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“Don’t lie.” Noa persisted onwards with a smug face. “You really like Kyoko don’t you?”
If the guns at the arcade were real, Shinobu would’ve headshotted her right about now.
“Not even close.” Shinobu retorted, looking away from Noa’s questioning gaze. “We just make a good duo.”
It was more than just a good duo. Their chemistry on and off stage was undeniably perfect. Kyoko’s vocals always had this way of bringing Shinobu’s DJ skills to life. They were each other's muses. Ever since that one fateful Christmas Eve, they were always looking for ways to strengthen the others' talent. Kyoko was like this whirlwind of smiles and reassurance and late night trips to the burger shop whenever Peaky P-key was working on a new song.
And as much as Shinobu would never admit this thought to herself,
Kyoko was everything to her.
“Headshot!”
The voice of her game avatar snapped her straight back to reality. Seems that even in deep thought, her FPS skills never betrayed her. Sometimes, she’d be lost in new song ideas while in 1v1 matches with Muni, much to the latter’s chagrin.
“Nice one Shinobu!” Noa exclaims in excitement, getting her character absolutely pummeled in the process. “I can’t even hit them anywhere, let alone the head!”
“Noa, your character is getting their arm chomped off by zombies right now and I’m not paying for a second round.”
“Oh sh-”
As Noa jerks her eyes away from Shinobu and back onto the screen, Shinobu goes back into a trance. It was kinda comforting hanging out with someone outside the unit. She always had Maho of course, but then she’d start rambling on and on about DJing as if she didn’t do that enough. It was odd to talk to someone and not discuss music. Usually, she’d start off the conversation with DJing tips for Maho because she had that reliable upperclassmen image to uphold but on other days, she’d get an earful of Rinku’s latest shenanigans in Happy Around. Sometimes, Shinobu would even laugh a little and open up about her and Kyoko’s old adventures.
“I can’t believe we nearly ended up talking about Kyoko.” Shinobu whispered.
“Huh?”
Fuck.
“I can’t believe we nearly ended up with you dying.” Shinobu had to save face or Noa would never let her live it down. Shinobu would take a week’s worth of teasing from Esora if it meant that Noa wouldn’t catch on. “Your enthusiasm doesn’t quite match the game result too well.”
She adds a slight snicker for good measure.
Noa only pouts in response and goes on about how Shinobu’s face was too cute to focus on her own character dying.
Maybe next time we go somewhere, I should lead her to some therapy.
Lyrical Lily can thank me later.
“Are you gonna go back for that hat?” Noa asks, a little too innocently. “You know, the one that you kept staring at after you beat my ass in Dance Dance Revolution.”
Before Shinobu can respond with a shake of the head, she finds herself already dragged directly in front of it. The one type of game she could never master. Kyoko said it was something to do with impatience. What a scam.
“Hmm, I’m actually not good with claw machines.”
“You can headshot a zombie like ten times on a screen but not grab a hat?”
“They’re rigged anyways.” Shinobu takes a glance back at the machine. “Stupid cash grabs.”
“Nonsense.”
Noa grabs the joystick of the damn thing and slides a coin in.
“What-”
“I’ll have you know that I’ve learnt all the different toy grabbing techniques in my hunt for all things cute.”
Noa checks the side view of the box, maneuvers the claw around to the slightest inch to the left, waits for the timer to hit ten seconds, and grabs the hat.
“You do realise it’s gonna drop once the claw hits the top,” says a now exasperated Shinobu. “The claw is way too weak.”
Noa only smirks and shakes her head knowingly.
“My dear Shinobu, that's where you’re wrong.”
What trap card did I just activate this time?
“Watch and learn.”
Rolling up her sleeve, Noa plunges her entire arm through the drop zone of the claw machine, reaches in, and snags the hat before the claw can drop it.
Shinobu is thoroughly impressed.
And immensely disappointed.
“Told you I could do it.” Noa beams a bright smile at her with that smug face Shinobu vows she will shoot down at some point.
“I didn’t think you’d resort to such measures.”
“Anything for the sake of cuteness.”
Shinobu’s face scrunches up at her response.
“That hat isn’t even cute.”
“Your face when Kyoko puts it on will be.”
Not this shit again.
But she was meeting Kyoko after this. She had a new song in the making and Shinobu wanted Kyoko to come over and record some vocals. It had been a while since it was just the two of them since Esora and Yuka entered the unit.
Not that Shinobu didn’t enjoy their presence but rather, she had missed the days where she and Kyoko spent hours at her house singing and making what are now their hit tracks of the past. It was a special activity for just the two of them. It had been a year since the last time Shinobu had found the chance courage to ask Kyoko to come over.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you taking those extra-long glances at that hat.”
Judging from Noa’s face, Shinobu can tell her face now matches the colour of her hair.
A soft, unwavering pink.
Noa envelops Shinobu into a suffocating hug and squeals.
“God, your reactions are the best!”
Kyoko, please carry on my legacy if I die here.
I can feel all my internal organs dying.
“I’ll always be rooting for you!”
“That’s really great but let’s leave the arcade before someone checks the CCTV…”
“Sure thing!”
Hat in hand and Noa safely detached from her, Shinobu made her way out of the arcade and towards the exit of the mall. Today had been a long day and it was about to get even more exhausting. She wasn’t even sure if she could face Kyoko today. Getting teased by Noa had already pushed her to her limit. Good thing Esora wasn’t around. She’d never hear the end of it.
Halting at the crossing just outside of the mall, Shinobu is just about to exchange goodbyes with Noa when some very familiar faces catch her eye.
“Isn’t that Rinku and-“
The second she recognises them, her heart sinks instantly. Sinking is probably an understatement. It fucking plummeted. She takes a quick glance at Noa and gets a look of pity. The type of pity you get when you see a puppy with a broken leg.
Don’t give me that face.
I already know how it goes.
Shinobu had seen all the stupid dramas. She had read all the angsty manga. Time after time, something had always stuck with her. A particular trope that she wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of.
The childhood friend never wins.
No matter what they do, the childhood friend will never compare. They will never compare to the new transfer student that appears with blonde hair and an infectious smile.
Which was totally fine in stories.
Not so fine when your deeply buried long time crush is holding hands down the crossing with said new transfer student.
With blonde hair and an infectious smile.
I hate this story already.
“They’re heading our way- Do you wanna turn around and pretend nothing happened or-”
Why did it have to be Kyoko?
With Rinku of all people.
Shinobu had nothing against Rinku personally. Sure, maybe she was the reason she got a crying, heartbroken Maho at her doorstep sobbing onto her shoulder about Rinku’s plan to ditch her and join Peaky P-key. But she knew that the girl genuinely didn’t mean any harm to anyone.
I get why Kyoko would fall for her.
And that’s the annoying part.