Chapter 35 – A Chat with a New Friend

Mugi's POV

"So, let me get this straight. The reason why you didn't tag along with us before is because you made a bet with a talking mouse over a video game…and LOST…and so you had to work with Azusa's cousin, Hiyori, and Patty at a seashell shop…that's owned by a talking sunflower."

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Are you on drugs?"

"N-NO, I'M NOT ON DRUGS!"

"It's true, Ritsu-senpai." Azusa-chan was telling us what happened yesterday when she and Ui-chan came back to the hotel with an exhausted Sawa-chan in tow. "I ran into my cousin yesterday and she was the one who started the whole thing. Sawako-sensei just joined in."

"Losing to a mouse and working for a sunflower…my dignity as a teacher is slowly shattering away."

"Since when did you had dignity?" Miharu asked.

"Watch it, you." Sawa-chan retorted angrily.

Anyway…today was finally the day. The day of the Okinawa Music Festival. Everyone was prepared and excited to be performing in front of what's going to be the biggest audience we've ever had.

Especially since we're not doing this alone.

"Morning, everyone."

"Morning, Yui-san." Ricchan greeted the J-Pop idol as she walked up to us. "You ready for our big performance together?"

"I'm super excited to be on the same stage as you, Yui-san. It's like a dream come true!" Yui-chan added.

"R-Really now?" Yui-san gained a small sweatdrop. "Well, that's great to hear, Yui. Anyway, I'm gonna go on ahead."

"Huh? You're heading there now? It's still pretty early." Mio-chan said.

"In addition to singing with you girls, I have a solo performance of my own. So, I'm going to check the setup and maybe get some last-minute practice in. *yawn* Though, I would love some extra sleep."

"You sound worn out. Is it that tiring?"

"The world of a J-Pop idol is not an easy experience. But it's fun, nonetheless. Especially since I'm doing it for her…"

"Doing it for who?"

"Uh…hey, Yui-san! You should be going now, right?! Don't wanna be late!" Jun-chan suddenly yelled out.

"O-Oh, right. Sorry. I'll see you girls later." Yui-san then rushed out of the dining area as fast as she could. While Jun-chan took an odd sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" Ricchan asked.

"N-Nothing in particular. It's fine, really."

"Huh…"

Jun-chan's hiding something…but I'm too busy with my own problems to try and pry it out of her. For now.

"So, Mugi-chan. Are you excited to be singing with Lyrica later today?"

"Mugi-chan?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Yui-chan. I'm just…y-yeah, I'm excited."

"You sure don't sound like it." Azusa-chan said.

"*sigh* Sorry. It's just…what happened two days ago is still affecting my thoughts a little."

"Understandable." Ricchan said. "I would feel the same way if my family member suddenly died after I had a huge fight with them." And the others agreed to it. As a way to help me feel better.

"Thank you, everyone. But I do feel kinda bad for dragging you all into this mess in the first place."

"Who said we were dragged in? You're our friend, Mugi. And we'll do all that we can to help you no matter what."

"I totally agree with Ricchan. We'll help you all the way, Mugi-chan." Yui-chan said.

"It would be wrong of us to let you deal with it on your own." Mio-chan added.

"I'll help too, Senpai. As much as I can." Azusa-chan said.

"And of course, you can count on me. Since I'm your teacher and all." Sawa-chan said.

"Everyone…"

"And plus, you got me." Miharu said as she wrapped her arm around me. "You and I have been through this since day freaking one. Ain't nothing gonna tear our sisterly bond apart. I love you too much for that to happen."

"Miharu…" That alone nearly made me cry. The fact that not only do I have my half-sister by my side, but also my four best friends and a teacher I care about despite her being a bit out there at times…

The most painful and heartbreaking experience of my life may be over. But with the people I care about at my side, the road to recovery may not be as difficult as I thought it would be.

And I'm truly grateful for that.

"Thank you, everyone. I am truly grateful for your kind words. And I shall take them to heart."

"*giggle* You don't have to go formal on us, you know." Miharu said.

"Sorry. It's another rich girl stereotype."

Gotta remember to tone those down since I plan to live a normal non-rich girl life.

"Alright, then." Ricchan said. "Let's finish up here and head on over to the festival."

"Why? You still got like 2 hours before the thing even starts." Sawa-chan said.

"Thinking about it, it makes sense that Yui-san went early. We should do the same to see what kind of scenery we'll be facing."

"Eh, I guess."

"But didn't we see it when we came here for try-outs?" I asked.

"You know Ritsu. What makes sense to her doesn't make much sense for the rest of us." Mio-chan said.

"Yeah, that's true…"

"I can freaking hear you two, you know." Ricchan retorted to us.

"Hehhehhehheh. Sorry, Ricchan." I said while rubbing the back of my head. While all Mio-chan did was roll her eyes in a more "Whatever" kind of tone.

She is used to her after all…


After we all ate breakfast, we headed for the venue for the music festival that was located dead center of Naha's Kokusai Street. Makes sense for it to be there. As it is the center of Okinawa as a whole.

"Wow…this place looks prettier now than it did when we first came here." Yui-chan said.

"It seems that they're going all out for this festival." Miharu said. "Just how big is this thing anyway?"

"According to the website, this is normally a pretty small festival." Azusa-chan said. "But it most likely gained so much buzz because of Lyrica making an appearance in it."

"So, most if not all of the crowd is going to be filled with Lyrica fans. Gee, that sure gives me confidence." Mio-chan said in a sarcastic way.

"Come on, you guys. We got this." Ricchan said. "We're lucky enough to be on stage with her at the same time. Let's make it our best gig yet."

"How many gigs have you girls had?" Miharu asked.

"Uh…well…" Ricchan then started counting with her fingers of how many gigs and performances we've done in the past three years. With and without Azusa-chan and Miharu. "Not that much, now that I think about it."

"We are still in high school. We can't do much." I added.

"Yeah, that's true."

"So, what should we do now? Walk around the place?" Yui-chan asked.

"I highly doubt we can since the festival hasn't started yet. The only bad part of coming in early." Mio-chan said.

"So, the best we can do is to sit around and wait, huh?" I asked. "If that's the case, then I'm going to go sit down. I'm still rather weak from going inside that Dream World before."

"You'll be okay for the festival, right?" Ricchan asked. "You ARE our lead singer this time."

"I'll be fine." I said as I walked away from the group. Looking for a spot to relax a bit before the festival truly begins.

And to be alone with my thoughts for a while.

*SOMETIME LATER…*

"Mmm…Mikuru-chan was right. This Fruitalicious Tropical Rainbow Slurpee really is good. And it's…strangely calming my thoughts away. My mind actually feels clearer than it did a few moments ago. No wonder Miharu drinks this stuff everyday."

I managed to find a spot under a tree's shade near the beach. Drinking a 7-Eleven Slurpee as I started staring at the mixed view I had of the festival grounds and the ever-so-busy Kokusai Street.

"A lot has happened here. A lot of good and a lot of bad. An unpredictable adventure since day freaking one. At least it'll all end on a good note" I then took another sip of my Slurpee. "*sigh* Geez, this thing. It's so relaxing that my mind is getting cleared up. Where has this thing been all my life?!"

"*giggle* Wow, I've never seen someone so relaxed over a Slurpee before. I guess there's a first time for everything."

"Huh?"

I turned my head to see a girl with orange hair, part of it made into a side ponytail, and really light blue eyes. Probably lighter than mine.

She wore a rather interesting outfit. A white t-shirt with an orange tie and a black sleeveless jacket, a black mini-skirt with white pearls coming from the right side pocket, and a pair of mostly white boots that had orange outlines and underneath was orange, too.

She also had this strange orange gem around her neck. But even without that, the outfit she was wearing was rather flashy.

Could she be performing, too?

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was just passing by when I saw you feeling so relaxed over that Slurpee. And I couldn't help but to say something."

"Oh. I see…now I'm kinda embarrassed for talking out loud like that. I normally don't do that."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Everyone breaks out of character sometimes. I'm no different."

"I see. Glad we can relate on something. Care to relax with me?"

"You don't mind? I was a bit intrusive."

"It's fine. I'm not the type of person who needs privacy anyway."

"I see. Well, in that case, I'll take you up on your offer. Thanks." The girl sat next to me and we both began to stare out into the island beauty together. Truly amazed by its…well, beauty.

"Woah, holy crap! This thing really does clear your mind! What kind of flavor is this?"

She also took a sip of my Slurpee. Due to the curiosity of how someone can be totally relaxed over something like this.

"Fruitalicious Tropical Rainbow. A kōhai of mine drank it earlier and it seemed to do the trick for her, too."

"A kōhai? So, that means you're still in school."

"Yes, actually. My friends and I were invited to perform in this festival. The six of us are a band known as Hō-kago Tea Time."

"Hō-kago Tea Time? That's a…very unique name." The girl gained a sweatdrop.

"Yeah, we get that a lot." I also gained a sweatdrop.

"Well, in any case, never thought I would meet another performer all the way out here."

"Oh, so you are performing. I kinda had a feeling based on your outfit."

"*giggle* Yeah, I guess this was a dead giveaway. To tell you the truth, I'm a J-Pop idol who just debuted recently. I go by…well…I-I'll just write it down for you." The girl then wrote down her name on a notepad she had with her and showed it to me.

And I was immediately confused.

"Uh…u?"

"Actually, it's pronounced "mū". As in the Greek letter. Which is represented by a "u". But not a normal one."

"Not a normal one?"

"I'll show you." The girl took the notepad and drew a weird-looking "u". "See?"

"Wow. That's…interesting. So, you go by "μ", huh? Sounds just as unique as my band's name."

"At least we don't have to worry about copyright infringement, right?"

"*giggle* Yeah, that's true." I said with a smile. We both then laughed off the fact that we're both involved with such weird names for a band/idol.

Come to think of it…who came up with that name, anyway?

"*sigh* So, you came here with your friends from school to perform in a music festival in Okinawa. You must've been having a great time so far, right?"

"Um…actually, no." I said after going silent for a bit. "It's actually been pure hell as of late."

"Pure hell? Why, what happened?"

"Well…"

And so, against my better judgment, I told μ-chan (that sounds kinda right, I guess) everything that's happened to me. Not just here in Okinawa, but for the past 6 months of my life. All the way back from when I first met my half-sister.

"Wow…you went through all of that and you're still going strong. You're one hell of a girl, uh…"

"Tsumugi Kotobuki." I said. "But you can just call me Mugi."

"I see. Well, you've sure been through a lot, Mugi."

"Yeah…I did. And if it weren't for my friends and my half-sister, I still would be feeling that undeniable rage and guilt for everything that's happened. I would be a total mess right now. Unable to perform at this festival with my friends. Let alone, sing the freaking lead with Lyrica."

"W-Wait, what?! You're singing with Lyrica?!" μ-chan yelled in shock.

"Oh, did I not say that? Lyrica is actually a friend of ours."

"No way! Seriously?! So, that means you know her real name, right?!"

"Yes, but…I don't think she would be happy with me if I went and told people without her knowing."

"O-Oh, yeah. I wouldn't want that, either." μ-chan said while rubbing the back of her head.

"But to react like that, my guess is that you're a fan as well?"

"Yeah, I am. She's the reason why I became a J-Pop idol. The way she sings and dances all alone on stage…and the composer she has while doing it all…I was so moved. I haven't been that motivated about doing something since I formed an idol group to…" It was then that μ-chan quickly covered her mouth and looked away from me in a panicked motion.

"Huh? Formed an idol group?"

"*sigh* Damnit. Now, I've gone and done it." μ-chan then turned back with a rather sad look on her face.

"H-Hey, μ-chan. I-It may not be my right to ask, but…what's this about an idol group? Were you an idol before becoming μ?"

μ-chan went dead silent. Not so much looking at me, but was well aware that I had asked her a question. And from the look on her face, she was hesitating on whether or not to tell me.

But then…

"*sigh* Yeah…I was. One year ago, I was nothing but a simple second-year high school girl. Living life like how most girls my age would do. Attend class, go to my club, hang out with friends, and complain about homework. It was truly a simple life.

But then, out of the blue, we learned of an event that would put everyone's normal simple life in the sight of danger."

"And that would be…?" I asked.

"O-Our school…Our school was shutting down."

"Sh-Shutting down? But for what for?"

"Due to Japan's ever-declining birthrate, the number of girls enrolling in our school was shrinking every year. To the point where the first-years only had ONE classroom. The decision was made by the director and it was going into effect after the current school year was over."

"That's horrible." I said. "But…what does that have to do with you being in an idol group?"

"Well…" μ-chan went silent again. "…It was around that time that I gained an idea that could possibly save the school from shutting down. I saw these girls one day…they were in a group together singing and dancing on a stage that was as big as an entire park. I was amazed by their performance…but I was more amazed by the fact that they were clearly the same age as me.

That motivated me to do what they did. To start an idol group of my own and use that popularity to gain more applicants for the school. And I got a lot of people involved. My two best friends, three of the only first-years we had, and three third-years. One of them was even the student council president. And she was against us for a good while until we eventually convinced her.

It sounded like a happy go lucky anime plot that could only happen in your dreams. But I was destined to make it work. No matter what the cost.

And it was actually going well, too. But…it didn't last long."

"Why, what happened?"

"On the day of our first true performance…with our full set of nine members…we had just finished our first song for the school festival and were about to do another. But that's when…I collapsed and passed out in the rain. Mainly because I was hiding the fact that I had caught a cold from running in the rain the day before."

"Oh my. But things did get better, right?"

μ-chan went silent again. Only this time, I saw a single tear run down her face.

"I'll take that as a no."

"It turns out that "cold" was a virus that had infected my respiratory system. My breathing was cut short by half and I was near the brink of death by the time I was taken to the hospital. But I managed to survive somehow."

"Oh, wow. Well, thank goodness for that."

"Yeah, true. *sniff* But after that, the girls who were planning on transferring were traumatized by seeing a girl nearly die in front of their eyes. Rumors started spreading that the virus I got was contagious and was spread all over the school. So, they dropped out. And because we didn't get a single person to enroll, the school closer went on as planned."

"Damn…s-so, you lost."

"You damn right we lost. *sniff*" μ-chan's teary face became worse at this point. "We tried so ****ing hard to save our school. We practiced nonstop and made it our goal to keep the memories of the school alive. And I went and ****ing blew it. I blew it like the careless idiot I am. *sniff* And my friends knew it, too."

"Your friends?"

"A few days after I got out of the hospital, we got into a huge fight. Some of the group members completely blamed me for the school shutting down. And at first, I wasn't having it. There was yelling and screaming…and then it got physical."

Physical? As in…a fight?

"Once it was all over, we all went our separate ways for good. I ended up moving from Chiyoda to Kichijōji on my own and started attending a school called Fujimura for my third year of high school. I haven't seen any of those 8 girls since that fight. And honestly…I don't I can or will."

"W-Wow…μ-chan, I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"Yeah, Mugi. I am, too. But it wasn't all bad for a while. Just days after the school year started, I got an offer from a record company due to them hearing me sing back at my old school. I took the deal…and that's how μ became to be."

"I see. So, after experiencing a horrible event, you tried fixing it and got your friends involved, too. It's a lot like my own tragic event…only difference is that life completely screwed you over."

"*sigh* Yeah, pretty much." μ-chan said. "But…I'm not the type of person to let sad horrible moments consume my soul and bring me down. I made a promise to myself that I would use this second chance at life to start over fresh and learn from my mistakes. And with a new home, new school, and a new career, I plan to do just that. I'll prove to this whole damn country that Honoka Kosaka is NOT just some overexcited scatterbrain of a girl! I'll show them that even someone like me can reach their dreams! Even when they've lost everything! You hear that, girls?! I'll show you all! Every last one of you! You'll all pay for beating me down and crushing my dream-filled heart! WATCH ME, DAMN…*cough* *cough* *cough* *gasp*"

"H-Hey! μ-chan! Wh-What's wrong?!" I yelled as μ-chan had suddenly started coughing hard and gasping for air. Almost like she was being suffocated.

"I-In…h-hal…l-ler…"

"I-Inhaler?!"

"S-Side…p…p-pocket…h-h…hurry…*gasp*"

"Crap, crap, crap! Uh, let's see…side pocket, side pocket…Aha! Here it is! Here!"

I quickly gave μ-chan the inhaler and she quickly started using it in her mouth. And after a few sprays, she was back to normal. The coughing and gasping now nonexistent.

"A-Are you okay?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine now. I have permanent respiratory problems thanks to that virus. So I carry this inhaler around with me. It's a real life-saver, you know."

"Yeah, no doubt about it." I said. "So…your name is Honoka?"

"You caught that, huh?" μ-chan, who I now know is named Honoka, let out a simple small sigh. "The one thing you're not supposed to do as an idol is to reveal your true identity. And I already blew it thanks to my rage. Maybe I am scatterbrained…"

"It's okay, Honoka. Being scatterbrained isn't all too bad. I happen to know a scatterbrained girl who's in my band. She may be out there at times, but she's still a reliable friend…kinda."

"That "kinda" defeated the whole purpose of cheering me up, Mugi." Honoka gained a sweatdrop.

"Sorry. I'm not really good at this."

"It's fine. Just promise me you won't go telling people my real name, alright?"

"Alright. Your secret's safe with me."

"Good. Now that we got that out of the way…"

"…You mentioned rage just now, right? Is that how you feel against the other girls?"

"*sigh* Yeah. I mean…even though it was my fault for recklessly getting sick in the first place, I still feel that everlasting rage and anger against my former friends. How they pelted me to the ground…blamed me as the sole reason for failing to save our school. One of them even called me a pathetic mockery of school idols everywhere. Can you believe that?"

"I would…if I knew what a school idol was."

"Oh, well…it's basically an idol who's still in school. In my case, every school idol was a high school girl of some kind. You know, I never really questioned why that was the case until now. Kinda odd."

"You mean it NOW came to mind?" I asked with a sweatdrop.

"P-Point is…even though it's been a year since that incident and a couple of weeks since we fully went our separate ways, I still can't bring myself to forgive them. Even the ones who still like me and thus tried to get in contact with me. My character type may be the one who makes everyone smile, but there's no way in hell I could smile on my own right with any of them around. It ain't gonna happen."

"For now." I said.

"Huh?"

"Honoka…your story sounds a lot like mine. I hated my father because he wouldn't accept his mistakes and let Miharu into my life. I defied him and ignored him…and it didn't even start six months ago. I've been trying to rebel from my parents for years."

"F-For years? W-Wow…"

"Yeah…it was a desire that I was determined to not give up. I was going to escape my controlled depressed life no matter what. But then…two days ago…my father passed away from a stroke. And even though it was mostly his fault, I still felt regret for it.

But like I said before…if it weren't for my friends and half-sister, I wouldn't even be here telling my story to you. So, you may hate your friends now…but trust me, Honoka. When you truly need help, and there's nothing you can do on your own, you'll be begging to have them back in your life. Not only did I hear this from a friend of mine, but I almost went through the exact same thing she did. And I don't want you or anyone else to be in that situation or even close to it. It will ruin you whole."

"Mugi…" Was all Honoka said before both of us going dead silent. And it stayed dead silent between us for a good while.

Until…

*RINGTONE CHIME*

"Oh. That's me." I said before answering my phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mugi. Where are you? It's almost time for the festival to start."

"I'm close by, Miharu. Tell the others that I'll be there shortly."

"Très bien!"

The phone hung up and I turned my attention back to Honoka, who had a look of disbelief on her face.

"You know, I didn't really believe you when you said that your half-sister was French. But after hearing that, you weren't joking at all." She said.

"That's a common response. It was hard for us to believe it when we were first told about it."

"I see…" Honoka went silent again. "So, uh…Mugi. About what you said…I still want nothing to do with my friends, but I'll at least your words and experience into consideration. I just need to…think this over."

"That's fine. Take all the time you need, Honoka."

"Thanks, Mugi. You know…you're the first person who's been nice to me and willing to hear me out since the incident happened. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I really wish there were more people like you."

"You know…it makes me feel good to hear you say that, Honoka. I hope the two of us can be friends of our own."

"Fr-Friends…" Honoka went silent again with a sad look on her.

"S-Sorry."

"Ah. N-No, no, no. It's fine. I just…have to get used to hearing that word in a positive way again. I-It's gonna…take a while."

"I understand. Take all the time you need."

It was then that Honoka suddenly hugged me tight around my waist. And it didn't take long for me to return the hug. Letting her release any more emotional burden she still had within her.

And in a soft, teary-like tone, she to me:

"Thank you…Mugi Kotobuki."

I didn't respond. It won't be right to. But in my own mind…which has been through similar, if not exact situations as her…I said to her:

You're very welcome…Honoka Kosaka.

Author's Note: And so, here's the final guest character of the story (for a while). Honoka Kosaka from the Love Live! series. Like I said before, this wasn't planned until very recently. After I had finally finished season 2 of the original series (and watched the movie) after putting it off about for 3-4 years. It just…slipped my mind for some reason.

So, like with the other three anime in this small little universe I created for myself, Honoka's backstory is not like how it's portrayed in the manga/anime. In fact, it's actually pretty tragic. If I ever have the time, I could write a story about this new life she's in. That is, if you guys are interested.

This was going to be one whole finale chapter…but it got too long. So, I'm splitting it. Also, I'm gonna stop here for now. I've put off my other stories for a month to do this and I'm starting to get worn out from this story. Hope you guys understand.

Thanks for reading. Later.