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Riko checked her watch as she pulled her luggage through the station terminal. Her trip home had been a little delayed and, on top of that, she came really close to missing her first train, but from the looks of it time was still willing to be on her side. She sighed in relief, a weary but triumphant smile crossing her cheeks.
“Only ten minutes late. I was expecting worse…” She surveyed her surroundings with a tad bit of nostalgia. The same old drink ads, a map of Numazu City near the entrance gates, the evening sun flowing through the glass windows. It reminded her of when she first moved here. It felt like forever ago, but her feelings now were so much different from how she felt when she first set foot in Numazu those couple of months back. “...It’s good to be home~”
“Ah! There she is~!! Riko-chaaan~!!”
Riko’s head snapped up as she approached the terminal’s exit. She immediately knew who was calling her name. Near the gates stood Chika and the rest of Aqours, waving excitedly. Her piano recital meant that she had to leave her friends to perform for the Love Live preliminaries without her help. It was concerning for her at first; she felt as if she were leaving her family behind for her own needs. But Chika and the others were more than supportive of her dreams. From the moment she left to her first step onto the stage, she could feel their presence behind her at all times. Finally being able to see them again now that the dust had settled on both fronts left her beaming brightly.
“Chika-chan~! Everyone~!” She called back, rushing out to a flurry of greetings and hugs, Chika’s being the first and tightest.
“You look happy! That means everything went well! Thank goodness…~!” Chika squeezed Riko firmly, unable to keep from tearing up just a bit. She wasn’t gone that long, but for Chika it felt like an eternity.
“Mmh...Thanks to your support~” Riko nodded, petting Chika’s head gently and letting her air out her joy as she looked towards the others. “Judging by the rest of you, I take it the prelims went well, too?”
“YES~! The stage was SHINING and so were we~!” Mari announced proudly, striking a proud pose fitting for a lady such as herself.
“All thanks to my strict training schedule, of course~” Dia chimed in, flipping her hair confidently and with an air of pride.
“Right...I think you mean Muse’s schedule? Besides, even you couldn’t do half of what was on it, am I right~?” Kanan interjected slyly, giving Dia a playfully suspicious glance as Mari followed up with a low, snide snicker. This only caused Dia to huff and start arguing with the two as the first years snuck past the commotion to offer their greetings.
“Riko-chan, i’m glad you were able to get back safely~!” Ruby smiled brightly. There was hardly any expression that could keep her natural cuteness at bay, but when she was happy it only seemed to enhance it ten-fold.
“Hmhmhm~ It seems that the loyal demonic spirits I had summon ensured your good fortune, my dear Lily~ The power and influence of the Fallen Angel Yohane truly knows no limits!” Yoshiko draped her hand over her face with a sinister smirk, eyes narrow and focused as she revelled in her perceived “dark powers”. “FUWAHAHAHA-AWARGH!! Z-ZUWAMAWU!!” Unfortunately her shtick was interrupted by someone else squishing her cheeks from behind in an attempt to bring her back to the land of the logical.
“Yoshiko-chan means that she’s glad things went well, zura~” Hanamaru smiled innocently, hands still occupied with Yoshiko’s cheeks. “What was the piano like? Was it electronic? Could it play itself? I’ve seen self-playing pianos on tv before, zura~!” The bumpkin-like girl’s eyes sparkled at the thought of a self-playing piano, imagining Riko sitting before it confidently, her arms crossed as it played her music.
“Aheheh...Hanamaru-chan, that would defeat the purpose of me even going there in the first place…” Riko chuckled awkwardly. She glanced around at the sight before her; Chika still occupied with hugging her and nuzzling her cheek excitedly, the third years playfully arguing over Aqours’ training, Ruby giggling at Hanamaru’s attempts to tame Yoshiko...it all felt so warm to her. Though there was one person who hadn’t really said much at all so far. Riko glanced behind the others to find You, sheepishly standing behind the group, hands behind her back. It was a bit strange for someone like You to act so reserved in a moment like this, but given the last time they talked, Riko understood fully why she may have been a bit hesitant. The two of them made eye-contact…
“...Eheh~” You giggled, shrugging her shoulders in a way that said “Should have seen this coming, huh?”
Riko simply smiled and gave an acknowledging shrug in return. She wanted to talk to You personally, but it seemed she’d have to wait a bit to get that chance. Though luckily, it wouldn’t be too long.
“Aha! I know! Let’s celebrate Riko’s return with shaved ice at my place! On the house~!” Chika cheered, immediately taking the lead as the others followed.
“W-Wait, ‘on the house’?...Did we have to pay before?!?” Yoshiko panicked, starting to count the number of shaved ice bowls she had eaten at Chika’s before in an attempt to count up the bill.
“Don’t worry, Yoshiko~ I can help you pay if you take out a LOAN with me~!” Mari slung an arm around Yoshiko’s shoulders with a smirk. “You can pay back two thousand yen a month! NICE BUSINESS~!”
“Oi, don’t go scamming your fellow members.” Kanan lightly chopped Mari on the head, the rich girl sticking out her tongue with a sultry wink.
The group traveled along the seashore road. It was a long walk from the city back to Chika’s. A very long one. But that just meant more time to enjoy each other’s company and have some fun. Riko and You hung behind the group, the slowly-setting sun casting an orange glow along the shore. The two walked beside each other silently, the sounds of the others’ conversations acting as ambient noise before one of them found the courage to speak.
“I’m glad you did well…” Riko spoke softly. “I knew that if anyone could take my spot in the routine, it’d be you, You-chan. You know Chika-chan better than anyone, after all.”
“Heh...It was no big deal once we got the hang of it. And the song you left us was great. The crowd was super-into it~” You grinned, slinging her hands behind her head as they continued behind the others. “...Y’know...I just wanna thank you…”
“Huh?” Riko looked to her curiously, but it only took a moment for her to realize what she meant. “Oh...You don’t have to thank me. If anything, you should be thanking Chika-chan~”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Well...Chika-chan mentioned to me that you were acting a bit strange…” Riko explained, staring off ahead of her to where Chika herself was. “She wanted advice on how to do things, since you didn’t look like you were really enjoying yourself. She told me all about the last times you tried inviting her to do stuff growing up afterwards. It’s rare to hear someone like her sound so lost...She really cares about you, you know?”
You looked to the ground. She couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty after hearing that. “It’s weird, y’know? It felt like my way of life was being threatened with how much time Chika was spending with you. We’ve been together since we were babies n’ all...so seeing someone precious to you branch off to others...It can be scary. I was jealous…”
Riko simply nodded, a sad but understanding smile forming on her lips. “I’m sorry, You-chan...I didn’t expect Chika-chan to gravitate to me so strongly. And I didn’t expect to care for her as much as I do, but...I want you to know that I care deeply about you, as well…”
“Huh?...R-Riko-chan, what do you-”
“When I called you that time, I didn’t do it just for Chika-chan…” Riko tensed up a bit. “...I-I was just as worried. I don’t know, it’s like...I could feel you growing more distant from us. We didn’t feel like friends, you know? I was scared that I was doing something to drive you two apart. So when Chika brought up how you were doing...I knew I needed to speak to you…”
“...” You stood silent for a moment. She honestly never realized that in her own worries, Riko was practically in the same boat as well. “I see…”
“We’re in this together, You-chan…Aqours is like a family to me. It’s where I can be who I truly want to be and where I can shine and sing in ways I never expected. I care about everyone, not just Chika-chan...and that includes you. I don’t want to just be your fellow idol and I don’t want to push you away at all...I-I just want to be your friend…!” Riko couldn’t help but blush a bit, clenching the handle of her luggage tightly as once again, a pregnant silence draped over the two of them.
You stared at Riko in amazement. Her eyes glistened slightly, a combination of shock, sadness, guilt and happiness rushed through her like a speeding ship. She clenched her fist over her chest as she finally understood how Riko felt. In reality, this was probably the most she’s ever gotten to know about her since their version of Aqours first formed. To be honest, while she considered Riko a friend...she never really took the time to really consider what that really meant. Now, with Riko pouring her own feelings out for her to see, she realized it wasn’t what she assumed it was…
“Man...I really am a dummy, huh?” You grinned sheepishly before intertwining her fingers with Riko’s, her hand grasping it firmly with no intention of letting go for the time being. “Guess I’ll have to fix that~”
“Heh? Y-You-chan…!” Riko gasped lightly. She was confused, but the look on You’s face had to mean that this was a good thing.
“Oooi~! You-chan! Riko-chan! What’s the hold-up???” Chika suddenly called out from the front of the pack. “We’re almost there! Shaved ice awaits~!” The orange-haired center noticed the two holding hands, a wide smile on You’s face. Chika couldn’t help but smile herself. That was the confirmation she needed to tell her the three of them would be alright from now on.
“YOUSOURO~!!! First Mates You and Riko-chan transferring from the stern to the bow, Captain~!” You cheered. And so, still holding onto Riko’s hand, she began to lead the girl up to where Chika was; Where all three of them could be together. “Come on, Riko-chan! We’ve got to make up for lost time, don’t we~?”
Riko stared for a moment, the smiles of her friends around her, the smile of Chika before her and the smile of You beside her enveloped her in a nurturing warmth. She nodded happily, eager to follow You-chan and everyone else to their next stage and beyond.
“Mmh...There’s so much I want to talk to you about~”