The Japanese girls are entirely lost.

"Uhh, the heck is goin' on?"

"Did those people win something?"

"Maybe it's a proposal?!"

Of course, Junna is able to provide them with an answer.

"Wow! I didn't think they'd actually do a Kiss Cam..."

"A what-what?"

"A Kiss Cam," Junna chuckles. "It's something that's definitely unique to Western cultures like America."

Her eight friends turn and listen intently so they can learn about this odd custom from her.

"Japanese people aren't very big on public displays of affection, but Americans sure are. At big sporting events like these, sometimes they have a Kiss Cam that goes around the audience during the breaks. The cameras single out two people in the audience who are assumed to be a couple, or even complete strangers at times, and hones in on them with that ridiculous heart filter and encourages them to kiss. The whole crowd will get in on it and cheer for them. Although I've definitely heard that it doesn't always end well or is just an awkward interaction, the majority of Kiss Cam couple interactions are either really cute or really funny."

As she's explaining the Kiss Cam, the current couple displayed on the screens finally cave in and kiss, and the whole stadium coos. The pink heart filter bursts with sparkles and confetti and more little hearts before the camera pans out to scan the audience for another couple.

"Wow…" Futaba clears her throat. "That's, uh… kinda weird."

"It's just their culture," Claudine reasons. "In many countries, people give greeting and parting kisses to everyone they're with, sometimes on the cheek and sometimes on the lips."

"But to make such an ostentatious display of it seems rather… annoying? Cheap?" Kaoruko says.

"So long as no harm is done," Maya says. "There is no foul, yes?"

"It seems kinda fun!" Karen grins. "Mahiru-chan, Hikari-chan, wanna try it?"

"E-Ehhh-?!"

"B-Bakaren…"

"You can't choose to have the camera on you," Junna chuckles. "It's supposed to be totally random. Though it's possible most of the couples they choose are just planted actors."

"Paid actors to entertain the crowd during the break, huh? Makes sense."

"I still think it's cute!" Nana chirps.

"And with the awkward interactions I've seen in some videos," Junna says. "I can assure you at least some of them are genuine."

The Kiss Cam pans to the next couple, who are clearly romantic partners. As soon as they see themselves on the big screen, they kiss immediately and excitedly.

The camera then goes to a mother and son, who do a much more adorable and wholesome hug and kiss.

Then it pans to two men who are clearly strangers, but after the crowd eggs them on enough, the two men laugh awkwardly and share a quick peck on the cheek just to get the camera away from them.

Then there's a scene that's more than likely staged, where the camera pans to a young man with a girl on either side of him. He pretends not to know which one he should kiss before the one who is clearly his girlfriend playfully punches his arm. They kiss and the crowd laughs.

The Kiss Cam intermission is perhaps even more entertaining to the Seishou girls than the baseball game itself, as it really shows the differences in culture and how couples interact in public here.

Before much longer, the game resumes, and everyone gets engrossed in the competition once more.

By the time the second quarter has finished, the game is tied and the audience is rippling with tension and excitement. Nana reminds everyone in her group to drink plenty of water after being out in the sun for so long, and the girls all settle down for the time being to watch the antics of the Kiss Cam.

It first lands on an elderly couple who share a cute peck, and then moves on to a mother and father whose young children gag and make faces when their parents kiss in front of the whole crowd. Everyone laughs at the children's reactions before the camera continues panning.

"Strange," Claudine mumbles. "But cute."

"Much like yourself?" Maya teases.

"You-?! What the heck is that supposed to mean, Tendo Maya?!"

As Maya chuckles, Claudine reaches into her bag of trail mix, pulls out a peanut, and throws it at Maya's head.

Suddenly, a hum of interest rolls through the audience, but Claudine is too busy swatting at Maya to look up and see the next Kiss Cam victims.

That is, until their friends start sputtering around them.

"Uhhh-"

"K-Kuro-chan-"

"T-Tendo-san!"

"You guys-!"

"Oh my gosh~!"

"What?" Claudine snaps. "This idiot is making fun of me."

"You simply make it too easy, Saijou-san."

"See what I mean?"

"You two might wanna look up…"

"Huh? What could you-"

Claudine's sentence cuts off in withering realization as she and Maya glance up at the giant screens of the Kiss Cam-

-and see none other than themselves reflected.

The huge screens display them all around the stadium, for all the crowd to ogle and cheer and coo at. The pink hearts framing them on the screen shift and change to rainbow-colored instead as the announcer blabbers on in unintelligible English. Junna quietly translates for them.

"They're proud to celebrate same-sex couples, too…"

"Haaah?!" Claudine shrieks. "We aren't a couple! Get that camera off of us!" She tries to fidget and lean as far away from Maya as physically possible, but the wide lens of the camera captures her no matter what. Horrified, she watches herself on the big screen as the rainbow hearts dance around Maya and herself. The crowd laughs, amused by her resistance. Claudine shrieks again. "H-Hey, knock it off! It's not like that! Junna, can't you tell them to move it away?!"

"The cameramen can't hear us. And even if they could, you've seen how persistent they are with this stuff."

"They ain't leavin' till you guys lay one on each other!" Futaba taunts.

"As if that would be anything any of us haven't seen before," Kaoruko snickers.

"You can do it, Kuro-chan, Maya-chan!"

"You'll become famous across America!"

Claudine is still in shock, her entire face red from the heat of embarrassment.

All this time, Maya has stayed quietly blushing as she'd taken in the situation. Now, when their eyes meet, both of them turn even redder.

"This is ridiculous-" Claudine throws her arms up in front of herself in an X shape and shakes her head vigorously from side to side, trying to communicate that she and Maya aren't a couple. The announcer says something that makes the crowd even more invested, and their cheering only grows louder. Junna sheepishly translates.

"He's saying how cute it is that you're being shy about kissing your girlfriend in public..."

"Tendo Maya is not my girlfriend!"

But clearly, the camera and the audience don't understand that, or they just don't care. The Kiss Cam stubbornly remains on them, waiting for results.

Claudine desperately looks around at all of her friends, but they're either chuckling or encouraging the antics.

"Traitors, all of you!"

Then she feels a hand on her arm, pulling her back and coaxing her to look at the last person she wants to be looking at right now.

"Saijou-san." Maya speaks her name with a bit of flare, and though there is still a faint blush on her cheeks, her eyes are strong with confidence. "Fear not. Were you and I not two of the most renowned actresses in all of Japan during our high school careers? And are we now not two of the most successful actresses in our respective fields and countries?"

"What the hell are you-"

"Don't you see?" Maya grins smugly. "This is our moment, Saijou Claudine. The moment our paths have led us to. The fates have shone down upon us and brought us here, so that we may prove ourselves in front of the masses, here in this stadium and across the televised broadcasts. We live for the stage and for the camera. We exist solely to create content which the public can consume.

"We are actresses. It is our solemn and sworn duty to entertain our audience. Be it in rehearsed performances we are aware of, or exposed to public improv situations, we have but one job. We must give the people the entertainment they seek. If it is what the audience wants, then I am already onstage."

It's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

This situation, this culture, the long-winded heroic speech Maya had just spouted to her…

And yet, Claudine can't help but admit that she's right, in a way.

Suddenly, the entire mood of today's event has shifted - just for a moment. The sports players are not the stars of the show right now - Maya and Claudine are. The audience is theirs in this moment, and with Claudine's initial refusal to do what they wanted, it has gotten them all the more invested and hooked.

Thousands of people were watching them right now, both live and at home on television. Though Claudine is still blushing, Maya's confidence has rubbed off on her enough to calm her down a bit. She smirks back at her.

"You're right. This audience is ours now, Tendo Maya. So let's give them what they want. The most passionate and loving kiss the world has ever seen!"

All at once, Claudine reaches out, cups Maya's face, and kisses her fully on the lips.

The entire stadium erupts with cheers, louder than they had even during the game itself when there was a home run. The Kiss Cam screens burst with rainbows and flowers and sparkles as the announcer rambles on as though it were a horse race.

As the crowd of strangers cheer and scream and applaud the kiss, the seven best friends of the Kiss Cam couple all shriek and squeal and blush and gape.

Claudine listens to the reaction and kisses Maya harder. Maya responds by looping both arms around her back and pulling Claudine halfway out of her seat and into her lap instead, and another surge of cheers rolls through the crowds.

Claudine wraps her arms around Maya's neck and works her lips against hers, feeling their tongues brush briefly. Maya kisses her with fire and excitement. It's the kiss she'd always dreamed of - just perhaps not in quite this scenario.

It's better, fuller, and more passionate than any stage kiss they'd ever had to share before, even with each other.

Maya gets lost in the noise of the crowd, and the warmth of Claudine's body heat, and the ecstasy of the kiss. She moves her hands up to rub soft patterns across Claudine's back.

In turn, Claudine curls her fingers through Maya's hair, humming a bit as they tilt their heads and change angles a bit.

They get so absorbed in the kiss that they don't realize the camera has moved on.

And even after it's gone to two other couples, Maya and Claudine continue.

Mahiru blushes and covers Karen's and Hikari's eyes, Nana snaps a picture and Junna scolds her, while Kaoruko and Futaba snicker together. But eventually, Futaba has to move in and nudge Claudine in the ribs to break them up before it turns R-rated.

"Uhhh, Kuro? You guys can give it a rest now, sheesh."

"The camera moved on ages ago," Kaoruko jeers.

Their friends' comments jar Maya and Claudine out of the kiss and back to reality. They open their eyes, gazes locked, and the rush of embarrassment washes through them both.

"Kya!" Claudine yelps and pushes herself off of Maya and back into her own seat. Flustered, she fixes her clothes and smoothes out her hair.

Maya also remains blushing, straightening herself up and taking a sip from her water bottle as an excuse not to speak or look at her directly. Claudine awkwardly clears her throat before addressing her again.

"W-Well done, Tendo Maya. That was quite a convincing performance."

Maya sputters just a little bit as she's finishing her drink.

"Y-Yes. I would have to agree. I am convinced we satisfied our audience and looked splendid on camera."

From there, the nine of them return their attention to the Kiss Cam, and eventually, to the game, once it resumes. Though Claudine and Maya are stiff and hot for the remainder of it all, their friends are more excited and amused.

Needless to say, neither Maya nor Claudine pay any real attention to the end of the game. They just keep replaying the events of the kiss over and over in their heads. Claudine is too self-conscious to continue sharing snacks with Maya, and Maya is too nervous to offer.

When eventually the game ends in the red team's favor, the stadium gradually clears as everyone files out. As they're leaving, dozens of random people from the audience recognize Maya and Claudine from the Kiss Cam and either squeal or clap for them, which causes them both to turn red every time. And due to the language barrier, Claudine can't even hope to deny that they're a couple, so they simply play along.

As their group is finally exiting the stadium, Junna lets out a bit of a laugh.

"Wow. Congratulations, you two." She holds up her phone to show the others. The stadium's homepage is already updating with scores, results, and pictures of the game, but it also includes screenshots from the Kiss Cam. Maya and Claudine's kiss has the most screenshots, and the most likes.

Claudine shrieks in horror, and Maya blushes herself into silence.

"Oh my~" Kaoruko teases.

"Oh! Oh!" Nana jumps up and down excitedly. "Look! You guys are all over Twitter, too! #KissCam is just shots of you two!"

"W-Wow!" Mahiru gasps. "You guys are trending higher than the baseball teams themselves."

"You're joking!" Claudine yelps. "I need to get out of here. What country doesn't have television or technology? I'm flying there tonight-"

"Aw, don't be such a killjoy, Kuro! You guys were great!"

"It's incredible!" Karen says. "These people don't even know who you guys are and they support your romance so much!"

"We don't have a romance!"

"Are you quite sure about that~?"

"Kaoruko-"

"Okay, okay, easy. Tendo, keep your girl in check, would ya?"

"Futaba!"

"Sorry! I couldn't help it!"

Their friends laugh good-naturedly, in such a way that Claudine can't possibly stay upset at the situation. She just lets out a long, heavy sigh, and admits defeat.

"Well… I guess we asked for this, huh, Tendo Maya?"

Maya swallows, also still blushing, and dips her head.

"We were simply so vibrant that the world couldn't look away. As actresses born for the stage, we did our job."

"You know," Junna comments. "You could've just settled for a kiss on the cheek. That easily would've sufficed for the Kiss Cam. They don't care where it is or how small, as long as you kiss somehow."

"What?! Why didn't you tell us that sooner!"

Everyone laughs again while Maya and Claudine cast bashful blushing glances at one another.

All the train ride and walk back to the hotel, Kaoruko keeps poking fun at Maya and Claudine. Futaba has to keep her in check so she isn't too mean, but the rest of them play along and congratulate the two of them on a 'convincing performance' that was very clearly just for the sake of entertaining the crowd and with no genuine feelings attached whatsoever.

By the time the girls make it back to their hotel, the majority of them just want to shower and relax. But as they begin filing onto the elevators, Maya reaches out to take Claudine's wrist and gently holds her back.

"Saijou-san? Might I have a moment with you?"

The others pretend they don't notice and look away as the elevator doors close.

"Sure," Claudine agrees. She can tell by Maya's tone and mannerisms that it's something more serious, so Claudine leaves her exasperation from the Kiss Cam incident behind her.

Maya leads her across the hotel lobby and toward the pool room. The pool is closing soon, so no one else is inside. But the golden rays of the sunset leak in through the patterned glass windows, reflect off the water, and bounce off the tiled walls.

Once Maya brings them to a halt, she subconsciously continues holding onto Claudine's hand. It takes her a moment, because her eyes keep darting around looking at the floor, so Claudine prompts her.

"Is this about the kiss?"

Maya finally lifts her head and meets her eyes.

"Yes. I had wanted to apologize to you about that. I hadn't meant to put you on the spot in such a manner, Saijou-san. I'm certain we could have figured out that a kiss on the cheek would have sufficed, but I decided to convince you that we should make it a grand spectacle instead. Perhaps that was wrong of me. I know you were likely saving your first non-stage kiss for someone special."

Claudine sighs, rolls her eyes, and smiles.

"It's fine. I don't mind that it was with you. And as crazy as things got… it's not like you pressured me or anything. I agreed that we should make it a huge deal for the audience, so I played into it just as much as you did."

"Are you certain?" Maya frets. "The last thing I would ever want would be for you to resent me over something like this."

"Oh, please," Claudine chuckles. "You worry too much, Tendo Maya." She reaches out and takes Maya's other hand, steps in close, then brushes her lips softly against Maya's cheek. Maya turns pink and blinks at her with eyes wide.

"What?" Claudine smiles. "You'd said a kiss on the cheek would suffice, right?"

After a heartbeat, Maya smiles back.

"Yes."

"Good." Claudine swings both of her hands in Maya's. "How about this? I'll forgive you for that whole fiasco if you take me out to dinner. After all, we've already kissed. Aren't we doing things in the wrong order?"

It takes Maya another moment to comprehend the meaning of the request.

"A date…"

A date… meaning Claudine would like to go on a date with her? Meaning that, at some point, that kiss had stopped being staged and been fueled entirely by genuine feelings?

Maya feels a brief moment of giddy lightheadedness before she straightens herself up again.

"Y-Yes, of course! I will plan the perfect date to take you out on, Saijou-san."

"Very good." Claudine nods, satisfied.

"Shall we do it here in New York? Or elsewhere? Or perhaps both?"

"Surprise me." Claudine gives a coy wink, then twirls on her heel, tossing her hair in a flurry of bouncing curls before strutting off.

Maya snaps out of her trance and quickly follows.

Weeks later, the world hears news that the couple who had been trending from the baseball Kiss Cam hashtag have started dating officially, which spreads excitement and smiles all across the globe.

A/N: Aaahh this was so much fun to write, trying to consider how they all might behave in NY! It was difficult for me not to spend too much time on the little details, like how I felt each of them would react to the big city and the cultural differences, and instead just focus on the heart of the story - the Kiss Cam! They don't have that sort of thing in Japan, so 0mn's whole premise of getting them an excuse to be in America was solely based around this! Brilliant!

Please review!