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She had been dozing off when she got the text message from Riko. She hadn’t changed out of her Tokyo outfit, and she was still sitting at her desk, apparently— her head pillowed on her arms. She looked up blearily when she felt her phone buzzing next to her, and the first thing she realized was that she still had the framed picture of her and Chika when they were younger, clutched in her hand. Her heart ached as she gazed longingly at it.
Chika looked so innocent and happy back then, always full of spirit and adventure. You missed that smile. The smile that shone brighter than the sun and all the stars in the universe, the smile that filled her world with so much hope when all she could see was despair.
Now, when Chika smiled, it was strained. Forced. As if it was her job to make everyone cheerful again, to remind them that they could still reach for the sky and shine in their own ways. She smiled for others now, never for herself.
With a solemn sigh, You picked up her phone and opened up the message. Her eyes widened in alarm.
You-chan, I think Chika-chan needs us right now. Please gather everyone else and meet me at the beach as quickly as you can!
A mass of questions stormed around in her head all at once. Was Chika in trouble? Was she alone right now? And how did Riko know she’d be at the beach?
Pushing all concerning thoughts to the back of her mind (and forcing her heart to calm down), she sent an urgent message to Hanamaru, Yoshiko and Ruby, repeating Riko’s instructions. Then she barged out of her room so fast that she thought she heard her chair crashing to the floor, but that was the least of her worries. She flew down the stairs two (or possibly three) steps at a time and made her way out the front door. She must’ve forgotten to close it because she heard her mother calling out to her, her voice full of worry.
But she didn’t stop, nor did she turn back. Getting to Chika was the most important thing right now.
As You ran faster than she thought she ever could towards the beach, she couldn’t help but berate herself over her own stupidity. How could she let this happen? Her best friend was clearly upset and suffering from the guilt of their failure. She should be by her side right now, consoling her and doing all kinds of silly things to bring back that smile she loved so much. Chika must be feeling so alone, with all her friends leaving her to carry the weight of all their hard work gone to waste.
You had never hated herself more than she did now.
Chika-chan, I’m so sorry. It’s not your fault— none of it is!
Tears stung in her eyes and blurred her vision, but she only ran faster to shake them off into the wind. When she finds Chika, she was going to make it up to her. She was going to do everything in her power to convince Chika that this one failure won’t determine their future. They were still Aqours, they still had each other— and don’t they shine the brightest when they’re together? She would prove to Chika that a big, fat zero couldn’t do a thing to tamper their spirits, especially when they still had a long way to go. After all, as she always used to say, it really isn’t smooth sailing without a little storm.
And no matter what, You promised to herself that she wasn’t ever going to leave Chika’s side again. Not when Chika needed her, and she needed Chika.
Bursting through the trees, You stumbled into the beach and opened her mouth to yell. “Chika-cha—!”
She stopped dead.
It had been drizzling a little, the skies full of grey clouds and the wind strong and chilly, causing the tides to crash loudly into the shore. With her feet half-planted in the soft sand, she could almost feel the waters latch onto her like claws, taking her into the ocean and dragging her down, down, down…
Chika wasn’t at the beach. Neither was Riko.
But You could see them right in front of her.
There, standing knee-deep in the water, Riko’s arms wrapped around Chika’s from behind, they were talking softly to each other, as if sharing a code not meant for other people’s ears. In the weak dawn light, obscured by the clouds, they were merely dark salutes in the middle of a vast ocean, but somehow You managed to make out their faces. Chika had been crying. All the pressure that had been building up inside of her must have finally blown up, ultimately resulting in a breakdown. Riko’s face was calm, gentle and sympathetic. The comfort in her eyes must match her words as well, because Chika seemed to have quieted down.
But You couldn’t bring herself to be glad that Chika wasn’t really alone all along, or that she was never in serious trouble. She couldn’t even rejoice over the fact that her best friend was feeling so much better now that she had someone to confide in. No, all You could think of was how it should’ve been her, right there with Chika, holding her in her arms and whispering words of encouragement into her ear. It should’ve been her who found Chika here first, standing in her lonesome, and it should’ve been her Chika poured out her problems to. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t right—
It should’ve been me!
You wanted to scream. To stomp her foot and cover her ears and just let out the bubbling fury in her chest; all the guilt and self-loathing and frustration at not being here on time, because it should’ve been her. And then there was the part of her that wanted to fall to her knees and cry, clenching the sand tightly between her fingers. God, she was an idiot. She had been the first one to notice Chika’s downward spiral and yet she had done nothing. So why should it be a surprise to see that her best friend had turned to someone else for help instead? After all, You decided bitterly, this was her own punishment for not being a good enough friend.
She had failed Chika. She wasn’t good enough for Chika. She didn’t deserve Chika and neither did Chika deserve her. The best thing— no, the best person— and the only one who was best for Chika right now, was Riko.
And all You could do was stand there at the shore, like a lonely little seashell. Softly, quietly breaking, while still trying hard to keep herself up.
Her throat felt tight as a sob fought its way out of her dried lips. A tear rolled down her cheek.
Just then, Riko looked her way, gesturing Chika to do the same. The scarlet-haired beauty was still wearing that same gentle smile, her fiery-golden eyes sparked with warmth and kindness. For a moment, You felt like she was trying to tell her something through her angelic gaze. Calling You over, perhaps? But that was ridiculous— with both Chika and Riko standing there in the water, murky grey clouds painted behind them like they were a depressing work of art— the two of them were a masterpiece. You stepping in would be like shattering the laws of the universe. And You couldn’t have that— couldn’t be responsible for yet another mess. She couldn’t do that to Chika.
But then she really read Riko’s eyes and, oh. That wasn’t what she meant at all. Because what she really said was, thank you for coming here. Let’s all help Chika back to her feet.
And You felt this sudden swell of rage in her heart because was Riko turning her into a joke? There wasn’t anybody else on the beach to give Chika the support she needed, nobody except this sad, worthless, pathetic excuse of a friend she called herself—
“Chika-chan!”
Startled, You glanced around and realized that she wasn’t alone anymore.
The other members of Aqours, the adorable first-year trio that consisted of Yoshiko, Hanamaru and Ruby were all suddenly by her side, waving enthusiastically to the couple standing in the ocean. You looked back and finally understood; Riko hadn’t been making fun of her at all. She was genuinely thankful for the presence of her friends, and hoped that they could lend a hand in bringing a smile back to their fallen leader’s face.
The smile that You loved so much.
There really was no mistaking it. Riko was the one Chika truly needed. Riko was the one who knew just what to do or what to say to get Chika’s spirits back up. Riko was… she was Chika’s everything now. Her true friend, her other half, her partner.
And You was nothing compared to all the things Riko was to Chika. At least, not anymore.
Because the way she saw it, there really was no place for her next to Chika. Not when Chika now had someone more perfect by her side.
So when the orange-head finally turned to look at her friends calling out to her from the shore, You quickly wiped her tears and waved back, grinning as wide as she could even when her heart was still crying inside. The pain was unbearably strong, but she had faced worse storms. She could handle this and keep it all in. She had to.
For Chika, because there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her.
Chika-chan… I wish I could be the one to make you happy. But whoever you choose, if they can make you smile that beautiful smile I love so much… then I’m glad.
I’m glad.
As the four of them ran into the water to join their friends, the tides retreated the shore to reveal a tiny, glimmering seashell with a jagged crack on its centre.