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“Shit! It’s spring, why is the weather changing on us so soon? Does anyone have an umbrella?!” Airi was shrugging off her cardigan, planning to use it to shield her hair from the rhythmic patter of rain dropping onto the rooftop. “Eh..? I have one, but I don’t think it would fit all four of us..” Shizuku dropped her bag, trying to find the much needed umbrella they yearned for. She found it eventually, holding it up like a prize.
“You and Airi can share it. Minori and I live relatively close, so we won’t get as wet as you two. Plus, I’d like to leave things to Minori and I today.” Haruka began packing up her things, giving a slight wink focused at Minori.
“Ah..! Are you saying you want to walk home with me, Haruka? Of course! I’ll be more than happy to walk home in the rain if that means I can walk with you!!!” Minori rambled on, leaving the rooftop with Haruka. She truly was Harukas #1 fan, whether she was in ASRUN or in MORE MORE JUMP.
“That just leaves us, huh? We should get going soon aswell, I’d hate for you to be stranded in the rain like this..” Airi gestured for Shizuku to walk down the stairwell before her. “..Eh? Wait, Airi.. how do I open this again?” Shizuku glanced over nervously, walking down the stairwell, trying not to slip as water squelched down the soles of her shoes.
“I’ll show you once we leave, you know the saying? Never open an umbrella indoors!” Airi took the umbrella from Shizuku’s hand, fiddling with the buttons that retracted it. “Ow! God, that scared me, did it hit your face, Shizuku? I’d hate for it to have..” Airi shoved the umbrella back, letting it drop to the floor as she caressed Shizuku’s cheek.
“..Airi?” Shizuku gasped, turning pink in the cheeks Airi held. “Eeeeh?! Did i just do that?! I’m so sorry Shizuku!!” Airi covered her face in her hands, flushing red with sheer embarrassment. “Ah, don’t worry. I’d even like for you to continue. I really like when you do things like this for me, Airi..”
“Huh? I thought- i thought you didn’t want me doing that? Okay..” Airi awkwardly rubbed Shizuku’s face once more, which had noticeably gone more red than it had previously. “..Thank you, Airi.”
Airi blushed, her forced smile weakening into something softer, more natural. “Don’t worry about it.”
…
Airi was the first to break the tension. “We should get going, huh? We’ve been here for ages, our families might get worried.” Shizuku looked a bit upset hearing this, but nodded. “No need for the long face! We can definitely do this tomorrow or whatever, if it’s still raining..”
“Hehe, okay Airi.. I’m looking forward to it. Let’s go.” Shizuku tugged on Airi’s arm, smiling widely, with her upper teeth prominent. Airi’s heart fluttered as the two walked out the doors, intertwining their fingers. “This rain, I can’t believe it! How did it get so heavy?!” Airi sighed, tightening her grip on the umbrella.
Airi hadn’t said much their entire walk, which was weird, as she was one to break the tension most times. She was pretty zoned out, staring at her feet. Shizuku was always the first to notice when Airi was acting off, giving her small glances every now and then, which Airi didn’t always deliver back.
“..Can we stop here for a second?” Airi looked at Shizuku, then averted her gaze to a nearby bus stop. Shizuku, grateful for the tension being broken, nodded as she was led to the benches. “Sorry for being so quiet. I’ve been really thinking about something, for the both of us. Airi tugged at the collar of her slightly wet cardigan, which she put back on a while ago, thanks to the umbrella sent from the heavens above, as she’d call it.
“For the both of us..? What were you thinking about, Airi?” Shizuku stared at her, with big, puppy eyes, which caused Airis ‘tough’ demeanour to crumble in an instant. “..I really like you, Shizuku. More than friends, and I have for a while.” Airi whispered, fidgeting with her cuticles. Unable to look Shizuku in the eye.
…
“Airi.. I don’t think- I don’t feel.. the same.” Shizuku matched her tone, but even while doing this, it didn’t make the words hurt any less. “Okay.” And the girls continued their way home, which had frankly become much more awkward than it had previously.
“Thanks for walking me home first, Shizuku. Haha.. I’ll see you tomorrow, stay safe, okay?” Airi smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and the door clicked shut. Shizuku stared at the door for a while, before whispering “..I’m sorry, Airi.” She stood still, before fumbling with her phone, trying to get the directions up.
It didn’t take long for tears to fall over Airis face. Her warm cheeks now stained with utter heart break. “..Okay.” Was all she could say.
-
“Eh.. Where am I..?” Shizuku mumbled, looking around to find any prominent landmark, like Airi had taught her. But, between keeping her identity hidden, and trying to find her way home, it was a tricky task for someone like Shizuku. She was naturally air headed, and struggled with directions. Airi was normally the one to walk her home after school. Oh, Airi..
Shizuku sat down, under the shade of her umbrella, protecting her from the harsh rain which is now settling down. She felt so sad, but why? Shizuku didn’t have feelings for Airi, did she..?
Eventually, Shizuku took out her phone, and after fumbling with it for a while, she rang Shiho, her dearest little sister. Shiho didn’t like to show her love to Shizuku, but she knew Shiho would always help her when she needed it most. Like now. It was getting late, and the rain wasn’t making it easier for her to navigate her way back.
Shiho picked up on the 4th ring, seemingly annoyed from the interruption of her practice.
Shiho: <For the last time, Shizuku, I’m not walking home with you!>
Shizuku: <Shii..>
Shiho: <..What happened?>
Shiho: <..I’m coming now, stay where you are, okay?>
Shizuku: <Okay, thank you Shii..>
Shizuku could hear Shiho saying her farewells to her bandmates, and then rapid footsteps before Shiho hung up.
…
“Shizuku!” Shiho slid her phone into her cardigan pocket upon arrival. “..How did you get here? This is the complete opposite way! You live in the same direction as Momoi, do you not?!”
“..Also, speaking of her, isn’t Momoi the one to walk you home? What happened?” Shiho sat down next to Shizuku, whom coincidentally was on a bus stop’s bench, again. Though, it didn’t take long for Shizuku’s tears to fall herself. “Shii..”
-
“Uuuurgh..” Airi yawned, shoving her face into her cat themed pillow. She didn’t feel tired, more-so out of it. She was out of everything after Shizuku rejected her. Airi swore Shizuku had felt the same, the way she blushed while being around Airi, when they held hands, heck, even when Airi stood up for Shizuku while Arisa was being a bitch to her back when she was in Cheerful*Days! None of this made sense..
Airi’s face was illuminated by her phone screen, in the dark night. She was scrolling down videos of cats, silently crying over the fact she was allergic. Gosh, she was pathetic! When did she get so soft?! All of her crying had tired Airi out. Her pink cat pillow, now stained with tears. Airi hadn’t expected a rejection to hurt this much. I guess it isn’t every day you get rejected by your best friend, your rival, your lover.. Enough! It’s not the time to be sulking!
Eventually, Airi shook off her uniform, and stepped into her pyjamas, flopping into bed. She assumed she wouldn’t be getting much sleep, but she may aswell try. She had practice early tomorrow, she better be well rested for it.
-
“Aah! It’s stopped raining! Such a miracle!” Minori giggled, taking slow but excited steps around the Miyamasuzaka rooftop, which was still slightly wet from yesterday’s downfall. “Minori, be careful with what you say, especially with your bad luck!” Haruka leaned against the wall, giving Minori a pretend stern look.
“Harukaaaa! I’m so so so sorry!! I want it to rain! I want it to! Please, rain!” Minori switched up her tone, pleading to the slightly cloudy sky.
“How about you don’t say anything?” Airi sighed, speaking a bit more bluntly than she did usually. She closed the rooftop’s doors behind her, and sat down, resting against the wall. “Airi, you seem out of it. Did anything happen? We never heard from you after our walk home.” Haruka tilted her head, now facing Airi.
“Eeeeh?! No! Nothing happened! It was a perfectly normal walk! I’m just tired, I didn’t get much sleep, you know?” Airi immediately became flustered, and no nobody’s surprise, her obviously made-up-in-one-second excuse didn’t sit right with anyone.
The rooftop doors slammed open, leaving yet another dent into the wall. “Ah.. sorry I came late, everyone! I had to catch up on some work, and..” Shizuku started to apologise, and her breath caught when she saw Airi. She immediately turned and walked to the opposite side, unable to make eye contact.
Minori and Haruka gave eachother a look, but didn’t push. “Haha.. let’s get started, everyoneee! MORE MORE JUMP Practice live #33 is starting!!!” Minori cheered with forced enthusiasm as Haruka began to set up the tripod camera.
…
Viewer: <Are Airi and Shizuku giving it their best? They don’t seem all that determined today..>
Viewer: <Yeah, they definitely aren’t! Something must have happened, right?>
Viewer: <Minori and Haruka are doing amazing, but it doesn’t make up for the obvious decrease in energy from Shizuku and Airi..>
“We’ll be back soon, everyone! Thanks for coming to our live! This is Minori Hanasato signing out!” With a beep, the live had ended. It was probably one of MORE MORE JUMP’S worst preforming lives yet, with the highest amount of viewers only reaching 600. Over half missing from their usual average.
“Okay, seriously, what happened between you two? You’ve been acting all off, and now it’s affecting possible work.” Haruka shot daggers at Shizuku and Airi, whom were already flushed pink from sheer embarrassment. “Nothing happened between us, it was just an off day!Right, ..Shizuku?” Airi defended herself immediately, yet she still couldn’t meet Shizuku’s eyes.
“..Airi’s right. Nothing happened between us, you shouldn’t worry.” Shizuku mumbled back, grasping the back of her neck. “Well.. I’ll be off! I have to get groceries for my family, and- bye! I’ll see you next week! Have a nice weekend! I can’t wait to see you again, Harukaaaa!!!” Minori grabbed her backpack, and soon after, the rooftop door clicked shut.
“..Whatever happened between you, it better resolve soon, okay?” Haruka sighed, and left soon after Minori, leaving Shizuku and Airi alone together.
“A-ah. I’ve gotta go look after my sisters, okay? I’ll see you..” Airi fumbled with her words, and practically sprinted out. “Wait! Airi, I-“ Shizuku jumped up, catching Airi by the arm. “Please walk home with me. I really struggled to get home last night, so please.” Shizuku mumbled, growing pink. “Ah.. of course, Shizuku. You don’t need to beg or anything, we’re still friends regardless of what you think of me. Still friends.
…
“See you, Airi! And.. thank you.” Shizuku gave her a slight wave, and quickly closed her front door. Airi quickly walked off. She couldn’t bear to be around Shizuku right now. She just wanted to be somewhere quiet, she’ll leave the ‘sort it out’ business orders from Haruka for another day.
-
“Shii? I’m home! But.. I need some advice, please… Shii~” Shizuku walked up the stairs, leading to Shihos room. “Hold on, hold on! I’m coming! Sheesh, give me some time here.” Shiho grumbled.
“Alright, what’s up. You’ve been weird, is it something to do with Momoi? But, if you’re looking for advice, make it quick. I don’t have all day for your shenanigans, Shizuku!” Shiho rested against her doorframe, staring at Shizuku.
“Ah.. thank you Shii~ So.. do you remember our walk home? In the rain? Well.. that night, I..”
…
“So, basically, you rejected Momoi?” Shiho sighed, seemingly irritated this wouldn’t take more than a couple minutes to solve. She invited Shizuku onto her bed.
“Ah.. don’t put it so rudely, Shii! I just, don’t know how to feel..” Shizuku wiped her nose with her sleeve, and released her shoulders tension she hadn’t noticed was building up. What were these feelings?
“I kind of felt that way when I started to like Saki. It hit me hard, but i refused to believe it. After all, we were childhood friends.. that was wrong in my eyes, you know?”
“Ah, Shii~ you’ve never told me the story of your first love! Hehe, I’m so happy!” Shizuku giggled, as Shihos face turned red. “Don’t put it that way! Just let me talk for a moment, you wanted advice, right? ..Well, I eventually confessed, and to put it bluntly, Saki didn’t know what to say. Sort of like you, right?”
“Ah, really? But then, how did you girls get together? Did you keep on asking her? Did you beg, Shii~?” Shizuku started asking valid questions, but trailed onto the mischievous side towards the end, much to Shiho’s annoyance.
“Look, look! I’m getting there! Just hold on! ..It took her an entire week to confess back, and with Ichika, Honami and M- er, their help. It was pretty smooth sailing afterwards and I’m enjoying it.” Shiho grinned towards the end, with a faint pink flushing her cheeks. She really did love Saki. So, what was Shizuku feeling with Airi?
“Shizuku, I’ve seen the way you look at Momoi. I’m not one to talk for your feelings, that’s your job, but I think you could return the feelings Momoi has for you, back to her. I have to practice now. See ya.” Shiho grabbed her bass, and waved at Shizuku before leaving, leaving Shizuku alone with her thoughts. Her loving Airi, could be a possibility..
“Ah..! Luka, when did you get on my phone?”
“I heard that one of our girls needed help, and I’m here to deliver~” Luka smiled, her holographic appearance brightening Shiho’s dull room.
-
“Hmm.. my homework’s finished, and I’ve been caught up with everything else. Nothing to do, huh?” Airi yawned, stretching on her bed. Shes been loving her bed recently.
“I can’t just stay here sulking, can I? May aswell do something productive.” Airi glanced at her phone, which had been displaying her music playlist. Untitled. In a moment, Airi’s room is decorated full of white shards, blinding her into Stage SEKAI.
…
“Airi! Hello!” Rin waved from the main stage, and once her song ‘Melancholic’ had finished, which seemed oddly fitting to Airi, Rin greeted her formally at the entrance of Stage SEKAI. “How are you? It’s been a while since you’ve visited!” Rin hopped around, her puffy skirt’s layers shaping her movements nicely.
“Are you alright? You seem pretty down today, Airi!” Rin hopped up onto an audiences row of seats, patting the one next to her, gesturing for Airi to sit with her.
“Well, it’s a long story, but..”
…
“Shizuku.. rejected you?” Rin tilted her head, moving her body to face Airi. “She.. did.” Airis voice cracked on the last word. “I just- she seemed to love me, im sure of it! None of this makes sense..!” Airi sniffed, hiding her face with her sweaters sleeve.
Rin patted her back. “Huh.. that doesn’t sound like Shizuku. She really admires you, I guess we’ve been getting the wrong idea all this time..”
“I guess so, haha. This week is really funny. I wish it could just repeat itself so I wouldn’t have to go through all this shit.” Airi stood up and stretched herself out. It was always a routine for her, as she always hoped it would help her grow taller. It never really worked, just became a habit.
“Airi, can I sing for you? I want to give you hope! Hope that you give to everyone! Pleaseeeee!” Rin grabbed Airi’s hands, and pleaded with puppy dog eyes. “Sure, sure.”
-
“I think I love Airi.” Shizuku stared at herself through Shiho’s mirror, while Luka listened intently. “Ah, you’ve figured it out? A little birdie told me she might just be in SEKAI right now, if you’d like to take a visit.” Luka smiled, and the shards from Shizuku’s phone slowly disintegrated. “Ah- Luka..? SEKAI…”
Shizuku pressed untitled on her phone, blinding her while white shards flooded the scenery around her, as she was transported to Stage SEKAI. Where Airi was. Where her lover was.
“Ah, she’s here! Rin, Shizuku’s here!” Luka cheered, ushering Airi onto the Main Stage. “Eh-?! Shizuku’s here, I- when did she get here?! Huuuh?!” Airi stuttered, growing flustered as Rin comically attempted to push her up the stairs.
“Airi! I love you! Please, accept my confession!” Shizuku cupped her hands around her mouth, making a makeshift megaphone, as she ran across the barriers, trying to get up to the Main Stage.
“Shizuku, I-“ Airi couldn’t continue before Shizuku caught up to her, and caught her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Airi. The pain I gave you. I’m sorry. I love you.” Shizuku kept on repeating her apologies, mixed in with her confession, as she tightened her embrace.
“Shizuku.. you’re squishing me..! You do know there is a massive height difference between us.. I love you too, okay? I love you! I love you!” Airi was attempting to free herself from Shizuku’s bear hug, yet she could only think of one thing.
Kiss her.
And so she did, Airi stood up on her toes, and it perfectly matched where Shizuku’s lips were. Those beautiful lips that parted when Shizuku was confused, those lips that opened when she smiled at her, at Airi. Those lips were hers. Time seemed to stop. This was the best day ever.
Shizuku relaxed, and gave into Airi’s bold kiss. Airi’s lips were plump, often tightened with a hint of a smile most days. Those same lips when Airi spoke, which made Shizuku’s heart flutter. She hadn’t realised how much she had fallen for her, until it was too late. But nothing mattered now. Those lips were Shizuku’s now.
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