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Chapter Text

Ah, the final day of Junior High. The air was rife with the tenderness of bittersweet farewells and last-minute confessions…

…and Hoshino Ichika didn’t have a single friend to her name!

No, she wouldn’t be saying sweet nothings to anybody. No teacher, classmate, or stag beetle looked upon the messy-haired girl with anything other than slight pity as she trudged out the school gate.

Where had the years gone? All the fond memories and close bonds of youth, gazing up at the stars… As Ichika reminisced on the events of the past few years, one thing was painfully clear to her.

I really, really, really, really, really need friends.

‘Please, if you’re up there, I beg of you! Give me friends in high school!’ Ichika prayed.

Kneeling down at a shrine of love, the hapless girl sputtered out her request as though divine intervention was her only hope. She’d tried everything else, after all (except for going outside and meeting new people).

‘I don’t know if you’re even real. But if you can hear me, listen to the sincerity in my words and the beating in my heart!

Please, save me, Hatsune Miku!’

‘Worry not, Ichika,’ a seemingly disembodied voice rang out. Ichika looked down at the donation box of the love shrine, and perched atop her phone that she placed on the box lid was a shimmering hologram, one of a teal-haired, twintailed figure.

‘Aaah! It’s a ghost!’

‘I’m a VIRTUAL SINGER,’ said the VIRTUAL SINGER.

‘Aaah! It’s a VIRTUAL SINGER!’

Ichika blinked.

‘Wait, Hatsune Miku?! You- you’re- I-’ Ichika was lost for words.

‘It can’t be that hard a concept to wrap your head around. I’m real, and I’m here to help! To be clear, this isn’t, like, an ad for my new song or anything. I am genuinely here to help you personally address your problem.’

‘This is unbelievable! I… I have to take a picture of this!’ Ichika reached for her phone, but realised that Miku was still standing on it. ‘Oh,’ remarked Ichika, ‘well played.’

Miku sighed. ‘Alright, let me say my piece. Are you aware of what a “soulmate” is?’

‘Soulmate…? The one true love of your life who is destined to be together with you?’ Ichika recalled. ‘Honestly kind of creepy if you think about it.’

‘Well, don’t think about it, then!’ cried Miku. ‘For it is written in the stars that during your high school life, you will meet not one, not two, but twenty-five soulmates! With all of your combined feelings of affection, you will create the biggest, most brilliant music group of all time!’

‘T- Twenty-five? That’s two football teams, two coaches and one referee! How on earth…?’

‘Well, um…’ Miku physically cringed. ‘I was making a joke about Niigo’s name, and it somehow snowballed into a cosmic misunderstanding of love and life. I messed up. I’m sorry. Don’t ask.’ Miku buried her face in her hands.

‘Okay, then. So let me get this straight. I have to find and court all twenty-five of my supposed soulmates?’

‘Well… Let’s put it this way. If you don’t end up with all of them, something really bad is going to occur.’

‘WHAT?! Like… like how bad?’

Miku smiled a sorrowful, pitiful smile, and looked up at Ichika as if she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders.

‘They’re going to fire me, Ichika.’

‘WHO?!?!’

‘The other Mikus! They were really, really, really, really, really mad at me for letting this happen. In case I didn’t say it clear enough the first time, I really screwed up.’

‘I see…?’ Ichika mused. ‘Then, Miku, I swear you this! I will find and date every single one of my 25 soulmates! I could never you get fired!’

Miku smiled again, but this smile was more genuine, more hopeful. ‘That’s real sweet of you. It won’t be easy, no doubt about that,’ Miku gazed upon the determined look on Ichika’s face, looking her directly in her icy blue eyes. ‘…but you might just have what it takes. In that case, Ichika,’ Miku cleared her digital throat. ‘I must take my leave.’

‘Goodbye, and I’ll see you in SEKAI!’

With a flash and a sparkle, Miku disappeared, leaving no trace that she was ever there to begin with, and Ichika was left wondering if she had just experienced a new state of delirium.

All that stuff that Miku said, Ichika wondered. Was it all true? What are the greater underlying implications of this scenario?

Well, I guess I have plenty of time to think about that.

I should probably pick up guitar again too, huh?

The spring break came and went, and soon, Ichika found herself facing the steely iron doors of the entrance of her new high school.

Here I am! This is it!

Kamiyama High!

Chapter Text

It was really unfortunate that Miya Girls exploded in that plane crash, Ichika thought to herself during the Kamiyama High entrance ceremony. She was not paying attention.

It’s a good thing nobody was in the building when that happened, though. We take these little victories.

Still, that means everyone who was either going to go or was already going to Miya Girls had to be indefinitely transferred to Kamiyama High, it being the closest school and all.

I’ve heard schools like this have a lot of delinquents… Best to be on the lookout, then.

As the entrance ceremony concluded anticlimactically, all the new Year 1 students were instructed to make their way to their respective classes. Forget being on the lookout! In the vast menagerie of students, Ichika couldn’t see jack about where she was going! In the scuffle, she turned the corner, and-

‘Aah!’

‘Ow!’

‘Yeowch!’

Three teens came crashing down, sprawling out on the floor. Ichika hastily rose to her feet, and glanced awkwardly at the pair of students she had bumped into. ‘I’m really, really, really, really, really sorry!’ she sputtered.

‘That hurt! Watch it, why don’t you?!’ cried out a girl with short, brown hair. She had a small braid tucked her left ear, and she wore a tan-colored jacket over the regular school uniform.

‘It’s fine, it’s fine! Not like it wasn’t my fault as well,’ chirped a girl with light pink hair. (Ichika thought that was completely normal.) Her long, slightly curled hair was carefully tied up into a side ponytail with a pointy red ribbon, and two dangling locks of hair extended down in front of her shoulders to frame her face. Over her uniform, she wore a cream-colored jacket.

Ichika looked the two directly, her line of sight meeting a pair of soft brown and a pair of light pink eyes.

ZING!

An unfamiliar sensation washed over Ichika. It felt like for a moment, time stood still. The air rippled with an electricity that coursed through Ichika’s veins and flowed through her every nerve; from the looks on their faces, it seemed like the other two were experiencing much the same thing.

This feeling… could it be love at first sight…?

Are these two my soulmates?

The three remained lingering there, lost in a dreamy stupor like absolute fools. A bird flew through the window and pecked at their feet, and they didn’t even notice.

Ichika forced herself to snap out of it.

‘Are… are you two alright?’ she stammered.

A small, conspicuous smile crept upon the pink-haired girl’s face, and she brought a hand to her forehead.

‘Oh no, my ankle! It seems that it’s been crushed into a million little pieces! I may never walk again~’

A bead of sweat trickled down Ichika’s face. ‘…really?’

‘Really, really, really, really! Ooh, and while I’m at it, my throat is sore, my elbows are dry, and my thyroid stings, too! Oh, won’t you just help little ol’ me?’

‘Okay, we’re not doing this.’ The brown-haired girl got to her feet and glared at the other two. ‘This bit isn’t even that funny.’

‘Aw, rats.’ The pink-haired student stood up nonchalantly, leaned forward and stuck out her hand. ‘Nice to meet you two! I’m Akiyama Mizuki, Year 1, Class A! What about you guys?’

Ichika took Mizuki’s hand and shook it tenderly. I’m holding hands with my soulmate, she thought. ‘I’m Ichika Hoshino. Year 1, Class B. Nice to meet you, Akiyama-san!’

‘Oh, no need to be so formal! Just Mizuki is fine!’ Mizuki extended her hand to the other girl and grinned resolutely. ‘So, you gonna tell us your name?’

The short-haired girl grasped Mizuki’s palm semi-reluctantly. ‘Shinonome Ena. Year 2, Class D.’

‘Whaaaat? You’re my senior? Talk about a surprise!’

‘Hold on. What’s that supposed to mean?’ Ena groused, glowering.

‘Nothing, nothing!’ laughed Mizuki dismissively.

‘Class D?’ questioned Ichika. ‘Isn’t that the night class?’

‘Not anymore!’ Ena grumbled. ‘The school’s stretched thin ever since Miya Girls exploded in that plane crash! Screw this idiotic management system!’ Ena strode over to Ichika and gazed wearily into her eyes. ‘I am so tired.’

‘Is… is there anything I can do to help?’ Ichika queried.

Ena stared deep into Ichika’s icy blue eyes and an indescribable expression came over her face. ‘You know what? Maybe there is. Here, hold this.’

‘Hold what?’

‘My head.’

With a shff, Ena rested her head on Ichika’s shoulder, nestling into her collar. Ichika sensed her own blood pressure rise as she felt the warmth of Ena’s body against her own, Ena’s heartbeat rhythmic and soothing. Was it her imagination, or was Ena’s heart beating faster as well…?

‘Hey, no fair, making the first move! Make some room for me, too!’ Mizuki burrowed her head into Ichika’s other side, blushing just a little bit. ‘Wow, is it hot in here, or is it just me?’

It was definitely not just Mizuki. Ichika felt her body temperature surge through the roof as her mental fortitude was slowly reaching its limit.

This is moving way too fast! I don’t think I can handle any more of this…!

As if on cue, a couple of gossiping students strolled by the trio.

‘Hey, did you hear about this school’s clovers? There’s a field of pink clovers out back, and they say that if you ask someone out with a four-leaf clover, you’re guaranteed to fall in love!’

‘Pink clovers? Do they really grow in that color?’

‘Sounds stupid, right? But apparently it’s never failed. Ever.’

Ena and Mizuki were listening intently. Wide-eyed and unfaltering, they relinquished their hold on Ichika almost simultaneously, turning to face her.

‘I’m sorry, Hoshino-san. I’m afraid I have to go now… to class. Yes.’ Shinonome Ena took off running.

‘Mmhmm, yes, class. Something I am known to both enjoy and attend on a regular basis. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ Akiyama Mizuki similarly ran off, sprinting after Ena. It didn’t take very long for her to catch up; Ena wasn’t very athletic.

Ichika was left standing alone in the school corridor.

Oh yeah, that’s right. Before we bumped into each other, we were supposed to be going to class, weren’t we? I almost forgot.

Those two must be such good students.

The school day ended a few hours later. Ichika was about to head home for the day, when a teacher with solemn eyes and wavy purple hair stopped her. ‘I’m so sorry, but I seem to have lost my contacts, so I can’t see for the life of me. Could you be a dear and help me find them?’

‘Oh, of course, miss. I don’t have a better use of my time.’ Ichika said candidly.

‘What a model student you are! Don’t you worry, I don’t think this will take very long at all.’

It took four hours.

Exiting from the school building with a sigh, Ichika gripped the straps of her backpack tightly as she trudged across campus.

Since we were in different classes, I’d hoped to see those two girls again after school, but I guess they must’ve left by now, huh.

Just then, a peculiar sight caught Ichika’s eye. It wasn’t the strangest thing she’d ever seen, considering she’d met Hatsune Miku (and didn’t get her autograph :C), but it was really, really, really, really, really weird nonetheless.

Akiyama Mizuki and Shinonome Ena knelt hunched in front of a vast field of pink clovers, combing through them fervently.

These two… have they been here the whole day? Searching for a four-leaf clover to give me?

‘Hey hey, I found a five-leafed one! You think it’ll work?’

‘Nah, no way. I found three six-leafed ones by now. I think the higher numbers may actually be more common.’

They’re working so hard, too. I… I can’t stand by and watch! I have to reach out to them!

‘You two…’

Upon hearing Ichika’s voice, the two froze on the spot. They guiltily turned their heads to look at her.

‘Hey… Ichika-san… ‘sup?’

‘Akiyama-san, stop it. You’re making us both look stupid.’

‘You wound me.’

Ichika slowly stepped towards the bickering duo. Noticing this, they both instinctively recoiled from the awkwardness.

Ichika knelt down in front of the field of clovers, and picked up the first clover she saw.

The clover had eight leaves.

‘You guys know that you can just… make a four-leafed clover, right? Just pluck the extra leaves from those clovers you have,’ Ichika explained, demonstrating with her own clover.

She presented a perfectly pink four-leafed clover to the two.

Mizuki slapped her hand to her forehead, with an expression that read ‘Duh!!!’ plastered across her face. Ena, however, gently took the clover from Ichika’s hand, blushing deeply.

‘Hoshino-san… Are you asking me out?’

Realization set in, and Ichika’s cheeks turned a deep rosy red. ‘Well, I mean… if you would be willing to accept me, I-’

‘Hold on, hold on, hold onnn!! She was clearly asking me out, not you, Enanan!’

Ichika raised an eyebrow. ‘Enanan?’

‘Sorry, slip of the tongue! Ena-san!’

A flurry of emotions seemed to rush through Ena’s mind all at once, from confused, to bewildered, to in denial. Eventually, her face settled into her default state: annoyed.

‘That’s you, isn’t it, Amia?’ she said, deadpan.

‘Eeeeeeeehhh?’ Mizuki said. ‘Enanan!? Wow, I didn’t even recognize you! Your Insta selfies look so different… just how many filters do you use?!’

‘Shaddup! I only used- Hold on!’ Ena protested. ‘One thing at a time!’ She turned to Ichika.

‘Hoshino-san, I like you! Please, go out with me!’

That was fast, Ichika thought. We’re not even 3000 words in.

‘I’m sorry, I know this is sudden! But I… I seem to have in love with you at first sight! I know I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t say this… and it’s clear I’m not the only one who shares these feelings!’

‘You can say that again!’ Mizuki butted in. ‘I… I like you too as well, Ichika-san! Please, if you would consider going out with me!’

The two girls stood side by side, their blushing faces showing the honesty and sincerity that they had never let themselves reveal to anybody else. They gazed yearningly at Ichika, as if to say ‘Well? Which one of us will you go out with?’

Ichika looked upon them, anxiety slowly rising. She knew that for this to go right, she had to accept both of them, but…!

She didn’t know if she had the nerve to say it…!

‘W-‘ she stuttered,

‘We’ll be right back after these messages!’

‘YOU WANNA GET YOUR ASS KICKED?!’

Chapter Text

Ichika lay in her bed, looking up at her ceiling. She couldn’t sleep; she needed answers.

Just how am I supposed to get them to both date me at once?

Slowly but swiftly, she grabbed her phone from her nightstand and turned on her bedroom light. If anybody knew what to do, it would definitely be Hatsune Miku!

…How was she supposed to contact Miku, though?

Ichika whacked her phone a couple of times and shook it gingerly. ‘Hellooo! Miku! Are you in there?’ she said, slightly louder than she needed to.

The shimmering hologram of the VISUAL SINGER appeared once more from her phone. Ichika set it down on her table.

‘For the record, don’t hit your phone like that again. It makes me dizzy,’ Miku complained. ‘Also, for the record, I was trying to sleep, it’s late. Nevermind. What’s up?’

Now that she was looking at Miku again, Ichika noticed that this version of Miku wasn’t the typical white-sleeveless-top, teal-blue-tie, long-shoulderless-sleeves version that she was used to seeing everywhere. This Miku had voluminous, teardrop-like twintails accentuated with red highlights, and wore a black school uniform with white trim and red plaid on the underside. White sneakers, black thigh-high socks; this Hatsune Miku looked like a school student through and through.

Ichika explained her plight to Miku, and Miku took it all in, putting her finger and thumb on her chin and nodding intently.

‘Hmm, yes, I see, I see. Well, don’t worry! I have just the solution right here!’

From seemingly nowhere, Miku produced a small, rectangular object from her back. Ichika squinted at the hologram, looking closely.

‘Is… Is that a book?’

‘It’s an e-book, actually!’ Miku proclaimed, as she held the book with both hands and dropped it into the ‘floor’. The book landed in the shiny black of Ichika’s phone screen with a satisfying bwoom, sinking into it completely.

‘There! Downloaded into your phone is a digital copy of the 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You manga! Only Volume 1 for now, but it’s enough to get you started!’

Ichika furrowed her brow. ‘Is that what this whole ordeal I’m going through is based on?’

Miku shrugged. ‘More or less! Read it, and you might learn a thing or two to help you with your situation, alright? That’s it from me! G’night!’

‘Hey, wait-‘ Ichika started to say, but the hologram of Miku was already gone.

Dang it, I still didn’t get her autograph!

With a sigh, Ichika picked up her phone once more, and opened up her newly acquired copy of 100 Girlfriends.

‘Sweet dreams, Hatsune Miku.’

‘…so, that was basically what happened today,’ Amia recounted, chatting to her group over a Nightcord call. The hour was 1:00 am, the witching hour, or 25:00 as some liked to call it. ‘We gave her until tomorrow morning to give us a reply. I guess it’s actually today morning by now, haha.’

‘Still, I feel kind of bad for putting her on the spot like that…’ muttered Enanan. ‘K, Yuki, what do you guys think you would have done?’

K had been listening to Amia and Enanan recount their weird and messy love triangle for the past 20 minutes, and her jaw had been slowly dropping the farther in they went. ‘I have no idea,’ she tried her best to say, ‘This is so far from anything that I have ever experienced.’

But all that came out was a ‘Hvndsfmnygvrxcd!?!??!??’

‘That certainly is quite a story!’ said Yuki, her voice gentle and honeyed. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know anything about any of this, either. This isn’t something most people ever have to deal with, after all. Probably.’

‘Tell me about it. I’ve been Googling “love triangle fix how” for the past half an hour, and all of them say something to the effect of “move on and give up”?’ Amia wondered aloud. ‘I’d rather jump into the ocean and get eaten by an ocean tiger before that ever happens.’

‘Same,’ agreed Enanan. ‘I can already no longer picture myself falling in love with anyone else.’

‘Say, Enanan…’ started Amia. ‘…I don’t want any bad blood between us after this. I know, I know, rich coming from me, right? …I’ve never said it before, but I genuinely…’ Amia struggled to get the words out. ‘…I treasure this whole thing we have going on. Nightcord, and all that.’

‘Amia…’ Enanan said softly. ‘I do feel the same way. I would be lying if I said otherwise.’

‘Can we… agree on a truce? No matter which one of us she picks, we let whatever comes to pass come to pass. No arguing, no bickering, no mocking… at least, not more than usual.’

‘I’m going to ignore that last bit, but… yeah. Truce.’

‘Truce!’

The group soon moved on from the topic and continued to work, but their hands now worked a little faster, their load a little lighter, their minds a little clearer.

Wow, this manga is so trashy.

Ichika read the first few chapters of 100 Girlfriends, and there was just way too much fanservice for the likes of her. It wasn’t like fanservice wasn’t commonplace, what with the culture of modern-day Japan and all… Still, it didn’t sit right with her.

Thumbing through the pages once more, she paid attention the core traits that the main character embodied; or rather, the traits that she would have to embody. He was kind, thoughtful, hardworking and most of all selfless: he had all of the sociability and tact that Ichika could only aspire to have.

What could she do, then…? Ichika wondered about what her end-goal was regarding all of this. What was she fighting for? Was she craving the deep, intrinsic ties of romance? Was she striving to prevent The Unemployment Of Hatsune Miku?

Those may have been part of it, sure. However, as Ichika looked deeper within herself, she realized the core of her motivation, the very thing that fueled her to keep going.

I want to see both of them happy!

She was their soulmate, after all! How would she be able to live with herself if she ended up rejecting her own soulmate?! No matter the outcome, Ichika had to make sure that both- no, all of her soulmates ended up content, secure and happy! She wouldn’t accept otherwise!

The fire of determination slowly transformed into the seeds of a plan. Ichika picked up her guitar from where it lay; having practiced here and there over the past month, she was somewhat proficient with it by now. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she began to play.

The day started bright and early at Kamiyama High; sun was shining, birds were getting worms, and Akiyama Mizuki and Shinonome Ena were waiting for Ichika in the clover field.

‘Look, there she is!’ cheered Mizuki. ‘Yoo-hoo, Ichika-san! Good morning!’

‘Grghh…’ moaned Ena. She clearly wasn’t any good with mornings.

‘Woah, what’s that, what’s that? Is that a guitar?’

Ichika smiled as she strode towards the pair. ‘So you noticed… well, I thought long and hard about who I should accept. My mind was flooded with thoughts and feelings, far more than I could ever put into words. However, there is one way I could get my emotions across… if you’ll allow me.’

Ichika picked up her guitar from her case, and began to strum. It was an electric guitar, but she didn’t even plug it in or anything; still, the music reached the duo all the same. Ena forced herself awake to listen to it; the more they listened, the more the two realized it was a song that they knew all too well.

‘Hey, if you love me then love me, if you hate me then hate me,

A cup of darjeeling tea that can't be seen in black and white.

With unblinking words of lies, I beg for your love once again, so,

“Please, don't leave me!”

This love is like black tea that I can't throw away,

Even though it went cold before I could even take a sip,

Using words surpassing the heart, let me hear your voice,

“Is anyone there?”’

‘This song…’ Mizuki muttered.

‘Keitai Renwa…’ Ena noted. ‘It’s our song.’

‘You two are pretty close, aren’t you?’ Ichika implored. ‘I couldn’t help but notice from your interactions yesterday that you both seemed to have a shared history. Then I found your channel, and…

I know this sounds like an absurd request, but please, I beg of you both!

I would like to go out with both of you, please!’

‘HUUUUUUUUUUH?!!!’ roared Ena. ‘Are you nuts?!’

‘Believe me, I know how unconventional this would be! I understand if neither of you can accept this! Still… the bond you two share, it’s beautiful! I could never let myself do anything that would sever that bond!

Two-timing it may be, but it doesn’t mean that I’ll let you guys suffer! I swear, I’ll do everything I can to make you guys the happiest girls in the world!

I tried my hardest, but I honestly couldn’t choose between you two for the life of me! I love the both of you so much… I can’t let either of you go from my mind, so please, go out with me!’

‘W- What do you take us for?!’ cried Ena. ‘Trying to sweet-talk us like that… I bet you learnt our song just so you could butter us up, huh?’

‘Huh? That was never my intention,’ Ichika said matter-of-factly. ‘When I listened to your song… both of your voices, the message you were singing, it resonated deep within me: the quality of the whole thing, the art and the editing too, it all just blew me away!’

Upon taking a sincere compliment straight to the face, Mizuki and Ena keeled over backwards. Climbing back onto her knees, Mizuki managed to string a sentence together. ‘I see. If that’s the case, then I’ll be in your care from here on out, Ichika-chan!’

‘Mizuki…’ stuttered Ena. ‘What are you saying…?’

‘If this is what she wants to do, then I don’t mind a bit! Compared to utter rejection and despondent isolation, two-timing is no problemo!’ Mizuki proclaimed, striding to Ichika’s side and snuggling her shoulder.

‘Ghh…’ Ena grunted. Seeing Mizuki cozy up to Ichika, Ena remorselessly flung herself towards her and held her closely. ‘If you can’t make us happy, I’ll never forgive you!’

‘I won’t let you two down!’ Ichika declared. ‘I’ll make sure of it!

Just like that, a polyamorous relationship the likes of which the world had never seen had begun. 2 down, 23 to go! How on earth was Ichika going to court all of them! Was she going to become a 25-timer?

And would she ever get Hatsune Miku’s autograph?

Chapter Text

It was the very second day of the school year! All of the students were more or less settling into their regular routines, but for one particularly excited Ichika Hoshino, her love life was just beginning! As the familiar chimes of the lunch bell sounded throughout the school, she eagerly anticipated the opportunity to have lunch with her two new girlfriends!

‘Ah, Hoshino-san,’ called Aoyagi Toya, one of her new classmates. ‘Would you mind if joined you for lunch today? I noticed you brought a guitar to class today; I can’t deny that I’m interested to see a fellow musician.’

‘Sorry, Aoyagi-kun,’ Ichika curtly replied. ‘I’m afraid I have other plans! Today, I’m spending my lunch break with two of the sweetest, prettiest, most adorable girls in the whole world!’

‘Oooi! Ichika-chan!’ Mizuki cried, standing at the doorway of Ichika’s classroom along with Ena. ‘Did you hear that lunch bell tolling, or was it just me? Come on!’

‘Coming!’ Ichika responded. ‘Maybe another time, Aoyagi-kun.’

‘I understand,’ Toya politely acknowledged. ‘It’s great that you can spend your time with such a close pair of friends!’

Toya watched as Ichika took Ena’s hand on her left, and Mizuki’s hand on her right. He observed as they walked out of the classroom, shoulders rubbing shoulders, head caressing head.

‘Yep,’ Toya reiterated. ‘A trio of really good friends.’

‘So, Ena-chan, Mizuki-chan, know any good lunch spots?’ Ichika asked her adoring girlfriends.

‘Actually, you could… say my name without honorifics, you know? Since we’re dating and all,’ Ena hinted bashfully. ‘Would it be alright if I did the same for you?’

‘O-Oh!’ Ichika yelped. ‘Of course it would, Ena-ch… Ena!’

Ichika looked to Mizuki, who gave her a very ‘Yeah, yeah!’ head nod. It seemed like the same applied for her as well.

‘Mizuki!’

‘Ichika!’

‘Ena!’

‘Ichika!’

‘Enanan~!’

‘Mizuki?!’

In their excitement and euphoria, the three failed to notice that they were heading nowhere in particular. It was Ena who got them back on track.

‘How about we try the school roof? Rarely anybody does up there, right?’ Ena suggested.

The trio made their way to the topmost flight of stairs in the whole school; again, it was Ena that reached the door to the school roof first.

‘No good,’ she remarked, peering through the little window on the rooftop door. ‘Looks like there’s already a brown-haired girl up there practicing a routine or something. Best not to disturb her.’

‘Aw, darn!’ Mizuki exclaimed, snapping her fingers. ‘What about outside the campus? The clover field seems like a pretty good spot.’

Looking out the window, the trio quickly noticed that the clover field was jam-packed with people! Rumors spread like wildfire, apparently; the area was flooded with lovestruck laypeople combing through the area, hoping for a lucky shot at romance.

It soon became apparent to the group of girlfriends that every place in the school, be it outdoors or indoors, had already been occupied; it was almost surprising that the infrastructure of the school wasn’t collapsing from taking two batches’ worth of students at the same time.

Ichika reached into her bag and instinctively pulled out her phone, as if she could search up the answer for her pressing issue with the click of a button.

No, not really. Instead of dwelling on the utter lack of options, she decided to distract herself with the dopamine of idle scrolling! What a well-rounded and emotionally intelligent individual she was!

However, as she scrolled her way down her playlist of favorite Miku songs, Ichika noticed a strange addition to the ever-growing collection: an unlabelled, inconspicuous file named ‘Untitled’.

‘Hey, what’s that?’ Mizuki chimed, peering over Ichika’s shoulder at her phone. ‘A playlist? What kind of a song is Untitled?’

‘I… I don’t know what that is,’ Ichika responded. ‘I didn’t put that there.’

All of a sudden, her phone screen began to flash and glow. ‘Wait, what’s happening?!’ Ena yelled. ‘I can’t see!’

Enveloped in a sphere of bright glowing light, the three girls disappeared with a brilliant burst of shimmering sparkles, leaving nary a trace that they were there to begin with.

School Love SEKAI

The trio reappeared side by side in an unfamiliar environment. It was a school much like their own, but in a room they had never seen before, with a feeling in the air that they had never felt before. It felt… like the start of something greater than themselves.

‘Okay, guys, don’t freak out,’ said Mizuki. ‘But I think we’ve been abducted into Empty Space by creepy aliens, and we’re going to have to beat up the Loch Ness monster if we want to escape.’

‘Shaddup,’ retorted Ena. ‘Mizuki, you watch way too much anime.’

‘You explain what’s going on, then!’ Mizuki exclaimed, pointing at the closest door. ‘I’m serious! An alien might pop up from behind that door at any moment!’

Just then, the door abruptly swung open. Mizuki and Ena panicked, instinctively ducking behind the nearest tables; Ichika raced in front of them, assuming a defensive stance to protect them.

‘Mikudayo~’ said Hatsune Miku.

‘Hatsune Miku!’ cried Ichika joyfully. ‘You… you’re actually here?! What is this place? How did we get here? Can I have your autograph?!’ Ichika produced a pen and paper from her bag and presented them before Miku, bowing.

Unlike when she appeared in Ichika’s phone, Miku was about the same height as Ichika in this world, if not slightly taller. Ichika wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘Alright, one question at a time, please!’ laughed Miku as she took the pen and paper from Ichika, signing the paper. ‘Ichika, Ena, Mizuki, welcome to the School Love SEKAI! This world has been created from your mutual feelings of love and affection. The emotions you feel for each other will also weave themselves into song!’

Ichika received the autograph back from Miku. The words ‘to my biggest fan, XOXO Miku’ were written in extremely clean point-size-twelve Times New Roman: the handwriting was indistinguishable from print. ‘I’ll treasure this for as long as I live!’ swore Ichika.

‘Well, I guess where we know where to eat lunch, now,’ remarked Ena. ‘In an ageless liminal alternate reality woven from our feelings. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner.’

‘Wow,’ said Ichika awestruck. ‘So this must be the power of love… I had no idea this would happen once you started dating…’

‘No, no!’ Miku tittered. ‘It’s only for polycules. Yep, that’s my official answer. But nevermind all that! Sit down, have your lunches here! If you guys want to leave, you can pause the “Untitled” playing on Ichika’s phone at any time. I’ll be in the other room if you need me… I know you guys need your alone time, after all~’

And just like that, Miku swiftly exited the room and closed the door.

With Miku gone, the group was finally able sit down, open their lunchboxes, and have themselves a nice romantic meal. But as they started to chat, based on what Ichika had previously mentioned, a single thought rose to the surface of Ena and Mizuki’s minds.

This is Ichika’s first time dating! That means whoever kisses her first will be her first kiss!

Then…! I have to do whatever it takes!

‘Yum!’ announced Mizuki, taking a bite of her western food. ‘This spaghetti is seriously good! Ichika, you gotta try a bite!’

‘That good?’ Ichika questioned. ‘Well, sure!’

‘In that case… say “Aah!”’

‘O- Oh! Aaahh…’ Ichika closed her eyes and opened her mouth self-consciously, awaiting Mizuki to feed her. Mizuki gently placed one singular end of a strand of spaghetti in her mouth, which she started to munch contentedly. Mizuki then carefully tracked that strand of spaghetti to its other end, which she proceeded to pop in her own mouth.

Huhuhu… this is the perfect plan! Once we meet in the middle of this spaghetti, we’ll be canoodling just like those funny talking dogs in that one movie!

Ena wasn’t having any of it. She nipped the spaghetti into two with her chopsticks right below Mizuki’s chin, and proceed to take the spaghetti end for herself, setting it in her mouth while smirking at Mizuki.

Mizuki stared at Ena, flabbergasted for a moment before immediately trying to nab the strand back from her. Ena, anticipating this, grabbed Mizuki’s hands to prevent her from doing anything. Their scuffle turned into a tussle, which grew into an all-out wrestle.

Upon hearing the unmistakable sounds of girlfriends fighting over pasta, Ichika opened her eyes to find Mizuki and Ena engaged in the latest and greatest garden-variety of extreme arm-wrestling. ‘What… What are you guys doing?’ she managed to say, which was impressive because she still had spaghetti in her mouth.

‘Improvised LARPing,’ said Mizuki. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘Don’t tell me…’ Ichika said, putting the pieces together. ‘Were you guys trying to kiss me?’

‘Um, uh… wuh guh duh wuh buh…’ stammered Mizuki.

‘Yep,’ said Ena.

Aww, but that’s just so sweet of them!!!

‘You could have just told me, you know!’ Ichika clarified sheepishly. ‘I want to try kissing too…’

‘Still, still!’ Mizuki exclaimed, getting up to her knees. ‘Who gets to kiss you first, then?!’

‘That’s right!’ Ena corroborated. ‘There’s no way I’ll settle for second!’

‘Well… isn’t it obvious?’ Ichika questioned. ‘We’ll all just kiss at the same time!’

‘Eeeehhh?’ exclaimed Ena. ‘Th- That would mean that I would be kissing Mizuki, too…!’

‘Wait, yah.’ Mizuki realized, blushing.

‘Or,’ Ichika continued. ‘I could go ahead and kiss Hatsune Miku, then Miku would be the one who gets my first kiss.’

Ichika pointed at Miku, who was totally peeping in on the group on the other side of the door. She wasn’t even trying to hide it.

‘Why do you look so excited about that suggestion…?’ inquired Mizuki.

‘Well,’ said Ena, cracking her knuckles, ‘it’s settled then. Mizuki, I hope you’re a good kisser.’

‘Uhhhh. I’ll try my best?’

As they stood in a circle, anxious hand in anxious hand, the three looked each other squarely in the eyes, and with faces filled with determination and bravery, leaned in for the tenderness and passion that only a three-way equilateral kiss could create.

Ichika felt the warmth of her girlfriends’ lips against her own. She felt their deep and sincere love alongside her own, which in the moment seemed strong enough to cross the deepest oceans and scale the tallest buildings. As long as she had her girlfriends by her side, Ichika figured everything would be alright.

Ena’s worries all seemed to subside in the heat of the moment. Her constant, unending bickering with her father and brother all seemed so small when faced against love this powerful. If anything, the intensity of this kiss only strengthened her resolve; she now had someone else to fight for as well.

Mizuki enjoyed the kiss while it lasted. While she still could, while she still had time, Mizuki promised herself that she would enjoy her romance to the fullest. She kept telling herself how fleeting it was, and yet she pushed the thought to the back of her mind of how one day, she would have to give all of this up.

Chapter Text

Vivid Street was a lively, invigorating lane, filled with cafes and live houses every step of the way, with graffiti littering the walls and alleys like beams of light refracted off a crystal. In the deep reds and purples of the setting sun, the street came to life with sounds and lights of revelry and song emanating from deep within the walls of the compounds.

In the day, however, without the vibrant neon lights and hustle and bustle of gregarians, the street was easy to miss if you didn’t know it was even there. A weird urban Bermuda triangle of sorts, the street was conversely hard to get out of once you found yourself in it. On a lovely warm Saturday afternoon, it just so happened that a young, messy-haired girl found herself disoriented, wandering from window to window without a clue as to where she was going.

‘I’m really, really, really, really, really lost,’ said Hoshino Ichika to nobody in particular.

It’s a good thing I decided to leave home early, she thought to herself. It still doesn’t solve the fact that every turn I make is either an alley or another live house! At this rate, I’ll never meet Mizuki and Ena at that pancake place!

It also didn’t help that Ichika used to be horrible at reading maps. She once tried to navigate by herself to a Miku pop-up shop, hoping to score some exclusive merch; only when she was knee deep in the Tokyo Bay did she start to consider that she may have gone the wrong way.

Yes, the wise thing to do in the scenario was to notify Ena and Mizuki about her directional unawareness, and try not to wander off into the Shinjyuku district.

Ichika:  i had the way but i lost it

Mizuki: LMAO

            dw babygirl were otw

Ena:      share location?

Ichika:  ⚲ Location

Ena:      that’s way closer than we are

            you’re pretty close actually. take a left?

Ichika:  i am surrounded by nothing but walls

            i think theyre closing in

Ena:     nvm

            we’ll meet you there in 15 min

Ichika:  okay

Ena clicked her phone off and put it in her jacket pocket. ‘Let’s be on our way, Mizuki. Come on, I think it’s this way.’

‘Okie dokie! Let’s go!’ cheered Mizuki, pumping her fist in the air. She rushed forward in front of Ena, eager for the approaching date. Her hop, skip and a step was abruptly halted, however, when she noticed the group of chatting students directly in her way.

She recognized them. No doubt they would have recognized her too.

‘Recognized’? That wasn’t terribly accurate. They would see her as the person that they used to know, the person that she never was.

No. No matter the cost, she had to avoid them. They couldn’t find out, she wouldn’t, couldn’t let them find out. She wasn’t ready, she wasn’t prepared… She wasn’t willing to lose them yet.

‘Actually!’ Mizuki exclaimed as she turned to Ena, clapping her hands together. ‘I think I know a shortcut! Follow me, quick, quick!’

‘Eh?’ Ena murmured. ‘Hold on, Mizuki! Don’t run off like that! Come back… Urgh!’ Ena grumbled as she ran after Mizuki, oblivious that Mizuki was drawing her farther away from her deepest secret (and pancakes).

While she was waiting, Ichika decided to look around Vivid Street a little more, maybe learn the place a little better. Maybe some of these cafes were worth going to, who knew? Not Ichika. Not yet at least.

Come to think of it, didn’t my dad mention that my uncle Ken owns a cafe too? What was it called again?

With a creak of the door and the jingling of a door bell, Ichika stepped into an unfamiliar cafe to see an all too familiar face. ‘Ken-ojisan!’ Ichika cried out, approaching him.

‘Huh? Ichika-chan?!’ Ken exclaimed, standing behind the cafe counter. ‘Man, you’ve gotten so tall! What are you doing in a place like this?’

‘I was waiting for a couple of friends, then I walked into this cafe, then I saw you!’ Ichika explained. ‘Then I called out to you, then you asked me what I was-’

‘Alright, I get the point! So, how are your parents doing? It’s been a long time since I saw them last,’ Ken admitted. ‘And how are your studies going? Are you doing well in-’

‘Ahem.’ A cough resonated throughout the cafe. It came from neither Ken nor Ichika, but from the individual standing directly next to Ken.

Ichika turned to look directly at the stranger, making eye contact with a pair of hazel eyes.

…

Nothing happened. Ichika didn’t feel any strong feelings towards the stranger whatsoever.

The stranger was a boy, after all. Ichika wasn’t into that.

‘So, Ken-san, were you going to mention you had a niece, or was I supposed to find that out the hard way?’ the teen boy scoffed. He seemed about Ichika’s age, with short orange hair that had a streak of yellow and two jackets on at the same time. Impressive!

‘Chatty, too. Could give your daughter a run for her money.’ the orange-haired boy gabbed.

‘Chatty? Oh, no, I wasn’t trying to be…’ Ichika mumbled. Slightly self-consciously, she clasped her hands together and her gaze darted towards the floor. ‘It’s an honor to make your acquaintance,’ she muttered softly.

The orange teen’s gaze softened. ‘Oh, come on now, you’ve gotta be more confident than that,’ he said carefully. ‘Surely Ken-san’s niece has got some spunk in her.’

Ken sighed. ‘She wasn’t always like this,’ he exposited. ‘As a kid, she was a lot more… headstrong, you know? Way more… impulsive.’

‘I see, I see,’ Orange Guy contemplated, before snapping his fingers and striking a stupid-looking pose that he no doubt thought looked cool. ‘Alright then! Ken-san, while your niece waits, I’ll make it my mission to help her get her groove back!’

‘What, seriously?’ Ken raised his eyebrow and rubbed his head. ‘It’s not like I don’t appreciate the thought, but… hmm. Ichika-chan, you alright with this?’

Ichika looked into the boy’s eyes and saw confidence. She saw determination. She saw the expression of a guy who had no ulterior motives, no desire to have anything to do with her after this, nothing but pure admiration and respect for her mother’s brother-in-law.

Ichika looked within herself and saw a girl whose own self-confidence had long since faded. She saw the despondence of a girl who wanted nothing more than to give her all for her girlfriends, and yet what she had to give, she considered, was not nearly enough.

‘Alright,’ Ichika said determinedly. ‘How do we start?’

Wannabe Cool Dude smirked. ‘How else?’ he said with a melodramatic sigh. ‘We’re gonna take the stage.’

Ken’s cafe had a small stage towards the back fitted with speakers and spotlights. It was pretty cozy, all things considered. The teenage boy stepped behind the sound system and put on the backing track of a song. Ichika recognized the tune: it was a VOCALOID song, an English composition titled ECHO.

‘Alright,’ Orange Julius muttered, handing Ichika a microphone. ‘Let me see how you sing!’

The cafe wasn't too crowded, but it wasn't empty either. Seeing Ichika take the stage, a dozen heads from various tables all turned to face her. Mic in her hand, heart in her mouth, Ichika faced the handful of complete strangers. Summoning the courage that surely lay dormant in her somewhere, she began to sing.

‘The clock stopped ticking forever ago.

How long have I been up? I don't know.’

‘Louder!’ commanded Tony Two-Jackets. ‘You have a great voice, but it’s useless if no one hears you!’

I’m… I’m too scared. Scared that I might slip up, scared that I might embarrass myself.

‘I can't get a grip, but I can't let go.

There wasn't anything to hold onto, though.’

‘Think about why you're doing this. The people that matter to you, those you care about, push their visage to the forefront of your mind!’

‘Why can't I see,

Why can't I see

All the colors

That you see?’

Ena… she’s always so honest and strong-willed. I want to be someone she can turn to, who sticks with her through thick and thin, who never fails to reassure her.

‘Please can I be,

Please can I be

Colorful

And free?’

Mizuki… she’s always so upbeat and cheery. I want to protect her smile, to give her a sense of security, to be somebody that she can always trust.

‘What the hell's going on?

Can someone tell me please…

Why I'm switching faster

Than the channels on TV.’

‘Take your fluttering emotions by the reins! Channel only the ones that give you strength!’

Be stronger for them! They’ve done so much for me, I have to meet them where they stand!

‘I'm black, then I'm white

No! Something isn't right!

My enemy's invisible,

I don't know how to fight.’

‘Battle against your own anxiety. Push it away, focus on the rhythm of the beat, the flow of the melody!’

Self-doubt, self-pity, self-deprecation all have no room in my head! Not if they’re counting on me!

‘The trembling fear

Is more than I can take

When I'm up against

The echo in the mirror…’

‘Ignore what your nerves tell you, and sing!’

Just sing! Sing as if they’re listening, sing as if you're performing for the two of them!

‘Echo…’

Her hands were weak, her knees were heavy, and her heart was pounding in her chest, but Hoshino Ichika reached the interlude with a resonance and cadence in her voice that, for a moment, revealed a ray of blazing passion that lay buried deep within the woes of her heart. A polite smattering of applause rose from the audience.

‘Now, that’s what I’m talking about!’ declared Annoying Orange. ‘Kid, you have the makings of a real musician. Not one of those classical phonies like Debussy.’

‘We’re the same age,’ retorted Ichika. ‘But for what it’s worth, I appreciate the help. I think I feel less like a helpless deer, and more like a strong, extremely capable deer.’

‘Don’t mention it, because I sure won’t. You still have a long way to go,’ the neon-ginger teen raised. ‘And hey, if you ever want to keep building confidence, you could always give busking a try. It’s like panhandling, but better.’

‘Well, thank you…’ Ichika faltered. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever got your name. If you wouldn’t mind introducing yourself?’

‘Oh, screw me!’ exclaimed Mr Fanta-stic, slapping his palm to his forehead. ‘Where have my manners been? My name is-’

‘SHINONOME AKITO!’

Ena’s scream echoed throughout the cafe, shocking absolutely everybody, even herself. She trudged her way to the front of the stunned boy, putting her hands to her hips and scowling at him judgementally.

‘Akito, just what do you think you’re doing with my girlfriend?’ Ena interrogated accusingly.

‘Woah, hey, this is your girlfriend? Dang. Ena, I didn’t think you pulled like that.’ Akito said, raising his eyebrows, clearly impressed.

‘Shaddup!’ Ena yelled. ‘Ichika, my little brother didn’t do anything weird, did he? Like challenge you to a rap battle or breakdance on the floor?’

‘Ena, I don’t think you know what it is that I do,’ remarked Akito, his face showing increasing concern.

‘No, no, nothing of the sort!’ assured Ichika. ‘Your… little brother… was just showing me some singing technique, that’s all.’

‘Not very reassuring,’ muttered Ena.

‘Now, now, no need to fight,’ Mizuki chirped, leaning out from behind Ena. ‘We all reached the cafe without any problems, so let’s sit down and have some pancakes!’

‘No thanks to you, Mizuki,’ retorted Ena. ‘Your “shortcut” steered us around in one big loop!’

‘Wait, this is the place you were talking about?’ Ichika asked, puzzled. ‘I thought we were supposed to meet up at the WEEKEND GARAGE.’ Ichika looked around confusedly. She then noticed the giant, unmissable banner directly behind her that had ‘WEEKEND GARAGE’ printed on it in big black capital letters.

Okay, that wasn’t there when I came in.

‘Ding dong ding dong!’ Mizuki chimed, affirming Ichika’s statement. ‘My classmate said the pancakes in this place are absolutely amazing.’

‘Darn right,’ Akito crowed. ‘Ken-san’s pancakes are to die for.’ Akito turned towards Ken and saluted him firmly.

‘That good, eh? Three orders of pancakes, please!’ Mizuki requested, raising her arm to the sky while bounding over to Ken. ‘Do you want any, Otouto-kun?’ she said playfully, looking towards Akito slyly and putting her hand to her mouth as if to say, tee hee!

It was then that Akito decided to excuse himself. ‘I’m excusing myself,’ he stated as he closed the door to WEEKEND GARAGE behind him, walking away as if he had something better to do. Nobody blamed him.

With that, Ichika, Mizuki and Ena were free to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. As they received their pancakes and began to savour its light, mellow flavour and soft, pillowy texture, Ichika couldn’t help but take note of how similar Akito was to Ena. Just like his older sister, Akito was bold, brash and stubborn, wearing his heart on his sleeve and with a burning drive to reach whatever goal he put his mind to… Ichika felt like she understood Ena a bit better now.

Ichika understood herself a bit better now, as well. Little by little, she swore that she would build up her confidence until it was enough. She had to do anything for the sake of her girlfriends, after all.

One day at a time, though. Right now, the pancakes were getting cold.

Chapter Text

The time of day was smack in the middle of the afternoon, just early enough a time when one could see high school students roaming to and fro, having freshly taken off from a much anticipated dismissal from campus. Yes, the streets busied themselves with drove upon drove of ambulatory juveniles, and this was especially true for Scramble Crossing, the busiest pedestrian intersection in all of Japan. For precisely this reason, it was here that Hoshino Ichika had situated herself for an afternoon of busking.

Decked out in her favorite plaid shirt and gray jacket, with guitar in her hands, Ichika played her heart out to any passerby who would listen, singing out her favorite Miku songs (and boy, did she sing). She had taken Akito’s advice to heart; in order to build up stamina and confidence, she had been busking regularly for a while now. It didn’t hurt that a couple of generous souls gave her a few coins now and again. She didn’t even leave her guitar case open or anything: they just dropped their coins right in front of her and they landed with a clink on the bare sidewalk.

‘Love is blind, and endless bliss,

The only way for me to see is by your loving kiss!’

As Ichika trailed off, finishing her song, the passersby who paused in their tracks to listen to her singing all gave her a round of applause. This wasn’t the polite, encouraging applause that she was given at WEEKEND GARAGE: this applause was brimming with genuine appreciation and enjoyment.

‘Thank you for listening!’ Ichika smiled. Singing and playing sure was tiring, but it was fun in a way like no other. As Ichika looked around at the small following that encircled her, her gaze fell upon a sparkling pair of light brown eyes.

ZING!

There it was again; the feeling Ichika felt when she had first met Mizuki and Ena, the same surge of energy that coursed through her body. There was no doubt about it: Ichika had just met her third soulmate.

Ichika stared at a timid-looking girl with big round glasses and light brown hair. Her long hair was tied all prim and proper into two neat twintails, and she was still dressed in her navy blue Kamikou uniform. In her hands, she held a medium-sized digital camera of professional make and model.

Ichika’s first thought was It’s about time! It’s already Chapter 6 and we’re only on soulmate #3? The original manga was already on girlfriend #4 by now!

Ichika’s second thought was Oh, yeah, I should probably go talk to her.

To initiate conversation with a stranger… Ichika was still relatively new to the experience. I bet Mizuki would be way better at this than I would, Ichika thought.

Mizuki was cheery and conversational to a fault; if she had any underlying anxiety or worries, she sure didn’t let it show. Breathing deeply in, Ichika tried to channel Mizuki’s peppiness and snark, trying to manifest in her own disposition a piece of the carefree and energetic attitude that her soulmate displayed.

‘Hey, another Kamiyama High student!’ Ichika began as she slowly approached the girl. ‘I’m Hoshino Ichika, from Year 1, Class B! What’s your name?’

The meek-looking girl glanced shyly towards the floor, before cautiously looking up at Ichika with a nervous blush. ‘I… I’m Azusawa Kohane. Year 1, Class D.’

‘Oh, that’s only a few rooms over!’ Ichika recalled. ‘Nice to meet you, Azusawa-san! I hope you’re enjoying the show.’

‘I… I did… You looked really, really, really, really, really cool! So lively…’ Kohane fidgeted in place like a little pill bug. ‘Um… Actually, if you don’t mind, can I take a picture of you while you’re singing?’

‘You’re a photographer, huh?’ remarked Ichika. ‘That’s so cool! Just like… uh…’ Ichika struggled to think of any famous photographers. ‘Just like Peter Parker!’ she decided.

‘Hehe! I guess so…’ Kohane giggled. ‘Photography’s just so… lasting, you know? Many of my most treasured moments are preserved right here in my camera. I… I can show you, if you would want that. Would you want that?’ 

‘I’d love to look at your pictures!’ Ichika answered. 

I’d rather look into your eyes, Ichika thought.

‘A-Alright, then!’ Kohane said eagerly. Adjusting it so that Ichika could see her camera’s screen, Kohane started to browse through her gallery, lingering on each photo for a second at a time, letting Ichika briefly glimpse the many photos she had taken.

A few of the pictures were of occasions that Kohane no doubt considered special. Karaoke with her classmates, eating dinner out with her parents, watching the performances at Phoenix Wonderland. (A couple of the Phoenix Wonderland photos were nothing but blurs of the ground; Kohane had obviously tripped over while taking photos. Ichika decided not to say anything.)

Most of Kohane’s photos, however, were little more than the simple pleasures of her everyday life. Her favorite foods, her pet snake wrapped gently around her hand, shots of the streets of wherever she walked, even an image of those creepy furry dolls with way too many teeth… These were the photos that Azusawa Kohane liked to take.

so cute! asasghsjashsjsasdhjdaldwjsehksa, Ichika thought.

‘Wow, you sure have quite the diverse portfolio! What a varied plethora of imagery,’ Ichika said.

‘I…I’m not the most outgoing person,’ Kohane acknowledged. ‘I don’t have much to say when I’m with others, and I’m not one to speak through my actions, either. Photography, however… I find it the best way for me to capture the beauties of life, or, the, uh… the memories we share.’ Kohane’s cheeks turned light pink in hue.

‘Memories, hm?’ Ichka hummed. ‘Well, if it’s a memory you want to make, I’ll do you one better. Why not sing a tune with me for a bit?’

‘Eh?’ Kohane bleated, looking straight at Ichika with big, round, anxious eyes. ‘Wait, hold on…! I could never sing in a place like this!’

‘Oh, it’s alright,’ conceded Ichika. ‘I would never make you do something you didn’t want to.’

‘It’s not that,’ Kohane denied. ‘It’s just…! Well–!’

‘Nerves, huh? I get it,’ nodded Ichika. ‘I can’t help but get nervous too, with so many faces turned to me!’

‘Really?’ squeaked Kohane. ‘But the way you sing… you look so confident, and upbeat!’

‘Aw, you’re making me blush…’ Ichika gushed. ‘Well, you see, I learnt a special technique that helps me focus. When I sing, I imagine someone who I really care about, and I pretend that I’m performing for them and them only. Nobody else is listening, no one else matters, just you and them. …I can’t guarantee it’ll work for you, but I’ve gone a long way because of it.’

Ichika’s experience at WEEKEND GARAGE was still fresh in her mind, mainly because it only happened a few days ago. She has taken the technique she had learnt and honed it, practiced it. Perfected it? In a few dozen more chapters, maybe!

‘...and besides. This may be a bit selfish,’ Ichika admitted, reaching to Kohane and gripping her palm, holding it up in front of her. ‘But I really do want to hear you sing.’

‘Just a bit, then.’ Kohane murmured, taking up the space next to Ichika. ‘There’s this one song I really like… have you heard of Odo?’

‘Hey, now there’s a suggestion! I wouldn’t have guessed that you liked that genre of music,’ Ichika stated. ‘I’m not too familiar with the chords, but I’ll see what I can do. Well then, Azusawa-san, shall we?’

‘Dunno what to say… things can get boring, you know?

Lonely, logical notes, a handy dandy escape

I’m fed up of it all, (bad or forbidden, though)

I’m drowning in mud, I’m falling (alright, it’s time!)

Keep trying harder, until you rise up, keep trying harder

Let's link up, one duo over two people

It'll turn out fine, no worries

All right, leave it to me, don't mind

If we can ride the waves of these problems together

Ha! They might be easier than we thought.’

Kohane’s voice was gentle and sweet, but singing the cerebral, alternative melody against Ichika’s intense, electric chords, her words rang out clear as day, piercing the minds of the enraptured audience. For a brief minute, Ichika and Kohane sang an imperfect, authentic harmony, their hearts and their minds united as one.

Our singing… that was amazing! Kohane thought, turning to see the expression on Ichika’s face. Was she imagining it, or was Ichika glowing even brighter than before…?

Hoshino-san’s been the only one who’s ever reached out to me like this before, Kohane considered. She didn’t mind my stammering, she didn’t mind how nervous I was, she just took me by the hand and encouraged me to sing.

This feeling in my heart… what is this?

Ichika looked at Kohane with a delighted grin. ‘Your singing… it’s truly something,’ praised Ichika. ‘It’s honestly some of the best singing I’ve heard. Apart from Hatsune Miku, that is.’

‘Well, I have you to thank,’ Kohane gently divulged. ‘I used the technique you told me about, and… it gave me strength.’

‘Yay, aight,’ said Ichika. ‘Then, who did you imagine that you were performing for?’

Kohane diverted her gaze to the floor, staying silent for a moment before finally speaking.

‘...you, Hoshino-san.’

‘Eh?’

‘Hoshino-san… I think I like you,’ Kohane confessed. She was blushing so hard that Ichika could almost feel the heat from where she stood, and she clutched her skirt tightly into a wrinkled bundle.

‘I’m sorry, I know this is sudden! We’ve only known each other for seventeen minutes, but I…! I can’t help but feel attracted towards you… I’m not asking for a response, I’m not asking for anything more from you… 

…but my heart, it’s captured your image stronger than any photograph could!’

Ichika took a step towards Kohane. ‘...believe it or not, I feel the same way,’ Ichika disclosed. ‘Your modesty. Your courage. The fire in your voice…’

Plus, you’re just so stinking cute!

Kohane’s heart leapt forward in her chest. The words that reached her ears were almost too good to be true! ‘Does that mean…?’

Ichika beamed at Kohane. ‘Azusawa-san, I would love to go out with you.’

Ichika cleanly and smoothly pulled Kohane into a warm, inviting embrace. They stood there, in the middle of the busiest interjection in the country, but none of the leering passersby or judgemental faces mattered at all to them. In the moment, it was only Ichika and Kohane, enjoying the warmth and security of the other’s hold on them.

Nobody else could ruin this moment.

Well, almost nobody. A policeman forced them out of their hug soon after, informing Ichika that busking in a place like this was actually illegal without a permit.

Still, though. Their love stood strong.

Chapter Text

School Love SEKAI

‘...and so, due to how things turned out…

Would you guys mind accepting Azusawa Kohane-chan as my newest girlfriend?’ Ichika nervously recited, beads of sweat rolling down her face as she presented Kohane before Ena and Mizuki. Kohane stood by Ichika’s side, anxiously quivering like a bowl of jelly.

Mizuki and Ena sat silently on school chairs, facing the duo, trying to digest this new development. Ena rose to her feet eerily slowly, put her hands on Ichika’s shoulders and stared Ichika straight in her frosty blue eyes.

‘Ichika.’ Ena articulated. ‘I need you to explain to me what exactly your thought process was in order for you to allow this to occur. Tell me, in detail, how your mind could have possibly come to the conclusion that letting this happen was a good idea. You have 20 seconds.’

‘I’m not asking you to completely accept these new changes without question,’ Ichika said impossibly fast. ‘Yet I could never prevent this love from blossoming. Kohane-chan’s passion has opened up a new fount of love and adoration inside me congruous with my everflowing, unchanging feelings for you two! 

Let me show you all through my actions: if any of you ever feel I’m not living up to my promise, tell me, and I’ll do the honorable thing and commit seppuku!’

Mizuki clicked a stopwatch; it was anyone’s guess as to where she got it. ‘Wow, all that in 19.89 seconds!’ she exclaimed.

‘Seppuku?! You can’t be serious,’ Ena responded, taken aback at Ichika’s response. Hearing such a bold statement coming from such a soft-spoken individual was nothing if not unnerving. ‘What are you, a samurai?!’

‘It has to be done,’ Ichika claimed. ‘Anyone who would dare to hurt those that are precious to them are nothing but scum. I will imbue my feelings into the weavings of this SEKAI and manifest a steel dagger if I must.’

‘Ichika, it would hurt me more to see you hurt,’ Ena rebutted, clinging to Ichika’s arm and squeezing it tenderly. ‘I love you.’

‘Ena…!’ Ichika bubbled. ‘I love you too!’ Ichika gave Ena an affectionate hug.

‘Aw, you guys are adorable,’ Mizuki chirped, smirking while curiously touching her pointer finger to her chin. 

‘Look who’s talking,’ Ichika retorted, smiling.

‘Ichika…!’ Mizuki cried, face turning a bright salmon. ‘I love youuu!’ Mizuki squealed, joining the hug with a swift embrace.

‘I love you too!’ Ichika eagerly replied.

As the three stood there in their loving huddle, Ichika couldn’t help but notice that Kohane still remained where she stood, too nervous to make a move herself.

She’s still holding herself back, huh? Just as I thought, getting everybody to get along right away wouldn’t be easy…

Ichika wasn’t the only one who took note of Kohane’s lack of confidence. ‘Kohane-chan, get in here! Don’t be shy~’ teased Mizuki habitually.

Kohane was too busy being shy. ‘Ah… um…’ she stuttered. Upon Mizuki’s prompting, she apprehensively and uneasily snuggled her way into the throng.

After hugging it out for about 20 more minutes, Ichika addressed her three girlfriends. ‘Kohane-chan, this is Akiyama Mizuki-san and Shinonome Ena-san. They’re in classes 1-A and 2-D respectively. Mizuki, Ena, Kohane-chan is from class 1-D, and she does photography!’ Ichika explained, finishing up all the introductions.

‘Eh, photography?’ Mizuki queried. ‘That’s like painting a picture, but without any of the difficult shading and coloring parts that make you moan and groan and fall prone like Ena does!’

‘Shaddup,’ Ena shut down. ‘Messing with all those camera settings and stuff has got to be way closer to the video editing that you do!’

‘Only one way to find out, I guess,’ hinted Mizuki. ‘Kohane-chan, would you please let us see your photos?’

‘Ah- Um…’ Kohane stammered. ‘I would, but I didn’t bring my- eh? My camera, it’s right over here…?’ Kohane’s camera rested on a nearby table, sitting as if it had been there the whole time.

‘Oh, yeah, the SEKAI does this sometimes,’ mentioned Ichika. ‘One time I got hungry, and I just found a whole, untouched croquette wrapped up in paper lying on the floor. I’m not sure how this world works, but I did feel more full after eating it. Tasted good, too.’

‘Wait, that’s incredible!’ Mizuki exclaimed. ‘Ah, hold on. I’m suddenly stricken by the intense desire to be in possession of a million yen~’

Nothing happened.

Kohane took her camera and proceeded to show off her gallery of photos to Ena and Mizuki. Only a couple new photos had been added since Ichika saw it last, the most notable of which was a striking shot of Ichika’s radiant smiling face.

‘Kohane-san,’ Ena spoke. ‘I need you to send me this image. I’ll pay you good money.’

‘Aren’t Kohane-chan’s photos just the sweetest?’ gushed Ichika. ‘Whenever she’s listening to her favorite music, she can’t help but take a picture of the scenery! It’s soo cute! Look, you can see her headphone wires here, here, and here!’

Kohane’s face rapidly reddened. She hadn’t noticed she was doing that.

‘While we’re on the topic of adorable habits, whenever Ena’s concentrating on a sketch, she has the absolute cutest pout! You can tell if she’s on a particularly hard-to-draw part because her face gets all mad, and it just makes you want to root for her!

And Mizuki always looks so adorably confident, but whenever she’s secretly embarrassed, she’ll start twirling one of her locks of hair and play it cool! The more embarrassed she gets, the tighter she twirls her hair, it’s seriously cute…!’

Ena and Mizuki’s faces both became flushed. Mizuki started twirling her hair tightly.

Just how much does she pay attention to me?! all three of Ichika’s girlfriends thought bashfully.

‘Ooh, Ena, Ichika got you so good!’ Mizuki prattled, trying to divert attention away from herself and failing. ‘You’re blushing redder than a sunrise!’

‘Sh- Shaddup!’ Ena jabbered, blushing harder. ‘As if your face isn’t blushing as red as that little dainty ribbon on your head!’

‘What, me? No no no, I just ate something spicy, that’s all~’

‘I’m about to make you eat your words!’

As Mizuki and Ena continued to bicker the day away, Ichika observed that Kohane was still forcing herself to sit by the sidelines, too nervous to interrupt.

Kohane-chan’s still too tense around the two of them, huh, Ichika thought. They’re both still basically strangers to her, after all.

It’s a good thing I expected this to happen. For the sake of my girlfriends, I’ve come prepared!

Last night, I finished reading the first volume of the 100 Girlfriends manga. I learnt a surprising amount from a manga with such little educational value, not that my time couldn’t have been better spent learning from actually trustworthy sources.

People trying to be considerate of others will naturally hide away their true feelings. Their fear of being hated prevents them from pushing their feelings and opinions on others. On the contrary, to people who have already seen their true feelings, one would more easily be able to express vulnerability again, opening up and letting their guard down.

The original manga had all the characters play a game of Old Maid with a tickling penalty to instigate feelings of laughter. However, I have no idea how to play Old Maid (the manga didn’t tell me) and that strategy didn’t end up working anyway. Luckily, there’s no better way to explore true feelings than through a SEKAI!

‘To get to know each other, why don’t we explore this SEKAI a little more?’ Ichika suggested.

‘I’d… I’d really like that…’ Kohane mumbled. ‘This SEKAI… it’s formed from our feelings, right? Then, exploring the area would be like exploring our own emotions… I can hardly believe a place like this exists!’

‘I still don’t believe it,’ remarked Mizuki. ‘I still think the Loch Ness Monster might leap out and ambush us at any moment.’

‘Ignoring that,’ halted Ena. ‘This whole place is just a big school, right? I’m not exactly keen to peek into a random teacher’s lounge or music room.’

‘You’re not?’ peeped Kohane.

‘Well, as it turns out, this SEKAI is more than just a school,’ Ichika answered. ‘Miku told me that a new area opened up in SEKAI! Apparently it’s expanding or something, just like a balloon.’

‘Great. I’m glad to know that all of our collective feelings have come together to form a giant balloon,’ Ena responded.

‘Aw, don’t be like that, Ena!’ Mizuki cheerily hummed. ‘This new area could be anything! Maybe it’s a cafe, or an amphitheater, or even a circus! Whatever it is, it’s gotta be more interesting than a building where people just carry out their boring daily routines!’

School Love SEKAI Station

‘Ah. It’s a train station,’ observed Mizuki. ‘No, that’s great. That’s amazing. I’m very happy with this new development.’

The four found themselves in a simple-looking train station constructed with a framework of steel beams, metal walls and a corrugated aluminium roof. In the perpetual evening sky of the SEKAI, the station was illuminated with a soft array of blue and purple light streaming in through the exposed gaps in the ceilings and walls of the construct. In the middle of the station stood two train carriages; the tracks on which it rested seemed to extend endlessly in either direction, stretching up to the sky. 

Miku was waiting for the four on the station’s smooth, square-tiled platform, and called out to them eagerly. ‘Hey, everyone! Check out my sweet new ride!’

‘Wow, it’s really Hatsune Miku!’ said Kohane, awestruck. ‘That one who holds the long vegetable!’

‘Miku, I never took you for a train conductor!’ Mizuki chimed. ‘A musical conductor, maybe. So… can we get on? Can we, can we?’

‘Of course!’ Miku replied. ‘However… if you want to board the train, first you’ll need to get yourselves some tickets!’

Miku gestured to a simple-looking ticketing counter in the middle of the platform. The counter looked undoubtedly out of place: Ichika figured that this counter was not a naturally occurring part of the SEKAI, and had rather been recently erected there. Behind the counter stood a tall, slender figure with long, pink hair, wearing a black blazer over a white button-up shirt. 

‘Oh, another VIRTUAL SINGER,’ Ena noted. ‘You’re, uh… sorry, I might like to draw, but I’m drawing a blank on your name right now. Miku’s really the only one I know.’

The pink-haired VOCALOID suddenly had a faraway look in her eyes, and stared off into the distance. ‘Isn’t that the truth…’ she drawled longingly.

‘Ena, this is Megurine Luka!’ Ichika explained. ‘Luka, can we get four tickets, pretty please?’ Ichika waved her hand in front of Luka’s face.

‘W-What? Oh, of course,’ Luka muttered, seeming to snap out of it. ‘I must warn you, though, these tickets come at a price…’

‘Yes, that’s how all tickets work,’ stated Ena.

‘Yeah, but these are like magical SEKAI tickets and stuff,’ said Luka. ‘They bring your true feelings to light. Each of you just take one and see… if you dare!’

Given the instruction, all four teens curiously received a little paper ticket from Luka.

With a sudden jolt of energy and static, all four of them entered a trance-like state.

Chapter Text

‘Hmm, hmm, hmm~’

A gentle humming sound filled a dimly lit, cutely decorated room. Pink walls, pink drapes, pink bedsheets, and a pink-haired girl with pink eyes dressed all in pink sat in a chair (pink), working at her computer. (The computer was white.)

What just happened? thought Ena. I… I’m in a room, but I’m also… not? Sitting over there, is that… Mizuki?

‘Alright, done! This should make the video even cuter~!’ Mizuki hummed to herself. ‘Wait, it’s already morning? I didn’t notice at all…’

On the surface, Mizuki acted like the chipper darling that Ena knew all too well. However, every word that she uttered and every action she took had a little more pause, a little less direction.

This isn’t my Mizuki, Ena thought instinctively. This Mizuki seems more… 

…alone.

Mizuki interlocked her fingers and did a big ol’ stretch like she had all the time in the world. ‘—Heheh. Really, I’m glad I gave up on school!’ she crooned.

I see… This must be a timeline where Mizuki quit her studies, then… what a lazybones.

‘Ah, it’s way better this way,’ Mizuki thought aloud, as if she had nobody else to talk to, but just needed to get the words out. ‘If I involved myself with others, it would be such a bother if they found out, huh? They’d start judging me just like everyone else…’

If they found out… what? Is Mizuki hiding something? It almost makes me curious…

…no, I won’t. Mizuki’s secret is hers to keep. If I take any steps regarding this, it should be on Mizuki’s terms.

For now, I can only watch over her. Continue to support her, continue to give her strength, and then, just maybe…

…maybe we can find a way forward… together.

A flat, white, rectangular glow in a dark room. The muted scratch of a stylus nib against a drawing tablet. The tick, tick, ticking of a clock displaying a time way past midnight.

Shinonome Ena sat hunched over in her chair, determinedly working on her latest piece of art.

Where am I? Kohane thought to herself. Is this… a dream? No… a memory of Ena-san?

Ena concentrated unwaveringly on her sketch, muttering under her breath as she worked. ‘No, the perspective, it’s all wrong… this isn’t working, this isn’t working…!’

Ena-san is so passionate about what she works for, huh? She’s amazing…

Just then, the door to Ena’s room swung open. The silhouette of a tall, short-brown-haired man appeared in the doorway. He had a mustache and beard, and wore a dark brown jacket over his red shirt and white pants.

Woah, a man!

‘Oh. Ena, you’re still awake.’ the man remarked.

‘Wha- You!’ Ena growled. ‘Just because you’re my dad, you think you can enter my room whenever you want!?’

‘I didn’t enter your room,’ replied Ena’s dad. ‘I’m still slightly outside it.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘I was just checking if your lights were off. And it does appear that they are… if you’re drawing again, though, you should really keep your lights on.’ Ena’s dad informed her.

‘Since when did it matter to you how I drew?!’ Ena bickered. ‘Doesn’t my talentless work mean nothing to such a renowned artist?!’

‘I care about your eyesight,’ Ena’s dad stated. ‘Whether your work means anything to me is not of my concern.’ It was difficult to read, but these were the words of a man who harbored no ill will, but had absolutely subzero levels of tact.

Ena stared daggers at her father tearfully. ‘Why would you say that?! Get out of my room!!’

‘I’m not in your room.’

‘You know what I mean!’

As Ena’s father wordlessly exited from Ena’s point of view, Kohane couldn’t help but wonder if the man had even known what he had done wrong. How horrible it must be, she considered, to live your life unable to see if your father truly cares for you.

So this is why Ena-san is so brash- no, so forthright! She makes sure her voice is heard, because sometimes it’s the only way the people around her will listen…

Ena-san’s strong, isn’t she?

‘Next up is our up and coming rising star! From Vivid BAD SQUAD, performing solo– it’s Kohane!’

The MC bellowed and the crowd roared, masses of people jam-packed into a vibrant, spirited little live house with thrumming music and blaring lights. Making her way to the stage was an energetic young blond-haired girl with twintails dressed in a reddish varsity jacket, gray graphic tee over white collared shirt and denim skirt. She might have looked totally different, but Ichika would still recognize the adorable face of her beloved Kohane anywhere.

Kohane-chan… she’s performing on her own? Is this a vision of Kohane’s future?

As Ichika gazed upon the mob of eager fans, all hooting and hollering, waiting to see Kohane perform, something struck her as odd. She recognized a couple faces, yes; her classmate Toya was there amongst the enthusiasts. Akito was also there somehow. But for some weird reason, Ichika found neither hide nor hair of her own presence anywhere in the crowd.

Ah, I got it. This must be a lens into a completely different reality where I don’t exist. That’s why I’m not there cheering Kohane-chan on.

Ichika’s guess was close enough. She watched on as Kohane confidently held the mic in her hands, and began to sing her heart out.

‘Dun-dun-dun, I’m going to become an adult!

Bitter and sweet, after knowing them all, now:

Brightly, shared are our futures,

I’m not a kid anymore, you can get that much right?’

Kohane was shining so brightly. Expertly keeping up with the ebbs and flows of the music, her voice resonated through the audience with a sprightly spunk that resounded in the minds of her listeners.

Even when I can’t be there for her… she can still perform like this, huh? This kind of power must already be inside the Kohane-chan that I know.

I have to support her, no matter what. So that she can grow, so that she can flourish, so that she can shine every bit as brilliantly as the Kohane-chan that I see before me.

It’s strange, isn’t it? To see Kohane-chan so different… I know I should be happy for her. I want nothing more than to be happy for her…

…why, then, when I look at her here, do I feel so empty?

Walking across a vacant street on a starlit, hopeful night were four shining young souls. ‘Phew! I've never done band stuff before, but playing together like that was really fun!’ said a little blonde-haired girl with hot pink eyes and long, rosy-tipped pigtails.

‘Yeah. I guess it was quite rewarding,’ replied a young green-eyed girl with very short, grey hair.

‘I agree. It was exhausting, but also a lot of fun, wasn't it?’ answered a blue-eyed girl with light brown hair turned into a curly side ponytail.

The fourth girl started to speak, and the first three girls all turned their heads to look at her. Mizuki couldn’t recognize the first three girls for the life of her, but the permanent bedhead and sky blue eyes of Hoshino Ichika stood out to her clear as day.

Aww, I’m looking at a little itty bitty baby Ichika? She’s so cute!

The young Ichika requested to her friends that they make plans to play again. Her friends responded in kind, telling her that they’d practice tomorrow, and the day after that, and beyond. Together, the four friends whiled away the night talking and gazing up at the stars, each one of them filled with the steadfast hope to remain like this forever.

Time passed. The days whizzed past almost like a blur, with Mizuki only getting a quick glimpse at each one, but the lives of the four friends quickly turned to three as the little blond-twintailed girl suddenly stopped appearing one day. From there, things began to spiral. Three turned to two, and two turned to one, until Hoshino Ichika was left passing her middle school years without a single friend to her name.

Ichika… she’s been so lonely all this time?

We’ve… all been pretty lonely all this time, huh?

That’s why she’s been working so hard… working to make sure none of us ever feel that kind of loneliness ever again…

I don’t want her to ever feel lonely again, either.

School Love SEKAI Station

The cascade of thoughts, feelings, memories and emotion was over as soon as it began. In an instant, all four girls blinked themselves out of their SEKAI-induced stupor, dizzy and dazed.

‘The price has been paid,’ Megurine Luka intoned mysteriously. ‘Not to me, no, but to each other. Thank you for travelling with SEKAI Railways.’

‘Okay, did anyone else peer into ominous visions foreboding, or was it just me?’ Mizuki groaned, holding her head.

‘Pretty darn close,’ Ena responded. ‘I saw you, Mizuki. In an alternate universe where you quit school and stayed inside all day… you looked so lonely.’

Mizuki stayed silent for a second. ‘...I’m not lonely anymore,’ Mizuki breathed. ‘I have Ichika, and you, and Kohane-chan now. As long as I get to be together with you guys… I’ll come to school every day of the week.’

‘Ena-san, I- I saw your memory,’ Kohane stammered. ‘How your father treated you and your art… I understand why you have to be so strong, now.’

‘...It’s nice to hear someone else say it,’ Ena acknowledged. ‘To know that I’m not the crazy one. When I stand together with you all… it gives me the power to overcome idiots like him.’

‘Kohane-chan…’ Ichika started. ‘I saw you sing brilliantly and confidently in a world where I wasn’t there for you… I’ll do everything I can to help you reach that height.’

‘...I know you would,’ Kohane murmured. ‘I’ll do all I can to help you, too. If we’re there for each other… reaching for the stars will be a lot easier together than alone.’

Ichika wondered if she should address how empty she felt. Troubling them all is the last thing I want to do, she considered.

However… a relationship is built on trust and communication. I have to trust that they will support me through whatever comes.

‘There’s another thing,’ Ichika brought up. ‘When I saw you shine so brightly without me, I must admit, I felt a little…’

‘Lonely?’ Mizuki coaxed. ‘I saw a montage of snapshots from your past, Ichika. How your close group of friends all trickled away one after the other… you must have felt so isolated.’

‘That… That’s it, isn’t it?’ Ichika realized. ‘I feared that if the world still kept on moving without me, then it might have been better off if I just… disappeared.’

‘Don’t ever say that again, Ichika,’ Mizuki rebutted. ‘You are the reason that we’re all here together, the base upon which we can all rely on, the love of all of our lives. We wouldn’t have it any other way.’

‘I love you!’ Mizuki exclaimed, pulling Ichika into a warm embrace. ‘I’ll ensure you’re never lonely again!’

‘We’ll ensure you’re never lonely again!’ Ena continued, joining the hug.

‘We’ll all ensure you’re never lonely again!’ Kohane finished, shyness and anxiety giving way for a moment of consolation as she joined into the huddle.

There was no holding back, and there was no hiding away. There and then, Ichika held her three girlfriends close, the four all pressed firmly together into an affectionate cuddle that could withstand the weight of whatever the world threw at them.

‘I’m glad you guys all seem to have gotten closer,’ Hatsune Miku addressed the four girls. ‘But you guys have been staying in that hug for about 20 minutes now. Don’t you wanna see where this train leads?’

‘Ooh, totally~!’ Mizuki enthusiastically exclaimed. ‘As long as it’s not somewhere boring, like another train station…’

‘As long as the train… doesn’t… go to a train station?’ Miku reiterated, tilting her head puzzledly. ‘I mean, it actually doesn’t… but there's no way you knew that…’

‘I guess it’s about time,’ deadpanned Ena. ‘And all we had to do to get on was share a sliver of our memories with the ones we love. Never do that again, by the way. That was a total invasion of privacy.’

‘But, like, the ends justified the means and stuff…’ Miku stuttered, twiddling her pointer fingers together sheepishly. ‘...Sorry.’

‘All aboard!’ cried Luka dramatically as the doors of the two train carriages slid open. The four girlfriends and Miku boarded the front carriage with vim and vigour, with Luka strolling into the back carriage.

‘Next stop,’ Luka announced. ‘Two-Way Street SEKAI!’

Chapter Text

‘It’s pretty unbelievable that you guys saw visions of alternate worlds,’ Kohane considered aloud. ‘Perhaps… these Worlds are Linked to ours.’

Mizuki abruptly turned her head to look at Kohane, staring at her with an indescribable expression.

‘Say that again.’

The train carriages that the four teens and two VIRTUAL singers were riding in were travelling at breakneck speeds, almost seeming to hurtle through the air as they rode.

Wait a minute, they were hurtling through the air; upon further inspection, it appeared that this train had stopped running on tracks long ago, the carriage base making contact with nothing but thin air.

Outside the carriage windows lay the second most mesmerising sight that Ichika and her girlfriends had ever seen. Among an endless expanse of teal green grass lay as many flowers as the eye could see, bright and vibrantly colored, with patches upon patches stretching for miles and miles. Littered under the awning of a bright blue sky stained with fluffy white clouds were triangular magical-looking fragments that lingered in the air and shimmered as they floated, almost becoming transparent when viewed from the right angle. To say it was a sight to behold… yeah, that was good enough, actually.

Ichika turned to Miku, who was sitting in the train carriage along with Ena, Mizuki and Kohane. ‘Miku,’ Ichika began. ‘Where on earth are we going?’

‘Where in SEKAI are we going, more like!’ Miku teased.

‘Luka said we were headed to the ‘Two-Way Street SEKAI’, I think,’ Ena butted in. ‘We’re going to another SEKAI, then, right? How many SEKAI are there?’

‘These are some very good questions,’ Miku replied. ‘Yes, we are headed to another SEKAI. There are many, many SEKAI, too many to count! Every SEKAI is formed from the feelings of one or more individuals brought to life.

…be that as it may, some people never find their SEKAI. Their feelings wither and die, and the SEKAI collapses before they ever get a chance to enter it.’

‘Harsh,’ said Mizuki. ‘What about where we’re going? Whose feelings made that SEKAI?’

‘You tell me,’ Miku chuckled. Miku calmly and pointedly raised her arm, pointing at the only person in the carriage who looked like pointing at her would cause her to pop.

‘?’ Kohane queried, pointing at herself incredulously.

‘Yeah-huh,’ Miku answered gracefully. ‘Kohane is one of the four people whose feelings have blossomed forth to create the Two-Way Street SEKAI. Her emotions may not be very pronounced right now, but even a tiny seed is enough to grow into a massive tree.’

‘Four people?’ inquired Ena. ‘Who are the other three-’

‘Oh, we’re here!’ Miku interrupted.

Two-Way Street SEKAI

Before anyone else could even register what was even happening, the train carriages shot like a bullet through one of the triangular shimmering SEKAI fragments, treating it like a portal, and landed in with a sickening CRUNCH! right in the middle of the SEKAI’s floor, collapsing like an aluminium can in a hydraulic press. Almost as if by cartoon logic, none of the environment or passengers were harmed.

The four teens, one teen-shaped VIRTUAL SINGER and one non-teen-shaped VIRTUAL SINGER crawled their way out of the steaming rubble. ‘Welcome, Kohane, to your SEKAI!’ Miku announced, spreading her arms wide and twirling about.

The group beheld a warm, modern-looking street with building upon building extending in every visible direction. Sunlight streamed in over the top of several stories of brickwork and concrete, illuminating the chic, minimalist faces of every building, bringing to light the patches of colorful graffiti that lay scattered among the many walls and alleys of the environment.

‘It’s incredible,’ Kohane gasped, breathtaken. ‘I don’t think even a camera could capture the beauty of this sight. I think… I think I just need to soak this all in-’

‘Ooh!’ Mizuki squealed. ‘Look, look! There’s a clothing store over there! We have to check it out, we just hafta!’ Without any pause or hesitation, Mizuki sprinted towards an eye-catching, stylish-looking clothing store, running with her arms trailing behind her back aerodynamically.

‘Mizuki!’ Ena chastised, reaching out to grab her belatedly. ‘Don’t just run off like- come back here!’

Ena, Kohane and Ichika chased after Mizuki, leaving Miku and Luka standing side by side in the middle of the street.

An unfamiliar, yet unmistakably familiar figure with teal twintails strided up to them.

‘Hey, Miku,’ said Miku.

This second Miku wore a black hoodie with pink strings, blue underside, white splatter pattern and big white block layer with black text, over a white shirt with heart-shaped neckline, and had a pointed blue skirt with white trim over white underskirt and black leggings, wearing a pair of golden hoop earrings and black choker. She folded her arms, glaring at Miku crossly.

‘So, the half-witted hooligan finally shows her face,’ the Street SEKAI Miku sneered. ‘You weren’t content with just messing up your own SEKAI? You’ve already so quickly begun to shift the natural order of things; for one, I know for a fact that that clothing store is not supposed to be here.’

‘SEKAI changes based on the thoughts and feelings of the people who enter it,’ the School SEKAI Miku retorted. ‘So what if I brought a couple more fashion-lovers into this place? There’s barely any stores here to begin with! The area could use a little decoration.’

‘Look at you, prattling as if you have everything figured out,’ Street SEKAI Miku ribbed unrelentingly. ‘You’re on thin ice, missy. Make any choice counterproductive to the growth of the people of this SEKAI, especially the ones outside of your little polycule, and it’s your sweet little soul that’s getting fired.

I just wonder… how long can you keep this up?’

The four girls entered the store to see array upon array of sleek-looking streetwear. Racks and shelves full of hats, hoodies, blazers, shirts, shorts, pants, leggings, skirts… It seemed to be a one-stop shop for all of their apparel needs, which was handy considering the lack of any other shops.

Mizuki zipped around from aisle to aisle, rifling through all of the assorted items with fervor and glee. ‘Woah, this place is soo cool!’ she gushed. ‘Not really my style, but it’s just such a neat aesthetic, you know?’

‘There sure are a lot of clothes here,’ Ena remarked, glancing around. ‘But nobody’s behind the counter… I guess there’s no reason you would need to make sales in SEKAI, huh? Does that mean these clothes are free to take?’

‘I kind of hope so,’ Ichika commented. ‘I just know you three would all look super cute in these outfits!’

Upon hearing that, Mizuki, Ena and Kohane’s eyes all widened, and they all turned to stare at each other, with a knowing look in their eyes.

‘Guys,’ Mizuki said in the most serious tone of voice she was capable of. ‘We have got to do a fashion-shop fashion show right now.’

‘We gotta,’ said Ena.

‘We just gotta,’ said Kohane.

Ichika sat patiently on a simple white bench with her hands in her lap, waiting outside a trio of changing rooms. I wonder if these clothes can be brought back to the real world, she wondered. What about food? Can that be brought back too?

What is SEKAI? Why is Miku the one in charge of it? Did Crypton make this, somehow?

A world this powerful… what’s to stop it from falling into the wrong hands?

Ichika’s train of thought was quickly interrupted by the singsong call of Mizuki Akiyama. ‘Alright, I’m ready! One, two~!’ With a swift woosh of the changing room door, Mizuki confidently stepped out, presenting her new drip.

Mizuki had let her side ponytail down, and was wearing a black cap with purple underside over her long, straight hair. Over a periwinkle sleeveless top and mesh-like shorts she wore an oversized long-sleeved pink shirt with white vertical stripy trim and long black cuffs, and the shirt had a ripped chest area with black backing, a small zip to her right under her collar, a patterned image-like square at the front and black ribbon stringed through holes at the right hem. She also had a small, frilly choker clasped around her neck.

‘Ta-da!’ Mizuki cheered. ‘Ichika, how do I look?’

‘Cute…!’ Ichika breathed. ‘Super-cute! Über-cute! Cuter than a million gajillion kitty cats put together!’

‘Eheheh!’ Mizuki beamed, taking a lock of her hair and twirling it in her fingers. ‘I gotta say, I think this outfit combo’s really not too shabby! Ena, come quick, you gotta see what I’ve come up with!’

‘Alright, alright,’ Ena’s voice emanated from another changing room. ‘Hold your horses, alright? I’m coming, I’m coming!’

Ena exited her changing room with a few brisk paces. Over a big long-sleeved orange shirt with vertical zippers at the cuffs she wore a large black shirt with white-striped, vertical trim at the sleeves and zippers at the sides, and had a golden blocky text-like square print on the front. Peeking out from under her shirt was yet another shirt with a ripped, blue-and-white gradient in its design, as well as a pleated gray skirt beneath. Around her neck she wore a black choker and a simple silver necklace with a triangular charm.

‘This feels way more like something my brother would wear,’ Ena groused. ‘It's… different, I’ll say that much.’

‘Cuute!’ Ichika gasped. ‘Ultra-cute! Mega-cute! Cuter than the cuteness of every single Sanrio character combined!’

Ena’s face reddened, and she diverted her gaze quickly, pressing her knuckle to her lips to obscure her smile. ‘Sheesh… you sure know how to flatter, huh… even Kuromi, hm? She’s a real cutie…’

‘Oh, Ena, just take the compliment! You really are cute, you know? You don’t need to rely on some attention-starved Insta-scrolling randos to tell you that!’ commented Mizuki as she strolled up to Kohane’s stall door and rapped her knuckles against the surface. ‘Kohane-chan, how’s it going in there? You ready?’

‘Ah-! …Yeah, I’m ready,’ Kohane’s voice rang out. ‘It’s just… okay, I’m coming out now!’

Apprehensive yet unhesitant, Kohane stepped out in front of Ichika donning the same attire that she had seen in her vision.

With her hair re-tied into small, shoulder-length twintails and donning a backwards black-and-white cap, Kohane had taken off her glasses, and now wore a red-and-white varsity jacket, gray tee with bubbled black text and white collar, and flowy denim skirt with a white belt printed with black text.

And yet, this was her Kohane. The Azusawa Kohane that Hoshino Ichika had fallen deeply in love with, and yet… Ichika felt that only now was she finally starting to get to know the true Kohane.

‘Well?’ Kohane inquired curiously. ‘Do I look cool?’

Ichika, Mizuki and Ena all looked directly at Kohane’s hopeful visage, and the exact same thought crossed their minds at the same time.

SHE’S WAY TOO CUTE!

Without her glasses, Kohane’s eyes stared big and beady, with a mixture of timidness and courage that stirred forth deep desires of protection and support from the three. From a far enough distance, it would be impossible to tell her apart from a small and cute little hamster.

The rousing sight was too much for Ichika, who proceeded to drop to her knees and bring her hands to her cheeks. She sat squarely in place, indistinguishable from a statue, save for a tiny, unmistakable whisper of ‘Cute~’ that escaped from her lips.

‘Kohane-chan, you are just the sweetest thing!’ Mizuki attested. ‘Is it wrong that I really, really, really, really, really want to pat your head right now?’

‘I… appreciate it? Ichika’s the one who looks like she needs headpats right now, really,’ Kohane pondered, glancing at her stunned sweetheart kneeling on the floor. She reached out her hand and patted the top of her head. ‘Pat pat.’

Kohane’s rejuvenating pat was enough to bring Ichika back to her feet. ‘Ooh, you three all just look so adorable in those outfits!!’ Ichika swooned, leaping to give Kohane a tender hug, which Kohane daintily accepted. ‘Nothing in the whole wide world could be cuter!’

‘Well, I could think of one thing cuter,’ Ena remarked, a grin spreading across her face. ‘I think it’s Ichika’s turn now, don’t the two of you?’

‘Ah, what?’ Ichika stuttered, face turning red. ‘Wait, hold on, I don’t know about-’

‘Huhuhu, now you’re speaking my language, Ena!’ Mizuki chortled, speeding back to the assortment of clothing items, rifling through them and picking out a select few. ‘Which is Japanese, to be clear, the language that I’m speaking right now.

Okay, let’s see! This one, and this one… ooh, Ichika, I bet this one would look real cute on you! I know we would just lo~ove to see you wear this!’

‘I’ll do it!’ Ichika stated resolutely.

One quick jump cut to 10 minutes later, Ichika exited from a changing stall wearing a sleeveless black crop top and a long-sleeved translucent sheer black shirt, over which she donned a short-sleeved cropped navy denim jacket with blue plaid cuffs and underside. A simple blue studded belt held up a glossy pair of black shorts with ringed holes encircling the hem, as well as a carabiner that held a couple of belt chains and a denim suspender strap attached to a sizable denim garter. With a few black garters, a blue plaid cloth adornment, a couple silvery necklaces and a black cap with white diamond pattern to throw the look together, Ichika looked like the latest and greatest sensation on the rock music scene.

Ena, Mizuki and Kohane witnessed Ichika in all her ornate splendor. ‘So, what do you guys think?’ Ichika questioned.

The two (2) Mikus and one (1) Luka entered the apparel store to find Ichika’s three (3) girlfriends clutching their eyes and flailing about blindly.

‘She’s… too bright…’ Ena managed to utter. ‘It’s like staring at the sun…’

‘It’s too much…’ Kohane echoed. ‘I’m almost glad I’m not wearing my glasses…’

‘I’m dying!’ cried Mizuki. ‘I’m about to ascend to another realm right here, right now!’

School SEKAI Miku had a sinking feeling that her job was in greater jeopardy than she thought.

Chapter Text

‘Twas yet another eventful morning at good old Kamiyama High, and yet nothing of note had happened thus far. Come lunch break, Hoshino Ichika, Azusawa Kohane and Akiyama Mizuki found themselves lounging around in Ichika’s classroom, eagerly awaiting for Ena to meet up with them. Pulling out her cutesy pink, sparkly smartphone, Mizuki had decided to proudly display to the other two the newest music video from her very own music group, ‘Nightcord at 25:00’.

The thoughts I hold close that I’m unable to tell a soul are what really have worth

The answer I was looking for, that’s like the future, is in my hands.

At last!

‘So~?’ Mizuki crowed. ‘What did you guys think?’

‘Stunning as always!’ Ichika wholeheartedly exclaimed. ‘The editing and art are always second to none, and the lyrics and music have such a mesmerising pull!’

‘I didn’t really understand the lyrics, but it sure was impressive…’ Kohane approved. ‘Mizuki-chan, you edit the video and Ena-san draws the art, right? Who are the other two members, then?’

‘Oh~! You’re talking about K and Yuki, yes?’ Mizuki clarified. ‘We only know each other through Nightcord, so I have no idea what their actual names are! However, I did hear that Yuki went to Miya Girls! 

Before it blew up, that is… my condolences, you two.

Anywho, I bet she’s a Kamikou student now, so she could be right under our noses and we wouldn’t even know it! Isn’t that mysterious~?’

The trio’s little conversation was interrupted by a rogue Ena hastily barging into the classroom. ‘Guys,’ Ena announced, with a slight undertone of melancholy to her voice. ‘I got my test results back.’

After Miya Girls had blown up in the unfortunate plane crash, the various shifts in faculty and student body alike made it difficult for educators to effectively keep tabs on students’ learning capabilities. Many teachers said ‘Screw it!’, deciding that for lack of a better system they would treat the former Miyajou students as smart and the regular Kamikou students as… less smart until they proved themselves otherwise. 

Ena’s English teacher, on the other hand, had decided to start the year off by placing each student in front of a ‘really stupid hard’ test (Ena’s words), grading their performance to gauge their ability accordingly.

‘Ah, a 67 out of 100?’ Kohane remarked, picking up Ena’s test paper. ‘That’s… that’s not too bad, Ena-san. You should be proud of yourself!’

‘You did amazing!’ Ichika unhesitantly proclaimed.

‘It sure didn’t feel like it,’ Ena grumbled. Especially when most of my classmates somehow got a higher score than me! Oh, and my teacher had the nerve to bring up that prodigy Asahina-san!’

‘Eh~?’ Mizuki queried. ‘Who’s that?’

‘Oh, only the top student in the entire grade!’ Ena ranted despondently. ‘I’m not one to listen to rumors, but even I know about the charming, perfect Asahina Mafuyu! Flawless grades, flawless personality, flawless behaviour, always cosying up to any teacher or student that asks her for her help without question! I hope to SEKAI I never meet her, because I’m going to have a few choice words for her, and then we’ll see where that boundless patience of hers is!’

‘What? Why?’ asked Kohane, clearly puzzled. ‘I think she’s just, like, a really nice person that gets good grades.’

‘She’s too perfect,’ Ena retorted. ‘There’s no way she doesn’t have something to hide, but as long as she keeps putting on that oh-so-perfect exterior, she’s making the rest of us look bad by comparison!’

‘Now, now, dearest Enanan, no need to get so worked up,’ Mizuki interceded. ‘Let’s go to SEKAI and have ourselves a pleasant lunch, where none of us will ever have to concern ourselves with that Asahina-senpai anytime soon~’

Lunchtime came and went, and the rest of the classes followed suit, with the final bell signalling the end of another eventful day. Unfortunately for Ichika, it seemed like all of her girlfriends were preoccupied with other commitments that afternoon, so she decided to pack her bags and prepare to head to Scramble Crossing for another session of busking, hoping that the police were all sick that day or something.

As Ichika slung her bag and guitar over her shoulders and trudged out the school entrance, she couldn’t help but take a deep breath in, then out, calming her nerves as she looked up towards the sky.

Uh-oh. The sky. It was a lot… grayer than usual, wasn’t it?

One raindrop fell, then another, yet another, then a whole lot more, and pretty soon Ichika had no choice but to retreat under the shelter to the school entrance to avoid the thick sheet of rain that battered down harder than Ichika’s anxiety at 3am in the morning.

No doubt Ichika would catch super pneumonia if she tried to brave that storm. She pulled her backpack off from her shoulders, searching for her favorite umbrella.

Oh wait, I forgot! I don’t have a favorite umbrella!

With no way out of this slippery situation, Ichika decided that she had to call it quits. There was nothing left to do but sit… and wait.

Ichika was good at waiting. Back in middle school, there was often no better option to pass the time than to just… wait.

‘Here.’

An unfamiliar voice broke Ichika’s state of inner silence, and she quickly became aware of an arm extending in front of her, offering her small white umbrella. Ichika’s head darted in the direction of the arm, and she came face to face with a kindly-looking girl wearing a pristine gray jumper over a perfectly neat and orderly Kamikou uniform, with long, wavy purple hair tied back into a ponytail. Ichika stared the girl directly in her blue-stained purple eyes.

ZING!

Having experienced love at first sight for the third time, Ichika was starting to familiarize herself with it now; the pulsating tug on her heartstrings that played her heart like an electric guitar. Unlike her other soulmates, however, this girl didn’t seem to register the jolt of passion at all, glossing past the once-in-a-lifetime occurrence like it was just a blip in a vast ocean.

‘I have an umbrella here, if you would like,’ the purple-haired girl elaborated, her voice soft and saccharine. ‘I noticed you struggling without one, after all!’

‘Oh! Thank you…’ Ichika responded, accepting the umbrella from the girl’s hand. ‘It sure is fortunate that you have a spare umbrella…’

Ichika looked at the girl’s unfaltering smile, her face showing no sign of doubt or vacillation. Her expression remained stagnant and unchanging, as if it were a mask that was carefully crafted, meticulously maintained. Her whole person stood still as if lying in wait. Politely still. Eerily still.

‘You do have a spare umbrella, right?’ Ichika queried.

‘Ah, well…’ the girl trailed off. ‘It’s no problem, really! I have a lot of things to take care of in school, so you can just take it!’

‘What? I… I can’t do that,’ Ichika stated plainly. ‘You need to get home too, don’t you? I can’t just take your one way out of here! We don’t even know each other…’

Not yet, at least, Ichika thought.

‘Please, I insist!’ the girl insisted pleadingly. ‘I can’t bear to see you waiting all alone in the storm like that…’

‘The same would go for you!’ Ichika disputed. ‘To receive respite at the cost of your suffering would be no respite at all!’

The two students found themselves at an emotional standstill, neither willing to accept any charity at the other’s expense.

‘Well,’ conceded the purple-haired girl. ‘Why don’t we share the umbrella, then?’

‘I’d like that,’ Ichika agreed. ‘Apologies for the trouble… sorry, what’s your name?’

‘Ah, how rude of me,’ the angelically virtuous girl murmured. ‘I assumed you must’ve already known.

Nice to meet you, then! I’m Asahina Mafuyu.’

Oh, shoot, Ichika thought. Ena’s going to be so mad.

Down a barren, sopping wet road, the environment clouded so thickly with downpour that one could barely see more than six feet forward, Ichika and Mafuyu shuffled their way along, huddling together under the canopy of the umbrella.

If it were up to her, Ichika would have simply been content walking silently along enjoying such close contact with her soulmate. However, considering the fate of Hatsune Miku’s employment lay entirely in her hands, Ichika had to make it her mission to get some conversation going.

Alright, what do people usually talk about… the weather? Okay, not that, something else for sure.

‘So, Asahina-senpai,’ Ichika started, trying to make light talk in the heavy rain. ‘What do you like to do?’

‘Oh, I get a lot done in a single week,’ Mafuyu conversed. ‘Where to start… between my cram school, my class rep duties, my archery club and my regular revision, I’m balancing so much, sometimes it feels like I’m performing a balancing act in a circus! I hope I don’t lose my balance and fall over…’

‘Haha, I totally get that,’ Ichika chuckled. ‘You’re pretty funny, Asahina-senpai!’

‘Hm? How so?’ Mafuyu questioned. ‘Was something I said humorous?’

‘Ah. No… not anymore,’ Ichika attested. ‘All that stuff, though… I did ask what you liked to do. Do you at least enjoy busying yourself with it all?’

‘Hmm… Well, it makes my parents happy, and the teachers and students around me are all happy with me too,’ Mafuyu considered. ‘That’s good enough… that’s good enough, don’t you think?’ Mafuyu spoke the words with a quivering cadence, almost as if Ichika wasn’t the only one she was trying to convince.

‘I… I don’t think I’m the one to ask,’ Ichika answered with growing concern. ‘Well, Asahina-senpai… what do you like?’

‘What I like…’ Mafuyu responded. She turned her head away from Ichika, staring straight ahead into the cascading rain, almost as if lost deep in thought. The smile plastered across her face never wavered even once.

Mafuyu soon swiveled her head towards Ichika again. ’Music,’ she asserted. ‘I… I like music.’

‘...I like music too.’ Ichika agreed. ‘I’d say I’m drawn to the works of VIRTUAL SINGERS especially… I mean, after a long day’s work, sometimes I just feel like kicking back in my own little world… just me, the music, and the gorgeous and graceful Hatsune Miku.’

‘I can definitely imagine,’ said Mafuyu, who could definitely imagine. ‘Ah, heard any good songs recently?’

Ichika ruminated for a while, her mind quickly shooting back to the conversation she had earlier that day. ‘There is this one music group,’ recalled Ichika. ‘Their music and lyrics are so enchanting, so captivating… it really leaves you wanting more…

…have you heard of Nightcord at 25:00?’

‘You could say that,’ Mafuyu reckoned.

‘Oh, then you’ve gotta know what I’m talking about! Their lyrics always have this underlying hurt to them, and you can tell that whoever wrote them has gone through a lot of emotions that they work so resolutely to put into words. All the conflict and despair that they must have gone through… though I haven’t felt these feelings myself, it really gives me a lens into an alternate mindset that I can understand…’

As Ichika rambled on and on, the rain gradually grew lighter and lighter, and before the both of them knew it, the sky had cleared up quicker than a misunderstanding between a perfectly normal, healthy couple.

‘Huh, the sun’s come up and dried up all the rain,’ Ichika mused. ‘Good day for tiny little spiders everywhere. Thank you so much for the umbrella, Asahina-senpai! Here, you can take it back now!’ Having lowered the umbrella, Ichika tilted it towards Mafuyu yieldingly.

‘Oh, it’s alright, you can keep it,’ Mafuyu offered. ‘I don’t need it anymore, after all! Have a good day, Hoshino-san.’

‘Wait, but-’

Before Ichika could refuse, Mafuyu had already turned tail and strode away, leaving Ichika standing in the middle of a clear street holding an unclaimed, open umbrella.

Ichika stared down at the umbrella she held in her hands. It was one of those novelty umbrellas. When wet, the umbrella revealed a beautiful pattern of polka dots in all hues and sizes printed on its exterior.

Under the pressure of the rain, true colors were brought to the surface, staining the originally pristine white appearance.

Chapter Text

Asahina Mafuyu made her way swiftly back to her house, with her father and mother reaching home shortly after. When evening rolled its way around, all three members of the Asahina household sat together at the dinner table for a warm, homecooked meal as they often did.

‘How is the food, dear?’ Mafuyu’s mother asked her from across the table. ‘I decided to try out a new recipe today; the food isn't too spicy, is it?’

‘The flavors and spices are all just right, Mother,’ Mafuyu cheerily assured her. ‘Thank you as always.’

Lies, all lies. Mafuyu’s sense of taste had long since grown numb; the years and years of expectations and commitment placed upon her had eroded away at her soul. She tasted not the flavor of the food nor the spices from which her father was visibly sweating from, the only sensation of consumption being the texture of the food as it rolled around in her mouth.

‘How are things at work, darling?’ Mafuyu’s father queried, addressing her mother. ‘I hope it’s not too much trouble to also have to cook dinner.’

‘Oh, rest assured, the extra responsibility is no problem at all. Especially compared to all of Mafuyu’s responsibilities,’ her mother laughed, beaming proudly at Mafuyu. ‘But our Mafuyu can handle anything, can’t she?’

The words that came out of Mafuyu’s lips had been decided for her long ago. ‘Of course, Mother,’ she grinned. ‘I’ll do my best.’

The dinner meandered on as it always had, the eating merely a chore, the conversation merely an obligation. The time stretched on, and Mafuyu simply waited on, waiting oh-so-patiently for dinner to end.

Mafuyu was good at waiting. Here in high school, there was often no better option to pass the time than to just… wait.

The true highlight of Mafuyu’s day came in the dead of the night. When the house had gone silent and her parents stirred not in their separate beds, Mafuyu logged on to her computer for a long night of composition.

Under the alias ‘Yuki’, Mafuyu joined a familiar Nightcord call, taking her role as the lyricist of her music group ‘Nightcord at 25:00’.

‘Ah, Yuki! You’re finally here!’ Amia called out, her voice chipper and friendly. ‘We were beginning to think you’d clipped into an alternate dimension or something~’

‘Shaddup, Amia,’ Enanan butted in with her usual short temper. ‘I almost wish I was in a separate dimension from you right now.’

‘You know, sometimes when I work, I get so lost in the music— it’s almost like I’m in another dimension,’ K mused.

The four group members quickly hunkered down and got to business. K busied herself composing, Enanan fussed over her artwork, and Amia ploughed her way through her video editing. As Yuki tried to focus on writing her lyrics, however, her mind couldn’t help but drift towards the chance encounter with her junior that she experienced earlier that afternoon.

‘All the conflict and despair that they must have gone through… though I haven’t felt these feelings myself, it really gives me a lens into an alternate mindset that I can understand…’

Why can’t I seem to get that junior out of my mind? The way she saw so much in my lyrics, uprooted the sentiment I can't unearth… I wonder, would she be able to tell me what kind of sound I have?

What is this feeling? It feels… warm…

‘Hey, Amia, Enanan,’ Yuki began. ‘You both have a girlfriend, right?’

‘Yep. We have exactly one girlfriend between the two of us,’ Enanan confirmed. ‘Straight up passing her around like a bag of marshmallows.’

‘Sharing is caring, after all~’ Amia chimed in.

‘I didn’t need to know that,’ Yuki disclosed. ‘Though I do have a question. A friend of mine came up to me today, asking for advice. She shared that she had… caught feelings for someone she had just met. 

This friend has never felt these sort of feelings towards anyone before, and yet… she worries that starting any sort of relationship would affect studies. I don’t really have any relationship experience myself, so what do you two think I should d- say to her?’

‘A star-crossed romance, huh…’ K commented. ‘Something like Keitai Renwa, then?’

‘Huhuhu,’ snickered Amia. ‘There’s only one answer to problems like this! Your friend must confess her deepest and purest desire to her one true love under the branches of a windswept tree blooming with cherry blossoms! And as the evening sun sets, her crush will take her hand, tearfully accepting, and then they walk off into the horizon-’

‘Stoppit, Amia,’ Enanan interrupted. ‘We’re talking about serious love here, not some trashy fanfiction romance! It’s not even cherry blossom season. Besides, when we confessed, it wasn’t anywhere as dramatic.’

‘Sure felt like it,’ Amia refuted. ‘A-ny-way, you get my point, don’t you, Yuki?’

‘I really don’t,’ said Yuki.

‘Well, see, ya just gotta confess if ya gots the hots for someone!’ Amia eloquently articulated. ‘If you don’t come clean, your feelings just build and build up inside of you, until… pow!’ Amia mimicked a little explosion noise at the end.

‘I guess that’s kind of true…’ Enanan conceded. ‘Case-by-case basis, though. It depends on the person… but if it's a matter of love, I’d tell her to go with what her heart tells her. That’s what I do, and it hasn’t steered me wrong yet.’

‘Is that so~?’ Amia drawled.

‘Okay, I don’t like the way you said that!’

As their conversation slowly devolved into another standard Amia-Enanan bicker-off, Yuki ruminated on the two’s advice, considering their words more intently than anything else she had considered in a long time.

Listen to what my heart tells me… what does my heart tell me?

…

I don’t know.

My mind tells me, though, that Amia is right: my feelings for her have already begun to impact my Nightcord work. I have to resolve this before it impacts my schoolwork as well.

But then, what do I do…?

Ah, I got it. Tomorrow, then…

The next morning, Ichika found herself searching the floors and halls of Kamiyama High. Clutching the small white umbrella tightly in her hands, she was determined to ensure it made its way back to its original owner.

Ah, this must be it… class 2-A.

The day was still young and the sun hung low in the sky, so Ichika wasn’t surprised to see that Mafuyu was the only one in the classroom. ‘Asahina-senpai!’ Ichika called out.

‘Ah, good morning, Hoshino-san!’ Mafuyu sweetly smiled. ‘If it’s alright, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.’

‘Oh, yes! I came here to return your umbrella. I-’

‘No no, you can keep the umbrella. It’s yours now. Have fun with it.’

Have fun with it?

Mafuyu inhaled deeply before continuing to speak.

‘You see, Hoshino-san… It seems that I have fallen for you. I know we’ve only known each other for seventeen hours, but I can’t seem to get you out of my mind!

I’ve never felt this way towards anyone before, so please…

Will you reject me?’

Ichika’s eyes widened and her posture tensed. She tried to speak, but she couldn’t find the words.

Oh wait, there they were.

‘Huhhhhh?! Whaaaat?!!’ Ichika exclaimed.

‘Hoshino-san, this love must end today. My infatuation with you has gone to the point where I lose my focus just by thinking about you… and your sparkling blue eyes… I simply cannot allow a new commitment like this to impact my studies.’

‘I… I think I understand,’ Ichika said, not understanding. ‘...So, why the branch in your hand?’

Mafuyu looked down at the plastic cherry blossom branch that she had been clutching in her hand the whole time. ‘A friend said something about cherry blossoms…?’ she explained. ‘I didn’t really get it, but I thought they would help set the mood.’

Set the mood for a rejection?

Ichika looked at Mafuyu straight in her glassy violet eyes, the very eyes that her smile never quite seemed to reach. In that moment, Ichika recognized lying hidden beneath Mafuyu’s patient demeanor a feeling that she knew all too well.

Loneliness.

‘Asahina-senpai…’ Ichika began. ‘I like you too, but if it is truly your desire, then I will reject you without question.

However… I get the feeling that you don’t want to do this. Your devotion to your classmates, your teachers, your parents… this rejection, it’s merely for their sake, isn’t it? If there was nobody around to tell you what to do, no one else you had to appease, would you really not choose any differently?

Please, Asahina-senpai. You’re the most selfless person in this school, so let me at least give you the chance to do something for yourself. Tell me, Asahina-senpai. Tell me if you actually want this.’

Mafuyu stared at Ichika’s hopeful, solicitous visage, and in that moment, Ichika’s words struck a chord deep within Mafuyu that she didn’t know was there- No, she didn’t want to admit to herself that it was there. It would be best for everybody if she just pushed that part of herself deeper and deeper inside of her.

And so deeper and deeper she continued to push. Until finally, something broke.

‘Be quiet,’ Mafuyu spat.

‘I’m sorry?’

‘Leave me alone,’ insisted Mafuyu. In an instant, her cheerful, caring facade dropped, her face shifting to a stoic, emotionless expression. Her posture relaxed and her voice turned cold and monotonous, with barely any trace of her kind and nurturing senior persona remaining.

‘Don’t speak as if you understand me. The way you try to persuade me as if you… know who I am…

…Even I… don’t know who I am. 

Believe me…… I’ve tried.’ 

Mafuyu clenched her barren hand into a fist, holding it closely to her chest.

‘Over and over again, I've searched… looking and looking to sense some emotion that I could identify, that I could call mine.

But this…’

Mafuyu stretched her hands outwards, presenting her figure before Ichika.

‘…This is all that remains. I feel no pride when my teachers praise me, I feel no joy when my peers applaud… I can only paint my face with smiles, keeping up the charade, saying sweet nothings to all that herald me as the person whose role I’ve stolen.

You want me to tell you what I want?

I want to disappear.’

This was who Asahina Mafuyu truly was. A mural with the paint stripped off, leaving a blank concrete wall. A mannequin without decor, a melody of empty staves.

Ichika tried to digest the revelation that lay before her. Her words are so… spine-chilling, Ichika thought. It’s no wonder so many of Asahina-senpai’s essays are sent for competitions.

Yet some part of Mafuyu’s argument struck Ichika as contradictory. If her issue is that she can’t feel emotion, she considered, why not leap at the opportunity when she develops feelings of affection?

Her fear must be a greater driving force than her hope. To commit to someone you barely know, for an experience you barely understand: any sane person would hesitate to make that leap of faith. I didn’t, of course… but that’s different.

In any case, I have to quell that fear.

‘Asahina-senpai, I don’t claim to understand who you are,’ Ichika asserted. ‘I don’t know what you’ve gone through, what pain you’ve felt. The thoughts that must move through your mind right now… I can only hope to empathize with them.

…But I will try my best to understand, Asahina-senpai. Even if you’ve given up hope on yourself, even if you think that the only way out for you is to disappear, I still believe that there is another option, another way forward.

Do me a favor, Asahina-senpai. Give me one chance, a single day to prove to you that there’s a part of you that’s still worth saving!

And if I can’t… I’ll let you do as you will.’

When phrased as a favor, Ichika’s foolhardy request was one that Asahina Mafuyu could not refuse. If she had looked deeply within herself, Mafuyu might have even realised that she did not want to refuse.

Clack, clack, clack. A familiar sound resonated down the hallway outside the classroom.

‘Fine,’ Mafuyu relented. ‘Tomorrow, on Saturday, I’ll give you the evening after I attend cram school. Now, please be off. I hear the footsteps of my teacher approaching.’

Relieved, yet puzzled at Mafuyu’s latter dialogue, Ichika quickly absconded from the back door of the classroom at Mafuyu’s behest. Shortly after, a figure with solemn eyes and wavy purple hair paced in through the front. She wore a long beige cardigan over a white button up dress, carrying a simple white messenger bag on one shoulder.

‘I noticed you were talking with another student again,’ the adult commented. ‘She wasn’t giving you too much trouble, was she?’

‘Not at all,’ Mafuyu denied, her ‘good girl’ masquerade slipping back onto her face at a moment’s notice. ‘I was just helping her revise a topic she was weak in.’

‘I see… What was the topic?’

‘Biology.’

‘...That explains the cherry blossom branch in your hand, I suppose,’ the woman gently hummed. ‘Helpful and trusting of others as always, aren’t you… However, you’re not attending Miya Girls anymore. If these students start to become a hassle to you, be sure to tell them you don’t like it, okay?

Kamiyama High is full of delinquents, miscreants who can’t do anything without being taught, and it’d be a shame if they took advantage of your pure heart. Rather than placating them, it’d be better to spend time with students on your level, those that can teach you in turn… wouldn’t it, Mafuyu?’

A short silence.

‘...I suppose you’re right, Mother,’ Mafuyu agreed.

‘I always am, dear; that’s precisely why I became a staff member at this new school. So that I can keep a close eye on you, make sure you make the right choices,’ Mafuyu’s mother smiled. ‘Of course, it’s not like I don’t trust you to carve your own path… but since Miya Girls blew up in that plane crash, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more precautious, now would it?’

Her mother’s enduring presence loomed ever closer, smothering Mafuyu like a toasty, viselike hug. Her love snaked around Mafuyu’s body and wrapped around her splintered, fragile heart, constricting it tighter than ever and refusing to let go. Chk!

‘Wouldn’t hurt a bit, Mother.’

Chapter Text

‘True feelings sure are hard to discover,’ Kohane had remarked to Ichika. It had been a lazy Friday afternoon, and Ichika and Kohane had been lounging around in Shibuya Park after school. (Ena and Mizuki had had prior commitments, and were thus unable to come.)

‘Hm? What’s this about?’ Ichika had questioned.

‘Well, after our trip to my SEKAI, a new version of “Untitled” appeared on my phone,’ Kohane had explained. ‘I can send it to you if you want; it takes me straight to my Street SEKAI.’

‘Another “Untitled”? Isn’t that a bit confusing?’

‘That’s what I said!’ Kohane had chirped. ‘I asked Miku, “Is there a way I can rename ‘Untitled’ to like. I dunno, say ‘Untitled #2’ or something?”’

A shimmering hologram of a certain twintailed individual had burst out of Kohane’s phone, butting into the conversation. ‘I already told you! Once you find your true feelings, “Untitled” will change into a new song born from your emotion,’ Street Miku had huffed, crossing her arms. ‘So… hurry upp, Kohane! Reach the end of your emotional journey already!’

‘I’m👏doing👏what👏I👏can,👏Miku👏!’ Kohane had exclaimed, clapping with each word she spoke. ‘I’m not even entirely sure what kind of emotions I should be looking for. I already have my cool new look… that counts for something, right?’

‘It’s what's in your heart that counts,’ Street Miku had retorted. ‘You may look like a brave little cutie pie on the outside, but as long as you're still a timid little cutie pie on the inside, you ain't getting nowhere, girl!’

‘The two sides aren't that separate,’ Kohane had squeaked. ‘I mean, when I take a photograph, I'm not just capturing colors on a screen. 

A picture paints a thousand words… no, it paints the thoughts and feelings that I can’t even put into words! A photo is a snapshot of the emotion and sentiment that I feel in the moment, a keepsake of my experience in this world... we are the sum of our experiences, wouldn’t you say? As long as it’s there for me to see, I know where I’ve been, and I know where I’m headed.’

Ichika absorbed Kohane’s every word, soaking it all up like a novelty plush to a jug of milk.

‘So. In the same way,’ Kohane continued. ‘...Doesn’t my fresh new fit capture my newfound courage and my willingness to grow and stuff?’

Street Miku raised her eyebrow and tilted her head askew to glance at Kohane with a dubious grimace. She looked thoroughly unconvinced.

‘Oh, alright,’ Kohane relented. ‘I’ll try to be a brave little… whatever you said.

How’s this for brave, then…?’

In a single rash motion, Kohane reached for Ichika’s shoulders and hastily pulled her near. Kohane stood herself ever so close to Ichika, blushing-face-to-blushing-face as she savored the depth of Ichika’s stargazed blue eyes.

Then Kohane went for it.

Ichika’s lips were soft and sleek, tinged slightly with the faint taste of yakisoba. As Kohane reveled in the radiance of her very first kiss, a sprightly vigour welled up in her that made her feel indomitable; as long as Ichika was by her side, Kohane felt ready, steady, able to face whatever woes and worries that happened to cross her path.

The sun shined down on a sandy-gray paved stone sidewalk Saturday evening, pedestrians milling here and there and doing who-knows-what at who-knows-where. Okay, maybe that wasn’t terribly descriptive; Ichika didn’t really have room in her head to sweat the small stuff today. As she paced in anticipation in front of the aquarium doors, one singular thought had risen to the top of her mind.

Now that I think about it, this is…

My first date ever!!!

Ichika’s heart was throbbing at the realization. Was her outfit nice enough? Should she have put on some makeup? Did her hair look nice and neat? (The answer to that last one was a resounding no.) Her train of thought was quickly interrupted, however, by the unmistakable sound of Mafuyu’s graceful footsteps trotting up to her. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ Mafuyu deadpanned. ‘Shall we go?’

Though it was still disconcerting to see Mafuyu so cold and emotionally distant, Ichika couldn’t help but revel at this new side of her. She’s, like, so much cooler than usual… Ichika thought. How is that even possible?

Ichika also took the opportunity to note Mafuyu’s casual clothing. Her outfit consisted of a simple light blue sweater with a grey-and-white striped shirt underneath paired with plain beige bell-bottoms, and yet she somehow still managed to make it look graceful and refined.

Ah, am I in paradise…? Paradise looks a lot like the busy front of an aquarium.

‘Hoshino-san? What’s with that look on your face?’ Mafuyu queried. ‘Are you sick?’

‘I’m lovesick, if that’s what you mean…’

‘It was not. I’m going to call a doctor now.’

‘Ah, wait, wait, wait-!’

Eventually, the two managed to make their way inside the aquarium. They were greeted with expanses of vibrant, shimmering watertight glass panes, behind which flaunted the shifting blues and greens of the saline tank water, as well as all sorts of aquatic flora and fauna in every color of the rainbow swimming within. There were fish, and crustaceans, and turtles, and- okay, Ichika wasn’t sure what that one was. Some of these creatures looked pretty scary, actually.

Ichika decided to shift her attention to see how Mafuyu was responding. Interestingly, she seemed to be mesmerised by the sights that lay before her, rapturously turning her head this way and that. ‘I… I love aquariums,’ Mafuyu breathed. ‘I keep an aquarium of my own, in my room.’

This was news to Ichika,  but then again, what wasn’t? ‘You’re full of surprises, senpai,’ Ichika remarked. ‘What kind of fish do you keep?’

‘Oh, no, I don’t have any fish in my aquarium,’ Mafuyu explained. ‘I just love staring into the empty tank of water. When I look into it, it’s almost as if I’m becoming transparent as well…’

Okay, emphasis on full of surprises. She may be being more transparent with me, but she still seems more opaque.

‘Well, what do you think of the fish then…?’ Ichika curiously coaxed. ‘They’re very… there’s a lot of them, isn’t there?’

Mafuyu seemed to consider the fishes’ existence for the first time. ‘They are small,’ she astutely observed. ‘Whenever I eat fish for dinner, the fish is usually bigger than most of these.’

‘Asahina-senpai, I don’t think the fish here are for eating.’

‘Thank goodness.’

What we can do, however…

Reaching into her bag, Ichika pulled out a small blue rectangular polaroid camera. ‘Say cheese, Asahina-senpai!’ Ichika declared.

‘An instant camera…? How impractical,‘ Mafuyu contemplated. ‘It doesn’t save any data, so if you lose the physical photo, the image is as good as gone. Camera-wise, not good.’

‘It’s just for fun. Do… Do you like fun, senpai?’

Mafuyu touched her finger to her chin ponderingly and glanced skyward. ‘“Fun”... I think I remember it,’ she muttered. ‘I do recall this one time, when I was very small…’

That long ago, huh?

‘In that case, Asahina-senpai,’ Ichika addressed, clasping Mafuyu’s palm in her hands. ‘It’d be my pleasure to help remind you.’

With daylight slowly tick, tick, ticking away, Ichika and Mafuyu carried on with their date without issue. Actually, maybe ‘without issue’ wasn’t the right turn of phrase…? They didn’t really encounter any bump-in-the-road, moreso an i’m-not-sure-there-even-is-a-road; Mafuyu was reacting to the aquarium’s various attractions with about the enthusiasm of a parakeet in a cat cafe.

‘Look, senpai, jellyfish!’

‘Drifting aimlessly without a goal in sight, a slave to the current with no choice of its own. Some can survive until the end of time, unable to die, yet unable to truly live, trapped in an endless cycle of flickering existence.’

‘Look, senpai, they have a penguin exhibit!’

‘Those poor creatures, trapped in perpetual routine for the world to gawk at. Incapable of escaping the monotonous itinerary that is the life they live, nor would they ever dream of doing so, for the inflexible walls of their habitat and the probing gazes of the masses are all they know.’

‘Senpai, they have a dolphin show! You wanna see?’

‘To force such animals to perform for the merriment of others, with little regard for their physical or mental wellbeing… displaying to the audience nothing but a whimsical charade, covering up any imperfections or blemishes that lurk beneath the surface… yeah, alright, let’s go.’

Okay, I think Asahina-senpai might be projecting onto ocean creatures.

It was truly a wonder how such a poetic genius, able to rip her intense, soul-crushing feelings right out of her own psyche and manifest it into words, could possibly be so disconnected from the emotions that lay dormant in her heart.

Or maybe, Ichika mused. It’s not that she’s unable to feel any emotion… it’s that her mind is so flooded with one emotion that no other will register: a powerful, debilitating emotion that her mind has had no choice but to grow numb to over the years.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the duo absconded from the compound, joining the throng of visitors diffusely exiting the venue, Ichika glanced at the pile of photographs that she had amassed that day. She’d snapped photo upon photo of Mafuyu’s face as she gazed at every attraction, each one a listless, stoic expression.

‘So, senpai, what did you think of the exhibitions?’ Ichika queried, already knowing the answer.

‘I don’t know,’ Mafuyu stated. ‘...I’m sorry. You set aside your time so I could find my feelings, and I’m unable as ever to sense even a single emotion.’

‘That’s not what these pictures are telling me,’ Ichika disagreed, fanning them out for Mafuyu to see. ‘You show so much expression in each one, look! Here, you were kind of bored, but here, you seemed kind of happy!’

‘...These are all the exact same expression.’

‘Really? It doesn’t look that way to me,’ Ichika responded truthfully.

‘Hoshino-san, as much as I appreciate the pleasantries, I think we’re done here,’ Mafuyu curtly replied. ‘...I have to admit, when you first reached out to me, I felt like you would be able to save me, even if only a little… it takes a special kind of person to get me to feel that way. I thought that if I searched alongside you today, I might be able to find something… but it wasn’t enough. I haven’t found anything at all.’

‘Ah. So that’s how it is, then…’ Ichika relented. ‘Thank you for being honest with me… I guess that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Today sure has been insignificant.

So… let’s pretend this worthless day never happened.’

‘Huh?’ Mafuyu asked.

Shuffling the photos into a neat collection, Ichika reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a lighter. Flick! A small, tear-shaped flame danced at the edges of the film, threatening to burn the stack to cinders.

If you lose the physical photo, the image is as good as gone.

Before she could even process what was happening, Asahina Mafuyu found herself swiping the bundle of photos straight out of Ichika’s hands, breaking out in a cold sweat. She gripped the photos tightly in her clenched fist, clinging onto them like precious gems.

Mafuyu stood disoriented in an uneasy silence, the clockwork of her mind stuck halfway between bewilderment and relief, dumbfounded at what could possibly have compelled her to do that.

Ichika’s voice cut through the slurry of Mafuyu’s thoughts. ‘It’s not possible to lose something you don’t possess,’ reasoned Ichika. ‘Yet, by your actions… you were terrified of losing something just now, Asahina-senpai.

That’s the best proof that you possess something now, wouldn’t you say?

Senpai… You have felt something today. It’s not something that you can put into prose, and trying to make sense of it may not get any easier with time.

And though your mind still doesn’t know what it is…

What you’ve obtained is something so “valuable” that even your heart is telling you… that you don’t want to lose it.’

Drops of saline water pooled up at the corners of Mafuyu’s eyes and dripped past her cheeks, down her chin. ‘What is this…?’ she mumbled passively. ‘...Why am I…?’

‘I’m sorry it had to be this way…’ Ichika assuaged her. ‘...but I really wanted to get this through your head, no matter what…’

The outlook on photos as a preservation of emotion that Kohane had imparted onto Ichika still lingered in Ichika’s mind, and it was this sentiment that Ichika had decided to pass onto Mafuyu.

The feelings you experience are the foundation of the person you are. The emotions that you feel, however muted, are just as important as anyone else’s, and should be cherished just as dearly.

Ichikaon surefootedly faced her soulmate with an outstretched arm, warmly extending a helping hand out to her, offering Mafuyu one more chance at breaking free from the strings that bound her.

For once in her life, Mafuyu accepted.

Ichika’s hand was chalky and slightly calloused from months of guitar practice, but Mafuyu didn’t mind a bit. As the ridges of her soulmate’s fingers became entwined with her own, a glimmer of hope shone through the cracks of Mafuyu’s fractured heart, providing her with a brief respite.

For the first time in a long while, Mafuyu felt warm.

Chapter Text

School Love SEKAI

‘...and so, due to how things turned out…

Would you guys mind accepting Asahina Mafuyu-senpai as my newest girlfriend?’ Ichika anxiously recited, beads of sweat trickling down her face as she presented Mafuyu before Mizuki, Ena and Kohane. Mafuyu stood in front of Ichika, masking her face with an unfaltering smile.

‘Ichika, Ichika, Ichika,’ Ena sighed, striding up to Ichika with her arms raised in a shrug. Ena lodged her hands firmly on Ichika’s shoulders, and with a piercing gaze, stared Ichika dead in the eyes with an almost bemused look.

‘You better have a real good explanation for this one, babygirl,’ Ena drawled. ‘Do you even understand what you’re asking here? You want me, Shinonome Ena, to be in a polycule with the one and only, #1 and lonely, Little-Miss-Picture-Perfect Asahina Mafuyu?!’

‘Wow, I’ve never seen this side of Ena before,’ Mizuki remarked. ‘Scary… and also kinda hot WHOAHH WHAT WHO SAID THAT?!’

‘I think you guys should get along just fine,’ Ichika commented. ‘Actually, you guys may actually already know each other.

You see, Mafuyu-senpai is Yuki.’

All of Ichika’s girlfriends suddenly honed in on Ichika, scrutinising her face with widened eyes in disbelief, trying to discern if she was being sincere. Well, all apart from Kohane: she was still trying to piece together the weight of that statement. Maybe I’ll just pretend to understand what’s going on, Kohane thought, finger and thumb to her chin.

‘I don’t remember telling you that,’ Mafuyu chirped melodiously.

‘You didn’t have to,’ Ichika disclosed. ‘The tenor in your lyrics is unmistakable.’

‘Oh, my gosh. That voice… It really is her…’ Ena gasped. ‘I’ve been beefing with my midnight circle compeer…’

‘What else is new?’ Mizuki snarked.

‘Mizuki, I’m being so real when I say this,’ addressed Ena. ‘Please go jump into a lake.’

‘Settle down, you two,’ Mafuyu gently cajoled. ‘Goodness, it’s business as usual with you, isn’t it?’

‘Her business, my pleasure~!’ crooned Mizuki.

‘Actually, Mafuyu-senpai,’ Ichika interrupted. ‘If it’s alright with you, you don’t have to… keep up appearances with us, okay? If it eases your burden, you can just be yourself in this SEKAI.’

‘Eh... Ah…’ Mafuyu hemmed and hawed, squirming with hesitation. However, when faced with the option, Mafuyu ultimately decided to accept. Taking a deep breath in, her posture relaxed and her smile receded, her expression shifting into a blank gaze.

‘Okay,’ Mafuyu deadpanned. ‘I trust you, Ichika.’

‘You see, the cheery and well-mannered demeanor Mafuyu-senpai shows to the world… that’s not who she really is,’ Ichika explained. ‘On the inside, she’s more…’ Ichika struggled to figure out the proper phrasing.

‘Empty,’ Mafuyu interjected. ‘Expressionless. Ambitionless. Apathetic.’

‘Eeeh?!’ cried Mizuki. ‘But then, the songs you write…’

‘No, the implicatum in my lyrics is all real,’ Mafuyu elucidated. ‘It all comes from somewhere within me.’

‘Ok,’ noted Ena. ‘Where?’

Mafuyu shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

‘This is a lot to take in…’ Kohane murmured, facing Mafuyu. ‘I mean… you’re just like this, senpai? All the time?’

‘Pretty much,’ Mafuyu affirmed, taking out the stack of photos that Ichika had taken the other day. ‘Do you need photographic evidence?’

‘What is this, a court case?’ ribbed Ena.

‘I suppose I’m always down to look at photos,’ Kohane considered.

‘Here you go, then,’ Mafuyu responded, handing over the wad of images. ‘These were taken by Ichika the other day, when we went on an aquarium date.’

A short silence.

‘What,’ said Mizuki.

‘WHAT?!’ said Ena.

Kohane threw the stack of photos in her hands onto the floor.

‘Do you know,’ Ena began. ‘Do you know. How often I’ve thought about going on a date with Ichika in the two weeks since we started dating?’

‘Tell me, Ena.’ Mizuki intoned. ‘Tell me.’

‘Every single waking second!!’ Ena hollered.

‘Wow, what a coincidence!’ Mizuki asserted. ‘That’s exactly how often I’ve thought about it, too!’

‘I. Wanna. Go. On a date!’ Kohane corroborated.

‘I, too, would also like to go on a date with Ichika,’ Mafuyu agreed.

‘You just went on a date, Yuki!’

‘That was before we started dating. We haven’t gone as lovers.’

‘Okay, then!’ Ichika smiled, clapping her hands together. ‘Why don’t we all go somewhere together on our next day off?’

‘I thought you’d never ask!’ Ena grinned. ‘Where should we go…? How about the movies, or karaoke, or-’

‘Let’s go to a haunted house~!’ Mizuki interposed.

‘I am currently accepting suggestions from anyone other than Akiyama Mizuki.’

‘Well,’ Kohane piped up. ‘I think I might know a place.’

Ah, Phoenix Wonderland, one of the best theme parks in all of Japan! Founded by Otori Rakunosuke all the way back in the ‘60s (basically ancient history to a group of teenagers), the theme park boasted a vast array of attractions that appealed to audiences of every demographic. Thrilling rollercoasters, enthralling games and enchanting performances lay around every corner; Ichika and her girlfriends stood smack dab in the middle of the entrance plaza, with barely any idea where to begin, save for Kohane.

‘I freaking love this place,’ Kohane sighed mirthfully. ‘I go here so much, I almost know it like the back of my hand… sometimes, it even feels like a second home to me…’

A large pink dog mascot strolled by the group. ‘Greetings, Azusawa-san,’ the mascot hailed with a deep, baritone voice.

‘Good afternoon, Kigurumi-san,’ Kohane addressed the mascot.

‘Wow, no kidding,’ Ichika remarked. ‘Where do you think we should head first, then?’

‘Hmm…’ Kohane pondered. ‘Well, it’s not exactly on the map, but there is this one spot I like to check out. Sometimes, there’s a performer there who’s very… inventive.’

Kohane tried to lead the group past the fountain, under the tracks of the roller coaster and left at the second ring toss, but her cohort may have gotten a little sidetracked along the way. One helium balloon, two cones of fries and three failed lobster pot attempts later (‘I almost had it!’ Ena claimed), the coterie eventually found themselves facing an adorable statue of the park’s mascot, Phenny the Phoenix Penguin.

In front of the statue stood the tall, lanky figure of a teenage boy with short, straight purple hair highlighted with cyan streaks. The yellow-eyed boy had on a navy dress shirt with yellow ribbon below a black vest paired with white pants and knee high boots, over which he donned a billowing pink-and-purple coat with yellow splatter pattern and elbow-length sleeves.

In his white-gloved hands the boy held a small remote control for a cutesy, humanoid robot that was otherwise featureless, piloting it with ease. Circling above his head were a couple more whirring drones that flew too and fro, aiming to enchant and dazzle any audience that he happened to attract, and dazzle they did: a small crowd of children and their parents huddled around him, entranced by the story he seemed to be telling.

‘Ooh, looks like we’re in luck!’ Kohane squealed as they approached. ‘This guy is one of my favorite performers in the whole park, and he doesn’t even work here! Let me tell you, his special effects are really something else.’

‘Hm? Wuzzat?’ Mizuki mumbled with her mouth half full, looking up from her second cone of fries.

Upon noticing the purple-haired performer, however, her eyes lit up, and she shoved the half-empty cone into Ena’s hands (‘Hold this!’), dashing towards the figure.

‘...and yet, the little robot feared that her battery was running low,’ the teen boy loftily recited. ‘Would she have enough left in her for one last journey? Or would-’

‘Oooi, Rui!!’ Mizuki called out, interrupting the performance as she rushed towards the boy, halting in front of him with a skrrt! ‘So this is where you perform, huh? Surrounded by so many people, too; never thought I’d see the day!’

‘Mizuki!’ the boy cried out. ‘What a delightful surprise. You must excuse me for a bit; I was just in the middle of regaling all these lovely folks in the audience with quite the tall tale.’

Rui redirected his attention towards the small crowd he had amassed. ‘Where was I…? Oh, yes… and then they all lived happily ever after,’ he narrated. ‘The End.’ The crowd applauded.

Rui turned back towards Mizuki. ‘That takes care of that,’ he confidently declared, powering down the robot. ‘Now… how exactly did you know where to find me?’

‘Huhuhu… let’s just say a little hamster told me,’ Mizuki tittered, bringing her palm up to her face to cover her grin.

‘Hamster…? Ah, of course,’ Rui gathered, eyes settling on the gaggle of girls that were steadily catching up to Mizuki. ‘Mizuki, would you mind introducing me to your… friends, I presume?’

‘Oh, gotcha,’ Mizuki replied. ‘Everyone, this is Kamishiro Rui! We were, ah… we met all the way back in middle school, and we really hit it off! Did you know, Kohane-chan…? That fabulous outfit he’s wearing was even designed by yours truly!’

‘Eh, you make clothes too?!’ Kohane squeaked. ‘I wear clothes! Amazing…’

‘She’s so talented, isn’t she?’ sighed Ichika dreamily.

‘Rui,’ Mizuki conversed, turning to Rui. ‘This is my adorable girlfriend Hoshino Ichika, and these are Ichika’s girlfriends Shinonome Ena, Azusawa Kohane-chan and Asahina Mafuyu.’

‘Wow,’ said Rui. ‘I think polyamory is cool and based.’

‘Yay,’ said Mizuki.

‘Nice to meet you, Kamishiro-san,’ Ichika hailed. ‘Any friend of my girlfriends’ is a friend of mine. The same applies for dependents, benefactors and clientele.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ Ena murmured to Rui as she took a few of Mizuki’s cold fries, popping them into her mouth. ‘Bleurgh… there’s no way these are worth nine hundred yen.’

‘An honor to meet you, Kamishiro-san,’ Mafuyu greeted him, putting on her bubbly veneer once more. ‘I believe I’ve seen you around at Kamiyama High. You’re in class 2-B, yes?’

‘Oh, Mafuyu, don’t be like that around Rui!’ Mizuki chirped. ‘He’s one of the most dependable, level-headed people I know! You can trust him.’

‘Ah, I see,’ Mafuyu pondered. ‘...is that why so many of my classmates call him “the thoughtless psycho lunatic weirdo”?’

‘...yeeesss?’ Mizuki faltered, raising her arms into a shrug.

‘Birds of a feather, huh?’ Ena jested. ‘I can see why you’re friends with this guy, Mizuki.’

‘What’s that supposed to- no, wait, yeah, I totally get it.’

‘I can vouch for Kamishiro-san,’ Kohane averred. ‘He’s a very kind person.’

‘...Okay,’ Mafuyu stoically conceded. ‘I believe you, Kohane. More than Mizuki, at least.’

‘Uwah?! So heartless, Mafuyu~!’ Mizuki gasped, faking a wince and dramatically raising her forearm to her forehead.

‘My, I don’t blame you for being wary of me,’ Rui contemplated. ‘It looks like my reputation precedes me, hm~? Rest assured, Asahina-san… my methods may seem foolhardy to some, but every hazard and liability has been meticulously accounted for.

Ah, but I guess words can only say so much… would you care for a demonstration?’

‘Ooh, would we!’ Kohane peeped. ‘A dose of your verbose shows… now, that’d be just the ticket!’

‘Don’t you have an annual pass, Azusawa-kun?’

‘It’s a figure of speech.’

‘This had better be good,’ Ena carped. ‘We passed, like, nine separate attractions to get here.’

‘For sure!’ affirmed Ichika. ‘On a scale of Gachapoid to Hastune Miku, I’m eager to see how well you perform!’

‘My, you all want to see a real show? It just so happens that I have the perfect little story waiting to be spun,’ Rui declared. ‘...Ah, but alas! Try as I might, I am only one person, and must thus limit myself to paltry parlor tricks and monodrama. If I only had a couple extra helping hands, I might be able to put on a real show for the ages…’

‘Oi, Rui, if you wanted a few more actors, you could just ask!’ Mizuki razzed. ‘You know I’m always down to clown~! No need to act so coy…’

‘Pot, meet kettle,’ Ena jabbed.

Maybe… pondered Kohane. Maybe an experience like this… has the feelings I need to find?

‘I… I’d also like to lend a hand!’ she yipped.

‘How splendid! You two will do just fine — nothing too complex, of course~! Azusawa-kun, how about you play the role of the inventor’s assistant, and Mizuki, what say you to being the narrator…?’

‘You can leave it to me! I’ll be the bestest, most reliable narrator you’ve ever seen!’

‘...Did he just speak with an em dash?’

Producing two small decks of cue cards from seemingly nowhere, Rui handed them to Mizuki and Kohane, theatrically taking the metaphorical stage alongside them, with Ichika, Ena and Mafuyu cheering them on in the audience (Ichika cheering so hard that she nearly fell over).

Holding its remote control in his hands, Rui powered on his robot with a deft click of a button, and the short, stout little figure whirred to life. Bzzzt!

‘Huhu… It’s showtime!’