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“You got the camera ready, Haruka?”
“All set! Hey, Minori, you look quite pale. Are you feeling okay?”
“E-Everything is fine! I’m fine! Yup, totally fine! Don’t worry about me! I’m just going to do my best!”
“I don’t blame you if you’re nervous,” Airi couldn’t help but crack a smile at the flustered Minori. Even though More More Jump! had been streaming their practices and such for a while now, it was evident that Minori was not used to the attention yet, not to mention getting used to idol activities.
Today’s livestream was extra special. The four of them had been preparing a brand new dance for a new song, and while they usually practiced their dances ahead of time, in front of a stream audience, this song was a surprise. It was difficult to keep up with regular idol training on top of a new song, but the excitement of revealing a surprise to their fans made up for it. It was only natural for an idol to dedicate everything plus a little extra to their work.
Nothing made Airi happy like performing with three of her closest friends, and here they were, back on the rooftop where they’d met, doing something they all loved together.
Airi gave a thumbs-up to Haruka, who was standing by the camera, and grinned at Minori, who gave a weak smile back. Then there was Shizuku, currently adjusting her hair tie on her ponytail. She really looked quite pretty with her hair up, Airi thought, but Shizuku always looked pretty. It was obvious why her fans associated her with an image of beauty, but there was something different from looking at her as a fan through a screen and standing right beside her, admiring her long light blue hair, her crystal blue eyes and long, dark lashes. She was mesmerizing.
“Hey, Airi-chan, good luck!” Shizuku placed her hand on Airi’s shoulder, as if knocking her out of a trance.
Airi looked up at the taller idol and grinned. “You too, Shizuku!”
“Okay, starting!” Haruka called out, running back to join the rest of the group. “I think we’ll be live in a few. Remember, deep breaths, Minori. Everyone remember, let’s stay on script!”
“O-Of course!” Minori nodded.
The four exchanged a look, knowing full well that they would take a completely different course off the “script,” and Airi took front and center in front of the camera. “Hi everyone! We’re More More Jump!, and today, we have something extra special for you!”
Haruka cut in after her. “We’ve been preparing a dance for all of you, and we’ve been working really hard to perfect it! We’ll answer your questions later, but firstly, we want to start by showing you what we’ve been working on!”
Haruka ran back to adjust the speakers and start the music as the other three took their positions, grinning and waving at the camera. A few streams ago, Haruka had asked Shizuku and Minori to take care of some of the electronic equipment, but Minori had dropped a speaker, Shizuku accidentally breaking a cord by plugging it into the wrong device. It had been decided from then on that Haruka and Airi would handle the stream setup and equipment.
The music started slowly, and Airi completely gave herself to the rhythm. Dancing felt so much easier when she wasn’t focusing on how meticulous each step was, but letting the music guide her instead. Whenever she danced with More More Jump!, it became less about how the audience judged her, thinking about the variety shows she would be forced into after, and more about doing something she loved with the people she loved. Well, that and knowing that she had to be a good example for Minori if she was going to ensure her friend’s success. Minori had brought them together, so it was the least she could do in return.
Everything felt so perfect in that moment. The sun was setting, painting the sky a beautiful mix of oranges, pinks, and purples, and the breeze was lightly tickling her skin and setting the cherry blossoms free into the air, creating a perfect background as they danced together as one.
It felt so unusual, for everything to go exactly as planned. Their singing had improved immensely, especially Minori, with just their minimal extra practice, and their dance steps were nearly perfect. Even though they couldn’t see the livestream comments, Airi could only hope that they were as happy as she was.
A feeling so bright could only last temporarily. The music came to a slow, and Airi took her final position, beaming at the camera, trying to stop herself from breathing too heavily from exhaustion. The choreography had been difficult to master, yet all of their hard work had paid off. It meant something, to be standing here together, and as the track stopped and Minori ran into Haruka’s arms, Airi found herself feeling a happiness she hadn’t felt in a long time. She shot a look at Minori, who was beat-red, probably not used to the whole “girlfriend” thing with Haruka. It was kind of adorable.
“Airi-chan!” Shizuku breathed her name out, clearly exhausted from the choreography, yet it didn’t smear her beauty. Her smile stretched out to every part of her body and illuminated it. She ran over and wrapped Airi in a hug.
“We did it, Shizuku!” Airi gasped, alarmed by how tightly Shizuku was holding her. “You were really incredible.” She hoped that the blush blooming on her cheeks wasn’t visible to the stream or Shizuku herself.
“Aww, Airi-chan, thank you! I love you so much!”
Shizuku’s words crashed into her like a wave. A giant wave of emotions that she wasn’t prepared for, yet Shizuku’s expression remained unchanged, smiling innocently.
“Y-You… What?!” Airi stumbled back, noticing that Haruka and Minori were looking at them now.
“I said I love you!” Shizuku repeated, clearly unaware of the reaction she’d gotten just seconds ago. Airi could picture the stream comments rolling in already, and then it struck her that they weren’t alone. It was hard to remember sometimes that they were performing for an audience that wasn’t there with them.
“I-I know that!” she stuttered in return, looking to Haruka and Minori urgently. She desperately wanted to bury her face in her hands and hide away, but she found herself glancing back and forth from Shizuku to the camera that was solidifying this moment.
Airi felt herself growing light-headed, her heart beating rapidly in her chest and her blood pounding in her head. She could’ve sworn she was about to faint, and right in the middle of a livestream too. She searched for the words she wanted to say, but when she opened her mouth, she could hardly speak. Shizuku was still standing there, as beautiful—no—more beautiful than Airi had ever seen her.
“Shizuku, I… I love you too!” Airi blurted out, immediately hiding her face. Haruka seemed to take the hint and ran toward the camera, dragging Minori along with her.
“We hope you enjoyed our performance! That’s all we had planned for today, so—”
“Wait, Haruka-chan, you said we’d answer questions after the dance…” Minori interrupted her. Airi suppressed the urge to scream.
“W-Well, we’ll have to save that for the next stream! Thank you all for tuning in, and see you next stream!” Haruka said abruptly, to Minori’s confusion but Airi’s relief.
“Is something wrong?” Shizuku asked, running up to Airi. “You’re so pale. Are you sick?”
“What…?” Airi could hardly process Shizuku’s questions, not to mention the words she’d spoken just moments earlier. What was going on at this point was beyond her, and clearly beyond Haruka and Minori as well, as they stood there with different shades of confusion painted on their faces. “I-I’m not sick, Shizuku! It’s just… what you said!”
“What I said? You mean that I said I loved you?” she questioned. “But I do! Did I look weird when I said it…?”
“Y-You just said it so plainly!” Airi gawked. “Don’t you realize that words like that are heavy? I’m still struggling to even process all of this, not to mention the entire stream seeing…!”
Shizuku sighed. “Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to embarrass you… I was just really excited about our song, and you looked so happy. I love that about you, and I wanted to tell you, because you’re my idol, remember?”
Airi sighed, shaking her head yet unable to suppress a laugh. “You’re my idol too, Shizuku. Never change.”
“Aw, you’re going to make me blush! Thanks for being such an amazing friend, Airi-chan!”
“Wait—friend…?!”