Work Text:
Solo practice was given when the members of Roselia were not practicing together. Today was such a very rare occasion where there was no group practice. Schedule conflicts weren’t often, as Roselia always took priority. But somehow, everyone except Yukina and herself was unable to make time today.
Lisa was not as gung-ho about practice as Sayo, but yes she would put hours into her bass in the comfort of her room given that she wouldn’t bother her parents. Deciding it would be a waste of a perfectly nice day to stay inside (and also pressured by Yukina to go to the studio, oddly enough), the bassist headed to the Circle today.
“...and that’s why I’m here,” she finished. Hina continued eating her soft serve, blank-faced. Lisa almost felt like she let her down. “Sorry if you were expecting something a little more exciting, but that’s that.” Their conversations were often very animated. It was never a dull moment, whether talking about a new movie, new ideas for school events, or what new Sayo stories Lisa had for Hina. The two of them could talk about whatever, whenever.
Perhaps it was because Hina didn’t really have much of a social filter, per say. Unlike Lisa, who was very much used to learning what was too sensitive to talk about or what could make someone mad. It was nice just to say anything around Hina, knowing they’d be alright no matter what. There weren’t many people quite like her.
“Mmm, it wasn’t that zappin’ an explanation, but I still thought you were kinda boppin’.” Case in point. Honest answers came so easy to Hina that it reassured Lisa there was little to be nervous about around her, almost like a close family member.
Speaking of family, “So what’s up? I would’ve thought you’d be at home spending time with Sayo. Well, trying to at least.”
Hina played with the spoon in her mouth. Her voice was still remarkably clear, like she was used to talking with utensils muffling her speech. “Hmm, Onee-chan was busy with student council stuff at home. So I wanted to go out and run into someone and I ended up here.” Her eyes became starry. The girl remained seated, which assured Lisa it was not going to be some crazy idea. “Haha, my story was boring too! I guess we’re in the same boat, right?”
“Pfft, as if. You’re the least boring person I know.” She supposed Kokoro gave Hina a run for her money in that area, but her point still stood. A quick check of her phone told her it was almost time for her booking. She got up from her chair and walked away, but not before waving Hina off and taking the last sip of her ice tea. “Anyways, I’m gonna head in. It was fun talking to you Hina!”
Hina shot up from her seat. “Wait Lisachi! Lemme come with you!” She shouted. The spoon in her mouth fell out and landed into her ice cream.
“Huh?” The bassist took a moment to process what she was saying. “Like, you wanna practice with me?”
She nodded, shoveling the remains of her soft serve into her mouth. Lisa was amazed that Hina didn’t get a brain freeze from that. “I swung by the cafe to see if I could hang out with someone. So that’s what I’m doing!”
The other girl gave it some thought. Knowing her classmate so well, her practice session may not end up as practice at all; too many possible distractions in Hina’s presence alone. Even then, “Are you sure you won’t get bored? It’s just solo practice after all.”
Hina’s peace sign told her that she was okay with that. “No problemo! I do play the guitar y’know? So lemme in! Pleeeaaase~?”
Lisa pondered over it a little more. Having another musician listening to her playing could help a lot and Hina was the best critic Lisa could ask for. Well, only because now she understood most of her lingo. And besides, if that wasn’t enough, Hina’s mock puppy eyes were way too powerful to even think about resisting.
“...Alrighty. You better make a good audience!”
Like a little kid, Hina glomped her with all the force of someone who didn’t know how expensive the bass in her bag was. “Lisachi! Thank you!” She felt very fortunate for building her upper strength; carrying the bass everyday and the hours spent on dance club practice really paid off in preventing a pay out.
“Okay tiger, cool your jets and let’s get inside.” Lisa could feel the angle her back made with her legs becoming less and less obtuse the longer Hina hugged her. “Seriously, I-I’m gonna die like this.”
“‘Kaaay!” The girl was strangely excited, more so than usual. The hyperness in Hina was Lisa’s reasoning for the sudden hand-holding. She didn’t dislike it at all. If anything, it was pleasant when Hina began swinging their arms back and forth, even as they were signing into Studio A and renting, “their most boppin’ guitar!” as well.
She couldn’t help giggling at a sudden thought while they walked down the hall. “Hm? Liisaachiii~ What’s so funny?”
“I was just wondering if this is what it’s like to have you as a little sister.” Truly, she was feeling a bit jealous of Sayo now. Not to say Ako wasn’t out of the running. Ako was like everyone’s little sister, mostly a result of her being the youngest member of Roselia. It was hard to not want to pamper her a bit. It only took until now to realize that much was the same for her and Hina. She couldn’t count both of their fingers how many times she had shared cookies and make-up and accessories with the minty-haired girl.
The harmonic motion of their swinging arms dampened. “Hmm, you think so?” Hina said.
“Oh totally! Maybe I should ask Sayo to switch custody or something?” She caught the genius girl frowning adorably and Lisa wanted to grab her into a hug. “Kidding! I’m kidding! I can’t replace Sayo. We’d have to be triplets for that to work.”
Hina’s hand tightened a little. “Only if you’re willing to dye your hair!” She burst into a very loud laugh. “Haha! No way! Lisa with blue hair would be super interesting!”
“No way, in your dreams- Waaait,” she held her chin in thought. “It might look nice if I dyed one strand,” Ran’s aesthetic was the first model to come to mind. “But nah. I’ll stick with my highlights as they are.”
“Then that’s the most boppin’ decision you can make.”
“Huh?” A cryptic Hina-ism always caught her off-guard here and there. Just before Lisa could ask her to explain what she just said, Hina let go of her hand and flung open the studio door.
“Excuse us!” She screamed and was met with a very empty studio. “Oh? No one’s here.”
“What did you expect?” There was nothing but speakers, mic stands and panels. She doubted it was anything unfamiliar to anyone like Hina. She set her bag down carefully.
“What else? A ghost!”
Her body ran cold and she couldn’t move at all. A certain well behind the school, Moca’s story of an actual ghost when they got locked in the school; all these cursed ideas flashed through her mind. Her eyes darted around in front of her, not daring to take a second to blink lest she meet some creepy crawly nightmare. A sudden chill ran up her spine, like someone or something was walking past her. This would be how she died, Lisa thought as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was someone breathing on her ear.
“...Boo.”
“AAAGH NO! DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!” She fell forward, just in front of a speaker.
Hina was laughing it up like no tomorrow. “Hahaha! Your face, oh my god!”
“S-Shut up! Don’t do that stuff outta nowhere!”
“Ehhh, I was just messing around. Lisachi, you’re so weak!”
“Yeah yeah, I’m very weak okay,” she said, hardly paying attention as she began to set up. This was exactly what she was concerned about when she was around Hina; that girl was too much of a distraction. She could feel eyes travel along her back as she followed through the motions with familiar ease. “You say that I’m weak, but I could hold you up with my bass, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”
The other girl just snickered and took up the rented guitar, blue like her own instrument. “You practicing a new song? Or is there a concert coming up?”
“A bit of both. Yukina is touching up the last bit before the live show next week. I’m just going over the set-list again.” A strange sense of nervousness came over her. It was nothing like her pre-stage jitters; a little less intense, a little stronger desire to please.
“We’re gonna play together, right?” She said, hopping in place. Really, Hina would make such a cute younger sister. Half the time, she forgot they were the same age.
“Yep. What Roselia songs do you know?”
A tilt of her head, like a confused cat. “ Anything is fine. I know them all.” What a Hina answer.
If that was the case, Lisa just started playing without any prompts. As she expected, Hina joined in once she recognized the slow tempo of Sanctuary. What really amazed Lisa was not how Hina memorized how to play their song, but how her playing conveyed exactly how the song was meant to be seen.
It was a really good song to play, but by the time they reached the bridge Lisa decided that her fingers needed a little more of a challenge. When Hina saw her eyes, the bassist winked and transitioned into Hidamari Rhodonite. Without missing a beat, Hina followed suit.
Fun wasn’t a good enough word to describe this. It was something more than that. Lisa always had fun when she was playing, as evident from her slight adlibs in her solos and bouncing around sometimes. She was lucky that it wasn’t unwelcomed. She really felt like she was onstage right now, probably because Hina’s playing reminded her a little bit of Sayo’s. It was unquestionably skilled in every sense of the word with a little of that good-old Hina charm of fast tempos and hard chords.
Was this what it meant to feel boppin’?
Apparently that feeling came with serious repercussions. Only half an hour later with the energy cranked to the max and her arms were jello. Lisa wondered what the heck Hina was made of to still be standing.
“Break! I need a breaaak~” She cried out, plopping herself down onto a stool and laying her bass onto the stand.
Her fellow musician stretched back, like she just got done with a warm up. If someone told her the Hikawas were made of titanium and ran on electricity, Lisa would believe it in a heartbeat. “Aww, done already?”
“Yes I am! I don’t go that hard for the entire round.” She fanned herself with her hand, flushing as she recalled some similar lines in a recent… novel that she read. “I need a serious shower when I get home…”
Hina rocked on the balls of her feet, mimicking a silent metronome. In such rare cases, Lisa knew she was deep in thought about something. “Lisachi!”
“Mmm?”
“Gimme your bass!”
In the back of her head, Lisa felt that this was a bad idea. On the other hand, she was too tired to do anything about it. Her response was a lax wave of her arm. Hina definitely would’ve dropped the guitar from her excitement if it wasn’t rented or expensive. Her good consciousness returned to her as she heard the twang of bass strings.
“Uh, Hina? Do you know how to-” That turned out to be the dumbest question she could ask. At that instant, the guitarist started shredding out the same solo that Lisa dished out with Hidamari Rhodonite.
As the bassist for Roselia, she should’ve felt offended or hurt that someone could put all her effort and work to shame in just one session. But, there was something in Hina’s demeanor that encouraged those thoughts to be rid of her head. She knew the genius always meant well. It wasn’t copying or anything, no. It was genuine appreciation. Lisa felt like she understood who the old Sayo was better, yet, she couldn’t feel the same as the Sayo from back then.
Hina was amazing.
A fancy swing of the bass and Hina’s performance came to an end. The satisfied smile twitched as she caught Lisa’s very stunned expression. “Oh? Were you that blown away by my mad skills?”
“...Oh, huh? Yeah…” She cleared her throat, feeling obligated to give some words of professional critique but no such words came to mind. “Awesome. It was… crazy cool on every level.”
“Hehe!” She did a little two finger salute with that idol wink. The gyaru felt her heart leap up into her throat. “That’s ‘cause I’m student prez!”
“I don’t think those two are related much.” Lisa felt a little bit of Hina’s infectious energy flow through her and she rolled the drummer’s seat over to the rental guitar. “So? Wanna teach me how to play this?”
Her stunned look morphed into a slightly intimidating smirk. “Sure! Give me a second.” After setting down the red bass, Hina strode over to Lisa. She caught her off-guard by spinning her body around to end up behind her. “Alright, so you gotta hold it like this-” Her arms circled around her waist, placing her left hand up on the neck of the instrument and her right over Lisa’s.
As she was guided through the motion, a rush of heat blurred her vision. The supposed steam made it hard to really focus on what was in front of her. The energy from earlier was now condensed in her rib-cage where her heart was slamming against it at high speeds. The sensation of Hina’s hand over her own once again was familiar but also very, very different from before. Perhaps it was because Hina was pressed up so close to her? Her head was right next to her. It was enough to make Lisa freak out at every sensation, both the motion of another person against her so intimately and the air tickling her skin.
Still, Lisa worked her hardest to not faint on the spot and try to pay attention. It was insanely difficult, what with the tracing of circles by Hina’s thumb and her soft, fluffy hair leaning in closer and closer. Especially that distinct aroma it had. Lisa recognized it because it was the same perfume Lisa once had on.
“Alright, your turn!” The heat source left, but the warmth radiated across her probably-now-sweaty back.
“Eh?! Uh, okay?!” She positioned her hands vaguely and slowly inhaled… exhaled. Lisa strummed a few shaky chords, careful not to damage the strings from any careless mistakes. “...How was that?”
“Lisachi…” Hina’s face was hidden behind her blue curtain of bangs. Her chin was held between the guitarist’s fingertips. The pads of them were far softer than she thought that any musician worth their two cents would have. The distance between their foreheads reached zero and Lisa found herself wishing the same for their lips. That dangerous line of thinking was shoved deep, deep down. But like a bug that refused to leave her room, it overstayed its welcome. Eyes twinkling like she was looking at the universe itself, lips impeccably soft and inviting, a button nose so adorable yet very well-defined like her jawline; Hikawa Hina was criminally attractive, just like the idol she was meant to be.
“Never seen you so quiet…” That mouth, that very infuriating mouth, broke out into a wild grin. Much was the same for Lisa’s heart rate per minute. Wild indeed. “So?” she asked, her other arm feeling up her sides. Lisa had no good reason to move away. “Do you still want me as your little sister?”
And then it hit her. That dismissive comment, one that flew right over her head. “W-Wait… You were planning this?!”
“I don’t know? Was I?” Hina moved back a little. “Onee-chan is Onee-chan. Lisachi is Lisachi. And…” The genius girl let go of her and bounded towards the door. “I’m just me!”
Hina was gone with the shutter of the studio door. Lisa couldn’t move her legs, no matter how hard she tried. Her hand rose up to her lips, suddenly self-conscious about her lipstick. “...Hina.” She called no one, not even the ghost.
As she pulled at the guitar strap, Lisa felt something in her pocket. It was new and definitely not there before. It was a piece of paper, more specifically an envelope. Reading what was inside made her mind spin.
Lisa had to reconsider some things.
Sayo mildly liked this book. Sure, romance wasn’t her cup of tea (unlike the cup of tea she was drinking. Earl grey was good to her) but it was pleasant enough. She was surprised to learn this side of her bassist. Still, if this was going to help in any way, Sayo would continue until she finished this series. Her phone sat a safe distance away from her coaster. It was open on her chat list and she grimaced at how low she let her battery drop.
“Onee-chan~ I’m home.”
“Welcome back.” She responded, not looking away from the page or getting up from the couch. She turned off her phone. “How did-” A head laid down on her lap. Hina said no more. Sayo sighed and set down her tea on the table. “Tell me what happened first.”
“I got to the cafe.” Her voice was muffled.
She flipped to the next page. “What did you eat?”
“Ice cream.”
She suppressed a comment about her eating habits. “Then?”
“Lisachi came.”
“What did you talk about?” The main character seemed troubled over nonsense. It was common in this story, she noted.
A long silence in the conversation. She flipped the page. “A lot of stuff.”
“Did you two practice together?”
A nod.
“What happened with practice?”
“We switched instruments.”
That took her by surprise, but her voice remained even. “Did she have fun?”
“...Dunno.” Sayo wasn’t sure how to interpret that response. She kept reading.
“Did you give her the note?”
Another nod.
Sayo stroked her sister’s hair, setting her book down with a cat bookmark. She had to return that soon. “It’ll work out then. I’ll tell you what happens tomorrow at practice.”
“Onee-chan?”
“Yes?”
“...Thank you.”
Sayo sighed. She wondered how that book was going to end. Given that it developed into a full fledged series, Sayo could guess how it went. “No need to thank me. It’s what sisters are for.”