Summary:

Eli's take on the project and Maki's situation, from her journal. A longer account of their meeting at Maki's house.


I have not started writing again in this journal because I am on board with Kotori's project to rehabilitate Nico. Let's make that clear. In fact, the only part I agree with is keeping notes on how it affects everyone involved. Which I am doing at this moment.

I am Ayase Eli, president of the student council of Otonokizaka National Girls Academy. Moreover, and more importantly at this moment, I am also one of the nine members of the popular school idol group µ's. Two of our members, even though they are obviously both girls, decided to be a couple, then broke up — sort of — and left the older of the two feeling despondent.

One of our other members decided to ask her out, but in a very insane way: only for a week. Nonetheless, they were like a couple for that week, even indulging in shameless sexual activity. Far from being embarrassed about it, even though she is the daughter of the director of the academy, that girl, one of our second years, is almost boastful about it. The level headed one of the second-year trio — they are kind of a gang together — unfortunately can refuse the director's daughter Kotori nothing, as far as I can make out. Umi Sonoda is normally proper and dutiful, but lets Minami Kotori drag her into things.

She even sacrificed her virtue to this strange whim that Kotori (and probably the other member of the second-year gang, our leader, Kousaka Honoka) jumped on. The younger of the girl idol lovers is much more sensible, and at least had a relationship with the older girl that is — well, I won't say normal, but perhaps typical of an all-girls school.

They have pointed out that they are doing other things on these dates to restore Nico (the older girl) to her confidence and keep her moving forward. All of those things could be done without the crazy parts, surely.

At any rate, even if they are succeeding as they claim and Nico is getting better, the couple in question had two people, after all. And no one, seemingly, but me was paying attention to the other one, Nishikino Maki. Well, Nozomi claims Nico can't NOT pay attention to her, but if so, I would say that makes the "Date Nico Project" an even worse idea.

At any rate, things went from better to worse, without ever being discussed, and Maki has quit our group over it. That was merely the biggest red flag after many others. So it was not with complete surprise, but definitely with dismay, that I saw a text from Maki when several of us from µ's were getting parfaits with Nico's old idol group. Honoka had the notion to reconcile them with Nico by having them perform a song with us. It seems to me like something out of a manga, but I will admit Nico seemed happy about it, on balance. And they worked very hard, despite not being in shape like the nine of us are.

As for Maki?

Eli, I don't want to interrupt you tonight, but can we meet to talk? I'm not doing that well.

I came to a decision. As most of our group had left already, nothing was really keeping me in the parfait shop. For that reason, I texted back.

Let's meet now at the coffee shop, it's on your way, then go to your place. I

wouldn't want Alisa accidentally interrupting us or overhearing the discussion.

To which she agreed, immediately.


Maki had told Nico that, in general, the only µ's members she wanted to talk to right now were myself and her two fellow first-years, Hoshizora Rin and Koizumi Hanayo.

When we got to the stately Nishikino home, Maki let us in. No one else was home, and we went to the dining room to talk. It was immediately clear to me that whatever progress Nico was making was coming at Maki's expense. She had obviously been crying, and it probably was not the first time.

"This is a nightmare for me, Eli," she said when she sat down after making us tea. "I mean, my ex-girlfriend is sleeping around and people are acting like that's wonderful news. And I can't talk to anyone. I feel completely alone, every day. It's like I was when I entered school, only worse. No one will even consider that maybe I have some insight into Nico's problems, either, even though I had much more than one week to learn all about her. You know what? When I said we should take a break, I meant just that. I was hoping both of us could get back into our school work — well, I admit that did work out — but also she could learn to be more than just someone's girlfriend, and maybe if things were still there, we'd get back together again."

"Now?" It was the first thing I got a chance to say. Well, ask.

"Now, I don't know. I mean, it's not like I'm fanatic about purity or anything, and it's not like I think Kotori and Umi and maybe Honoka are bad girls or anything …"

I quirked an eyebrow.

"But I mean, it feels like she's burying any possibility of that as this goes on, yet she's still all sad and mopey about it."

"You know, if Nico wants to hold true to her week with Umi, I can see that. She might say something like 'If I can't honor a commitment to Umi, can you trust me to honor one to you?' "

Maki looked a bit more upset.

"But that will end, as you say. What do you want to happen next? I will assume you aren't keeping track of how many times they do it, it's just the fact they did it at all? Anyway, Honoka's turn is probably coming up, as bizarre as that is to you and me."

"Not just us. I hear the rumors and people think it's weird all over Otonokizaka. Admittedly, they don't know for sure but their guesses are getting pretty good."

"But anyway, Maki … what do you want? What do you want from her? From Nico?"

"Is being more independent and really thinking about why she's so insecure and dependent to begin with completely off the table?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, it probably is. For one thing, they all say this is a good way to overcome both of those. But do you want her back? I think that's the only real question. Can you stand to take her back? Is your relationship tainted now? Now is the time to decide, I think. Every cycle of this project is just going to drive you two further apart," It was the big question and she couldn't avoid it any more.

"I don't really know." That was Maki's honest reply.

"That will definitely lose out to Honoka's 'Let's try, Nico-chan!' "

"Which shouldn't be poking its nose into our affairs to begin with!"

I had to be accurate. And fair.

"Ummm, Maki, if you don't want her back, you have no affairs to butt into."

Things got much better after that, and we agreed to meet up at least once a week going forward. Maki got a lot off her chest and when I left, she seemed much more at peace.

But all these big questions I am noting down, about their future relationship? Well, we never revisited them.