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Who is Imai Lisa to Sayo? That was an interesting question, one Sayo didn’t really know how to answer. Of course, she was a reliable bandmate, but was it just that?
The first time Sayo met Lisa, she didn’t like her at all. She looked like someone really lax. When Lisa first seemed like she might join Roselia, Sayo had been against it, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Lisa was amazing. She was the pillar of Roselia, an incredible person, someone who would do anything for her bandmates. That’s how Sayo sees her.
But what Sayo thought of Lisa was one thing. When it comes to rules, she wouldn’t let anyone get their way. So when Ako brought up Sayo having a soft spot for Lisa, she thought it was ridiculous. She treated Lisa in the same way she would treat any other of her friends.
“I’m really tired! We should take a break,” Ako complained
Ako did seem tired, but it didn't look like it was because of the rehearsal.
“Udagawa-san, we have just been here less than half hour. I don’t consider that enough time for us to take a break already,” Sayo said with a stern face.
Even though she was a bit tired, too, she thought they should practice a bit more before taking a break.
“Ehhh, but I stayed up really late cause me and Rinrin were playing games, so I’m tired,” Ako replied.
“That just makes it worse, Udagawa-san. You shouldn’t let your personal matters get in the way of our rehearsal” Sayo said a bit angrily..
It wasn’t actually because Ako was bringing up personal matters but because she just found out that Rinko and Ako were playing games without her.
Since things were looking a bit more tense, Lisa couldn't just keep watching without doing anything. She decided to intervene.
“Hey, let’s calm down, okay? We should take a small break. Is that okay, Yukina?” Lisa asked.
While she was trying to stop a discussion between her bandmates, she looked for Yukina’s help.
“Well, I suppose we can take a ten minute break,” Yukina said, not wanting to get involved in this matter.
“Okay~, is that okay with you Sayo?” Lisa asked, givingSayo a radiant smile.
“Well… I suppose if Imai-san says so, it should be okay…” Sayo said.
Sayo couldn’t defy Lisa’s words, even less when she saw that smile she liked so much.
“Ehhh, there it isagain, Sayo-san!” Ako exclaimed, unable to ignore the injustice,
Everyone was looking at her a bit confused.
“You’re giving Lisa-nee preferential treatment again, it’s so unfair, why only her?” Ako continued.
Sayo was now really confused, preferential treatment to Lisa? There was no way. If anything, she thought she had been a bit hard on Lisa.
“What are you talking about, Udagawa-san?” Sayo asked.
“As soon as Lisa-nee suggested it, you accepted so easily,” Ako kept complaining, looking at Sayo with a pouting face, “Like, the other day too, you let her steal some of your fries, but when I try, you always tell me if I wanted french fries, I should have ordered some.”
“Eh… but that day I ordered a bigger portion, so it was okay…” Sayo said, trying to rationalize why she would let Lisa eat from her fries.
Sure, she ordered a bigger portion cause she knew Lisa would want a bit too, so it was normal, right? That didn’t mean she was being indulgent with Lisa.
“So, Sayo ordered a bit more to share them with me, right~?” Lisa said with a teasing tone to lighten the mood.
Those words were really effective on Sayo. Why was her face was getting redder? She doesn’t know the reason. The only thing she knows is that she can't fight against Lisa, but it’s not like she would even dare to do that.
“Sayo-san is blushing!” Ako said, wanting to tease Sayo as payback, “That reminds me the, other day me and Rinrin invited you to play games, and you said you were busy with something/ But just after that, Lisa-nee asked you to go on a date, and you accepted instantly!”
“Ako-chan… I don’t think you should be saying that” said Rinko, deciding it was her turn to intervene.
Sayo’s face right now was so red it looked like someone covered it with ketchup.
“A-a date?! I-it wasn’t that! We were just sharing some time together, as any friends would do…” Sayo stammered, not knowing what to say.
“Ehhh… So it wasn’t a date, Sayo?” said Lisa, looking at Sayo with puppy eyes.
“Imai-san!?!” Sayo exclaimed.
She was done. Lisa’s attack was too effective.
“Ten minutes are over,” Yukina said with a monotone voice. “Let’s get back to the rehearsal. You can talk about Lisa and Sayo’ date later.”
“Even you Minato-san…?”
Sayo was at her limit. Even Yukina thought she and Lisa went on a date. But still she was thankful to her because they could forget about this topic for now.
“And that was what Minato-san said,” Sayo said.
When the rehearsal finished, Sayo went home and thought about everything that had happened. Deep inside, the idea of having a date with Lisa sounded wonderful. But that didn't matter because they weren’t having a date. So she told Hina everything. Probably not the best idea, but at least her sister would agree with her, right?
She was wrong.
“Ehhh, that’s not fair, Onee-chan! Why do you share your fries with Lisacchi? Ako-chan is right, you wouldn’t share them with anyone else, let alone someone trying to steal one. If I did that, you would be lecturing me for an hour about why it’s bad,” said Hina, ignoring everything else.
Right now she just wanted to focus on how her sister had an obvious preference for the bassist.
“It’s just… I ordered a bigger portion… that way it would be okay to share some with her, right?”
Sayo didn’t know what else to say.
Was Sayo actually being soft when it comes to Lisa? Maybe they were right, but that said, it was completely normal. Lisa was a very important bandmate and a friend. Of course Sayo would do anything to make her happy.
“What?! Onee-chan, that’s not boppin’ at all! You wouldn't even want to share with me…” said Hina with an overly dramatized dejected face.
Sayo wouldn’t buy that, and Hina knew it, so she changed her strategy.
“Wait, if you are willing to do that for Lisacchi, it must mean you have a thing for her, right?”
“eh…? I… I don’t remember getting something for her…”
Sayo’s first reaction was surprise, then changed as if she didn't know what Hina meant.
“No, you know what I mean, Onee-chan! You have feelings for Lisacchi!” Hina said with a smile on her face, not letting Sayo dodge the bullet.
“Feelings?! I don’t… Imai-san is just a reliable friend…” Sayo replied.
Sayo’s fortress was being besieged, and it looked like Hina was about to win. Maybe it would be wise to retreat for now.
Sayo got up instantly, and left the room, murmuring that she had something to do. She had a deep red blush on her face. Hina had noticed it easily. That’s why she had a big smile on her face. Though Sayo could be mad for a moment, she was so dense that if Hina didn’t help her right now to understand her own feelings, more than one person would end up hurt.
Sayo went to her bedroom and closed the door. Laying on her bed, she kept staring at the ceiling for a while. This day didn’t make sense at all for her. For some reason, everyone wanted to pair her with Lisa in one way or another.
“Me, liking Imai-san…?” Sayo murmured, thinking about what Hina just said some minutes ago, “I keep saying she’s a reliable friend, but... is there something else?”
Sayo thought about Lisa. She was pretty, of course, anyone could tell that. It was a universal truth. That didn’t mean exactly she liked her, at least not romantically. But the thought of going on a date with her sounded nice. When she thought about holding Lisa’s hand, her heart melted. Remembering Lisa’s puppy eyes was making Sayo’s heart beat faster than ever. And her lips looked so tempting. Whenever she saw them, she would want to kiss her.
“Ahh, maybe I do have a crush on her…”
She took her phone and opened her chat with Lisa. She stared at it, as if she was waiting for a message from her, but that wouldn’t happen, right? Maybe for once, she should take the lead. Sayo started writing a message:
“Hello, Imai-san, by any chance, would you be free this sunday at 12:00? If it’s okay with you, would you like to share some time together?”
Sayo kept staring at it, wondering if she should send it or just delete it. Her heart was already beating so fast it felt like it could explode at any time, but she gathered a bit more courage and clicked the send button. Her heart beat even faster and her face was really hot. Maybe it was a bad idea doing this after all? What if Lisa didn’t see her that way? But she’d already done it. She put her phone to one side and buried her face in her pillow. At that moment she heard a notification sound, just a few seconds after she’d sent her message.
Sayo lifted her face. What would Lisa’s answer be? She reached for it to find out.