Chapter Text
The chairs on both sides of Riko’s scrape loudly against the floor but Riko doesn’t react, too used to the noise her seniors bring with them everywhere they go.
“Did you see the news, Riko-chan?” Himiko starts opening her lunch-box while looking at Riko expectantly. Chiyu is already inhaling hers but her attention is still sharp on Riko, clearly waiting for her reaction. Riko tilts her head slightly, encouraging Himiko to keep going. “Aqours failed. The schools are going to merge.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t keep up with it at all.” Lies Riko. Her eyes sting with the lack of sleep and her index finger hurts just a little from all the time she refreshed the Uranohoshi high application’s page. She closes her book and grabs her own lunch-box, blushing slightly. She knows her seniors must know she’s lying at the glance they share over Riko’s head but they don’t comment further. Himiko drops her egg omelet in Riko’s lunch without a word.
“She must be sad,” Says Chiyu suddenly. “Chika-chan. She must be disappointed.”
Riko shrugs. She doesn’t want to think about Chika being sad; actually she doesn’t want to think about Chika at all. “It was long overdue,” She says in a clipped voice. “There really isn’t enough students for two schools in this city.”
“Fair enough.” Says Himiko. “And they still have the love live anyway.”
Riko’s jaws clench unintentionally. She tries to hide it the best she can but her friends still notice (Of course they do, it’s as if they spent the year learning how to read Riko more than training as school idols.). “Oh, Riko…” Himiko wraps an arm around Riko’s shoulder and Chiyu grabs her head and kisses her hair loudly. “Are you still bitter about our defeat against Aqours? It’s been two months already!”
Riko bites the inside of her cheek. She always feels guilty about being so resentful, especially since her friends seem to have put their deception aside already. “I just… Because you won’t be here next year, I really wanted us to win this year.”
“Don’t be sad, Riko-chan, we aren’t.”
“We were really good, Aqours were just better than us. Let’s concentrate on the end of our year and let’s cheer on them together.”
“Ah…” Riko eats sadly the chunk of omelet Himiko gave her. “I’m going to miss you, guys.”
Chiyu ruffles her hair. “Hopefully Chika-chan will give you her eggs as well.”
Riko glares at her. “See if I give you my sausages after that.”
Riko and her friends end up going to the finals. They had been given show tickets like every other love live’s contestants and Riko had been very adamant about not going (never, ever). Chiyu and Himiko had begged and begged and begged and Riko had finally caved in when Chiyu had said (With fake tears in her eyes.) that it was the only thing she wanted as a graduation gift.
She had regretted agreeing during the whole train journey, and in the subway carrying them to the dome, and in the special queue leading them to their designated seats (close to the scene. Too close to the scene.). She had regretted it when the light had dropped and the first group had stepped on stage. She had regretted it more than ever when a clamor had started to grow in the audience, signaling Aqours’ turn to perform. She had been furious when Chiyu had pushed a orange light stick in her hand and had raised her arm for her, hand firmly clasped around her wrist. She had hated himself for enjoying water blue new world so much.
Aqours had won, of course they did, and as they were standing victorious on stage Chika’s and Riko’s eyes had met for a split second. Chika had smiled, probably on reflex, and Riko had smiled as well, definitely on reflex. “Don’t think you’re forgiven, Takami Chika.” Had thought Riko. “Don’t think we’ll be friends.” As if Chika would want to be her friend, anyway.
Riko doesn’t know if it’s a quality or a default but what’s certain is that she’s a stubborn girl. Her friends and her mother had tried to stop her from sulking during the break between her second and third year and, if she had finally stopped being sad about their defeat, she is still decided to avoid Takami Chika the best she can for the whole year to come.
Which is why, of course, the first person she bumps into during the first day of school ends up being Chika. The girl falls on her ass comically and Riko extends her hand to help her get up because for all she hates Chika she’s still human, thank you very much. A tiny part of Riko thinks it’s very Chika, of course, to fall on her ass and complain just to make Riko looks like some kind of terrible brute. A tinier part of Riko tells her she’s being ridiculous and dramatic; she pettily ignores it.
“Hi, I’m Takami Chika!” Riko almost wants to roll her eyes at Chika’s ridiculous humbleness: there isn’t a person in the whole country who wouldn’t recognize Chika but she still feel the need to introduce herself like she’s some kind of anonymous. Stupid. Chika’s eyes widen suddenly and Riko distractly notices they’re still holding hand. “Sakurauchi Riko, right?” Riko nods stiffly. “I’m so happy to finally meet you! I hope we’re going to be great friends.” Her eyes grow again when she spots someone behind Riko. She waves happily. She’s still holding Riko’s hand. “You-chan!” She screams, “Over here!” Riko would have covered her ears if her hands had been free.
“You found her!” Says You in place of a greeting. “Riko-chan, Chika was really looking forward to meeting you.”
“Ah, You-chan!” Chika seems terribly embarrassed now, her cheeks flushing and her free hand reaching for You’s ear, probably to pull it. “Don’t say weird thing like that, and don’t call her Riko-chan that carelessly!” You doesn’t answer, too busy watching their clasped hands. “I’m sorry…” Chika’s cheeks are bright red now. She bites on her bottom lip and looks at Riko pleadingly.
“It’s okay.” Answers Riko harshly. “I’ll get going now, Watanabe-san. Takami-san.” Chika deflects a little at that and it annoys Riko even more. What did she thought, exactly? That pulling a cute face and telling some lies would make Riko like her?
Riko leaves quickly and she hears Chika furiously whispering in her back to her friend. ‘Why did you said that, dummy? You ruined it!’ Riko could laugh. Chika ruined everything long ago, all by herself.
Several texts are waiting for Riko when she gets home that evening. She opens Himiko’s first. ‘Riko-chan,’ it reads, ‘I hope your first day as a third-year was good. Chiyu and I are settling in well, but we already miss you so much! cheer up!’
Chiyu sent several texts as usual, all full of monkeys emojis, her favorite type. ‘Riko-chan!!!’
‘Was your day good? Did you ate well???’
‘How was meeting Chika-chan?!?’
Riko rolls her eyes and opens her discussion with Himiko again. ‘Himiko-chan, I’m happy to hear from you. My first day was nice but I miss your rolled eggs already! Good luck with handling Chiyu-chan all week long.’
Riko’s phone pings five minutes later when she’s in the middle of her homeworks. She snorts when she sees Chiyu’s answer, her affronted ‘hey!’ followed by exclamation points taking up all the screen. She sets her phone aside and decides to forget everything about that first day.
“We’re going to a café after school Sakurauchi-san, wanna come with?” Chika looks good in their school’s uniform, the dark red color of the vest creating a pretty contrast with her skin. Her hair is just a little longer that it was during her time in Aqours, the tip touching her collarbones when she bends over to talk to Riko. Her smile is blinding and beautiful and friendly and Riko almost wants to believe her intentions are good. She would get fooled like everyone else if she didn’t knew it’s only a facade. If he didn’t knew how fake Chika really is.
Riko doesn’t smile. She doesn’t look at Chika’s blinding smile or at the tip of her hair where it touches her collarbones or the collar of her vest. She doesn’t look at her neck, at the pretty contrast between dark red fabric and fair skin. “I have something scheduled already,” She says, Not Looking At Chika.
Chika bites at her lip. Riko doesn’t watch the movement, doesn’t watch how shiny and red her mouth looks. “Everyone is coming…” Chika says, and she looks so sad Riko almost wants to believe her intentions are good. She shakes her head.
“I have something scheduled already, Takami-san.”
It’s cruel, really, how satisfying it is for Riko when Chika looks at her with big, dejected eyes. It feeds her need for revenge, her terrible petty side. See what it feels, Chika, when someone really doesn’t like you?