Chapter Text
Yukina was only four years old when she witnessed her parents having a heated argument, even more serious than usual, at the dining table. All sorts of stuff was being thrown away and little Yukina could only peek behind the door, watching it unfold. Her family was never the most stable. In their daily lives, there was always shouting and objects being hurled across the house.
Her father caught her mother having an affair with his drummer and she was already three months pregnant with him. Her mother then claimed that she never loved him and had fallen for his drummer a long time ago. After that huge argument, she left the house and never returned. The following month, her parents officially got divorced and Yukina’s father kicked his drummer out of his band and replaced him with someone new.
Four months later, her mother married the man she had an affair with. Her father had to explain the situation directly to her without sugarcoating anything. He didn’t find it beneficial to lie to his beloved daughter. This, of course, shook Yukina to the core, but her father swore to her that he would love and take care for her until the day he passed away.
“Don’t worry, Yukina. I will never leave you.” said Yukina’s father, Aoi, kneeling down to match Yukina's height.
Little Yukina extends her pinky finger to her dad, with tears welling in her eyes. “Promise?”
Yukina’s dad links his right pinky finger with hers and gives her a reassuring smile. “I promise.”
Aoi informed Yukina that her mother, Mizuho, had given birth to a girl with her new husband the following month. This truly upset Yukina. The truth is she was envious of the newborn. She thought it was unfair how there will be a new child that will replace her, and will receive all the love and attention from her mother that she never experienced. This caused her to have a growing resentment towards her mother, her new husband, and the newborn baby over the years.
In elementary school, Yukina was frequently asked why she was never seen with her mother. She simply told them that she didn’t have one, and it spread to the whole class, which caused the other kids to make fun of her. One time during break, she was being surrounded by five kids and they were mocking her. Two of the kids played pretend as mother and daughter in front of her, trying to get a reaction out of her. Yukina felt embarrassed and defenseless. All she could manage in that situation was clench her fists and hold back her tears.
“Leave her alone!”
Her brown-haired classmate comes to her defense, shielding her from the bullies. Not long after, a teacher finally comes to intervene, and tells the kids to leave. The brunette brings Yukina to a quieter place.
“Are you okay?” she asks, giving her a concerned look.
“I’m fine. I could handle that myself.” said Yukina. “But… thank you.”
The girl smiles, “It didn’t seem like you do… but I’m glad you’re okay! By the way, my name is Lisa☆ Let’s be friends!” She extends her small hand to offer Yukina a handshake.
Yukina seems confused as to why this girl is being kind to her. Nonetheless, she shakes her hand and introduces herself. “I’m Yukina.”
“Ohh! That’s such a pretty name☆ Nice to meet you, Yukina-chan! I hope we can become good friends~” She gives Yukina the most genuine smile she has ever seen.
There was something about this girl that radiated warmth, and Yukina wanted more of it. She started to get close with her, and their friendship began to bloom. Yukina even trusted Lisa enough to share her secret with her, and Lisa didn’t judge her for it. Instead, she showed empathy towards her. The both of them have grown inseparable. Yukina also appeared to be happier and more radiant since she met Lisa.
Since it turned out that they lived next door, they often invited each other to their houses to play and eat together. They even had their favorite spot to play, it’s the park located near to their homes. They usually liked to play as a band. Yukina sang and played with a tambourine, while Lisa acted as her bassist, strumming her toy bass guitar. This led them into learning actual musical instruments. Aoi’s heart was full seeing his daughter happy again. He was so grateful that he personally thanked Lisa’s parents for their daughter’s kindness towards his daughter.
It was in her middle school days when Yukina’s life began to crumble down once more. Her father had remarried, and she now had a stepmother whom she didn’t approve of. During this period of time, her father’s band also disbanded because of some clashes with their label, which turned Yukina into even more of a closed-off person. She felt the need to push Lisa away, in order to achieve her goals without any distraction.
Lisa’s tears are brimming in her eyes, “I told you I can help! You don’t need to go through this alone! Let me be there for you, please…” her hand reaches out for Yukina’s to hold.
Yukina is holding back her tears. It does hurt her inside to see her best friend pleading to her like this. However, she believes that removing anything that can be a distraction from reaching her goal is necessary, as much as it pains her.
Yukina takes a deep breath. She puts on a cold expression and brushes Lisa’s hand away, “Stop it! I don’t need help! I never need one! I can do this on my own! You need to stop trying to protect me, I’m not a child.” she shouts at Lisa.
Lisa looks bewildered. She can’t believe her own best friend would say those things to her.
“Now, leave me alone. Please.” she continues, leaving the currently speechless Lisa behind.
Yukina obviously didn’t mean to hurt Lisa, but it needs to be done. Her chest feels heavy after saying all those things to her.
“I’m sorry, Lisa…” she mutters to herself. Tears are running down her face as she’s walking away.
Their fall-off left Lisa feeling devastated. She was disappointed by how Yukina handled her issues, yet at the same time, she could understand why she turned out to be that way. She believed that underneath Yukina's hardened personality, there was still the gentle person she knew, lying somewhere deep inside her. She never truly gave up on her. She tried to help her as much as she could.
As Yukina grew more mature, her curiosity surrounding her parents’ divorce increased. She dug up her father’s old stuff from his band days to find information about his former drummer. In a pile of junk, she found a photo of him and the drummer at their first live show. She was gazing at the face of a man who had ruined her family. She could feel her anger gradually taking over her body.
“Me and Kiyotsugu making history! Cheers to many more of this.” was the message inscribed on the back of the photo. Yukina then ripped it into pieces. She couldn’t handle the stinging pain from both her parents’ divorce caused by this man and her father’s band’s failure. As more information she found about Kiyotsugu, the hatred she felt for him and her mother spread further within her body.
During her second year of high school, she started Roselia with Sayo, Lisa, Ako, and Rinko, with a mission to fulfill her father’s dream of performing at Future World Festival. Lisa’s persistence in staying by Yukina’s side paid off, as Yukina slowly let her into her life again. Even if it meant she had to sacrifice her personal interests, and stay up-all-night every night mastering her bass so she could stay in the band, she would bear it all for Yukina’s sake.
The road to Future World Festival sure wasn’t smooth at all. They had a rocky start that almost tore the band apart, mostly caused by Yukina’s harsh personality and her impossible standards. However, with their determination and a newfound empathy, they managed to make it work and built a strong bond among the members.
In her senior year of high school, she finally managed to reach her goal with Roselia. They successfully conquered Future World Festival. Aoi looked proud as he watched his daughter from the audience. Yukina was at last able to reach the pinnacle, something he had never been able to attain.
“Your performance today was truly amazing. I could tell you had no doubts at all. I felt a very clear strength in your voice. I look forward to seeing where you all go from here.” her father tells her backstage after her performance at Future World Festival.
“I’m proud of you, Yukina.” he gives her his final words, looking proud of his daughter.
Yukina’s eyes glistening. Hearing it directly from her father means a lot to her, especially after everything she went through.
“Thank you, dad.”
After Future World Fes, Roselia's popularity grew rapidly. Many label agencies were interested in them and offered them signed contracts. Yukina had to do some research about the agencies before deciding to officially sign one, she didn’t want Roselia to end up like her dad’s band.
Things started to improve again in Yukina’s life, and she couldn’t be happier. Roselia finally settled with management, and had gone professional. Her relationship with her bandmates, especially Lisa, became steady again. They all had formed an unbreakable bond. Last but not least, her relationship with her stepmother was also developing positively. She managed to put her personal issues aside and finally let her into her life, as she realized that she was a sincere person.
One day, she received the shocking news of her mother passing away. It surprised her as she didn't even know that she was ill since they never saw each other again after the divorce. A part of her believed that this was her karma for ruining their family, but she quickly shook off the thought. It wasn't the time to think anything like that.
She decided to go to the funeral. She thought it was only polite to attend it, despite everything her mother put her through. Lisa offered to accompany her for comfort, but Yukina declined her offer, stating that this was something she should handle alone. She went to the funeral by herself, wearing an oversized coat and a scarf covering half of her face to conceal her identity.
At the funeral, she saw Kiyotsugu sitting in front seat with his head looking down. She wanted nothing more than to punch him right there. No matter how much she thought she had healed over the years, the pain never truly left. Fortunately for Kiyotsugu, she was able to compose herself, reminded of what her dad had advised her beforehand. “If you see him, don’t let anger overrule you.” he said.
Yukina let out a deep sigh. As she was ready to leave, she saw a girl approaching Kiyotsugu, handing him water and sitting next to him. It was a girl with light blue hair styled in pigtails tied with two ribbons. She could figure out that she was the child because she resembled her mother.
A sudden realization sparked in Yukina’s head. This implied that the blue-haired girl is her half-sister. The thought of it almost made her throw up on the spot. Seeing her deceased mother, Kiyotsugu, and the child was too much for her to bear. It reignited the pain of the past in her heart. She needed to leave quickly before her anger took over.
Approximately one year later; present day.
Ako has been pestering Yukina about going to the upcoming Ave Mujica’s live show together with her. Yukina is hesitant because she doesn’t care about going to another band's live show. However, Ako just keeps yapping in her ears about how good they are, making it harder for her to say no.
“Trust me, you will enjoy it! They are crazy good! Their debut even reached one million views on Youtube! Please please please, Yukina-san!!” said Ako with her hands clasped together, begging Yukina to accompany her to the show.
“Why not ask the others? I told you I’m busy!” she is not.
“Onee-chan has some stuff to do with Afterglow that day, RinRin has an extra class, Lisa-nee has a work shift, and Sayo-san just straight up told me ‘no’ and left. You are my only hope now.” Ako puts on her cute puppy eyes.
Yukina feels a little offended that she was the last person to be considered. She sighs, and gives in. “Fine. I’ll go with you. Go purchase the tickets.”
Ako jumps in excitement, “Yay!!” She immediately pulls out her phone, and buys two tickets.
The day of the live show finally arrives. It takes place at the same venue as the Future World Festival. Only this time, Yukina and Ako are in the audience instead of performing.
“Ako can’t wait for it to start! Just watch, Yukina-san. You will be leaving the venue feeling amazed, fufu.” said Ako, giving Yukina a smirk.
“I better be.” said Yukina nonchalantly.
The performance officially begins, and as usual, they perform a stage play during the first part of the show. Oblivionis is currently introducing all the members, when suddenly, Amoris interrupts her.
“No one wants to see such a forced smile! You need a sincere smile. Like this!” Amoris removes her mask, and reveals herself as Nyamuchi the beauty influencer.
Everyone in the audience gasps, while some already figure out that it was her behind the mask. Nyamu then goes to remove the other members’ masks and reveals them one by one. The next one to be revealed is Oblivionis.
“... You need perfect grooming and a perfect smile. You must show the best of yourself to the guests, right?” She recited the things Oblivionis told her before the show, back to her out of spite.
Nyamu pushes Oblivionis to the front of the stage, giving her all the spotlight. Oblivionis has no choice but to play along, as she doesn’t want to ruin the show. She takes a deep breath before completely removing her mask, thus revealing herself.
Imagine the shock Yukina feels when she sees that it’s the blue-haired girl she saw at her mother’s funeral. To say she is surprised is an understatement. That girl standing on stage right now is her half-sister, a secret she tries to forget and bury. Her pain and hatred once again resurface after seeing her face. She clenches her jaw, “Tsk!”
“That’s my underclassman from school! She’s usually seen playing the piano in the choir room. Sakiko Togawa, I think, is her name. That’s crazy.” says Ako, just as surprised as everybody else.
Ako turns to Yukina, who appears to be furious. “Yukina-san…?” Ako doesn’t understand why her friend is angry, and asks her concernedly, “Hey… are you okay?”
Yukina ignores Ako’s question, and storms out of the venue in anger.