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Practice is over, and Roselia is having their usual afternoon ‘packing-up chat’: Plans for dinner, Rinko’s next piano recital, little slice-of-life bits that serve to destress after a hefty session. After a while, the conversation turns into a song, Sayo notices. With people it knows, their voices get tuned out. Not in the sort of “I’m not listening to what you have to say” way, but like a song. Sayo falls in line with the highs and lows of its friends’ voices, Yukina’s voice the melody. Lisa, the harmony. Rinko the sprinkle of tambourine here and synthesizer there—something that adds a uniqueness to the rhythm. And, Ako?
“—Rinko! Sayo! By the way! A new NFO patchcameoutandyoujusthavetoplayitwithmeTODAYtheyaddedsomanynewoutfitsandcoolinhumanfeatures!”
Ako is a fucking Spotify ad that plays in between Yura Yura Ring-Dong Dance and Mou Ichidou Luminous. Sayo stares up at her, hands still resting in the same place they have been for the past ten minutes: on its guitar, procrastinating putting it away and getting ready to go home. “Udagawa-san,” Sayo tuts, unable to escape from the smile creeping up onto its face. “I would be happy to play with you tonight, but you can't forget about your nightly practice. Understood?” It can’t believe it’s giving in so easily to Ako, but what can it really say? She’s grown on it.
“Yes Sayo-nee! Yes ma’am!” Ako nods fiercely. Sayo feels a rush of warmth bubble up in its chest. It turns to Rinko. “And you, Shirokane-san? Will you be joining us after your practice?”
“Oh!” Rinko’s head jerks up to look at Sayo and Ako. She doesn't have any plans to change her character's design, but… oh, if they're both interested, why not? She could always grind for new materials in between the two showing off their new outfits and features. “I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she responds, shooting them a grin and pushing up her glasses.
“Yukina-chan? Lisa-nee?” Ako gives them her best puppy eyes. Yukina shoots her a cold glare. “DAMNIT! Worth a shot.”
“Ako! Watch your language!”
“Whatever, Lisa! You're just jealous I have more VBucks than you!” She sticks out her tongue.
“Ako~,” Lisa giggles, flinging her bass case over her shoulder. “For the last time, I don’t know what a VBuck is. Anyways, are my little gamers ready to go?”
Radio silence. Ako is visibly cringing. Sayo and Rinko have mirrored reactions, faces tucked away against their shoulders in embarrassment. Yukina is… trying her best not to laugh. She doesn't try hard enough.
“What?!” Lisa exclaims. “I try to be funny and no one can give me anything except for Yukina, of all people?” She pouts and starts her trek up the stairs to the CiRCLE lobby. Yukina, still in a fit of pity giggles, follows her. Ako shoots up behind them, nearly knocking Lisa and her bass back down the stairs.
“I’m so sorry. About. Her,” Rinko says, watching as purple curls bounce up and down at the top of the staircase. “Hikawa-san, are you coming? You shouldn't stay late again, that'd make the fourth day in a row.” One hand on the staircase, she turns and gives it a warm grin. “You need to make sure you're taking care of yourself.”
“Oh! Oh no, I won’t stay...I won't…” Sayo hops up out of its seat, nearly dropping its guitar in the process. It manages to catch the instrument with a fraction of a second to spare. Ah, shit. It forgot to pack up.
—————
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.
Sayo remembers that line from a story it read in English class when she was in junior high. Back then, its hair barely went down past its ears. Now, down to its shoulders is better, but not ideal. But, Neo Fantasy Online wasn't exactly meant to be realistic, was it?
Sayo-nee, sitting in a relatively empty grassy field, runs her fingers through her new hair, fresh from the new hair stylist in Departure Village. It’s...it’s long. Longer than anything she’s ever felt in real life. A little wavy too, it matches the texture of real-life Sayo’s hair. No matter how far she treads her fingers through, it never seems to end. She feels like she's just turning into a puddle, her teal locks meant to become one with the Earth and bury her in the grass beneath it. A Mother Nature of her time. She lays down and feels a moment of euphoria when her hair cushions her head against the ground. It’s so long it wraps around her legs, all the way down to her feet.
This was the new hair length setting, aptly titled Rapunzel.
————
Sayo has never gotten its nails painted before. It remembers this coming up at Roselia’s first sleepover.
“Ako~! Could you stop with the pillow fighting for one moment, please?”
“But Lisa-nee...the fierce dragon Sayo-nee only has 10 HP left!”
The dragon in question is Sayo, this sudden quest for its discussion brought on by its stupid DragonTales pajama shirt Hina bought it for Christmas. Sayo loved Ako enough (and loved being called “Sayo-nee” enough) to endure the feathery torture.
“Ako, the dragon fight can be paused,” Lisa scolds in true mom-friend fashion. “You're going to hit Yukina’s nails, and they're still all wet,” she states in the middle of fanning Yukina’s fingers with her own hand. They're painted quite nicely, a soft lavender with thinly lined black roses on her middle fingers.
“Beautiful work, Imai-san,” Sayo comments, reflexively blocking Ako’s would-be fatal blow as it scoots closer to examine Lisa’s handiwork up close.
“On beautiful hands, no less,” Lisa adds under her breath, swiftly blowing a kiss to Yukina, who's scrolling through her phone with her free hand. She doesn't notice the compliment.
“You better watch out or she'll clock you with those beautiful hands,” Sayo says with a tiny laugh. “You know she hates it when you're cheesy.”
“It’s true~! Each of you has gorgeous hands—including you, Sayo, I would just die to paint your nails someday.”
Sayo reflexively retreats inwards on itself, one hand coming towards its mouth to chew on its thumb. “Aha, very funny. I don’t need my nails painted. It would get in the way of my playing,” the excuse rolls off its tongue. Because men don't get their nails painted is an excuse that would lead to a conversation, and a conversation that would lead to everyone fretting over it again. It doesn't want to put them through that.
“Aw, just for a little bit! I could wash it off tomorrow morning!” Lisa pleads, turning to Rinko for guidance. “Rinko! Tell Sayo how nice it would look with painted nails...in...blue, maybe? Dark blue~!”
Rinko startles, having been nose deep in one of Lisa’s fashion magazines, and squeaks out, “The Demon Princess Ako has slayed the feral dragon Sayo-nee! She’s gained ten thousand XP and the rare Bane of Arthropods spellbook!”. Dead silence notifies her that she was not, in fact, meant to give her pre-rehearsed victory speech for Ako killing the Sayo-dragon yet. “Ah. S-sorry,” she whispers. “What did you say, Lisa-san?”
Lisa giggles and waves Rinko to come closer. She does, briefly resting her hand over Sayo’s wrist as she approaches and giving it a knowing look. Sayo stops biting its nails. “I asked if you thought Sayo would look good with dark blue nail polish.”
Rinko hums and thinks on it for a moment. “I-I think so, yes, but Sayo’s nails are very nice regardless. It doesn't need anything special to make it look pretty.” Lisa stays quiet for a moment, but nods. She seems okay with that answer.
“Our Sayo-chan is quite pretty,” Yukina chimes in, and Sayo knows Ako is going to be pissed that Yukina, of all people, got the fatal blow that hit Sayo right in its heart.
So, when Sayo-nee sees the new claws option in-game, it’s only natural that she makes her way to the nearby dye shop and asks for them to be painted blue.