Work Text:
It hadn't rained for a few days until now. Heavy clouds drifted above, threatening but unmoving. The breeze was pleasant and soothing. Cats were happily lounging in the scarce sunshine of early spring. Until the rain came without warning.
Raana felt mildly annoyed at herself for ignoring the signs of rain. She, like the other cats, were too content with the weather to have gone anywhere else. And now she was stuck under the roof of her familiar parking space, watching the army of rain droplets hammer down from the sky.
There was another person present under the same roof, whom Raana didn't really bother to greet. The girl hastily ran to where they were a few moments ago when the rain was starting to get heavier. Sheltering herself from the rain too, Raana assumed.
Raana looked back at her for a bit. There was a serious expression on the girl’s face, with her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Looks familiar. She was clad in a (wet) black leather jacket and a grey skirt, her black hair wet and flat on her figure. Doesn't look comfortable.
The girl shifted her turquoise eyes up from her tablet. She cleared her throat before opening her mouth.
“Excuse my rudeness, but I think I’ve seen you before. Have we met?”
The white-haired girl darted her mismatched eyes to the black long case beside the other girl's boots.
“Guitar?”
“Oh this? No, it's a bass.”
“...you play?”
Umiri lowered her tablet. “Yes, I’m part of a band. We play a lot of lives.”
“Hmm~ Live is good.” Raana replied with a faint tinge of excitement in her voice.
Umiri smirked and nodded at the statement.
The two girls didn't say anything after that, simply watching the view as the downpour gradually let up.
—
“I completely understand, Nyamu. Please, get yourself some rest. It'd be a great displeasure if you were too ill to be at our sessions next week.” Sakiko said over the phone.
“Hurk, hurk! Agh!” Nyamu coughed and hacked.
“Wow, sounds pretty bad.” she could hear Uika speaking in the background of the call.
The purple-haired drummer couldn't believe she let some hay fever get to her. She was supposed to be wheat that got stronger after getting trampled! (Or in this case, getting a disease.)
But maybe she did overwork herself just a bit after the new year started, using the new year spirit to pump out more new videos and vlogs, on top of putting in more solo practice in acting and drumming. Especially drumming.
Although now she feels the fever seems like a silly excuse to skip out on practice. Ugh, what if the other bandmates feel that way about her too?
“Koff!!! I’ll be sure to put in practice just as much as you guys did today.” Nyamu declared to Sakiko on the phone.
“Umm, I don't think that's necessary right now for you, Nyamu. Just rest and we'll see what happens after.”
“Is that a threat? Koff! Koff! I promise I’ll fix up the bridge section of Crucifix X in no time!”
“Please just get some rest.” Sakiko replied.
“I’ll make some chicken soup for you if you want.” Umiri butted in.
“Geh, I don't need that. Do not come by, Umiko.” the drummer replied.
“You sound better now.” Mutsumi butted in this time.
“No, no! Koff!!! Hurk!!! I really am sick! I’m not making it up!”
She could hear some giggles from the other side of the line.
Now they really weren't going to believe her, huh?
—
“The lament of… blooming sunflowers…”
“No, that doesn't feel right…” Tomori rubbed the words off with an eraser.
Her room was lit by nothing except her desk lamp, illuminating her face and the scribbled contents in her notebook. She put her eraser down and hunched over her desk, burying her face into the notebook spread out in front of her.
She stayed like that for a few moments, occasionally tilting her head to the side.
Tomori promptly rose back up and picked up her pencil. “As… the scent of the beach… lingers…”
The gray-haired girl rubbed the line again with her eraser, shaking her head as she did.
She stood up and pushed her curtains open, greeted by a cloudy night sky beyond the window.
Her eyes were glued onto the sight for a while. It wasn't anything special really, but she found herself admiring nights like this nonetheless.
She switched off her desk lamp to better see the view.
At least one star was still visible out there, probably the north star.
Tomori closed her book, and decided it would be better to pick this up another time.
—
“Ooh! There's a sale at Bic Camera next week! You think I should get a new camcorder, Rikki?”
‘Rikki’ was trying her best to ignore her. The raven-haired girl was diligently wiping the dishes with a stoic look on her face.
“Or do you think I should replace my digital camera? I’m sure you’d wanna use it too sometime right?” the guitarist scooted closer.
Taki’s thoughts instantly retorted, ‘Why would I do that?!’
She turned her head to face her, only to regret it after seeing her smug face scream ‘made you look~!’
“Bic Camera doesn't just sell cameras.” Taki said as she stifled her annoyance.
“I never said they did. I just said I wanted to get one there.”
RiNG was surprisingly empty that afternoon. It was also a sweltering day, so everyone's probably staying home in the comfort of their fans or air conditioners.
Taki thought it was going to be a peaceful day at work today, just helping out with the cleaning and stocking, she was good at those kinds of stuff.
But a pink-haired girl just had to stroll in the doors and take a seat right in front of her.
“What are you doing here? There’s no practice today.” Taki said earlier, upon first making eye contact with the pink thing.
“Wow, rude. Is that what you say to your friend you haven't seen in 4 days?” Anon gasped.
“Is your home AC broken or something?”
“It's working just fine, thank you.” she said as she sat down. “I’ll have an Earl Grey, Rikki.”
And now, at present, Anon was babbling about different types of trendy cameras.
Taki was running out of things to keep herself busy with. On a whim and a sigh, she decided to lean in and take a look at the catalogue of cameras.
“How about this one?”
“That's too expensive, Rikki.”
Taki felt a wave of inspiration hit her exasperated brain.
“You should get a summer job then, instead of loitering around here on a weekday.”
Anon visibly grimaced, “Err, I was gonna wait until the second month of summer to start…”
“Heeeh?” It was the drummer’s turn to act smug.
“Usually people’d work first and play later. Not cut out for any jobs, are we?”
“Come on, Rikki! Cut me some slack! Working is a real commitment and I wanna be free for now!”
“And to do what? Bother me?”
“It's not like there's anyone here anyway. You're pretty much getting paid for nothing.”
“Hey, watch it.”
“My bad, sorry.”
“...”
“...”
An awkward silence lingered between the two bandmates for a while.
“...”
“A-anyway, about the festival, Tomorin suddenly said she can't make it this Tuesday, did she tell you?”
Taki’s ears perked up, “Uh, no… so I guess we'll find another night.”
“Yeah, I’ll ask in the groupchat. But we need to make sure Raana-chan knows!”
“Sure, sure. She's probably coming in soon too.”
Taki instantly brought her hands to her mouth.
Anon’s face lit up. “Then I’ll stay till she shows up!”
The drummer comically smacked her own face. “Why the heck did I say that?!”
—
The blazing sun reflected itself in the ripples of the seawater, forming glistening streaks of white along the endless blue.
Mutsumi thought it was a perfect picturesque view for a photoshoot.
Though the photoshoot crew thought otherwise, as she stood against a backdrop of a beach house and umbrellas, illustrating a typical beach escapade in the summer. Of course, the location had been rented out for the photoshoot, so it wasn't really ‘real’ per se. There were even extras in the background playing roles of people you'd typically find in this setting.
“Mutsumi-chan, please look this way!” requested the director, to which the green-haired girl obliged.
It was definitely a while since she's been to the beach. Usually if there were any photos for ads like this they’d just take the pictures in a studio and chroma key it later.
When was the last time? Was it with Minami-chan? Maybe it was that time when she was eight, and with Ta-kun too.
She vaguely remembers it. She doesn't even remember if she dipped in the water. Maybe it'll come back to her if she sees Minami-chan’s posts.
“Mutsumi-chan, we’d like you to act like you’re going off to buy yakisoba. Try making an expression like you’re eager to bring it back for your family who’s waiting by the beach house.” The director gave his direction, using some exaggerated hand motions to accentuate his points.
“Can we try that out, Mutsumi-chan?”
Mutsumi nodded.
‘Look eager to bring back yakisoba for your family?’ she was going to have to ask her alters for any similar memories to this.
Nothing really surfaced.
“How about that time with Nyamu-chan?” Mortis suggested.
Nyamu had chatted about how fun her getaways with her family were. About how it’d always end up chaotic but they’d always find something to laugh about despite everything.
Mutsumi started smiling.
Perhaps she’ll just have to act the way Nyamu did when she told these stories.
—
The festival had already begun by the time Soyo arrived at the riverbank with two of her classmates.
Paper lanterns swayed overhead, glowing a warm orange that made the air feel thicker than it already was. Children ran past in sandals, most of them holding various toys and souvenirs, leaving streaks of laughter in their wake.
“Ah, this is no big deal!”
“What do you mean, Soyo-chan? We’ll pay you back!” her classmates insisted.
“It's alright, it's my treat.” the chestnut-haired girl insisted back, referring to the takoyaki she and her classmates just bought.
Soyo was clad in a loose-fitting yukata that hung loosely on her frame, soft cotton folds brushing against her ankles as she moved, the pastel pattern catching the lantern light with every step.
It wasn't her best one, she was saving that for another special day.
Her two classmates were talking about a lot of stuff.
“I’ve never been good at kendama.” said one of her classmates.
“I got lucky a few times. But never when it actually matters.” another classmate answered.
“Soyo-chan’s probably surprisingly good at it, right?”
The bassist smiled and waved in front of her face, “No, no, of course not!”
Light giggles erupted from the three of them.
Soyo adjusted her yukata sleeve and tried to keep up with the conversation, though the noise made everything blur together. She nodded at whatever someone said. It seemed close enough.
Her friends talked cheerfully about test scores and summer homework.
Soyo smiled politely. It's not like she was forced to go out with her Tsukinomori classmates or anything, she genuinely was okay to join them. But she’d be lying if she denied a tiniest feeling in her heart that this was an obligation to keep good relationships at school. She hates herself for feeling this way.
Her eyes drifted to the festival stalls, as if searching for something quieter.
“Eh? Is that Rikki?” said a familiar voice in the distance.
Soyo snapped her head with pure reflex.
“Rikki!” there was a certain pink-haired girl in the distance calling out to someone. Right next to her was a slightly shorter girl with ash-gray hair.
She squinted her eyes. It seems they haven't seen her yet.
Soyo lightly tapped her classmates’ shoulders.
“Do you mind going ahead? I’ll catch up.”
Her classmates blinked in surprise.
“Oh! Uh, sure?”
She slipped away with a practiced, vaguely ditsy-looking hurry.
“I guess that wasn’t Rikki, huh, Tomorin…”
“What are you two doing here?”
The pink-haired girl and the gray-haired girl turned toward her almost in unison.
“Soyorin?!”
“S-Soyo-chan?”
Anon instantly put her arm around Soyo, probably without thinking. “What a miracle! I thought I saw Rikki, but Soyorin actually showed up instead!”
“Hi, Soyo-chan.” Tomori added.
“So that wasn’t Taki-chan?”
“No, eheheh! I almost embarrassed myself.” Anon giggled. “So what are you doing here? Gasp! Could it be that you couldn’t wait for our planned date?”
“Don’t call it a date. It’s all five of us.” the taller girl snapped. “I was here with my classmates.”
“O-oh… we were too. Until Ano-chan said she saw Taki-chan.”
Soyo glanced at Tomori with quiet sympathy.
Anon broke away from Soyo and started twirling around. “What do you think of my yukata?” she asked with an annoying grin.
The bassist only let out a sigh, her face unchanging. “What do you want me to say, Anon-chan?”
The pink-haired girl pouted, “You’re so mean, Soyorin. And I was gonna compliment your yukata too.”
“Were you, now?”
“Ah! Since you’re here, why don’t we get shaved ice together? We were gonna do that earlier, right, Tomorin?” Anon asked, getting a gentle nod from Tomori in response.
Soyo looked around before opening her mouth, “Sorry, I think I’ll pass.”
Anon blinked. “But why not?”
Soyo pressed her lips together, caught between exasperation and affection.
She let out a small sigh, as if letting go of some uneasiness.
“We planned to come here together this weekend,” she explained, rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb. “If we overlap today too, it would… it would be strange, wouldn’t it?”
Anon tilted her head. “Would it, really?”
Soyo glanced downwards, then toward Tomori for no particular reason, maybe she figured the girl would know what to say.
“I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right today.” she feels horrible for feeling like she’s pushing them away.
“I mean, my classmates are waiting for me anyway.”
“Well, so are ours.” the rhythm guitarist giggled.
She started walking closer to Soyo.
“I mean, I’m not wearing my favourite yukata today, so even I don’t feel it’s right.” said Anon. “It has to be the special day we all set, right?”
Soyo furrowed her brows and looked away, only for Anon to start laughing. “Ahahaha! I knew it!”
“Cut that out.” Soyo muttered.
Tomori mustered a smile at Anon’s laughter.
“But come on! A liiiittle shaved ice together wouldn’t ruin the next time we come here together!” Anon patted Soyo’s back.
“Especially when we’re gonna stick together for a lifetime!”
Tomori was now also looking at Soyo with nearly the same intensity as the pink thing. These two really have gotten closer, huh?
Soyo held her left arm and looked to the side. A little blush formed on her face. Good thing it was dark and the colour was hardly visible, otherwise it’d surely be more ammo for Anon.
She let out a resounding sigh and turned to face Anon. “So you admitted this isn’t your best yukata? Were you planning a clever comeback if I said it looked good earlier?”
“I never said it wasn’t my best, just not my favourite.”
“Semantics.” Soyo moved closer to her two bandmates. “So where’s the shaved ice?”
“Soyo-chan!”
“But just a quick one. My classmates are gonna get worried.”
“Aye-aye!” Anon saluted, then grabbed both her bandmates’ arms.
The three of them briskly paced towards a nearby stall.
“Oh, and Soyorin? You know what the best part is?”
“What would that be, Anon-chan?”
“We can make this an inside joke to Rikki.” she said with a mischievous grin.
Soyo snorted out a tiny puff of laughter.
—
“Thank you for your hard work!” said the production crew in unison.
“Good work tonight, Ui-chan!” Mana smiled at her partner.
“Hehe! Thank you Mana-chan, you too.” she replied.
Sumimi had just finished recording the latest episodes of ‘sumimi summer radio’, a seasonal program their agency's airing through the summer.
The duo had returned to their dressing room to pick up their items.
“I’m going to walk for a bit for a breather, you wanna come with?” Mana asked as she stretched her arms.
“Mm-mm. I’m good.”
“Okay! Then I’ll see you at the car later!”
The door closed shut.
Uika took a deep breath. She picked up her bag, put on her cap and looked around the room to check if she or Mana had left anything behind.
Perhaps she should take a breather as well. It was a long day after all.
The blonde girl walked along the corridor. There were still people in the building at this hour, but it was much emptier than it was during the day. She glanced at her phone’s clock, she had about 15 more minutes until her driver was expected to be at the lobby for her and Mana to return to their homes. She made her way over to the elevator area, where the walls were glass windows.
Uika looked out at the night sky. As expected, no stars were visible from this far into the city. She had hoped to catch a glimpse of fireworks, at least. But she was smack dab in the middle of downtown, too far from any summer festival.
She glanced at her phone again to check the clock. A notification from her Instagram came in. Mana just reposted her (agency-scheduled) post about the new episode of the radio show.
“She posted that herself too, though.” she wondered. Mana was too nice to her.
As she tapped on the various stories on her feed, she got a bit jumpscared seeing a selfie picture of Anon, with a background of fireworks.
It just hit her that she was still following Anon since back when she texted her to meet up.
When she moved on to the next photo on her feed, it was a post from the MyGO!!!!! account this time, showing all of the members in yukatas, against a backdrop of a summer festival’s fireworks.
The photo wasn’t that good, the composition was unbalanced, the white-haired girl was clearly moving to the side, Taki-san wasn’t looking at the camera, and the fireworks were trailing off.
But for some reason, she found herself looking at the image for longer than she expected. It’s not like she even knew these people well.
A sharp crack split the quiet hallway, and Uika turned just as a firework bloomed in the distance.
Its colours flared softly on the glass window beside her, distorted, stretched thin by the reflection. So there were still fireworks after all. The idol kept her eyes on the far-off sparks, letting them fade on the pane in front of her.
Uika glanced back at Tomori in MyGO’s post, who was smiling a shy smile.
She realised the corners of her lips had lifted a little.
“You really reached them, huh, Tomori-chan?”
—
The vending machine clattered as Umiri pressed the button out of habit.
A cold can of coffee dropped into the tray with a dull thunk.
She reached for it, opened it, and started sipping the contents. Her usual vending machine companion wasn’t here today, she wasn’t a morning person after all.
The breeze was slipping through the corridor, cooler than she expected. She picked up the faint smell of dried leaves outside the window.
She took another sip from her can.
“A warm one might’ve been better.” she thought to herself.
—
“Ah! This is a bit bigger…” Tomori mumbled to herself, picking up a dry beech leaf.
Dry leaves rustled around her ankles, shifting in the breeze, and the ones she stepped on gave small, crisp cracks.
She didn't realise it was already that time of the year, and almost forgot to collect leaves.
A sharp series of cracks broke the quiet.
“This one.” a white-haired girl with mismatched eyes came forward and presented her selection of gingko leaves. She looked at Tomori expectantly.
“O-oh, those are nice, Raana-chan.” Tomori answered.
She picked up a few leaves from Raana’s palms and held them high against the sky for a better look. Raana let out a tiny giggle and hopped off, causing more cracking sounds in the field.
The typical way to collect leaves is to put them in between the pages of a book and close it, so that the leaves are stored in a dry area and would last longer. Tomori had put the leaves she collected in one of her usual notebooks, between assorted pages marked with sticky notes.
The ones Raana gave her though, she slipped them in the pages of a separate notebook, though she didn't want to use sticky notes in that one as the book was actually for other uses.
Just so that she remembers where the different leaves came from.
All of a sudden she heard a loud crackle of dry leaves behind her. Raana had plopped herself down on the ground and was resting her weight on her.
“R-Raana-chan? Are you tired?”
“Sleepy.”
The smaller girl rested her back onto Tomori’s, both now sitting back-to-back. Wait, was Raana going to doze off right then and there? The answer to Tomori's panicked question was yes, indeed, the cat was. The gray-haired girl was left there to support the sleeping cat’s weight.
Oh well, might as well sort out the leaves she just picked out.
—
“I suppose that settles all of that. Now to sort out the warm clothes…” Sakiko muttered to herself as she went through her clothes drawer.
She takes a pause for a brief moment to take in her surroundings. She's usually so busy with her work on Ave Mujica's compositions, arrangements and scripts that she never really realised how empty the apartment was without Uika.
“Ahem.” She instinctively cleared her throat, purposefully wanting to check if there would be an echo.
Of course there wouldn't be any. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit. How silly.
The blue-haired girl took out her coats from an isolated section of her apparel, inspecting each of the items’ conditions.
It was nice sometimes to take things slowly, just taking the time to prep on the smaller things.
She noticed her phone light up. Notifications from the Ave Mujica group chat.
Mutsumi: [Image]
Her childhood friend had sent an image of a pumpkin.
Umiri: *exaggerated clapping sticker*
Nyamu: Woah, did you plant that, Muuko?
Mutsumi: No
Mutsumi: i got it from someone at the agency
Sakiko found herself exhaling a short breath at the reply. It would have been funny if Tsukinomori had allowed Mutsumi to gradually plant bigger and bigger things there.
Nyamu: [Image]
Umiri: *exaggerated clapping sticker*
Nyamu: got some sweet potatoes from my folks
Nyamu: i’ll heat them and bring them to practice tomorrow
Sakiko unconsciously lifted her eyebrows a bit. So Nyamu's parents must have come over. She started typing on the chat;
Sakiko: thank you, Nyamu.
Her eyes lingered on the closed laptop, the stillness around it unsettling in its completeness.
A shiver threaded down her spine. There were moments when this calm felt fragile, as though the life she had built could vanish if she so much as blinked.
This little garden she tended, she wondered if her hands were steady enough to keep it alive, or if she deserved it at all.
Uika: thank you Nyamu-chan!
Umiri: *crying thank you sticker*
Mutsumi: HEY! Why isn't anyone thanking us for our pumpkin?!
Nyamu: ah its mortis
Sakiko unfolded her coat and hung it on a hanger. She reached inside her drawer for her scarves now, running her hands on them just to check the fabric.
Perhaps as the seasons changed, they did too.
—
The cold had a way of clinging to everything. The trees stood bare and still, branches etched against a pale sky.
The chill curled around street corners and seeped through the cracks of buildings. People walked with their shoulders hunched and hands tucked deep in their pockets.
Even the convenience store felt like a warm haven.
Taki pushed open the store doors with the back of her wrist, her fingers too cold to move easily. She just needed something warm to drink. Or, while she was at it, get some energy drinks too. She likes this time of the year because the nights are longer, so she can work better.
The raven-haired girl was fidgeting at the drinks area when a soft jingling near the entrance followed a moment later. Someone else had come in.
Taki didn’t turn. She made her way toward the counter.
On the opposite end of the store, Uika tugged her mask a little higher. She still wore her stage makeup from earlier; the lighting made it look like she was sparkling under cheap fluorescent bulbs.
She decided to walk back from the planetarium today, seeing that she didn’t have any other jobs scheduled for the day. The idol only wanted a bottle of tea. Something to settle her throat, it was feeling a bit itchy since this morning’s recording session.
“Thank you, come again!” the cashier said to Taki, as she briskly walked away.
“Hmm, do I have lozenges at home..?” Uika muttered to herself.
A brief electronic beep marked someone’s exit, then the doors slid shut again.
—
“Aaaaah~”
“Raana-chan, you have your own, don’t you?”
“Hot.”
Soyo let out a sigh, before giving in to the stray cat’s spoiled demand of having her steamed bun. Apparently it’s because she had split it in half, releasing its heat faster than the one Raana had.
“Mmmmmm…” Raana hummed as she happily chewed.
“Ehehe, and who’s the one who said we’re spoiling Raana-chan too much?” Anon chimed in.
“It’s all your fault she’s like this.” Soyo side-eyed both Anon and Taki.
“Hah? I’m the one who’s always keeping her in line.” Taki clapped back. “Ah, Tomori, do you want some of mine? It’s not that hot anymore.”
“Mm-mm, it’s alright, Taki-chan.” replied Tomori with a gentle smile.
The five of them lingered in a little pocket of warmth near the vending machines, scarves fluffed up around their necks and coats, keeping them toasty. Commuters drifted past in steady waves. Other students in uniforms and office workers with tired steps.
It was just another cool winter night, ordinary and unremarkable. The five of them were on their way back from a winter celebration at CiRCLE, of which Ririko kindly invited them to join. They decided to leave a bit earlier though, as the group’s introverts obviously couldn’t hold it together any longer (much to Anon’s chagrin).
“Ah-choo!” Raana suddenly sneezed. Even the way she sneezed had a monotonous tone to it.
“Hey, cover your mouth and nose next time!” said Anon helplessly.
“Are you cold, Raana-chan?” Tomori asked her.
The stray cat nodded at Tomori with her eyes half open. Then she darted towards Taki and nuzzled her head towards her body.
“O-oi! Stray cat!” she exclaimed.
The other three members simply continued to eat their buns.
“Hey! Don’t ignore this! Hey!!!”
—
“Mmm… smells like Nyamuchi…”
“Cut that out, Umiko!!!” an embarrassed purple-haired drummer yelled. “Gimme my scarf back! Yours isn’t warm at all!”
Umiri dodged Nyamu’s reach. “H-hey!!!”
Sakiko could only shake her head in bewilderment. The members of Ave Mujica were just commuting back from their agency office, after a long day of meetings, briefings and even a nice agency-wide new year’s dinner. It was just a lowkey celebration, and the five members left early as the adults were going to have an afterparty.
They were heading to an afterparty too, as Sakiko and Uika invited the other three over to their place. (This plan happened after Umiri sulked that she was never invited to anyone’s afterparties)
“It’s really warm, Wakaba-san. You should try it.” Umiri passed Nyamu’s scarf to Mutsumi, who immediately wrapped it around her neck.
The green-haired girl closed her eyes, enjoying the toastiness.
“U-ugh…” Nyamu stopped in her tracks trying to wrangle her scarf back.
“What’s wrong, Yuutenji-san?” Umiri asked nonchalantly, only for the drummer to shoot her an annoyed glare.
“Here, Nyamu.” Mutsumi passed Nyamu her own scarf.
“...sure.” Nyamu begrudgingly took it in her hands, before noticing the label and yelling in her head, 'Eh?! Real cashmere?!!!'
“Excuse me, but would someone give me a scarf… I’m cold…” Umiri whimpered, realising she has no scarf on at the moment.
Uika inched closer to Sakiko. “Saki-chan, do you wanna trade scarves too?”
The blue-haired girl smiled at her. “Sure, why not.”
As the five band members walked through the station concourse to switch lines, Sakiko caught some people she thought looked familiar from the corner of her eye. “It can’t be…”
At first she only saw a strikingly familiar head full of pink hair, before her eyes also registered four other acquaintances. They seemed engrossed in whatever conversation they were having over steamed buns.
“Oh! That’s Taki-san!” Umiri exclaimed. “Misumi-san, look.”
“Soyo. Tomori too.” Mutsumi spoke up.
Nyamu looked like she was squinting her eyes.
Sakiko stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to face the others. “...Shall we greet them?”
“Let Tomori take her time! She’s almost finished.” Taki defended her friend, who was the only one who hadn't finished eating her bun.
“Come on, Rikki, I wasn’t even rushing her!” Anon retorted.
And now Tomori was torn between eating faster and trying not to, which earned her a look of sympathy from Soyo.
“Good evening.”
The MyGO!!!!! members turned their heads in surprise at the unexpected sixth voice.
“Saki-chan..!” Tomori exclaimed.
“And Ave Mujica too?!” continued Anon, who quickly covered her mouth with both hands. It took a second to clock them because of their face-mask and hat disguises, but it was still undeniably them.
“Umm… hello?” Nyamu waved with a sheepish smile on her face.
“What are you up to, Taki-san?” Umiri asked her classmate.
“Nothing really.”
“We just got back from a new year's party!” Anon butted in.
Taki huffed at the pink-haired girl. “And what are you doing here? I thought you guys are always busy?”
“Of course we are. Right, Misumi-san?” Umiri seemed proud to have Uika on her side.
“W-well, we were just going home ourselves…” the blonde girl explained.
Umiri winked at Taki. “I’m going to an afterparty, Taki-san.”
Taki just rolled her eyes.
“Good evening to you all.” Soyo acknowledged, particularly looking at Sakiko and Mutsumi.
Mutsumi nodded her head.
A white-haired girl was shuffling towards her vicinity. “...sleeping?”
“Mm-mm.” Mutsumi shook her head as she smiled softly.
Umiri tugged Nyamu by the arm to bring her closer to Taki. “Look, Taki-san’s scarf is like mine.”
“Hah?”
“Okay?”
The girls lightly chattered and exchanged light banter with each other. Sakiko looked around before facing Tomori directly.
“May you have a blessed new year.”
“U-uh… Hmm.” she nodded. “You too, Saki-chan.”
The blue-haired girl bowed towards the members of the other band. “It’s a pleasure to see all of you in good health and spirits.”
She turned towards her own bandmates. “Shall we? We shouldn't keep them for too long.”
“Yeah, let's go, Saki-chan.” Uika trailed behind.
“Bye-bye.” Raana whispered.
Just as the Ave Mujica members started walking away, Anon called out loudly, “Wait!”
“Um, I was thinking, if it's okay, maybe we can all take a picture together?”
The other girls looked at her. Anon suddenly felt like she was being put in a corner.
“W-well, I know you guys probably have rules by the agency or stuff like that…”
“Very well.” Sakiko declared. She turned to her other bandmates, signalling them to join in.
Soyo, Taki and Tomori looked surprised.
“How do you wanna do it?” Nyamu asked. The Ave Mujica members were already circling the pink-haired girl.
“Err, Rikki, where's my camera?” Anon asked frantically.
“Hah? How should I know? You were the only one holding it!”
“I was holding it for you, since you simply put it on the floor earlier.” Soyo handed her the camera, for Anon to slap her own forehead comically.
“You're the best, Soyorin…”
“But I’m sure you guys don't wanna stand out too much either, right?” the chestnut-haired girl said assertively.
“Well, she’s right.” Uika added.
“Then!” Nyamu chimed in, “Let’s just take a big group selfie. We’ll make it quick.”
“As expected of Nyamuchi.” Umiri clapped her hands twice.
The girls started huddling closer to each other. The formation wasn’t a uniform one at all, very all over the place. Taki and Anon had to put Tomori out in front because otherwise she kept slipping to the back and wasn’t visible. Mutsumi was okay with being a bit further away though, where Soyo and Umiri were right next to her. Uika and Nyamu flanked Sakiko in front of Raana and Taki. And at the very front Anon was with Tomori.
“Is this okay, Taki-san? Me above you…” Umiri whispered in a playful tone.
“Oi, what’s with you? Don’t say weird things.” Taki retorted, being so done with the bassist.
“Do you want to be here, Taki-chan?” Tomori offered.
“N-No, Tomori, I’m fine here.”
“Looks like we’re all ready!” Anon checked on everyone.
As they posed in place for a moment, they realised what they were waiting for never quite came…
Nobody was actually holding said phone to take a selfie.
“Eh?!” many voices said in unison.
“I thought you were gonna do it!” Nyamu told Anon.
“But I thought you were taking the lead… you’re Nyamuchi after all…” Anon replied.
"What the heck, Anon." Taki muttered.
“Now, now…” Uika tried to de-escalate the situation.
“Ah-choo!” Raana sneezed again, right behind Sakiko, who flinched but quickly regained her composure. Tomori noticed her slight grimace.
“Hurry up, Anon-chan, just do it already.” said Soyo.
“Yeah, hurry up!” Taki added.
Some of the girls giggled at the expense of the pink-haired guitarist.
“Okay, okay… geez…” Anon whimpered as she took out her phone and reached out. Well, she had to move a bit further in front for her to get a good shot of all of them.
“Alright, everyone! One, two, three… say…”
“Chees-”
“AnonTokyo!”
“...What?!”
—
“That was a brilliant session, everyone. It seems we are on track to perform to perfection at next week’s show.” Sakiko praised her band. “As expected of my knights.”
“Ehehe… it’s all thanks to you, Saki-chan.” Uika giggled.
The five of them were in Mutsumi’s basement for one of their scheduled practice sessions. Outside, the trees were dusted with the earliest blush of pink, barely noticeable unless you were paying attention. It was that time of the year already.
Umiri was fixing her bass strings, Nyamu was stretching her arms over her head, and Uika was checking her phone.
Mutsumi wasn’t sure why she felt restless after practice. Maybe it was the warmer air, maybe it was the nights that started getting shorter and shorter. Maybe it was the barely-there petals she’d seen gathering by the curb on her way back from school.
Whatever the reason, something squeezed in her chest, a small, awkward, hopeful feeling.
She glanced at the other four as they packed up their things.
If she didn’t ask now, she probably never would.
Sakiko was the first to notice something about her. “Mutsumi? Are you alright?”
The green-haired girl merely shook her head. She saw from the corner of her eye that Nyamu was also already looking at her with concern. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth was frowning, but Mutsumi knew by this point that that was her concerned face.
“Thank you for today, everyone. I’ve updated your schedules for this week so please refer to them as usual.” said Umiri.
“Thank you Umiri.” Sakiko replied.
“Thanks, Umiri-chan.” added Uika.
Mutsumi hesitated, her fingers curled slightly.
“Um… would you all… want to see the cherry blossoms with me? This weekend? If you’re free.”
A small silence.
Uika turned her head to face her. Sakiko blinks. Umiri gasps. Nyamu lifts an eyebrow.
“The schedule’s busy, I know.” Mutsumi mumbled.
“Eh? Hanami together?” Nyamu exclaimed. “Why not?”
“Saki-chan?” Uika turned to Sakiko.
“Well, this weekend’s activities are perhaps not that integral…” Umiri trailed off as she looked at Sakiko to gauge her reaction.
Sakiko looked at Mutsumi for a long, quiet moment.
The pianist started giggling softly, one hand in front of her mouth. “So that’s what you had on your mind…You should have asked sooner,” she said, voice taking on that gentle gravitas she used when she really meant something.
“I would never decline an invitation from you.”
Mutsumi’s shoulders loosened, just barely. Inside her head, a dozen claps were heard.
“Mmm. Then let’s go together.” she said.
—
It wasn’t her intent to make it sound like an insult, but Anon would describe the atmosphere of the Takamatsu residence as your normal Japanese household. Tomori’s room though, was pretty different.
Collections of fragments of her journey here and there, stones, leaves, books, accessories, and so much more. The pink-haired girl couldn’t help but be amazed every time she paid a visit.
“Ah, right, I almost forgot.”
Well, the entire reason she was here was just to hang out, but she did volunteer to help them pack up their kotatsu while she was there.
“And… oop!” she lifted the table top together with Tomori and put it aside.
The two of them stood up and lifted the quilt as they got up. In doing so, some stuff seemed to fall out onto the floor.
“Er, sorry.” Tomori squeaked, “Those are my stuff.”
Anon saw some round pins, a rock and a notebook fall out. From the notebook, even more dried leaves fell out.
“Ehh, Tomorin’s messy, huh?” Anon teased.
“S-sorry.” she apologised, which prompted a giggle from Anon telling her she was just joking.
Tomori picked up the notebook and the dried leaves. “Oh… these were from Raana-chan. I should keep them somewhere safer.”
“Raana-chan, huh? Alrighty, Tomorin! I’ll wait.”
Tomori made her way to her room.
She tucked the leaves into their file and marked them with the sticky notes Soyo had given her. As she returned the file to the shelf, her gaze caught on the panda pins lining the cork board Taki once gifted her.
Tomori smiled.
She instinctively thought to open the notebook she had in her hand, and flipped through the pages. The gray-haired girl landed on a page where the lyrics were unfinished. She stared at the words for a while, then towards her window, where she saw the branches outside were tipped with pale petals waiting for their cue.
Tomori paused, a quiet stillness settled over her.
“Tomorin~! Are you done~?”
“O-oh, coming!” Tomori left the notebook on her desk and rushed back to join Anon.
That night, Tomori picked up her pencil, finding herself writing the words she couldn’t before.