Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(Sayo POV)

The sound of my alarm blaring slowly but surely woke me up. I rubbed the grogginess from my eyes and squinted to read the display.

8:00

It wasn’t even that early, but even so, I kept desiring more sleep, the blankets coaxing me back into it’s warm embrace.

I had been pushing my limits as of recent. All the classes I was taking were high intensity with lots of assignments. Juggling that, Roselia and work hunting was basically giving stress and fatigue a personal invite to have a long term stay in my life.

I yawned, mumbling out the famous last words of many students: “Maybe... five more... minutes...”

Drowsiness took over and weight piled onto my already half open eyelids. I didn’t have the energy to resist, so I allowed myself to fall back into a deep slumber, one I knew I’d regret falling into once I woke up.

—————

“Shit shit shit shit!”

I kept cursing as I sprinted down the stone staircase, making my way to the trains.

I ended up sleeping another whole hour. By the time I woke up, I didn’t even have time to do my makeup. I was forced to throw on my good suit, speedily run a brush through my hair and dash out the door with my (thankfully) already packed briefcase.

“The trains will begin to depart shortly, please stand clear of the doors.”

“HOLD IT!”

I lunged towards the closing doors, tripping halfway. My face planted itself on the hard floor with a loud thud. I groaned as a sharp stinging sensation traveled across my nose.

“Are you okay miss?”

I looked up to see a man offering me a hand up, his other resting on the HOLD DOOR button. I smiled, accepting his kind gesture.

“Yes, thank you,” I replied, pulling myself off the ground.

“That was quite the tumble there,” He chuckled. “But, you did make it in the end.”

I let out a breath. “Barely.”

“Well, barely is better than not. Be careful next time.”

“Will do, thank you again.”

He nodded, grabbing one of the ceiling bars and taking out his phone. I followed in similar suit, taking hold as the train departed from the station.

Let’s see... it takes about 15 minutes to get to here by train. If I sprint, I might be able to make it.

I sighed, dreading the idea. As much as I wanted to get this job, all the running around made my muscles ache at the idea.

“No Sayo, you need this job. Stay strong,” I murmured softly.

I mentally prepared myself for another hellish run as I enjoyed the stillness I had in the train.

—————

“Haaa...”

I dragged myself across the sidewalk, head downward and fully sighing my lungs out.

The good news: I had made it to the job interview.

The bad news: I was so nervous I couldn’t speak properly and was instantly shot down by the company.

I didn’t blame them. I looked like a confused imbecile trying to fit in with high class society. It wasn’t just my nervousness that had ruined it. All the running I had done left me looking like a mess. My hair was frizzed out, my suit jacket was dangling from my elbows and I was completely out of breath and sweating like a pig. If anything, they might’ve thought I had stolen the suit I was wearing.

“This is what happens when you exhaust yourself for an entire week you idiot...” I muttered, kicking a pebble.

My grumbling complaints and frustration were interrupted by a ping on my phone. Curiously, I slid it out and saw some notifications from the Roselia group chat.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : AOOSJSAYO-SAN!

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : DID YOI GETIT?!

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Ako, calm down and type normally.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Also, I told you to change my name back. I don’t know how to fix this.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : WHAAAT, BUT ITS CUUUUUTE

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : besides you luuuuuv kitties!

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: ...

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: ... they’re okay.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : liar, i see you in the park right now pettaijsbdnsisjbxndjs

Rinrin: Ako-chan..?! Σ （ﾟ д ﾟ lll ）

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Don’t worry, she’s alive.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : RINRIN HELP SHES TRYIN TO STAB ME WITH A STICC

Hikawa S: Minato-san, please don’t kill Udagawa-san. We still need her on drums.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Can I kill her a little bit?

Rinrin: How would that even work (´ ･ ω ･ `)

Hikawa S: No, you can’t.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: ... fine.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : THANCC YOU SAYO-SAAAAAANNN!

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : I THIYGHT I WAS A GONEF

Hikawa S: Calm down so you can type normally.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : sorry sorry. anywaaaaays, how did it go?!

Rinrin: ( ・・ ?)

Rinrin: Oh right! Your job interview at the printing company was today!

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: So? The results?

Hikawa S: Well

Hikawa S: I had a bad morning, accidentally slept in.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: You worked yourself to exhaustion and missed the interview, didn’t you?

Hikawa S: ... not quite. I made barely made interview but I wasn’t accepted. I made a fool of myself.

Rinrin: Oh no... I’m so sorry Hikawa-san (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ ｀ )

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : oh shit that really blows...

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : i’m sorry that happened to ya...

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: It’s a shame that happened.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: However, you still have plenty of time to get a job during college. I’m sure you’ll be able to find one.

Hikawa S: Thank you everyone, I’ll do my best.

Rinrin: Good luck!! ٩ ( 'ω' ) و

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : the demon princess blesses you with the luck of the underworld!

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: I know you can do it Sayo.

I smiled fondly at the messages. Despite my aversion to creating bonds with people, Roselia had managed to open my heart up more. When we first created the band, I was simply there for the music and the goal of Future World Fes. However, as time progressed, we became closer. Friendship grew and eventually Roselia felt like home to me. They truly were the best friends I could ever ask for.

I turned my phone off and slipped it back into my pocket. My shoulders lifted, my back straightened and a smile dotted my lips.

“Alright, let’s go home.”

—————

The nearest train to me was in an area of the city I had never been in.

I gazed about the new scenery, glancing at the buildings and stores that lined the block. They all looked rather interesting, but unfortunately, none of them had job postings.

I had wanted an office where I was guaranteed relatively good pay, but seeing as those interviews and applications were being rejected, I was willing to do something less desk work oriented. I desperately needed to get money for the rent on my apartment so almost any job would do.

“C’mon... give me something...” I begged, squeezing my eyes shut before the next store I noticed.

In an ideal world, I’d open my eyes and see a “Help Wanted!” sign on the window. Sadly, I didn’t live in that kind of world, and was met by a disappointing view of a sign free window.

Letting out a groan of frustration, I trudged onward through the foreign area, trying to direct my focus on what I’d be eating for lunch.

—————

A cry.

Usually I would’ve ignored it. I was in a big city so you’d assume it’s someone’s kid or baby.

But in this case, things were a bit different.

I was in a quieter area of the city, so not many people were out and about. It almost felt like I was in a small town or a residential housing area rather than a city street. Loud sounds stood out clearer among the noise of the few passing cars and conversations of passing strangers.

I glanced around, listening carefully to where the crying was coming from.

“The left...?”

I turned my head and sure enough, the sound evened out more. I took a few steps forward to confirm my suspicions. The crying grew louder, affirming it.

I dashed into the alleyway, trying to find the source of the cries. Children got lost in the city all the time, so I was fully prepared to call the police and report a missing child.

Yet, I found myself frozen in front of a basket with a baby laying in it.

The baby was lying on a white blanket, certainly not thick enough to provide cushioning from the wooden basket. It had a pale grey gown on, which didn’t give me any clues as to what gender it was, and I was definitely not comfortable (or calm) enough to try to figure it out. It couldn’t have been a year old; it was much too small. Its skin was pale and sickly looking, and its body trembled from being exposed to the wind. Tears ran down its tiny cheeks, its wails cracking and quivering along.

Meanwhile, I stood blank faced next to it, unsure of what to do.

I had no experience handling babies, much less finding them abandoned in a city alleyway. With children, they could at least talk so I could somewhat understand them. This however, was a baby who’s language ability was limited to cries and warbled nonsense.

Okay Sayo, calm down and think. There’s a baby right in front of you. It’s clearly not even a year old and it’s cold, weak and probably hungry. You first need to... um... what should I do...?

I went from being angry about jobs to being angry at myself for being an incompetent human being. It should be simple to figure out what to do with the baby. Unfortunately, I was too shocked and panicky to make proper judgement.

Another loud cry from the baby caused me to flinch. I had to start doing something or else I was letting a person continue to suffer.

I took my suit jacket off and attempted to swaddle the baby in it. I more or less failed, but at the very least, it was covered.

I didn’t have food, and a doctor facility was nearby anywhere. The closest place I could go to was my own apartment.

This was a terrible idea. I, clueless as hell Sayo, was about to bring a baby into my apartment and attempt to care for it.

It was a terrible idea, yet I didn’t try to refute it.

I picked the basket up, pulling it close to my chest, and started running. I was so sick of running, yet in that moment, the idea of achey muscles vanished from my mind.

Its cries blocked out all the complaints I would’ve made to running after my hellish morning.

All that mattered was that it was okay.

—————

Hikawa S: I have some news. I need you all to come to my apartment.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : news????

Rinrin: What happened? ( ・ Д ・ )

Hikawa S: Can’t explain. Still trying to process this and figure out what to do.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : wHaT dOeS tHaT mEaN?!

Rinrin: I’m worried now ( ⊙△⊙ ✿ )

Hikawa S: How? I haven’t said anything that’s worry inducing.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Sayo.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: That is literally the most concerning thing you could have possibly told us.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: However, I will ignore that fact and come over with the hopes that nothing bad has happened.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : GETTING JY SISTER IN THE ACAR TO DRUVE

Rinrin: I’ll be there soon! Also Ako-chan, deep breaths and calm down ( ￣▽￣ ;)

Hikawa S: Thank you. I’ll leave the door unlocked so you can all just come inside.

—————

(Yukina POV)

I stood outside of Sayo’s apartment, unsure of whether to actually go inside or not. While she said the door was unlocked, I felt worried of what I’d see inside there.

She gave us no details as to what news she had, not even if it was bad or good news. We were all left in the dark with this looming fear something terrible had happened.

Clearly she was physically okay, or she wouldn’t have texted us so calmly and casually. However, she did seem distressed. The lack of information about this event was proof of it.

I didn’t know why she couldn’t tell us, but I was about to find out.

“Oh! Yukinaaaaaa!”

I turned my head and was greeted by my smiling childhood friend. Following her was her gaming buddy, who waved timidly at me.

“Ako, Rinko, I see you’ve arrived.”

“I would’ve been here sooner if Onee-chan hadn’t lost the keys though,” Ako grumbled.

“I see Tomoe is still as clumsy as ever with the cars keys,” I chuckled.

Rinko giggled as well. “She’s still rather flustered about driving in general... so she hasn’t adjusted to needing car keys or driving Ako-chan places...”

“Well, that makes sense why you were late, but how come you ended up getting here late? You live right nearby here,” I said, turning my gaze to our keyboardist.

Her face suddenly turned pale white, and the ground became a much more interesting thing to look at than us.

“Rinrin?! Are you okay?!”

“... g...”

“What?”

“Th-The big dog... it chased me...”

Ako and I looked at each other with the same “oh shit” look. We both knew the dog she was talking about. It was an animal not even Sayo could find herself to love, and she loved dogs to death.

This mutt was like Satan incarnate. He was chained up, but every time we passed it when we visited Rinko, we all sprinted past the dog in the fear that it would bite our legs off.

However, the fact it chased her meant that the dog wasn’t on its chain.

“R-Rinrin... did you ever... lose it...?”

“N-Not exactly...”

I grabbed the door knob without even thinking and yanked the door open.

“Get inside now if you value your head.”

The two nodded and dashed in, with me following quickly behind. I slammed the door shut and as soon as I did, I could hear a loud bark outside. I shuddered at the thought of what could’ve happened if we were out there a second longer.

Well, so much for mentally preparing myself.

We glanced around the from the entrance hallway, looking for the tealette, but she was nowhere in sight.

“Sayo?” I called out.

A few seconds later I got a muffled response. Her voice sounded tired and shaky, and as we walked further into the apartment, sure enough, she looked the part too.

She stumbled out from the entryway to her bedroom. Her hair was a frizzy mess and she looked like she could keel over at any minute.

“Sayo-san?! Wha-“

And yet, despite her exhausted appearance, she speedily raced over to Ako and slapped her hand over our drummer’s mouth.

“Be. Quiet. Please.” She demanded, her voice a soft but firm whisper.

My friend nodded, completely intimidated by our guitarist’s gaze. I didn’t blame her. Sayo’s gaze was as cold as ice.

“So... Hikawa-san... why did you bring us here?” Rinko asked, not needing to bring her voice down. She was naturally soft spoken after all.

The tealette sighed, rubbing her temples. “It’s... a long story. I still don’t understand what I’ve done myself, and I still can’t believe it’s only been a few hours since it happened.”

She glanced at us with conflicted emotions, and eventually gestures to us to follow.

“However, it’d be easier to just show you rather than try to explain first.”

Hesitantly, we followed, unsure of what our fellow bandmate was about to drag us into.

—————

“We’ve gone over this before Sayo: if you have a boyfriend, you need to inform us.”

“I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!” She hissed at me, doing her best to stay quiet.

“Then why do you have a baby in your bedroom?”

I pointed at the sleeping baby, who was wrapped neatly in a small white blanket, its small right hand gripping a black suit jacket. I could see its chest rising and falling with every tiny breath it took.

“I found this baby in an alleyway on my way home. I couldn’t just leave it there, so I took it home with me and I finally got it to fall asleep but I’m still confused and don’t know what to do.”

“Sayo-san, you normally don’t just... take babies from the alleyway into your house...” Ako commented, sounding just as confused as we were.

“And you normally don’t find babies in the alleyways of Japan, but I happened to find one,” She snapped back.

The drummer yelped at the raised voice. Noticing her error, Sayo softened her gaze, and gave her a small bow.

“Sorry for snapping... I’m just really tired... and dazed... and confused...”

“It’s okay Sayo-san, I get it. I’m sorry for that comment I made.”

“So,” I said, trying to intervene before the two could go on a back and forth apology session. “What do you plan on doing?”

“Huh?”

“You have a baby in your house right now. Do you plan on keeping it?”

“K-Keeping it?!” She stuttered out.

“It’s clearly been abandoned by its parents. You have the choice now of adopting it or taking it to an orphanage, or maybe giving it foster care and then putting it up for adoption.”

Sayo definitely hadn’t thought about what to do after she had the baby in a safe place. Her expression was painted with her overwhelming swirl of thoughts and emotions.

I gave her a slight pat on the back.

“You don’t have to choose now of course, you have time to decide.”

“I-I do have a suggestion though...”

We turned our eyes to Rinko in surprise. Noticing the attention, she blushed and averted her gaze from us, fiddling with her hair.

“I-I um... I think... Hikawa-san... should a-adopt the baby...”

“Why’s that Rinrin?” Ako asked curiously. I was intrigued myself by the suggestion.

“I-It seems that the baby has grown attached to Hikawa-san...”

“Attached? How is that possible?” Sayo questioned.

“I-It’s gripping your jacket rather tightly...”

“Oh that? It must’ve just done that in its sleep. I just threw it off once because I was covered in panic sweat from it crying nonstop and then-oh. Oh...”

The tealette’s eyes widened at a new realization.

“It stopped crying after I threw my jacket off the bed... and when I glanced back at it, it was starting to fall asleep with my jacket in its hand...”

“Awwww! That’s so cute! It must’ve felt comfortable around your scent or something!” Ako grinned.

“I’m guessing the reason behind your logic is that it would be better for the baby to stay with someone it’s already comfortable with rather than send it to an orphanage or send it away later in its life when it’s already attached to Sayo,” I summarized. Rinko nodded at my statements, and then looked to Sayo.

“I-It’s still your choice, but I think this would be the best course of action... and we can all help out too...”

Our guitarist looked at Ako and I for confirmation of our willingness to help out. The shorter girl gave a thumbs up along with a promise that the dark lord would pour her care onto the baby. I simply gave her a small smile and a nod.

Sayo looked back at the baby, her gaze softening with a warmth and kindness I had never seen before. She looked back at us, then back at the baby, and with taking deep breath, she began to speak again.

“Okay. I’ll try. I’ll try my best, so you better not back out of this with me.”

—————

(Sayo POV)

“What have I gotten myself into...?”

I stared at my bedroom ceiling, taking in all the events of the day.

I slept in late.

I failed my job interview.

I found a baby on the streets.

I adopted said baby and now I was a mom.

A mom.

The idea made me feel so old.

I was only in my first year of college. I hadn’t even thought about things like dating, much less getting married and having kids.

And now suddenly, the world decided to have me skip some steps and move straight into childcare.

I had many conflicting and overwhelming emotions about the whole thing, but I tried not to focus on it.

I changed my focus to the baby, my new child.

“Oh right! I need to figure out if you’re a boy or a girl...”

After my friends left, the baby ended up waking up. Thankfully, there weren’t tears or screaming. Instead, I was greeted by a grumbling belly and an adorable giggle signaling me to get some milk.

I was rather lucky that Ako had forced us to do some strange challenges and dares because now I had baby formula and could use it for something useful. While I still questioned why Ako came up with or had us do all of those idiotic things, I thanked her this time for giving me something to feed my child.

Now it was happily laying in the bed with me, playing with my hair.

I has checked the basket for some kind of note card but I wasn’t able to find anything. The basket itself didn’t have any engravings on it either so I had no leads as to where it came from, why, or if it had a name already or not.

“Oh! I haven’t checked the blanket out yet!”

Because it was awake now, it had moved away from the blanket it had been abandoned with, more focused on my hair than anything else.

I sat up, reaching over and grabbing the white blanket.

It wasn’t thick, but the fabric wasn’t thin either. It has a silky feel to it, and was rather pleasant to the touch. It didn’t have any kind of border, so in some ways it just looked like a piece of cloth. I felt around the blanket and stopped when my hand brushed over something rougher.

“A patch...?”

I squinted at the spot and was able to make out a different thread. Whoever had made this had sewn letters into the blanket as a way to show the baby’s name.

“They should’ve done a clearer color though...” I muttered, trying to decipher the white text on the white blanket.

“L... I... S... A... Lisa... Lisa huh...?”

It was certainly a name I wouldn’t have picked out myself for a child, but besides the fact that it was the last remaining gift from the birth parents, it was also a very pretty name.

I smiled as I murmured the name over and over again.

“Lisa... Lisa... my daughter Lisa...”

A soft coo redirected my attention, and I smiled down at my daughter, who was looking up at me with her beautiful green eyes.

It was surreal to think I was a mother, but at the same time, there was something amazing about it that made me happy to no ends.

However, since I wasn’t her birth parent, it was only proper of me to introduce myself.

“Hey Lisa, my name is Hikawa Sayo, and starting today, you and I are going to be family.”

Chapter Text

(Sayo POV)

I stared at the front door, unsure of whether to actually leave or not. As much as I wanted and needed to go to classes, my concern and care for my child was just as important.

“Don’t worry Onee-chan! Little Lisacchi is safe in my hands!”

“If you think I actually trust you, you’re dead wrong,” I growled, shooting Hina death glare.

“Aw c’mon! It’ll be okay! I know how to take care of kids! I’ve done it before!”

“Who did you pay to take care of those children?”

“I TOOK CARE OF THEM I SWEAR!”

“Wait, you murdered them?!”

“Yeah, I-WAIT! NOT THAT KIND OF TOOK CARE OF!”

Hina gave me an exasperated look, but I had every right to be worried.

1.) This was my first child, who I had recently adopted, and as a new parent, I had a lot of early parenthood anxiety

2.) Lisa was only 1 month old (as estimated by the doctor I visited), basically still a newborn which meant she had to be carefully taken care of

3.) Besides when she was abandoned, Lisa hadn’t left my side since and I didn’t know how she’d be if I left her

4.) It’s Hina, and who knows what kind of chaos she’d cause in my apartment

My sister sighed, and gently patted my back. “I know you’re worried about leaving her, but you still need to attend your classes. Mom and Dad were really proud that you got into this school. They’d be sad if you just gave it all up.”

“I know...”

My mother and father died during our third year of high school. Hina and I were watching the house while they were heading to the airport for a business trip. The bus they were taking got hijacked by two gun wielding robbers and they ended up being shot as an example to the other passengers as to what would happen if they resisted.

The police caught the two men, but they were unable to save our parents. It felt so horribly unfair. They were just unlucky and got picked by the two men, and they also ended up being the only casualties.

It was hard on both of us. Hina and I were left on our own to figure out how to get through our final year of high school without them. Food, bills, repairs and all the financial aspects of life had to be taken care of by the two of us instead of our parents. Not only that, but I had to figure out what to do about college tuition. I had applied to a high end college very early during our third year and was accepted with ease. Our family had celebrated my success, but that success had ended up feeling like a burden after their deaths. I had no idea how to pay for my tuition. I managed to snag a few scholarships, and there was some money set aside from my parents for college but it certainly wasn’t enough for the pick I made.

It was because of that, I found myself in my current predicament of job hunting and going into full workaholic student mode. I wanted to do my best in the school my parents had been so happy I got into. I was willing to work myself to unconsciousness for that.

But now things were different. I had a daughter now, and her care was at the top of my list. Yet even so, I couldn’t simply give up on my schooling.

I looked down at Lisa, who was babbling away in my arms. For being 1 month old, she was rather active. I smiled softly at her, and with a final kiss on the head, I handed her to my twin sister reluctantly.

“I’ll check in with you when I get the chance. I’ll be back around 3. If anything happens, call me immediately and I’ll come running back here. Also do-“

“I know I know! Don’t worry I got things under control, so you go on and head to your classes before you’re late!”

Hina gave me a light push out the door with her free hand, grinning away. I smiled back at her, but the worry definitely didn’t die away.

“Later Onee-chan!”

“Bye, Hina, Lisa,” I said, waving the two goodbye.

Alright Sayo, let’s wrap today up quickly so I can get home to Lisa as soon as possible!

—————

(Hina POV)

The tears came pretty fast.

I had babysat kids before, from babies to elementary school brats, but it was a different sensation when the kid you were looking after was your own family.

When Onee-chan had told me a week ago she adopted a kid, I:

1.) Screamed very loudly

2.) Apologized profusely as my sister snapped at me for screaming because the baby was asleep

3.) Had a mini celebration of the fact that I was now an Aunt and I had a niece

I was so proud of it. It was probably the best news I had heard since I graduated high school besides some of Pastel ＊ Palettes album releases.

I knew for a fact that she would need someone to help care for the baby. Being a college student, she still had classes to go to and eventually, she’d also be managing a job along with it. Meanwhile, I had decided not to go to college and just continue with the agency and Pastel ＊ Palettes, which I felt was a wonderful choice. My sister had some doubts, but she was rather accepting of my decision.

Even though I was an idol, my schedule tended to be pretty free. It was the same as when I was still in high school so since I didn’t go to school anymore, I had this giant block of time with nothing planned.

So, when Onee-chan said she had to start going back to classes (she took a week off to get acquainted with taking care of and spending time with Lisacchi), I offered to take care of her while she was gone.

At first, she said no. Then about 30 minutes after she texted me that, she said she’d think about it.

And here I was now, holding my niece in my arms, who was now bawling up a storm.

It seemed she had already gotten very clingy to Onee-chan. The moment her presence disappeared from the apartment, her eyes began to water.

I frantically tried to rock her a bit, pulling her close to my chest. “Don’t cry Lisacchi, Hina Oba-chan is here... your mama will be home before you know it, so don’t cry baby girl...” I whispered softly.

At the sound of my voice, her wails subsided into sniffles. Teary eyed, she look up at me hopefully.

M-Maybe it’s because my voice sounds like Onee-chan’s that she calmed down...

For the first time in my life, I thanked the gods I was born a twin.

“That’s it... that’s much better Lisacchi,” I smiled, trying to keep my voice level like my sister’s. Lisa seemed to like it, a small smile forming on her own face, giggling slightly.

My heart throbbed as I stared at the purity of my niece.

SHE’S SO CUTE AND I GET TO BE THIS ANGEL’S AUNT! I’M SO FLIPPIN’ LUCKY! THIS IS SO BOPPIN’!

—————

Hikawa S: I’m having lunch currently in the cafeteria. How’s Lisa? She’s safe right?

Boppin’Along: Of course she is! Who do you think I am?! ( ´ ∀｀ )

Hikawa S: Chaos.

Boppin’Along: Well, that’s not wrong but hey. Not boppin’.

Hikawa S: Is she feeling okay without me there?

Boppin’Along: At the start, no. She freaked out and started bawling when you left

Hikawa S: I’m coming home now.

Boppin’Along: SHE’S OKAY NOW SO DONT GO LEAVIN YET!

Boppin’Along: She freaked out at first, but because our voices sound similar, she calmed down. Being twins came in handy today~

Hikawa S: Oh.

Hikawa S: Well that’s good.

Boppin’Along: H+L.jpg

Boppin’Along: We’re sleeping on the bed now. It’s nice and boppin’!

Hikawa S: ...

Hikawa S: How dare you show me that when I’m stuck here in school.

Hikawa S: You’re making me want to come home even more so I can kick you out of my house and away from my Lisa.

Boppin’Along: Whoa Onee-chan, possessive here are we? It seems someone is jealous of Hina Oba-chan~

Hikawa S: You’re dead.

Boppin’Along: Worth it ✌︎ ('ω') ✌︎

I giggled as I watched my sister begin to send many many empty threats of killing me. I could almost imagine her reddened cheeks as she glared at me. She really was a tsundere deep down.

“Mmm...”

I glanced to my left side where my sleepy niece was. She shifted a bit in her sleep, small little grunts and hums escaping her small lips as she moved. My heart leaped once again from my chest and I could feel myself being purified.

“You’re curing me Lisacchi!”

“Hgmmn... hg...”

Oh, I better stay quiet. Don’t want little Lisacchi to have her nap interrupted.

I shut my mouth, a grin plastered on my face as I gently wrapped Lisacchi’s blanket around her body. She seemed to settle down at that, her movement ceasing, tension turning to relaxation.

I let out a small yawn and checked the time.

“Hmm... I guess I can take a nap with her,” I murmured.

Taking care of a baby was a lot of work. It was good that 1 month year olds mainly slept, but even then, Lisacchi was much more active than most babies her age. When I say active, I mean she moves around slightly more and is less cooperative to go to sleep.

I curled up beside my new little buddy, one arm around her to keep her close to me, and allowed my eyes to flutter shut.

—————

(Sayo POV)

Hikawa S: Hina, I heard about a job posting nearby. It’s only posted today so I have one shot to try and get it. I’m going to check it out. I’ll be back around 5.

Boppin’Along: Alrightyyyyyy

Hikawa S: Is Lisa doing okay?

Hikawa S: Hina, answer the messages.

Hikawa S: Why aren’t you answering your phone?

Hikawa S: Did something happen Hina?

Hikawa S: Hina. Pick up.

Hikawa S: Hina, I’m really worried. Is everything okay?

Hikawa S: I’m missing the posting. I’ll be home in 20 minutes. The two of you better be okay.

—————

I was basically sprinting at that point. It seemed that no matter what I did, running refused to leave my life. I honestly was considering joining a gym from all of it. My legs would need to extra strength as Lisa got older and just staying in shape would be good for my health.

“Damn... it... why must... I live... so... freaking... far... from the... train station...” I wheezed, sweat dripping down my cheeks.

My muscles and lungs were on fire. The heat of the sun scorched my skin, adding to the pool of sweat pouring off of my body. I wanted nothing more than to just lie on the ground and never move again. It sounded so pleasant, but the nagging urge of my motherly side (which had awakened with my early parenting experiences) forced me to push through.

In turn, my body suffered big time.

“Mama... is coming... home... soon... Lisa... don’t... worry...!”

—————

I fumbled for my apartment key, the sweat not helping my endeavors. When I finally found it, I nearly dropped it off the railing from my wet hands. I was not only disgusted at my body, but I also grew more and more frustrated at how much I sweated.

During high school, even during the hot summers, I never had much trouble with heat. I never sweated, even during the harshest of days. Although it could be uncomfortable at times, I still handled it well.

Since the day I started college however, I began to sweat like crazy. Heat had become my greatest enemy and winter had grown to be the season I longed for.

I tried my best not to think about how awful I felt and returned my focus back to the task at hand. I stuck the key into the lock and turned the door knob.

“HINA! LISA!”

I barreled into my apartment, not bothering to change my shoes. My eyes scanned around the living room with no traces of my sister or my daughter.

Kitchen was the same result, along with the bathroom.

That leaves my bedroom. Oh god please be okay...

Nervously, I cracked open the door and was greeted with a pleasant surprise.

Hina was fast asleep, snoring ever so slightly with one arm wrapped around Lisa, who was as sleeping at her side. Her chest rose and fell with her small breaths, a peaceful expression on her face.

“She did send me that picture a few hours ago... though, I wasn’t expecting them to still be asleep.”

I let out a sigh, smiling ever so slightly at the scene. While I was relieved, I was still going to scold Hina for sleeping on the job. She had me worried sick that something terrible had occurred.

“I guess I can let them sleep for now,” I chuckled.

Quietly, I exited the room, and decided to try and prepare dinner for the three of us.

—————

(Hina POV)

My eyes fluttered open at the smell of cooking beef and soft cries.

I first focused my attention to the crying child. Lisacchi had apparently woken up before me and realizing she was hungry, had broken into tears.

“Ah! It’s okay, it’s okay! Hina Oba-chan will get you something to eat, don’t worry!”

It would’ve been nice if she understood what I was saying. Maybe she’d calm down.

Unfortunately, she started crying louder.

I scooped her up into my arms, rocking her gently, and headed for the door, the smell of food becoming ever so prominent.

Wait... food? WHO’S COOKING?!

“HANDS UP! I KNOW HOW TO SMACK A BITCH!” I screeched, bursting through the door.

“Hina your language!” A voice hissed. “If you’re going to cuss in front of Lisa I’ll never let you watch her again.”

It took me a few seconds to realize who was even talking to me. I felt my eyes widen as I did a double take. “Onee-chan?!”

My sister stood at the stove, frying cubes of beef in a pan. Her hair was up in a ponytail and that apron she bought so long ago was fastened to her body.

“Yes, it’s me. Now get the bottle from the warmer and take care of my daughter.”

I complied, still trying to figure out why she was here and also trying to wake up. I stumbled into the kitchen, plucking the bottle from the warmer. I positioned the nipple (and yes, I laughed immaturely at the fact the top of the bottle was called the nipple) at her mouth, and she lifted her hands slightly, grabbing at it.

“Lisacchi, you gotta settle down a bit so I can feed you. I don’t need you poking your eye like the first time.”

“Her eye got poked?!”

“OKAY, LET’S SIT DOWN TOGETHER LISACCHI!”

I did my best to ignore the shiver down my spine of my wonderful big sister planning my death.

—————

(Sayo POV)

“Waaaaah~! This is so goooood!”

“It’s nothing special. Just regular curry rice.”

I chuckled as Hina scarfed down the plate of food. Her cheek now had a red hand mark (courtesy of yours truly), but the throbbing didn’t seem to stop her from stuffing her face.

Lisa now rested in my arms, sleeping peacefully after a nice big meal of her own. She was rather gluttonous despite her small body. It never ceased to surprise me how much formula she drank.

“Hina, slow down, you’re going to choke on your food.”

“Sormph!”

“Choose one or the other, not both.”

“Haha, sorry! I’m just really hungry. Though, didn’t you text saying you’d be at a job interview? How come you came back?”

My brow furrowed. “I messaged you asking about how Lisa was and you didn’t respond. I messaged you and called you, and when you didn’t answer any of it, I got worried and came running home only to find out that you were asleep.”

“O-Oh... I’m sorry about that Onee-chan. I woke up when you first messaged me but I ended up passing out after. I didn’t mean to make you miss the job posting...”

She set down her spoon, glumly looking at her curry rice. Hina was a good sister, just not the most responsible. I couldn’t blame her for falling asleep, but it was aggravating I missed a potential chance to help with rent, groceries and baby supplies. It was stressful enough just having to manage for myself, but with Lisa in my life, the importance of me getting a job was even more burdening.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, my desire to slap Hina rising again. The job had good pay, decent shifts and was close by to the college campus. That meant, I could’ve gone to classes and then just walk to my job, do my shift, and then get home. However, the position now was in someone else’s possession. I was stuck once again being unemployed thanks to my sister being careless.

Then again... maybe I panicked a bit too much...

I let out a deep sigh, and with a small smile, I patted my sister on the head with my free hand.

“It’s alright. We both messed up, and besides, I’m just glad the both of you were okay. Your safety matters more than a job.”

“Onee-chan...!”

Hina flinched at first, not expecting the warm gesture. But, she quickly nuzzled into my hand, a grin spreading in her face. A joyful hum escaped her lips as she enjoyed my unusual display of affection.

“Hehe~ Your hand feels nice~”

“I-It’s not really anything that special,” I mumbled, my cheeks growing hot.

“It is though! And I bet Lisacchi will enjoy this kind of thing too! Anyone would enjoy a head pat from my wonderful Onee-chan!”

My blush deepened, and I snatched my hand away. Hina pouted, letting out a needy whine for more pats.

As my sister began to pester me for attention, Lisa began to stir as well, and just like Hina, started to demand for affection.

“C’mooooon~ Just a few more? Pleeeeeeeaaaase~?”

“Gah blah goo!”

“How did I end up having more than one child to care for today?”

Chapter Text

(Yukina POV)

It had been a few months since Sayo adopted Lisa from the streets. The little baby girl was now 6 months old and more active than she was at 1 month. Bigger and stronger, not so much. Sayo wasn’t sure if it was from being on the streets or something to do with her birth parents or if she was born too early, but Lisa’s body stayed relatively small. Despite being frail and sickly, her daughter’s activity made it seem like nothing was wrong with her at all. Sometimes she questioned if she was actually frail at all until suddenly she’d get a cold or just completely pass out from exhaustion. The first few times scared her, but she eventually said she was getting better at handling it. With these changes occurring rather quickly, our guitarist didn’t have much time to prepare. The last time I called her, she sounded like she was about to drop dead on the floor while I could hear the giggles of Lisa in the background. It wasn’t too surprising, but it didn’t make it any less concerning.

I understood that parenting, especially with very young children, toddlers or babies, was extremely exhausting. Sleep became almost nonexistent with a child. In turn, your body would shut down whenever you gave it a break.

It was certainly not helpful that her body considered playing guitar during our session a “break.”

Ako tapped Sayo in the arm, trying her best to not accidentally cause her to topple over while she was asleep standing up.

“Sayo-saaaan? You alive?” Our drummer asked softly, poking her in the cheek.

“M-Maybe we shouldn’t wake her up... she’s exhausted and n-needs the rest...” Rinko suggested, worriedly looking at the sleeping guitarist.

It certainly was something to worry about. I had never seen bags as large as the ones under her eyes. Her complexion was no longer a healthy glow, but rather a dull pale color. When she walked into the studio, she looked ready to keel over, and her voice sounded raspy as if she was sick.

“She does need rest, however, we cant leave her to sleep standing up. She needs to sleep on a proper bed,” I said.

I grabbed the girl by the shoulders and gently shook her. With a groan, her eyes cracking open, blearily looking at her surroundings.

“Wha... what happened...? Oh wait... I’m at the... the studio... I swear I thought I was at... home with Lisa...” She mumbled, yawning a bit. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on all of you...”

“It’s fine Sayo. We’re more concerned about your health than you skipping practice.”

“Huh...? Skip practice?”

I nodded at her. “You’re in no shape to play right now. You need to take care of yourself, and until you do and you’re feeling better, you will not be playing.”

“B-But-“

“No buts,” I interrupted, giving her a firm look.

She looked at me, then at the others, her were also giving her rather serious looks (Ako honestly looked strange with such a serious expression on her face but I didn’t let that show). Her eyes seemed to be looking for some way of escape from our decision.

I sighed, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look Sayo, we’re not doing this because we don’t want you to play. We’re doing this so you don’t end up doing serious damage to your health by working yourself past your limits. You’ve hardly slept, and you’ve been juggling our band, school and job hunting all at once. Plus you’re have to deal with bills and rent. You need to a break.”

“Yukina is right!” Ako chimed in. “You look like you’re going to fall over any minute Sayo-san... please take a break! This is coming from us as your friends!”

“It’s exactly what Ako-chan said... we’re worried because w-were your friends...” Rinko agreed.

Sayo looked at us rather conflicted. It took her a few minutes to respond, mulling over what we had told her. With a deep sigh and weak smile, she turned her focus back to us.

“Okay... I’ll go home and take a break...”

“Good.”

“However... can you watch over Lisa in my place?”

Our eyes widened. “Huh?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t Hina taking care of Lisa right now?”

“I don’t mean today...” Our guitarist mumbled. “Hina is going to leave tomorrow with Pastel ＊ Palettes for their new show. If I’m going to be fully taking a break, I need someone to watch Lisa...”

Goddamnit Hina. Why must you be gone at the worst times?

I wasn’t against watching the baby. The only problem was that I didn’t know how to care of a child. All I knew was that it was difficult. My fear was that if I took care of Lisa, I’d find some way to kill her on accident.

I shuddered at the thought.

“I-If none of you can, that’s okay. I’ll just take it easy while I watch-“

“WE CAN DO IT!”

My pupils shrunk as I stared at Ako, who had the same nervous look as me after realizing what she just blurted out. Rinko looked about ready to pass out from anxiety.

“You rest up Sayo-san! We’ll take care of Lisa!” Our drummer said with a twitchy smile.

Jesus Christ... what have you just dragged us into Ako...?

—————

Demon Princess Ako ☆ DMs

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: I’m going to end up killing that baby and it’s going to be all your fault.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : HOW WOULD IT BE MY FAULTAOSKSN?!

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: YOU’RE THE ONE WHO SAID WE’D WATCH HER. I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST SHE GET A BABYSITTER BUT NO, YOU JUST HAD TO SAY WE’D WATCH HER.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: I’M GOING TO BECOME A MURDERER TODAY. A FUCKING MURDERER. AND MY ACCIDENTAL VICTIM IS GOING TO BE MY FRIEND’S CHILD.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : JESUS FUCKING CHRIST CALM DOWN

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY THAT WORD.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : ILL SAY WHATEVER SHIT I WANT TO CUZ IM JSUT AS STRESED AS YOU AFE

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : I WAS STOOPID I IDNDT MEAN TO BLDUST THATOIT

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Okay, I’m calmer now, and you should calm down too so your texting doesn’t get any more illegible.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : okay

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : okay

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : okay im calm

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Good.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : we’re all worried and stressed but it’ll be oki doki

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : we got each other’s backs

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : well except rinrin

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : she might end up hyperventilating in the corner

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: ...

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: Tell Rinko she doesn’t have to watch Lisa with us.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : waht?! no way! besides, she said she wanted to do this with us

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : she specifically instructed me to not interfere with her decision

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: God she better not die.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : ... are you secretly satan? do you not want our souls in hell?

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : like

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : you usually don’t just talk about people dying so much

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : well actually that’s not normal for anyone

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : except me

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : cuz i’m the demon princess of darkness who shall rule the world of mortals

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: How are you still stuck in that chuunibyou phase? You’re in your second year of high school snap out of it.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : IT’S NOT A PHASE YUYU IT’S MY LIFE

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: DON’T CALL ME YUYU.

Yukinyan(^• ᴥ •^) ੭ ꠥ ⁾⁾: AND FOR FUCKS SAKE CHANGE MY NAME.

—————

My trembling hand froze and couldn’t turn the damn doorknob.

It was quite a pathetic sight. Here I was looking calm and serious, yet my body was shaking enough that I could blast off to the moon like some soda bottle ready to explode.

Rinko and Ako said they already arrived (after calming me down from my panic in our new group chat: Baby Care Trio). Our keyboardist sounded like she was relatively calm but Ako’s previous statement about her possibly hyperventilating made me suspicious. Meanwhile, I couldn’t figure out what my childhood friend was even feeling or thinking. She stated she was nervous but never really seemed like it. Her energy levels were always high, so nervousness and excitement sometimes ended up blending over text.

Whatever she was feeling, I hoped it was better than the shit storm inside my brain.

Taking in a deep breath, I slowly opened the door-

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“L-Lisa calm down! It’s alright!”

“I-I... I can’t... I don’t.... hah... hah...”

“Rinrin?! Don’t pass out on me! We can do this! ACK LISA! NO! DON’T TOUCH THAT!”

“WAAAAH!”

-only to immediately close it.

I stood there, taking in the sounds that erupted from the apartment. Laughter started to pour out of my mouth in a broken, creepy manner.

“We’re... we’re actually fucked right now...”

—————

I wasn’t unnoticed by Ako, who proceeded to drag me into the apartment by force once she got Lisa under control.

And by that I mean she grabbed the child and handed her to the panicking Rinko.

The poor pianist looked ready to faint. Her face had gone ghostly pale, nausea written all over her expression. Sweat dropped down her cheeks, and in her shaking arms was a wailing Lisa.

“Let me go home.”

“NO! YOU’RE DOING THIS WITH US! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED WE LET SAYO-SAN TAKE A BREAK!” Ako screeched.

“BUT I WASN’T THE ONE WHO SAID WE’D WATCH HER! YOU DECIDED THAT FOR ALL OF US AGAINST OUR WILLS!” I yelled back.

“Shhhhh! Be quiet or else Lisa-chan isn’t going to stop crying anytime soon!”

We both jolted at the sound of Rinko’s raised voice (it was still rather soft but since her voice was normally even more quiet, it sounded very loud). Nervously, we both nodded, a firm gaze snapping us out of our childish spat.

Lisa was sniffling, her small face buried in Rinko’s shirt. Despite the anxiety written all over her, Rinko gently petted the child’s head, soothingly whispering to her.

“Shhh... it’s alright... it’s alright...”

Soon, the baby’s whimpers and cries faded into gentle breathing. Her small chest rose and fell as she drifted off to sleep. With a small smile on her face, our keyboardist kissed her on the head, slowly rocking Lisa in her arms.

I gawked at the scene. I couldn’t even muster words for it.

Our drummer managed to swallow her shock a bit a react. “Rinrin... is amazing...”

“E-Eh? I-I’m not really amazing... I just figured the shouting scared her... I-I never like loud noises as a child so... I figured she didn’t either...” She responded with a blush.

I shook my head. “No, it is amazing. You were nervous but you managed to calm the baby down. Meanwhile we nearly made her cry more.”

Rinko averted her gaze, red tinting each part of her face. A faint “thank you” came from her direction, and the two of us smiled at her.

“Are... are all of you here...?”

I whirled around at Sayo’s voice as the guitarist came groggily from her bedroom. She was rubbing at her eyes groggily, legs wobbling each step she took. While some of the color had returned to her face, she still looked terrible.

“We are. Now get back to bed,” I ordered.

“I will... in a second. Let me just tell you where everything is...”

“Sayo-san, you already told me! I can do it!”

“I... I did?”

“Yes! You told me, now do as Yuyu says and get back into bed!”

“Y-Yuyu...?” Rinko stammered.

“Huh...? Who’s that...?” Sayo asked.

My face started to heat up and I raised my fist up.

“D-DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

—————

(Sayo POV)

Ako told me to go back to bed, but I insisted on showing them everything and refused to go back to sleep otherwise. Reluctantly, they agreed to my terms. I also asked if I could hold Lisa. This time, Ako refused, and in spite of me, took Lisa from Rinko’s arms and cradled her. They were giving me a break, but I could feel the burning hit jealousy coursing through my blood.

I directed them around the kitchen/living/dining room (they were all basically smashed together in one big space after all). Bottle, bottle warmer, blankets, toys, diapers, baby powder, changing table; I showed each and every location.

“Wait, where’s her crib?” Yukina asked as she inspected the changing table.

“Oh that...? I uh... don’t have one. Lisa usually sleeps in bed with me...” I answered with a yawn.

“Whoa whoa whoa this is the first I’m hearing this. Sayo-san, you said there was one earlier,” Ako said with narrowed eyes.

I did? When did I say that? How much money do they thinking I have? I barely was able to afford what I have for her now.

“S-Sorry, I must’ve misheard you when I told you... I was still half-asleep...”

“Wh-What should we do about her naps then?” Rinko inquired.

“Um...”

I paused, unsure of how to respond. I knew for a fact Lisa hated sleeping alone. I had tried to make a separate bed for her and as soon as the lights went out she screamed. I had attempted to ignore it, assuming she’d fall asleep, but it never happened. Two hours went by and she was still screaming. My motherly instincts had gnawed at me, clawing at my heart as I heard my child’s wails.

At two and a half hours, I couldn’t resist it anymore and I had scooped my precious Lisa into my arms and cradled her. The moment she felt my warmth, she settled down and began to fall asleep. Shortly after, I had too.

The only reason she was able to fall asleep was because she had someone with her. With another person by her, she got scared.

I knew they’d say no to having her occupying the bed with me since I’d end up trying to care for her once I woke up.

“Can someone sleep with her on the couch?” I questioned.

“I-I can’t...” Rinko said with a frown. “I move lot while I lay down... I don’t want to accidentally hurt her...”

“I’m too hyped up to sleep with her!” Ako said apologetically.

We all looked at Yukina. She looked at us, blinked, and realized what was happening.

“No no no. I can’t.”

“You have to Yukina! I can’t do it, Rinrin can’t, and we sure as heck can’t trust Sayo-san to give us Lisa once she wakes up if we let have her sleep in the bed!”

“Hey...” I growled.

Though, she is correct...

“Pleeeeeeaaaaase Yukina~? I promise to change your name on-“

“Deal.”

“Well that was quick.”

—————

(Yukina POV)

I was now being forced to practice holding the baby.

I didn’t understand why. Why did someone need to practice holding a child? I couldn’t understand the usefulness of it. My idea was that you could just carry the baby under your arm and be done with it.

When I had suggested the thought, Ako and Rinko had looked at me like I was insane. They said something around the lines of “there’s a point in time where that can happen but for Lisa that isn’t for a long time,” or something like that. I had lost interest in whatever they were trying to explain and just stopped listening.

Now I wished I had listened so I could’ve formulated a counter argument and not be in this situation , I thought miserably.

“I know you’re nervous Yukina, but it’ll be okay!”

Nervous was an understatement. I was about as deathly pale as Rinko was earlier.

“No... I-I really can’t do this..”

“You can do it Yukina! Trust me!”

Ako’s encouragement wasn’t helping me. In fact, she was ticking me off more than anything. She really wasn’t giving me help, rather, she was just on the sidelines like some cheerleader at a sports game. My eyes were pleading with her to assist me in some other way, but the message wasn’t coming across.

Realizing it was futile to get any sort of assistance from her besides the infernal cheering, I let out a shaky sigh. “... g-give her to me...”

I held my trembling arm out as Ako placed the now wide awake Lisa onto it. Meanwhile, Rinko helped adjust my position so I was properly holding her.

“Move your left arm a bit closer to you... and then put your right arm on her back to support her... that’s good,” The pianist said with a nod. “As long as you keep her steady sitting on your arm, she should be okay...”

“This is... a bit easier than I thought,” I smiled, giving myself a pat on the back for properly holding Lisa.

Ako grinned idiotically like she always did, a hand held out in a thumbs up. “See?! It’s all good! Just like I told ya!”

... why the hell are you talking like you actually helped me?

My gaze reverted back to its calm, cool self, shooting my friend an annoyed glare. She let out a yelp and hid behind Rinko, as my eyes went from glare to plotting death.

“Ako, just remember... if you don’t change my name on that server, I will personally execute you.”

“R-Right Y-Y-Y-Yu-Yu-Yukina...” She stuttered.

This was the only reason I was willing to tolerate anything: changing that damn name.

—————

Ako, being the only one of our trio who could cook—I had no talent for domestic work and Rinko still hadn’t recovered from the last time she used a stove since it blew up in front of her (my fault actually. I shouldn’t have suggested I’d help her)—had headed out for dinner ingredients. Rinko and I were left to watch Lisa, who was rolling about on the ground playing with her toys.

I smiled softly watching our keyboardist play with the baby. Lisa has taken a hold of one of her fingers, giggling and babbling happily. According to Sayo, she hated being alone and thrives off of other people being around her. In every aspect she was the opposite of her mother, and quite the opposite of me. Normally, I would’ve thought the two couldn’t get along, but after seeing the look Sayo had in her eyes, my mind had changed. A warm, kind gaze, a loving smile, a sparkle of life never seen before—Sayo’s heart had softened because of Lisa.

In high school, our guitarist didn’t know how to even talk to a child. While she cared if one was crying or upset, she couldn’t figure out how to interact with them. Her cold demeanor gave no assistance either. Even now, she was still learning. Day by day, she was trying to become better at understand children; how to interact with them, how to understand their wants and needs, how to teach them, how to guide them.

Sayo was on a journey, and as someone who was similar in personality, I was happy I had the opportunity to learn as well.

“Rinko, why don’t we trade places?”

“Huh...? Are you sure?”

I nodded. “She’s looking a bit tired so I’m sure she’ll want to take a short nap. I’ll help coax her to sleep a bit and you can set the table and get the things Ako needs out.”

Rinko glanced at the baby, who let out a large yawn, rubbing at her eyes. She gave me a nod back lifting Lisa from the floor to my arms and headed for the kitchen.

“Hello Lisa,” I softly spoke. “Let’s go take a nap together, okay?”

She made a gargling noise I could only assume was a form of yes in baby language. I smiled and spread myself across the couch, Lisa resting on my chest.

However, she didn’t fall asleep. I could tell she was tired by the way she rubbed at her eyes and bent her ear. Sayo told me it was indications of a baby being sleepy. Yet, I couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t sleeping.

Maybe she wants Sayo...

With Hina watching her, naps were never a problem; the girl would sleep with her without question and she was similar to Sayo enough—scent, body shape, outer appearance—that Lisa probably thought they were the same person. I didn’t have any of that.

I tried to think about what helped me sleep as a child. I didn’t need much back then. Or rather, I was too timid to ask for anything of my parents except...

That’s it...!

“Lisa, are you ready to fully devote yourself to Roselia?”

She looked at me sleepily and then buried her face into my chest.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Alright, our first song tonight: BLACK SHOUT.”

—————

(Rinko POV)

The soft sound of singing filled the apartment and I closed my eyes, allowing the melody to take me away. My mouth curved up, and soon, the only sound that was echoing was her voice.

Yukina-san’s voice was always beautiful, but there’s was something about her singing a cappella in such a soft manner; she sounded more radiant than when she was on stage.

Maybe it was how gently she was singing, or maybe her tone was up a pitch; whatever it was, I felt myself getting lost in the sound.

“Yukina-san, you sound amazing...” I murmured.

I apparently wasn’t as quiet as I had imagined. The singing stopped and I found Yukina-san looking in my direction a small smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

“U-Um... where did you learn to sing like that? It’s... well... different from when you’re on stage...”

She pondered the question, and then returned her gaze to me. “I’ve never actually sung like this. I was simply imitating my father.”

“Your father?”

“When I was younger, I had trouble sleeping during storms. My father would come to my room and sing to me like this to help me sleep,” She replied, gently petting sleeping Lisa-chan’s head. “His voice was my lullaby.”

“I’m sure you’ve become her lullaby too...”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“N-Nothing!”

I didn’t want to repeat that statement. I had a feeling Yukina-san would panic if I said something like that, fearing Lisa-chan would never sleep without her singing. Even if she was relaxed now, I knew she still was afraid of touching the baby. She had ingrained it in her brain that she’d find some way to hurt or kill Lisa-chan. 

I’m sure she’ll grow comfortable around Lisa in no time.

—————

(Sayo POV)

I ended up sleeping through dinner, but that didn’t bother me. When I awoke, I felt rather refreshed and in a good mood.

Ako asked me if I had any good dreams. I usually would’ve said no since I don’t tend to remember dreams at all, regardless of what they were, but I could recall this one.

“I did,” I replied.

“Really? What kind of dream?”

I looked at her, and back to Lisa, who was now cradled in my arms, sleeping peacefully.

“It was a pleasant dream where Lisa and I were together, listening to a muse sing a lullaby.”

“Oooo~! Was the muse pretty? Was she like, the ultimate goddess level gorgeous?” Ako asked eagerly.

“Mhmm, she was very pretty. Long flowing silver hair, and beautiful golden eyes,” I said with a smile.

“Wait, that kinda sound like Yu-“

“Well regardless I’m glad you slept well Sayo.”

Yukina cut off Ako, her hands over her mouth. The drummer attempted to continue what she was saying, but it only came out as muffled noise.

I smirked slightly. “What’s got you worked up?”

The vocalist hid a small blush. “Shut up, you know already know.”

“Certainly I do. Once again, thank you for helping Lisa sleep...”

I leaned in and hugged her, bringing my face close to her ear. She squirmed a bit as she felt my breath hitting her up close. With a grin plastered on my face, I whispered:

“My muse~”

—————

Later that day...

Roselia, The Blue Rose Group Chat

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : okay i changed your name

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : happy?

Yumin Cumin: ...

Rinrin: Ako-chan... that wasn’t a good move... （ − ＿ − ；）

Hikawa S: I understand what it’s supposed to say but I can’t unsee the other way...

Yumin Cumin: You’re dead the next time I see you.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : BUT WHY?! I CHANHED YOUR NAME?!

Yumin Cumin: THIS IS EVEN WORSE.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : I THIGHT YOU LKKED CUMUN?!

Yumin Cumin: ... look at it again.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : i dont understand whats wrong

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : oh

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : oh wait

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : oh shit it looks like cumming

Yumin Cumin: I’m executing you.

Demon Princess Ako ☆ : IM SORRY ILL CHANGE IT PLEASE SPARE MESUSISJ

Chapter Text

(Sayo POV)

Jobs.

I needed one desperately and I needed it to have a relatively high pay. The downside: the quickest jobs to find with those types of requirements were not remotely... healthy. I was a mother and despite my negativity, I still had self respect for myself. Those options were very quickly crossed out.

I scrunched my nose as I stared at the computer, stress and frustration already building up. However, before I could blow up completely, a ping from my phone caught my attention.

HazawaCoffee DMs

HazawaCoffee: Hi Sayo-san! How are you doing?

Hikawa S: I’ve been better. How about you Hazawa-san?

HazawaCoffee: A bit tired but doing well! It’s too bad you’re not doing too well :(

HazawaCoffee: What’s wrong?

Hikawa S: I’ve been have some difficulty searching for work. I need to get one sooner rather than later but I’ve come up empty handed.

Hikawa S: Do you have any recommendations for work places?

HazawaCoffee: :0

HazawaCoffee: I know just the place!!! :D

—————

“I wasn’t expecting your suggestion would be your family’s café...”

I found myself inside the familiar coffee shop, seated at a table right near the front window with Afterglow’s keyboardist, Hazawa Tsugumi, sitting across from me.

“Well, we’ve been a bit short handed since Eve-chan left.”

“Wakamiya-san left?”

Tsugumi nodded, taking a sip from her coffee mug. “Pastel ＊ Palettes has been busy lately and trying to balance idol work, school and a part time job proved to be a bit too much, so 3 months ago she resigned.”

“I see. Will I be taking Wakamiya-san’s tasks if I decide to take the job?”

“Well, Eve-chan was a part time waitress. If you want to be full time, my mom and dad will give you other work to do as well!”

“Like what?”

“Hmmm... like...” She rapped a finger against the wooden table as she thought. “Well, things like kitchen work, inventory, restocking, register, or maybe even some advertising jobs. It depends on what they need. Is there a certain job you want Sayo-san?”

Ideally, I wanted to purely work in the kitchen. Learning more about cooking and baking would help me later in life as Lisa was growing up. I didn’t want her surviving on the diet of a college student (which was mainly cup ramen, bread, and fast food). While some would be perfectly happy on that type of diet, I had standards, and I wanted my daughter to have some standards in what she consumed.

“I’d prefer to be working in the kitchen.”

“The kitchen? I didn’t know you cooked Sayo-san!”

“I don’t, but I need to learn how to. I have decent baking skills thanks to you teaching me but my cooking skills are still rather minimal. I need to expand them for Lisa.”

Tsugumi raised an eyebrow. “Lisa? Who’s that?”

I felt heart stop at the reality of this situation.

Oh shit I forgot to tell her.

—————

After I had attended the baking class at her café in high school, I had grown close to the keyboardist. She was a sweet girl and a great confidant. I felt very comfortable talking to her about anything and in turn I would listen to her. We’d grown to be best friends of sorts. I knew I could never be at the level of close friendship she had with Afterglow, but I was glad to be at least near it.

I had promised Tsugumi that she would be the first to know if something big (new crushes, new girlfriends, marriage, pregnancy, adoption, etc.) happened in my life. I had kept that promise—by literally having nothing occur in my life—until now.

I did my best to calmly explain what happened in the last few months, starting from when I found Lisa, all the progress I’d made in being a mother and even some of the dumb moments the members of Roselia (there were lots of those) and Hina (even more with her) had experienced with my daughter. Tsugumi didn’t say a word during it. The only signs of her reacting to anything I was saying was her pupils shrinking in either shock, surprise or mild rage that she was only learning this now.

“-and that’s what happened.... I-I’m sorry for not-“

“OH MY GOD I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!”

“Wait wh-“

I didn’t have time to finish as my friend projected herself from her seat and tackled me to the floor in a hug, squealing with delight.

“Y-You’re not mad I didn’t tell you first?” I stammered out, hesitantly hugging her back.

She shook her head into my shoulder. “Of course not! I could care less about that. I’m just glad you told me! This is so amazing! You have to invite me over to meet her!”

Well, she’s certainly happy about it.

She released me from her grip, and I got to get a good look at her face. She was flushed red from the rush of adrenaline, her eyes sparkling with excitement and curiosity. A wide smile reaching the corner of her eyes donned her expression of pure happiness.

“U-Um... would you like to see a picture of her?”

Tsugumi clapped her hands together, her smile somehow growing even larger. “CAN I?!”

I jolted at the loud exclamation. It wasn’t like the girl to be loud at all. Sure, she could shout a bit, but it never sounded booming like it did then.

“Y-Yes.”

She looked about ready to jump off the floor and blast off to the moon and back. I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the members of Afterglow had ever seen Tsugumi so excited about something or someone.

I bet Aoba-san would say she’s being hyper drive Tsugurific...

I chuckled to myself thinking about it. I still didn’t even understand what Tsugurific meant. I had asked Aoba-san, but of course, everything that came out of her mouth sounded like gibberish. Not even Mitake-san, Tomoe-san and Uehara-san could give me a proper explanation. It made me question if any of them actually knew what it meant or if they were just going with some feeling or idea associated they had grown to associate the word with without actually thinking of a definition to said feeling or idea.

“Well? Do you have one?”

“Hold on, I‘m almost there,” I laughed, smiling at Tsugumi’s eagerness. It was rather adorable.

I stopped scrolling up, and tapped on the screen to enlarge a photo of me holding Lisa with the rest of Roselia plus Hina standing beside me.

“Here she is,” I said proudly, handing my phone over to my friend.

So this is what it feels like to be a proud parent...

She took the device immediately, staring deeply into the screen. As the silent viewing continued, her body began to tremble ever so slightly. It slowly became more intense, her face getting closer to the phone screen.

Starting it get worried, I leaned in, bringing my hand up to rest it on her shoulder. “Hazawa-san...? Are you okay-“

“SHE’S SOOOO CUTE!”

She jumped up suddenly, not giving me enough time to react. Her head collided with my forehead, my neck wrenching backwards and gravity pulling me towards the wooden floor.

“Ow ow ow... wait. Oh my god Sayo-san! I’m so sorry, are you okay? Sayo-san?!”

Ah... that was a bit much...

Normally I’d be okay but with how exhausting it is to take care of Lisa, my strength is not nearly what it used to be...

I think... I’ll take a short nap...

—————

(Tsugumi POV)

I hadn’t expected to smack Sayo-san in the face with my head. I also hadn’t expected her to have such a cute daughter, much less a child at all.

I brought my unconscious friend upstairs to my room with the help of my father who had refrained from questioning what I had done.

“Thanks Dad,” I said, adjusting the pillow under Sayo’s head.

“Of course sweetheart, not a problem.”

My father waved to me and headed back downstairs to the café. From the expression on his face, I assumed he was getting ready for the afternoon crowd. Hazawa Coffee was small but busy. The locals swarmed the place and it wasn’t rare that we’d have a full house. The evenings could get busy as well, and with the new menu catering to dinner too, I just kept hoping that I wouldn’t be working night shifts.

With all the student council work I did, getting even less sleep from the little I already got was not ideal. The hours I managed to get wasn’t great either, but some sleep was better than nothing.

“I can’t imagine how tired you must be...”

I watched with a smile at my friend’s peaceful sleeping face. She wasn’t someone who was good with children, and she had little to no experience with any child younger than 6 years old. Suddenly adopting a baby girl who was under a year old would be overwhelming for anyone. Most people wouldn’t do something like that if they were the same age as Sayo-san. I admired her strength for being able to pull off such a feat.

“It must be pretty hard work huh, Sayo-san...”

“Mm... it is, but it’s all worth it...”

I jolted at the sudden response as my friend sat up in my bed. She rubbed her eyes groggily as she tried to wake herself up.

“Oh! You’re awake! How do you feel?”

“I’m perfectly okay. In fact, I feel better than I did earlier. I guess getting knocked out actually helped me,” She said with a toothy grin.

I nearly choked seeing it. Sayo-san smiling like Hina was a myth, a fantasy. It was something that was supposed to be impossible and yet here she was, grinning like her sister.

Is this the same person?

Did she hit her head harder than I thought?

“Hazawa-san?”

“Are you an imposter?”

“Of course not!”

—————

(Sayo POV)

“So, who’s watching Lisa-chan for you?”

“Udagawa-san is, although, she still refuses to let me pay her.”

“Pay?”

I nodded. “I want to pay her for babysitting Lisa, but she insists that I don’t. I don’t really understand.”

Tsugumi started to laugh, leaving me in a state of confusion. Was the answer that obvious?

“Ako-chan just wants to watch Lisa out of kindness, not money. You’re her friend, practically family. Caring about your family isn’t something you’d want to be payed for, is it?”

“I guess so...”

I hadn’t thought of it like that, but I understood what Tsugumi meant. The first time they all came over to help take care of Lisa, I felt like I was bothering them. I thought paying them as babysitters would make it feel like a proper job rather than me taking up their time. It didn’t occur to me they’d actually think of Lisa as family.

“Lisa-chan is a lucky girl,” Tsugumi continued, smiling to herself. “She has all of Roselia, Hina-senpai, and she has you as her mother. I can’t think of a better family to have.”

“I-I’m not really that great of a mother...” I stammered as I tried to hide my blush.

“Sure you are! When you told me about her, you had such a warm smile on your face. I’ve never seen you make an expression like that talking about anyone. You’ve done lots of work trying to learn how to care for a child her age, you’ve spent tons of time with her and you love her a lot. You’re a wonderful mother who cares for her daughter Sayo-san.”

I buried my face into my hands, my face glowing bright red. My friend giggled and patted me on the head, which only furthered my embarrassment.

“E-Even so, I still have a lot of things I need to learn...”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to learn them, and I’ll make sure to help you do so.”

“Huh?”

She grinned. “I talked to my dad about you and your current situation. He said he’d let you work here in the kitchen!”

“WAIT REALLY?!”

I went to slam my hands on the table, except there wasn’t one. I went tumbling out of the bed, falling face first into the carpet with a loud thud. If I didn’t get a bruise from earlier, I was very certain I had one now.

“Ow...” I groaned, flopping over to my back and rubbing my forehead.

“A-Are you okay Sayo-san?!”

“Yep, the floor feels great,” I said through laughter.

—————

I waved goodbye as I headed out of the door of the café.

My schedule wasn’t finalized, but at the very least, I had a work place and an ideal position there. After months of scouring the internet and keeping my eyes and ears out constantly in the city, I finally had a job.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting to work at Hazawa Coffee though...”

I pondered why I hadn’t tried the little café first. Considering my college was close to home, looking through the town’s stores should’ve been my first stop in my job hunt. It was a convenient distance and the people knew me so it wouldn’t be as nerve-wracking.

“Maybe... it just felt too easy?”

It was a possibility. I had decided once I graduated high school to be a responsible, independent adult. Perhaps the idea had ingrained itself so far into my mind that the idea of working locally appeared as being dependent on my hometown. I wouldn’t have to work to get the job. The people there would hire me without much of a care. I’d just be mooching off of the town for money.

I laughed dryly at the thought.

The peaceful and quiet walk home was interrupted by my phone ringing (BLACK SHOUT was my ringtone). My heart leaped out of my chest and I made a mental note to turn my ringer down so I wouldn’t go only cardiac arrest in the future.

“Ah, it’s Udagwa-san.”

I pressed the answer button.

“Udagawa-san? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I was wondering when you were coming back!”

“I’m on my way home now-“

“Perfect! A-chan and I have a little surprise for you! This little goober learned something while you were gone, isn’t that right?”

I felt the curves of my mouth go up as Lisa’s baby garble picked up on the phone.

“So, look forward to that! I also made some food so no need to go out shopping Sayo-san!”

“Thank you.”

“Kukuku, this is nothing for the dark angel of the-“

“See you soon.”

“Hey! Don’t cut me-“

I hung up before the girl could finish, letting out a small sigh. She was a second year in high school yet she still hadn’t grown out of those mannerisms.

“I believe Minato-san said it was her chuunibyou phase or something...”

I hoped for the benefit of her future she grew out of it. If she somehow found a job that would have her continue her way of speech, I just prayed to the gods that she wouldn’t infect Lisa with it.

—————

I rang the doorbell to my apartment and after some frantic running to the door, I was greeted by a grinning, slightly frazzled Ako.

“Heyo Sayo-san! How was the meet up with Tsugu?”

“Good. We had some coffee and I managed to get a job there in-“

“OH MY GOD YOU DON’T HAVE TO JOB HUNT ANYMORE! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!”

The smaller girl hurled herself at me, her arms wrapping tightly around me. If my ribs weren’t broken, at the very least, she was compressing my lungs.

“Thank... you... please... let go...” I gasped.

“Ah! Sorry!” She apologized, release song me from her death grip. I took a moment to take some deep breaths, greedily taking in air.

“So,” I began, regaining my composure. “you mentioned something about a surprise?”

“Oh yeah! Give me one second!”

Ako ran back into the apartment and came back with a smiling Lisa.

“Hi Lisa, how-“

“Not yet!”

“What?”

“We have to do our part first, right A-chan?”

She took in a deep breath, looked at Lisa and began to mouth something to her.

And then my heart stopped again (How I wasn’t dead yet was some kind of miracle).

“Weyshom... baa Ma... Mama.”

“Heh heh! Isn’t that adorable?! I wanted to surprise you so little A-chan and I went and tried to learn some words! She got ‘mama’ down and did pretty good with ‘Welcome back’ and- uh... Sayo-san...?”

Wordlessly, I walked forward and took Lisa from a very confused and concerned Ako.

“Sayo-san are you-?”

“OHMYGOSHTHATWASGREATLISAI’MSOPROUDOFYOUMYPRECIOUSBABYGIRLYOU’RETHEBESTANDOHMYGOSHTHATWASSOCUTEI’MACTUALLYDYINGRIGHTNOWJUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH~!”

I squealed with delight, nuzzling my cheek against her own. She giggled at the affection, hugging my head. I was trapped in her grip but I didn’t really care. I could hear the drummer laughing away at my sudden change but I didn’t care if she did or even if she was filming me. Nothing else mattered except my adorable little daughter.

Chapter Text

(Sayo POV)

“Hikawa-kun, good work. Finish up the dishes and then you’re all set for the day,” Tsugumi’s father, Akira, nodded in my direction.

“Yes Akira-san,” I replied with a small bow.

I was a month into working at Hazawa Coffee and I had been able to get the hang of things rather quickly. Tsugumi’s parents were very supportive, helping me with whatever I needed, whether it was a small question or a demonstration of how to make certain items. In exchange, I had given them portions of my own cooking and baking at home. I had wanted to do more for them with all the help they had given me, but I wasn’t financially able to. However, they seemed quite satisfied with what I was giving them, and rather, they insisted I didn’t need to do anything in return. They were very humble.

However, I convinced them it was alright, and that I enjoyed sharing my creations with them. It was good to the opinions of others on my abilities. And so, my food gifting days had begun.

Finishing the last of the dishes, I headed to the staff room to put away my uniform. It wasn’t much of anything, just a toque blanche (A/N: chef’s jacket) and a small pin with my name on it. I wore black jeans as bottoms and for shoes I had simple black slip ons. My hair was of course always up in a ponytail to keep it out of the food.

“Good work today Sayo-san!”

“To you as well, Tsugumi.”

Ever since beginning work, Tsugumi had been insistent that I call her by her first name, no honorifics. I had been very hesitant, and hoped that she would simply give up. Unfortunately, she was very stubborn on the matter and after a good few days, I finally managed to sputter out her name. The smile she had on her face that day only made my cheeks redder.

“You’re really starting to look comfortable with the job. Dad has been talking about how well you’re doing all the time.”

My eyes widened at that one. “Really? And here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the man even smile. I can’t imagine him complimenting me like that.”

“I know he’s not the most emotive person, but I’m serious about his praises about you. You’ve been a real help for him.”

A small smile cracked on my face as I scratched my cheek in embarrassment. Akira was an amazing cook, and knowing that I was making the man proud was certainly a boost in confidence. Tsugumi giggled, giving me a small pat on the back.

“You’re doing great!”

“Heh... I’m glad to hear,” I smiled.

I finished putting away my uniform and changed back into my orange sleeveless collared shirt and blue jeans. It was near the end of August so the weather was still rather unbearable. I longed for the cool breeze of fall.

Ah, that reminds me...

“Tsugumi?”

“Yes, Sayo-san?”

“I was wondering if you could lend me your assistance with something...”

—————

“So it’s the 25th, huh? Wow, one whole year has gone by...”

“Yeah, it’s crazy, isn’t it?”

My daughter, Lisa, was turning one on the upcoming Saturday. Originally, I had planned to simply do a small celebration with just me, her and Hina, but after sleeping on the thought, I had changed my mind. As out of character as it may seemed, I wanted to host a birthday party for Lisa. This was a very special event that would only occur once, so why not go all out?

“So Tsugumi, will you be able to help with the cake?”

She nodded enthusiastically, a grinned plastered on her face. “Of course! I’d be happy to help!”

“Thank you. Could you relay the party to the rest of Afterglow too? I’d like them to come as well.”

“Really?!”

I jumped at my friend’s shock, startled by her sudden increase in volume. Was it really that strange for me to want something like that? I didn’t quite understand how people viewed me, but apparently I seemed much more antisocial than I had imagined.

“Um, yes,” I answered a bit timidly. “While we may be rivals, the members of Afterglow are also dear friends of mine. I feel it would be only fitting that they join in on the festivities as well.”

Now it was her turn to blush. Redness seeped into her cheeks, running all the way to her ears. While the comment wasn’t just directed at her, it was praise nonetheless. A small laugh escaped my lips at the sight.

“I’ll be sure to tell them tonight,” Tsugumi smiled brightly. “I’m sure they’ll be very excited to come!”

“Just make sure Aoba-san doesn’t bring a pound of bread with her. That’s the last thing I need in my life.”

“Noted,” she giggled.

—————

[Roselia, The Blue Rose Group Chat]

Demon Princess Ako☆: i’ve had a revolution

Demon Princess Ako☆: *revelation

I♡Guitars: What have you done?

I♡Guitars: Also, why is this my name?

Demon Princess Ako☆: cuz it’s true

Rinrin: I’m not sure that’s a good idea Ako-chan... (-_-;)

Demon Princess Ako☆: she won’t figure it out

I♡Guitars: Figure out what exactly?

I♡Guitars: Because I know exactly what you’re insinuating now.

Demon Princess Ako☆: SHIT SHES HERE

Demon Princess Ako☆: YOURENOT COMIN IN HERE BIACTHC

I♡Guitars: THEN I SUGGEST YOU CHANGE MY NAME OR ELSE.

Hikawa S: What the hell is happening?

Rinrin: Please help stop this Hikawa-san... (T ^ T)

Hikawa S: I’m not sure I want to...

Hikawa S: But, I’ll try.

Hikawa S: Hey, knock it off you two.

Demon Princess Ako☆: THEN MAKE HER STOP AXING THE DOIRB DOWNDUFJSBS

I♡Guitars: CHANGE MY NAME BITCH.

Hikawa S: Can you maybe not kill her? I’ll take you to a cat café in return?

I♡Guitars: ...

I♡Guitars: ... fine.

Demon Princess Ako☆: OH TABKF GOD

Demon Princess Ako☆: TBAM YOU SAYO-SAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!

Hikawa S: First, calm down and type normally. Second, I expect you to change her name. Though, I’m not really sure why there’s an issue with her name to begin with.

Rinrin: ...

I♡Guitars: ...

Demon Princess Ako☆: bruh u blind or something? you literally... in the last three months... 

Hikawa S: No?

Rinrin: She doesn’t get it ( 　ﾟ д ﾟ )

Demon Princess Ako☆: she’s not even aware of her own actions either. how can u not get it? this is so direct

Hikawa S: What do you mean? The name just states that Minato-san likes guitars.

Demon Princess Ako☆: BRUH

Demon Princess Ako☆: yuyu i’m sorry this is happening to you

I♡Guitars: I would hit you for using that god forsaken name but honestly... thank you.

Hikawa S: ???

Hikawa S: Well, anyways...

Demon Princess Ako☆: and she goes on like nothing happened...

Hikawa S: You’re all still free on the 25th, right?

Rinrin: Yep! (^ ^)

Demon Princess Ako☆: imma gonna play games unless u want me somewhere that day

I♡Guitars: I’m still free.

Demon Princess Ako☆: in mor ways than one

I♡Guitars: Ako.

Demon Princess Ako☆: alright alright! i’ll stop! so, why r u asking sayo-san?

Hikawa S: Did you already forget? I mentioned this last week.

Hikawa S: You know, Lisa’s birthday party.

Demon Princess Ako☆: OH FUCK

Demon Princess Ako☆: WAIT I FORGIT?! HOW DIS I FORGET?! I WIRYE IT DOWN FIFTY TIMES!!!

Demon Princess Ako☆: I NEED TO FUCKINH SHOP

Demon Princess Ako☆: ILL BE THERE SATURDAY

Demon Princess Ako☆: AAAAAGAHAHAHSH

Hikawa S: ...

Hikawa S: Okay then.

Hikawa S: You two?

I♡Guitars: I can go.

Rinrin: No problem! (*^▽^*)

Hikawa S: Perfect.

Hikawa S: Also, Udagawa-san...

Hikawa S: You said you had a revelation?

Demon Princess Ako☆: oh yeah!

Demon Princess Ako☆: i had a revelation

Demon Princess Ako☆: pizza is just a sandwich without the top piece of bread

Hikawa S: Udagawa-san?

Demon Princess Ako☆: yea?

Hikawa S: I changed my mind. Don’t come.

Demon Princess Ako☆: HEY!!!!

—————

“Hina, can you help me set this banner up?”

“Sure thing Onee-chan!”

I enlisted my sister’s help in setting up for the party for a few reasons:

1.) I had never hosted a party and had no clue what to do.

2.) There was no way in hell I was going to try to set the thing up by myself.

3.) I figured Hina would have a better idea of how parties worked and would be able to make it a good one.

In return for doing so, I let her invite the members of Pastel ✽ Palettes. It wasn’t really a fair trade off since I had no qualms against them coming over, but Hina didn’t seem to mind. She was just super excited to introduce them all to Lisa, who was finally taking a nap after a good 2 hours of me trying to get her to sleep. I had tried to get her to sleep on the bed, but the moment I got up to help Hina, she would begin to fuss again. So, I gave up and let her sleep in the baby carrier with little head and hand pressed up against my chest.

“Heh heh, this is gonna be so boppin’! I can’t wait for everyone to show up!” She puffed her chest with pride as she got the last pin in, jumping down from the step stool.

“I’ll admit, I’m rather excited too,” I said as I finished my own side. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a moment to simply... let go and have fun.”

“I’ll say! You’ve been working nonstop!” Hina laughed softly, hopping over to where I was and giving Lisa a soft kiss on the head. “But, I’m guessing this little angel has made it all worth it!”

“Indeed she has,” I said, a warm smile adorning my face as I watched the endearing scene. We had grown rather distant after our parents died, both of us too depressed and anxious to think about anything expect finances and our futures. Even when we decided our paths, we never really bothered to try and reconnect more. Our priorities were on our lives, not each other. However, ever since Lisa came into my life, Hina had spent more time at my apartment, and therefore, more time around me. The distance we once had finally close up and we were closer than ever. I had my sister back because of my baby girl. Being able to see my family, Hina and Lisa, together with me, brought a warmth to my heart that I had never known before. It was such a comforting feeling, like the sun of a spring day.

“Onee-chan? You there?”

“H-Huh? What did you say?”

“Geez, Onee-chan,” Hina chuckled. “you were really spacing out there! You had this cute, silly grin on your face.”

I blushed. “I did?”

“Yep! But, it was super boppin’ to see! You looked really happy! What were you thinking about?”

“Well...”

There’s no way I’m telling Hina everything... but...

“I was thinking about how happy I am to have my family with me.”

“Onee-chan...!”

My younger twin sister looked torn between crying and tackling me in an excited hug. I laughed and gestured to the couch. The moment we sat down, I pulled her into a side embrace. I didn’t want to disturb Lisa after all. She nuzzled her head into my shoulder, basking in my warmth.

“I’m glad to be by your side again Onee-chan...” she murmured.

“I feel the same about you,” I answered back, leaning my head into hers.

”Is there anything else we need to set up?”

I shook my head. “We can just enjoy this for a bit. We deserve the rest.”

“Hehe, that sound perfect to me~ You’re so warm and cuddly after all Onee-chan~”

“I think that’s Lisa’s doing.”

“Well, thank you Lisachi for making my sister into a super boppin’ cuddle bug,” Hina giggled, pressing herself tighter against me.

I had my friends in Roselia, Tsugumi and Afterglow, Hina and Pastel ✽ Palettes, and my daughter Lisa.

I had a family again, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

—————

(Lisa POV, oh yeah I’m doing this)

I blinked, and suddenly, there was light again.

I didn’t get how it worked, but it didn’t matter to me. All that mattered was that she was there and I could feel her warmth.

I turned my head up and sure enough, she was. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were turned up. I learned that when she did that, it meant she was happy. It was called a smile. The other one repeated the word a lot. The one who looked like her. I knew what she was called, but I couldn’t quite remember it all the time. If I heard it, I’d remember, but I wouldn’t try to keep track of it. There was too much to remember. I was sure I’d get it soon enough though. But for now, all I needed were the two names.

My own name, Lisa. The one that was always said with a softness to it.

And the name of the one holding me, Mama.

I blinked again. I shifted a bit until her warmth was as close as it could be.

I let my eyes close again to the sound of her heart beat, my lullaby.

Chapter Text

(Yukina POV)

The front of Sayo’s apartment was decorated with a small banner with the words “Happy Birthday” written in bubble font on the door and two bunches of balloons on either. It was certainly strange to see the serious workaholic guitarist with such a colorful entryway, but I couldn’t help but smile at the change. She would always be a serious person, however, she was no longer as cold as she used to be. The warmer, softer and friendlier side of her was becoming more evident and not just something hidden on the interior.

You’ve certainly opened up, haven’t you Sayo?

“Yukinaaaaaa~!”

I turned my head to see the familiar face of Ako, a grin on her face, followed by the members of Afterglow. I assumed Tomoe must have done some sort of carpool. Though, I couldn’t imagine how they all fit inside of her tiny car. Then again, I doubt they’d have any issues against throwing Moca in the trunk.

“Ako, and Afterglow,” I nodded in their direction. “Good to see you all... well, maybe not you.”

I shot a look at the vocalist of Afterglow, Mitake Ran, who was looking at me with equal amounts of venom.

“Yukina,” she said curtly, as if my name was some repulsive bug.

“Ran,” I spat back.

“Oho~? Looks like the two rivals are at it again. Fiiiiiight~!”

“M-Moca-chan?! Don’t encourage them!” Tsugumi stammered, attempting to push Ran away from me.

“Geez, can’t you two chill fo a second? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion,” Tomoe said, raising an eyebrow at the two of us.

I let out of huff, turning my gaze away from the black haired girl. “Fine. But, we’re having a duel afterwards. Karaoke, extreme mode.”

“You’re on.”

I could hear the collective sighs of our friends questioning why they even bothered trying to stop us in the first place. Though, they acted as if we hated each other. True, we didn’t show much kindness towards one another, but I didn’t hate the girl. She was a friend of mine, but first and foremost, she was someone I saw as a formidable opponent. I couldn’t help but feel competitive whenever we met up. It had become second nature.

“It seems you two are the same as usual,” Ako laughed, skipping to my side. “Not that it’s a bad thing though.”

“Yeah, it’s not a bad thing until Ran starts throwing punches,” Tomoe chuckled. “She was quite the delinquent in middle school.”

“Hey! She started that one! It wasn’t my fault,” the vocalist hissed.

“I made one comment and you decided that it would be best to respond with violence. That was completely your fault,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“It’s your fault for talking shit about Moca!”

“I didn’t say anything bad about her. I was merely making a statement on something that occurred.”

“Oh~? I didn’t know my precious Ran got in that fight because of dear old me~ How sweet of you~!” Moca grinned, latching herself onto my now blushing rival.

“Th-That’s... uh...”

“Though, I am curious as to what you said Yuki-chan~ Would you tell Moca?”

I let out a huff. “I just mentioned you being a cat stealer.”

“You called her a thieving bitch Yukina,” Ran retorted.

“Ah, that. Heh heh, you were rather upset about that for awhile it seems. Yuki-chan just looooves her cats~”

“Th-They’re fine.”

“If you’re willing to call dear old Moca a bitch over a cat, then it’s certainly more than that sweetheart~”

I wanted nothing more than to rip that smug grin off of her face like I did so many years ago. However, I did my best to remember the balloons and the banner, the entire reason I was even here. As much as I could go on and on arguing with Moca and Ran, I had to get a hold of myself and put all my energy into the party.

“Anyways,” I began, diverting the conversation. “None if you have met Lisa yet, have you?”

”Tsugu, you’ve only seen photos, right?” Himari inquired.

Tsugumi nodded. “My parents are constantly bugging her to show them pictures. I can’t blame them though. She’s super adorable.”

“Aaaahhh, I wish you would just show us one of the photos Sayo sent you!” the bassist pouted. “I know it’s a surprise and stuff but it’s bugging me so badly!”

“We’re at her apartment Himari-chan, you don’t need to wait any longer.”

“Fufu, Hii-chan is too hyped to think straight. Not that there was anything straight about her to begin with~”

“Hey!”

Should I just ring the doorbell?

At that point, I knew if I said a word they’d just go off on another conversation and would completely forget about the party. While Afterglow was full of rather kind people, they’re attention span was... questionable.

With the others fully distracted behind me, I walked up to the door and pressed the button to the right side, the soft chime ringing in the air. I could hear a bit of commotion and then the thudding of fest coming towards the entrance. I should’ve taken a step back based on the sound alone. Ako and Afterglow immediately snapped out of their conversation, all of the jumping as Hina slammed the door open. Meanwhile, I fell backwards, narrowly dodging the door hitting me in the face. Unfortunately for me, the guard rail was right behind me. The sound of ringing metal echoed through the air as my head smashed into the bar.

“WELCOME TO THE PARTY LESBIANS!” Hina yelled enthusiastically. “It’s great to see all of-hey, why is Yuki-chan on the ground?”

“That’s what I’d like to know...” I grumbled.

—————

(Sayo POV)

I let out a groan hearing Hina screaming at the guests. I knew she was excited and that was perfectly fine, but I didn’t need her bothering the neighbors. At the very least, it didn’t bother Lisa anymore. She was quite used to her boisterous, chaotic aunt. I had no doubt that once I started going out more with her, she’d have no issues with the sounds of the town and people.

“Muhhh...”

“Why, hello there my little angel. Did you have a nice nap?”

I smiled as Lisa stirred in the carrier. A small yawn escaped her lips as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes, blearily blinking.

“It seems you did,” I cooed, gently petting her head. My daughter let out a small giggle, a smile forming on her tiny face. I could feel my heart beginning to melt all over again as she nuzzled her head against my chest.

“Oho! Lisachi is awake!”

I looked up to see a grinning Hina bringing in our rather excited friends. Of course, Yukina and Ako had already met Lisa, but they had become rather attached to her. I wasn’t surprised at Ako and Rinko becoming fond my daughter. Yukina was the shocker. When I first offered to let her hold Lisa, she had turned so pale that I thought she had died.

To think it took her babysitting Lisa to get her to hold her...

Meanwhile, Afterglow hadn’t met Lisa at all. Tsugumi has messaged me that they were all elated to come and particularly Aoba-san said something about “blessing the new bun.” I was a bit concerned but my friend assured me she wouldn’t do anything strange to her.

“Oh my gosh is that her?!”

“Hii-chan, no one else here has a baby,” Aoba-san snorted.

“I know I know I’m just super excited!”

Mitake-san let out a sigh. “Just don’t start screaming...”

Uehara-san looked ready to bounce off all the walls. Her eyes sparkled with such delight that you would think you put a sweets buffet in front of her. Tomoe-san walked up to her friend’s side and put a hand on her shoulder, steadying the girl from literally bolting over to me. “Cool down a bit. You don’t want to scare the kid.”

“It’s good to see you Tomoe-san,” I smiled at the taller girl. She gave me a big grin in return.

“Glad to see you too! It’s still hard to believe you got a kid! But I mean, she’s in the carrier in front me so I guess I got to start believing huh?”

With a laugh, I nodded. “Just give me a second to get out of this and I’ll let you all hold her. Hina, can you give me a hand?”

Hina gave me a little salute. “On it Onee-chan!”

My sister dashed over to my side, undoing the buckles in the back. I held onto Lisa as she slipped the little contraption off of me, revealing my pride and joy to all of Afterglow. Lisa turned her head, her green eyes observing all of the members with curiosity.

“Lisa, these are my friends... my family. And now, they’re your family too. You can all get closer, don’t worry. You won’t scare her.”

Tsugumi was the first time brave it up out of the band members. She stepped in front of me, bending down a bit so she was eye level with Lisa. She held one finger out to my baby, her warm smile dancing on her lips.

“Hi Lisa, I’m Tsugumi. Your Mama has told me a lot about you. I hope you and I can get along well!” she said.

My daughter seemed a bit hesitant at the gesture, but slowly, she took hold of Tsugumi’s finger, squeezing it rather tightly. She babbled a bit, a little giggle echoing out of her.

“Oh my gosh... she’s so cute Sayo-san. This is such a different feeling than looking at pictures...”

“She seems to like you. Or... at least, she likes the way you smell,” I chuckled as my baby proceeded to suck on Tsugumi’s finger. “Apparently you’re delicious.”

“Tsugu was being extra Tsugurific before we arrived. It was quite the show in her kitchen~” Aoba-san said as she sauntered over. “She made an army of cookie.”

“I-It wasn’t that many!”

“Well, no matter how many you made, I’m sure they’re delicious. I can take them to the table and that’ll give you and the others ample time to introduce yourselves to Lisa.”

Tsugumi cocked her head to the side in confusion, only understanding what I meant when I started to transfer Lisa to her arms. She jolted back a bit, her nerves evident.

“It’s alright, just relax. I’ll help you,” I said gently, juggling Lisa into my left arm while I used my right to help Tsugumi get the right position.

Her shoulders seemed to relax more once she held my baby for a few seconds, shifting a bit to get used to the new weight. Lisa seemed rather thrilled with the change, snuggling into her body, a little bit of drool running down her face. Tsugumi’s eyes lit up and she went over to the rest of Afterglow, who seemed a bit more comfortable. Well, all of them except Mitake-san. She had the same look of discomfort that Yukina had when she was told she’d have to take a nap with Lisa. Apparently they both were terrible with children. Though, Yukina proved to be quick to adapt.

“Onee-chan, you’re staring rather intensely at them... are you jeal-“

“One more word and I’ll snap your wrist.”

“Annnnd my mouth is shut.”

—————

(Hina POV)

“Oh! You guys finally made it! What took you so long?” I smiled at the members of Pastel ✽ Palettes gathered in front of the door.

“I had to finish up a recording session, Eve-chan was caught in some traffic with Maya-chan, and Chisato-chan said something about  babysitting a neighbor’s kid,” Aya-chan said, giving me an apologetic look. She was still the same kind girl I had known all these years.

Chisato-chan nodded. “My neighbors have a one year old and they ask me to watch her sometimes. She’s the most timid baby I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t take much to get her to cry, meaning getting her to sleep is nearly impossible...”

I knew all too well about the difficulties of getting a baby to sleep. With Lisa, it wasn’t because she was crying, it was because she was too stubborn. Despite her small, frail body, her will power made her quite resilient. Unless someone coaxed her to sleep, she’d force herself to stay awake until her body physically couldn’t take it anymore, to which she’d pass out. The nights I slept over and took turns with Onee-chan taking care of Lisachi were the most exhausting times of my life. She’d wake up during the night fussing to no end. The two of us would take turns taking her and figuring out what needed to be done and then coax her back to sleep, which could take hours if she was being a pain. She was my little angel of a niece, but it didn’t mean she was always angelic.

“I know all about the struggles of nap time,” I said, giving my friend a sympathetic pat on the back. “Lisachi never goes down without a fight.”

“My! It seems she has a warrior’s spirit!” Eve-chan exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’m sure she has lots of potential in the ways of bushido!”

“That’s probably not a good idea Eve-san...” Maya-chan groaned.

I could only imagine how many terrible scenarios were running through her brain. And to be honest, none of them were probably inaccurate. Onee-chan would kill our keyboardist if Lisachi ended up screaming the word bushido when she was older.

Then again, she has Ako-chan watching her too... maybe she’ll spare them? Nah, she probably already threatened her.

Eve-chan frowned in confusion, but it didn’t take long for her eyes to widen as the puzzle pieces began to click into place. A few drops of sweat rolled down her face. She gulped and retracted into herself.

“I-I doubt Sayo-chan would be that mad!” Our vocalist stammered, her own face paling at the realization that my sister showed no mercy to bullshit.

“Mmmm, I don’t know~ This is Onee-chan we’re talking about,” I said aloud, watching in amusement as Aya-chan started turning stark white.

“Hina-chan, don’t scare her. The last thing we need is her hurling from fear,” Chisato-chan sighed, gently patting the pink haired girl’s shoulder to coax her. “Unless, you want to deal with Sayo-chan learning that you caused her to projectile all over her front door~?”

“Point taken! So then, let’s all go inside!” I quickly replied.

Yeah, I’m not tempting you again Satan. I’d rather stay in this boppin’ world thank you very much!

—————

Rinko-chan arrived last, slowed down by the massive cake she brought. We had asked her weeks ago if she could make it and she agreed rather quickly. However, I didn’t expect that she’d go full out and made a tiered cake. It was decorated with Roselia’s signature motifs and colors and a little bit of edible glitter. It looked like something you’d see out of a cooking magazine. It was fucking top quality, boppin’ to the absolute max level.

Although, it was quite the sight when I opened the door to just see a box with legs. It had taken me a few moments to even say welcome. I mean, what are you supposed to say when a giant ass box suddenly appears in front of you and says hi?

With her arrival, the party was able to finally begin. To no one’s surprise, it got rowdy and loud very very quickly. Putting three bands into one room is asking for chaos. It didn’t help that Yuki-chan and Ran-chan wanted to duke it out right then and there. Tomoe-chan stood by to break it up if it got too over the top (which it always did) since Moca-chan was just sitting back and enjoying the show with a shit eating grin. I couldn’t blame her though. Their fights were always amusing to watch, no matter how trivial the reasons were.

Meanwhile, the others were loud but at least they weren’t trying to commit bloody bloody murder. Himari-chan has taken residence near the kitchen table, helping herself to the plentiful bounty of snacks and deserts everyone brought. From veggie platters to cookies to the fries I procured, I was sure we wouldn’t need dinner. Then again, that all depended on how much Afterglow’s bassist could pack in her. I had seen her pack an entire cake in that stomach of her (she threatened me into silence about it though).

Tsugu-chan and Chisato-chan were chatting it up with my sister, with little Lisachi snuggling into her mama’s arms. As much as the little girl loved the attention, it was still a bit overwhelming to be passed into the arms of so many people. She had started squirming in Aya-chan’s arms and Maya-chan nearly dropped her when she started really fighting. Thankfully, Onee-chan was quick to react and scooped her up and put her back into the carrier. Now, she looked ready to fall asleep, her small hand rubbing at her eyes.

The rest of Pastel ✽ Palettes was engaging in a conversation with Ako-chan and Rinko-chan which I could only assume was becoming utter chaos. The little drummer had either roped our samurai keyboardist into some kind of posing contest or they were actually attempting to communicate like that. Rinko-chan would whisper into Ako-chan’s ear every once in awhile to give her words she could say when she couldn’t think of more, Maya-chan was attempting to calm Eve-chan down, who looked like she was preparing to jump onto one of the chairs and Aya-chan had this funny look of confusion on her face, her eyes darting from the members of Roselia back to her own members.

And me? I was simply leaning back against the wall enjoying the entire scene. I thought about joining in with Ako-chan and Eve-chan, but I decided against opening that can of worms. As zappidy as it would be, I didn’t need to give my sister another excuse to scream at me. I had already had enough of that when she saw me running around her apartment with Lisachi before the party. Onee-chan had looked ready strangle me. I didn’t see the issue. My little niece was perfectly safe and enjoying her airplane simulation!

Even so, I stood back and enjoyed the scene of the party. It was a nice change of pace. Seeing all of my friends and family together, smiling and having fun brought a smile to my face. My heart felt all warm and gushy. It was kinda weird but I didn’t mind it. In fact, it was starting to grow on me. Lisachi was to thank for that. My precious little niece made my heart and soul turn to liquid. Not mush, liquid.

“If only Mom and Dad could be here to see this...” I mumbled out. I quickly realized what had just escaped my lips and cursed under my breath. I tried to divert my mind, but it was too late.

The thought made all the sweetness turn sour in an instant. Earlier, when Onee-chan, Lisachi and I were all snuggled up on the couch, that thought had crossed my mind. I had dismissed it before, being rather content drinking in the warmth of my two family members. But now, the bitterness decided to settle instead of depart.

Seeing my niece would sometimes make me think about how they would react if they saw her. I could imagine their smiles and how thrilled they’d be to be grandparents. I could picture Dad sitting on the ground trying to play with her, and Mom singing all those old songs she’d sing to us twins when we were younger. All of us would be huddled in this apartment as one big happy family, enjoying each other’s company and celebrating the new presence of Lisachi. Other times, seeing her made me wish for them to be here with me. I wanted Dad to ruffle my hair or Mom to give me a kiss on the cheek as I headed out to the agency. I wanted to hear their voices, happily calling my name. I wanted to hear them giving their silly praise of my actions or even hear them scold me for being too reckless. I wanted to feel their warmth again, but that was something that would never happen. It made me envy my niece. She had a mother, something I longed to have again.

Lisachi was the reason I had my sister again. She rekindled our relationship. Yet, she also brought up memories that deepened the ache in my chest. Every time I saw her, I felt myself missing my parents. I knew Onee-chan missed them too, but she had been able to move forward. She had accepted the entire ordeal. She thought I had too since I had reverted back to my happy-go-lucky self after a good few months.

Of course though, I never did accept it. I never accepted reality.

At the time, Onee-chan had much more to worry about than me. I hadn’t decided at that point what I wanted to do after high school, but she had. She had gotten into her expensive dream school and yet now she had to figure out how to pay for tuition and any other additional costs. On top of that, she had to help me sort out taxes and bills, along with all the complicated legal documentation of our inheritance and whatnot. As much as a genius as people told me I was, I too was human still. Maybe at another time I could’ve done those things with ease and saved my sister from the boat loads of stress. However, I was too struck by grief to do anything. Every day had been agony, and I found myself not wanting to wake up more and more. One day, I had woken up to see my sister working past midnight on legal documents along with working out her plans for college. She had been as pale as a ghost, her dull, non-blinking eyes staring at the paper. I had watched for a few minutes, seeing her forehead crinkle with discomfort and then, I saw her bolt from her seat and start retching into the kitchen sink.

It as that day, I realized I had to get my shot together and help her. I couldn’t have her take all of the burden for me. And so, I faked recovering. It was a slow adjustment since my emotions would get in the way, but eventually, I acted my way through that ordeal and helped her. There was a distance that remained between us, but I hadn’t cared. So long as I never saw Onee-chan in that state again, I was fine with it all.

I had continued that act until I stopped realizing I was acting. I only remembered when I’d make the mistake of greeting my parents when I’d come home from the agency, only to be greeted with the empty house. Or, I’d wake up and say good morning to them, only to remember that there was no one less living there now except me. I knew they were dead, but I still rebelled against the truth. I kept hoping that maybe they just hadn’t come home yet, and that one day, they’d walk through the front door with souvenirs from the place they went for their business trip. I kept thinking that as long as I was patient, one day, they’d come back to me and I could hug them and tell them how much I loved them and how sorry I was for taking their presence in my life for granted.

That’s what I believed, and yet...

“-a? Did you hear me? We need to start getting dinner ready. Hina?”

“GAH?!”

A loud yelp erupted from me as my sister’s voice snapped me back into the world. I jumped back, slamming my head into the wall I was leaning against with a loud thud.

“Ow ow ow... that was not boppin’ at all...” I groaned, rubbing the bruise that decided to join the party.

Onee-chan looked at me worriedly. “Hina, are you okay? You’re looking rather pale...”

“Oh I’m perfectly good! 100%! Feeling extra boppin’ and zappin’ with the party! Now, what were you telling me earlier?”

She frowned at me, clearly unconvinced. However, I sighed internally with relief when she didn’t look like she was going to press further.

“We need to get dinner ready. Apparently Uehara-san cleared off the entire snack table.”

“Oh wow she really did end up packing it all in there.”

“I don’t know how she isn’t dead but regardless, we need to start cooking and whatnot.”

“Alrighty! Sous Chef Hina is in the house!” I grinned, slipping ahead of my sister. I froze though when I felt her tug at my sleeve.

“Onee-chan...?”

“... are you really okay?”

”...”

“Hina. I’m serious right now.”

“...”

“ Hina .”

“...”

“... if you don’t want to say anything now, fine. But, we’re talking afterwards, okay?”

All I could do was weakly nod in return.

—————

(Sayo POV)

”Did you all make this yourselves?”

My eyes inspected with delight at the small little book in my hands. It didn’t look like much at first with its plain leather cover. But, inside the pages were covered in colorful drawing, each one representing the thing that would represent a letter of the alphabet.

Mitake-san nodded. “At first we thought of buying a music themed “Learn the Alphabet” book, but Moca kept saying that would be too boring.”

“I didn’t say it would be boring~” the bread lover chided. “Moca-sama simply said it wasn’t creative~”

“Same thing.”

“Anyways,” Tomoe-san interrupted before Aoba-san could let out another retort. “we decided to make one ourselves and make it more personal. We put in some memories of the past, things relating to all of our bands and some other warm fuzzy stuff.”

“The art was a bit hard but luckily I’m pretty good at it,” Uehara-san boasted, puffing our her chest in pride. “Well, of course, I couldn’t have done it without all of them.”

“We wanted this to be the best that it could. I hope Lisa-chan will like it,” Tsugumi smiled softly.

Originally, I had expected a bunch of store bought baby products or toys. I wasn’t against them. Eventually, I’d need to buy more to entertain her beyond just giving her old stuffed animals Hina and I owned. However, I hadn’t been expecting something so pure and thoughtful. The sentiment made my smile grow even wider.

“Thank you so much, I’m sure she’ll love it,” I said warmly, flipping through each page fondly. “Isn’t that right baby girl?”

I looked down at Lisa, now sitting in my lap, who babbled happily as I let her feel the brown leather cover.

That was all the members of Afterglow needed to let out all of their relief and rejoice. Uehara-san jumped out of her seat, pumping her fists into the air while Tomoe-san laughed away. Aoba-san had a smug grin on her face, but I could tell she had been nervous based on how she sunk more into her chair. Tsugumi giggled with excitement and Mitake-san simply gave me a small smile.

“Quite the celebration you’re having. I do hope you remember that we’re celebrating my daughter’s birthday first and foremost,” I teased. They laughed, pink tinting their cheeks.

“Ooo ooo! Can we go next? Please Onee-chan pleeeeaaaase~?”

“Hina, calm down first and then I’ll open the gift Pastel ✽ Palettes brought.”

While Hina looked extremely excited, the rest of her band seemed relatively nervous, minus Shirasagi-san. It wasn’t strange to see Maruyama-san looking anxious. She always reminded me a small, timid dog. Though, rather than looking nervous, she looked ready to have a heart attack. But, it was a bit of a different story regarding Yamato-san and more so Wakamiya-san. The drummer kept fidgeting in her seat, her eyes darting from their wrapped gifts, to me, and then the table. Wakamiya-san had given up in fidgeting in her seat and was jogging in place behind the chair. It was a strange way to calm yourself since exercise would raise your heartbeat even further but I didn’t question it. Shirasagi-san on the other hand remained poised and calm. She could’ve been nervous but I’d never be able to tell. She was a professional actress after all.

For the sake of the other three, I delved quickly into opening their gift. The crinkling of wrapping paper drew in Lisa’s attention and she stared intently as I unwrapped the box. Inside the cardboard box were two plushies. One was of a fluffy, shorted haired cat with two little bows on each ear, and the other, was a long haired, fluffy dog, with a big muzzle and ears. If you didn’t know any of us well, these would seem just like normal stuffed animals. However, I knew before I processed the color of the two plushies what they truly were.

“This is me and Hina as a dog and a cat... you made these?” I said in disbelief, examining the two soft animals.

“W-We spent the week making them. It was a bit hard with our schedules but we managed,” Maruyama-san laughed anxiously. “I thought it would be nice for Lisa-chan to have something with her to remind her of you two when you’re not able to watch her. I-I-I hope you like it!”

“Aya-chan, calm down. I doubt she’d hate it,” Shirasagi-san coaxed. “It was quite the idea and I did doubt that we could do it in time. We’re all idols after all.”

Yamato-san nodded. “We had to negotiate with the manager about reworking our schedule so we’d have at least half and hour to work on the plushies. They weren’t too keen on it all...”

“So then we sicced Eve-chan on them! It was so boppin’! She went pow and then they were all like AGGGGH and then it was all zappin’ afterwards!”

I could feel the color drain from my face. I turned to Hina, my eyes wide at her explanation. “You... what...?”

“I showed them the power of bushido!” Wakamiya-san chimed in cheerfully. “They were no match for my sword!”

“Sh-Shinai! She’s talking about a shinai, not a metal blade!” the vocalist cut in frantically as she saw my pallor.

“I don’t think that’s helping Aya-san...” the drummer sighed.

“Eehh?!”

“I know what you’re thinking Sayo-chan. It wasn’t a proud moment, but I assure you nothing too serious was done. Hina-chan just doesn’t know how to explain situations well... isn’t that right, Hina-chan? Let’s not make a fool of ourselves right here, okay~?”

“OW OW OW LESH GO OF MY CHEESH! I SHORRY OKAY?!”

Hina struggles against the pinching grip of their bassist, who was shooting her the most intense death glare I had ever seen in my life.

Everyone else was silent, mildly disturbed by the information. It was certainly interesting to learn that a girl beat up some men with a bamboo sword for the sake of getting time to make a present. It was also useful to learn that Shirasagi Chisato was a force not to be trifled with.

“A-Anyways,” I stammered, regaining my composure from whatever the hell that was. “Thank you for the gift. It’s very sweet and I know that she’ll have fun with these.”

The group of idols cheerfully smiled back at me, though, I couldn’t help but feel a bit scared of them. More accurately, I was afraid of the bassist and keyboardist. I made a mental note never to get on their bad side.

I didn’t dwell on it two long as Lisa let out a gurgle, her little hands reaching out to touch the soft fur of the plushies.

“Always the little explorer,” I laughed. “Alright, here you go.”

I set the dog plush in her lap, seeing as she wouldn’t be able to hold onto both (there was also no way in hell I was letting the plush of my sister be held first). Lisa’s fingers brushed against the its back, the sensation causing her to giggle. She pulled it in closer, nuzzling her cheek against the plushie’s head, which was nearly the size of her own.

“Oh my god this is adorable~!” Maruyama-san  sighed, whipping out her phone and capturing the moment. “I’ll be sure to send this to you Sayo-chan!”

“Thank you,” I responded with a blush. I was pretty happy to get photos of my Lisa, but I did feel a bit embarrassed about seeing myself in the image. I wasn’t the most photogenic person in the world, at least, that was my personal opinion. Hina kept saying I looked great in the pictures, but she’d say that about even the most unflattering ones of me. If it was me, it was perfect in her mind.

With the idol band done, I was left with one more present. I was a bit nervous considering how Roselia could be sometimes, but I hoped they had pulled themselves together. While our band looked professional and very organized, we were more or less like a dysfunctional family. Rinko was our anxiety riddled eldest daughter who became a NEET, Ako was the delusional 7 year old who ran around the neighborhood screaming at 3 AM that she talked to a demon through a Ouija board, Yukina was the airhead father whose lack of common sense was concerning in every way and I was the workaholic mother trying to maintain order while also having no clue how to. It was tiring to say the least, but when it counted—meaning when it involved music—we could do it.

Considering Ako’s texts, I’m a bit concerned...

“Kukuku, looks like you’ve the best for last!” Ako chuckled from across the table, bring her hand to her face to pose. “With our powers of the night, we were able to procure a... uh... oh! Thanks Rinrin! Yes, we were able to procure a suitable offering for our noble angel! So uh... I hope you like it Sayo-san!”

“P-Please enjoy...” Rinko stuttered out.

Yukina merely nodded in my direction, the smallest of smiles gracing her lips.

The last gift was wrapped in dark purple with a blue ribbon, the brilliant colors of our band. It was a good medium sized box with a bit of weight to it as well. I tore into the paper, being careful that Lisa didn’t get her hands on any and start eating it.

Underneath the wrapping was a black wooden box. On the top in shiny gold was a beautiful design of Roselia’s rose design and our band’s name logo printed at the bottom. At first I thought it was a jewelry box but it didn’t exactly make sense for them to give Lisa something like that. There weren’t any drawers or latches on it either like you’d normally see. Curiously, I flipped the top open and a soft melody began to play, one that I immediately recognized.

This is... LOUDER...

The inside of the box contained the little rotating cylinder, covered by a glass lid. On the backside of the wooden top was a photo of everyone after our performance at FUTURE WORLD FES, all of us smiling away and even a few of us with tears. After that photo was taken, Yukina had told us all that we wouldn’t be performing LOUDER again after that live, seeing as its purpose had been fulfilled. While it was disappointing we would never play the amazing song again, we all were satisfied with her decision. We needed that song to guide us to our dream stage. Once we had finally obtained it, we no longer needed its guidance. We would tread to the pinnacle on our own feet as musicians.

That performance was a little over a year ago, yet it felt like I hadn’t heard that familiar melody in decades.

“This song means a lot to us all. It helped guide us. I hope it can do the same for her” Yukina said. “There are other cylinders we got made, but I felt it was only fitting that this one was put in first.”

Ako got up form her seat, revealing a little bag. “We had to ask a bunch of people about where we could get these made. Rinrin finally managed to find one and I helped make the scores! There’s our songs, as well as ones by Afterglow and Pastel ✽ Palettes! I nearly forgot to pick up our order though until you mentioned the party on the group chat haha...”

“We wanted her to grow up with music all around her... so what better way to do so... than a music box?” Rinko chimed in. “We also figured it wouldn’t be right if it was just our songs. That’s why... we made all of these...”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. Not in my wildest imagination could I have guessed they’d give Lisa a gift like this.

“It’s beautiful...” I finally said. “I... I don’t know what else to say besides thank you. I’m just... taken aback by this...”

“Did we do a good job~?” Ako asked eagerly.

I nodded, still dazed from being awestruck. “Yes, this is amazing. I think Lisa and I will be using this at nighttime from now on.”

Our drummer let out a “HECK YEAH,” jumping up and down in celebration. The other two seemed pretty excited at their accomplishment, but unlike Ako, they were much calmer about it. Rinko’s eyes sparkled brightly with joy while Yukina allowed her lips to curve up a little more than usual.

“It looks like everyone went all out with gifts,” Tomoe-san grinned.

“Yeah! We all did a super good job Onee-chan!”

“Mmmmm! This. Is. So. Freaking. BOPPIN’!”

“Fufu~ Moca-sama and her friends truly delivered the best of the best for the newest member of this family~”

“Of course! It would be wrong to give her anything less!” Tsugumi proclaimed.

“You guys...”

I could feel my eyes watering listening to all of my friends, no, my family chatting around. I felt so lucky to have people like this in my life. I had never fully realized how grateful I was to know them until now. To know so many people who cared about you and your family, who would put this much effort into doing something for them, no matter how big or small it may be, who would show so much love towards them—it seemed miraculous to me. And somehow, I was lucky enough to have that.

“Everyone, I want to thank you,” I began, raising my volume to gain their attention. “first for coming to Lisa’s party today, and second, for showing so much love to my daughter. I’m so happy that she’ll be growing up surrounded by all of you, my treasured friends and family. I hope that you’ll always be a part of my life, as well as hers.“

Everyone cheered uproariously, smiles decorating all of their faces. My heart warmed at the sight.

“Now, I think it’s time we sing and cut this cake! Hina, if you would.”

“I’m on it!”

The lights flickered off and Hina began lighting the candles to the cake. While having one candle would make more since, there really was no fun in blowing out a single little flame. Later on, I could do the proper number of candles corresponding to age, but until then, I would give her the chance to have a grandly lit cake.

“And one, two, three... ♪ Happy birthday to you~ ♪ ”

My daughter, my wonderful little Lisa... this is your family.... our family.

“ ♪ Happy birthday to you~! ♪ ”

They may be weird, they may be overwhelming to be with sometimes, they may drag you along or be overprotective, but they’re family nonetheless.

“ ♪ Happy birthday dear Lisa~! ♪ ”

They care for you just like I do, and want only the best for you.

“ ♪ Happy birthday- ♪ ”

We all love you Lisa.

“ ♪ -to you~! ♪ ”

I hope that you always know that.

—————

The moment the party ended, and I had gotten Lisa to sleep, I pulled Hina aside to speak about her behavior earlier. I had worried about it all through dinner, but when it was time to open gifts, I had forced myself to block it out until later.

She had put up some resistance at first, knowing exactly what I wanted from her. However, it didn’t take long for her to give up and sit down on the couch. She knew I wouldn’t give up until she told me, especially with how I addressed it earlier. So now, we were both seated next to each other in silence.

“... I guess I should just start then, huh?” Hina mused.

I winced at how weak her voice sounded. As much as I wanted to know what was bothering her, I felt conflicted prying when she seemed so vulnerable. “If you don’t want to speak it’s-“

She grabbed my hand with her trembling one, shaking her head. “No, it’d be best if I spoke. I... I really shouldn’t be silent about this kind of stuff anymore. It wouldn’t be fair to you when you’ve been nothing but open with me. But... if you’d let me... can I just... not go into too much detail? Just the general gist of it all...”

“Of course.”

A faint smile graced her somber expression. “Thank you Onee-chan... you’re really the best sister ever...” she pauses for a second, taking in one last deep breath to prepare herself. “Earlier, I was reminiscing... about Mom and Dad and the past.”

“Hina...”

“I... I miss them... a lot more than I let myself know,” she sighed shakily, squeezing my hand. “I wish they were here to see Lisachi... to be with us. I... I still keep thinking that they’ll come back one day, you know? That maybe... they’re still out there. I know they’re gone, but I can’t seem to convince myself. I never... truly got over it all...”

The moment I heard her sniffling, I wrapped my arms around her instinctively as if I was trying to shield her from the world. From her shoulders to her hands to even her legs, she was trembling. It hurt to see her like that, to see someone who was so energetic and happy all the time in such a pained state.

“I miss them too Hina. I always miss them, even more so now. I want them back just as much as you do. I... I’m not capable of helping you accept their death, but... I’ll do my best to support you however I can, and you have your band, and all of our friends... our new family...” I assured her. “I’ll always be by your side... I won’t leave you alone, I promise.”

“Onee... chan...!”

Her hands gripped at my shirt tightly as she choked back a violent sob, every part of her quaking. I pulled her closer to my body, stroking her hair with one hand to try and calm her. With each cry, I only seemed to bite my lip harder. I wanted to erase all of her tears yet I couldn’t. It frustrated me to no end that there was nothing more I could do for her.

But, instead of dwelling on those thoughts, I focused on what I could do, and that was soothing her. I spoke softly to her, trying my best to relax her in whatever way I could think of. It seemed to work as I felt the tension start to fade from her shoulders and her shaking reducing.

“Feeling a bit better?” I whispered to her.

I felt her head nod into my chest. “Mhm... thank you...”

“Anything for my little sister,” I murmured, continuing to pet her head. A small smile cracked onto my face when I felt her gently nuzzle my hand.

“Is it okay if I stay here for the night...?”

“Absolutely.”

I kept Hina on the couch until her shaking dissipated into a very weak tremble. Still clutching her hand, I escorted her to my bedroom where Lisa laid wrapped up in her blanket and snuggling with the cat and dog plushies. After changing, we settled down on my bed, with her on my left side and Lisa on my right. Hina pressed herself close to my side, hugging my arm and nestling her head against my shoulder.

“Comfortable?” I asked as I gave Lisa a final goodnight kiss.

“Yeah,” she laughed softly. “It’s super boppin’.”

“Good to hear,” I chuckled back. “Sleep well.”

“You too... oh... and Onee-chan?”

“Hm?”

“... I love you...”

“I love you too Hina,” I cooed, kissing her on the forehead. She giggled at the gesture, nuzzling my shoulder more.

With that, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be lulled to sleep by the steady beating of their hearts.