Chapter Text
Hatsune and Mana have officially started dating! Hatsune had refused to date Mana initially because of the whole… well, everything… from identity theft to incestuous feelings. That whole shabang. But Mana had a way of peeling away Hatsune’s layers. Hatsune found herself falling for Mana, yet never actually making a move, because why should a person like Hatsune be allowed to be with someone as bright as the sun? Plus Hatsune had promised herself to Sakiko, and well…
Sakiko was unavailable, romantically and emotionally, which was quite the paradox, but either way, Mutsumi and Sakiko seemed happy together?? In a fucked up sort of way, but who was Hatsune to talk? She was the one who was in love with her niece.
Keyword: “was” and she hadn't wanted to be!
But with Mana—and after Hatsune’s initial guilt of her own whole existence—Hatsune loved being in love with Mana.
Mana, who comforted her. Mana, who accepted every side of her being, ugly and all.
Hatsune didn't deserve such a loving girlfriend, but Mana fought like hell to get Hatsune to acknowledge and accept her feelings. Hatsune wasn't going to let that effort go to waste, even if her self-deprecating thoughts got hands and beat her into a concrete floor.
Mana was over the moon when Hatsune finally accepted, and Hatsune would be lying if she said she didn't feel the same.
Mana was already touchy before they were dating, but after was an even different beast. Mana had stayed over the night they started dating properly, and trapped Hatsune in a tight cuddle that she had never had the joy of experiencing before. And while Hatsune was a bit hesitant, she returned the cuddle with a tentative enthusiasm.
It was the most content Hatsune had ever felt. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to sleep alone again, but she was well aware that Mana had parents that worry and that she would have to go home eventually. So she savoured the moment to the fullest.
-
“Uiko~ you look happy,” Nyamu says as their band practice comes to a well-deserved break.
Uika looks up from her phone, “I do?”
“Yeah! You always drift off into space when we take breaks, but today you're, I don't know? Aware, I guess?”
Had she been that obvious about her emotions before? She thought she was great at masking her emotions, keeping her face in a neutral position when she didn't need to be actively making an expression.
“Thank you, Nyamu-chan?” Hatsune has no clue how to react to this, so it would probably be best to say something nice back.
“So what has you acting this way?”
Ah. Ulterior motives. Hatsune should’ve seen this coming, but she knows Nyamu was no longer the type to try and expose her members’ secrets for her own gain, but more of a strange curiosity. Nyamu always tried to dig into everyone’s pasts, and Hatsune has no clue why, but maybe it had to do with the fact that their band is one giant suicide pact under Sakiko, so it would be nice to know a bit about the people you’re dying with. Either way, Hatsune was going to keep her secret for a bit longer. Sakiko knows because she’s their god, but Mana knows Hatsune’s past because it just isn’t right to hide such a big thing from your girlfriend. And girlfriend is above god—sorry, Sakiko.
And like the recovering liar that Hatsune is, she deflected—didn’t lie, “I wonder…”
She leaves Nyamu—to the girl's dismay—to go outside and get some air. As well as text Mana away from prying eyes. Mana was at her own rehearsal; her acting career was doing just as well as sumimi was, so she was quite the busy girl.
Hatsune didn’t expect a reply right away; it would be unrealistic. So she sent her text and took a slow exhale as she looked around the exterior of the Wakaba mansion. Her mind traveled to a thought about whether Mana would like a big mansion like this once they are older and can live together, but she shrugged it off. Only one room in a mansion would be used since Mana and Hatsune were so clingy. Mansions were for families and couples that didn’t love each other. A new cozy apartment would be nice for her and Mana, though.
Hatsune feels the urge to check her phone, even though it was on silent. And lo and behold, Mana texted back.
Mana: whatcha doingggg
Uika: Thinking
Mana: about???
Mana: it better not be that ur breaking up with me already
Uika: Never.
Mana: i know!!!
Mana: just wanted to tease :3
Uika: Thinking about what type of place we should get when we are older
Mana: so forward, ha-chan!!! >.<
Uika: Is it?
Mana: very
Mana: but i like it :3
Mana: i like it almost as much as i love you! <4
Hatsune blushes a bit, even though Mana has been saying that since even before they were properly together, it’s always a shock that she can say it so easily about a girl like Hatsune.
Hatsune shakes off the depressing thoughts, typing her reply.
Uika: I love you, too.
Mana: :D I know
“Misumi-san.”
Uika almost jumps in surprise, “Umiri-chan, you surprised me. Is it time to continue?”
“Yes. Togawa-san is calling us back.”
“Thanks for letting me know, Umiri-chan.”
-
After practice, the Wakaba mansion’s intercom went off, and Hatsune could hear Mana’s voice on the intercom. She hurried up in packing up, muttering a quick goodbye to the other members as she rushed to the front door—to their confusion. The maid who was going to answer the intercom was quickly outpaced by Hatsune running outside the front door and out of the outside gate.
“Ui-chan!” Mana reverts to the old nickname—you never know who’s listening—hugging the blonde tightly.
“I missed you.” Hatsune nuzzles her face into Mana’s hair, attempting to breathe in Mana’s scent as inconspicuously as she can.
“Aww, me too.” Mana pats the blonde’s head.
“Did you just get off rehearsal?” Hatsune already knew the answer was yes; she could smell the slight scent of sweat off of Mana’s body.
“Yeah,” Mana pulls back from the hug, “but it's okay cause we're gonna have fun!”
“If you're tired, Mana-chan, we can just go to my apartment.”
“Forward again, Ui-chan?” Mana teases.
“You know I didn't mean it like that...”
“I know, I know! Anyway, I told you we were going to find you better clothes, so that's what we're going to do!”
Hatsune nods. Maybe it was a mistake to tell Mana that she's never had a preference for clothes, and she bought just the first things she saw in stores cause now, instead of having a wonderful date at home, they were going to have a (just as wonderful) date shopping for clothes. But Hatsune would’ve preferred just to stay home.
The couple's exchange seems to take a bit long as the rest of the Ave Mujica members come outside and—
“Sumita Mana?!” Nyamu's jaw looks like it's dropped to the floor.
“Hey, Nyamu-chan, I told you to call me by my first name! I didn't know we regressed so far.” Mana jokes, pouting.
Nyamu's expression looks like her brain is doing a bunch of backflips in her head, but before she can get any words out, Mana interrupts.
“Anyway, thanks for taking good care of Ui-chan! We have a date to go on, so we'll be going now!” Mana grabs Hatsune's hand.
The two frolic into the distance away from a shocked Nyamu and the others who… don't care… or something? Sakiko waved goodbye with a smile, Mutsumi stared, and Umiri also stared, but maybe she was pouting, just her face wasn't made for that expression, so who knows if she was or wasn't.
-
“Is it really fine to tell them we're dating?” Hatsune asks. She didn't know if Mana wanted to be public about their relationship, which is why she didn't say anything earlier when Nyamu was trying to lightly interrogate it out of Hatsune.
“It's fine with me! Is it not with you?” Mana asks, a bit sheepishly, about the fact that she didn't get Hatsune's opinion before outing them to Ave Mujica.
“No, it's the complete opposite!” Hatsune stammers out. She doesn't want Mana to feel bad, “I want everyone to know, if I'm being honest.”
“Hehe! Same! I think we should tell everyone close to us. Just not the agency or the fans. It is kind of in our contract to follow a ‘no dating’ policy.”
“I'm okay with breaking it.” Hatsune shrugs.
“I want sumimi to last for a while! I like that I can spend time with my girlfriend as part of my job!”
Hatsune couldn't argue with that. Getting paid to perform and be with her girlfriend? That's a dream. She can even get more money for presents for Mana, and since sumimi was part of the schedule to plan around for Ave Mujica, it was uninterrupted time with Mana (even if it's spent rehearsing and with staff). Objectively, keeping sumimi alive is the better idea if Hatsune wants to enjoy as much time as she can with her girlfriend. “You're right.”
“Exactly! And you know how weird idol fans are. They will probably try to kill us for not choosing them!”
Hatsune thinks for a moment, “I could take them.”
“I'm sure you could, but I'd rather you not.” Mana squeezes Hatsune's hand.
“Okay.” Hatsune nods, girlfriend's word is law, so Hatsune will not fight crazed fans.
…
..
.
Unless they provoke her.
Then she will.
Today was the day that Hatsune would meet her girlfriend’s parents. With the family issues Hatsune had, she automatically felt like she was going to shit herself out of fear. She knew that Mana’s parents were nice people from what Mana had told her, but who wouldn’t be nervous about meeting their girlfriend’s parents?! Especially when you were someone like Hatsune!
Mana had stayed the night as per usual with Hatsune before the day of reckoning. And Hatsune couldn’t sleep a wink, which was absurd! Sure, before she started dating Mana, she had intense insomnia, but now, sleeping with Mana around always made her sleep as if she were dead. Nothing could wake Hatsune besides Mana herself!
Hatsune spent the entire night just staring at Mana’s face and rubbing her fingertips on the skin of Mana’s waist.
When it was a socially acceptable time to be awake, Mana began to stir, “mmmm, Ha-chan?”
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep?”
Hatsune shakes her head.
Mana’s hand settles on Hatsune’s cheek, softly rubbing the skin with her thumb, “You know, you don’t have to meet them if it’s making you freak out this much.”
Hatsune wants to jump at the idea of being able to stay home alone with Mana, but she knows that she needs to do this. Especially if one day she wants to marry Mana, “No, I want to meet them. I need to.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay. Let’s start getting ready then.”
Mana gets up first, and Hatsune wants to frown at how cold the bed is now, but she slips out of bed to look at her closet. She looks at the assortment of clothes, and she already feels her mind trying to fuzz its way out of the day.
“Need some help deciding what to wear, Ha-chan?"
“Yeah. I don’t know what to wear…”
“Hmm.” Mana takes a step toward the closet. She quickly chooses a simple sweater with some black jeans, “Here. This will look good on you.”
Hatsune starts changing, not bothering to leave the room. The two usually bathe together, so it’s not like Mana is seeing anything she hasn’t seen before. It did take a bit of warming up to the idea for Hatsune, given the fact that she had some less-than-good coping mechanisms that left scars on her thighs. She didn’t want Mana to see them initially but she didn’t want to be a liar anymore. She wanted Mana to know everything that she was getting into, even if there was a chance that Mana would leave her.
Of course, Mana didn’t run when Hatsune showed her. It was silly that Hatsune even considered that Mana would, especially after Hatsune had already told her about all the skeletons in her closet. But Hatsune couldn’t help but worry. What if the scars were just a tipping point? Mana was patient through all of Hatsune’s worries and gave a lot of reassurance until Hatsune understood that Mana wouldn’t be leaving her over any of it.
Anyway.
Mana had her own section of Hatsune’s closet, which was somehow becoming a bigger section than Hatsune’s own. She, of course, didn’t mind. Hatsune’s closet was relatively empty before Mana, so it was a nice change to see clothes in the closet rather than the black void. She wasn’t entirely sure how Mana accumulated so many clothes in her apartment, but she won’t question something that doesn’t bother her.
Mana picks something out from her side of the closet and changes into it, then leaves the room to probably do her makeup. Hatsune doesn’t have anything else to do in her room, so she follows Mana to the bathroom, just watching her. Mana doesn’t say anything, and they keep a comfortable silence.
“Come here, Ha-chan.”
Hatsune does what she's told.
“Let me try and make it look like you slept.” She dabs some concealer under Hatsune’s eyes.
Hatsune didn’t wear makeup on her own time; she didn’t even own any till Mana came along and said it would be good just in case. The two couldn’t really share makeup either since Hatsune was somewhat tanner than Mana, so Mana made it her mission to color-match Hatsune's skin with at least some foundation and concealer.
A bit of tapping away at Hatsune’s face later, Mana finishes up a basic makeup look, “There we go.”
Mana leaves the bathroom, and Hatsune doesn’t spare a glance at the work Mana put into Hatsune’s makeup; she knows that Mana did a good job already. She follows Mana into the kitchen.
“Should I make breakfast?” Hatsune asks.
“Can I trust that your sleep-deprived self won't burn yourself?”
Hatsune nods. She’s always been weirdly functional with a lack of sleep.
“Then I’ll make coffee."
Mana wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, so she was probably making it for Hatsune.
-
The two finally get around to leaving Hatsune’s apartment at noon. They’re wearing their simple disguises as they commute to Mana’s home. Hatsune doesn’t really know what to expect, and she feels her body trembling. Mana grabs her hand in an attempt to soothe her, but it only helps so much.
When they finally arrive at the Sumita home, Hatsune takes in how… normal… the house looks. She didn’t expect some sort of haunted house or gothic mansion since that would be silly, but it’s strange how normal the house is.
Mana pulls Hatsune up to the front door, pulling her inside.
“I’m home!” Mana calls out, “I brought Ui-chan!”
“Oh! I didn’t know you would be home so early. I thought we agreed on dinner!” Mana’s mom peeks her head out from what Hatsune can guess is the kitchen.
“We’ll do dinner, too, Mama. I just wanted to show her around our home since I'm always in her apartment!”
“Okay! Your father won't be back till later, so we’ll do more formal introductions then.” Mana’s mother comes out from the kitchen(?), “But it’s nice to meet you, Uika-chan. Mana has told us a lot about you."
“Yeah. Um… It’s nice to meet you, too.” Hatsune’s mind feels like it’s spinning with how unprepared she is for any sort of interaction. She thought that with how many times she rehearsed this interaction in her head, she would’ve been at least a bit more comfortable, but if anything, she just felt even more awkward.
Mana picks up on the atmosphere, “I’ll show Ui-chan my room!”
“Do you two want any snacks or anything?”
“Yeah, sure! Thanks, Mama!” Mana goes up the stairs with Hatsune awkwardly following.
Mana’s room is relatively close to the top of the stairs, so it doesn’t take long to get there. Mana opens the door and walks in without hesitation.
Hatsune doesn’t move from her spot in the door, but she looks all around the room. It’s a room way different than her own. There are decorations all around, splashes of pastel pink and green everywhere. It was a room that was very Mana.
She liked it.
“Ui-chan, don’t just stand in the doorway!”
Hatsune takes a singular step forward—she’s at least actually in the room now.
“Ui-chan."
“I’m sorry.” Hatsune shrinks into herself, “ I don’t know what to do in here.”
Mana’s smile doesn’t change. She grabs Hatsune’s hand, “I’ll just show you what's in here, kay?”
Hatsune nods.
Mana leads them to a plushie shelf, “This is my collection of stuffed animals! I haven’t really added to it lately, but I like to get a new one when I’m in a new place.”
Hatsune looks through all the stuffed animals. They’re all different animals, not a single repeat of an animal. Some are realistically colored, while others aren’t. Hatsune would say that they’re conventionally cute. “Do they have names?”
“Yeah! They all have names!” Mana goes on to list their names. Hatsune nods along and stores their names for later. She doesn’t think she’ll ever need to know all their names, but maybe Mana will appreciate it. Besides, Mana’s voice was nice to listen to. This cycle repeats for everything that Mana manages to show Hatsune.
Hatsune eventually catches sight of a framed picture next to Mana’s bed. It’s a picture of the two of them, and judging by the clothes they were wearing, it's the selfie Mana took on the day they started dating.
Hatsune picks up the picture and stares at it.
It hadn’t been all that long since then, even if it felt like they had been together forever at this point.
Hatsune starts going down a rabbit hole of thoughts. What would’ve happened if she had rejected Mana again that day?
Mana would probably try again since she’s stubborn like that. But what if Mana did give up? Even long before this photo happened. Would Hatsune even be here now? It was a horrible thought, but she really did think she would have died by now if she didn’t have Mana. It was bad that Mana was the only reason that Hatsune kept going, but Hatsune had never lived for herself. Even if she wanted to, she doesn’t even know how to. Was it really fair to Mana for Hatsune to be this way?
If one day Mana decides to leave her—a thought she hated more than anything—would she be able to move on?
Hatsune already knows the answer, though.
She’s not capable of it. The moment that Mana leaves her is the moment that Doloris, Misumi Uika—no—Misumi Hatsune, will cease to exist.
She wouldn’t even be able to fight for Mana because she knows that Mana would be right to leave her.
“Ui-chan?” Mana’s cute face is leaning over the photo.
Hatsune blinks, examining every little detail of Mana’s face. Her round eyes, her well-moisturized, glossy lips, her cheeks that carry a bit of roundness, and her slightly upturned brows, “yes?”
“You okay?"
“Yeah.” Hatsune wasn’t supposed to lie anymore, but today wasn’t supposed to be about her. She couldn’t worry Mana more. She’d already spent enough of the day doing that.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Hatsune manages to get a smile on her face, “Promise.”
Based on Mana’s expression, she doesn’t believe a word that Hatsune is saying. She doesn’t push, though. She sits on her bed, patting the free space next to her, “Sit, Ui-chan.”
Hatsune places the picture back on Mana’s nightstand before sitting next to Mana. For some reason, she feels like a little kid being scolded by their teacher.
“Y’know Ui-chan?” Mana’s hand lands on top of Hatsune’s.
Hatsune tilts her head in response. Her eyes keep avoiding Mana’s, no matter how much she tries to get them to look at those pretty brown eyes.
“I love you a lot.”
Hatsune doesn’t reply, chewing at her lip instead.
“I’ve never questioned my love for you once.” Mana beams, “How could I when I love to be with you? I love working with you as sumimi. I love it when you show me your interests, even when you say you don’t have any. I love how much time I can spend with you and never get bored. I could go on, but in the end, I just really love you.”
Hatsune fidgets with Mana’s fingers, looking down at her hands.
“You don’t have to say it back right now. Because I know you love me.” Maybe Mana really was an angel sent from heaven, “I see it every time you look at me.”
-
Mana and Hatsune were in the living room when Mana’s father came in. Hatsune expected some sort of gruff man, but instead she got to see a man that she could only describe as soft. His features were weirdly soft for an adult man, but she could see the resemblance between him and Mana. Mana was really just a perfect mixture of her father and mother.
“Papa!” Mana gets up from the couch to properly greet her father with a hug.
Hatsune was happy that Mana had such a great relationship with her family, but something about it made her feel wildly unwelcome. She really didn’t like that feeling; it always brought her memories she didn't want to remember.
Hatsune gets up from the couch, keeping a safe distance from Mana and her father, “Good evening, sir. I’m Misumi Uika.”
“Nice to meet you, Uika. I'm glad we could finally properly meet.”
“Likewise.” Hatsune bows a slight bit. She thinks that went way better than the interaction with Mana’s mother.
“Where’s your brother?” Mana’s father asks the girl.
“Hmm… No clue! I haven't seen him the entire time we’ve been here!”
Hatsune feels like she’s intruding, but she has no clue if it would be acceptable to go back to sit on the couch now. So she doesn’t move, but she doesn’t listen to anything they say either.
The front door opens, and in comes Mana’s little brother. He looks about nine years old if Hatsune had to guess. A weirdly big age gap for siblings, but maybe Hatsune was thinking too deeply into it.
“Nee-chan!” The small boy hugs his older sister.
“Hi, Ryota! Where have you been all day? I’ve been here all day and didn’t see you once!
“Playing with my friends at the park!” Ryota answers.
Hatsune really wants to leave now. She feels way too out of place.
“This is Uika, Ryota. She’s my girlfriend.”
Ryota looks up at the blonde, his smile disappearing, “Hi, I guess.”
Hatsune does her best to look nonfrightening. “Hi, Ryota-kun."
The little boy doesn’t reply; instead, he goes back to talking excitedly to Mana.
Hatsune can’t say she blames the boy for basically ignoring her existence. She does the exact same thing to herself every day.
-
Dinner comes around, and while Hatsune still feels unbelievably uncomfortable, she hasn’t had a meal cooked by a mother in forever. The food is good, and Hatsune is mildly aware that she's been dissociating for most of the time she’s been at the Sumita home. She’s letting autopilot take over for conversations and everything in between. That is till—
“What about your parents, Uika-chan?” The Sumita mother asks.
“Mama—” Mana tries to interrupt.
Hatsune is forced back into the driver's seat, “Oh, um… Mine? What about them?”
“Are they proud of how much you’ve been doing? Being a part of sumimi and a famous band is surely something to be proud of.”
“Um… Yeah, they’re proud. They’re the ones that did their best to make sure I’d be successful in Tokyo.” She lies. Sadaharu only continued to allow Hatsune in Tokyo because of the fact that Sakiko blackmailed him by threatening to expose to the media that Hatsune was an affair baby.
“That’s wonderful! Do you have any siblings?"
“Yeah… A younger sister.”
“Aw, you’re an older sister just like Mana!” The Sumita mother’s enthusiasm is clear in the way she speaks, “How old is she?”
“She’s about 13 right now…”
“So close in age with you! You must be close!”
Mana interrupts again, “Mama, whatever happened to that dog you wanted to get?”
Mana’s question successfully diverts her mother’s attention, and Hatsune takes a sigh of relief. She really doesn’t want to think about everything she did to her family right now. She’d have to face it one day, but not right now.
-
After dinner was cleaned up in a joint effort from Mana and Hatsune. They headed back up to Mana’s room so they could get ready for a bath. Of course, it was together, which Hatsune was kind of glad about. Part of the reason was that she just wanted some more Mana time alone, and the other part of her felt like she was going to try to drown herself in the bath if she was alone.
Mana lent Hatsune some clothes, a simple shirt, and pyjama pants. While Mana got a cute nightgown out.
Mana gets them some towels, and the bath is ready for them by then. Mana leads Hatsune into the bathroom so they can get undressed. Mana gets Hatsune to sit down on the stool so she can wash Hatsune’s hair.
“How was it, Ha-chan?” Mana lathers the shampoo into the blonde locks.
Hatsune can’t help but lean into the touch, “Your parents are nice…”
“Yeah. They are. How are you feeling, though?”
“I'm okay.”
“Okay.” Mana relents, kissing Hatsune on the cheek, “If it makes you feel better, they like you.”
“They do?"
“Mhm. They do. Ryota is a little shy, so if he doesn’t seem to like you, I promise it’s not your fault.”
“Okay…”
“Here.” Mana hands Hatsune the bottle, “Shampoo my hair.”
Hatsune can smell the floral shampoo in her own hair, but putting the shampoo into Mana’s hair only increased the potency of the scent. She liked it. Loved how much it smelled like Mana. The bubbles in Mana’s hair were a nice contrast to Mana’s brown hair. The feeling of Mana’s hair on her fingers was weirdly addicting. Hatsune could almost get lost in the cycle of lathering shampoo into Mana’s hair.
Mana giggles at the bubbles on her head, “That's a lot of bubbles.“
Hatsune pulls her hands back, admiring the giant pile of suds she managed to create on Mana’s hair.
“Let me rinse your hair, Ha-chan.” Mana stands up, somehow balancing the giant bubble mass on her head.
Hatsune finds herself weirdly entertained watching the bubble mound on Mana’s head as she moves around the bathroom. She is very disappointed when it comes time to rinse Mana’s bubble pile off, though
When the two finally get into the bath, they’re facing each other instead of how Mana will usually lean against Hatsune.
It’s Hatsune who breaks the silence this time, “I think I can get used to your family if I come around more often.”
“You don’t have to be around them if you don’t want to be.”
“It would make you happy if we all got along, though.”
“It would, but I don’t want you to push yourself, Ha-chan.”
“I want to get along with your family.” Hatsune scratches at the skin of her thigh, “I just don’t know how to do that.”
“Don’t worry, Ha-chan. I can help, kay?”
Hatsune nods.
-
“A futon?” Hatsune asks, looking at the guest futon on the floor next to Mana's bed. She was under the impression that they would be sharing the bed just as they had been at Hatsune's apartment all this time.
“They must've snuck in while we were out and put it down. I thought I told them to not bother.” Mana pouts before smiling, “Guess you being a girl doesn't exempt you from the ‘no funny business under my roof’ rule.”
Hatsune glares at the guest futon as if it committed identity theft and lied to everyone close to it, as well as falling in love with its niece—wait, wasn't that just herself?—
“As if that would stop us.”
Hatsune's head whips back at her girlfriend, shock and fluster written all over her face.
Mana bursts out laughing, “I'm joking, Ha-chan! You should see the look on your face!”
Hatsune falls to her knees, onto the guest futon. Some would think it was because of disappointment, but for Hatsune, it was pure relief. Her heart couldn't take how quickly it was beating from that little joke. It really felt like it was going to explode out of her chest and run circles around her dead body.
Hatsune further falls onto the futon, her face now buried into the fabric. It smelled nice. It didn't smell like Mana, so it definitely wasn't the best scent, but it was nice.
Her heart needed to calm down; a little bit of suffocation should help with that.
She lay like that for 12 exact minutes, not that Hatsune was counting. However, Mana was counting, and she just wanted to see how long it would take Hatsune to get up. When it seemed like Hatsune wasn't going to move any time soon, she poked the blonde with her foot.
Hatsune looks up at Mana on her bed.
“Whatcha doing?” Mana asks.
“Suffocating.”
“I prefer you alive, Ha-chan.” She teases.
Hatsune rolls on her back. No more suffocating for today. Maybe tomorrow.
“What are you still doing down there anyway? Come up here.” Mana pats the bed next to her.
“Won't your parents get mad?”
“Dunno!” Mana shrugs with a grin on her face, “So come up here!”
Hatsune stands up and falls into the bed next to Mana without argument. Girlfriend's word is law after all.
“Hey, doesn't this look like you, Ui-chan?!” Mana points at a stuffed animal.
Hatsune tilts her head. The stuffed animal was a golden retriever—or as close as a plush could mimic while still being cute—with a black baseball cap similar to the one Hatsune was wearing right now. “Does it?”
“Yeah! It totally does!” Mana picks up the plush—the last one in stock, Hatsune assumes since she cannot find another one like it on nearby shelves.
Hatsune nods. If her girlfriend said she looked like this plushie, then she wasn't going to disagree. Girlfriend's word is law after all.
“I'll buy it!” Mana announces, “Now lean down a bit, Ui-chan?”
Hatsune does as she is told, not really sure what this is about since they clearly can't kiss here, even though Hatsune could care less who sees.
Mana balances the plush on Hatsune's head with a giggle.
Hatsune has no issue with balancing things on her head, partly because of the baseball cap on her head, but also because her posture has always been naturally straight. Of course, whenever she debates killing herself, a slouch seems to be the norm.
Mana takes out her phone, snapping a picture of Hatsune with the plush dog on her head, “I'm definitely posting this online.”
-
The rest of the time in the store is spent browsing, nothing catching their attention, but Hatsune continues to balance the plush dog on her head till they can check out, which does attract some eyes, but her disguise is good enough that they aren't recognized.
She pulls it off her head when they meet the cashier; Mana gets her phone out to pay, but Hatsune beats her to it, and she successfully pays for the plush.
“Hey, I was gonna pay for that.”
“It's a gift now,” Hatsune replies, a bit of a suave smile on her face.
Mana returns the smile, a nice glint of love in her eyes that makes Hatsune's heart squeeze.
-
When the two came back to Hatsune’s apartment to eat some wonderful, delicious, probably unhealthy takeout. Mana posted the previous picture on her main social media account. And it was exploding in popularity at an unimaginable rate.
“See, they think you’re handsome, Ha-chan!”
Hatsune hums, food in her mouth.
“But they can’t beat how handsome I think you are!” Mana presses a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek.
Once Hatsune doesn’t have food in her mouth, she replies, “You’re prettier, though.”
“What a flirt you are.” Mana giggles, kissing Hatsune on her mouth this time, “Just make sure you quote-repost to your picture later.”
“Okay.” She pulls Mana back into the kiss.
-
From then on, whenever Mana would post on her main account. Mimi-chan the plush dog—and according to Mana, their daughter—would make her appearance in a lot of photos on Mana’s account and even in their private messages.
Mana was supposedly bringing Mimi-Chan everywhere, and Hatsune believed it, as that plush dog always seemed to be in Mana’s bag during dance practice, rehearsals, their dates, and even somewhere on Hatsune’s bed when they cuddled.
-
Mana had a side secret account. And while it wasn't secret to Hatsune, it was secret to the agency and their fans. Mana made Hatsune make a secret account as well, even though Hatsune was perfectly fine just using her big Winwing account for everything, but girlfriend's word is law, so she made one even though she rarely opens it, and the only person she follows is Mana's secret account.
Anyway, from what Hatsune could tell, Mana's secret account was a sumimi fanpage where she was a very loud uimana shipper (Hatsune had no clue what boats had to do with anything, but she could easily get that uimana was their duo name, like how sumimi is, but she didn't really get why they couldn't just use sumimi).
Mana had a ton of mutuals that were just as loud as her about putting them on a boat, and apparently, they were all freaking out about how Mana was posting Mimi-chan so often after the picture of Mimi-chan and Hatsune more or less went viral. They seemed to have caught on to how Mimi-chan was supposed to be reminiscent of Hatsune (though she wasn't sure if that was because Mana had led them down that thought or if Hatsune and Mimi-chan really looked that alike).
Mana was a person who was online much more than Hatsune. When Hatsune used to be online more, it was to stalk…
And well!
That was in the past, so it wasn't important, and she'd rather not think about it either. But back when she was on social media, she was way more unstable, and she was debatably better now, so her social media use naturally decreased. But either way, she was pretty lost on what the hell Mana was talking about, but she listened intently because no word her girlfriend could say was unimportant!
From what Hatsune could gather, Mana was partly posting things to her main account to make her secret account mutuals freak out. They obviously didn't know Mana was the one behind the secret account, nor was Mana going to tell them or give them hints, but she liked being part of the conversations those uimana fans were having; they said things she would've never known otherwise, and she found it entertaining. Hatsune didn't understand all too well, but yeah, she would like to be on a boat with Mana. Maybe a cruise, but nothing too long, she's seen enough water in her life.
Sumimi sadly could not keep the same outfits forever. The company had to reinvent the girls every now and then to keep it fresh. The fact that they were a duo made it harder to stand out in the idol culture, where having members in the double digits was the norm. It made them special in their own way. Still, the fans being able to pick only one of the two (or both) made it clear that sumimi lacked in variety, especially when their idol personalities were something both Hatsune and Mana didn't want to change.
That was unrelated as of now, though. Mana was currently about to get fitted for another outfit. The girls had to get new measurements every time since they were growing teenage girls. However, the two forgot that they would be taking their new measurements today until they got a reminder in the morning.
Hatsune sheepishly looks away as Mana hesitantly takes off her shirt, leaving her in a tank top. Now, Hatsune was not embarrassed about seeing her girlfriend's bare shoulders and collarbone. She was not an old Victorian man who had gotten a sneaky peek of a woman's bare ankle; she was not about to pass out at the sight of smooth skin. However, yesterday, in the midst of forgetting about their future obligations, Hatsune may or may not have bit and bit at the smooth, pale skin of Mana’s collarbone. And there may or may not be bruises left over from said endeavor. Hatsune wanted to keep working with her girlfriend, but this could lead to a scandal and end in Mana getting kicked out of sumimi.
The costume designer stares at the marks on Mana’s skin. Mana seems to shrink into herself, and Hatsune has never seen Mana with that sort of demeanour before. She was a proud and brave girl, but it seems that Mana gets worried and scared, too. How strange.
Hatsune wracks her brain for ideas of how to get out of this, and Mana is having similar thoughts based on her expression.
“Those mosquitoes are vicious out there.” The staff says, “They’ve been biting me a lot, too.”
Mana glances at Hatsune with a bewildered expression, “Uh, yeah! They've been getting to me even when I'm inside.”
Being compared to a mosquito wasn't something Hatsune expected today, but the more she thought about it, maybe that little pest and Hatsune were more similar than she originally thought.
Hatsune would like to suck the blood out of Mana's body—wait, what? That was probably not a normal thought to have. Hatsune shakes the thought off, entertaining it wasn't something she should be doing.
Not right now at least.
Though if those hickies could pass for mosquito bites, then Mana and Hatsune had nothing to worry about anymore. The costume designer doesn’t spare the marks another glance, and Mana is properly fitted for her next costume without a hitch. Hatsune had nothing to worry about when it came to marks on her own body. Mana wasn’t a biter like her, so Hatsune was mark-free! She wasn’t scar-free, but it never came up, so it didn’t really matter!
After Hatsune is measured, the girls are free to continue their day off.
“Do you think that staff was just playing dumb?” Mana asks.
Hatsune shrugs, “I would hope not.”
“Yeah…” Mana’s eyes drift off to the nearby bathroom, “Wanna make out in the bathroom?”
A girl should have self-respect and self-constraint; she should be prim and proper. Making out in the bathroom was an unbecoming and unruly activity, from the lack of space in those stalls and the amount of germs.
Disgusting.
Anyway.
Hatsune has never been a normal girl, and she nods, “Yes, please.”
Now, sumimi has always been a yuri-bait-heavy duo. They were two girls in the idol industry, fork found in kitchen! Water found in ocean! It was part of their contract that they would be yuribaiting with each other. Nothing too crazy, just lingering touches, long moments of eye contact, overall closeness that could make their fans think that there was something that was more than being colleagues. Since the two were dating now, these yuribait stunts were honestly way too light!
The company gave them a rundown of what they could do when they first formed sumimi, but opted for the girls to choose what was comfortable for them, which was quite the rarity in the idol industry. For obvious reasons, the girls couldn’t just make out on stage (to Hatsune’s dismay). But they could up the contact in between them by a hundred.
During MC segments, Hatsune would pull Mana close and keep her hand snuggly around the brunette’s hip. Sometimes Hatsune’s fingers would gently knead into Mana’s side; she was never really aware of it, but Mana’s flushed expression on the recording of the concert live was a dead giveaway that Mana was too aware of it. But it wasn’t like Mana’s face was becoming a glorified tomato; it was just a slight dusting of red on her cheeks. It would be noticeable if anyone lingered on the scene before them and zoomed in a bit, but it could be overlooked.
It did sound like that was exactly what Mana’s secret social media account mutuals were doing, though. And still freaking about it apparently.
Whenever they would perform, they would look at each other for an even longer extended amount of time, and when watching the recording back, Hatsune could very much see that their stares held a lot of romantic intention within them. It was a complete 180 from how it was when sumimi started, and Hatsune felt like some people had to know that at a point, it wasn’t acting.
Hatsune had decided to be a little risky during one live. She didn’t share her plan with anyone, not even Mana. It was probably their 15 billionth performance of “Here, the world!” and Hatsune had a bit of an attachment to the song since it was their first song and all, but also because she got to see how amazing Mana was for the first time during it. She may have been the farthest away from Mana at that time, but younger Hatsune was still amazed by Mana since she was really a true idol, unlike Hatsune. But anyway, “Here, the world!” was the perfect song to pull this stunt.
Hatsune danced along with her dumb guitar to Mana’s singing, watching intently for the perfect moment. The pause in the song came, and Mana looked over her shoulder with a grin that could compete with the sun in brightness. Hatsune grabbed Mana’s hand, pulling her close. It took all of Hatsune’s will to not kiss Mana on the lips, but she followed her original plan and pressed a quick kiss on Mana’s nose. The crowd cheers loudly, and Hatsune makes the most innocent expression she can force her face to make.
Mana’s expression doesn't change; she’s an actor, after all. It had to look like Mana knew that kiss was coming, so she looked back at the audience and managed to act out a feigned shock. A shock that looked so fake that it could only imply that the kiss was a premeditated stunt.
That section of the concert ends, and the girls quickly run back to the dressing room to change into the outfits they will wear for the encore segment. They had about 10 minutes before they had to be on stage again.
“Ha-chan, you kissed me! On stage!”
“You never said I couldn’t kiss you on the nose!”
Mana cackles. She wasn’t mad about the kiss at all, and Hatsune didn’t think she would be. But she did worry that Mana would be mad. Not for any real reason. Just an underlying irrational fear.
Mana pulls Hatsune close, their lips meeting in a soft touch. It doesn’t last long. Their kisses have never stayed sweet and short. A makeout session was always looming over them, and this kiss was no different.
At one point, Hatsune was apparently slowly inching them toward the wall in the midst of their desperate kisses. Mana’s back meets the wall, and she probably doesn't realize it. Or doesn’t care since there is a wonderfully handsome girl making out with her as if it gives her livelihood.
A knock rings on their dressing room’s door. But Hatsune sneaks in a couple more kisses before Mana’s hand comes in between their faces.
“Later, okay?”
“Later.” Hatsune nods, backing away.
Mana looks a bit disheveled and red, but both could be chalked up to changing really quickly. Hatsune is sure that the same could be said about her own appearance, but she does feel that Mana’s lip gloss has smudged off onto her face. Hatsune would not be fixing that. If people can get that they're dating from that, then so be it!
Is this what they call “soft-launching”?
The girls go back for the encore, which, of course, goes on without a problem. Hatsune has no clue whether or not the camera caught the lip gloss smudged on her face. True sumimi fans would know that Hatsune doesn’t wear lip gloss, just Chapstick. She was sold as the handsome one of sumimi and her makeup followed that guideline. Plus, she never liked the feeling of lip gloss; Chapstick was even pushing it, but she wore it nonetheless.
Sumimi apparently got an offer to have them turned into marketable plushies. Hatsune had no clue who would want to own a plushie of two underage idol girls, but that was a statement about society for later. Mana liked the idea, so Hatsune agreed with it because girlfriend’s word is law after all.
The plushies were designed, and Mana and Hatsune were tasked with advertising the samples in an ad.
Mana was holding the tiny Uika plush, holding it close to her face as she looked at the camera, “Doesn’t this Ui-chan look the cutest? She’s almost like the real thing!”
It was Hatsune’s turn to advertise the tiny Mana plush, “This Mana-chan can go everywhere in the world with you now! And if you preorder both of these plushies, you get an exclusive sumimi poster that has a chance to be signed by us!”
“And if you buy both plushies,” Mana starts going off script, “You can make them do this!”
Mana turns plushie Uika to “kiss” plushie Mana. Hatsune didn’t know she would ever be jealous of a plushie version of herself being able to kiss Mana on screen.
“Thank you for supporting sumimi!” The two of them say into the camera as it cuts.
Hatsune partially believed that they would be scolded for Mana’s overt yuribait stunt, but nothing was said, and that was probably because it would get both plushies sold out quicker. Capitalism wins in the end.
The company ended up letting the girls keep the samples; they were of themselves, so it sounded only right that they would be getting them for free. But as per usual, Mana took the Uika plushie, and Hatsune kept the Mana plushie. Having a plushie of your girlfriend was great!
After that day, the tiny Uika plushie made its debut on Mana’s social media account with Mimi-chan the plush dog and real Hatsune all in one photo with the caption of “they all really look the same.” The tiny Uika plush would be seen in a lot of Mana’s posts from then on, and it joined Mimi-chan in Mana’s bag wherever Mana went.
Their fanbase was very aware that Mana was very loving of Uika—it was very clear after Mimi-chan and tiny Uika. But when Hatsune posted a picture of herself in her too-empty bed with tiny Mana, her notifications exploded.
Hatsune apparently went viral again.
Mana lovingly teased Hatsune about the fact that Hatsune would sleep with tiny Mana when real Mana couldn’t stay the night, but Hatsune knew for a fact that Mana did the same with tiny Uika. That theory was then proved right when Mana quoted Hatsune’s post with Mana in her bed with tiny Uika.
A bit of time would pass from that, and most people would forget it happened till Mana quoted her own post with a picture of real Hatsune next to her in bed with a caption that read, “nothing beats the real thing~♪.” Which again, ended up making sumimi go viral.
Hatsune was a bit curious when Mana took that picture, as the picture showed Hatsune sleeping but facing away from Mana. Hatsune would never fall asleep facing away from Mana; they were always cuddling, so it was truly perplexing.
“When did you take this photo?”
“A long time ago! Even before we were still in our silly situationship!”
Hatsune took a sip of her coffee, thinking about it. She did recall that Mana stayed over once when sumimi first started, and it was raining too hard for Mana to leave that night.
“Is it all clicking, Ha-chan?”
“Yeah. It is now.”
“So now you’re aware that I’ve been flirting with you since the day I met you?”
Now this was news to Hatsune, “Eh? You were?”
Mana pouts, “You’re so mean, Ha-chan.”
Hatsune flounders, trying to remember their interactions from that long ago. If she was being honest, she couldn’t remember much of anything besides Sakiko from back then. And she didn't even want to remember that either.
Mana giggles, “Don't look so panicked, Ha-chan! I’m just messing with you!”
She takes a sigh of relief, “So you haven't been flirting with me since day one?”
“Oh, that part is true.”
Hatsune falls to the floor in a dogeza position, “I’M SORRY!”
“Whoa, Ha-chan!” Mana kneels down next to the blonde, “You don’t have to apologize or apologize this deeply!”
Hatsune looks up at the brunette and frowns, “I wasn’t the best to you back then!! I’m sorry!!!”
“It’s not like you killed my dog or anything like that. You just treated me as a coworker, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Her words don’t make Hatsune feel better, and she goes back to having her head rest on the cold floor. Mana sits down next to the blond, using a bit of strength to roll Hatsune on her side and put Hatsune’s head in her lap.
Hatsune always thought that she’d gotten better than she was before, but guilt still dragged at her, and she didn’t know why Mana’s offhand admittance was making her feel so horrible.
Maybe today was just one of her bad days. She didn’t have a bad day in a long time. She was almost convinced that Mana somehow fixed her. But that was a stupid thought, Mana wasn’t capable of that, and it would be wrong of Hatsune to think she could. But she couldn’t help it.
Mana was the same age as her, a couple months younger, but that didn’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Mana was her girlfriend, not her saviour, not her therapist, just a girl who loved her. Hatsune didn’t get why; she would never understand why a girl as amazing as Mana chose her. Hatsune didn’t deserve that; she was horrible and rotten, while Mana was so alive. Hatsune was draining all of Mana’s livelihood because all Hatsune knew how to do was take and destroy.
She didn’t even notice that she was sobbing into Mana’s shirt.
“It’s okay, Hatsune. You can cry, and I won’t leave.” Mana’s hand brushes through blond locks.
The reassurance somehow makes her cry harder.
-
Hatsune kept tiny Mana in her bag so she could come with her everywhere. Hatsune would always make sure to put tiny Mana in her school bag on school days, and she would freak out if she somehow forgot tiny Mana back at home, and go straight home to get her. It didn't matter how close Hatsune was to her destination; she would turn around. She luckily never forgot tiny Mana too often, so it’s not like she was building a reputation for being tardy.
Sometimes she found herself playing with tiny Mana’s hands? Nubs? Paws? Whatever those were. But it was comforting.
At school, during lunch, Uika did her best to entertain her fans, but sometimes she would be able to sneak away, and she would usually hide in the bathroom with her tiny Mana plush. Hatsune had a feeling that, despite real Mana bringing tiny Uika everywhere, she probably did not take her everywhere like how Hatsune did. But she missed her girlfriend a lot, and she knows that Mana’s school doesn’t allow phones, not even Hanasakigawa allowed phones, but Hatsune snuck peeks at her phone when she could. In case Mana could text, of course.
Hatsune had never actually spent lunch eating anything, and, in general, her nutrition was definitely lacking from meals she skipped. She just didn’t feel hungry, and if she did, the idea was easily overshadowed by everything else.
Hatsune gets an urge to check her phone notifications, so she pulls it out of her pocket. Mana had texted just a couple of seconds prior. Hatsune felt like her eyes would be shimmering if she could see them now. So she happily pressed on the notification.
Mana: whatcha doing :3
Uika: Nothing. It's lunch time
Mana: did u eat? :3
Uika: No
Mana: ha-chan!
Mana: get some food!
Uika: Okay.. What should I get?
Mana: idk
Mana: yakisoba bun?
Mana: just something ok? 🥺
Uika: Okay
Mana: send pics when u get something! :3
Mana sends a photo of herself eating an octopus shaped hotdog.
Hatsune saves the photo to her phone. More photos to add to the album dedicated to Mana's pictures only. Which Hatsune's phone wasn't really full of any other photos other than Mana and tiny Mana. So was the album really necessary?
She gets up to leave the bathroom with tiny Mana and makes her way to buy something. Girlfriend's word is law after all.
On her way back from buying a yakisoba bun, she spots Umiri and Taki. Hatsune isn't entirely sure what their relationship is, but since they spotted her and she had made eye contact, she feels obligated to walk up and at least say hi.
“Umiri-chan, Taki-chan.” She slightly bows in greeting, “...having a good lunch?”
“More or less.” Taki says, “Wanna sit with us?”
“Um.. I wouldn't like to intrude…” She glances at Umiri. If the two of them really were dating, she doesn't think Umiri would appreciate interrupted time with her girlfriend.
“Fine with me.” Umiri shrugs.
It would be rude to decline the offer now, Hatsune thinks. She would rather go back to hiding in the bathroom stall she calls her lunchroom, but it is probably nearing the end of lunch, so it wouldn't be too long.
Uika nods, sits down, and places tiny Mana on her lap. “Thanks for the invitation.”
“We don't usually see you out here, Misumi-san.”
“I was just taking a walk.” She fidgets with tiny Mana's paws.
“Is that Sumita-san?” Umiri asks with a slight tilt of her head.
“Ah… Yes.” Uika stills her fidgeting.
Umiri doesn't question further while Taki raises her brow but doesn't ask, to Hatsune's relief. She doesn't really know what to say. Umiri was still one of the ones of Ave Mujica that she had no clue how to talk to. When they were left alone, it would be silent.
Hatsune catches sight of the Yakisoba bun; she needs to take a picture of it for Mana. She slips out her phone, taking a picture of tiny Mana holding the Yakisoba bun, and sends it to Mana.
Mana replies almost immediately to Hatsune's surprise. She was very sure that Mana was back in class by now since her school’s lunch started earlier than Hanasakigawa's. And the one thing that Hatsune is always aware of is her girlfriend's schedule. She knows what class starts and ends at any point of the day for Mana. She knows when Mana gets home and if Mana will go home late for any reason. She knows everything.
Mana: eat well ha-chan! :3
Uika: I will
Mana: love u lots!! <3333
Uika: I love you, too
Mana: gtg! I just wanted to make sure u got your food :3c
Uika: oh ok
Uika: I'll see you later
Mana: 💚💛
Hatsune stares at the messages for a moment.
“Y'know phones aren't allowed during the school day,” Taki says, taking a sip of her chocolate milk.
“Some rules are meant to be broken,” Hatsune replies absentmindedly. She pauses for a moment as if she realizes that she spoke her true thoughts. “Ah… I said that out loud, didn't I?”
Taki nods, “Sure did. It's fine, it's not like we're gonna tell. We use our phones during school all the time.”
Hatsune doesn't reply, but she takes one last glance at her and Mana's text conversation.
“Besides, you probably have a better reason to use your phone during school since you're an idol.” Taki shrugs.
“I suppose so.” Uika grabs at her Yakisoba bun. She told Mana she would eat it, so she had to. Before she unwraps it, she takes a glance at tiny Mana in her lap. Hatsune couldn't let her get dirty. She'd probably break down in the middle of the school's courtyard and maybe, possibly, try to jump off the roof. She pulls up her shirt a little bit, stuffing tiny Mana under her undershirt and her uniform top. She can't be reached by a spill under two layers of fabric.
Uika realizes she's still in front of people, and she sheepishly looks up to Taki and Umiri's questioning looks.
“I… uh… don't want to get her dirty.” Hatsune makes no movement to try to remove tiny Mana from under her shirt. She would rather be embarrassed than get tiny Mana dirty.
“You could put her on the ground,” Taki suggests.
“No. The ground is dirty, I can't do that,” Hatsune says a bit too quickly. But she truly believed those words. She refused to have tiny Mana in a place she deemed dirty. Tiny Mana was safest on Hatsune or in her bag.
Taki shrugs, and Umiri doesn't say anything either. Hatsune opens up the Yakisoba bun's packaging and takes tentative bites. She doesn't have a real preference over food, so it's not like her slow eating is because she doesn't like the Yakisoba bun.
Umiri and Taki talk amongst themselves, and Hatsune stops hearing what they're talking about very early on. Hatsune does notice that Umiri has always been more comfortable talking with Taki than anyone else, but either way, it's not her business. She stares in the distance behind the other girls. Not thinking of anything in particular as she chews her way through her bun. At least Mana will be happy that she ate all of the Yakisoba bun and not just a quarter of it.
“Misumi-san,” Umiri calls.
“Ah.” Uika snaps out of her daze, “Is it time to go back in?”
Umiri nods her response, and Hatsune pulls tiny Mana out from her makeshift defense, aka her shirt and undershirt. Hatsune tucks her undershirt back into her skirt with her free hand, and the three of them make it back to their respective classes.
Hatsune puts tiny Mana back into her school bag. Her bag is slightly open so she can make sure tiny Mana is always visible. She didn't want to risk someone stealing tiny Mana, so it was best if she could always keep her eye on her.
She doesn't know who would try to steal something from Uika from sumimi and Ave Mujica, but Hatsune would never want to lose tiny Mana because she just didn't pay attention.
-
Once again, during a break time in Ave Mujica’s band practice, Hatsune sat on the floor far away from everyone. She had tiny Mana in her hands, continuing with her regular fidgeting with tiny Mana’s paws. She was weirdly anxious today. Usually, she left tiny Mana in her bag during Ave Mujica practice, but today felt so off. She swore she felt more fuzzy today. Was it because she hadn’t been able to see Mana in two weeks? This was the longest she had gone without Mana, and for some reason, texts and calls weren’t cutting it for her.
It was so fucked up how much she depended on Mana’s presence.
“Yo, Uiko~”
Uika’s head snaps up to look at the girl, “Yes, Nyamu-chan?
“You good?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Nyamu’s sight sets on tiny Mana, “What's with that?”
“I miss her…”
“....” Nyamu raises a brow, “...She’ll be back…?”
Uika nods, looking back at tiny Mana.
Hatsune had always been aware that she wanted to marry Mana. From the first day they started dating all those years ago. And even though they had ups and downs and Hatsune was probably still not the most stable, she knew what she wanted, and Mana wanted it too. Now that they were 18, it was a lot more possible for them to get legally married. Japan was still pretty shaky on same-sex marriage, but the government legalized it, so what did it matter what others thought?
In a weird turn of events, Winwing was supportive of homosexuality and was building a reputation that easily attracted more of an LGBTQ crowd to it. Hatsune has no clue what Sakiko did to make this change happen, but she will never question their God’s power.
Mana wrote a long letter to their fans, and also made Hatsune write one. It was going to be their first post officially disclosing their relationship. While the two of them were not married yet, Hatsune had popped the question, so it was only a matter of time.
Their posts included their letters and a picture of the two of them kissing—Mimi-chan, the plush dog, making her appearance in between them.
As soon as they pressed post, their phones were bombarded with notifications. Some from fans that were outraged that their oshis were in love with each other and not with them, some from fans wishing them the best, some from fans cheering in the fact that uimana was in fact canon. Other notifications came from text messages.
Nyamu: WAT THE ACTUAL FUCK???
Nyamu: WHEN THE HELL DID YOU TWO GET TOGETER????
Nyamu: HELLO?????
Umiri: We will be at your wedding, right, Misumi-san?
Mutsumi: Congrats.
Sakiko: While unexpected, congratulations on your engagement, Hatsune. :) I’m glad you found the one.
Hatsune: Thank you.
Hatsune wasn’t sure why Nyamu and Sakiko were so surprised. She had called Mana her “girlfriend” so many times in front of all Ave Mujica, did they all just think there was a space in between “girl” and “friend”?
Mana’s phone was also blowing up with messages from her family group chat. Apparently, they were also unaware of Mana and Hatsune’s relationship status?
How many people of the people that they thought were aware of their relationship actually weren’t?