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As Silhouette Dance's final chord tapers off in RiNG's practice studio, Soyo polishes her bass, while Raana leans against an amp like a cat hoarding guitar picks. Anon scrolls through her phone, probably gauging the clout from her latest Instagram post after packing her guitar.
Taki sighs as they wrap up. Practice was... solid. Tomori's voice didn't crack or waver today. The guitars didn't miss a riff or chord. The rhythm support was pretty grounded as a whole.
It was progress, all things considered.
She's meticulously tuning her snare when a hesitant presence appears beside her. Tomori stands there, eyes fixed on Taki's knee as she fidgets with her sleeves.
"Um... Taki-chan?"
Taki whips around. "T-Tomori? What is it?"
"T-thank you," Tomori mumbles, eyes glancing up at her then away. "The drums... they helped me sing louder today..."
Before Taki can stammer something like 'It's my job', Tomori does something unexpected. She leans forward like a baby penguin who just learned how to walk, wrapping Taki in a two-second, soap-scented hug. It's feather-light, but Taki's brain fritzes. Tomori's hugging me. The girl whose lyrics claw at places Taki didn't know existed. Static floods her skull like white noise.
Tomori recoils, pink-faced and stammering a "T-thank you Taki-chan" as she retreats. Taki doesn't move an inch. A spark ignites in her chest—unwanted, alien, spreading to her arms. Her fingers tap against the cymbal stand once, the metal cool under her skin.
Taki visibly shakes her head. She clenches and unclenches her fists. Fatigue, she brushes it off.
And it isn't going away.
(Was the universe laughing at her?)
"Whoa, a hug from Tomorin!" Anon teases, winking from her phone corner. "How sweet~"
Taki suppresses a strangled noise, turning away sharply as if physical distance might negate the compliment. "Shut up."
Anon, oblivious to the impending doom, saunters over. "Practice was pretty great today, right? Food after? My treat! Oh, your snare's loose..." She reaches out to adjust it.
An insistent buzz zaps through her arms.
Taki opens her mouth, but her arms wraps around Anon in a shoulder-waist combo by itself. "Wha—Rikki?!" Anon yelps, phone bouncing off the carpeted floor.
"Nooo! My phone!" Anon cries out, squirming in Taki's grip to look at the fallen device. "Did it crack?! Rikkiiiii! If there's a scratch, you're buying me a new protector! Sparkly kind!"
Why is this happening?! This isn't right!
Taki's mind screams LET GO, but her body's possessed for some reason. Tomori's hug did this?
Something has taken over her body.
But what? The lingering ghost of Tomori's hug?
This is mortifying. This is... not normal. Not her.
"...uh... Rikki?" Anon says, finally bending for her phone. Snap—the body heat vanishes like ice water dumped on Taki's spine. She flings Anon free with excessive force.
Anon stumbles, pink strands of hair flying as she grabs her phone. Her cheer now swapped for confusion. Soyo and Raana stare. Tomori frets.
Taki glares at her own hands. "I... uh..." she tries, the sound scraping out of her throat. Explain? How? 'My arms have apparently developed a rogue hugging subroutine after minimal physical contact with Tomori'? Yeah, that'll totally go over well.
Anon scrutinizes Taki with suspicion and amusement all in one go. "Oookay, Rikki, feeling particularly affectionate today? Did Tomorin's hug awaken some hidden cuddle monster?" She grins, though it's a bit shaky. She glances at her phone screen (which is thankfully not cracked), and relaxes with a relieved sigh.
Taki's jaw clenches. "Hah?!" she snaps, indignation in her tense features. "No," she clips, ramming her hands into her pockets. Keep them contained...
Soyo approaches with the caution of someone approaching a volatile chemical experiment, one hand slightly raises as if trying to subdue a startled feral wolf. Don't make any sudden movements... she thinks, her posture carefully neutral.
"Taki-chan, are you feeling alright? You seem a little... flushed." Recalling a vaguely remembered first aid procedure, she reaches out towards Taki's forehead, attempting to check for a fever. Standard procedure for potential heatstroke victims...
BIG MISTAKE.
The instant Soyo's hand gets within arm's reach, Taki's body moves on autopilot. She tackles Soyo in a boa constrictor grip.
"Oof—Taki-chan?!" Soyo's eyes widen a little in response, probably plotting an escape route as her composure dangles by a thread.
This uncontrollable urge—it was almost worse than trying to get Stray Cat to show up to practice on time. Almost. She needs to put Soyo down, now!
Five eternal seconds pass before Taki's arms unlock.
Soyo lands stiffly, immediately taking a half-step back and avoiding Taki's violet eyes.
Anon snort-laughs and Raana's soft murmur cuts in: "Interesting girls."
"I didn't mean to startle you, Taki-chan," she strains, smoothing her uniform with a detached motion. Her inquisitive gaze drifts to Taki like she's a ticking cuddle bomb, ears pink.
The valiant effort to school her expression back to neutrality fails. The trembling in her fingers gives her away.
Taki gapes, horrified. Two down. Two to go? Her attention moves towards the corner where Raana is now watching with unnerving intensity.
(Please, body, not the Stray Cat! NOT THE STRAY CAT!)
Tomori, meanwhile, looks distressed.
"Taki-chan... are you... okay? Was it... my fault?" she whispers, looking like she might cry.
"No!" Taki shakes her head, her voice maybe a little too loud. Her hands are stuffed in her pockets again. This is a nightmare. A fuzzy, embarrassing nightmare caused by rogue limb autonomy. The tingle under her skin isn't going away. It's getting stronger. Waiting.
Anon bursts out laughing, a visible fang shining with a teasing glimmer. "Okay, okay, what's going on? First me, now Soyorin gets the Rikki Wrestle-Hug? Did I miss the memo on something? Rikki~"
Taki gives her a withering glare, but it's undermined by the fact that her arms might embrace Anon again at any second. She takes one step back, trying to put some distance between herself and everyone else. If she can just get out of the studio, lock herself in a closet somewhere...
...Or not.
The jolt rushes. Raana stands as she leaves her guitar in a safe corner, cat-like eyes glinting knowingly. Nonono—Taki (possessed by the eldritch spirit of Unwanted Cuddles) jumps out at her, arms flailing. Raana tilts, dodging like a cat evading a vacuum. It ends up turning into some sort of slow-mo hug-dance. "Rikki's grooving!" Anon howls, clutching her stomach.
"Taki-chan, stop! You're scaring Tomori-chan!" Soyo urges, hanging onto her bass case still. Her gaze darts to Tomori, who seemed intent on becoming a smooth, cold stone right there on the spot.
Taki corners Raana, who tilts her head and lightly pokes at Taki's bicep. Then, she nods. "Hug is stored in the limbs," she states simply, as if diagnosing faulty hardware.
Taki's arms wrap around her—awkward, bent double over Raana's shorter frame as she inspects Taki's elbow for a potential power source. "Good range."
"Rikkiii! You—pffft—hug—!" Anon giggles, collapsing against the wall, tears streaming down her face. "You—hahaha—"
Anon's not helping at all!
Raana gives Taki's shoulder a final, disinterested pat, her attention already snagged by a dropped pick shining near the amp like treasure. She wanders off towards it.
Taki straightens up, her face burning hotter than the sun (or at least, that's what it feels like).
Three down. Three bizarre, involuntary, personality-violating hugs.
Her mind's a mess, her tough-girl act shattering like glass. An unsettling prickling sensation starts in her arms as if they're recharging. "So uncool..." She mutters under her breath.
Taki looks at Tomori, who is still frozen in shock. Tomori's gaze shifts to Anon, now rolling on the floor laughing, then to Soyo, who looks ready to call an exorcist. She notes Raana, who's inspecting her pick, before finally looking back at Taki.
"Taki-chan..." Tomori whispers, her voice shaking. "Is it... contagious?" She takes a small step back.
Contagious? Taki hadn't thought of that. Her mind runs through the chain of events: Tomori hugs Taki → Taki feels weird → Taki hugs Anon → Taki hugs Soyo → Taki hug-chases Raana. Oh no. What has Tomori done?
What has Taki done?
There's only one person left in the room who hasn't gotten a dose of Rikki's affection.
Tomori squeaks. She takes another step back, bumping into her mic stand which wobbles. Her focus darts between Taki's flexing fingers and the studio door. She looks like a cornered deer in headlights.
"No! No! No!" Taki grits out, trying to clench her fists, trying to have some control. The buzz bubbles up again, an overflowing wave of affection directed at the last unhugged bandmate. Her internal monologue is now internal screaming on repeat. Don't hug the catalyst! Don't hug the terrified Tomori!
Too late.
Her body dives forward, arms snapping out like spring-loaded traps. "Tomori!" she warns.
Tomori lets out a tiny shriek and staggers back again, tripping over a cord. She's trying to get her balance back but gravity is never kind. She begins to fall back.
Taki's hug-missile trajectory intercepts Tomori mid-fall. Instead of a standing hug, Taki ends up catching Tomori. Her arms automatically wrap around the smaller girl in a secure, almost protective embrace to stop her from hitting the floor. The impact is soft, muffled. The warmth pulses, a confusing aspect of the aggressive compulsion and... something else? Relief?
Mission complete...?
For a split second there's silence. Taki is holding a stiff Tomori against her chest—eyes squeezed shut, bracing for... well, she probably doesn't even know what.
Then Anon breaks the tension. "Ooooh, Rikki caught Tomorin! Knight in shining... hug armor?" she says between wheezes of laughter from her position on the floor.
Taki's arms release Tomori almost immediately. Tomori scrambles upright, smoothing down her uniform with trembling hands, her face beetroot red. She doesn't meet Taki's eyes, instead staring at a stray scuff mark on the floor. "S-sorry... for falling..." she mumbles, which is possibly the most Tomori response imaginable to being hugged while tripping.
Taki takes a deep breath, flexing her hands. The itch is... fainter? Still there, but less demanding. Maybe hugging everyone completed the circuit? Maybe it's over? She dares to hope.
"Okay," Anon says, hoisting herself up and wiping unshed tears from her eyes. "Seriously, Rikki, what was that? You were like a hug-seeking torpedo! First me, then Soyorin gets the bear hug, then the weird dance with Raana-chan, and then catching Tomorin! Was it like... static electricity?" She snorts, not buying her own theory but grasping for any explanation.
Soyo—who has cautiously retreated near the door—adjusts her uniform collar, gaze analytical despite what just occurred. "It seemed involuntary, triggered by proximity or perhaps attempted physical contact?" she hypothesizes, glancing once more at Taki's hands. "How strange."
Raana, having finished her pick inspection, wanders closer to Anon. "Warm," she says, poking Anon's arm where Taki had hugged her earlier. "Fuzzy?"
Anon blinks, looking down at her arm where Raana poked. "Huh? Fuzzy? Nah..." She rubs the spot. And then she freezes. A slow, confused expression takes shape.
"...Uh oh." Anon mutters.
Taki's blood runs ice-cold. "...Anon?"
Anon looks down at her own hands. They twitch. A faint pink flush starts creeping up her neck, unrelated to her earlier laughter. "Whoa," she says, her voice suddenly strained. "Okay, that feels... really weird. Like... like my arms wanna..."
She looks at the person closest to her: Raana.
Raana tilts her head again. "Hmm?"
"Uh, Raana-chan?" Anon's voice strains as an odd sense of urgency looms over her head. "No reason, but maybe... back up? Like, way back?"
But Anon's limbs are already moving with a speed that surprises even herself.
Raana, however, is as elusive as before. She doesn't run, but sidesteps with fluid grace and Anon's lunge overshoots. Anon reels, trying to regain balance. She regards her own limbs like they're not a part of her body.
"It is contagious!" Soyo claws at the doorknob for a split second, almost like she's trying to phase through it.
"Ano-chan too?" Tomori whispers, looking between Anon and the horrified Taki who started the resulting post-hug cycle.
Anon pushes upright, staring down at her offending hands. "Okay! Not cool, universe! Not cool! Why arms, why?!" She tries to shove her hands in her pockets but they won't go in. She scans the room, landing on the next nearest target.
Soyo.
"Soyorin!" Anon yelps, already approaching the bassist at high speed. "My arms are out of control!"
Soyo doesn't need telling twice. She yanks the studio door open and practically dives out into the corridor, slamming the door shut behind her. A muffled thump suggests she may have run into something or someone on the other side.
Anon stops abruptly. She spins—eyes meeting Taki's.
"Don't you dare!" Taki snaps, stepping back.
"Can't help it—blame Raana-chan!" Anon wails, chasing her around the drum kit, arms flailing like a hug-crazed zombie.
"Stop it, dummy!" Taki snarls, dodging.
"My coolness stats are tanking!" Anon mourns her social rating plummeting as she trips over a pedal.
Tomori has her eyes squeezed shut and hands clasped in a prayer. Raana strums a discordant note, adding background music to the ongoing pandemonium.
"Gotcha!" Anon corners Taki by the soundproofing, pouncing.
"Stay back!" Taki jabs a cymbal leg.
"Ano-chan!" As the commotion escalates, Tomori opens her eyes and hurls her unscrewed water bottle; it splats unceremoniously against the wall.
"Not possessed!" Anon protests, yanking the leg.
"Whoa—!" Taki loses her balance as the cymbal leg clatters to the floor, pitching right into Anon's path.
"Yes! Hug Poooower!" Anon exclaims, maybe delirious. She wraps her arms around Taki like an overexcited pink octopus.
They crash onto the drum case in a yelping tangle. Taki's face gets squished against Anon's shoulder as she's pinned by hug arms.
Anon lies on her back, looking dazed but pleased. Her palms splay around Taki's spine, eliciting a faint shiver and grumble.
Raana gives a cymbal tap for emphasis. She leans forward, looking at the tangled pair with interest.
"Ugh... get... off..." Taki groans, her voice muffled by Anon's grey blazer. This is ten times worse than being the hugger. An electric rush floods her system from the contact points, but this time it feels... accusatory? Like her body is saying, "See? This is what you did to others!"
Anon blinks as the remaining manic energy drains from her body. "...Huh?" She looks down at Taki, then at her own arms still wrapped around Taki's back. The pink flush fades. She wiggles her fingers. They obey. "...It's gone?" she whispers, confused but happy. "Rikki, you cured me! By hugging me! Or tackling me!"
"Haaah?!"
An exasperated Taki scrambles off Anon, brushing off non-existent dust and tries to regain some dignity which is hiding behind the amps, whimpering. "Don't thank me," she growls, her cheeks burning. "It just... transferred back."
Ugh.
Anon sits up, rubbing the back of her head where it hit the case. "Whoa. So it's like... hug hot potato?" She looks worried now. "So... who's next on your hug list, Rikki?"
Taki looks down at her hands. The tingle feels... stronger now? Having been passed back and forth? She looks around the room. Anon is cured (for now). Soyo fled. Tomori is hiding near the wall, looking like she wants to disappear. Raana is...
Raana moves to stand beside Taki. She pokes her arm again, right where the warmth feels strongest. "Boing," she repeats. "Recharged?"
Taki flinches back, terrified. "No! Stray Cat, don't—"
Too late.
This time, Raana doesn't dodge. She just stands there—calm as ever—while holding up a piece of matcha-flavored Pocky.
Taki's hug-lunge connects. Her arms wrap around Raana. Raana is holding that Pocky stick like an offering—or maybe just a snack she's really interested in. Taki's face ends up inches from it, her body bent in an awkward angle. Raana's eyes are fixed on where Taki's arm meets her shoulder.
(Is this... part of the deal? Snacks for compliance? No, wait, wrong context!)
"Want one?" Raana asks with startling calmness, ignoring the hug without any fanfare. She's not even looking at Taki's face.
The sheer normalcy of the question snaps something in Taki.
"Haaaaaah?!"
This time, the noise escapes her lips two times in a row—incredulous. The sound pierces through the tension like a knife, and the hug compulsion vanishes in an instant.
Taki pulls away, stumbling back a step. "N-No!" she blurts out, jamming her hands into her pockets in defense. "Just—no!"
Anon stares, mouth agape. Tomori makes a small, perplexed sound. Taki's internal thoughts go haywire.
The room falls into an awkward silence, punctuated only by the faint crick of Raana biting the end off the Pocky stick herself.
The studio door flies open with a bang, nearly toppling off its hinges. Soyo bursts in, chestnut brown hair slightly disheveled. She's clutching a fire extinguisher—the designated tool for neutralizing sudden, uncontrolled outbreaks (wasn't that in the school safety manual?)—like it's part of a battle plan. She begins scanning the room, assessing positions.
Behind her, RiNG staff member Ririko—yanked from her peaceful front-desk post—peeks around the doorframe, wide-eyed. (A fire extinguisher? In the studio? What is going ON?) Her lanyard dangles crookedly.
Soyo heaves for breath, body pumped full of adrenaline as she scans the room. "Is everyone okay?" Her attention shifts to Taki, who's standing near Raana, to Anon, who's picking herself up off the drum case, and finally to Tomori—who looks like she's trying to merge with the wall paint.
"Um, Soyorin," Anon starts, rubbing her arm where Taki hugged her first, "It's kinda hard to explain, but—"
Taki flinches at the sudden noise and movement. She turns towards Soyo, relieved the Raana-hug didn't trigger another immediate reaction. But she still feels the buzzing under her skin. It feels restless. Like it needs to go somewhere.
Soyo takes a careful step into the practice room, extinguisher at the ready. "Taki-chan? Are you... contained?" Her eyes narrow as she assesses the threat level. She edges toward Raana, voice softening, "Raana-chan, can you—"
That's when the Hug Force kicks in. Her body ignores her frantic mental pleas to just... not do this again. Not to her.
"Soyo! Look out!" she shouts, even as her legs propel her forward.
Soyo's caught off guard once more. An uncharacteristic "Eep!" bursts from her lips—a sound so unlike her usual composure that even she seemed surprised by it—as she tries to bring the extinguisher up defensively...
...but it's heavy and awkward. Her carefully laid plans for containment go up in smoke. She's left scrambling to react. "Taki-chan, please cease this unseemly behavior—"
Taki slams into her.
It's not a hug. It's more like a strong tackle. Taki's arms wrap around Soyo's shoulders, pinning her arms—and the fire extinguisher—to her sides. The nozzle of the extinguisher ends up jammed into Taki's ribs.
"Ngh—! Taki-chan! Let me go!" Soyo grits out, her face turning red. The mortification of being hugged while armed for a non-existent fire is almost too much to handle.
The energy drains out of Taki, relief washing over her as the rush subsides. Her arms go limp and Soyo is released. "Oh thank god," Taki pants, stumbling back. She feels normal at last (besides the embarrassment and shame of what she did).
Soyo sways, regaining her balance and adjusting her grip on the extinguisher. She looks at Taki, then down at her own hands with impending realization.
A simmering fire begins to grow in her own arms. Something pulses under her skin, twitching around the handle of the fire extinguisher.
"Oh," Soyo breathes. Her eyelids flutter as panic imprisons her, mirroring Taki's panic a few a moment ago. "Could this be...?"
But this defies all known principles of motor control!
Anon groans, throwing her hands up as she takes a step closer to Soyo. "Not again! Soyorin's got the Hug Bug now!"
Tomori whimpers. Ririko, still peeking from the doorway, feels like she's majorly out of the loop. "Hug... Bug?"
Soyo looks around the room, her frantic gaze bounces off the others like a pinball machine. The strange feeling in her arms grows more insistent. Her gaze lands on the nearest person.
Anon.
Soyo stands frozen, the heavy fire extinguisher feeling like a foreign body in her grasp. This just doesn't measure up to her usual control. Dread takes over her usually calculating mind. No. Not like this. That lack of control terrifies her more than any social situation she'd ever navigated—awkward or otherwise.
Her breathing quickens. She tries to suppress the urge, to force her muscles to obey her will. A grimace. She needs to keep her cool. Assess the situation. Find a logical solution. But the Hug Bug doesn't care about logic or decorum. It wants Anon close. In contact.
Soyo surveys the scene once more. Taki looks relieved but mortified. Tomori's on the verge of fainting. Raana observes with feline curiosity. Ririko still looks bewildered near the doorway. Anon's attention is on the cowering Taki for a brief moment, looking exasperated yet smug, as if thinking, 'Serves you right, Rikki!'
A kindling flame-like heat licks at her skin, shoving her toward Anon.
(The irony stings—she once dismissed Anon as a CRYCHIC roadblock, yet here she is, body itching to tackle her.)
"Anon-chan," Soyo winces, fire extinguisher clattering to the floor. "Step away—I can't control—!"
Anon freezes for a single moment. Soyo is losing it.
And the incoming hug is aimed right at her.
This whole situation is ridiculous beyond belief. But beneath that, something else sparks. A weird sense of satisfaction—like the universe is forcing Soyo to acknowledge Anon's existence in the most direct, undignified way possible. (See, Soyorin? Can't ignore me now, huh?)
Anon's grin spreads wide, smugness sprinkled in her voice like glitter. "Soyorin~" She spreads her arms, bracing herself with mock confidence. "Didn't peg you for the tackle-hug type! Thought that was Rikki's move. Finally showing your true feelings for me, huh?" She winks, leaning into the absurdity with infuriating enthusiasm.
Soyo's face contorts. "It's not—! I'm not—! Get back!" she stammers. But her body is already moving. It's a desperate stagger, propelled by the Hug Bug.
Anon holds her ground. "Come here~" she coos, just as Soyo crashes into her. The impact is a little more force than Anon expects. Soyo's arms wrap around Anon's middle, fueled by panic and the Hug Bug's energy. It's stiff and awkward, waves of mortification radiates through her like a broken radio. Soyo probably wants the floor to swallow her whole.
Anon wheezes as the air is knocked out of her. Her megawatt smile remains plastered on her face. She pats Soyo's back. "There, there, Soyorin. Let it all out. All that pent-up... hug energy." As the warmth transfers, Anon feels that familiar tingle in her arms. Oh right. Hot potato.
The force disappears. Soyo finds herself clinging to Anon, face buried in Anon's shoulder. She smells Anon's shampoo, the studio dust. Reality hits her. She just... tackled and hugged Anon Chihaya. In front of everyone.
Soyo springs back as if burned, glaring at Anon. "Pull that again and I'm deleting that photo we took together."
"Eh?! Soyorin~!"
Soyo disentangles herself from Anon, turning away slightly to hide a faint curl of her lips.
(She'd never admit the banter was almost fun—or the hug not entirely awful.)
Anon feels the Hug Bug take hold again. "Ah, dang it," she groans, flexing her tingling fingers. "Round two for me! Okay, universe, really? You couldn't pick Soyorin again?" Her eyes dart around the room. Rikki? Cured (for now). Soyorin? Just passed it on. Tomorin? Still trying to become one with the wall. Raana-chan? Currently examining the discarded fire extinguisher with intense focus. Ririko-san?
Oh. Ririko-san. Still frozen in the doorway and looking like she accidentally wandered into a sitcom set.
Anon's eyes lock onto the unsuspecting RiNG staff member. Oh. The urge to hug returns.
"Ririko-san!" Anon calls out, a new, slightly desperate grin spreading across her face. "Guess who's next for a mandatory free hug!"
Ririko blinks, points at herself, and squeaks, "M-me?!"
Anon's grin is more energized now, with the Hug Bug back in full-force. "Ririko-san!" she calls again, already closing in with arms outstretched. "Don't worry, it only tingles for a bit! Probably!"
Ririko flattens herself against the doorframe, dreading the band drama invading her workday.
Behind her, Taki groans. As Soyo hides her face, Tomori squeaks like a frightened penguin plush toy. Raana tilts her head—again.
Anon trips over Soyo's fallen extinguisher, somehow accelerating toward the door. She slams into Ririko, and they tumble into the hallway in a mess of limbs and shrieks.
Soyo sinks against the wall as she drops her bass case, muttering, "Tomori-chan's lyrics never warned me about this." Her gaze shifts—half-exasperated, half-fond—as she watches a satisfied Raana nibble on a new matcha cookie she seemingly took out of thin air.
The door bangs shut, muffling the commotion beyond. A long silence reigns, before Raana deadpans, "Chain reaction."