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Chika lingered in the second year hallway. No one really paid her any mind, probably just figuring that she was sniffing out a new scoop for the school newspaper. However, that wasn't the case at all. What she was actually doing was trying to work up the courage to enter the nearby classroom and talk to Lisa.
It was honestly pretty insane to think about, but Muses had really blown up recently. They went from just performing at local events and on regional channels, to being interviewed for national magazines, and then appearing on a really popular TV show and then all of a sudden here they were now: Preparing to go on their first national tour.
A huge scoop, to be sure! Chika and Kozy had written dozens of articles about their rise to fame as it was happening, much to the chagrin of Kozy's boyfriend whose band was… still a work in progress. So then… why?
Why did Chika feel so conflicted about it? She was happy for Lisa, of course she was! Who wouldn't be happy for their friend's success? But still… She couldn't quite shake this feeling of… What was it? It was lot of different things… Sadness? Worry? Bitterness? … Jealousy? They were all so muddled up and deeply entwined with each other that it was difficult to pick them apart.
Although, if she had to pick the main thing that was the undercurrent of all of these emotions… It would be that she didn't want Lisa to go. Of course, she knew that this was a huge opportunity for Lisa and it was selfish of her to feel that way but… but still… She was going to be away from home for months…
She'd miss her.
Chika knew that Lisa departed in two days, and that tomorrow she had a small send-off party planned with her group of childhood friends… So today was her only chance! Using that information as motivation, Chika forced a big, beaming smile onto her face and marched into the classroom.
"Lisa-senpai!"
The blonde in question flinched at the loud, sudden announcement. She closed her schoolbag and looked over at Chika, placing her hand onto her pounding chest and sighing.
"Aiyah! Not so loud, Chikarin! You almost gave me a heart attack…!"
Chika awkwardly giggled, cutely itching her cheek to appear more innocent. "Ehehe~ Sorry! So whatcha doing? You heading home now orrr…?"
"Mm… Yeah, probably… I was gonna ask Chinyan to hang out but he's busy helping his brother with something…" Lisa sighed disappointedly. Damn that Katsuya - Actually he was a really great guy and made some of the most delicious desserts she had eaten in her entire life but still - Damn that Katsuya for taking away one of her last chances to hang out with Tatsuya before leaving.
Chika grinned, immediately pouncing at this opportunity while she had it. "Then you wanna hang out with me? Wander around the shops, get something to eat, check out the arcade?"
Lisa's eyes widened. "Don't you have club today?"
"Nope! It's all been sent off to print and we're just waiting for the copies to be delivered!" Chika proudly declared, firmly planting her hands on her hips.
Lisa stared at her underclassman in surprise before grinning excitedly. "Really?! If you're sure, then okay!"
"Perfect! So, anywhere you wanna go, Lisa-senpai?"
Lisa placed a finger on her chin as she gave it some thought. She gasped as something came to mind. "Ooh! There's this new stall in the market area that sells earrings and I saw the most amazing pair there! I gotta have them before they're gone!"
Chika giggled, always enjoying Lisa's boundless energy and passion. No wonder she gained so much popularity as an idol; you really did feel more cheerful and energetic watching her.
The blue haired girl hooked her elbow around Lisa's and smiled brightly at her. "Well then, what're we waiting for? Show me the way before you miss your chance!"
Lisa grinned and promptly took off at a brisk jog, not at all discouraged by the teacher yelling after them to walk in the halls.
"Yes! I got them! Thanks for coming with me, Chikarin!" Lisa cheered, gazing up lovingly at her new earrings while the girls sat on a park bench and enjoyed some delicious milkshakes.
The earrings really were gorgeous. They were designed to look like dragons with their long bodies creating a spiral design as they hung underneath the ear. They used the typical gold you'd expect from these types of designs but instead of red they were coloured a lovely pastel blue in a similar shade to Lisa's eyes. The colour made Chika consider them as ice dragons in her own mind.
"No problem! They really are nice earrings, so nice that it wouldn't surprise me if your costume team actually incorporated them into your stages outfits! I mean, they do fit you image after all!" Chika replied, shaking her cup of milkshake to check how much she had left. Not a lot apparently.
Lisa giggled as she gave the earrings one last look before safely tucking them away into her bag. "That's true! God… I really am so glad that they moved away from the whole foreigner image they had for me… I was so stressed that I would have to speak English and then disappoint everyone when they realised I couldn't… But now I can talk about the stuff I do love and it really seems like people are enjoying it!"
Chika nodded along as Lisa spoke. She could still remember how embarrassed Lisa looked when she told her she couldn't actually speak any English. It was a relief to know that she'd never have to go through that humiliation on a stage.
"Yep! And wouldn't it be cool if you inspired more young girls to start practicing martial arts? Like, you'd be influencing younger girls to better protect themselves; that's practically a public service!" The blue haired girl suggested, throwing her now empty milkshake cup into a nearby bin.
Lisa burst out laughing, clutching onto her stomach as she practically cackled. "I think that's a bit much! But I see your point… Like… My dad was always so insistent on me acting like a 'proper Japanese young lady' so… I kinda like the idea of encouraging the next generation of girls to get a little feisty."
A scheming grin took over Lisa's entire face. Chika couldn't help but grin too, absolutely loving Lisa's plan. "That's so petty… I love it! What does 'proper' even mean anyway?"
"Right?! That's what I've been saying for years!"
Chika leaned back as she laughed at Lisa's energetic reactions again. As she tilted her body back, she caught a glimpse of the sky turning orange; and unwanted reminder that time was passing. Glancing off in the distance at the buildings littering the nearby streets, an idea hit Chika like a bolt of lightning.
"You done with your milkshake? Wanna hit the arcade for a couple of hours?" She asked, pointing in the arcade's direction with her thumb.
Lisa raised an eyebrow as she threw her empty milkshake cup into the bin. "You're not gonna suggest playing a dancing game so I can practice for the tour, right?"
"I wasn't… But that's a great idea! Let's do that!"
Lisa sighed with an amused smile. "Aiyah… I shouldn't have mentioned it… But sure, it sounds like fun, let's get going!"
"Sure thing! Be prepared to lose any fighting games they have in there!"
"Kehhei! Those're fighting words! Fine, bring it! I'll make sure to crush you!"
"Great, put your money where your mouth is!"
"Oh, you're on!"
After being at the arcade for a couple of hours now, Chika was starting to get antsy. She'd been hoping to get something for Lisa to remember her by while she was away for so long but things… hadn't really gone to plan…
Chika seemed to be having the worse luck in all of the games.
Lisa promptly handed her ass to her in both the dancing games and fighting games.
She tried the ball toss games and somehow got the ball to bounce off the rim of the hoop and back to her face.
She missed almost every single shot in every carnival game she played.
And worst of all, she used up over half of her change on the crane game trying to get an adorable cat plushie that looked like one of Lisa's cats for Lisa… and completely and utterly failed to grab anything.
… She swore she wasn't usually this bad at the arcade. Something was just wrong today. Honest.
So while Lisa was wandering around with a big smile and having a great time, Chika was starting to panic. The arcade was gonna be closing soon… and she still hadn't managed to get Lisa a memento to take with her on tour!
An agitated sigh left her mouth as she desperately scanned her eyes across the arcade's various offerings. There had to be something! Anything!
Chika stopped in her tracks as something caught her attention: The arcade's photo booth. Of course! It was so simple! Why didn't she think of this earlier?!
"Hey, Lisa-senpai! Wanna take some pictures before we have to leave? We can make them extra cute!" She suggested, tugging on Lisa's arm to grab her attention.
"Hm?" Lisa turned around and glanced over to where Chika was pointing. A smile spread across her face. "Oh! Sure, sounds good! Do you think they've added any new filters recently?"
Chika discreetly pumped her fist in celebration as Lisa instantly agreed to her suggestion.
"Mm… I haven't been here in a while but apparently they've added an option to allow you to doodle on the pictures with these special gel pens." Chika rested a hand on her chin as she thought back to things she had heard around town lately.
Lisa shot her a knowing smirk. "Is the rumour monger at work again?"
"Huh? No, I didn't spread this one! I just heard it while I was at the diner, honest!" Chika frantically waved her hands as if trying to dispel all suspicions.
Lisa just scoffed out an amused laugh and went back to tapping in their options for the photo booth.
Chika glanced off to the side as she spoke with a quiet mumble. "Y'know there is another rumour about this photo booth in particular…"
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Apparently if two or more people enter this photo booth together and follow required actions, different effects can occur."
"Uh-huh? Such as?"
"Things like getting money, good health, increasing your luck… ensuring that you'll all be together forever, those kinds of things."
Lisa looked thoughtful for a few seconds before pressed the final button.
"And what do you have to do for that?"
"For what?"
"To stay together forever."
"Oh, that one? You have make a heart with your hands together." Chika informed her, a little surprised that she asked. But then again, she probably wanted to come back here with Tatsuya and give it a try so…
"Ah, okay… Welp, it's ready! In we go!" Lisa cheerfully announced before immediately shoving Chika inside.
Chika giggled, focusing more on Lisa than the voice that was giving the instructions. It really sucked that they weren't going to be able to hang out like this for so long… That muddled up feeling hit Chika again at full force. She stared down at her feet as she tried to come to terms with it.
"Hey, hey, Chikarin! C'mon! Into position!" Lisa's voice pulled her back out of those defeated thoughts.
"Oh, right! Sorry I-" Chika froze for a second when she looked up at Lisa. The blonde was holding out her hand towards her, her thumb stretched out and her fingers curled to create half a heart.
Was she… saying that she wanted to stay with her forever? There was no way, right? Chika had to to be dreaming, right?
As if to prove her wrong, Lisa quickly shot a quick glance towards the camera. "Hurry it up! It's gonna start soon!"
"O-Oh, right!" Chika replied with a flustered blush, quickly mirroring Lisa's gesture and completing the heart. The two girls smiled shyly at each other before turning their attention to the camera and flashing bright smiles.
"Are you ready? Three… Two… One!"
Click!
"Thanks for inviting me out, Chikarin! It really felt nice to just relax in Sumeru one more time before heading off." Lisa said with a serene smile, enjoying the early evening breeze while they stepped out of the now closing arcade.
"No problem! I'm glad I got to spend time with you before you go." Chika replied with her usual cheery demeanour, trying her best to ignore the deep sense of melancholy forming in her chest.
"Awww! Same here! It's gonna be really weird not seeing any of you lingering around town while I'm out and about."
"Same… It's gonna be boring going to the club without you…" Chika tried to speak in a joking tone but a small voice crack gave away her true feelings. This didn't go unnoticed by Lisa.
She smiled softly and placed a hand on Chika's shoulder. "I'll bring back souvenirs from everywhere I go to, okay?"
Chika lunged forward, throwing her arms around Lisa and hugging her tightly as she tried to hide her tears in Lisa's shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you so much…"
Lisa stood there, slightly stunned for a few seconds before hugging Chika back. "I'm gonna miss you too… But I'll be back!"
Chika sniffled quietly before speaking with a childish pout. "… You better… Stay safe, okay?"
Lisa laughed as she pulled away from the hug and took something out of her pocket. "I'll be fine~ I've got a good luck charm after all!"
Chika stared with wide, wet eyes before laughing with a quiet sob. "Okay… Good to know."
"And you better keep me up to date with all of the gossip floating around Sumeru while I'm gone, okay?!" Lisa demanded with a joking point of her finger.
Chika chuckled as she wiped her eyes. "Will do."
"Good! … Now… I should probably head home and continue packing… I kinda put it off to the last minute…" Lisa sheepishly admitted, kicking her foot against the pavement.
"Wh-?! Oh my god, go pack!" Chika gasped in disbelief.
"Okay, okay, I'm going! Thanks again for today! I'll make sure to text you, okay?!" Lisa hurriedly excused herself as she jogged home to do what she should have done a while ago.
"Okay! Good luck with everything! And stay safe!" Chika called back, both girls waving at each other until they were gone from their sight.
Chika lowered her hand and slid it into her pocket, pulling out her own copy of the photo they took together. It really was such an adorable photo! They looked so cute! She couldn't help but giggle to herself as she made her way home, giving herself a mental reminder to find a good picture frame to display their photo proudly in her room.