Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The auditorium echoed with a roar of the crowd as the last few vibrations from the electric guitar hummed on its own. The four people paused, basking in the energy that radiated from the crowd. There were one green-haired person, twins with blonde hair, and the one with teal hair. The last one, particularly, stuck in her mind.

Holding her own breath, Luka watched with wonder as the singer, the one with teal hair, just looked up to the ceiling, seeming lost in her own world, as if she can see the peaceful skies through the metal. It was the first time that she saw her – the first time she felt entranced by someone else.

~Miku’s P.O.V~

Neon light bounces off of the walls as the music blared with an upbeat tone. People jumped as they danced at the sound of deep bass echoing from the large speakers near the DJ platform upfront. The puffs of white clouds rose as they did so. Meanwhile, a good number of people sat in the cushioned booths of the room as they talked.

Then, there is this one booth. A teal-haired teen has her arms crossed and her eyes glaring immensely at the sea of people on the dance floor. “Ugh... I can’t understand clubs...” Miku said as she ruffled her hair in irritation. Seated on the soft leather of the booth that her friends acquired almost instantly, she huffed feeling the emptiness of her wallet. 

She had to pay with almost three-fourths of her allowance just to get inside and that was saying something. She laid her back on the sofa, exhausted and irritated, thinking of the reason why she agreed to come in the first place. She pinched her nose bridge at the thought.

~0~

A few minutes ago, Rin, Len, Gumi, and Miku were just strolling down in celebration for the success of their club’s little concert outside of school when Len spotted a familiar blue-haired upperclassman entering a certain establishment. It is a place with flashing neon lights and a led sign that says ‘Underage paradise’. Miku almost gagged at the name but when she saw that there is no big buff men, guarding the door, only a booth for entrance she thought that it might seriously be for under-aged people.

“Who the hell would name a club ‘Underage Paradise’?” said Rin as she squints at the sign. “And why is there no bouncer?” 

“Pftt.. That name makes me wonder what exactly they do inside. Want to check it out?” asked Gumi as she slowly trudged to the entrance, already deciding to go inside.

“I don’t know about you guys but I have to go inside!” exclaimed Len, ready to barge into the bar like some fuming girlfriend. No one can deny him that. He has been crushing on the Kaito since the blue-head had transferred to their school. Plus, it is a known fact that he is a Bisexual- a fact that he provided.

The tealette was apprehensive, though, not wanting to go through any of the stuff that might just happen inside a club – unnecessary interaction with other humans, for example. “I don’t really want to go.” Miku said as she took strides away from the group before someone tries to drag her inside. “You guys go. I’ll just go home for now. See you, guys tomorrow!” 

As she walks away, she felt an arms slither around her own. Gumi and Rin grinned as they dragged her. “What do you think are you guys doing?!” She shouted as she tries to struggle from their grip but to no avail. 

~0~

“ That’s right… I didn’t want to go. ” Miku groaned, still pinching the bridge of her nose. Now, her friends are probably somewhere near the juice bar or on the dance floor, leaving her in their seats that is thankfully away from the swarm of human bodies in the bodies of the room. At the corner of her eye, she can see Len is looking around for Shion-senpai. Teal eyes only rolled her eyes, with a less than amused expression on her face.

The flashing of colourful lights eventually took her attention as it bounced on the walls of the room. Looking at the inside of the place, it is actually quite decent with neon lights that seemed to glow blue at the corners of the walls. White fog from smoke machines seem to take on the colors as it drifts away from the vastly moving bodies of the dance floor. 

Her ears picked up on a high pitched squeal from the bar where she saw Gumi and Rin talking as they looked towards a guy with long purple hair. Miku squinted on the menu board and sighed in relief as she read the contents. The bar is only serving drinks soft drinks, water, a variation of smoothies and Frappuccino, and milk, overpriced as they might have been. Meanwhile, there are people like her just sitting in their seats, chatting innocently. 

As far as she can tell, there was no drugs or overly exaggerated Public Displays of Affections. Honestly, she has never been in a bar before (being young and all) but movies and TV series are enough to tell her that it was a place for trouble. However, as she scanned the establishment, plastered on the wall, she saw a sign that says and warns people that if someone would violate any rules – adult or not, they would be thrown out of the place.

The tealette sighed as she drank from the soda that she got as a complementary ‘welcome’ gift. Teal eyes drifted through the sea of people. From where Miku is seating, she can observe the way they would be dancing with each other. Nothing is at the border of boring. Not at all. People are finding partners from one side to another as they move with the music. The tealette sighed. “ It is still messy with people dancing all around, though. If I were there, I’d probably be dizzy and out of breath. I mean seriously! Who can dance in a place TIGHT with people? ”

The music was keeping everything alive and more heat was obviously coming out from the crowded part of the room as the bass blared even louder. It is exciting, Miku can’t deny. “ Maybe it is just because of the music and the strobe lights. ” She thought as she took a sip of her drink. “I want to go home…” she muttered, almost unheard by her own ears.

Suddenly, cheers are heard from where she is sitting. The tealette turned a curious eye to the middle. People are gathered in a circle. Their movements are slight as they still dance with the beat of the music, while they make an empty area in the middle. Then, she saw glimpses of strands of silky pink hair flow from inside the circle. 

Curious, the tealette sat straight in an attempt to see clearer. Dynamic and lively, there danced one person. It is a female with her long pink hair tied into a ponytail and her bangs partitioned so that the right has more of her hair than the left. Her face is concealed by the cap but you can see her smile as she moves. She is wearing a black v-neck top that is a little bit too loose for her. Her pants are gray and baggy, like those you would often see from hip-hop dancers. Her shoes are regular converse with a black color and white shoe lace. 

Miku found herself in the same state as the people watching her – entranced. Teal eyes became insistent on watching that she felt herself walk a step closer. Explosive is a word that she can say would define the girl’s movements. Graceful is the one she would use for the smoothness of the transition. And harmonious is for the overall composition. It was like she was composing her songs all over again. She felt like she is being pulled to the circle

She stands on her toes, wanting to continue watching despite the swarm of bodies blocking her view. With a grimace, she silently glared at the people blocking her view. As soon as, some people separated enough for her to see the dancing pinkette on the floor, teal eyes are trained on the pinkette as the girl relentlessly hit the beat. Miku sees how people would join her, feeling the same pull she had towards the dancer, but they were pushed away almost instantly, failing to keep up with her movements. 

Miku wants to step forward, to join the girl, but at the same time she felt like she would intrude if she would. She would feel like she would shatter the girl’s world if she would set even a foot in it so she contents herself with just watching like any other spectator. “Wow…” she sighed. 

As if she was heard, the tealette found herself under the gaze of electrifying ocean blue eyes. Time slowed as her breath hitched, mesmerized by the intense eyes. It felt like they were staring for a few minutes even if in reality it was merely seconds. The guitarist may have been seeing an illusion, but she could have sworn… the dancer smirked at her.

The pinkette began to dance once again, a delighted smile seeming to be plastered on her face. This time, it seemed that every twist and turn that the girl is making is directed to Miku, as if inviting her to join the crowd. The tealette soon found that the only time the pink-haired girl would open her eyes is when she knew that it is where teal eyes are. Then, as the beat paused to the drop of the bass, the pinkette stared at her, blue eyes intense.

For a moment, Miku panicked. “ D-Do I have something on my face? ” Miku asked as she touched her face. 

The pinkette’s eyes widened but as soon as she realized what Miku is doing, she laughed. The song continued and ended with another drop of the bass. Feet apart, she raised her fist with one finger pointing upward and her head downwards just when the song ended and into the next one. Everyone clapped. Cheers invaded the dance floor. 

Thanking the people for cheering her, the said pinkette is now making her way towards a certain tealette. “ Oh my leeks! She is going towards here! ” She panicked, not knowing what to do. She immediately dived for her bag and grabbed a book from her bag to make it seem like she is reading something. Covering her face, she hoped that the girl is not actually making her way towards Miku. 

A soft laugh alerted Miku that that certain someone is already near her booth. “You know, it is a little dark to be studying a book upside down, Miss.” Melodic alto said, amusement clearly evident in her voice. 

Miku knows that her face is already red with embarrassment. “ AAhhhhhh! Oh my leeks! This is so… AAARGH..! Stupid me! ” She is, therefore, not going to put her book down.

“Miss, may I take a sit here?” The same voice asked. Miku only replied with a small nod. The pinkette smiled at the girl as she took the seat next to her, earning a small shriek from the embarrassed tealette “So, your name is Hatsune Miku, right? You are a second year of Vocaloid high school, correct?” she asked, hoping that the tealette would be less tense.

Miku peeked a little from hiding. “H-How do you know that?” 

The pinkette smiled patiently as she took her cap off of her head and swished her hair from side-to-side. “It is on your book.” She gave the tealette a wink. Miku felt her cheeks heat up again. “My name is Megurine Luka. Same year level and school! Nice to meet ya!” she said with a childish smile and an open hand for shaking. 

Feeling comforted after knowing the pinkette’s name, Miku took Luka’s hand and shook it after laying down her book. “Oh. Nice to meet you, too.” While the softness of the hand did not go unnoticed by the tealette, she merely searched her mind of anyone with the same face as Luka but she found none. “Why haven’t I seen you around the campus?” 

Luka smirked and said “I’ll be transferring on Monday. Don’t know what class though. I came here with some upperclassmen of the same school. Do you know Shion Kaito?” She asked with the same spark in her eyes. She is brighter than any of the strobe light in this bar. 

Realizing that she was staring, Miku stuttered a bit. “Y-Yeah. W-We did come here to find him. Well, my friend did. I was just dragged along.”

Luka hummed. “I bet that friend is named Kagamine Len.” she said. Miku looked at her suspiciously but was soon ebbed as the pinkette kept talking. “Kaito has been keeping an eye out for him since last year. He says that he is afraid that some wolf would eat the innocence out him.” She laughed. “Kind of stupid huh? He can take care of himself.”

The tealette laughed as well. “He might be right about this one, though. Len is as innocent as little kid. Even his twin sister beats him in that area.”

“Really? Wow…” she chuckles. “How about you then? Are you innocent?” she asks with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

“Of course I am!” Miku pouts.

Luka laughs. “I am sorry. I just can’t help but ask. It is just that you are reading a rather interesting subject of creating a human.” 

“What?” She glanced down at the book she is holding. It turns out that she had the book turned to a page about the human body and its purpose. The tealette went red and closed the book and then put it inside her back pack. 

“I was just kidding!” She smirked at the pouting look of the tealette. “Well, aren’t you adorable?” She says as she squeals a bit in her seat. “I hope that we are on the same class. It would be nice to know someone as cute as you in the same class.” she winks at her. Miku has her thoughts invaded by that very same phrase until a certain remark from the same pinkette had her head buried in her hands. “Especially, the time when you thought something was on your face while I was dancing. That was cute too!”

“Y-You saw that?” Miku asked, a bit terrified and embarrassed. 

“Yeah! That was the first moment that we saw each other! I was just dancing with the music, in my own little world. It was always like that whenever I danced but this time it felt a bit different. I felt someone enter.” She looked towards the tealette, ocean blue eyes sparkling against the throbbing of different lights. “Someone was staring at me and they caught my attention.”

Miku gulped at the thought that she may be pertaining to her. Whatever nervousness she has, she swallowed it down. She smirked at the dancer. “You are aware that there were at least fifty people staring at you while you were dancing, right?” She deadpanned, a bit proud of herself for the comeback.

Luka chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right but only one caught my eye.” Luka said as ocean blue eyes drifted back to the dance floor, a small smile gracing her face as she did. Teal eyes merely stared at her, feeling her face warm as a blush formed. A soft smile etching her face, the dancer looked away, her eyes directing towards the dance floor. Miku watched as the pinkette frowned before shaking her head. 

A minute later, Luka shyly turned to the tealette and murmured “I hope that we can be great friends.”

Miku casts a curious glance at her before laughing, finding it a bit cute. “Sure. Why not?” 

Luka’s eyes sparkled and her face brightened. “I would love that! Thank you!” She says as she grabs the tealette’s hands for a second, which immediately makes Miku categorize Luka as a tactile person. Out of nowhere, Kaito appeared with a clinging Len on his arm. 

“Hey, Luka. I think it is about time to go home. You still have some papers to go over, right?” He says. “Oh! Hi, Miku! Where are the others?” 

“They are…” She looked around the bar and found them walking right towards their location. “There! I think we are about to go home too.” She says as she fixes her things. “Rin looks like she had a bad time.”

“Oh! Cool then! We can head home together!” Kaito says with a smile on his face.  

As soon as Rin and Gumi met up with them, the small blonde slammed her hand on her bag and fumed her way towards the exit. “What’s wrong?” asked Luka. “That kid looks like she had a bad time.”

“Don’t call her a kid. She’ll kill you if she heard.” warned Len. 

Gumi sighed and took her bag. “The juice bar kept on giving her milk under the request of some guy named Gackupo.” 

They stayed silent for a few seconds until a certain pinkette commented. “That guy has no game whatsoever.” Gumi agreed with a nod.

Kaito sighed. He rubbed Len’s head affectionately and gestured to the exit, saying “Well, we have to go home. Oh yeah! I haven’t introduced little miss heart breaker there! I’ll introduce you guys outside.” The group proceeded to go outside where Rin is trashing a trash can. She kept on slamming the lid back on the can and then kicking the trash can over and over again.

“Rin, calm down.” Miku says. “The poor trash can is already bent!”

Rin glared at the tealette with murder in her eyes. “I am going to vandalize this trash can until I can see that purple haired idiot in blue and black.”

Gumi sighed and went behind the small blonde. She put her arms around her neck, effectively calming down the fuming blonde. “Rin, he doesn’t deserve your attention.” The blonde smiles and then purrs.

Len rolled her eyes at the scene. “She always does that for some reason.” the male twin commented.

“Yeah, it runs in the family.” says Miku, receiving a glare from Len to which the tealette responded with a stick-out tongue.

“Anyway…” Kaito drawled. “Let me introduce you guys to this, girl right here.” He says as he put his free arm around Luka's shoulders. “She’s Megurine Luka. She’s my dorm mate, my best man, and best friend. She’ll also be transferring to our school on Monday! Please take care of her.” he says with a grin.

“Your ‘best man’..?” Asked Gumi. 

“She just wants to be called that instead of ‘lil’ gal’ or ‘kitty’ or ‘cupcake’.” Kaito says with shrug as he starts to lead the pack to their homes – more specifically to the Kagamine household.

Luka gagged as she removed the upperclassman’s arm from her shoulders. “Who would want your weird nicknames? It makes me wanna puke.” 

“Aww come on. Those were awesome nicknames! Right, Lenny-kun?” He grinned at the boy gripping on Kaito’s arm. Len only blushed and nodded but Miku was more than creeped out once she thought of her upperclassman giving her any nickname. “ Ugh… I know how you feel, Luka. ” thought Miku.

The pinkette looked like she was about to barf but Luka kept quiet, instead, as she put her cap back on her head, effectively hiding her expression, wisely thinking that it would be best to just keep her mouth shut. Miku only smirked.

The group went ahead and walked to their neighbourhood which is only a few blocks away from the shopping district and the mall. It was and is convenient. They never had to walk too far for anything, even school is just a few blocks away from their neighbourhood. 

It was still a beautiful night, though. Thousands of stars are visible in the sky as the crescent moon shines brightly as the cold breeze slightly blows on their skin. Miku decided to lean back and enjoy the cold quiet night.

Teal eyes trailed to her front where Gumi and Rin walked hand in hand, unashamed and innocent in its own way. They never did care about who was going to see them and possibly misunderstand. Miku merely smiled at their usual antics. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one pinkette smiling at the same sight in front of them.

Miku nudged Luka with her elbow. Earning the taller girl’s attention, she whispered “Jealous?” with a smirk on her face. The pinkette’s eyes widened at the tealette’s comment. “They are always like that so it is normal for them.” Miku motioned for them to slow down, making it so that they are placed at the back of the group. “Cute, huh?”

“Heh. Yeah, they are quite cute to look at.” Luka commented as they lagged a bit behind. “How about you? Are you jealous?” she asked back with a bit of a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

The tealette laughed and recalled the annoying times when Rin would often get the attention of Gumi. “I don’t think so. Rin is often annoyed that I’d hate to be in Gumi’s spot.”

“Oh? But would it be alright if I were to annoy you, though?” She smirked a bit. “I don’t have anyone to talk to there so I’ll probably come to you even if we are in different classes.” Grinning from ear to ear, she faced Miku. “Also, I’d love to be… friends with you!”

“You don’t have to keep on stressing that out.” Miku smiled. “We are already friends so don’t sweat it, okay?”

Hearing a scoff from Kaito, the two turned their attention to the people in front of them. “Right, friends. Pfftt… Are you sure, Luka? Just ‘friends’?” At that, Miku noticed the pinkette’s cheeks go a bit red and her eyes turned into something a bit more playful but irritated at the same time. She saw her get into a running position and charge at the unsuspecting blue-haired senpai. She used tackle, rendering the ice-cream lover unable to fight. 

Unfortunately, Len went down as well. He was happy, though, getting trapped by his beloved senpai’s body. “Enjoying, are we, Len?” Rin teased.

“Right back at you, Nee-chan. You should be thankful that Gumi is oblivious!” he teased right back. Rin blushed. With a clenched fist, Rin punched him on the head, leaving Len unconscious. Thankfully, Gumi wasn’t listening. Oddly enough, the greenette seemed too intent on looking at the pinkette. 

Luka looked at the mess she made and sighed. “Uh… sorry about that.” She nervously chuckles as she rubs her neck in embarrassment. “Is Len’s home farther? I can carry him if you guys want.” 

“Nah! We are already here actually.” says Rin as she points out the house right in front of them. It is quite average but a bit too big for a family of four to live in. “Shion-senpai needs help though.” He is sprawled on the floor on top of an unconscious Len with a gaping mouth and slight drool at the left corner of his lips.

Luka smiled and posed with her arms upright, showing her muscles. “Don’t worry I can carry him on my own!”

“Right then! I’ll drag this banana head to the house. Good night guys!” Rin gleefully said. “Come on, Gumi!” she says enthusiastically.

“Oh, you guys live together?” Luka asked as she went to pick up the unconscious senpai, putting an arm around her shoulder.

“Yeah, we do. My parents are friends with the Kagamines.” Gumi explains, a soft mischievous smile on her face as she stared at the pinkette. Weird. “It was nice to meet you again by the way!” said the greenette as she shot a last look at Luka who only nodded, unaware of the looks the greenette sent her. Gumi, seeing this, stifled a laugh as she went on to help Rin carry the unconscious Len. After shutting the door, the only people left are Luka, Miku, and Kaito.

Miku strides on forward to go back to her house, not minding the playful changes of expressions her friend had. She took out her phone, only to find out that it is already ridiculously late. “ Thankfully, I texted my parents that I’ll be arriving late at home today. ” she thought. She looked a bit to the side, taking a glimpse of Luka, making sure that she is not strained from Kaito’s body weight. 

No, the pinkette was not. In fact, the tealette noticed the straightness of her back and the pinkette’s confident strides. She doesn’t break a sweat, neither does she look like she is having a bad time. “ Does she work out? Or something? ” Miku thought. Observing the new addition to their group, she began analysing the pinkette without even knowing that she is. 

“ She… doesn’t feel too tomboy-ish but she doesn’t feel too girly too… ” Once again Miku’s eyes followed, the pinkette’s body. From the way her short sleeves hang on her shoulders and the way her shirt clings to her body loosely, the tealette can tell that she is very slender further proven by the slight tones of muscles on her stomach and shoulders. Her baggy pants doesn’t leave much of details but they are probably tall and sleek.

“E-Ehem!” the pinkette managed to let out. Miku met with Luka’s eyes. Was she staring that long? “Tha-That’s a bit too bold of you, Hatsune-san. But if I must… I’ll-” The pinkette implied as she slowly slides her bra strap with her free hand.

Miku blushed immediately and panicked. “Wh-Wha-What are you doing! That’s inappropriate!” she says as she stops Luka’s hand from going down even further.

With the very same mischievous glint in her eyes, Luka smirked. “But you have been eyeing my body for about ten minutes now.” She placed her free hand again on the strap a slowly pulled it down. “Are you sure you don’t want to know..?”

Miku shrieked but her red impression of a tomato is still on her face as if it would be permanent. “Stop it!” she shouts. 

Luka laughed. “Now, that was priceless!” Miku pouts, although the heat on her cheeks remains. “I didn’t expect you to be the type to ogle at people, Miku.” the pinkette jokes.

“Shut up.” Miku murmured. Luka laughed out loud at Miku’s retort. 

The pinkette’s smirk somehow says that she is enjoying this. The residential sign ahead reminded Luka of the reason why they are on the walk. “Oh! Where is your house?” she asked.

Miku looked around and pointed to a small house nearby a building. “There. It’s right next your dormitory.”

“Oh! Then, we can go to school together?” Luka said with a childish sparkle in her eyes. “This is awesome!” A groan was heard from the temporarily forgotten guy in the pinkette’s shoulders. “Oops! I guess we have to go now.” She gripped at Kaito’s arm a bit more. “Come on! Let’s go get you back home!” She grinned at the way the blue-head let out a groan at Luka’s loud voice.

“Just so you know, I don’t need you taking me there. It is just that were are neighbours.” the tealette retorts. Luka rolled her eyes and went on her way with Luka on her trail. Luka waved a bit of a good-bye when the tealette said a bit louder than normal. “We go to school early so be up by then, alright?”

The pinkette looked surprised a bit but graced her with her same childish smile. “Yeah! Thanks for that, Miss ogle! See you tomorrow!” she waved a bit as she entered the building.

Miku blushed a bit more because of the nickname but she decided to let it go and enter the house. Her parents who were already back are surprisingly awake discussing their day in the kitchen. They greeted her as she passed by. The tealette went to her own room and slithered her way under her blanket.

~0~

Gumi sat on her bed with her back propped up by the two fluffy pillows, stacked behind her. Her headphones perched on her head, her mouth by the microphone. “Yes. Yes, I know but you have to consider, MC-san… Oh shush, I know you want me to visit you guys!” she smiled a bit. “You know, Jaehee-san would always be available. If you know what I mean?” she said, teasing evident in her voice.

The greenette frowned, hearing the same excuses over and over again from the same person. “Oh come on! What? Me? I don’t have anyone like that! I just-!” She paused, her eyes widening even as her ears become irritated from the worried voice at the other end of the line.

She sighed. "You can't be gal-pals forever!" Then, she is suddenly taken back to bar with a pinkette and a tealette in mind. "Oh no," If her eyes had not betrayed her at the club, then she was right. “Oh my god...” She groaned as she buries her head in her hands. “Them too?!”

Chapter Text

“You’re really going?” Meiko asked, a small yet sad smile gracing her lips. Luka could only return the same. “That’s a yes, then.” She chuckled a bit. 

They are at the bleachers in their football field. The sun was shining gently on them. The sound of the piercing whistle from her former coach sent a wave of nostalgia as if she missed practice for years, instead of days. The pinkette closed her eyes, taking it all in for the last time.

“I’m going to miss you.” Luka says. Her eyes are grateful and filled with sorrow. She let out a breath, letting out the heaviness of her heart. “I’m going to miss the school, the team, the teachers. Heck, I think I’ll miss the distorted sculpture that I made.”

The brunette laughed. “Yeah. They still think that it was intentional.” The pinkette laughed. Ocean blue eyes turned to have one last glimpse of the place she grew up in. The flutter of the wind through the healthy green trees, the sound of the loud chatters from her previous team below. 

A few of them snuck glances at them. They know what they are talking about, but they still seem concerned. She flashed them a grateful smile and gave them a small wave. They returned it with a small fist pump, something that Luka made possible. She chuckled a bit, she heard Meiko do the same.

“They’ll never grow out of that and it is your fault.” Meiko said, teasing. She was silent for a few minutes before letting out a sigh. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. You don’t even know her.”

Luka took a deep breath, knowing the truth or even the consequence of what was about to happen. “I… I know.” She choked a bit. Her eyes felt heavy as tears threatened to flow out. “But, what choice do I have, Mei-Mei?” Glassy ocean blue eyes turned to brown ones. “This might be the last time I would ever truly get to know her.”

~0~

Miku woke up with a blaring alarm, except the alarm was coming from outside her house. 

A familiar voice was shouting like a friggin’ rooster. “Miku! MIKU!!” The voice shouted continuously. Miku groaned as she buried her face in her pillow even more but the voice just kept on going, calling for her name in different pitches, loudness, and tone. A few moments of contemplation later, she figured out whose voice it was. 

It’s Luka’s. 

Upon the realization, she shot her eyes open and hopped up to peek through her window. The first thing that Miku noticed is the dancer’s pink hair which is done up to a ponytail with her side-bangs the way it was in the bar. Luka is wearing their uniform – a peach coloured sweater on top of white sleeved button-up shirt and a checkered blue skirt that is over Luka’s jogging pants. She figures that the pants were an addition from Luka’s preference.

As Luka kept on crooning, Miku furrowed her brows in worry. “ Doesn’t she know that my parents will get angry at her if she keeps on screeching? ” She thought, half-expecting something to fly out of the window from the first floor.

However, a moment later, she saw the pinkette stop as something got her attention at their front door. At first, Luka paled but eventually calmed as soon the voice of her mother told her to come inside and the pinkette shyly went towards the door.

The tealette shot up from her bed and went downstairs, alarmed. “Mom! Did you just let that girl in?!” Miku shouted as she entered the dining area of their house. There, lo and behold, a pink-haired transferee sitting on one of the chairs at the dining table, along with Miku’s Dad who was currently having a nice conversation with the said intruder.

“Yes, dear. I did let her in. We can’t just make her do those bird calls in the morning. It would disturb the neighbours.” Her mom reasoned out as she put coffee in front of her husband and Luka.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hatsune. Although, I am sorry for annoying you in the morning.” She said as she took a sip of the coffee. 

“Oh no, dear, we should be thanking you. We would have overslept if it wasn’t for your bird calls.” She said, preparing another set of bacon and eggs for Luka.

“Besides,” Mr. Hatsune continued. “It is not often that we get to see one of Miku’s friends. We don’t really see the Kagamines all that much, same with that Megpoid kid.” he laughed.

Miku sighed deeply, obviously exasperated by the event. “I’m just… going to get ready.” she says as she heads upstairs but not before wordlessly saying ‘I am watching you’ at Luka.

~0~

Once Miku disappeared to the second floor, Luka let out a sigh. “ I can’t believe I did that.” She thought to herself, hiding her blush with a cup of coffee on her lips. It was no secret that she was excited for this day. She barely made herself sleep. 

New place, new neighborhood, new school, and new friends were always things that made her giddy. But, she is all too aware that it was not the only reason. Luka felt her lips turn to a frown, knowing that she had made the tealette upset.

Seeming to notice her downtrodden expression, Mr. Hatsune said “Don’t worry about her, Megurine-san. The bird calls were not that bad.” The pinkette found herself smiling a bit at the slight teasing and attempt at comfort.

“Miku doesn’t seem too thrilled of the idea though.” Luka shyly laughed. “I really am sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. and Mrs. Hatsune.”

“Like we said, it was no problem.” Mrs. Hatsune said, smiling as she held her spatula in the air. “Just don’t do that from now on. If it weren’t for the need, I would have thrown a cup at you, you know?” She said that with the sweetest of voices but Luka could hear an undercurrent of threat in it.

Luka sweat-dropped. Now, she knows where Miku got the scary vibes. “Y-Yes, Ma’am.” At the sight, Mr. Hatsune snorted, not-so subtly.

“Good girl.” Miku’s mother grinned. “Now, both of you have a lot of time for school so just take your time and eat some bacon.” She was handed her own plate before Miku’s mother plopped on her own seat.

She found that the Hatsunes are a nice company over the time of her stay. They talked, laughed, and joked about several stories involving Miku. But what she loves most about her visit is their love story and their antiques as children.

It was cute to see them both laugh and bicker. It was also something she missed from her own parents. She shook her head, unable to think of those thoughts, so she just continued to laugh at the couple’s interactions.

After a while, Miku went back down, silent as she took her place at the table. She barely gave her a glance as she ate. Luka felt herself, getting the silent treatment and she, honestly, wanted to cry. “ I messed it up already… ” She thought as she unenthusiastically poked at the remains of her food. 

Miku’s parents hurriedly left the house but not before they gave Luka a hug, silently comforting her. They left for school a minute later and within that time, only silence reigned between them. This visibly made the pinkette a bit stiff in fear. “Miku..?” Luka nervously asked. The guitarist only replied by glaring and staring at the depths of Luka's eyes. The fear crept almost instantly to her whole being. “I-I’m sorry!” she cried, almost kneeling in front of the shorter girl.

Miku sighed once again, obviously exasperated. “I know I told you that we wake up earlier than usual but you went overboard.” The tealette said with a frown on her face. Luka deflated, tears ready to fall.

The pinkette heard another deep sigh from the tealette. Miku reached for her cheek, pinching it as she did so. “Stop looking like that. You make me feel like I kicked a puppy.” Miku said, stretching Luka’s cheeks, as if doing so would change her expression. 

Heat enveloped her cheeks, noticing how teal eyes seemed to still stare at her. Butterflies  Yes, the panic inside her is really gay. Yup, gay panic is real. With her mouth agape, words refused to exit her mouth. 

“Stop pouting,” The tealette lets go of her cheek. Luka reddened an even darker shade of red. “We would all be fine if you don’t do that again, okay?” Miku says, giving her a small smile. The dancer found herself dumbfounded, once again, unable to utter any coherent sentences. Her hand went to the cheek that the tealette had pinched.

Miku tilted her head to the side. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” She asked.

Luka felt herself redden. She wants to hide somewhere and maybe die. She’s embarrassed, unable to say anything. “ Just say anything, damn it! ” Her mouth opened but no words came from her mouth. 

Suddenly, a familiar laughing voice came from behind them, an arm slithered on Luka’s shoulders, making her shiver. The previous embarrassment is replaced with sudden fear. It was as if Meiko had slid a worm through her clothes again.  “You don’t know half of it, Miku-chan!” Kaito sang.

The tealette seemed to react as if this is an everyday occurrence. “Ah… Good morning, Shion-senpai.” Miku greeted him, almost as if she saw him even before.

The pinkette had never before felt both grateful and annoyed by her best friend. “Hey, get off me, Kaito! You’re creeping me out!” Luka said as she tried to pry herself away from the blue-head upperclassman. 

“Aw. Yeah, I know. You’d rather have Miku do this to you,right?” He said with a dirty smile on his face which received a fierce punch to the stomach from the person he hung unto. “He deserved that.”

“Shut up, you!” She shouted as she separated from the almost KO-ed senpai. Luka felt her cheeks redden but only because of Kaito’s teasing. 

“Ah! Miku and Shion-senpai are there!” Someone exclaimed. Luka, Kaito, and Miku turned their heads to the direction where they heard the voice. Soon, they found Rin jogging towards them. “That’s where you guys are! I thought that you overslept!” Rin, along with her brother and Gumi, came towards them running. 

The greenette gave Luka a small wave as a greeting, along with a knowing grin on her face. Luka gave her a confused smile but thought nothing of it.

“Good morning, guys,” Miku greets. “Let’s go to school.” She says as she restarted her walk towards school.

~0~

It was a good morning despite the rocky start. The sky is blue, and puffs of white covered their faces as they walked. The streets have no more than a few early risers who wake up for their morning training. They are undeniably way too early for their classes. But, Luka found herself not caring about it.

Gumi stretched her arms and walked with the tealette. “Yeah, we have to practice the set list for the next event.” Rin clung to Gumi as soon as the opportunity arose. The greenette happily enjoyed attention though. 

These two are at the front, silently enjoying each other’s presence, followed by Len and Kaito who are both happily grinning at each other. Meanwhile, the last pair were left at the back. 

Luka’s face mostly recovered from the teasing of their senpai and was walking with a rather content expression. Her ocean blue eyes remain directed at the front, with her hands locked behind her back, carrying her handbag. 

The tealette noticed how her eyes seemed to soften despite the silent yet cold morning. Her smile never faded as they travelled. Miku felt bewildered as she silently watched the girl beside her. She cannot help but feel the contentment that the pinkette seemed to resign in. 

Right then, Miku noticed one thing. She has been staring again. She shook her head and trudged on.

As they arrived at the school, Miku can’t help but worry as to where the pinkette will stay. Kaito has his sports club activities while the rest will be at the music room to practice. She glanced at the dancer who only looked happy and excited. Despite the smile on her face though, there is a sentimental spark in the taller girl’s eyes as if seeing it again. 

“Hey, Miku,” says Luka. The abrupt calling made Miku jump a little. It is only then that she noticed that she was staring again. “ Why the hell am I staring again? ” She was about to pinch her nose bridge when Luka continued. “Can I watch you guys practice?” 

At that, Miku is shocked but then she smiled and gave her a nod. “Just don’t disturb us, okay?” Luka enthusiastically nodded to the condition.

“Hey, guys! I am going to head out to the field now! Luka, you wanna come?” the blue-haired senpai asks.

“No thanks. I am going with them.” She announced.

With a teasing glint in his eyes, he gave Luka a smirk and walked away saying “Alright, see ya later at the club!”

Luka waved at him with the same enthusiasm as the senpai. “Alright! See ya!”

“You already have a club?” Gumi asked.

Luka shyly rubbed her head and said “Oh, no.” She chuckled nervously. “I am just going to check theirs out. I heard there are many here that would be cool.” she says, excitedly. 

“You are more of a sports girl, are you?” Len asked. 

“I guess so, but I also like music!” she smiled. “Now! Where do we go?” she asked.

Miku smiled at the taller girl’s enthusiasm. “We have to enter the building first, right?” she asked with a smile. “Come on, let’s go.” She gestured to the entrance where a guard was waiting for them to enter the building. He smiled at them as a greeting. 

They went straight to the corridor until they saw a staircase. From there, they climbed up until the third and last floor which is at the exact same floor where the rooftop is found. Only a door separated the music room to the rooftop.

The tealette can’t help but smile at Luka’s childish expression as she gazes towards the window of the said door. While Gumi takes out her keys for the music room, the rest of the group has been talking about how they eat there and some silly moments where Rin would have her skirt up because of the wind or Len’s shriek whenever he gets scared of the height.

As the door opened, Len grumbled as he defended himself. “Hey! Come on, you guys were telling me scary stories. How could I not be scared?” Rin followed with a teasing smile. 

“Len is just easy to frighten,” explained Gumi to Luka. “But hey! It was fun!” she grins. The greenette unable to help the grin on her face as she caught the pinkette stealing a glance at Miku. “ This will be a pain but fun. ” Gumi thought.

Miku stepped out, gesturing for Luka to enter first. “Well..?” she asked. Luka wordlessly thanked the tealette as she proceeded to enter the said room, followed by the tealette. 

It is just an ordinary clubroom with just enough space to have a certain number of club members and instruments. They put their things at a nearby corner of the room as they prepared themselves to play. 

The floor is wooden while the walls are cement. The windows are all over the left side of the room. It illuminates the room with the brilliant morning sun, making it unnecessary to open the lights.

Luka decided to gingerly sit at the corner where the band’s things are placed as her eyes trailed to the busy bodies. She watched as Miku took the guitar with the same color as her hair and walked in front, right by a small amplifier. Rin took the stool for the drum set. Len took another electric guitar. Lastly, Gumi took the bass. 

The group connected their instruments to their respective amplifiers except for Rin who bounced in  obvious excitement.

They checked their instruments and took a last look on the sheet music before they started playing. Miku sang as they did and one could see how she took notes of the cues and voiced the adjustments as she did. 

It was in no time at all when the band became too engrossed that they failed to notice the utter starstruck expression the pinkette had on her face. 

It took a few times until they found a melody that was close to what they wanted. They were thrilled and continued playing with enthusiasm. Luka saw it all and she just closed her eyes, basking in the music she fell in love with.

It was almost a shame that the school bell signaled the start of class. The teenagers inside the music clubroom scrambled on their feet as they hastily but cautiously took out the jack from the amplifier. They placed the instruments back to where they were. The pinkette is already outside waiting for them to come out. Miku was the last to go so she locked the room.

As they descended to the second floor, Luka said “Hey, guys. I have to meet up with the principal to know my schedule so,” She paused as the group reached the last step, turning to face them. “I should go. See you, guys later!”

~0~

Luka ventured to the far end of the ground floor corridor until she spotted a familiar door with the word ‘principal’ carved on a very fancy looking door. She breathed in and knocked, entering only after hearing permission.

After a few minutes of introduction about the school and a few explanations, she was finally sent to her classroom. “I hope I get into Miku’s class.” Luka said aloud. She climbed the staircase and went directly to her room. She knocked but instead of hearing someone say enter like the one from the principal. The door slammed open, revealing a jolly long-haired blonde with the same blue eyes as the twins. 

“Oh! You must be Megurine Luka!” She gleefully stated. “Come in!” she said as she made way for the transferee.

“Thanks, sensei.” She smiled politely. The teacher responded with a smile. 

“Everyone, this is Megurine Luka. Please treat her well.” the teacher said as Luka entered.

The pinkette looked around the room. She saw a familiar teal sitting with the others. This made her smile from ear to ear. She feels her eyes sparkle as she sees the smiling face of the tealette. “ We are in the same class! Thank you! ” She sends her thoughts to the principal. 

After a while, she realized that she is silent and that everyone in class is waiting for her to say something. “Hi, please call me Luka! I hope that we can get along!” She said with a child-like smile. 

“Good! Now, take a seat there.” Masuda-sensei pointed out. It was near the windows but far from the people that she already knows. As the pinkette passed through the seats, she gave her classmates a smile as they curiously looked towards her. At that instant, her classmates, no matter what gender, felt a rush of heat on their cheeks and butterflies suddenly invaded their stomachs. A student accidentally let a pen fall from their table. 

“Oh! I’ll get it!” the pinkette says in an attempt of trying to be a good classmate. She bent down and grabbed the pen. “Here.” she hands the pen back to her classmate who just got scarlet red after that encounter. The girl silently nodded and stared at her table in embarrassment. The pinkette then continued to go to her seat. 

Seeing the pinkette settle on her seat, Masuda-sensei clapped her hands in an attempt to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, guys! I am going to reveal the most important event of the year - the student week!” she says excitedly. “This would start on Monday next week so until then, the class has to prepare for our play. This year the class is assigned to have a play about Cinderella,” The whole class whined at the theme. “Or…” Masuda-sensei continued. “We can just do a scene. What do you guys think?” The class whispered among themselves. “Now, Kagamine Rin, Ms. class president, please do your job.”

“Yes, sensei.” She stood up and walked up to the white board where she used a WB marker to write the options. “So, what do you guys prefer?” she asks. “Who’s up for the play?” No one responded. “So, a scene then. Any part that you guys want to re-enact?” 

A hand flew upward. “The meeting of Cinderella and the prince.” Rin wrote ‘meeting’ on the board.

“Fitting of the glass slipper.” Rin once again wrote a short version with the term ‘fitting’.

“The end!” one said. Rin wrote ‘end’. 

“Any more?” the blonde asked. The class remained silent. “One vote a person, alright? So! Who is for meeting?” almost half of the students’ hands shot up. “Okay. ‘fitting’?” only a few rose their hands. “And how about ‘end’?” Almost the other half of the students raised their hands. “So, we’ll go for the ‘meeting’ then?” She turned to look at the teacher who then nodded for her to continue. “Alright so now…”

She continued and finished the discussion within the limited time. Everyone is sorted into their own teams but all of them have to participate in the ‘party’, meaning they have to provide for their own party wear. There were no problems whatsoever about the division of labor and the clothes but the whole class is divided as soon as they volunteer some students for the role of Cinderella and the Prince. 

Surprisingly though, Luka and a white-haired guy whose name is Dex were in a showdown of who would be prince while Miku and a girl with flowing brown hair named Kokone are tied for the role of the princess. Luka and Miku were about to back down when the class bell rang as a signal of the start of the next class. 

~0~

“ Kokone is glaring at me… ” Miku thought as she shivered at the sight of the girl staring at her. “ Just ignore her. Ignore her. ” She thinks to herself as she fixes her things for the next class. “ And Dex..? ” She thought in worry as she glanced to where the white-haired guy. He is the person sitting next to Luka and they seem to get along just fine. The tealette sighed in relief.

Gumi leaned behind her to whisper at Miku. “Dex seems to be having a good time, getting to know Luka.”

“Yeah. Good for her,” Len said. “They seem to get along.” Miku just hummed in agreement, finding the topic a bit useless. She just looked unto them and figured ‘why not?’.

Recess came, and Luka made a beeline to Rin and the others. “Yo! Uhm, Rin,” She says towards the little blonde who approached Luka with a questioning face. Miku and others also became intrigued and leaned towards them. “I think that I shouldn’t be the prince.” she says with an apologetic smile.

“What? Why not?” Rin asked. 

“Well, first, I don’t think it would be cool if a transferee took someone else’s spotlight. Also, Dex has been wanting a chance with that Kokone girl,” she grinned happily. Rin looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “What?”

Rin sighed. “Look, half of the class wants you. Same goes for you Miku.” She made a quick glance towards Miku. “With the way the whole class was, I am afraid they’ll attack each other.” She shivered as if it would make for a good description. “So, I think we can’t make someone have what role without having a mob from the other’s fan club. We have to make a compromise for the four of you to be able to have a spotlight during the dance.”

“Fan club...?” Luka asked.

“Miku has one. Although they are really subtle about it. And it seems that you just got yourself one.” Gumi filled in. “This will be interesting. It is practically world war!” She bounced in obvious excitement.

“I am gonna let Kokone have the Cinderella role. I mean, I just need to be put on the dance floor, right? So, I think I can just be props.” Miku shrugs, silently catching Kokone’s glare. “So, I guess that would be good.”

“Yeah, same.” Luka interjected. 

Rin thought for a second after a visible smirk is found on the girl’s face. She called for the script writers and they dragged them to the far end of the corner. “ That… can’t be good. ” Miku thought to herself as she observed the group getting fired up. 

The whole day passed with the tealette worrying over the whole script team thing. She has been thinking about what they are going to do so much that she didn’t even notice that she is subconsciously following the group through the gate. Luka snapped her out of it though. “Hey, Miku. You okay?” she asks.

The tealette felt herself gasp as the ocean-blue eyes stared at her teal ones. She felt her cheeks heat up, but she managed to keep a cool head. “Huh? Yeah. What’s up?”

“You were going to show me around, right?” Luka asked with a smirk.

Miku thought for a second but found no memory of it. “What? I didn’t-” She didn’t get to finish her sentence as Luka pulled the girl back to the building.

“See you tomorrow!” Luka happily said as she dragged the tealette. Miku saw the obvious smirk of the female blonde. “Thanks for accompanying me, Miku.” Luka said with a childish smirk on her face.

The tealette can’t help but think that the person in front of her is annoying but at the same time adorable. She softly gave the girl a karate chop on the head and said, “You could have just asked me to give you a tour.”

The pinkette scratched her head in embarrassment. “I guess I should have.” She laughed. And so, they proceeded with the tour, with Miku doing most of the talking while Luka would just silently walk right beside her with a smile on her face. 

The tealette would sometimes catch Luka pay attention to her than to the scenery. “ Oh, my leeks… ” The tealette thought as she breathed in and out in an attempt to calm down despite the unrest in her stomach. “ Thankfully, this will be the last one. ” She thought as she went on to the last place – it is the auditorium. 

Once they got there, Luka looked awestruck and her eyes widened in soft recognition. She ran to the front of the stage. Her ponytail swished from side to side as she did so. When she finally reached her destination, she stopped and breathed in. Miku paused and looked at how the pinkette closed her eyes as if making an image in her head. After a few seconds, she walked back to the tealette with her usual smile on her face.

“This ends that, does it?” The pinkette smiles at her. “It sucks for you, though.” She turns her head towards the tealette. “You still have to endure my presence until we get back home!” She says with a happy tone.

Miku stayed silent, feeling the heat on her cheeks. She paused for a moment as she remembered a conversation early in the morning. The tealette grinned. “Heh. Don’t you have to go to a certain club right now?” she says with a hint of victory in her tone.

Luka looked like she only heard it now but after a few seconds her expression changed to horror. “Oh, shit, Kaito is gonna kill me…” She says as she stares off into space but then she recovers with a shrug. She turned her sights back to Miku. “Well, I think that I’d much rather be going home with you, though.” she says with a wink.

The tealette felt her cheeks red in embarrassment. She raised her fist and hit the pinkette on the head, straight-up. “Idiot!” She fumed as she barged on her way back to gates and then to her house. This happens with a pink puppy following her with a smile and a slight bump on her head.

~0~

Gumi sat by the counter of the newly opened café. She waited for the owners, green eyes looking in amazement at the decorations of the café. She is friends with the owners who she met at a coffee convention in another country. They clicked in an instant due to the similar tastes in ground coffee. Nevertheless, the greenette would have not agreed to meet them if there's anything less than satisfactory.

The design is homey. Brown and white are painted on the walls while a pair of transparent sliding glass doors are present at the front where she can see the park. Tonight, though, it was covered with blinds. 

The soft yellow light covered the area as well as couches, chairs and tables that are placed at the wide space to the right. There were tables at the front so that some people could view the park while having a snack or a drink. As she inspected the place, she felt relaxed. This might become her favorite despite opening recently. 

Gumi heard the door behind the counter open. Her eyes immediately brightened at the sight of them. They were, admittedly, older than her but it did not hinder their friendship. 

One person has flowing brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her name is Mary Caitlin, or MC. She says that she hates her given name. “ It is either MC or we are not friends at all. ” She had been a host to an organization called RFA. Now, she helps her “friend” in the business.

The other person has flowing brownish gold hair and golden eyes. Her name is Jaehee Kang. She had been the assistant to one of the toughest CEOs of the world, Jumin Han. It was only three years ago that she had resigned to start her own coffee shop. Now, she owns a chain of internationally acclaimed coffee shops in the world.

Gumi beamed at the sight of them. It had been way too long since they talked to each other. Both of them are kind of like her big sisters – annoying but she loves them all the same. “MC-san! Jaehee-san! Look who’s here!” Gumi said as she presented herself.

“Oh. It’s only Gumi.” MC said, uninterested. When the greenette’s smile turned to pout, she chuckled and hurriedly swerved around the counter to tug the greenette into a big hug. “Oh, come on! I was only joking.”

Gumi reciprocated the hug immediately, feeling herself sway with MC’s movement. “I missed you, MC!” she said, muffled by the shoulder of her friend. There was suddenly a distinct smell wafting through the air. It was the smell of hot chocolate. 

Bright green eyes turned to look at the counter where Jaehee was placing a cup before swerving around the counter to the greenette a hug. “We miss you, too, Gumi.” She said in that gentle, motherly tone that Gumi often missed. She took a seat by the counter where MC was leaning on the counter. 

Gumi found herself seated in front of the two other women. She held a hand towards the warm cup of cocoa, savoring the smell of the perfect cocoa. “I miss you, too, my dear cocoa.” She murmured as she took a sip.

MC laughed a little before muttering “Of course, you did.” She shook her head in exasperation. 

“Oh!” MC said as she ran back to the counter and pulled out a batch of heavenly cookies. “We have these as trials. Would you care for a taste test?” The woman said as she laid them on a plate. 

Green eyes shone brightly. “You know, your trials often end up ruining other pastries for me.” She said as she took one from the plate.

“Not that it ever stops you.” MC teased as she nudged the greenette.

“Nope. Definitely, not.” Gumi admitted as she took a bite. It was heavenly… 

Jaehee chuckled at her expression. “How are you? Anything interesting?” Jaehee asked as she leaned on the counter top, a small smile gracing her lips. 

Gumi took a moment to think as she munched on the cookie. Her mind went silently to Luka. She sighed at the thought. It was quite obvious how the pinkette would look lovesick over Miku. Plus, she knows that she had seen her somewhere before. 

Her eyes are directed to MC, the brown-haired woman, sporting a smile and a raised eye-brow. MC and Luka have many similar qualities but this is one that both are suffering from for no reason at all. “Well… There is another idiot that I need to guide – another lovestruck idiot.”

Chapter Text

Luka sat on her bed while staring at her pacing best friend. He had been stressing out on something that they both knew would come. It is kinda concerning. The pinkette rolled her ocean blue eyes at Kaito as he tried to think of a solution for the current problem. It has been almost an hour, though. “Kai, would you stop that? You are wearing out my oh-so expensive carpet.” she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Kaito looked at her as if she was crazy but he stopped wearing out the carpet so Luka guesses that’s a win. “How can you joke right now? This is fucking serious, man!” He shouted at her, angry at her utter lack of care for the situation. Blue eyes blazed in something akin to anger and sadness.

Luka only smiled at him. “Kai, sit down.” She said as she pats the space beside her. The pinkette watched as Kaito’s blue eyes turned glassy. 

Through childhood until recent, their bed has always been the place where every important conversation took place. This is where they were both scolded by their parents as they get patched up for scrapping their knees or were confined after a fight. This is where Luka talked to Kaito about her apparent interest with this one whereas he would confess to having wet dreams much to Luka’s discomfort and amusement. This is where she confessed that she might be lesbian and him confessing to be bisexual. This is where she told him her biggest secret.

The blue-haired upperclassman sat beside her, cross-legged and facing her. She mirrored his movements and took his hands. “You know that it is too late to do anything about it. It is tradition.”

Kaito huffed. “A sleazy and old tradition if you ask me.” He said as he positioned himself so that he can lay down on the bed with his legs hanging from one side.

The pinkette rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, you know that they accepted my being a lesbian. Give them some credit!” She said as she laid on her bed following Kaito’s example. “Do you think that they would allow me to have a wife?”

Now, it is the blue head’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh yeah, totally. Is that not why you are transferring? To woo the love of your life?”

Luka groaned, feeling the heat on her cheeks. “S-Shut up.” She said as she slapped his abdomen. “I am not there to quote-unquote woo her. I just want to get to know who she is. Besides, she’s straight.”

“Okay, there are two things that I want to say. One, if you are not going to woo your Miku, then I could guarantee with almost certainty that you will not help your gay ass and start flirting with her right after you met or even see her. And two, how can you tell? You don’t even know her yet.”

Luka remained quiet for a moment, asking the same question herself. “I just…” She felt the bed shift on her side. “I just…” She closed her eyes, feeling the onset of tears behind her eyelids. “I am content with just… her knowing me. I don’t want anything more. I just need to be in her life, even for a moment.”

Kaito sat up, again, piercing Luka with a questioning gaze. When Luka turned her head to the side, unable to meet his gaze, the blue haired upperclassman gasped upon realization. “Are you kidding me? Luka! It has been so long since that-that…” He ruffled his head in frustration. “Please, don’t make me use the b-word. Besides, why would you say that this and that are the same?”

“Why couldn’t I say that it is the same?” Luka shot back. She smirked when she felt a pillow hit her face. “That’s childish, Kaito-senpai. What would Mei-Mei think?”

The blue-head reddened visibly. “She will think that you are an idiot!”

The pinkette only smirked. “I thought that was already established.”

~0~

The next day, the homeroom started with the tealette feeling a chill on her spine after seeing the bright and cherry display of certain blondes at the front. If there was one thing that says ‘caution’ as loud as a red light, it would be Rin and Lily happily grinning. 

Every person seemed to have noticed since the silence was tense. She exchanged looks with Gumi but she only flashed a smirk at her before turning back to her writing pad. 

Miku suddenly felt like running from the classroom. She eyed the door at the back of the classroom, honestly thinking of bailing. Her eyes suddenly landed on the few people who seemed to be imitating this certain smiley face. She assumes that it must be the script team. “ Oh my god, I need to get out of here. ”

“So…” Teal eyes turned to the very first person to brave breaking this kind of silence - Luka. “I would like to give the prince position to Dex.” 

Masuda-sensei and Rin’s grin grew wider as they said okay. That made Luka sigh in relief but Miku knew better than to feel relief. “I am assuming Ms. Hatsune would want to let the Cinderella role be given to Ms. Kokone.” Miku only nodded hesitantly, still wary of the creepy Kagamine smile. 

The room was about to explode with complaints until Masuda-sensei jollily let the class president take the floor. “Now, we know your complaints. But never fear! We have devised a side-story for our two killjoys.” Rin said. 

“ Here it goes. ” Miku thought as she warily looked away.

“The prince has a best friend named Claire. She is a mischievous heir from the land of the south. Known for her bravery, kindness, playfulness, and her boyish tendencies, she is seen as more chivalrous than graceful. She hated dresses but loved trousers. The Prince calls her Lars. Nevertheless, no one knows of their friendship as it might be misinterpreted as that of courtship but once she dresses up as a man, they can be interpreted as the best of friends. 

“The prince invited her, knowing that she’ll dress up as a sir rather than a lady. They gathered at the prince’s party where they met their true love. The prince met the beautiful Cinderella while the Claire met servant Belle who is considered invisible by the public eyes,” The blonde finished, smiling in that self-satisfied way that Miku knows that she is happy about the situation. “The Prince’s Best Friend and the Prince’s Servant.”

The tealette’s brain slightly fell behind, her eyes blinking to process the information. But when she did catch up, her mind went to one thing in particular. She will be dancing with Luka. Her ears felt hot from embarrassment. “No. Way.” Miku said in disbelief. 

“Yes way, Ms. Hatsune. You’ll be pairing up with Ms. Megurine for the dance! Also, the rest of you, except for the technical team and the narrator, will have to participate to make the crowd as convincing as possible.” The teacher continued, not paying any mind to the slight combustion that is Miku. 

“Now,” Lily said, putting a box on the table. “I have here a box with the names of the remaining males of the class. So, if you want, please stand up to get your partner. The rest could just stay at the sidelines.” Lily grinned, leaving the table to stand at the side, seeing how some chose. 

“Since all of you probably know how to waltz, there would be no allotted time for practice just know that you will be dancing in a circle behind the main pairs. Time will, instead, be used for props preparation, headed by Stage managers.” Masuda-sensei nods to Rin.

Rin took that as a sign to speak. “The main characters will have a meeting with the script team. Please take note of what personality you should act as. They'll come to you so don't bother standing up.” She said, eyes twinkling with mischief as it landed on Miku. The little blonde smiled sweetly but Miku only wanted to throw something at her. “Also, the conversations will be impromptu but please take note of the flow.”

The script team stood up. Each member headed towards different main characters. Miku faced hers with a greeting despite herinner turmoil. 

“So!” The script team member said as she took the seat right in front of her. “Belle is a no-nonsense type. She is a person who would obey rules and live by them. She’s strict and to the point,” The person turned her chair to face Miku. “It turns out that she met Claire by chance. They locked eyes for a very brief moment, but Belle turned her head away as Claire was suddenly called by a guest.”

The tealette found herself drifting as she listened. But, it was neither the scenario nor the fact that the script team member seemed to talk with her hands that made her slip into an uncontrolled day dream. Nevertheless, she fought valiantly and kept on listening.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

“Belle thinks that nothing will happen with Claire until she felt someone tug at her skirt, causing her to fall but then Claire came and caught her. From there, she is invited to dance with her and...” From here on out Miku blanked out. Her mind flew to thinking of how the pinkette would take her hand as she was led to the dancefloor, entering a world that she knew couldn’t be breached without an invitation. She imagined the gentle way Luka would take her hand as they danced. She thought of the ocean blue eyes staring at her. “And that's it!” Miku blinked back to reality. “Good luck, Miku!” The person greeted and left.

She totally got nothing. The tealette buried her face in her arms, feeling embarrassed and so out of control. At the thought of having the pinkette’s arm around her waist while gently holding her hand, Miku let out a silent scream. “ What am I thinking? ” 

Her delusion came crashing against her once again. This time seeing the teasing glint of the ocean blue eyes staring back at her own. Their faces close enough to touch but far enough to be appropriate for a first meeting. The pinkette started the dance and… “ Wait… How does it go again? ” She thinks for a moment, staring at the space of the ceiling. 

Time passed, and the gals finished their draw but the tealette remained spaced out. It was only after the bell rang that she snapped back to reality. “ No way! I don’t know how to dance a waltz?! ” She internally panicked. She told herself to calm down. Little does she know that she got the attention of a certain pink-haired dancer.

~0~

As soon as she went home, she opened her laptop and surfed the net but once she tries to imitate their movements, she gets lost or stumbles with her own feet. That night, she slept in a dour mood at the thought of not knowing how to dance a simple waltz.

The sadness lasted until morning and she had to drag herself from the bed. Luka, surprisingly, is not at their dining room like she had been these past two days. Instead, she finds her looking like she will cry in minutes. 

Miku immediately opened the door, feeling both worried and tired from the emotional impact of not knowing something so simple. Opening the front door, she saw one pinkette, sulking as she stared at the pavement. It looked like a puppy got kicked out by its owner. The tealette worriedly approached the dancer, taking in the lack of sunshine which she had come to associate with Luka. “Hey, you okay?” 

Luka raised her head from looking at the stone. Ocean blue eyes were glistening with unshed tears while dark circles were visible under. “Are you that against dancing with me?” She asked, her tone matching her mood. 

“What are you talking about?” The tealette can’t help but ask, tilting her head as a frown graced her lips. 

Luka looked away. “Y-You just-” She breathed in, obviously holding a sob at the back of her throat. “You just looked so depressed yesterday when they said that we will be partners for the dance,” Luka’s voice kept on getting lower in volume as she went. “I am sorry for being a burden to you…” The pinkette distanced herself from the confused tealette and started her walk back to school on her own.

“Hey, wait!” she shouted. “Don’t decide things by yourself!” The tealette saw wide-eyes of the taller girl and gasped as she saw that tears were streaming on her face. Miku took out her handkerchief and instantly wiped the tears out of Luka’s cheeks. “Look, that’s not the reason why I acted like that yesterday.” she calmly explained.

The pinkette looked at her with her head tilted slightly to the side.

Miku sighed and looked away, feeling the heat of embarrassment, creeping to her cheeks. “I don’t know how to-” She mutters, barely heard by Luka. She clears her throats, trying for a slightly less embarrassed tone. “I don’t know how to Waltz…” There was a pause, a heavy silence until the air was suddenly filled with laughter. “S-Shut up!” Miku shouts a bit angry but mostly embarrassed. Luka still couldn’t stop her laugh. “S-Stop it! I am serious!”

Just then, Miku felt a hand creeping to her shoulder from behind. She shouts in horror. “C-calm down, Miku…” says Kaito. He looked like he had no sleep. His eyes were droopy. Eye bags were easily seen, and he looked tired. “If you are thinking about how I have these deep dark bags under my eyes, Luka made me stay up late to listen to her ramblings. Honestly, I didn’t think that you would get upset over something like that.” Kaito said as he stretched his arms up. His eyes drifted to the dancer on the ground. “What happened to her?”

“Hah..! Ouch, my stomach aches. Hahaha.. Haha.” Luka barely made out. 

Kaito remained silent. “I see that you guys made up.” 

“You can say that.” Miku glared at Luka.

“Well! Let’s go to school, then!” He says with a renewed energy as she drags the pinkette along with them. 

Upon meeting the twins, Luka was already clutching her stomach in pain. Kaito let go of her and made her fall to the ground. 

Gumi bent down and poked the quivering pinkette. “What happened to her?” She asked as she poked Luka a bit more. The tealette only huffed as a response.

Rin stared Luka with expressionless eyes. Somehow, the dancer’s quivering and general worm like movement had her annoyed. This made the female twin put a bump on the Luka’s head. “You deserve that, you quivering woman.” She said in a detesting tone.

The hit was able to stop Luka from her uncontrollable actions. She sat up and smiled as she rubbed the tears that formed on her eye. “Thanks, Rin! I needed that.” She picked herself up and patted out any dirt on her. 

“Shion-senpai, are you alright?” Len asked. “You look like you haven’t slept?” His eye brows furrow in worry.

“Yeah... I didn’t.” Kaito said with a soft smile on his face. He pats Len’s hair and says “Don’t worry, Lenny!” Len blushed furiously. 

“Ah, young love...” Gumi teased, earning a glare from the male twin. Sensing an attack, she grabbed Rin’s hand and started running away just when Len was about to charge at the greenette.

Meanwhile, Luka, Miku, and Kaito walked to the school, following the three ahead of them. 

Kaito laughed at the scene while Miku and Luka walked quietly side by side behind him. With a soft nudge to Miku’s shoulder, Luka caught her eye and flashed a small sincere smile. “Do you want me to teach you?” 

Miku hummed in thought for a minute. “Thanks for the offer but I would like to study it by myself.” 

Luka stretched and yawned. “Suit yourself then.” She said, locking her hands behind her head. “Oh!” She exclaimed as she grabbed a pen and a paper from her bag and then writing something on the piece of paper. “Here! You can call me if you change your mind!” She happily hands Miku the piece of paper with a neat scribble of a series of numbers.

“Thanks...” The tealette murmured as she took the piece of paper from Luka.

“Then again, this is only a reason for me to get your number.” Luka continues as if it is a matter of fact. She said it so smoothly and confidently that the tealette actually felt a rush of heat on her face. Feeling the overwhelming urge to punch Luka, Miku gripped her hand and held it menacingly in the air. The dancer saw this and laughed, raising her hands innocently. “I was kidding!”

From the front, the two heard a whistle coming from Kaito. “Smooth, man! Really smooth!” He grinned as he shot a teasing smile at Luka who eventually left Miku to chase the blue-haired human.

~0~

At the school, classes were already canceled in preparation for student week. The stage managers held their heads up high as they instructed and made their classmates see what kind of scene should be done. 

For the next few days, they prepared for the setting of the scene. They made the curtains curl to the way that was instructed. A huge background painting is done by the artists of the classroom. Two long tables are decorated. 

Meanwhile, Miku has been practicing for the waltz at night and she is failing miserably. She doesn’t know what is wrong. She knows that she is doing everything correctly. “So why..?” She murmurs to herself. 

She tries again but falls as she turns. As she was about to pick herself up, her eyes trailed to the piece of paper that has Luka’s number on it. For a moment, she considered it but shook herself out of the idea. With renewed determination, she stands up and continues trying to learn how to dance the waltz.

Each day that she fails to dance, she becomes depressed and is incapable of doing any work. As a result, she is more frustrated in the morning. Everyone notices of course, nevertheless they left her alone, except for Luka who kept on offering. 

She knows what Miku is going through and there could only be one helpful advice she could give. However, the guitarist would refuse despite looking both sleep deprived and irritated. 

“I appreciate the thought but no, tha-” Miku yawns, unable to finish her statement as she stretches her back, accidentally painting pink on her face. And Luka. Well, she could only look at her with an amused and affectionate smile.

~Luka’s P.O.V.~

It is already afternoon in the weekend and Luka has been strictly told by Kaito to meet him in the fields. There might have been some pouting and a glare, but she agreed so here she is now, basking in the sunlight. 

She closed her eyes as she felt the wind brush her face. She cannot deny that this was a good idea. The lush green of the fields and soft breeze made her smile for a bit but the harmony of the team is the fire that ignited her spirits.  

She always had a passion for sports. It is one of the reasons why high school did not seem so bad but when she needed to leave she cannot help but miss it. She missed the rush of adrenaline and the thrill of teamwork but that did not mean that she regretted anything, especially meeting with Miku, Rin, Len, and Gumi. 

She ran across the field, dodging, and dribbling the ball with her feet. The pinkette smirked as she arrived just outside the base of the defender of the goal. With one swift kick, the ball was inside the net. 

Luka pumped her fist in the air in a shout of victory. Her teammates ran toward her, arms raised for a high-five which she gladly returned with her widest grin. The ache in her muscle and the sweat dripping from her scalp giving her a good boost of happiness. “Good job, guys!” she said.

The team captain came towards her with the same grin on her face. “Nice run, Megurine!” The girl gave her a high-five. “You’ll definitely make the team!”

She smiled at the captain. “I would love to join.” She grinned. This team has the same team chemistry that she wanted to be a part of. The other sports clubs were either egotistic or just plain lazy. Yes, she has standards. She would hate to be part of the wrong sports team.

“Nice!” The team captain said. “See you in the locker rooms!” The pinkette returned a thumbs up.

She walked towards the bench where her bags were placed, quickly fishing her bottle of water, feeling the need for a drink of water. Her eyes wandered to the only book in her very spacious bag. Her eyebrows furrowed as soon her mind is directed to a white post-it note that she found mysteriously tucked inside her unused literature book. Before she could think more about it, she found herself ducking from a zooming soccer ball. 

Laughter erupted from where the ball had come from. An insufferable Kaito clutched his stomach in laughter. Luka rolled her eyes, taking another sip from her bottle. “You know,” The blue-haired upperclassman started as he sloppily took a seat beside her. “There’s a dance club somewhere in the school.”

The pinkette scoffed. Her best friend never did stop trying to encourage her dancing. “Oh, I am sure there is. I am well aware of the list you gave me. The little drawings were a nice touch if it wasn’t for the lack of artistic talent.” 

“Don’t I know it!” He grinned. “So..? Did my lack of artistic skills entice you to join the club?” 

The pinkette bellowed a laugh. “Oh certainly! The mango and sorta-banana did an excellent job at it!” She said, her eyes twinkling with humor. Kaito shoved her, light-heartedly. Luka only grinned before she seriously took it into consideration, but she always came to the same conclusion. “No, I don’t think I will.” Kaito turned his head. “You know the reason. Dancing is my own world and as much as a singles competition would be great, it would just make me feel alone, fighting by myself.”

The blue-haired upperclassman only rolled his eyes. “Well, you wouldn’t feel so alone if you would just let someone in your so-called world.” Luka stuck out her tongue in defiance. “Yeah, sure. Be as immature as you want, BesMan. You would not even feel the need to be alone if it wasn’t for that-” Her best friend’s eyes glinted with anger at a distant memory but he closed his eyes, thankfully calming down before Luka told him to. He sighed and stood. “Anyway, we were finished just a while ago. Want me to wait for your hygienic hide?” he says, trying to lighten up the mood.

Luka felt a smile gracing her lips at the show of restraint. “Why, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you are trying to woo me with your chivalry.” She says, batting her eyes sweetly. 

Kaito gagged, obviously grossed out. “The day I would ‘woo’ you is the day I am never existent.” The pinkette laughed out loud. Suddenly, there’s another person approaching them, seemingly shy. The blue-head raised his hand in greeting. “Yo! The shower door open?” He asked. The guy was not replying and yet rooted on the spot.

“ Weird guy. ” Luka thought as she waved a hand at him. That seemed to wake him from something. His cheeks went red and went sprinting all the way back to the gym. “What’s wrong with him?” The blue-haired upperclassman raised an eyebrow at her. “What?”

“You idiot.” He murmured as he shook his head before he took off, following after the guy. “See you at the gates, Best Man!”

“What the hell..?” she asked herself. Thinking none of it, she took her bag and went to the girls’ shower room.

She met a few others who she knew were from the soccer team. Flashing them a smile, Luka gave them a small nod as she prepared to bathe. She took a shower, feeling the dust, sand, and sweat out of her skin. 

Luka knew it would only take a few minutes. Nevertheless, she would never hear the end of her best friend’s rant if she went past the agreed thirty-minute rule, so she quickly got out and changed into her sleeveless hoodie and jogger pants. 

Going into a jog as she reached the gate, she found Kaito with his arms crossed and a very angry expression on his face. The pinkette frowned, knowing that something went wrong while she was away. “Kai?” Luka called out, stopping beside him.

In lieu of greeting, Kaito glared at the road ahead. “She’s here.” 

Her heart began to race, and anxiety took over. Ocean blue eyes drifted to the road, trying to catch a glimpse of a familiar limousine but there was none. She sighed, feeling relief among the fear of seeing her again. “What did she want?” Luka asked, almost fearing the answer. 

The blue-haired upperclassman only shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Cold sweat coursed on her skin but it did not compare to the cold she felt on the inside. The anger had faded, she knew... but she never had the strength to push everything else she felt aside. Her dread and fear never did leave after the years. The only time when her world did not crumble after that is when she stood, in awe and excited as if she hadn't lived before that moment. It was when she was pulled, unwittingly, into the world Miku and others created.

She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. Her thoughts took her back to that time where the energy from the people she did not know had rejuvenated her. The lights were colorful as they flashed over the band onstage. The thrumming of the guitar vibrated to every cell in her body. And the voice… The voice had awakened her from the sinkhole that that person had created. 

Relief coursed through her, she felt calm once again, willing to take on whatever the person that person had come to haunt her once again. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes immediately fell on her best friend who had his eyes flash worriedly on her. “Thanks, Kai. I am alright, now.” She says as she places her hand on his, briefly. 

She started walking back to the dorm, thinking of a way to lighten up the mood. Her thoughts went to a certain note that was inside the unused literary book. “Hey, Kai…” He hummed in response. “Did you open my literary book?” 

“Of course not. Why?” he asked with an eyebrow shooting up to his hairline.

She reached to her pocket, taking out a folded white-post it note. “I saw this in my bag. It’s from Gumi.”

Kaito’s eyebrow’s shot to his hairline at the implication. “Huh. I knew you were going to be popular once you transferred here but I swear Gumi likes Rin.” Instead of answering, Luka slapped the note on his face. In all the years that they have been friends, she knew that this is the most effective way to shut his train of thought and he knew that. “Weird.” He says as he reads the note. “What do you think she wants?” He said as he gave the paper back to Luka.

Luka took a minute, scrunching her eyebrows in concentration as she tried to remember every encounter with the bassist. She came up with none. “Nothing that comes to mind. Was she always this weird?” 

Kaito only shrugged. “Let's go back to the dorm. You have to inform your family about your royal uniform.”

The dancer sighed, feeling more tired before the actual conversation. “Why can't you be the one to tell them? You are much better with the formal stuff.”

Her best friend snorted. “Oh yeah, that would be much better. Do you think they would rather have my inability to stay in- in expressive and obviously superior good looks?”

Laughter danced through the air. “That would be hilarious!”

Chapter Text

Luka cannot stop smiling as she cradled the tube that held her certificate of graduation from middle school. The pink leaves seemed to flow through the air, seeming to join the soft dance of her now shoulder length hair. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes in reverence of the moment.

“Luka! Where the hell are you?” Kaito shouted against the sea of people exiting the gymnasium. The pinkette only laughed as she weaved through the crowd, easily finding her best friend. 

Once their eyes met, the blue head sagged in relief. “Do you know what your royal of a mother would do if I did not get at least five thousand graduation pictures of you?” he asked, as he stomped his way towards her.

The pinkette laughed. “She would probably have you suffer the glare with an intensity of at least five thousand. Good luck with that by the way!” She grinned at the way he rolled his eyes. 

“Where is the Dancer-master?” Luka heard a familiar voice asks from the sea of people. Ocean blue eyes glanced at the direction where it came from. Her grin widened as she saw a shorter girl with flowing  raven-black hair and purple eyes.

“Roshi!!” The pinkette can’t help but squeal as she lounged at the shorter girl with her arms open wide for a bear hug. “Where have you been?!” she asked, ignoring the groan of protest coming from the student council president as Luka hugged the girl.

“Can’t… Breathe…” She heard the girl murmur on her shoulder. Laughing out loud, the pinkette released the girl from her affectionate death hug.

“So?” Luka asks, despite the noticing Kaito taking pictures from the side-lines. “Did you..??” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Roshi glared at her but the red on her face was destroying the effect of it. “Shut up, human,” her friend whispered in embarrassment as her eyes glanced to the side. 

Following her gaze, she saw the quiet and yet serious class representative, Cyber Diva - Roshi’s object of affection, glancing towards their direction. The golden haired class rep averted her eyes once she was caught staring. 

A hand directed Luka’s head away from it’s previous direction. “Stop looking, you idiot!” Roshi said in embarrassment. “I haven’t told her yet! I asked her to meet me when people are gone.”

Luka grinned and was about to retort when her phone vibrates from the depths of her pocket. Pulling out her phone, a name on the screen flashed back towards her, heart skipping a beat as soon as she saw her lover’s name displayed. She can’t help the soft smile that made its way to her face.

“You guys are being gross again, aren't you?” Roshi asked with exasperation evident on her face. “Just… keep away from any public areas this time. Make everything PG, if you will.”

Luka felt herself redden at insinuation. With a resounding thud, she playfully punched the previous student council president on the shoulder. “Shut up, Roshi! Someone might get the wrong idea!” When she saw the other girl open her mouth, Luka pressed her palm against the shorter girl's mouth. “Nope, No retelling! Anyway, could you distract Kaito?”

Her friend glared at her, silently reprimanding her of any intent. “Luka, I swear, if you and Ritsu do the same stunt, I would personally show the world how much of a dork you are.” 

“Is that a ‘yes’?” Luka asked, shooting the other girl a hopeful glance. With a huff, Roshi agreed. “Yes! Thank you!” The pinkette immediately ran towards the school, grinning at the thought of her lover.

“Use protection!” Luka heard Roshi shout at her, shooting a glare at the shorter girl which earned a laugh from the raven-haired girl. “See you later!”

The pinkette gave a last wave before entering the school building and making her way to their classroom. Sliding the door open, the first thing that she noticed is the lack of any chairs inside the classroom and the drawn curtains.

Ocean blue eyes searched the expanse of the classroom for the familiar figure of a brunette but she saw no one inside the empty classroom. “Ritsu..?”

~Luka’s P.O.V.~

The pinkette woke with her eyes slow and unfocused. Her glassy eyes felt heavy and were near shedding her tears. Dropping her arm on her eyes, she forced herself to take rhythmic intakes of air, careful not to wake her best friend who was asleep at another bed. 

“ Why now?” She gripped her hand once she was reminded that Ritsu is somewhere near her. Unable to keep still, she sat up feeling her heart hammering in panic. 

Just then, there is a knock at the door. Clearing her voice for a bit and grabbing her hoodie to wear, she stood up and opened the door, only to find the guard at the front desk. “How may I help you Officer Kazu?” 

“Ms. Megurine, good morning. There is one Mrs. Hatsune at the front desk, asking for you.” He said with his face covered by the door, such is the protocol of the dormitory. 

At this, Luka can’t help but be surprised. “Oh,” She once again cleared her throat, hiding her utter bafflement from the guard. “I will go down in a few minutes,” she said, closing the door after a curt nod from Officer Kazu. 

The dancer turned toward Kaito, who bristled in his sleep. “You really need to stop making your security detail the front desk clerk,” he said as he burrowed deeper into his blanket.

“Well, it was not my idea,” Luka chuckled a bit. “Kai, I have to go for a bit though. See you later for lunch?”

The blue-head barely nodded before there was a snore - emanating from underneath the covers. 

Luka wordlessly took her dorm keys with her as she carefully opened and closed the door, not wanting to wake her best friend up. She took the elevator down to the lobby where Mrs. Hatsune had been sitting by a sofa with rather worried lines on her face. “Mrs. Hatsune!” Luka called out, trotting towards Miku’s mother. “Good morning!”

The older woman raised her eyes towards her, a small smile gracing her lips. “Good morning, Luka.” she said, standing up as the dancer got closer to her. 

“What can I help you with, Mrs. Hatsune?” Luka asked with her hands buried inside the pockets of her hoodie.

The older woman heavily sighed as she brushed a bit of her unusually unkempt hair to the side. “I need your help with Miku.” Luka tilted her head to the side, confused but somehow knowing the reason for the other woman’s pleas. “She has been falling all over her room since last week and we noticed that she has not been getting enough sleep.” The older woman ranted, obviously having a first with their daughter.  “We do not know what’s going on but hopefully you can lighten up her mood, since she always does whenever you’re around.”

Luka can’t help but feel bashful, ducking her head in an effort to hide the smile that threatened to appear on her face. She cleared her throat. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Hatsune. Miku is just trying to learn waltz for our play.”

The older woman scoffed but there was a small smile of relief present. “Thank you, Luka.” She straightened her back as she stood up. “Well, judging from the constant falling, I could guess that she needs some cheering up. So, join us for coffee?”

~Miku’s P.O.V.~

“ What am I? Who am I? ” Miku asks herself as she sprawled on the floor with her back gracing the cold ground. All throughout the morning, she has been trying, trying so hard that she has been questioning her own existence since being unable to perform a simple waltz. “ What am I doing with my life? ”

Just when she settled herself to another useless monologue, there was a knock on the door. The tealette turned her head to the side facing the said door. “Mom, Dad, I promise I am alright,” she shouted, expecting their concern just as it has been during dinner the past few days.

“Hey, Miss ogle?” A familiar voice said through the door. Her brain, fried as it could be, was slow in matching who this voice is from. “It’s me, Luka. Can I go inside?” 

Barely lifting her head from the ground, she tossed a look at the door. Miku sighed, knocking her head back down on the floor. “You can but no you may not.” 

There was a short breath of a laugh coming from the other side of the door. Miku only sat up, her eyebrow arching upward at the sound. “Do you really have that kind of spunk when you know that you are having a hard time?”

The guitarist only rolled her eyes before replying with a “Yes, I do, pink panther!” Miku can already see the pinkette having that amused grin on her face when she heard a slight chuckle.

“Aww.” Luka cooed. “Isn’t this nice? We already have nicknames for each other!” The tealette scoffed at that, feeling the slight tinge of warmth on her cheeks. “Anyway, let me just give you a hint.”

Miku won’t lie. She may or may not have saved Luka's number on her phone because she wanted to ask for help(on several occasions) but then, her pride would not take the leap and suffered. Now that she does not have to ask, she was desperate for a tip. 

The tealette crawled on her knees, going to the closed door. “What is it?” she asked, trying to keep her desperation hidden from the dancer. Without any preamble, Miku pressed her ear on the door, intending to hear the tip without seeing her friend’s amused face. 

“Listen closely.” Luka said. There was a small breath coming from Luka before saying. “You-”

“You..?” Miku can’t help but echo. 

“Need-”

“Need..?”

“A foot-” 

That made Miku jump from the door she was leaning on. “A what? A foot..?” she asked, clearly thinking it was a mistake.

The tealette heard the other shush her upon saying “Let me finish!” This time Miku pressed her ear even closer to the door. “To-” Luka said.

“Okay. To..?”

“Step on.” The pinkette says with finality.

The guitarist frowned as she reiterated the words. “‘You need a foot to step on’..?” Right then, Miku felt the vein on her forehead throb as she realized the pun and the implications of what the dancer had said.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Luka said with a degree of happiness that just makes Miku want to strangle her friend. “So, let me in already!”

“ARE YOU SAYING THAT I HAVE TWO LEFT FEET?!” The singer shouted, barely holding back her urge to make the pinkette regret she ever came into her home. There was a slight pause after her outburst. Instead, she heard a snicker. “SHUT UP, BOOBY MONSTER!” She shouted as she took her indoor slippers from under her bed, wanting- no, needing to give her friend a piece of her mind.

A gasp on the other side of the door was heard. “Oh my… M-Miku, I never thought that you would think of me like that but if you insist...” Luka said with a suggestive tone. The guitarist felt her face reddened, embarrassed and out of her element. 

She opened the door and threw a pillow at the smug face that Miku just wants to ruin with a few leeks. Luka smirked as she winked at the tealette, throwing the pillow back at Miku before running back down stairs. “COME BACK HERE!” the tealette shouts as she runs after Luka. 

Once Miku cleared the house of any Luka, she calmly goes back to her room and immediately lies down on the bed. She smiles, feeling a bit relieved of the panic. “Thanks, Luka...” She whispered to the space of the room and then she fell asleep, exhausted from her practice that day.

~0~

The school is buzzing with a new found energy. The quad is spread with booths for food and games with hundreds trudging the pathway in groups to join in the festivities. Classrooms are open as an establishment or attraction; some make a maze out of the room; some a haunted house with screams emanating from the open doors.

Luckily for Luka's class, their advisor had chosen to put up a class performance compared to having a booth set up. Instead, they had been making sure that everything would be all set for the play. 

Rin stood at the front with the stage direction and script, rolled in her hand. “Humans, let's move the props out of the room and on the hallway. Then, guys and girls could take turns in changing into costumes."

Immediately, the whole class worked on transferring the props from the room to the hallway. It was in no time at all when the hallways outside their class were filled with decorated tables, the tarpaulin for the stage drop, silverwares, bags of delicate sweets, and a bottle of wine, containing strawberry iced tea. 

While the girls waited in the hallway, one tealette was crouched by the glass window, hugging her legs in a desperate attempt to hide from the inevitable failure of her dancing. " I… fell asleep…" she thought bitterly.

A certain pink-haired dancer cannot help but continue shooting Miku with a concerned look on her face. Since they met up this morning, the guitarist had been walking like a zombie that had been freshly turned. 

Rin and Len had tried to calm her down with a piece of leek but even though it made her feel better, she can’t help but feel her sweaty palms and nervous heart beat. Having nothing much to do at the moment, she resorted to opening the paper bag that held her maid costume. It was rented by her parents from a costume store. It came with its own shoes and head dress. Still, Miku found herself groaning at the thought of tripping on her own toes in front of the entire student body.

Hearing a shuffling at her side, the tealette buried her face in her arms in an attempt to hide her nervousness. It was quiet for a moment before she felt a soft intense itch at her side. Letting out an undignified squeak, Miku jumped away, placing a palm where she felt the tickle.

Teal eyes found ocean blue eyes staring at her with a slight mischievous glint. “What are you doing?!” Miku shouts as she rubs her side.

Luka merely shrugged. “Poking your nervousness out.” 

The guitarist was about to give Luka a piece of her mind. Red hot anger that stemmed from nervousness seemed to be spent on the dancer but then, the pinkette softly placed a hand on the tealette’s head with a soft smile gracing her lips. Miku felt her anger and nerves disappear in an instant. 

“Don’t worry too much, okay?” The dancer said. 

~Third Person P.O.V.~

The door of the classroom opened and then the girls entered the room, of course, not without complementing the boys’ attires, especially Dex. His costume really outshines the others. But really, one thing that is endearing to watch is the way he looks at Kokone expecting her to say something. Meanwhile, the said girl has her cheeks flared up despite having a frown and a crease on her forehead. Sadly, she hurried to get inside the room. Dex smiled kindly at that.

The girls fished for their gowns, while Luka took her costume from her paper bag, choosing to change at the far end corner of the room where there is less probability of being seen by others. 

Miku can though. She has been unconsciously following the pinkette with her eyes. But as Luka turned her head to see if there was someone looking, Miku looked away with red on her cheeks. “ Am I a pervert or something? Get a grip on yourself, Hatsune! ” She scolds herself as she puts on her maid costume raising it above her head. She fishes for the white and frilly stockings and then the head dress. She puts them on and then the black open-toed shoes. Lastly, she puts on an apron. 

Miku looked to her friends who just started to have a pretend english conversation. “Hohoho, it is nice to see you here my cousin!” said Rin with a fan covering her face. Gumi twirled and said. “It is nice to see you too, my dear cousin.”     

The tealette sighed as she witnessed the two in their hysterical laughs of hoho. “ Santa Claus would probably be put to shame if he got next to these two. ” She thought as she pats her maid uniform. She looks around. Most of the girls were done and are either complementing or being complimented about the other’s dress. That is until someone shrieked somewhere in the background.

Everyone's attention automatically went to a certain girl who is fawning over a certain pinkette. Teal eyes widened as she saw Luka’s appearance. 

Her attire is that of a duke, just as was instructed. She has a black cape draped along her left shoulder. Under it is a black suit with a tail, trailing behind her. Meanwhile, a frilly white napkin hung on her chest, exposed from her black suit. A golden chain hanging, from one side to another. Meanwhile, a silver cord is put on her waist, emphasizing her curves in such a way that her androgynous flare seemed to have been accentuated. Her cuff links are pale gold while her white gloves made her prestige seem as believable as the duke of the story. Completing her get-up are her black slacks that reaches the ground, almost covering her shiny black shoes.

Miku cannot help the hitching in her throat as she saw the dancer’s expression. Luka was oblivious to the attention aimed at her as she mindlessly fixed her cufflinks. She has this far away blank expression that made it seem like she was unapproachable - a contrast to her usual personality. Somehow, the guitarist knew that there is more to the seemingly laid-back dancer.

Teal eyes cannot help but be captivated once again, despite the ear-piercing squeals and murmurs from her classmates. 

As if feeling Miku’s stare, Luka turned her head ocean blue eyes landing on teal eyes. There was a glint in her eyes as she gallantly held her hand up, silently demanding for silence. Suddenly, the room fell silent. The tealette felt as if they were the only two people there.

Walking in graceful strides, Luka made her way to the tealette. Their eyes contact never seeming to lose connection. 

Miku watched as the dancer slightly bowed in a regal practiced manner, soft hand gently reaching for Miku’s. “Miss...” she murmured, her lips nearing the back of the tealette’s hand. “Do I catch your attention?” Soft lips landed on her skin. 

The tealette couldn’t move, her mouth gaping and her heart racing. Only the loud shrieks snapped her back to reality. The ground shook at the intensity. Red-faced and embarrassed, Miku only knew of one thing to do. “Y-You..! Idiot!” she shouts as she hits the girl on the head.

Luka laughs as she ran away, weaving through people and table alike with a childish gleam in her eyes.

Chapter Text

The first time Luka met Ritsu it was during her soccer practice. It was a warm day. No, that would be a vast understatement. It was excruciatingly hot. Sweat was dripping all over her body while her jersey stuck to her skin.

The sun weighed heavily on her body as she ran through the grounds. Luka would have groaned if it wasn’t for the fact that she was literally running out of breath. Her teammates opted to stop practice hours ago. Luka did not really know what possessed her to spend more hours running in circles when she knew that the heat would be devastating in the afternoon.

She was on her way to the changing rooms when her vision suddenly spun out of control. Her knees gave in while her body soon followed the ground. Luka uselessly laid an arm across her closed eyes to block at least some of the heat.

“Hey, are you okay?” Luka heard someone call from above her head. Somehow the heat subsided as soon she heard this person’s voice. “You’re Luka Megurine, right?” the person asked.

The pinkette could only nod, happy to lay under whatever shade that this stranger had given for her. “Thank you so much… you saved my life.” Luka let her arms spread as long as the shade could cover her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, happy to meet whoever saved her. 

The girl chuckled. Brown hair trickled from her savior. Dark brown eyes stared down in amusement, a smile gracing her lips. “Well,” she said, a slight teasing tone could be heard. “I did not exactly come here without ulterior motives.” 

Luka smiled. “Well, I plan to return the favor as a reward. May I know your name, miss?”

“It’s Ritsu.” The girl took out her hand in a hand shake to which the pink-haired girl had sat up and reached up to reciprocate. 

Since then, the two had spent time together to the point where even Kaito felt like he was being replaced as the best man. They were friends until they weren’t.

Ritsu and Luka had moved outside the auditorium after an hour of dancing in their winter ball. The brown-haired girl wore a burgundy red dress that ended just above the knees while Luka had resorted to be a bit unorthodox and wear a suit and tuxedo, complete with skinny black slacks and shiny black heels. 

Both had decided to go to the dance without any dates, although there wasn’t any lack of people asking. They went with friends, as a group. After finding the rest of their friends partnered up on the dance floor as the night progresses, the two of them decided to just take a breather under the shine of the night.

“That was fun,” Luka said, stretching, soaking in the night’s cold air. “I am glad KaiMei is happening after Kaito had been gushing over her the past few months.” She laughed. Ocean blue eyes wandered to Ritsu, seeing her clutching her arms as she sought for warmth. Wordlessly, the pinkette took off her suit and was moving to lay it on her friend’s shoulders instead. 

Brown eyes looked at her as she approached. It was as if the air shifted with the way Ritsu looked at her. Luka had half a mind to ask but when the cold wind blew once again, the pinkette figured that she should just make it quick. 

Facing Ritsu, Luka put her arms around the girl, awkwardly excusing herself as she did so. Just as the pinkette was fixing the collar so that it would be put up against the wind, she felt a tug from her tux. 

Ocean blue eyes met with beautiful brown ones. It was only now that Luka noticed how close they were. Their bodies were only a few inches away. Luka could feel Ritsu’s hand on her waist, clutching at her tux as if aching to pull. She could feel her breath touching her lips and the intensity of Ritsu’s gaze. “I-I’m-”

“Do you remember the day we met?” Ritsu asked, just when the apology had begun rising from Luka's throat. The girl pulled at Luka’s tuxedo, almost eliminating the space between them. “I would like my reward now… please...”

The pinkette cannot help the way her breath hitches at the way Ritsu’s eyes were darting from her eyes to her lips. Luka could feel her heart thundering in her chest, as if threatening to break out. With their faces inches from each other, the pinkette found herself succumbing to the pull… slowly… slowly…

As their lips were about to meet, a hair’s width remaining, someone familiar shouted. “LUKA!” Kaito yelled, instantly breaking the magic of the night. “WHERE ARE YOOUUU...” The slurs in his voice were not missed by the pinkette. 

 Ritsu only sighed as she rested her forehead on Luka’s. “I really do hate him sometimes.” 

Luka laughed at that. “You say that all the time,” The two separated as tell-tale footsteps were heard coming from the direction of the auditorium. “So,” the pinkette began, darting her eyes to the floor, aware of the red tinge on her cheeks. She cleared her throat, gathering enough courage to ask. “Do you - I mean… What were you going to say?”

The brown-haired looked away as well, tugging Luka’s suit as if it would dispel the awkwardness. “I-” she cleared her throat, blushing as she struggled to meet Luka’s eyes. “I would like to go on a date with you.”

A wide smile covered Luka’s face as she heard Ritsu’s words. “I would love to.” The pinkette’s arms enveloped Ritsu’s form, even as she heard Kaito’s steps come nearer. 

 And they did. They went to the first, the second, and so on. They were happy. Ritsu made her happy and it didn’t take too long until Luka asked her to be her girlfriend. A few months after graduation would be their second anniversary. 

Well… it would have been...

“Ritsu..?” Luka called out to the empty classroom, despite seeing it empty and devoid of her lover.  She reached for her phone wanting to check if she is in the right classroom but the first thing she noticed on her phone is the notifications from a certain blue-haired person.

Where the hell are you??????  

The dancer scoffed and was about to reply when the chat bubbles next to Kaito’s picture appeared. 

GET YOUR FUCKING ASS DOWN HERE!!  Luka frowned. Kaito would only use that tone on her only when she did something wrong. “What the-” She whispered. Before she knew it her phone vibrated with Kaito’s responses.  

ARE U KIDDING ME?!  

BRUH! 

In case you didn’t know, you HAVE to ESCORT ur gf or at least meet up with her BEFORE she left!

Ocean blue eyes looked around the classroom again, still finding no signs of her lover. The phone in her hand vibrated once again.

SRSLY??? SHE’S LEAVING!! 

GET UR BUTT DOWN HERE!

The pinkette cursed as she ran outside the classroom, hoping to, at least, talk to her before she left. Leaping  and jumping through the flights of stairs, she found herself just in time to see Ritsu exit the gates of the school. “Ritsu!” she shouted, even at the cost of people staring at her.

She heard her! At least, Luka could have sworn that she heard her. She saw Ritsu’s head turn slightly as if looking over her shoulder but her lover did not pause, instead, she continued walking until she reached the other side of the street where a sleek black car awaited.

Luka did not lay waste to those few seconds. “Ritsu! Hold up!” The pinkette shouted as she ran across the campus on her way to the gates. By the time that the dancer had reached the gates, Ritsu was already gone.

That was the last time Luka saw her.

~Third Person’s P.O.V.~

Laughter reigned the air despite a certain tealette’s red-faced accusations. “Come back here!” Miku shouted as she careened around a desk, chasing the pinkette with a break-neck pace. 

“Sorry, love , no can do!” Luka laughed jumping over a desk to keep a certain distance between them. “You’d kill me if I get at least a foot away from you!” The pinkette said with a teasing tone. 

“I sure would!”

A knock on the door interrupted the commotions from the two. “Hey, girls?” Masuda-sensei called out. “Everything’s ready for the play. Please head straight to the auditorium after. Also,” Lily opened the door, peeking her head. “No bloodshed please, Ms. Hatsune.” She grinned. “We don’t want our second star couple to end up broken after.”

Giggles spread inside the classroom as the tealette went red with embarrassment. Miku scoffed at that unable to stay completely angry. 

Rin clapped her hands, gaining the attention of her fellow classmates. “Alright, gals! Let’s move!” Everyone filtered out of the room right after, leaving Luka and Miku as the last to leave. 

Ocean blue eyes met with teal. Grinning, Luka winked before making her way to join the rest. Miku, left alone in the room, found herself slightly blushing and fighting the smile that tried to make its way to her face. “ Get a hold of yourself, Hatsune. ” She said to herself as she shook her head before following after the rest of the class.

 Arriving at the stage, one can only gasp at the scene before them. It was as if they stepped into the portal and was transported to the royal families’ fancy banquet halls. The two pre-decorated tables are placed at the side carrying what are seemingly expensive confectioneries placed decoratively on silver-wares.

A large carpet seemed to encompass the whole area for the stage meanwhile a single red carpet is delicately placed on the constructed curved flight of stairs, with a trail of slim handles that are painted in shiny silver along the sides, at the back. The lush carpet trailed to the front of the stage.

The gold and silver theme for the laces and decorations seemed to be brought out as the lights shone from the chandelier above(don’t ask). The two spotlights were manned by the two stage-hands who were using their phones as a means to communicate from the stage managers 

Everyone took their places, ushered by the main stage manager. Some stayed near the confectionery table while most paired off at the background - talking with each other while some moved to a waltz. 

Luka and Dex made their way to the center, fixing the lapels that are clipped on the collars of their costumes. Meanwhile, Miku stood by the table with a silver tray in hand and a practiced smile on her face. Kokone stayed at the back stage, waiting for her cue. 

The assigned narrator was already at the podium, with a lapel as a microphone and the script in his hands. With a hand signal, a joyful classical music began to envelope the auditorium. Actors readied themselves for the raising of the curtains. 

A few seconds later the curtains began to separate in half. 

[Narrator] There was once a kingdom of prosperity and wealth. It’s people were happy and everything was in an almost perfect balance but the royal family had one problem: their prince did not have a wife. So, like most, they planned to invite every eligible lady in the kingdom and beyond to a party in hopes that someone could catch the prince’s eye.

Decorations were beautiful and the celebration happy in the halls as music flowed from the band. All were joyous of the occasion but two key nobles found themselves unamused - Prince Edward, the son of the King and Queen and Lady Claire, a childhood friend of the prince and heiress of the Duchy at the north, who is also in men’s clothing. 

The spotlight shone on the two main characters of the sort-of play.

Lady Clair-in-men’s-clothing and Prince Edward stood side-by-side exasperation and irritation evident on their faces. 

Several actors stood, watching and chattering about the nobles that stood at the center.

[Dex] “This… This party is too much…” He said, crossing his arms, unable to keep the tiredness in his voice. “Why won't father just allow me to take my time in finding my princess?”

Claire put a hand on his shoulder.

[Luka] “At least, you have a choice. My parents are already looking for marriage partners. They sorted through picture after picture of perverted looking men.” She said with her shoulders drooped. “They are even planning my wedding..! Do you have any idea how long I spent judging between two tablecloths that look exactly the same?”

[Dex] “Parents…” Edward said with deep sigh. He looks toward the crowd and sighed. “I have to go back. It is about time to meet the ladies of the room.” He gave a soft punch on Claire’s arm. “Cheer up and have fun, Claire. It is only once that we are young. Who knows maybe the ‘one’ is in this room.” 

[Luka] “Right back at you,” 

The spotlights moved to follow the two. Edward gracefully made his way to the staircase, where ladies had lined up to meet him while Claire went to the side who immediately found herself leading a lady to a dance. 

[Narrator] Claire made her way to have fun. She offered a hand to a lady and gently led her to the dance floor for a waltz However, a few more dances for Claire and a few more greetings for the prince, and the two felt tired. More so for Edward, who had been smiling and shaking the hands of the ladies of the room.

The stage managers whispered in the receiver of their phone earpiece. Classical music shifted to ballad, seamlessly. Meanwhile, another spotlight was directed to the side of the stage. 

[Narrator] Suddenly, as the music began to sing ballads, his attention was stolen by a person who was looking around the room with fascination and a pretty smile on her face. Captivated by her beauty, the prince’s gaze immediately went stray. 

The brunette strode in an eager pace as her eyes delightfully took in the supposedly new scene.

[Narrator] Her eyes were sparkling as it roamed around the room. Hair flowed, flawlessly behind her back as she strides in the room. To no one’s surprise, she caught the attention of every person’s eye, including the prince’s best friend.

Claire, captivated for a second, stood still but that was not to last as she took strides in a hurry to get to Prince Edward’s side even though he was still on top of the staircase. She took the gaping prince’s arm and dragged him away from the line of ladies.

[Luka] “You owe me one!” she said as she hid the prince where the line of ladies won’t see him.

Shooting a grateful smile at the pinkette, the prince shook himself of the anxiety. He smoothed the wrinkles in his costume, seeming nervous as he made his way to Kokone. Edward paused in front of the brunette,  sightly bowing with an open hand laid at his front. 

[Dex] “May I have this dance?”

A tinge of red spread across the brunette’s face as she found herself baffled to see the prince asking her to dance. Meeting with the loving eyes of the prince, the girl mindlessly accepted the invitation, placing a hand on the open palm. 

[Narrator] The two danced a waltz to remember underneath the spotlight. Eyes trailed the two as if they had stolen the dance floor for themselves but the two did not care for the stars. They did not even care for the way some had whispered. For them, the only thing that matters is the two of them in their own world.

[Dex] “You look beautiful, my princess…” 

Even though it was only a whisper, the audience heard it. Some squealed while others whistled. Nonetheless, the two did not pay them any mind, especially with their eyes locking each other’s as if they are the only people in the room.

As the scene had taken place, one spotlight stayed on Claire as she stayed at the side where she grinned at her friend.

[Luka] “Hah… You lucky bastard.”  

[Narrator] Not wanting to be left out, Claire looked around to look for someone to dance with. Her eyes fell on someone who is not considered to be a lady at that time and age - a maid. Claire found herself captivated by the beauty and grace of a person with lower stature. 

~Miku’s P.O.V.~

“ Right… So, this is the part where we will meet…” The tealette diligently refills her tray, feeling the spotlight on her face. Miku was about to raise the tray back up when her eyes involuntarily met with Luka’s. 

Luka’s ocean blue eyes were widened in shock as if it was the first time seeing her. Her mouth was slightly agape, obviously in awe of the sight of this ‘maid’. After shaking her head, the pinkette took a step closer to Miku with a tender smile on her face. 

From within her chest, there was a loud thumping that kept on getting faster as she saw Luka approaching her. “ She’s good at this… ” The twin-tailed girl thought as she felt the throbbing of her chest. "Did she take acting school?"

Luka, however, was interrupted when someone asked her hand for a dance. She gave a last longing look at Miku and left with the other lady’s hand in hers as they went to the dance floor.

The tealette had to look away, paying no mind to the way Luka had taken the other lady’s hand but the slight disappointment was nagging at the back of her mind made it slightly painful just like the script had intended. 

Miku was shocked by this realization but did not show it on her face. Somehow, Luka affected her enough that she followed the script without even taking a conscious effort. "Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised." The tealette thought, as she plastered a smile on her face, aiming for the professional and uptight look that her role demanded. She took the tray in hand and took a step towards the crowd to hand over the drinks. Her classmates slowly diminished the glasses and once she was out she made her way back to the table to refill her tray with drinks.

Somewhere along the way, Miku tripped on someone's foot. Her hands slipped, dropping her tray, in favor of bracing herself for the impact but it never came. A flowery scent surrounded her while a subtle warmth radiated from the slim body that had saved her from the fall. “Are you okay, miss?” Luka asked, a tone of worry was not missed by the tealette. 

The pinkette helped her stand on her feet but Miku immediately scrambles to her feet, placing a certain distance between them. “I-I am so sorry, my lord,” she stutters but quickly recovers, bowing her head in humility. “It was my fault. I wasn’t aware of myself. Please forgive me.” Miku said in the most no-nonsense way she knew how with the role she is given. 

At the back of her mind, she knew that the time to dance the waltz was nearing, making the palm of her hand sweat in nervousness. Teal eyes trained on the floor as she waited for Luka to reply, instead she found herself eye-to-eye with an open palm. 

Miku lifted her head, a small furrow in her brows evident. Teal meets with ocean blue eyes and a childish smile, then somehow her worries were slightly lifted. “If that’s the case,” Luka grinned in the way that always made her feel lighter, before bowing slightly with her open palm in front. “May I have this dance, fair maiden?”

Teal eyes widened at that. “P-Pardon me? I fear that I might have misheard you, my lord.” 

The pinkette straightened her back, the small mischievous smile etched on her lips. “If you want to be forgiven, this is my condition. Or would you rather I make a scene and kneel on one knee?” The pinkette said with a teasing smile. Miku’s only answer was to remain silent, disbelief clearly etched on her face. 

Luka tilted her head slightly in question but once she found that she was not going to receive an answer, she began to lower herself with a foot to the back. Seeing this, the tealette immediately took the pinkette by her shoulders saying “A-Alright! Please save face, my lord..!” 

With a grin plastered on the other girl’s face, she once again took out her hand for the tealette, repeating the words “May I have this dance, fair maiden?”

Murmurs from the party goers arose as Miku hesitantly took a step to the dance floor, where Kokone and Dex seem to be having a good time ‘acting’. The tealette knows where to put her hands but her fear of being embarrassed in front of the crowd caused her to be nervous. 

Luka gently took Miku’s right hand with her left and extended it to their side. She placed the tealette’s shaking left hand on her shoulder. She took Miku’s chin and tilted it upward so that they could see eye to eye. “My Lady, may I have your name?” she asks with a spark of playfulness in her eyes.

Miku blushed a deep shade of red after hearing Luka’s tone. “A-Apologies, my liege, my name is Belle…” 

“Well, then, Belle, my lady. Is this your first time dancing?” Luka asked as she placed her left hand on the tealette’s waist. The tealette can’t help but bow her head down, not sure of what to say. Miku hears a small chuckle from the taller girl. “Let me teach you.” The tealette can’t help but look up only to see what kind of expression Luka was wearing. 

Honestly, if Miku found the pinkette grinning with a teasing glint in her eyes, she would have 'accidentally' stomped on Luka's foot but the dancer was not. To the dancer’s luck, gracing Luka's lips is a sincere smile, a loving gaze aimed at her own. “Miss Belle…” She leans into Miku’s ear. If the breath on her ear affected Miku, she did not let it show on her face. “The secret to a waltz is to have the perfect partner.” 

Teal eyes widened in recognition. ‘You need a foot to step on.’ Luka caught Miku's eyes as the singer, smiling as the blush the shorter girl's cheeks spread.

“Follow my lead, Miss Belle.” Luka said as she straightened up and firmly held on Miku's hand and hip. She advanced her right foot forward and Miku just followed her instincts, taking her left foot backward. They tip-toed and twirled, much like what Dex and Kokone are doing. 

At the back of her mind, she heard the narrator dictating the scene. At least that was what she could gather. Miku was focusing on not stepping on her partner's foot so much but that’s not all. The singer could tell that she is being pinned by a look - one that she is sure to make her feel things that she supposed should not be. She furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to concentrate and to will the blush on her cheeks to vanish. "It's only acting, Hatsune. Don't get ahead of yourself." She reminded herself, keeping her eyes away from Luka's.

A few more seconds later, the tealette danced lightly on her feet, feeling the steps smoother and with grace at every turn. “ I can do it! ” Miku thought with a smile of relief. The singer lifted her head, eyes connecting with Luka. "Thank you." She whispered.

Ocean blue eyes widened at that, followed by an embarrassed tilt of her head, the slight blush on her cheeks evident. “Anything for my princess.” Luka says, ducking her head.

"Cute." Miku thought as they danced, confidently striding as she followed every step made by Luka. She smiled, gripping at their joint hands in appreciation. Suddenly, the sound of the bells rang from the speakers and the atmosphere seemed to have evaporated into thin air. 

The background music switched to something dramatic as the two of them watched the scene unfold. The spotlights on their faces vanished, redirected to the Dex and Kokone. “Wait!” Miku hears Dex as Kokone hurried to get out of the stage, with a glass slipper trailing behind her. The two held eye contact for a second but it was enough for the audience to actually gasp and then Kokone left, leaving Dex to pick up the glass slipper and a look of longing etched on his face.

Lights shut down but a spotlight turned to the narrator, leaving last bits of commentary. Then, there was none. The music died down as the crowd clapped, some even stood in applause. Miku, Luka, Dex, and Kokone stood at the middle just as the lights came back again. They bowed their heads as the curtains fell.

~Third Person P.O.V.~

After the signifying end of the play, reality came crashing back to the class. Relieved sighs and immediate hoarding of the sweets were in action. The stage crew were moving as the stage managers were barking orders left and right to clear the set so that the next group could use it. Most actors helped with stashing the props away. Meanwhile, the tables and staircase were wheeled away from the stage. 

It was not even a minute later when the stage was devoid of anything that came from their play. 

“They're fast,” says Luka, barely even having the time to breathe before she could offer to help. The tealette could only nod in agreement. "Do you think we should, at least, offer help?" 

Miku let out a laugh at that. "Probably." They moved to the stage manager when Dex came their way, his hand raised in a wave. 

"Nice job, Luka!" He says with a wide smile on his face. He raised a fist towards the pinkette, waiting for the fist bump to be reciprocated.

The pinkette immediately raised her fist, grinning all the while. “Same to you, dude! I have to say, you were pretty into your acting. Have you considered the drama club?” Luka teased with her eyebrows taunting at him.

Dex blushed and gave the pinkette a punch on the shoulder. His attention turned to Miku who looked like she was about to leave. “You did great too, Miku! Nice acting! Your overall expressions were great!  Also, you really did look like you didn’t know how to dance! You were awesome!” he gushed.

Miku could only duck her head at that, not knowing how to tell him that she actually didn't know how to waltz until Luka showed her. Feeling a searing stare from the back of her neck, teal eyes found the seemingly gentle Cinderella behind Luka and Dex. “I think your princess is waiting for you Dex.” She subtly gestures to the person behind him.

The white-haired person turned his head, seeing a blushing Kokone frowning and then walking away. The huff was simply loud, giving away how embarrassed she was at the encounter. Dex excused himself, following Kokone to the back stage. 

As he walked away, Luka cannot help but cough “Whipped,”. The tealette cannot help but laugh, only partially hidden by the palm covering her mouth. Dex shot the two a disapproving glare despite the tinge of red on his cheeks, even as he continued to walk towards Kokone. “He’s so gone,”  Luka chuckled, as she started to walk to the back stage. 

The tealette raised an eyebrow but the amusement on her face lingered, as she wordlessly followed Luka. “True,” the guitarist smiled. "But really, Luka, thanks... for the help yesterday,” Miku said. “I… I thought that you were kidding.”

Ocean blue eyes softened, giving the tealette a small smile. “Hey, it’s no problem!” Luka said as she took off the cloak that was hanging on her shoulder. “I mean, I’d be totally happy to be hit by your pillow and then chased in danger of being stabbed with a leek.” The pinkette grinned, eyes alight with mirth and mischief.  

Suddenly aware of the people shooting glances at them, Miku cannot help but sigh and shake her head despite the smile curling on lips. The tealette gave the pinkette a pinch at the dancer’s thigh, earning a pained whimper from the taller girl. “You just have to make a scene, huh?” Miku says as she pinches harder at Luka’s thigh. 

Luka can’t help but plead for forgiveness. “S-Sorry, Miku! P-Please Stop!” 

Satisfied, the tealette let her thigh go and smirked in triumph. “Good!”

Chapter Text

“Oh, come on, Kai! Don’t be like that.” Luka says, as she watches Kaito pace back and forth in her room. 

Her best friend shot an angry look at her. “Like what Luka?” He growled. “Like I hate Ritsu for ignoring you? Like-Like I hate that she is ghosting you?”

“You don’t know that, Kai! Maybe she’s just… busy.” Luka argued weakly as she clenched her phone, physically holding onto the only connection she has with Ritsu. 

Kaito’s eyes widened, the sneer in his lips growing every time his eyes were drawn to the phone in her hand. “Stop making excuses, Luka!” He yelled, unable to keep the anger contained. “She’s gone! She won’t come back! So stop it! Stop believing in her! Stop making yourself believe that she loves you!”

“STOP!” The pinkette raised her voice, leaving her best friend frozen and shocked. Luka cradled her arms as if protecting herself. “Please…” She whispered, slowly curling into herself. “Just stop it…”

“Luka, I-I’m so so-” He said, walking slowly towards the pinkette.

Upon noticing, Luka physically retreated further in her bed, clutching at her arms as if it would protect herself. Her eyes hid behind her hair as she tightened the hold on herself. “Leave me.” Luka said, the tears in her eyes slowly trailed down her cheeks. She hid even further, pulling up her legs, hiding her face between them.  

Her friend silently left the room, closing the door as he cast a last look at Luka’s crying face. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” At the resounding click of her closed door, she cried freely, wailing at the space as she gripped her phone tighter and tighter, calling out Ritsu’s name at the empty space.

Kaito was right. It has been weeks since Luka saw her; weeks since she bore witness to her lover’s retreating form; and weeks since she heard anything of her. She tried everything to get in touch with her lover - texting, messaging via social media, and calling but none was reciprocated or answered. She even tried to visit her in her estate but soon found out that they had moved away.

Was she really avoiding her? “No. She would never do that to me,” Luka said, to herself but even her words sound empty. “No, s-she wouldn’t,” She repeated. “Ritsu would never abandon me… She would never. Maybe she just forgot.”

Reasons. Excuses. These are the things she searched for the entire time. Maybe Ritsu’s phone got destroyed or lost. Maybe she was out of town and the service could not connect with Luka. Maybe she couldn’t find the time to talk to her… Maybe… 

Because there has to be a reason. There has to be. Luka pulled herself together, wiping her face with the sheets of her bed. Opening her phone, she dialed Ritsu’s number. 

There was only one ring before it went to voice message. “Hey, Ritsu… I am just checking in. I-I miss you. It has been days since… since…” She breathed in unable to continue with a sob slowly forming in her throat. “A-Anyway… please, call me as soon as you hear this…”

She closed her phone, slowly drifting to sleep despite the wetness of her pillow or the tears that are yet to stop.

The next day, she found Kaito in the living room, sleeping on the sofa with a blanket around his body. “Hey…” she called out, only to be met with a groan as Kaito rose from his bed yawning and stretching. “I am sorry, Kai...”

Blue eyes turned to her, his eyes softening at Luka’s teary eyes. “C’mere, Bestie.” He says opening his arms, inviting the pinkette in their post fight ritual. The pinkette immediately hugged him while tears still formed at the corner of her eyes. 

“I am so sorry...” she cried, enveloped in the arms of her friend. 

“It’s okay… It’s okay...” he murmured. “Just so you know, I still don’t trust Ritsu.” Luka only tightened her hug, unable to form a response. “Just… don’t expect too much, okay?” She merely nodded.

Since then, days turned into weeks and weeks turned to months but she did not stop trying. Every week she would call while she would send a text every other day, hoping against hope that she would answer. She didn’t even stop when she started her first year of junior high. Or when Kaito had to leave because of a scholarship grant.

She didn’t stop but there was still… Nothing. Silence.

It was only until she found a magazine with Ritsu's smiling face had she found any sort of update about her. But it wasn’t only her. There was another person alongside her who laid a firm yet familiar grasp around Ritsu as they embraced for a photo. 

The text on top said with a bold format said "Kent and Ritsu : the secret to their 10-year relationship."

~Miku’s P.O.V.~

“The energy is something else.” The teal-haired guitarist thought as they trudged on the path where students are shouting to gain their attention. People in all kinds of costumes had gathered around them but immediately scattered as soon as they saw others interested in what they were selling.

“They have a human-sized Tuna plushie!” she heard Luka exclaim as the girl jumped up and down like the child she actually is. Ocean blue eyes lit with happiness as she ran towards the basketball booth. 

Miku sighed as she followed after her friend to the short line of people waiting to get their turn. Rin, Len, and Gumi disappeared somewhere in the crowd, although she has a feeling that Rin’s quiet shout for oranges has something to do with it. 

She trudged beside Luka as they waited for their turn. Even with the foot distance between them, Miku could feel the dancer vibrating in excitement. Miku’s lips twitched to a small smile, unable to help share the other girl’s excitement. 

Buzzes were echoing through the air, followed by a few with sighs of defeat. Teal eyes examined the people in front of them, watching as they shot a ball towards the ring - a ring that seems to be too high up and too small for the ball that they are using. “That’s unfair.” She could not help but murmur.

At the corner of her eye, she saw Luka nod but the gleam in her eyes shined brighter with determination. The taller girl’s lips twitched to a frown as she said. “This is why I didn’t like their team,” she turned to Miku as she grinned. “Time to teach them a lesson.”

When they reached the booth, Luka paid for the three balls that she needed to shoot to have her priced Tuna plushie. 

Miku watched as, suddenly, the air around the girl changed. Everything slowed down, together with Luka’s breathing. The sound around her disappeared as if everyone watched this moment. Even the people manning the booth were mesmerized. 

As Luka raised the ball above her head, Miku, unwittingly, took a step back with the few behind her. Then, like a spring being released from being compressed, Luka jumped and shot the ball to the ring. 

Like an overdue exhale after a short inhale, her breath shortens as her eyes follow the smooth sail of the ball through the air. She watched the ball that's too big for the hoop went through without touching the rings. 

“O-One point.” The booth handler said, just as stunned.

Luka grinned. “Gotcha,” Miku heard her whisper under her breath. She reached for the next ball and shot another flawless shot and another as if it is the most effortless thing that she could do. The sound of a bell echoed around the booth, from the open-mouthed basketball member. “Easy-peasy.” The pink-haired dancer said, dusting her shoulders with a cocky smile.

The people behind Miku cheered but Luka's eyes remained on the basketball team. There is a dangerous gleam beneath the taller girl's stare - a warning, almost. Most visibly flinched while the others are already discreetly changing the hoop back to the ones used regularly. 

An awestruck basketball club member approached Luka, carrying the human-sized plush with embroidered outlines of a tuna fish. The pink haired dancer's face immediately blossomed to a child-like smile, as she saw her prize moving towards her. "Yes! Thank you so much!" 

Miku's eyebrow raised upward as she watched Luka's hands make grabby motions as the tuna plushie came within her reach. The poor handler of the booth was almost dragged across the boundary when Luka took it from his arms. 

With wide blue eyes, this girl, who showed amounts of maturity, is now reduced to this personification of a child. Teal eyes watched with amusement as Luka grinned happily before burying her face on the soft exterior of the plushie. Miku cannot help the smile etching on her lips after the taller girl twirled with it, uncaring of the gazes from the people in line or the people watching. "You baby."

Luka shot her a playful glare but the smile on her lips remained. "You are just bummed that I, now, have a shield," she positions it between the two of them. "See?" 

Miku rolled her eyes, smiling still. "You're such a child." 

"Hey!" Luka said indignantly.

With their ‘play’ finished, their class had a lot of free time for the rest of the week as they are encouraged to participate in games and get some food from the clubs that are raising money for their own trips/events.

Students roam around, either looking for something to eat or something to do but with the number of booths and games that are setup, it is hard to be bored. 

Of course, the band were set to perform on the last day where some of the more artistic clubs were set to present. And so, they have been practicing early in the morning and in the afternoon with Luka and, sometimes Kaito, as an expectator.

Performance preparation aside, the group of friends were thoroughly enjoying the event but more so by Rin and Luka considering the amount of prices they brought home everyday since day one. 

Today’s victim [booth] was the poor fake-gun shooting booth by the archery club that had a box of oranges as a prize and… Let’s just say that Rin almost bankrupted them had Luka not stepped in to stop her after a second attempt and preventing a third by dragging an unhappy class representative away while shooting apologetic looks to the members of said club.

Miku watched as Luka hefted one of the two boxes that Rin had won and trudged back to the unhappy female twin. “Oh come on, Rin,” She said, nudging Rin’s shoulder playfully yet carefully so that Rin wouldn’t lose hold of the box in her own arms. “You have to let them earn money! Besides,” Luka paused with a mischievous smile on her face. “I spy with my little eye something stuffed and something Gumi would like.” She teased.

Rin looked around the area, suddenly alert like a hound sniffing for blood. The two have been playing this modified version of I spy and needless to say, the two, now, have something to bond over as they stroll around the school grounds for more prizes. 

The other three - Gumi, Len, and Miku, however, were trailing behind the two, obviously exhausted from all the walking but found joy in seeing the two demolish games after game no matter how creative or innovative it may seem.

“They are enjoying this way too much.” Gumi said as Rin grins at her stash of oranges of oranges. 

“They are,” Miku said, almost laughing at how the two bickers with each other despite the boxes that they are carrying. Suddenly, the two stopped as they noticed a group of what she recognized as members from the basketball club. 

“Trouble?” Gumi asked, concerned at the number of people approaching the two, when one of them was pushed out of the group. 

It was a guy with an average height and a good looking face. He looked down-right nervous and embarrassed. Right beside him stood one troubled Kaito. 

Len was about to call out to him but Gumi stopped him as the air around them shifted to one of anticipation. The guy breathed in and out as he closed his eyes, obviously calming himself, before going straight for Luka. “Miss, I-Would you-!” He stuttered, trying his best to look calm and collected. 

He took another minute to close his eyes before opening them with newfound determination. “Would you like to go out sometime?” He almost shouted but that didn’t lessen the anticipation for the dancer’s answer.

Luka looked baffled but she shook her head, frowning at how public the confession was. Nevertheless, she opted for politeness. “It-Uhm. Sounds tempting but…” She took a glance behind her, looking at Miku who merely raised an eyebrow as a wordlessly saying ‘what?’ upon meeting Luka’s eyes. 

Despite the somewhat offending unsaid remark by the tealette, Luka’s eyes widened for a second but eventually grinning widely. The pinkette turned her head back to the guy. “Sorry, but I already have an eye on someone.”

The guy looked deflated, all the bluster from all the encouragement of his friends leaving his body. Still though, he flashed a pained smile. “Okay. I am sorry for the inconvenience. See you later then?” He asked. Luka only nodded before he walked away with his team, minus Kaito. 

Once they were out of reach, Kaito sighed and said “I warned him. But they wouldn’t listen. Guess he has to learn the hard way.”

“Do you know who Luka’s person is, Kaito-senpai?” Len asked as he tilted his head slightly to the side. After a chuckle, Kaito placed a friendly arm on the smaller boy’s shoulder before rustling blonde hair. 

“You are just so cute.” Kaito said, oblivious to the blushing twin under his arm. “And to answer your question, I do,” Blue eyes turned mournful for a second before going back to his usual air. “It’s kind of sad to see, though.” 

Miku’s ears twitched at that, unable to stop from overhearing them. Well, considering that she is literally next to them, it’s kind of hard not to.

“What do you mean, senpai?” Len asked, silently not minding how close he is with Kaito. 

Meanwhile, ahead of them are Gumi, Rin, and Luka murmuring to each other with what looks like teasing on Rin’s part. Luka had been bashfully laughing at whatever the female twin said while Gumi had carefully pried the box that Rin carried.

Miku found herself staring at the taller girl as she blushed at something Rin had been saying to her. “ I wonder... ” She thought but shook her head as she zoned back to the conversation that was taking place beside her, wanting to know some information about Luka’s person. 

At the back of her mind, she knew that eavesdropping is generally not good but somehow, the topic seemed to be more important than her guilt. 

“Well, for starters,” Kaito said as he walked alongside Len. “She has this massive crush since she first saw that person. That was a few years back when she started attending high school at another school. I asked her to come here for a visit since I had to transfer for a scholarship grant. Of course, being my best man and all, she came albeit with the right… persuasion.” Kaito grinned at the memory.

Len’s sweat dropped while Miku sighed internally, knowing that it would not be beneath this guy to simply drag Luka out of the bed.

“She didn’t regret it though.” Kaito continued. “After that, she looked like a love-struck kitten. It was so adorable yet so weird to see! You should have seen her spacing out and hitting poles.” The ice-cream lover laughed.

Len hummed for a bit. “So, she met that person here?” 

“Yeah! Since then, she has been going to our festivals just to see that person! She also came here as often as she could.” He grinned. “She could have transferred but she doesn’t want to let her basketball team down or the whole school down for that matter. And honestly, she wouldn’t have wanted to leave if it wasn’t for that person.” He trailed off, eyes towards Luka. 

Miku let her eyes wander to the same place. The pinkette looked really happy as she walked with a hectic blonde and the smiling greenette. “ I wonder who that person is… ” The tealette asked herself. She felt her chest tighten for some reason. “ They are really lucky.” She thought to herself, feeling like there were needles piercing on her heart, feeling foriegn to her.

Len looked towards the subject of the discussion and then back to the blue-haired senpai, as if trying to ask something. Kaito smiled at Len's gestures, knowing that his curiosity peaked.

The tealette’s gaze directed at the jolly three at the front. Luka is attentively listening to Gumi and Rin. She sometimes laughs at something that Miku could not hear. The pinkette would also go a bit panicky over something or even go red at some point. Considering Rin, that is not an odd thing to see. 

As Kaito inhaled, Miku readied herself to be as attentive as possible to the upperclassman’s words. “She may not look like it. Or even seem like the type but she has given up on that person.” The tealette’s eyes widened as soon as Kaito revealed the pinkette’s plan of actions. “She thinks that she won’t have a snowball's chance because of an obvious reason. They are both girls and well-” He frowned, unable to continue but that didn’t matter because Len decided to gasp audibly, effectively cutting Kaito’s words.

“That’s-That’s sad. But-!” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why did she continue her transfer if she thinks that she doesn’t have a chance?” 

“Well, she says that she is content watching over her person… among other reasons.” 

“So, they already met?” Len asked. “When? Who ?”

Kaito chuckled at Len’s intrigue. “It was by fate that they officially met face to face. They are actually close now. As for who...”

Miku twitched her ear, thinking that it would make hearing a lot easier. But suddenly, a blur of pink hair came rushing towards the direction of the upperclassman. The tealette can’t help but look towards her way. 

She grabbed Kaito in a chokehold. Her smile is scary and her eyes depict death as she did so.  “Just what are you spreading, Kaito?” She asked menacingly as her chokehold got tighter with each word. 

Kaito grabbed Luka’s arm trying to loosen the hold but to no avail. Len tried to help him but he is as helpful as a paper in a shredding machine. 

Losing air, the upperclassman fainted. Well, almost fainted. Miku came and put a hand on the dancer’s shoulder. “Calm down, Luka.” she said and instantly, Luka’s grip loosened just as Kaito was about to black out. The tealette sighed in relief as Kaito breathed air, accompanied by Len.

The pinkette turned to Miku and gave her an embarrassed ‘thank you’. The tealette can’t help but look at her with curiosity. Her mouth forms a frown for some reason. This is one of the most confusing things that is happening in her life, to be honest. Miku sighed and gave Luka a short nod as a sort of ‘you’re welcome’. 

The tealette then went and continued walking, with a trail of friends behind her. She put her eyes set in front, trying to hide the deep frown on her face that seems to never disappear since overhearing the conversation between the two male homosapiens of the group. 

“Just because they are girls?! That’s the reason?! She didn’t even try!” She thought to herself, her eyebrows meeting with a scrunch at the top of her nose bridge. Another deep sigh expressed her frustration but a second later a weight caught her out of balance.

“Hey, you alright there?” Rin asked, observing the hilarious twist and turns of the tealette's face. “You looked quite funny but considering it’s you, it must be bad.”

Miku sighed for the nth time that day. “I’m alright, Rin. What happened to Gumi?” The blonde visibly frowned and shrugged, attempting to be nonchalant but it is obvious how down she actually is. “Did you guys have a fight?” 

Rin shook her head. “It’s nothing.” Teal eyes only stared at her until Rin squirmed. “Okay. Well,” Blue eyes trailed to where Luka and Gumi are having a rather good time as they talked. “I don’t think I should interrupt them.” She heaved a sigh by her own words. 

Miku could not help but take another glance at the two as she tried to make sense of their conversation. They were talking about some kind of sports that involved obstacles and buzzers. It was hard to follow but they looked like they enjoyed what they were doing. She watched as Luka shared a childish expression and an enthusiastic smile with Gumi. 

At some point, Gumi gave Luka a soft smile after whispering something in Luka's ear, causing an insane blush on her cheeks to appear . “Could it be?” Miku cannot help but speculate.

“What?” Rin asked, surprised by the sudden question of the tealette who only shook her head. 

That’s it. That’s why she looked at Gumi and Rin the way she would during the first time they met. That’s probably why she always came to their practices.

But, somehow, something just feels… off about her idea. It just didn’t fit. Miku shook her head, trying to clear her head off this unease.

Chapter Text

“How is she?” Kaito asked the maid who only shook her head dejectedly as if no words were needed to exactly elaborate how bad Luka has been since she saw and read the article about Ritsu’s engagement. 

Her designated best friend, now protector, cannot help but shoot a worried glance at the door to Luka’s suite before turning back to Luka’s maid. “Has she eaten at least?”

“Sorry, dear,” The maid’s wrinkled face turned into a sad smile. “We did try to give her food through the balcony but we are not sure if she ate it,” Weary shoulders sagged as the elderly woman sighed. “Hopefully, she did.”

“I see...” Kaito murmured, frowning at the idea that this elderly lady had to deliver food with a helicopter and a climbing rope. He’s almost afraid of asking but he has to make sure. “Y-You had someone else do that for you, right?”

She smiled at him and laid a hand on his forearm, with a burning passion in her eyes that had him freezing. “If you want to serve this family, Shion, you have to stretch your limits,” She tapped his frozen body in a fond way that seemed to only come from grandmothers. “But, yes, I had to ask someone else. That’s not to say that I couldn’t break your bones, though.” She chuckled.

“I don’t doubt it, ma’am,” Kaito chuckled nervously before clearing his throat. “I should get my rappelling equipment.”

With a pleased nod, the elder woman gave him a small smile. “It would be appreciated.” He chuckled again, obviously nervous, before excusing himself to get his climbing equipment. 

It took him five minutes to examine and ask for the palace blueprints and another 10 minutes for him to go to the nearest upper floor room - which happens to be the attic, by the way. He had to use the suspiciously pristine window sill to rappel down to Luka’s balcony.

Blue eyes looked around and saw the tray that the head maid had delivered. To his relief, the contents were empty. “Thank goodness you have an appetite of a hungry lion.” He whispered to no one in particular.

Then, his eyes went to the closed balcony door and thoughtlessly placed a hand on the handle. “Please don’t be locked,” he murmured under his breath, somehow feeling conflicted with what he’s hoping for. This door needed to be locked after all. With a slight push on the handle, he found that it wasn’t.  

Kaito didn’t know if he should be relieved or worried that Luka had left the balcony door open but that didn’t matter at the time. He can berate Luka about it later. Right now, his best friend needed someone she can lean on. “Luka?” He hesitantly asked as he opened the door, hoping that his friend was able to hear him. 

The only thing that greeted him back was silence. “Luka?” He tried again as he closed the balcony door and turned the knob for locking. 

Still, there was no response. Blue eyes searched around the space but seeing nothing out of place, he figured that his best man was in her bedroom. He carefully approached the door to Luka’s sleeping quarters and knocked. 

The action had the sound echoing around him and to say that it made him uncomfortable was just the start. Luka’s room had never felt like this. It had never felt empty and devoid of the warmth that he always associated with his best friend.

He knocked louder. Still no response. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Luka?” He asked loudly against the mahogany grain of the wood, pairing it with a firmer knock. “Luka, open up.” 

Placing an ear on the door, Kaito heard sounds of tell tale signs of whimpering and sobbing. He sighed, feeling his heart breaking for Luka, but he shook it away and opened the door.

Expecting to find her on her bed, his eyes went directly to the ruffled covers of the queen-sized bed that Luka swore were the comfiest comforter. He had argued that it was the mattress but he let it go when Luka threw a pillow at him. 

He smiled at the memory, missing his best friend’s smile and laughter. But, he supposed that life is life. And that this is all part of the deal when you fell for the wrong person. 

Distinctly, he regretted transferring to another school just because of a stupid scholarship grant because if he was there, he might’ve seen what Ritsu had turned into since he saw her. He would have been able to protect Luka’s heart from this heartache. 

Still, no point in thinking about what-could've’s. What’s done is done. 

Kaito looked around, trying to find where Luka could’ve stayed. The sound led him to the corner of Luka’s room and what he saw made his heart drop to his stomach and his fists clench in a sudden bout of anger, pity, and sadness. 

His best friend, someone he considered to be a sister, was curled up on the floor with a blanket covering her form and a pillow cradling her head. Pink hair that she was growing out was tangled in her well worn hoodie. Her hand clutched on nothing as she cried. 

But that wasn’t all. Luka was surrounded and almost buried with things she collected from every moment with Ritsu. There was one from Luka's prom. Another from the field trip where the two had taken a cheesy photo in front of the shrine. Another from the aquarium date that had Luka smiling all week every time they face-timed. There’s also a pressed bouquet of flowers that Ritsu had given her for their valentines. 

It seemed endless amounts of memories and Kaito had trouble controlling himself back from literally tearing everything apart when he noticed that they already were torn and slightly destroyed. “Oh, Luka...”

It wasn’t until he heard Luka’s pained sob that he snapped back to the current situation. He immediately went beside Luka's sobbing form, unheeding of the amount of things that his feet had crunched. 

“Luka,” He whispered but his best friend only sobbed with a fresh set of hot tears. "Come on. It’s time to wake up." He put a hand to her cheek.

"I’m sorry," Luka murmured through the whimpers. "Plea..."   

Kaito breathed in, steeling himself as he felt the hot onslaught of tears in his eyes at how broken Luka is. He needed to be strong for her. “Luka,” He said more firmly with a gentle shake on her shoulders. “Wake up.”

He jostled her a bit more before Luka slowly opened her eyes. He watched his best friend blink as if getting rid of a fog in her head. She sat up with her finger massaging her temples. “Kai?” She asked through the roughness of her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“You look like hell,” He pointed out, unable to let out a better response. Gulping through the pain of seeing how her strong friend was suddenly a mess, he stood feeling the need to look away because he knew that Luka would rather not see his pity. “Did you know that you have a very beautiful and cozy mattress inside this room?” He settled on, smiling as he raised an eyebrow while offering a hand to help her up. “Shocker, I know.”

That earned him a small chuckle and playful nudge. “It’s the comforter,” She murmured, taking the offer with a slight grin. “Thank you for being here.” 

 “Nah,” He shrugged, watching as Luka hopped on the bed without the usual energy. “I just missed my best man.”

After that, there was a tense silence that filled in the gaps of their conversation but it wasn’t uncomfortable. That feeling alone had Kaito relaxing just a bit. Blue eyes roamed around the room, only now noticing how the walls are now devoid of any decorations. “Redecorating?” He asked, plopping beside her.

He watched as Luka’s red-rimmed eyes trailed to the walls and to the amount of nostalgia on the floor. For a moment, ocean blue eyes turned glassy but she shook her head slightly and shrugged, tired and weary. “I guess-” She sighed, letting out a frustrated breath. “I guess if you suddenly find out that your ex has been using you as a mistress, you suddenly find the urge to clean your own mess.” 

A sharp pang shot through his chest but Kaito kept it in, going for an approach that would lift her spirits just a little. “I mean, if you actually cleaned your room...” He teased.

The two of them chuckled, Luka more so than Kaito. “You ass.” Her young face scrunching up into a giggle and yet Kaito could see how she’s crying just a bit. 

He didn’t know if it was from relief or pain but she’s moving on. If not by herself, then with help. He could see it in the way Luka’s eyes regained some sort of glimmer despite being red. “Y’know,” He started, knowing that this was the only thing that he could do. “I can help you in any capacity that you need me.”

The appreciative smile on Luka’s face was enough to make him smile in turn. “Capacity, huh?” She shook her head, the smile turning playful as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t know you had the vocabulary for that.”

~Luka’s P.O.V.~

The night is quiet and peaceful after another day in the school festival. Anyone who had been there - even if it was just to watch, would have thought that students would end up crashing to sleep as soon as they hit the sheets. And that might as well be the truth but not for everyone - not for her.

Definitely not for the left side half of dorm room number 307. Nope, not with its occupant’s recent hindrance to the land of sleep. 

Echoes of her unrest of the dancer’s tossing and turning would have anyone awake. Aside from her roommate, apparently, whose frustratingly content snores grew louder the longer the night went.

She groaned, sitting up and cursing herself for not being able to fall asleep. Running frustrated hand through her hair, she eyed Kaito whose snores - she could have sworn, grew louder the longer she stared. Or, glared. Whichever was more appropriate. 

If she ever entertained the thought of throwing her new human-sized tuna plushie right on her best friend’s snoring face, she’s not to be blamed.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, the dancer opted to just simply try for the nth time of the night and plop back on her bed, hoping that some semblance of sleep would come to her. So, she closed her eyes, this time hugging her pillow instead of laying her head on it and she waited and waited. And just when she was about to slip into the middle world of awake and asleep, she heard a voice in her head.

“ Doesn’t Miku look good today? ” It said and somehow her mind fills in the name for the voice- it is Gumi’s. Luka grumbled before nodding in assent, vaguely aware that she agreed subconsciously. Still, she continued her fight to dream land with her head under the pillow, brushing the thought off forcefully.

“ Luka, ” She heard a voice enter her mind but didn’t pay it any mind and grumbled, firmly closing her eyes. Luka mumbled an irritated stop but the voice in her head kept on. “ You know I won’t. Not until I see you actually decide.”

As soon as she realized why she was insomniac all of a sudden, she might have thrown a small tantrum but it didn’t make any noise so all is good. Her mind has been replaying where Gumi had unsubtly approached her, telling jokes about American Ninja Warrior until she turned serious and asked.

She sat up, albeit, with the body of a soggy vegetable. Rubbing a frustrated hand on her face, Luka resolved herself to a night of no sleep. 

She ran a hand through her long tresses, thinking about how her brain just couldn’t just think about this tomorrow. Although, admittedly, she has been avoiding this conversation with herself ever since she met Gumi in that coffee shop.

“Is she worth the risk?”

~0~

It was the night when she found the note in her unused literature book - a Saturday before student week and two days before the play. The two had just arrived at their dorm room after a day that led her exhausted. Luka had been looking through sports clubs the whole day until she decided on trying out for the female’s soccer club so one could not blame her from keeling under physical exertion and, heck, with news of Ritsu’s limousine around the neighborhood, let’s add emotional exhaustion to the list.

Luka and Kaito had already changed into their respective sleepwares which was, in Luka’s case, underwear, a pair of shorts and an extra large hoodie that loosely hung on her shoulders while Kaito's was just his boxers, a pair of shorts and shirt.

By this time, the two of them would have already taken out their nintendo switch for a quick game but Luka found that her curiosity was greater than the satisfaction of beating her best friend. Her subconscious kept on fiddling with Gumi’s note.

‘ Meet me at the coffee shop near the park once you are certain that Miku’s already at bed. P.S. It is nice to see you again. ’ It said in clear script. There was even a grinning emoji at the end. 

“Still going to Gumi’s weird meet-up thing?” Kaito asked, already putting the console back in its bag.

Luka sighed, tapping the piece of paper at the palm of her hand. “I don’t know, Kai. What do you think?”

Her best friend shrugged, smiling with a fondness that Luka often categorized as brotherly. “What do you think?”

The dancer rolled her eyes. “Gee, that is so helpful.” At that, her face was met with the Pipplup plushie that she had given him on his 13th birthday. 

“You ass,” Kaito laughed. “I am helpful. You just have to listen.”

“One, ow,” She said. “Two, I do listen. It’s just you’re not being very helpful right now.”

Kaito once again did his shrug, his smile getting more frustrating with a glint in his eyes that screamed smug. “Does it matter?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “You already decided anyway.”

Luka went silent, her lips tugging to an amused smile. She really shouldn't be surprised at her friend's answer and they have known each other ever since kindergarten. “Should I be worried that you know me so well?”

Kaito shrugged again, grinning at her the way he did when he encouraged her to try out for sports clubs back in their old school. "Maybe.” He raised an eyebrow toward Luka. “Well? What are you waiting for?" 

That was the only sign Luka needed before going out their door with only her clothes, keys, and her phone. 

Since the note specifically said to wait until Miku's light turned off, she lounged by the dorm's ground floor window, peering through it to make sure that her coast is clear.

Only a few minutes and a display of Miku singing with her brush as a mic passed before the light in Miku’s bedroom dimmed and then closed.

“That’s my cue,” She whispered, vaguely aware of the stare from officer Kazu. She met his eye and gave him a short nod before saying. “I’ll be taking a stroll so...” She let her statement hang, leaving officer Kazu,nodding before writing something on his desk and murmuring in his walkie talkie.

Once she was certain that she could leave without any problems, Luka went on her way with her hand tucked in the pockets of her hoodie.

The night was cold but the street is well-lit. In her mind she thanked Kaito for choosing somewhere with no alleyways but she supposed that her area would be monitored, regardless. 

As she trudged on, she silently enjoyed the walk, basking in the quiet of this neighbourhood despite having so many awake at this time of the day. It seemed so serene in the night.

A few minutes of walking later, she found the shop. Well, maybe. She only assumed since it was the only coffee shop open and near the park. 

Her first impression of it was how small it was, compared to some of the coffee shops that she once had visited within the area but upon a closer look, Luka could see how distinctly homey it is. 

Lanterns were lit, surrounding the shop. Beautiful shrubbery crawled over the lower half of the side-walls. Hints of brown, white, and yellow were evident on the walls and ornaments from outside the lawn. There was also a wooden sign that stood at the front with the words. ‘A Place of Our Own’. Luka figured that it was the name of the shop.

She took steps toward the entrance and it was only then when she saw a small chalkboard that was pinned at the wall by the door with words of welcome and giving them the recommendation of the day. 

It was actually a decent place despite her initial impression. Luka trudged on to enter the premises.

Right then, she was greeted by the rich and sweet smell of coffee but more than that is the sound of the voice of a certain greenette. “Come on, MC! Jaehee says that you should at least give me a cookie.” Gumi whined as she was laying her entire upper body on the counter.

The brown-haired girl across the counter looked a bit irritated but anyone can see the fondness in them. “First of all, Jaehee did not say anything about a free cookie,” She said, almost as a matter of fact even though the flicker of amusement in her brown eyes shined through the calming light of the shop. “Second, how dare you use the name of my Bae!” She pulled the cheeks of the greenette apart.

“Eyhee-shaan!” Gumi shouted through the distortion of her mouth.

At her call, MC suddenly stopped pinching Gumi’s cheeks, pausing as if she was almost caught doing something wrong and Luka found herself wondering about this Jaehee person. 

Luka could not help the uptick of her lips when, not a second later, a muffled voice suddenly came from the other side of the door behind Gumi's friend. “What’s going on over there?”

“Jaehee, don’t worry! It's nothing!” MC shouted, shooting a playful glare at Gumi. “You are such a child,” She said as she gave one last pinch on the greenette’s cheek before heading for the pantry. “Here.” She says as she gives the desert to the greenette.

With a very bright smile, Gumi said “I am your and Jaehee’s child.” She cooed. MC smiled, affection clear through the shine in her eyes. 

“You wish, Gumi,” The brown haired person said as she ruffled Gumi’s green hair while her friend started eating. But then, Luka could see how the person’s eyes turned sad and she wasn’t sure why. Then, deep brown eyes turned towards her as if she felt Luka’s stare. “Welcome to the coffee shop!” 

The door behind the girl opened and revealed a beautiful lady with brownish gold hair. She must be Jaehee. “Welcome!” Her golden eyes are warm and welcoming.

Gumi also directed her eyes at Luka. Then, she flashed her a smile. “Welcome, Luka. Took you long enough!”

~0~

To be continued on 7B

Chapter Text

As all three women greeted her with smiles, Luka could not help the trickle of anxiety crawling down her neck but she smiles with an awkward hand raised for a small wave.

“Welcome, Luka,” Gumi said, the slight tone of amusement in her eyes apparent. “Took you long enough.” She joked, gesturing for Luka to take the seat next to her near the counter. 

She relaxed slightly as a familiar face welcomed her to the fold. “I’ve been here for quite a bit, though.” She replied with a smile as she hesitantly approached. Ocean blue eyes trailed to the other two who were still smiling politely. “Good evening, I am Luka.” She bowed her head in respect.

“No, please, raise your head,” The one with long brown hair said kindly. Her brown eyes sparkled with flecks of gold as her lips curl up into a polite smile. “My name is Jaehee Kang but please call me Jaehee.” 

Luka nodded as she returned the smile and sat beside Gumi.

“Wait a minute. That’s lacking,” The girl shot a proud smile towards Jaehee. “It’s supposed to be ‘ Jaehee Kang, mother of the most beautiful coffee shop chain ’.” 

Gumi chuckled a bit. “MC-san, you forgot ‘ Breaker of hearts '.” The person behind the counter, who Luka figured to be MC, glared at the bassist but as soon as Jaehee put a hand on MC's shoulder,. “If that‘s what I am called, then what should I call you if you’re my partner?” Her golden eyes said much more than her words. 

She didn’t know if it was from being a lesbian or because of the obviously a cute pair but the first word that entered Luka’s mind was ‘wife’ and it was obvious from the way MC(?) visibly reddened that she was thinking at the same level. The brunette was gaping and was just utterly speechless. It was cute.

Luka’s eyes teared away from the scene when Gumi audibly scoffed with a playful grin on her lips. “I got one. ‘ Mary Caitlin, the whipped partner, and keeper of the friend zone ’.” At that, Gumi received a wet towel to the face.

“I assume that Mary Caitlin is you, miss?” The pinkette asked.

“Yep! Mary Caitlin, at your service. But please, call me MC,” She said, offering her hand for Luka to shake which the dancer happily reciprocated. “Are you a friend of Gumi’s?” MC inquired as she leaned on the counter. “We haven’t met anyone aside from Rin.”

At the mention of Rin, Luka could not help but grin at Gumi who only looked away with a terrible blush on her ear. The dancer felt a bubble of delight at the implication but she simply nodded, smiling politely, her formal training kicking in. “Yes actually. She wanted to talk to me about something and insisted on meeting her here.” 

MC looked a bit surprised but after that a smirk played on her lips. “Trying to get hired, Gumi?” MC said as she gave Gumi a look. Before Luka could even ask, MC had leaned further into the counter towards her. “She’s been going on and on about how she’s going to work here.” She said conspiratorially. 

“That’s for a good reason,” Gumi grumbled with a deeper shade of red on her cheeks. “You guys are leaving within a year!” 

Luka could not help the shock from appearing on her face. It has only been a few minutes since they were first introduced to each other but she can’t imagine the two of them not being here. “Really? Why?”

Jaehee shared a look with MC before turning back to Luka.

“Our main branch is in South Korea - where we live.” Jaehee answered. “We’ve been told that there has been a decrease in profit and customers in the past month. It is not something to be alarmed about since we profit from it just the same. Although, it is not something that we should neglect either. Besides, it’s been a few years since we went back. We kinda miss it.”

“And before you ask,” MC interjected. “The years are for our international expansion. Both of us felt the need to, at least, know the culture and language to successfully blend the coffee shop into the country. Well, not Jaehee,” She cleared her throat, a small blush rushed to her cheeks. “ I needed to learn the languages. Jaehee already did when we met.” 

“Honeymoon.” Gumi coughed into her hand. She received another wet towel to the face, provided by MC.

“You’re a fast learner, MC,” Jaehee said with a smile. “Aside from that, we also had to interview and train the people who we assigned in those branches to make sure they were trustworthy enough for the job.” 

“Ah, so that’s how you guys are so fluent.” Luka said in wonder. “How did you meet Gumi, though? How long have you been in Japan?”

“We actually met her in a coffee business convention.” Jaehee said, a smile forming on her lips. “She is the one who opened us up to the possibility of the Japanese branch. As you can see, we are not that known since we only opened a week ago.”

“I see. I had no idea that Gumi actually knows business. But, honestly, I can’t imagine this place without you guys.” Luka said, truthfully. 

The two smiled at her comment. “Thank you.” Jaehee answered for both of them while MC raised her index finger in the universal ‘please wait’ sign before going to her coffee station.

“Anyway,” Gumi interjected while rubbing the red on her cheek. “We have a very important issue to talk about, Luka.” She turned back to her with a sudden intensity that Luka was brought back to the reason why she was here.

“What is it?” Luka warily asked while MC placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of her. “Thank you so much! How much do I-”

“Oh hush!” MC interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It is on the house so don’t worry about it,” She winked, leaning on the counter by her hip. “Besides, we want to have more customers so please do come back and bring some more friends. This is for the tea set I am keeping an eye on.” 

With a small chuckle, Jaehee took the brunette’s side and followed MC’s example of leaning on the counter, their shoulders brushing just a bit and Luka could not help but smile at how cute the two were. “If you really liked that tea set,” Jaehee said with a fond smile, her eyes not leaving MC’s face. “We could make a day out of it.” 

The two were silent after that. Both of them seemed too absorbed with each other that they were left on their own. 

Upon feeling a tap on her forearm, Luka’s attention was directed to Gumi who was casting exasperated glances at the owners of the coffee before sliding a piece of tissue with words written on it. ‘They’re cute, aren’t they? ’

Luka nodded, a small smile tracing on her lips. 

Then, Gumi proceeded to write again. ‘But they’re both single and not dating each other.’

Luka went wide-eyed at that because it cannot be right. Her eyes went back to the two and she saw how MC had to physically remove the small contact she had with Jaehee before awkwardly laughing. Meanwhile, Jaehee only smiled and went along with it.

Her eyes went back to Gumi, hoping to find an explanation but she only smiled sadly before turning back to the quote-unquote group. “So,” She exclaimed, immediately gaining the attention from the other two women. “Are you going to make the moves on your girl, Luka?” 

Luka felt her heart lurch for a second until she had to look away, ultimately feeling the heat rushing to her face. “Gumi!” Luka yelped, embarrassed but she is glad that she’s not the only one.

MC had decided to just look away while she cleared her throat through the very obvious blush on her cheeks. Meanwhile, Jaehee looked like she did not process anything. She was purely blank for a few seconds until she blushed and hid her face in her hands.

“What?” The bassist laughed. It is clear that she had fun seeing them react. “Oh come on, don’t be like that.”

Luka covered her face and sighed. “Could you not ask something like that out of nowhere? Some people are not as open-minded as others.” 

That only made Gumi scoff. “Look around you, Luka. There are only gay people here. ” Luka and the other two did as instructed and they are the only people present in the coffee shop at this time of the day.  

Gumi smirked as MC shot a glare towards her while Jaehee, red-faced and embarrassed, excused herself from the group saying. “I-I am going to double check the storage.”

As soon as Jaehee entered the room and closed the door behind her, MC reached over Gumi and pinched the greenette’s cheeks. The brunette smiled at her friend’s pained expression. “How many times do I have to tell you?” She asked through her teeth. “Do not make assumptions like that.” She said as her smile got wider and terrifying. 

Gumi freed herself from MC. “It is not an assumption,” She argued. “The two of you have been shooting heart eyes at each other the entire time we have been here!”

MC glared at her once again but sighed. “Look, I know that. I am just cautious. I-I,” She stuttered, closing her eyes and breathing in before meeting Gumi’s eyes. “I don't want to lose her and I am willing to stay her best friend if it meant I could stay by her side.” 

The pinkette felt the same way and she knew it. She only officially met Miku a few days ago. Even before that, she already knew what she wanted to happen and that did not involve any sort of romance. .

A  resounding groan vibrated from Gumi. “ This is why, I want the two of you to meet each other,” She said, sending a glare at them. “Both of you are hopeless!” 

Luka suddenly felt small and taking a glance at MC she found that she’s not the only one. 

“Think for a second. What if someone snatches them away? Would you be able to stay silent and play the role of supportive friend ?” 

Luka winced at that. She, honestly, hasn't thought about that possibility. But now that she has… She felt her hand opening and closing - the same subconscious action that has been taught to her in order to stop herself from reacting too much. Before she could stew in that anger and frustration, Gumi continued.

“Both of you are lucky to have a love interest with someone not interested in love.” Gumi said, glaring at them through slitted eyes. “Otherwise, both of you will be having sleepless nights when they go on blind dates.”

Letting out a sigh, the dancer could not hold her gaze with her friend and she imagined that MC was the same. Having lost so much faith in a relationship ever since Ritsu happened had her backing down before anything could develop… Well, develop further than the friendship that she treasured. 

“If that’s what it takes.” MC’s voice snapped her back to reality. Luka saw brown eyes shine with stubbornness and resolution. “If that’s what she wants.”

“No, I don’t want to hear it MC-san.” Gumi said with her palm directly in front of MC. 

“Don’t put your palm in my face!” The brunette said, annoyed, as she brushed the hand aside.

Gumi glared at MC before sighing. “MC-san,” She said with her voice calming. “Has it ever occurred to you that you have waited so long that you just forgot that you were the one who is supposed to make the first move?” At that the brown-haired person blinked as if she did not expect Gumi to say anything like that. 

Green eyes turned to the pinkette. “And you. You are so friggin’ pessimistic!” Luka flinched at the crispy way she said those words. “You haven’t even tried and yet-!” She continued to rant but Luka was not listening anymore. She didn’t need another Kaito telling her to just suck it up but it struck a chord in her. 

A minute later of plain ranting, Jaehee came back with a clipboard in hand. It seemed that Jaehee did, in fact, double check the storage. “Everything alright here?” Golden eyes trailed from Luka who just waved at her with a forced smile and her partner who just feigned ignorance. Gumi immediately latched onto Jaehee.

“How about you, Jaehee san. Don’t you think that a person should try first before claiming that they have no more chances with the one they love?” Ocean blue eyes looked at the person in question, expecting Jaehee to find another escape route or to check the storage room for the nth time of the day. 

But to Luka’s wonder, the older girl merely smiled and leaned on the counter right next to MC, their shoulders brushing slightly, almost shyly. MC looked mesmerized as Jahee did so and Luka did not fail to notice. 

Fair cheeks of the brunette reddened slightly as dark brown eyes gazed at the person next to her.

“Yes. I,” Goldish brown eyes trailed to the person next to her, smiling as they met eye-to-eye. “I believe that chance is worth a try.” MC gasped but she quickly turned away, hiding the way she blushed. Jaehee merely smiled.

As the two were isolated in their own world, Luka felt a smile etching on her lips when a small tap on her forearm caught her attention. 

Gumi’s eyes held hers with a frightening amount of determination etched in them. “I don’t know what happened to make a confident person like you so afraid of this,” she whispered but it was enough for Luka to understand. “But you have to decide, is she worth the risk?”

~0~

Days after that, the question lingered in her mind but managed to brush it aside and only thought about it every time she got to be alone. Or when Gumi gave her a pointed yet subtle stare... Or when Miku reminded her by just being her .

That last one in particular - those little moments with Miku, always managed to bring her back to the question and just simply answer. “ She’s worth everything. ” 

At first, her mind goes back to Ritsu but the longer she thought, the stronger she found herself being convinced to just… go for it even if some part of her is still afraid of getting hurt and her eventual leave.

The sound of Kaito’s alarm interrupted her train of thought and Luka couldn’t help but sluggishly groan as the ringing shook her mind.

“Luka?” Kaito’s groggy voice asked, yawning at the tail end. He reached for his phone and effectively stopped the ringing. “How long were you up?” He asked, swallowing his words with another yawn.

For a moment, Luka didn’t reply until she sighed, knowing that Kaito would get worried if she didn’t answer. “Quite awhile.” The hoarseness had her clearing her throat. She didn’t mean for it to be dry.

“It doesn’t sound like ‘awhile’,” Kaito said and Luka could hear the worry in his voice. She didn’t have to look to know that Kaito has his mama bear mode activated - Meiko’s words, not hers. “Have you been up the whole night?” 

“... Maybe.”

Hearing an audible tsk, her best friend went to their shared bathroom and carried a transparent pouch of medicine. He, then, got Luka’s tumbler and filled it with water from the water dispenser. 

He tapped on her leg, a wordless sign to make some space for him to sit on and she did. A slight shuffle to sift through the pouch later and Kaito is handing her medicine and the tumbler. “It’s for the headache and dizziness.”

She murmured her thanks and proceeded to drink her medicine, vaguely aware of the stare that Kaito is giving her. They shared an uncomfortable silence for a bit afterwards and Luka couldn’t help but fiddle with the cap of her tumbler. 

After the silence got slightly burdening, Luka sighed and fully met Kaito’s eye. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh no, did I snore too much?” Kaito asked with a good mix of laughter and worry in his tone.

Ocean blue eyes rolled at her friend’s attempt to lighten the mood and it was working. “No. Well, yes but that’s not the reason why.”

“Okay? Then, what is it?”

Luka could not help but avoid his eyes, suddenly guilty and regretful that she didn’t tell Kaito anything when they always shared everything with each other. Still, she braved the fall and met his eyes again. “Please don’t be mad.”

At that, Kaito’s eyes widened. “Not off to a good start but okay.”

She felt her lips twitch to a small smile. Their banter always did comfort her. “I have been keeping a secret from you,” She watched as her best friend looked affronted with a cocked eyebrow in a ‘how dare you’ sort of statement. “I know, I know. I messed up but please listen?”

“Just to be clear, we are going to talk about this but go on.” 

Luka breathed in. “Remember a few days ago when Gumi left a note in my literature book?” 

Chapter Text

A sweet velvety violin instrumental rang through the open space of Luka’s quarters while the girl, herself, was meditating - not moping - with her body laying completely flat on the couch that’s set in her sitting area.

It had already been months and a few weeks since she had Kaito intervene in her self-imposed exile.

During that time, Kaito had decided to stay with her until she basically pulled herself together so that he could be convinced to go back to his own school. Still, Kaito refused and was even arranging to move back to the same school as hers but she fought him over it. 

It was beneficial to him - an opportunity that only came once, and she refused to be the one to take him away from that, especially if he really wanted to serve her family.

The only thing that made him leave was Luka’s promise of constant communication and his mentor forcing him to go to his school.

After Kaito left though, she realized how hard it was. She felt alone. She felt isolated even in her own friend group. She found it hard to keep up with conversations; found it hard to focus and she doesn’t know why.

It felt like drowning and her body was too paralyzed to swim back up. It felt like stretching up to call for help but couldn’t. It felt like moving but not moving at all. It felt hopeless and no one, not even to her parents, could coax her back up to breathe. 

The only one she felt safe to talk with is her childhood best friend and self-proclaimed brother. But, she didn’t dare tell him or show how she really was. How could she when she knew that he would worry and somehow find a way to be physically there? No, she couldn’t. Not when Kaito was doing great. So, she pretended in every call and faked enthusiasm in her stories until her facade cracked and Kaito had noticed.

He wanted to go back right then but his mentor kept him there with the threat of cutting off his program. While it was enough, that didn’t deter him from asking Meiko to look after her. And she did even though Luka would sometimes be the stubborn ass that Kaito had warned Meiko to be.

Meiko has been alright in her standards. She has been attentive and patient which are traits that she constantly tied to her parents and Kaito. She’s perfect for him and she’s happy that they seem to be happy. They could’ve been friends, too, if Luka had been feeling… less shitty. 

It got worse. It got so bad that she was actively avoiding people and just plainly silent. Meiko tried to coax her out but she just burrowed in her hole further. Then, it came to the point where she stopped coming to school. 

But, it’s near summer break so it's alright.

Right?

Luka lazily continued to mo- meditate with her back on the softness of her black and white couch, her eyes tracing over the unnecessarily intricate carvings on her ceiling as she wondered about how it was created.

“It would make sense if they started at the corners but that would be confusing considering how the design has a sort of focal point in the middle,” She raises a hand, pointing upward to that one piece right where a light bulb would have been if it wasn’t covered by some sort of decorative glass. “If the whole ceiling is a whole block, the artists would have to-”

Her train of thought immediately came to a halt at the sound of her door opening without a knock and a greeting that had her almost groaning in irritation. “BesMan!”

Luka only gave in for a second before going back to the topic at hand. “The artists would have to lay it flat on the ground while they work on it.” She said almost hypnotizing herself to ignore the other person in the room.

It was working, too, until Kaito had to put his face right at the edge of her vision. “What are you doing?” He asked. Luka exhaled and felt a sudden throb on her temple, hoping to zone out by simply ignoring him but then she felt a tap on her leg - his silent way of asking to make space. 

Pursing her lips and eyes, Luka prepared herself for the talk that she had been anticipating. Another tap on her leg and she dragged her legs, allowing it to hang at the edge while the upper half of her body remained sluggish on the couch. “What are you doing here, Kai?”

"Oh, you know," He said, leaning further into his side of the couch. "The air-conditioned room, the free food, and the outright need to see if you're still alive."

Luka scoffed, turning her body so that she doesn't have to see Kaito even in her peripheral vision. Ignoring his calls definitely made her guilty.

"Meiko said that you haven't been to school lately," Kaito shifted his position so that he has his feet folded underneath him. "And by lately, I meant for two weeks." 

His voice was deeper than Luka remembered. Had it always been like that? Had it been like that when he had facetimed her from his new school? How come she missed that?

It seemed that she missed a lot when her mind kept on telling her about other things. The dancer remained silent and she curled even more on her side of the couch. 

"Luka?" She felt Kaito leaning into her crumpled form and she just curled further into herself. And then, she, once again, felt her best friend move away slightly in compliance to the wordless request of space. 

For a while, they shared a silence - a simple quiet moment that somehow felt both heavy and light. That was enough for her to listen and contemplate her actions.

What she did was wrong. She knew that she shouldn’t have skipped classes. After all, going to school is part of her training but most of her didn't feel like going to a high school that reminded her of Ritsu. A school that had her happiest memories tainted by Ritsu’s fickleness.

The rest of her meanwhile… 

Well, the rest of her just wanted to hide in shame. She was ashamed for being the other or the mistress even if it wasn't really her fault. No one from school had even judged her for it. It’s just… her or her mind

Minutes passed and the only passing connection they had was the small contact between her bare foot and Kaito's knee. It was a small lingering reminder of his presence and, somehow, that was enough. 

“I-” She started, breaking the silence. “I’m glad you’re here.” 

“So am I, BesMan,” Kaito said. “Especially when you bring out the DDR machine that I knew hid in that wall.” He pointed to the bare wall beside her bedroom door.

Luka laughed, slowly opening herself up and facing Kaito with a small smile. “I already told you that I don’t have that.”

Her best friend feigned a suspicious stare at her. “I don’t believe you. It’s here somewhere!” Kaito got on his feet and went to the wall he pointed at and began knocking on it. “See? It’s hollow!”

“That’s because it’s beside my room, dingus!” 

~Miku’s P.O.V.~

Kaito-senpai was sulking. There’s no other way of saying it. 

Ever since he joined Miku this morning, he had been quiet and closed off with an expression on his face that spoke volumes of just how upset he was. She tried to find Luka around him but then he took off without a word so she just assumed that she'd catch up. 

When they reached the Kagamine residence, Kaito visibly frowned and it was honestly off putting. Her normally eccentric, endlessly optimistic, irritating upperclassman wilted into this lifeless, stony, irritated upperclassman. “Are you okay, senpai?”

Kaito only nodded but it was still clear that he is most certainly not okay. When the twins and Gumi had joined them, she gave them subtle gestures to handle Kaito but it seemed that none of them knew what to do. 

When he caught them exchanging signals, he sighed audibly and smiled, even though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m fine, guys. It’s just a tough morning.”

It was clear that none of them believed him but sharing a glance with her group had them acting like nothing changed but not for all of them. 

They walked for quite a bit and Miku couldn’t help but notice that Luka was still not there. She took a moment to prepare herself, suddenly hesitant to disturb him, before nudging him to his side and whispering. “Kaito-senpai, is Luka coming?”

At the mention of her name, he closed his eyes and released a ragged sigh. Miku suddenly knew what caused him so much stress. “She’s sleeping in,” He said with a tired smile. “Turns out she stayed up all night.” 

The teal-haired vocalist hummed in thought. That was unusual, considering how the pink-haired dancer always arrived early to catch breakfast with her parents since she invited her. “Really?”

“Yeah,” His eyes twinkled with amusement and thrill despite the weariness that plagued him. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just got-” His voice trailed off upon hearing Gumi’s laughter. Miku watched as Kaito got distracted for a quick second before catching himself and masking it with a small cough. “A mild case of insomnia.”

Miku felt her eyebrow shoot up and glanced followed his line of vision. “What’s up?”

Her upperclassman’s eyes flew upward and away. “Nothing,” Kaito said, clearing his throat and going back to meet her eyes. “Oh yeah, have you guys decided on a set list for the show on saturday?”

The guitarist took that as the avoidance tactic as it is and just rolled with it, making a note to analyze it later. “You mean ‘sequence’?” Miku thought for a second. “Actually, we haven’t. I’ll ask Gumi. She is the one who has a knack for it.” Teal eyes went to seek the green-haired bassist, only to find her talking to a long-haired brunette who was in what looked like workout clothes. 

“Good morning, MC-san!” She heard Rin shout from her side where she was bickering with Len. With a flash of yellow, she rushes to the woman. “Is Jaehee-san with you? You guys were never early.”

From where she stood, Miku could see how this MC person shot a short discreet look towards Gumi before going back to Rin. “Good morning to you too, Rin. Jaehee’s still fussing around the shop,” She rolled her eyes but even from a short distance, Miku found the fondness in them. “She’s making sure that everything is secured so that we can go on our morning run. You can thank Jaehee for this torture.”

Suddenly brown eyes found hers and Miku suddenly felt awkward, gawking at them. Even her upperclassman had to look away. 

“Oh, right.” Gumi exclaimed, obviously forgetting to introduce the rest of them. Introductions were made and the burgeoning awkward silence after was cut short by the chime of a bell from the establishment’s front door. Another woman walked out with a jiggle of her keys. “And this other lady is Jaehee Kang, the co-owner of the coffee shop.”

Miku watched as a similarly clothed woman with ponytailed goldish brown hair and golden eyes approached them after locking the door. “Oh, good morning,” Her eyes scanned from person to person. “Gumi’s friends?”

A chorus of agreement was echoed throughout the group except for Rin who greeted Jaehee-san with a hug that was gladly reciprocated. “Good morning, Jaehee-san.”

“Good morning, Rin,” She turned back to the rest of the group and then to the brunette who winked at her without Rin and Gumi knowing. Jaehee’s eyes widened for just a bit but it eventually bloomed into a wide smile. “I would like to meet you all formally in the future but unfortunately, me and my partner have to run before opening time.”

“Definitely,” Gumi said, almost hastily as she looped her arm around her and Kaito-senpai’s arm. As she began pulling away with them in tow, she looked over her shoulder. “See you later!”

Miku shot a suspicious glance at Gumi. “What the-” She began but the bassist just kept on pulling them forward, leaving Rin and Len behind them. “Gumi, what is happening?”

“Rin,” She heard MC-san call out. “Could you come here for a second?”

Gumi only chuckled with hints of nervousness in it. “Nothing...” She said and yet she couldn’t meet her eyes. Discreetly, Miku shared a look with Kaito but he only shrugged and went along with it. 

Looking over her shoulder, she found Rin still talking to the two women meanwhile Len was just standing idly to his twin’s side. 

Miku tried to get a better look but Gumi was, now, tugging them further what she could only describe as panic-stricken.

It wasn’t until they were nearing the school when Gumi with ears more red than usual had released her hold on them. 

Rin and Len, meanwhile, were still far from them but were moving at their own pace. The twins were engaged in a conversation that had the male twin squealing in excitement.

~Third Person P.O.V.~

It’s already almost the first bell where they usually end their morning practice and Miku couldn’t help but feel a shift in Gumi. The girl was literally all-over the place during their morning practice and while that’s not rare, it’s not usual either. 

At some point, Gumi called their morning session to an abrupt stop after the nth time she flopped a chord. “Sorry, guys,” She whispered through a small frown. “It’s definitely not my morning.”

“Are you alright?” Miku asked, worried.

The bassist gave her a small smile. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. It’s just a rough morning.”

Rin whose eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as she said. “Does it have anything to do with the letter that MC-san gave me? She told me not to open it until later but I could open it now if it’s bothering you.”

Teal eyebrows shot up at that. “A letter?” Her eyes switch focus between the two people. “For what?”

Rin only shrugged. “I mean, Len told me that it was a love letter but I am not really sure.”

“But, nee-san,” Len argued. “The envelope, by itself, is littered with effort. It’s light green with highlights of yellow. It has a beautiful drawing of a rose at the corner. It’s even scented!”

“You alright there, Gumi?” Kaito said with slight amusement in his tone. “You seem a little red.”

The green-haired bassist cleared her throat, her eyes very intent on looking away while she fiddled with her instrument with a look of disinterest on her face. “Must be the humidity.” 

“It’s not that hot, though,” Kaito said with a teasing smile on his face. “Are you really sure?”

Miku raised an eyebrow at the interaction between the two. “Does anyone want to fill the rest of us in?”

Gumi’s green eyes turned to her for a second before flicking back to Kaito who only grinned wider as they resumed their staring contest. “There’s nothing to say. Right, Kaito-senpai?”

“Maybe.”

~0~

Kaito left as soon as the morning bell rang, telling them about his club’s morning session. But not before very publicly handing a note to Gumi. “See you later?” He said with a matching grin and a flirtatious wink, seemingly revived from his early morning sadness.

“What the hell?” Miku whispered amongst them after being dumbfounded.

Rin immediately went beside the bassist, leaning towards her to get a glimpse but Gumi immediately tucked it in her pocket before she ever could. “Oh come on, please?”

“Nope,” Gumi stubbornly squirmed away, the blush on her face growing slightly exponentially. “No way.”

“What did it say?” Len asked with a small frown. “Because if it is anything romantic, I have to tell Meiko-san.”

“Not gonna tell,” She said, clearing her throat and dispersing the blush on her face in one fell swoop. “A-Anyway, we have on-site practice later and we haven’t talked about lighting and the like.” She gestured to the white board where a list of the production will be written. “So, shall we?” 

The groan from the rest of the team had been music to Gumi which is second only to hearing Luka’s or Kaito’s (she’s not picky) horrified scream once they meet up later.

~0~

It was already around three in the afternoon when Luka finally managed to get herself off of her sinfully comfortable bed. She groaned feeling the throb in her head.

Her conversation this morning replayed in her head and suddenly she’s dreading going to school but she still will because if there’s anyone who deserved that effort, it's Kaito. This truth is made stronger by her own fault.

She dragged her whole body to prepare for the day when she noticed that her phone was blinking which meant that someone messaged her. Taking her phone with her to the bathroom, she found some messages from Miku, asking about her well-being, one message from Gumi that scared her, and another from her mother. 

Tapping on her mother’s message first, she began brushing her teeth. How are you, hon? Kaito told me that you’re sleeping in.  

She sighed because of course Kai would send her an update. She immediately texted back. I’m good, momma. Just had insomnia. Call you tonight?

Luka began rinsing when she received a reply from her mother. Looking forward to it, honey! There’s an unhealthy amount of hearts with it but it only succeeded to make her smile. 

She was about to wash her face when another message had her phone vibrating. It was another one from Gumi. The first message had her sighing. What the hell did you tell Kaito-senpai??!?!?! Now, I have to suffer through Rin’s puppy eyes. Luka raised an eyebrow at that. She wasn’t aware of what happened.

The only thing she wanted Kaito to deliver is a note saying to meet-up at the coffee shop later at night. Her best friend must have been slightly extra.

You better be awake! The angry emoji made it clear that she was not happy. The suffering I had to go through is already manifesting into a fist. And be warned, I am punching you.  

Luka couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that escaped her throat. It was slightly amusing.

After rinsing her face, she went to the other thread of messages that she saved for last. Hey, Luka. Just texting you to say that I hope you’re having a good sleep.  

Her lips upticked to a small fond smile as she scrolled through while moving to her room. Mom probably left something at your front desk. Better pick it up before they go bad. 

An attached picture of Rin going deeper into a blushing Gumi’s personal space was the next chat bubble, followed by the caption. They have been like that ever since Kaito-senpai gave Gumi a (love?) note. Are you okay with that?

The last line had her raising an eyebrow. “What?” She whispered amongst the open space. She tried to read back to the previous lines but none of them made sense to her so she just scrolled past it.

Idk if you remember but we’re going to have a stage rehearsal later at 4. Luka shot up to attention at that. She forgot about that! 

Taking a quick glance at the clock, she found that it’s already 3:32. She sped through her closet and took out her PE uniform and a jacket that has her initials embroidered at the right sleeve. She took her set of keys, money, and phones then she went off.

She almost forgot about shoes and socks but was able to feel her feet, thumping on the ground so she breathed a bit to put them on. 

While she was going down stairs, she put up her ponytail. She was about to zoom past the front desk when Officer Kazu called after her about the tangerines that Mrs. Hatsune left for her.

“Oh right!” She zoomed right back and took the tangerines from him. “Thank you!” She shouted before literally running all the way to school. 

~0~

When she arrived at the school gates, she slowed to a jog after checking her phone for a quick time check. 3:58 . “Shit.” She murmured as she dissolved her jogging pace into running. If she didn’t, she’ll end up late and miss it. 

“Luka?” 

The simple call to her name had her freezing for a split second. She turned her head to see Ritsu with a body guard towering over her. “It is you!”

Chapter Text

Ever since Kaito visited winter break, he has found the lazy side of his BesMan. He knew that he was supposed to expect this after finding out that she actually skipped school for two weeks but seeing it in person was different.

He watched worriedly as Luka lazily moved her fingers on the controller while laying flat on the very same couch he found her in this morning. He sighed, unheard over the sound of Tekken playing on Luka’s flat screen television.

They have been stuck playing video games from day in, and day out. It was slightly making him crazy when it was something that he wasn’t used to. Just last year, Luka would have suffocated if she got stuck inside the room. 

They even resorted to playing horse race tag around the estate when Luka got severely bored. It got them in trouble because the garden has hooves everywhere.

A crackle from the television had him coming back from daydreaming. The red letters spelled K.O. on the screen. He was surprised to find his character standing with health more than half still left. 

“Oh,” Luka said non committedly. “Cool.”

Kaito blinked again, his eyes going from his controller to the television. “I wasn’t even moving my fingers.”

“I know,” Luka waved the controller in her hand. “I switched it.” She grinned.

Kaito felt his eyes widen. “Ah,” He said as he plopped his back on the couch’s back seat. “Sorry, I spaced out.”

His best friend only shrugged and pressed a button for another battle. “It’s okay. I was only half trying, too.” She began pressing on buttons and the next battle began, only this time it was against a random opponent online.

The protector-in-training frowned and stared at Luka for a minute before thoughtlessly grabbing for the remote and turning the T.V. off.

“What the heck?” Luka reacted, her head shooting up to glare at Kaito. “What the-”

He held up his palm, effectively silencing her from whatever retort that his best friend would say. They held a stare off for a while before Kaito snatched the control from Luka’s hand in the way that his mentor taught him. “We’re going out.”

“What?”

Kaito stood up, placing the controllers on the coffee table before standing up and offering a hand to Luka. “We’re going out.” He repeated.

Luka’s eyebrows scrunched up right in the middle, her eyes flicking from his hand to the controllers until she just sighed and groaned. “Meiko won’t appreciate that wording.” She said, taking Kaito’s hand and standing up with a sluggishness that evolved from her previous days.

“Nah,” He said, grinning as he led her outside her room. “I made it clear long ago that you’re my priority. A good brother doesn’t allow romances to topple his priorities with his sister.”

“We’re not even related.” Luka said with a small trace of amusement and annoyance in her voice.

“You’re my soul sister. Now, do you want to annoy the horses? Or play in the armory?”

~Third Person P.O.V.~

“Good job, everyone!” Gumi shouted as the last note stopped reverberating from the amplifiers. “Lighting needs a little more work though.”

“Sorry! Our adviser took a break.” 

“Ah, gotcha,” She gave them a thumbs up, turning to her bandmates with a proud smile. “That was a good run. Let’s make sure to do the same on saturday.”

“Heck yeah!” Rin grinned, doing a quick beat on her drums.

Len sighed but smiled all the same. “Thank God, too,” He took off the straps of his guitar and placed them on the stand beside him. “I thought we were going to be here forever.”  

“Sorry,” Gumi’s face flushed red. “It was a really bad morning.”

Len was about to reply when Rin very excitedly bounced over to their side of the stage with a small grin on her face. “It hasn’t felt that good since forever. So,” She let the word hang before fluttering her eyes towards Gumi. “Can we see the note?”

The bassists couldn’t help but groan although it did have her blushing lightly. “Why do you want to see it so badly?” 

Rin shrugged, her eyes flicking away for a quick second before going back to her bandmate. “I just need to.”

Miku only watched over them with a small smile on her face as she placed her guitar back in her case while her eyes, sweeping to the auditorium door just as she felt the lock click. 

Nothing.

“We need to get the next club in,” She heard one of the stagehands say. “Kindly clear the area.” 

The singer sighed, closing her eyes. “Guys, wrap it up.”

After a few minutes, the rest of the band got their instruments packed - aside from Rin, of course, and made their way outside only to be greeted by a harried Luka, followed by what looked like an even more harried Kaito.

“Good to see that you’re awake, sleeping beauty,” Miku said, raising an eyebrow at the two onlookers. “Did both of you run a marathon?”

“It wasn’t me.” Kaito breathed through his open mouth. He pointed his thumb back to where the pink-haired dancer was already catching her breath.

“Sorry,” Luka said, apologizing through her own harried breath. “I met with... an old friend and well, I got caught up. How was it?”

Gumi raised an eyebrow at the slight pause. She made eye contact with Kaito who only scoffed and shook his head so she chose not to press further. “It was great. Awesome,actually,” She grinned, winking towards the dancer. “It’s probably luck that you didn’t see it. Right, Luka?”

The pink-haired dancer blushed and gave her a pointed look in warning. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Shall we?” She said, gesturing for them to move along.

The group found itself moving forward with Gumi, Rin, and Len leading meanwhile, the other three were trailing after them with Kaito letting out a final huff. “I can’t believe you dragged me around after meeting your ex.”

“Excited friend!” Luka interjected. She turned towards Miku with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. “My excited friend. She’s new here and we got caught up. That’s why I was late.” 

“That’s what you said, yeah,” Miku raised an eyebrow. “You alright? You’re acting weird.”

“Yup. Definitely alright.” Luka’s voice pitched higher than normal. 

There’s an audible scoff that came from Kaito. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.” 

“Shut. Up.” The dancer said through clenched teeth before clearing her throat. “So, Miss Ogle,” She waited until Miku turned to her with her ears pink and her glare. “You think I’m beautiful?”

The resulting groan from the lead singer had Luka laughing out loud. Unbeknownst to them, a brown-haired girl was observing from afar with a frown on her face.

~0~

It has been a few hours into the night and the Shion-Megurine dorm room echoed with songs of challenge and fight from their battle of Tekken 6 on their Nintendo switch.

“I still can’t believe that Ritsu has the gall to approach you,” Kaito said, eyes focused on the screen while furiously tapping the buttons. “Who the heck does she think she is?”

“I don’t know,” Luka said, distractedly as she frowned at the screen, similarly punching on the buttons with her thumbs. “Agh, stop spamming!”

“Nope,” He said, continuing his assault of buttons. “Find a work-around. You’re an heiress.” The final clash of powers had led to Kaito’s victory. 

The dancer practically sagged on her seat with the controller loosely held by the strap of her wrist. With narrowed eyes, Luka swung to her best friend. “What’s gotten into you?”

Kaito scoffed, meeting Luka’s eyes with the same narrowed eyes. “What’s gotten into you ? Why do you seem so calm? Ritsu’s here!“

“I know,” Luka nodded. “I just don’t care.”

The casual way she said that made Kaito pause, his eyes turning to her with a skeptical flare. “You don’t care,” He repeated dumbly. “You don’t care?”

“Yep.” Luka grinned with her eyes alight with both happiness and a light that he hadn’t seen since before Ritsu. Right then, Luka’s phone vibrated.

Kaito watched as she opened her phone. “Officer Kazu just texted. We are on the clear. Let’s go.” She bounced up from her bed and was preparing to leave. 

“Wait. Wait,” Kaito interjected as he numbly followed Luka through the door with nothing but his subconscious telling him to get his phone and his own set of keys. “What do you mean by you ’ don’t care ’?”

“I. Don’t. Care.” She spelled out with a clap of her hand in between each word. “Now, we have to go so chop-chop, Kai!” She said as she locked the door and made her way through the building and to the streets.

The hurried steps of a seemingly avoidant Luka only made Kaito push even more. “Oh no you don’t, BesMan,” He said, matching his strides to Luka’s as they ventured further in the well-lit streets. “You don’t get to just walk away.”

“True,” She said, rolling her eyes to her best friend. “Should I run, then?”

“It’s not funny, Luka!” He growled. “Ritsu is here and the two of us know that she’s not here by coincidence. What if she’s going to do something bad to you? What if she wants you back? What if-”

“Kai,” Luka said with a degree of calmness that confused Kaito all the more. She slowed her pace and gave her self-proclaimed brother some time to breathe before speaking. “I know what it means for her to be here. Heck, she even talked to me. I know what could happen and,” She breathed out. “I just don’t care anymore,”

“I don’t care about her reason or even if she wanted me back. The fact of the matter is that she’s not my future anymore and I want to look forward.” She turned toward him with a small serene smile. “I mean, look forward until I have to complete my duties as an heiress.” She chuckled.

Kaito sighed as he gathered his thoughts. “First of all, I am proud that you realized this by yourself but it doesn’t change what Ritsu could do. Second, stop being dramatic,” He glared at her. “I know the next trial is dangerous and way outdated but I believe in you. You can get through it.”

“Thank you.” Luka whispered through a shaky breath.

The two let the quiet reign over their late night stroll with Luka slightly walking ahead but never far away. That is until Kaito nudged his shoulder against Luka’s arm which gave him a smile and playful punch to his forearm. 

It wasn’t too long before they arrived at the coffee shop. 

“Welcome to ‘A Place of Our Own’,” She heard MC greet them from behind the counter. “Hey, Luka! And Kaito, was it?”

“Yep. Nice to meet you again, MC-san,” Kaito said, bowing in respect.

Just like the first time that Luka arrived, the place was littered with the rich smell of coffee and sweetness of pastries. Today, it seemed that pastries were overpowering the coffee.

“Finally!” The two heard Gumi exclaim. “Where have you guys been?” Luka and Kaito looked around the shop but didn’t find the bassist in direct sight. Her voice was the one that led them behind the counter with MC.

The pink-haired dancer gingerly sat on one of the seats by the counter, followed by Kaito. “What are you even doing Gumi?”

They heard a soft thunk before the bassist stood with oven mitts on her hands. Her hair is tied to a loose bun and her body covered in an apron. “This is part two of my plan.”

“Isn’t she sweet?” MC-san cooed, hugging the smaller girl from behind. “She’s like Zen when he tried to woo the main girl with pastries. Right, Jaehee?”

The other owner of the coffee shop answered, once again from behind the supply closet but this time it was wide open. “Absolutely, honey. Welcome back, Luka. It’s been a while. Oh and Kaito is here.” 

“Ooh, pet names?” Luka teased, wiggling her eyebrows as her eyes settled on MC whose face shone red. “Is this what I think it is?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s been calling me that ever since she left her last job.” The brunette said under one breath.

“And you love it,” Gumi teased. She received a wet towel to her face right after. “Stop that, MC-san!”

“Well, stop teasing me,” She glared at the bassist but was ignored after the soft ding. MC sighed, turning her attention to the two who were watching with amused smiles. “If you must know, I did.”

“And?” Luka smirked.

MC huffed, the red turned deeper as she looked away but she could not hide the smile that was making its way to her face. “She said yes,” She whispered with barely repressed awe. “We’re going to have a date next week.” 

“That’s great!” Luka could not help but laugh in relief. “Congratulations to both of you!”

From way within the supply closet, she heard Jaehee’s shout of thank you and MC could not help but laugh in relief and happiness. “Thank you. Again,” She grinned. “So, how about you and yours? I know Gumi already made her first move.”

“Really?” Luka blinked. She turned to the bassist who is suspiciously silent and slightly hidden from their sight. “What did you do?”

When the bassist remained silent after seemingly concentrating on the art of the cupcake, Kaito laughed and answered for her. “She gave Rin a scented letter that’s light green with yellow highlights, and a drawing of a rose at a corner.” Right then, the similar wet towel reached Kaito’s face.

“That’s so cute!” Luka squealed. “How did she react? What did she say?”

Gumi sighed. “I don’t know. I asked MC-san and Jaehee-san to tell her to open it tonight.”

“She’s hiding here.” MC piped in with a smirk on her face. 

“I am not !” The green-haired bassist denied although the light pink on her ears told them all they needed to know. “I’m just waiting it out.”

“Aw,” MC cooed. “Don’t worry we have a sleeping bag upstairs.”

Gumi playfully nudged the brunette away. “Enough about me! What about Luka? So have you decided?”

“I did,” She answered. “And will-”

“Woo the love of your life?” Kaito interjected with a happy smile on his face. 

Luka nudged him by his shoulder, a blush completely coating her cheeks. “Kai!” She said indignantly. “But yes. That. I wanna do that.”

“Finally!” Gumi grinned. “What are you going to do?”

“That’s the thing I wanted to meet with you about,” Luka sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”

Gumi raised an eyebrow in surprise. “But you have an ex .”

The dancer groaned, placing her hands to her face. “I am not good at lying...”

“You’re terrible at it,” Kaito said, playfully nudging Luka with his shoulder. “Most of the time, anyway.”

“Not helping, Kai,” Luka sighed. “I don’t know what to do! It has to be creative and enough for Miku to get the point.”

Jaehee soon approached them, placing cups of hot chocolate right in front of the three teens and taking MC’s side immediately after with a hand around her waist. “How about a letter?” 

“Too cliche,” The heiress answered. “I want to do something that’s completely me.”

“Well,” Gumi hummed in thought. “What do you like about Miku?”

“A lot, honestly,” Luka sighed, a soft smile tracing her lips. “She’s cute, a bit of a dork sometimes. She’s generous enough to give me an impromptu school tour,” Luka chuckled. “She’s blunt but not to the point of being unkind. She’s passionate about music. She takes my breath away each time I see her on stage.”

“Ah!” Kaito screamed with a gleam in his eyes. “I got it! I have an idea.”

Chapter Text

“Momma?” A little Luka called out with her arms carrying a book that would’ve been too much for a girl of five years. 

“Yes, honey?” A woman with similarly colored hair and ocean blue eyes asked as she kneels down to her daughter’s eye level. “What do you have there?” 

Luka held her hands out and showed her a copy with its cover swirling colors of black and red, and a yellow brush stroke of a name - Dante.

“It’s Inferno,” Her daughter said in nonchalance with a small frown on her face. “I don’t get it.” She pouted.

Thinking about how this piece was particularly harder to understand than others, the older Megurine tried to console her daughter. “Oh, honey, Dante’s Inferno could be hard. What do you want to know?”

“I don’t get how Dante traveled through all that for love,” The girl interjected as her frown went deeper. The sparkle of curiosity in her small ocean blue eyes gleamed brighter with unshed tears as confusion set in. “I don’t get it.”

A soft smile traced over Mrs. Megurine’s lips. She sat down, putting her daughter on her lap. “Do you want to know ‘how’? Or is it ‘why’?”

“Both.” She murmured, her eyes shifting away and back as if guilty.

Noticing this immediately, the woman held her daughter close before looking her daughter in the eyes. “Oh honey, what’s wrong?”

Luka sniffled and yet she hardly let out a sob or let a tear out. “It’s just,” She huffed. “Why don’t I understand it? I love you. I love Dad. I love Kaito, even if he could be annoying. I love Valiant. I love our people. So why don’t I understand him? Does it mean I don’t love you?”

“Honey, that’s not it. You do love us. It’s just their type of love is different,” She gently explained as she smiled at her daughter’s confused face. “Luka, how would you describe your love for us?” She made herself comfortable on the marbled floor.

The little Megurine gave her an odd look at the odd question but didn’t ask why. “I guess,” She started, her eyes going towards the ceiling in thought for a minute before turning back to her mother with a small smile on her face. “You and dad are like having Tuna flakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!”

Mrs. Megurine could not help but laugh at the analogy. She knew that being compared to Tuna flakes is a big compliment considering that it is literally the only thing that could cheer her up in her worst days.

“Kaito is like,” She paused a small bout of laughter in her throat. “He is like loving Valiant. Only he is human and Valiant is a dog. Kaito annoys me more than Valiant does, though.”

“He really does, huh?” Mrs. Megurine thought of the eight-year old and decided, then, that he would be the best protector that the family could ask for. “Beatrice and Dante’s love is more like… finding someone who can make you feel better than eating Tuna flakes or having a companion like Valiant.”

“But, no one can top Tuna flakes.” She frowned, her eyebrows pinched in the middle. 

“I know,” The older woman said, a fond smile still on her lips. “But that’s how Beatrice and Dante’s love is. It is like finding a person who makes you feel content but excited; It would feel like going through a fast ride on a horse; Or eating tuna flakes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.”

Luka laughed but there is clarity in her eyes now and Mrs. Megurine considered that as a win. At the corner of her eyes, she could see her husband who was silently observing from the doorway. They shared a smile at each other and she couldn’t help but another.

“It would be like entering a world where only the two of you matter.”

Luka frowned at that, her eyebrows scrunching in the middle with new confusion. “That sounds sad.”

~Third Person P.O.V.~

The morning after their emergency meeting, everyone met up as usual. 

Well… maybe not as usual.

As soon as Kaito, Luka, and Miku met up at the Kagamine’s house, the three could practically see the tension between Rin and Gumi growing as the two awkwardly avoided eye contact with a very noticeable blush on their cheeks.

“Finally!” Len shouted as he sprinted towards the three arriving people, relief all-over his face. “Sapphic energy at the house was suffocating me the whole morning.”

“I thought sapphic energy would be all over your house every day,” Miku said, her eyes trailing to the two awkward queers. “Or did you only just find out that Gumi and your twin are gay?”

Len glared at the singer. “No, I already knew that Nee-chan and Gumi are both living under a rainbow,” He huffed. “I meant the love letter. It was from Gumi!” 

“Oh.” This was the only word Miku uttered as her eyes went back to Luka who only smiled as she gazed at the pair who was oblivious to the whole world.

“I think you missed the opportunity to say ‘Sapphic synergy ’ instead of ‘Sapphic energy’.” Luka said, amusement lining her words as she snapped back to the conversation.  

“Didn’t Rin open it yesterday night?” Kaito asked. 

“Wait, wait,” Len held his hand up. “You knew? Didn’t you meet with Gumi last night?” He narrowed his eyes at him.

The blue-haired athlete calmly nodded. “We were meeting for a project.”

“What’s with the winking?” Miku raised an eyebrow. “That’s considered as flirting in my book.” 

“I was teasing her,” Kaito grinned, his chin raised. “She didn’t tell me, though. I only knew when Lenny-kun pointed out that the letter was ‘green with yellow’. That wasn’t subtle.”

Len sighed. “You’re right. And no, Nee-chan didn’t open it yesterday night. She wanted to wait until Gumi came back because she knew that it bothered her. Turns out she fell asleep while waiting in the living room and Gumi had to carry her back to her bedroom,”

“Then, this morning -  after taking the last turn in the bath - I found Nee-chan and Gumi face-to-face with Sapphic synergy ,” Luka did a small fist pump at Len’s mention of the term. “Swirling between and around them.”

The group turned back to the pair and the singer couldn’t help but ask. “Still on-going?” Miku asked. 

Luka playfully nudged her side. “Let them breath. Rin only found out a few minutes ago and Gumi only found out that Rin only read it awhile ago.”

Teal eyes met with ocean blue ones as if trying to find something in them and Luka tried to hold her stare until a deep red seeped to her ears. “W-What? Why are you staring?”

Miku was silent for a second before she huffed and walked away. “Nothing.”

Luka met Kaito’s eyes and even had his face fixed to a confused bundle. Len took hold of Kaito’s arm and followed after Miku. The dancer numbly followed, her head still at the look Miku gave. “What was that?”

The group left Gumi and Rin in their own bubble, presumably, to work out what happens next.

~0~ 

Needless to say, morning practice got cancelled. Then, it ended up being a very competitive morning for UNO with Len discovering a long lost box of the card game in the club’s storage room.

They had fun but it mostly ended up being a test of friendship with Len siding with Luka and Kaito teaming up with Miku. The group continued until they received a message through Len’s phone. I am going to spend time with Gumi before afternoon practice. Tell the others, please.

The day went through as usual and the group dispersed an hour before lunch time. If Kaito and Len made the day with tailing the lovebirds, no one knew - except maybe, Luka who dragged Miku along with her in tailing the ones who tailed the love birds.

“This is stupid,” Miku whispered as behind the wide window of the classroom that’s doing a roleplay cafe shop. “Why are we even here?” She said, glaring at the giggling passerbys. 

Luka peaked at the window for a second before ducking back with Miku. The taller girl waved at the expectators before replying. “We are tailing the tailers.”

“Aren’t we supposed to - and I quote, ‘Let them breathe’?” Miku raised an eyebrow at her.

“We are ,” Luka grinned with the childish glint in her eyes. “We’re not tailing the love birds. We’re tailing the people who’re tailing the lovebirds!”

Miku only sighed, setting against the lower wall of the classroom in resignation. Hearing Luka laugh as she peeked through the window, she couldn’t help but share the taller girl’s happiness.

Eventually, Miku managed to convince Luka to do something else after Kaito and Len followed Gumi and Rin inside a Haunted House. They decided on walking around the booths outside the school building with not much of a cause other than keeping each other company with small conversations.

They ended up having shaved ice under the shade of a tree near the quad’s activity filled episodes. That afternoon the track and field club was having a relay.

“Y’know,” Luka started after an indulgent bite of cola flavored ice. “This club’s not that bad.”

“I guess so?” Miku replied, albeit half asleep on the grass. She rolled to her side, facing her friend, with her forearm used as a pillow for her head.  “They placed third last tournament as far as I know.”

 “That makes sense but no, I meant their team dynamic,” Luka leaned on her elbows as her eyes kept still on the event. “They would’ve been great if they were more serious.”

Miku hummed, now fully looking towards the team. “What makes you think that they aren’t?”

“Because I was in a very competitive track and field club,” She explained with a small smile. “See, watch.” She pointed to the one group of players on the quad. When buzzer rang to signal the start of the race, two of them did not move for a quick second before sprinting. 

The singer whistled before turning back to Luka. “But that still doesn’t mean that they aren’t serious.” The girl beside her merely shrugged before taking her cup and getting another bite in. 

They were quiet for a while before Miku spoke. “Luka?” The dancer turned to her with the plastic spoon in between her lips. “How are you really ?”

“I’m fine, Miss Ogle,” Luka laughed as Miku slapped her forearm. “I am good. Really, I am.” She reassured her with ocean blue eyes softening as a small yet genuine smile made its way to her face. “Thank you.”

Miku stared her mouth opening and closing, suddenly at a loss of words. Instead, she settled down with her back against the green grass. “I am here for you, always.”

Luka smiled softly at her friend before laying on her back with a peaceful look on her face.

~0~

It was near the time for the band’s afternoon practice and the two were already making their way back to the school building when Luka’s phone vibrated. 

“Ah,” Luka exclaimed with eyes flicking everywhere at once. “Sorry, Miku. I have to... take care of something first. Yeah! So, uhm,” Ocean blue eyes finally met teal but she quickly looked away. “Meet with you after school?”

And just like that Miku was left alone until her ears found Rin’s voice amongst the chatter from the rest. 

“I can’t believe that you guys were following us!” The female twin frowned with a glare that’s very much visible through her voice. “What happened to twin privacy?”

“Twin privacy doesn’t apply when I want to scout my future sister-in-law.” Len defended with his arms crossed.

Gumi coughed, getting Len’s attention. “We don’t actually know if-” She got cut off upon feeling Len’s glare.

“I may know you, Megpoid Gumi, childhood friend and crush of Rin, height:157.5 cm, weight:109.5 pounds, favorite color:orange,” He said with eyes narrowed. “But being my twin’s lover is a whole other thing.”

The three passed Miku as they’re too engrossed in their own little world. Meanwhile, Kaito took the moment to walk beside her. “Hey, Miku. Where’s Luka?”

“She says that she has something to take care off,” Miku answered as she followed after the three. “It seemed like a lie though.”

Kaito shrugged. “She told me about the thing with the principal but it’s probably something about her transfer.” 

“I see,” Miku trailed off. “Senpai, you’re Luka’s best friend, right?” She waited for Kaito to nod before continuing. “Is Luka really okay?” The singer asked him while Len very terribly tried to give Gumi a shovel talk with Rin only watching with amusement. 

Kaito shrugged, the grin on his face ever the same as he turned to her. “She’s fine,” He tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”

Miku went silent at that. Teal eyes went to Gumi’s chastised face and Rin’s blush. “Nevermind.”

The upperclassman’s eyebrows furrowed as he followed Miku’s eyes to the three in front of the group and back to the teal-haired singer. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” She sighed. “Hey, love birds,” Gumi and Rin turned to her with an indignant Len, glaring right at her. “Plus Len. Let’s get a move on. We need to cover a lot of practicing before the final bell.”

Echoes of agreement went from each person in the group aside from one dumbstruck upperclassman.

~Luka’s P.O.V.~

Sweat dripped from Luka’s forehead to her chin as she sat on the floor of the room that she managed to acquire with the principal’s permission. Granted, it might be a bit cramped because it became a storage for the excess tables and chairs but it does the job.

She picked herself up from the floor and went over to the speaker that’s connected to her phone and unplugged it. It stopped the sole song that she repeated over the course of the hours.

Ocean blue eyes trailed over to the windows as she wiped her arms while listening to the whisper of air. It was the same beautiful orange that glowed from her family’s gem. It made her miss home or maybe it was because of the phone call from her mom yesterday. Or maybe she’s yearning?

She sighed, opting to rest on one of the tables as she lets her body cool-off together with wind. A text alert had her moving to fix her things. Thankfully, she managed to complete everything she had to before it rang.

She was about to return the stack of chairs back to their original position when a knock came to the door. “Mr. Principal?” She asked as she moved toward the door while shoving a hoodie over her tank top. “Sorry, sir. I’ll be out in a bi-”

The door opened and what was revealed was not what she expected. “Hello, Luka.” Ritsu grinned.

“Oh,” Luka frowned but tried to plaster a smile all the same. “Hi, Ritsu. What are you doing here?”

Her ex strolled right past her with an air of familiarity that made Luka uneasy. “I assumed that you would show me around since the only thing we did yesterday was eating in the cafeteria,” Brown eyes sweep over the classroom. “But, I see that you’re busy.”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Luka said, the door still wide open by her hand as she numbly looked back at Ritsu. “So, uhm, why are you here?”

The brunette raised an eyebrow and the vague feeling of nostalgia hit Luka, along with a sense of impatience. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re butting me out?”

Luka gritted her teeth, holding her mouth back from agreeing, but sighed instead, her manners winning over her own discomfort. She took one more look towards her ex and just softly closed the door. “It seems that you’re also as bull-headed as I remember.”

Ritsu shrugged as she took a seat on one of the empty tables. “What were you doing?”

“Just… something.” Luka answered as she moved to arrange the chairs.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with that teal-haired girl, does it?” The brunette smirked as Luka all but stopped whatever she was doing. “Ah, I see. Shame that I missed this part of you.”

Luka stared blankly, visibly frowning with her eyebrows furrowed at the middle. “You do know how awkward this is, right?”

Ritsu smirked with all the attitude in the world. It was the same formation of her lips all those years ago, only this time it is on the grown face of her ex. “You always feel awkwa-”

“Don’t do that,” Luka interjected, sighing as she looked at Ritsu straight in the eyes. “I entertained you yesterday for the sake of our memories but, that’s no invitation for you to enter my life after treating me the way you did.” 

Shocked brown eyes trailed over her face before she replied. “Luka...” Ritsu said with a tone that made her more angry and impatient. “I told you that I missed you.” 

“And I told you that you’re a liar ,” Luka said with an intentional bite. “We both know that you’re not the least bit regretful of what happened so missing me cannot be the reason for visiting. So, tell me, what is your true objective here?”

At that Ritsu fell quiet and it left them silent. Luka pursed her lips as she waited but a few minutes went by and there was nothing. Right then, she realized that this was just like in the past and Luka scoffed. It was typical of her.

She wordlessly gathered her things. “Go home, Ritsu. I have a life and you have yours,” Just as she was about to open the door, Luka spared a final glance back at her ex. “And I don’t want your acidic pH levels near mine.”

With a last word, Luka opened the door and left, calmly yet hurriedly walking away with barely restrained anger, missing the smile that etched itself on Ritsu’s lips. 

“Raymond, I’m done here. Meet me outside the building.”

~Third Person P.O.V.~

The afternoon bell rang loudly and slowly faded along with the number of people within campus. Some were just closing up their booths and others were on their way home just like a certain group of five.

“Did Luka reply?” Miku asked Kaito who has been keeping a hand on his phone ever since he texted the said girl. That was about ten minutes ago.

The upperclassman frowned as he anxiously turned the screen on only to find that there were still no replies from his best friend. “No,” He sighed. “She didn’t. What is up with that girl?”

Every possible scenario began running through his mind and he had half the mind to call the parents when Gumi had tugged on the sleeve of his uniform. “Senpai, isn’t that Luka?” She whispered with the urgency of someone worried. 

Blue eyes trailed to where she pointed and found Luka slumped by the gates of the school, seemingly exhausted.

“Hey, guys,” Luka shouted when she saw her friends walking towards her. Even from afar, the smile on her lips was obvious in its deceit. “How was practice?”

“Are you okay?” Kaito asked as his eyes looked over at the heaviness of the slump of her shoulders and the general lack of pep in her step.

“I’m fine,” Luka grinned, feigning the lightness of her steps as she led the way back home. “Just tired, I guess.”

For a moment, the group went silent as they tried to figure out how to traverse a very upset Luka but one look from Kaito told them to just leave it alone for now. 

~Third Person P.O.V.~

The student festival was still in full swing and pretty much the rest of the student body found things to do with the activities setup by the student council. Meanwhile, booths were pushing out last sales, opting to stop before final performance.

The band, meanwhile, had to go through a few… readjustments.

Gumi and Rin, it seemed, had found their footing in the new status of their relationship - from family friend and friend to suitor and love interest. Otherwise, their interaction with each other was pretty much the same even though it turned bashful at times.

Simply put in the words of Len. “They were pretty much flirting with each other before, anyway.” Needless to say, he was slowly adjusting to it especially since they all live together in the same house.

Another thing that suddenly changed was Luka. Or, rather, her presence. The transferee who had stuck to them since she came to the school was suddenly more absent than usual with less convincing excuses every day that passed. 

What’s more is that she was always drained whenever they meet up to go home but would always put up a smile for her friends.

Unbeknownst to them, her tiredness rooted from one person’s persistence. 

“Luka!” Ritsu shouted from afar. Only this time, in a very public place. Lucky for her that the others were not with her. Especially Kaito. 

The man was about to call some extra security but she didn’t let him because it was really unnecessary.

Luka sighed, pausing on her steps. She turned around to find Ritsu approaching her with two  trays of steaming takoyaki. At that, the dancer couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. “What exactly are you doing?”

Ritsu grinned. “I’m sharing takoyaki with someone who loves them.” She said handing Luka one of the trays. 

The dancer frowned but took the tray out of Ritsu’s hand. “Thank you. Now, kindly go away.” She said, immediately walking away with more than a little bit of speed on her steps. 

“Wait!” Ritsu followed after her to the classroom that she used before. 

Yes, the girl has been insistent on spending time with Luka. It would even come to the point where Luka would lock the door of the classroom that she used for practice but will eventually find Ritsu loitering by the hallway.

Still, Luka did her best to ignore her and just go directly to her group’s meet up place. Kaito tried to convince her to, at least, take him with her but she insisted not to when he was vital in the distraction phase of the plan. 

In the end, Luka just adapted and just prepared as best as she could before the performance she’ll do that Saturday night.