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Nozomi has a tarot card for each of her friends.
Honoka is the Sun, a symbol of life and energy. Kotori is Lovers, a card for the hesitation in making decisions. Umi is the Moon, beautiful and cold and scared of accepting what she wants. Hanayo is the Priestess, a card for untapped power and hidden potential. Rin is Strength, for facing her own demons and coming out stronger for it. Maki is the Hermit, alone and isolated but following her own path. Nico is the Tower, prideful until her friends showed her the way.
And, of course, Eli is the Star.
A symbol of hope and promise, of guidance and assurance. That's what Eli was to Nozomi. Like a star, she had seemed so far away at first; a brilliant light that was too cold to touch, an unreachable entity to the likes of Nozomi. But her mother had always said the women of the Toujou family tended to blindly grasp for something they couldn't have, and Nozomi was no different. She had reached out to her beautiful, distant star- and was surprised when she reached back.
No, more than surprised. She had been scared and excited and overjoyed, all at once. Nozomi had spent most of her childhood moving from place to place, never staying long enough to have friends. To think, the first time she had reached out to someone- the first time she had sincerely tried, without any hope of actually being able to touch the star, never mind get to keep her for herself, she had actually made a friend.
But that's exactly what happened. The Star welcomed Nozomi into her heart, and Nozomi wondered, from time to time, if she was dreaming.
And if it was a dream, could she please, pretty please, never wake up?
"Nozomi."
She snapped at her reverie and glanced up at her best friend, smiling at the annoyed look on Eli's face. "I'm sorry, Erichi. I was lost in thought," Nozomi hummed, pulling lightly on a loose strand of her hair. She and Eli were the only ones left in the Student Council room; Eli had insisted on staying late to finish up some work, and Nozomi had decided to stay behind to help her best friend...
'Help' meaning that she dozed off in the seat next to Eli until the president was done, but those were details best left unmentioned.
The blonde's frown creased just a little more, signifying that there was something other than Nozomi's inherent laziness that was bothering her. Nozomi, ever patient and calm, waited for Eli to speak first. Her friend was blunt and honest to a fault in most things, but when it came to speaking her feelings, she was about as graceful as an overeager puppy.
"Nozomi..." Eli sat down on the table, her blue eyes glancing away from Nozomi's and staring hard at the opposite wall. She chewed on her bottom lip, working up her nerve, Nozomi knew, to put her thoughts into words. Finally, she took a deep breath, and asked, calmly, "Why didn't you tell the others that it was your birthday?"
Nozomi blinked in surprise at that, but recovered quickly, smiling her same fond smile. "Erichi, is that what you were worried about?" She asked teasingly, putting a lid on the small bubble of happiness she felt in her heart at the fact that her friend remembered. Nozomi made it a point to hide aspects of herself from the other members of μ's. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, or didn't love them with all her heart, because she did. Nozomi had more love in her little finger than most people had in their entire body.
No, it was only because she had spent so long pushing people away and keeping to herself that she didn't know how to open up to others anymore. Eli was the only exception. Aside from her best friend, though...
Well, it wasn't like she thought much of the day she was born to begin with. Zodiac signs and horoscopes were just one aspect of fortune telling that Nozomi had never really dabbled in; fate was better left to the cards, not to the month and day you were born, in her mind.
"Of course I'm worried," Eli replied hotly, the slightest of flushes rising in her cheeks. "Nozomi, I... It might mean nothing to you, but. Today means everything to me, because it was the day you were brought into this world."
Stunned, Nozomi couldn't speak. Her heart was caught in her throat, and she could only stare, wide-eyed, as Eli continued talking, her words a little rushed, a little stuttered, like she was trying to put it all into words in that moment.
"I want everyone to know that you were born today. I want everyone to celebrate it. Because you deserve it, Nozomi. You deserve to be surrounded by all your friends, to have this day to be selfish for once." Eli suddenly rose to her feet, her eyes overbright as she stared her best friend down. "This day is for you. So please, let us celebrate you."
The silence in the room was so heavy Nozomi felt like she couldn't breathe properly. She didn't realize she was crying until Eli moved forward and wiped a tear off her face with her thumb, the smallest, gentlest of smiles on her lips. Nozomi quickly ducked her head down, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hands in quiet mortification.
"Well, Nozomi?"
The pig-tailed girl looked back up at her best friend, then nodded once, her bottom lip trembling. All this time, she had quietly assumed she cared more for Eli than Eli cared for her; she had been wrong. Eli was the Star, but she wasn't as cold and distant as she had been. Eli was full of warmth and light now.
She was radiant as she smiled at Nozomi, as suddenly, the Student Council room was full of loud laughing and cheering, the other members of μ's crowding in around the two best friends. Nozomi suddenly had seven girls collapsing on top of her in a group hug, and Eli's giggling was ringing in her ears and her eyes were full to the brim with tears again-
"Rin, where'd you put the cake?" Honoka asked suddenly, and all at once the warmth of her friends left her one-by-one, as they each ran off to get one thing or another for Nozomi's surprise party. Nozomi rubbed at her eyes again now that her hands were free, smiling faintly to herself in wonder. So this was what Eli had been planning-
"Nozomi."
She looked back up at Eli again, who's smile was bright enough to light up Tokyo. She stepped forward, leaned down, and caught Nozomi's lips with her own in a soft, sweet kiss. "Happy birthday, Nozomi," Eli murmured with a mischievous lilt in her voice, and Nozomi could only stare, speechless, back up at her best friend, her face blushing hot as their fellow idols clattered back into the room, drinks and cake and presents in hand.
Eli had once asked Nozomi that, if she was the Star, what did that make Nozomi? And Nozomi had simply smiled fondly, her head tilted to one side. "Hmm, I wonder. What do you think, Erichi?"
"The Empress." Eli had replied immediately, without any hesitation.
At the time, Nozomi had merely smiled and affectionately squeezed Eli's hand in her own. But now, Nozomi could accept, maybe just a little bit, that she could be the Empress.
But only so long as Eli remained her Star.