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"Hey, Arashiii-chan! Wait for me~"
The pace at which Arashi had left the little boutique shop pulled Hiyori out of their engrossment. They had been absorbed in these intricate little hairpins, trying to decide which would match them best for what felt like Hours. The rest of the Pretty 5 had left to grab drinks, leaving Arashi and Hiyori alone in the shop (save for the shopkeeper, of course). It hadn't even registered to Hiyori when a gaggle of preteen girls entered the shop, but it caught their attention when Arashi left so suddenly.
"C'mon Arashi! I know you can hear me! I'm not as fit as you, please slow down..."
But Arashi did not slow down, and Hiyori had to lengthen their strides to catch up to her. They reached out their hand to grab her shoulder.
"Heyyy! Arashiiiii, I wasn't even done looking in there yet!"
As Arashi spun around, Hiyori gasped slightly as they realised that she had been crying. Her makeup was starting to smudge slightly around her eyes, and she was shaking like a leaf. It startled Hiyori to see her so bothered so suddenly.
"Hiyori-chan, please just shut up. Go home, or something."
"What? No, no, there's clearly something wrong. Can I walk you back home, at least?"
Hiyori's stomach twisted at the thought that they might have done something to upset her. It stung to hear her speak to them like that, especially because they thought that the two of them had been getting closer lately. Hiyori had almost been considering asking her to a movie (just the two of them!), but that seemed like a bad idea now, seeing as Arashi was staring at them with intense anger.
"Seriously, don't push it. I'll be fine."
"Ara-" They paused, considering their words, then continued. "Naru-chan. I'm worried about you, and worried I caused this. Please, walk with me."
The nickname appeared to soften Arashi somewhat.
"Whatever. It's nothing to do with you, but if it'll make you feel better, you can walk me home."
--
The pair walked most of the way home in silence. Hiyori wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to reach out and grab her hand, show their support silently. They decided against it.
--
As they turned the last corner and the dorms came into view, Hiyori spoke.
"Naru-chan. I don't know what the matter is, but I'm here if you need to talk."
Arashi paused, and turned to sit down on a nearby bench. Hiyori sat next to her, turning to look into her eyes.
"It's not a feeling I really expect you to understand, Hiyori-chan. I was fine, and having a good time, but then I saw those kids come into the shop with us. It just reminded me that despite the fact that I'm beautiful, and famous, I never got to have a childhood like them. Just the circumstances of how I was born, I guess. I grew up a model, but not really a girl. I'm everyone's older sister, but I was never the younger sister."
Hiyori honestly didn't really know what to say. But they wanted to say all the right things, they wanted to help. They had always known Arashi as a woman, and they didn't realise how much inner turmoil she felt about her childhood.
"You.. feel like you missed out on some parts of your adolescence?"
Arashi paused. "I guess so. It's not easy growing up like this, you know? Shifting from defective boy to not-quite girl, to the woman I am now. I feel like I missed out on the simple parts of girlhood. Perhaps that's why I hold our club so dearly, it feels like some of what I missed out on."
Hiyori certainly understood what it was like to grow up with expectations that you could never possibly meet. Maybe this was similar.
"I think I can understand. I'm sorry, Naru. It's not easy."
"Well, thank you for letting me get it off my chest. I'm sorry I snapped earlier. It's not.. honorable for a member of Knights to treat her friends like this."
Arashi suddenly pulled them into a hug, and Hiyori's earlier anxiety melted away. She seemed happier, and Hiyori couldn't help but admire how beautiful her smile was.
"Now, Hiyori-chan. Are you just going to keep sitting here, or are you going to walk this beautiful lady home?"
Hiyori giggled. "I'd love to walk you home, Naru-chan, but I think it would be rather fitting for two idols as pretty as this to bask in the sunset. It's shining so beautifully on us, don't you agree?"
Arashi couldn't help but agree, so she leaned her head on Hiyori's shoulder, watching the sun dipping below the buildings surrounding them. If she had looked up, she would have seen so intensely Hiyori was blushing. She wouldn't have minded, she would have found it cute.