You're back! I just reread all your stories during my lunch break today and fell in love with them all over again. Then lo and behold I come home and you have a new story written! It's nice to see you back and thank you for all the amazing fanfics.
Hello! ^^
Oh, no no, please, thank you for reading my fics, and also for this really sweet message! (It was just a lilâ ficlet-thing just to get me back in the writing mood again. And, um, to gauge how dusty my writing skills are.)
Iâm just gonna back for two-ish weeks âcos (1) summer break started and I apparently have two weeks before I start suffering again, and (2) I wanted to get back in the writing spirit before winter break hits.
...Also I re-watched the LL series + LL movie and the sentimental feels shot me square in the chest and I need relief. Or maybe first aid.
Inspirations/Credits: Notes of School Idol Days ~Glory~ (11. ăă¤ăăŠăăŞă¨ăăăĺ ¨ĺĄăŽăăăŤ) (Warning: Loud!)
You play.
Closing your eyes, you let blind instinct guide your fingers across the piano, and you let your thoughts drift off on their own.
Itâs afterschool.
Gentle evening warms the music room with its soft orange glow, persistently clinging to your clothes and your hair. You pay it no heed, though, and focus on the sound of the piece. In your mindâs eye, you imagine the room cast under a natural bronze hue, unmoving and timeless. Movement here only appears in the form of imaginary shadows dancing along a bed of black and white piano keys, and only the rhythm of music keeps track of your sense of time in this still space.
Itâs only after your piece ends that you take a breath and decide to open your eyes, finding the room lit up by a deep orange evening glow, unchanged from before. Under your hand, fading sunset glitters off the piano keys in streaks of copper light, marred by the silhouette of two figures sitting by the piano.
After a long silence, a tiny weight bumps against your shoulder, and small fingers thread themselves between your own, warm and gentle and comforting.
âWhatâre you thinking about?â Nico whispers softly.
âHmmâŚâ you hum, leaning back and closing your eyes once more. Rare are the times when she asks for your earnest thoughts; even rarer are the times when you feel comfortable enough to share them without any reservations. Then again, it wasnât often when the two of you could find some time alone to spend it in quiet contemplation.
âÎź's,â you start, âour songs, our music lessons.ââcool ivory kisses your fingertips as you brush your free hand over the keyboardââThe power, the spark in my fingers when I touch the piano.ââabsent-mindedly, you tap a note, and you relish in the sound of its deep resonanceââOur voices. The clarity in my mind when I hear us all humming and singing in syncââ
Her quiet giggle breaks your train of thought. It is a pleasant tune, soft and pure, like the sound of fresh dewdrops plinking against a still pond. Hearing it stirs tiny ripples of warmth from within your chest outwards, to the newfound energy in your fingertips, and to the light blush on your cheeks.
âTypical Maki,â she says with an amused sigh, ânothing but music in that head of yours.â
You imagine the picture-perfect smile gracing her face as she speaks: her lips, curved ever-so-slightly upwards, and her eyes, relaxed, closed, and pleasantly satisfied. A smile at odds with the overly-exaggerated, forceful energy of her Nico-Nico-Niis. A smile that is small and sweet and serene.
The kind of smile that sets your heart skipping along without meaning to.
âI donât want to hear that from you,â you mumble and half-heartedly nudge her, âYouâve got nothing but idols in yours.â
That earns you another giggle, and another throb in your chest.
âThere was one more thing,â you say, âthat I was thinking about.â
âMhmm~?â she hums, still leaning against your arm with her eyes closed.
You bend down and touch her forehead with your lips.
Oh gosh this made me sad. I mean, I have your blog bookmarked on my phone :) but hey! I respect your decision. I hope that you'll be able to sort things out in your life and that you'll be happy with the results of your hard work :) Thank u also for sharing your wonderful fics to us. I appreciate it and I'm sure others does too. And happy new year to you! Cheers author! See you again some time i hope :) Take care!
Aw noooâIâm sorry I started your new year off with the sad feels (â˘Ěďšâ˘Ě)
But, sincerely, thank you for your kind words, and thank you for understanding. It honestly means a whole lot to me to be appreciated and to be seen away with warm wishes ^^
And yes, happy new year to you too! I hope itâll be a great one for you and for the fandom!
This probably isnât important enough to post but I didnât want to leave anyone interested in the dark, soâlong story short, Iâm getting off Tumblr. Itâs a decision Iâve been mulling over for some time now.
The reasonâs because I really need to get my entire life back on track. Since I first came here, Tumblrâs been my little unhealthy escape from reality and Iâve felt myself losing focus in school, in life, and in everything in general, reallyânot that itâs any of the siteâs fault. I knew how horribly distracted I would get if I signed up here, but I did it anyway and stayed here.
But now my self-control and disciplineâs cracking and I canât stand the terrible laziness thatâs taken over me; itâs gotten to the point where I can barely look myself in the eye in the mirror now. Others can handle school and work and fun and games and still smile at you while simultaneously juggling all of that, but that isnât in me. Iâm not a multitasker. I never have been.
Donât get me wrong thoughâI really honestly did enjoy my time here. It mightâve been a dumb choice back then, when I consciously let myself get sidetracked by this site, but I think it was also a little bit of a blessing. The people that Iâve met here are always so open-minded and kind and wonderful to talk to. The art, fics, and other works here twist with my emotions and make me smile, laugh, cry, think, and feel. The LL fandom that Iâve only been a small part of has its moments sometimes, but all in all is, well, absolutely. freaking. amazing.
Thank you to every single person of the fandomâartist, author, musician, vid editor, GIF editor, reader, fan, whoeverâevery. single. one of youâthank you all for making our little community such a wonderful, warm, and vibrant place to be. Iâm really, really honored and grateful to have been just a tiny part of it.
As much as I like it here though, I feel I need to let go. I need to sort my life out. I need to sort me out.
So this is my farewell. Or a mere goodbye. I⌠donât know.
Apologies
I realize that Iâm Not Calling You A Liar isnât complete, and if you ask me whatâll happen to it, well, I honestly do not know. I donât want to make any promises-to-be-forgotten-later, and I donât want to give anyone false hope. Iâm so, so, so sorry if youâve been waiting all this time for an update. There really isnât any excuse. I hate letting people down, I hate leaving things unfinished, and I hate dodging responsibility like this. All that I can say is Iâm sorry.
And one more thing, if weâre talking about apologies. There was this one anon who sent me my very first ask, about a Îź's headcanon (Iâd⌠prefer not to go into details). On the off-chance that you are that anon, I apologize for how I answered in reaction to your ask; first by deleting that reply the day after I posted it, then by writing up some shoddy, half-baked NicoMaki ficlet reiterating my point on my non-NSFW/smut stance (also deleted now, but it might be stuck in someoneâs likes). I admit it wasnât a mature way to handle it, and after all this time reflecting back on it, Iâm sorry for reacting that way.
Final Notes
I will be staying away from Tumblr, but I wonât be deleting this blog. Iâll post something here if I do decide to come back.
The first day of school (1.4.16) will be the last day Iâll check Tumblr. Then Iâll be gone from here until who knows when.
If you want to, go ahead and unfollow me. Please donât feel bad about it âI didnât make this blog for the follows, and it is your choice, after all.
For those who have it, my Skype will still open for the talking, if you wish.
Iâll probably still indulge in SIF for some time yet, but Iâll be out of touch with the rest of the LL franchise-fandom-universe-what-have-you from today onward.
This is such a great blog! Its occasional periods of silence are barely noticeable when its presence is ever pleasant and existent floating around in the fandom, and the fanfics that come out of it are so extraordinarily written that I always come back wanting more! WHAT A GREAT BLOG THIS IS, WOW!!!!
AwwwWWWwww youâre a sweetheart thaaank <3Â âTis but a humble, nondescript blog I have here, but thank you kindly for gracing it with your presence, mâlorâ
Also ummm excuse me but same to you?! Iâm always craving for Becca fics??? Which are all such astonishing pieces of literary art? (I finally got âround to Peak Performance and GOD so MANY WARM fuzzy doki FEELS I COULDNâT STOP GRINNING AT ALL what an absolutely wonderful read omF thank you nâ ikusiad for writing such a beautiful piece of MAGIC gAAAAhhh~)
âŚâŚâŚ.WAIT BECCA WHATCHU DOINâ IN MY ASKBOX GO STUDY/WRITE/PREP FOR FINALS ASDFGHJKL
hey you're back! I hope everything is good in school and life in general! :) Black Blood was really great! I was hesitant to read it at first cause i was staying away from angsty nicomaki/ll fics but since you wrote it, i gave it a go. And damn! I wasn't disappointed! You write really amazing stories author! Thanks for sharing such a great story to us. :D I'm really thankful to all talented writers out there who share such beautiful stories! So thank you! looking forward to you future fics. :)
O-oh hi there!
Um! Thank you! So much! For giving my lilâ olâ fic a chance despite that hesitance, and for your awfully kind comments too! Iâm really honored and grateful, so, thank ^^
Also yeah I kinda understand that hesitance towards angsty fics? But yâknow, a certain someone dumped a bucket-load of angsty-angst over my head over the summer (Gakkou Gurashi *coughs* Over the Garden Wall *coughs* Grave of the Fireflies), and, well, I couldnât let an opportunity for payback slip me by 8â˛)
Life is slowly getting back on track, and schoolâs well... schoolâs just shoved me a plateful of finals that I gotta gulp down quick so... thatâs gonna be... fun... :â)
"So, seeing Maki firing up at Eli with said gun in hand wouldâve been enough to (1) startle Nico away, or if not that, (2) deter her from trying to reach out to Maki" aah I guessed sth like that after you answered my ask, yay *u* Also about Eli knowing Nico would be in the pool... Let's just all pretend Eli had seen Nico from afar some other days, through windows maybe, and just assumed she was a zombie (or not but didn't care) and started her evil scheme after seeing her wander the same spot?
Hmmm sounds reasonable, methinks? Observe Nicoâs tendencies while keeping her continued existence a secret from everyone else (how they donât notice is anyoneâs guess), plot in the shadows (persuading Umi to direct that lilâ search on that specific day, draining the pool of water beforehand so that Nico definitely checks it out), bring Maki along and just... let it all roll downhill from there :â)
Your Black Blood fix is amazing! It's the purest angst I've read in a while, especially when you seemingly killed Nozomi right off the bat. Anyway, like the last ask, I'm also a bit confused on the endings. For the Nico ending I get that Maki realized Nico wasn't a Zambambo after she shot her and just went straight into denial after seeing the red blood, refusing to believe that it was Nico, and the Maki ending is pretty blunt. For the Eli ending why did Nico leave(?) after Maki almost (1/2)
Shot Eli, I think the Donât ending has me the most confused. My best guess is the mention of the desks falling from the barrier mightâve been what saved Nozomi if it formed like a protective casing around her by trapping her in? Iâm also guessing she chose to move to another area like the swimming pool shed to patch herself up and all and just decided to stay there. I donât know how to word it but why did Eli leave Nico and Maki alone after the fog lifted? (2/2)
Spoilers under the cut!
âFor the Eli ending why did Nico leave(?) after Maki almost Shot EliâŚâ
First, the rift between NicoMaki all started from the gunâMaki wanted to hold on to it, Nico didnât want Maki to have anything to do with it (so that Maki wouldnât hurt herself and the other members with it). So, seeing Maki firing up at Eli with said gun in hand wouldâve been enough to (1) startle Nico away, or if not that, (2) deter her from trying to reach out to Maki (now that Makiâs proven herself to be an uncontrollable ball of rage thatâs ready to kill.)
ââŚMy best guess is the mention of the desks falling from the barrier mightâve been what saved Nozomi if it formed like a protective casing around her by trapping her in? Iâm also guessing she chose to move to another area like the swimming pool shed to patch herself up and all and just decided to stay there.â
Thaaatâs what I was going for, yeah!
âŚwhy did Eli leave Nico and Maki alone after the fog lifted?
Thatâs the point where Eli realizes that what her revenge scheme essentially boils down to is a futile and unhealthy obsession, a tiring thing that simply isnât worth all that effort anymore. (Is letting go of a grudge that easy? Well, probably not. But there comes a point when you realize itâs all a useless, self-destructive effort and ya gotta let go.)
If, on the other hand, youâre asking about the lines: â...butstops herself halfway when something past Maki catches her eye. Thenshe turns and walks off...â That âsomethingâ was Nico, and the reason Eli leaves at that point in time is so that she avoids a confrontation with Nico.
"Why would Eli avoid Nico?â Iâm playing around with the idea that Eliâs lured Nico to the pool on purpose and that Nico might have an inkling and suspect Eliâs ill intentions but this kinda falls into the category of âHow Did Eli Actually Plan Makiâs Fallâ and this is the part of the fic thatâs admittedly all very unclear in my head (rip orz poor planning on my part gomen).
Well I love your fics so I probably commented on some other of them. I'd comment on them all but usually I'm at a loss for words after reading an amazing fic so :') And aah then if you wouldn't mind I'm just curious as to just. What were Nozomi and Nico doing ... ???? Like. Why. I'm confused as if it was all planned (was Eli part of it too??) or maybe it was just some sort of Maki hallucination or sth haha :') (And I understand the feel about the caffeine, I survive on it on a daily basis :') )
Aaand I ran out of room on my last ask but yeah, basically I was just wondering if you had any idea behind the whole Nozomi and Nico hiding from the others (and what happened to them they seemed to be all beat up) or if it was just supposed to end up to the readerâs imagination. Either way is fine tho the fic was amazing anyway *-* I hope to be able to read some other story of you soon ;u; ! (And Iâll silently pray for it to be sth happy :â))
Spoilers under the cut!
ââŚWhat were Nozomi and Nico doing ⌠???? Like. Why. Iâm confused as if it was all planned (was Eli part of it too??)âŚâ
ââŚNozomi and Nico hiding from the others (and what happened to them they seemed to be all beat up)âŚâ
Iâm assuming you mean NozoNico hiding away in the storage shed, and Eli structuring Makiâs fall into the pool?
NozoNico:
In the very beginning, Nozomi gets separated from the group after they thought she had died (and why wouldnât they? Maki saw her fall into a swarm of zombies on top of being crushed by a mountain of desks)âbut miraculously, she survives. Of course, surviving all that is bound to leave you with more than a couple of injuries, so thatâs why sheâs covered in bandages (and keep in mind there arenât any hospitals/doctors/medical professionals around, so injuries are gonna take longer to heal!)
She doesnât return to the group, though, and Iâm rolling halfway between the âI donât want to burden the group by asking them to take care of me when Iâm already heavily injured and possibly half-deadâ and the âI donât want Eli to see me in this broken and half-dead state because sheâll fight the whole group to keep me aliveâ reasons (I know I didnât touch on this much in the fic. Also NozoEli are a pair). So Nozomi goes off on her own, bunkering down in that storage shed by the relatively-deserted swimming pool.
Then Nico ends up missing after the archery range escapade, and everyone thinks she ended up dead too, but our stronk lilâ fighter livesâthough, not without sustaining a couple wounds (sprained ankle/limp) and a fever that turns her half-delirious (that was the whole Zombie!Nico scene).
Also in the Zombie!Nico scene, the person who says her name at the end (âNiâŚco?â) is Nozomi. Nozomi patches Nico back up, and Nico, seeing Nozomi fending for herself all alone, sticks by her instead of returning to the group (also sheâs pretty hecked off at Maki so.) So thatâs how NozoNico end up in the storage shed together.
They donât contact the other Îźâs members after their disappearances, which means they couldnât (and wouldnât) have gone along with Eliâs plan.
Eli:
Eli blames Maki for Nozomiâs âdeathâ.
And she wants retribution.
And what better way to dish out revenge than to give the other person a taste of the hurt youâre going through?
Sooo the chance presents itself at the archery range, when Nicoâs left abandoned for dead (purposefully by Eli, unintentionally by Umi), and that leaves Maki to wallow in misery after Nicoâs âdeathâ.
But that isnât enough because Eli wants vengeance for Nozomi too, who she assumes (correctly) was probably altruistic enough to sacrifice herself so Maki could live (also evidenced by Nozomiâs backpack in Makiâs possession)âso she plans Makiâs fall to mirror what she thinks is similar to Nozomiâs fall, giving her a choice between selfishly killing someone you love to live, or taking your own life to let the other one survive.
In the end, all that matters for Eli is to see Maki suffer under the stress and grief and despair of it all.
Oh, and Eli mightâve gone mad with grief (hysterical laughter, anyone?)
As for the actual planning itself (how Eli knew Nico would end up in the pool, how Umi was persuaded to order a search on a dangerous low-visibility foggy day, etc.) uh⌠admittedly thatâs one part of the fic I havenât fleshed out very well (*sweats nervously*). Letâs just say Eli did a lot of covert behind-the-scenes plotting and pulling on peopleâs strings and thatâs how everything fell into place.
Aaaaaaah Black Blood was so good, wow. So many feels, so many emotions. I'm a bit confused about just what exactly happened in the endings (well on two of them at least hahaaa) but still, that was such a good read, all the four ending options were great too, I really enjoyed it all so thanks for writing it :') (Also, any chances we might get some sort of epilogue/explanation on any of the endings? I wouldn't mind reading a bit more tbh, specially concerning Nozomi's and Nico's situation eue)
!!! (â°oâ°) !!! Iâm really glad you enjoyed it! Itâs always uplifting to hear super nice comments like yours omg (Especially since my insecurities shoot up by 101% after I post anything hahaha...)
Ahhh I was afraid there mightâve been some confusion. But! I wouldnât mind clarifying anything if you have any questions! Tho Iâll probs bullet-point âem instead of pumping out another fic *pulls up bunch of discarded drafts/deleted-scenes*
Summary:Â Dark days and even darker nights rise on Otonokizaka when one fall causes another to slip, straining the relationships within Îź's to their breaking points. (Zombie Apocalypse AU, Angst)
Notes: Fic for @rectumlordâ âcos itâs her birthday! Hereâs to one of the sweetest souls Iâve ever met and a huge source of inspiration to me <3
Most nights are slow, gentle, and peaceful. When evenings fade with the sunset, pink twilit skies wash into dim reds and dark blues, then finally blend away to a deep midnight black. In the sunâs place, moonlight graces the cities beneath it with soft streams of silver, while down below, invisible hands reach out to caress the sky, parting the clouds high above for precious little peeks into the lights of heavenâs starry eyes. Most nights, serenity settles in to tuck the world in to sleep after dusk, while the heavens quietly shimmer to life within the depths of the deepening twilight.
But tonight is not one of those nights.
Tonight, darkness rolls in as the last of sunlight bleeds away, burying the world beneath a heap of billowing black clouds. Its coming sinks in deep, its pressure heavy and humid. Its shadows creep along slowly, now given free rein to roam the earth under a moonless night. Across a desolate wasteland they prowl: across forests that are too silent, too still; across towns riddled with rot, rubble, and ruin; and across cities turned to cemeteries, graveyards overshadowed by rows upon rows of hollow buildings that jut out of the ground like tombstones, grim markers of all the lives that once were.
Tonight, heaven turns its protective gaze away from the world, and instead, what looms in from out beyond the window is black darkness. Eagerly, with its face pressed close against the cracked glass, it watches. It waits.
Echoes of frenzied footsteps whisper of movement from down the school corridor.
They speak of a struggle. A stumble.
And a fall.
âELI!â Nozomi shrieks on instinct, skidding to a stop, turningâdreadingâonly to see Maki bludgeon a dark figure off her fallen friend. With a hand from her rescuer, Eli is soon up and running again, and the two catch up to Nozomi ahead of them.
âMove!â Maki hisses, dragging on Nozomiâs arm along as she passes her by, âThey know weâre here now!â
And itâs back to the sprint. Arms cutting through the air, feet thudding against the floor. Burning lungs. Cold sweat. Humid air. Rotting odors. But Nozomi didnât have any time to think about those things. Right now, she needed to run.
Dark days were bad. Rainy nights were even worse. It meant the hordes would try and find shelter inside the school, for whatever reason, and slow as their shambling movements were, Maki, Eli, and Nozomi couldnât outfight or out-dodge such a massive swarm of bodies all by themselves.
Round the corner andâthere! Sanctuary, just in sight: past the makeshift barricade and up the stairs, into cleaner corridors and safer rooms.
Eliâs the first to the barricade, despite her earlier blunder, and she slips over and past the wall of strapped-together desks with nimble ease. Not waiting for the other two, she takes the stairs two steps at a time. An understandable move, since none of them could afford to waste time standing about idly; especially on the lower floors, which were barely secure at best.
Next to the barrier is Maki, with Nozomi right on her heels. It doesnât take long before Maki reaches the top lip of the wall, leaving Nozomi with ample enough room to scale the last few handholds andâ
Something grabs her foot.
Nozomiâs hand whips out to latch onto the closest thing above her: Makiâs leg. Almost immediately, sheâs met with a terrifyingly murderous gaze and the pointed tip of Makiâs knife up close to her face. Recognition soon lights up in Makiâs eyes, thoughâthankfullyâand the weapon is lowered with a relieved sighâ
Sharp nails bite into Nozomiâs calf, pulling her entire body down a notch.
A second passes between them.
Maki, frozen in her spot barely halfway over the top of the barricade, pale-faced and wide-eyed as she looks down at Nozomiâno, as she looks down past Nozomi.
Nozomi, struggling to heave herself up with tears in her eyes, a scream in her throat, and agony in her leg, just as everything below her shoulders dangles precariously off the ledge.
Nozomi, with one desperate hand still gripping Makiâs leg.
One pull would be all the leverage she would need to mount the wall to safety.
One pull. One fall. One death.
An apologetic smile crosses Nozomiâs teary-eyed face, strangely peaceful and completely unfazed even as she slips further and further down the wall. With each tug from down below, her hold on her lifeline tightens, until her knuckles are white from the strain and her arm is stretched out to its full length.
A single tear runs down her cheek as her voice carries out in a quiet whisper, eerily soft, and eerily gentle: âIâm sorry, Maki.â
Maki falls.
But she falls backwards, pushed over the other side with Nozomiâs backpack thrown into her face. Not a moment too soon, the barricade crashes down in a cacophonous mess, bringing Nozomi down under a mountain of desks, bringing a mass of dirtied, rotten, mangled limbs down along with her.
When the dust finally settles, there is a moment of silence.
Then a panicked scampering up the stairs.
And heavy clouds finally begin to pour outside, drowning the entire floor within a deep, black, enveloping darkness.
Day 72.
We lost Nozomi.
Eli, NozoâNozomi, and I were meant to explore an isolated corridor. Umi told us we should look for more hidden stashes of supplies, since our stuff wonât last forever, so Eli and I offered to go, and NozoâNozâNâ
They found us too quickly I donât know what or why (Rainy Day) we didnât prepare we forgot we panicked we ran we fell now Noz now sheâs Sheâs gone, Sheâs gone because She took a sacrifice for me. What was I supposed to do??? I couldnâtâBut the way She looked at me before She (but I was so scared) Maybe I shouldâve stayed and fought, maybe Sheâd still be alive here, maybe weâd both be dead, maybe it wouldâve been better to go down fighting I donât know Idonâtknowanymore We
We were We were discussing more theories about the Plague at breakfast just now. Plague, Virus, âThe Z Infectionâ (Honoka and Rin came up with thatâŚ), whatever, weâre just slapping capital letters on words and calling it thatâitâs all the same to me. The Plague itself isnât important. What weâre all wondering is the big âWhy?ââWhy wasnât anyone from Îź's affected?
Umi and Nico were the ones leading the discussion, throwing random ideas in and outâblood-borne viruses, waterborne diseases (weâve taken extra precautions), food, stuff like that. Honoka was there, which meant Rin was away on morning watch. Kotori and Hanayo were double-checking our medical supplies after our return last night. No one knows where Eli went. I didnât talk much.
Theyâre just baseless theories anyway. Good to know weâve reached that stability where we donât have to constantly worry about basic necessities, but theories arenât going to feed our bellies or keep us warm at night (I mean, weâre still worrying. Just less now).
More importantly, we still havenât found signs of any survivorsâpeople, smoke, lightsânothing. The outside always seems dark, even when the sunâs up. Dark days. Even darker nights.
But it doesnât matter. We just need to focus on the now; need to survive; need to look out for ourselves. Weâre all that we have, now. All nine all eight all
Iâm soâ
âStill writing in that dusty old thing?â a voice calls out from behind, âI still donât get why you lug it around with you when itâs hardly practical, Ms. Whatever-Theyâre-Only-Just-Theories.â
Makiâs pen stops, spitting out a few tiny blobs of ink on the page of her journal. Snide words, dressed up in playful tones. Nico.
Wordlessly, the pen starts scribbling again.
âYeah, hello to you too, Maki,â Nico sighs, âThanks for ignoring me after all the trouble I went through looking for you.â
Footsteps approach Makiâs desk, undeterred by her cold welcome, and come to a stop just behind her chair. Thereâs a brief, polite pause; enough time for Maki to raise any complaints and to promptly shoo unwanted company out if need be, but she doesnât react at all. No response when a small shadow quietly leans over her table, not even when she feels invasive red eyes scanning over her written words. She just⌠keeps writing.
Moments later, a pair of gentle hands rest themselves on Makiâs shoulders, pressing their fingers firmly into her skin. âMaki,â Nico warns, lacing her voice thick with concern.
The pen in Makiâs hand doesnât stop. Noisy scratches of pen-on-parchment fill in Makiâs silence as the writing instrument bobs up and down in quick and heavy strokes, as words systematically eat up every blank space on every line of every page, as thick rivers of black continue to flow from the nib without pause, flowing on and on and onâ
A touch.
The pen falls from Makiâs grip with a loud thud, throwing up a small splutter of ink before slowly rolling away in a thinning trail.
It isnât until Nico lays a hand over hers that Maki realizes how numb her hand feels, still curled above a half-finished word, as if the pen had never left her grasp. The penâs mark even lingers on her, a distinct shape pressed into the skin of her palm, like the ghostly echoes of some piece thatâs missing from her.
Her hand quivers. Her eyes follow a line of ink. Her fingers donât feel right, not without that weight between them.
Just before Makiâs allowed to pick the pen up again, though, Nico pulls her in with an arm drawn across her shouldersâcloser into her, and away from the desk.
âMaki, stop this,â Nico mumbles, holding on to her tightly. There isnât much resistance. Makiâs body slides back into hers easily, if a little stiffly.
But even in Nicoâs kind embrace, Maki doesnât relax. The craving to write, or at the very least, to hold a certain something, continues to throb in her fingertips like a sore rash. Try as she might to control it, Maki finds her fingers starting to tremble slightly, a little uncontrollably.
The odd behavior doesnât slip by Nico. Instead of calling her out on it, though, the other girl simply threads her fingers between Makiâs own. Skin contact offers a tiny relief for Maki, when Nico pries apart her frozen hand and begins kneading some feeling back into her fingers.
She takes her time, squeezing each cold, bony digit between her own tiny ones, moving slowly from the tip to the base. At the end of every length, she finishes her routine with a gentle roll of the thumb within Makiâs palm, sometimes with an added rub around her wrist. From there, itâs rinse and repeat, even after all her fingers have been taken care of. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.
Warmth tingles out from every point Nico touches her, from all the pinches at the tips of her fingers up to the weight of her other arm still wrapped protectively around her shoulders, up even to every tiny little breath tickling the back of her ear. Itâs a sensation that speaks waves of nostalgia and safety and familiarity to her, and Maki almost finds it pleasant. Almost.
In the end, however, intimacy offers only a small comfort. It does nothing to alleviate the uneasiness knotted heavily around her chest, or the nausea churning in her gut like crushed glass. If anything, feeling better almost seems to make her feel worse. She shouldnât be feeling relieved at all.
With a slow shake of her head, she tells Nico to stop. Nico eventually complies after a bit of hesitation, but her hand doesnât leave Makiâs.
âYou okay?â Nico asks her softly, nudging Maki with a gentle shoulder bump.
The words barely register in her mind. In front, all Maki sees is the shadow of two hands, clasped over a sheet of parchment.
Parchment that first begins in orderly and well-structured blocks of text, written in a hand that is careful, neat, and precise. Lines of ink keep within the bounds of the designated lines, with never so much as a drop crossing over into any blank border space. Throughout every paragraph, the script remains virtually same: consistently small, evenly spaced, and clearly legible. Few mistakes interrupt the flow of the passage, with perhaps a word or two crossed-out here and there, but for the most part, the text is easy on the eyes.
Past a point, however, the journal degrades into a horrific mess.
Black ink, everywhere.
Splattered all over the bottom half of the page in blobs big and small, fresh and faded, like the face of an ugly, raw bruise festering beneath a blemished skin of parchment.
Scrawled in an atrocious disfiguration of something barely resembling cursive script, a hysterical string of letters entangled within a spindly, inky web that dances and dangles wildly out over the lines.
Scratched much too deeply into the paper, almost with a savage vigor, leaving behind streaks of bleeding black scars across a too-delicate, too-thin surface thatâs strained to its tearing point.
And two words that are slashed into the sheet, over and over again:
Iâm sorry.
Maki jerks forward suddenly. Convulsions choke her chest in erratic waves, crush the wind from her lungs, and throw her limbs into wild spasmsâas if she were being throttled by the hand of some relentless invisible force. It all becomes too much, too quickly, and what little control she has over herself soon wilts away into nothing. Head drooped, shoulders hunched, and arms slack, Maki slumps in her seat, weak and limp and shaking, held up only by a pair of arms that are still somehow solidly anchored around her.
What was that Nico had asked, if she was okay?
She wonders how sheâs ever going to be okay again.
A silent tear drips down her chin, onto the inked parchment, and slowly blossoms into a blotch of deep, dark, dismal black.
Black, just like the color of her blood.
It keeps raining.
Still, Maki stands under the storm bearing it allâhead hooded and bowed down, shoulders sagging, hands in her pocketsâsuffering the deafening roar and stifling burden of the downpour without a single thought of complaint. Sound and weight were goodâthey were things she could endure. Sound, white noise that she could immerse herself in so as to lose all the thoughts that hounded her, and weight, a constant reminder of the heavy, heavy cost of her life.
What she couldnât stand was the rain itself, plopping against her cheeks in sticky, warm, fat droplets, like tears. Sometimes she could taste the salt mixed in with them too. It made her think the heavens above were mourning.
But of course. Why wouldnât they? NozoâShe had always been favored by the gods.
Or maybe the skies were spitting on her, the unlucky survivor, for living when she shouldâve died instead, for watching their beloved child fall to her demise (for silently wishing for that fall), or for not reaching out to her back then, when a simple hand could have saved a life.
Pleading turquoise eyes. Fearful violet reflected in them. The massive horde of pure hunger right below herâ
Something bright flashes in her vision, sparkling in the pool of grayish-blue water by her feetâin a puddle that had been only a dreary, bland gray just five minutes ago. Maki frowns. Itâs now rippling less as well, and the rain on her back has lightened into a soft drizzle, no longer as heavy or loud as before.
Gentle sunshine meets her at the horizon when she lifts her eyes up, greeting her with the view of a cityscape painted in faded watercolors. Much of the city is still draped in faint shadows, but high above, signs of light start to peep through tiny, growing cracks in the clouds. If Maki squints her eyes just a little, she can even see the beginnings of a pastel-colored sky lying just beyond them.
Itâs not warm, not quite yet, but the sight of the rain-stained city dappled with flecks of early light does lift Makiâs spirits up a little, and it makes the damp air and cold shower a bit more bearable. The others are here on the rooftop too, Maki finally noticesâpresumably up here to grieve as wellâwatching the sunrise along with her.
Thereâs a weariness carved in their faces that morning light canât seem to ease away, but the rising dawn does give them all something else. Heads look forward. Shoulders stand straighter. People start moving again.
With a nod from Umi, everyone begins filing out in a rustle of raincoats and splashing rain boots. Duty first, as always. They didnât have the luxury to bask in the sunlight.
Last to join the line, Maki begins to shut the door to the rooftopâbut stops when she notices a lone figure still out there.
Eli.
Either utterly unaware that most of everyone has already left or completely ignoring the call back downstairs, Eli stands alone at the center of the rooftop, eyes on the dark clouds that still hang over the school. Hood off and head tilted up, shoulders upright, and hands by her sides, she lets the light rain trickle down her skin in tiny rivulets, not seeming to care when it clings to her hair and soaks into her clothes.
From Makiâs perspective, it almost looks as if sheâs watching the skies above, or maybe at something beyond them, searching for something.
The tight-lipped frown on her lips seems to say that sheâs still trying to find consolation.
But the tightly-clenched fists by her sides speak of anger and retribution.
âSo, they arenât dead?â Rin asks from the classroom floor, hugging a bowl of dinnerâramenâin her lap.
âTechnically speakingââ
âTheyâre dead, Nico,â Maki cuts in, eyeing the open book that Nico had out flourished on the table. Better to interrupt her now than to listen to her dive into another long discussion. Talking about hypothetical what-ifs after dinner was definitely not her thing.
âDefine âdead,ââ Nico taunts, smirking. Of course, if Nicoâs smirking, then Makiâs frowning.
âBrain dead,â Maki responds, her tone disinterested, âClinically dead. Not-alive-anymore dead.â
Nico tuts and wags a condescending little finger at her, as if she had been anticipating that answer. âAh, but thatâs where youâre wrong, Dr. Nishikino,â she counters, patting a page in her book, âBecause my handy-dandy book here says that the brain dead donât react and donât breathe, and weâve seen them do both.â
Nicoâs claim gives her pause. As Makiâs seen from first-hand experience, the âdeadâ did react to sound and movement, and they did breathe, for whatever unknown reason (it still isnât clear whether they need to or not). That meant that their brains still functioned to some limited extent, so they werenât, by definition, brain dead.
Then again, no oneâs actually ever dissected their brains apart before to confirm. But, theoretically speakingâŚ
âAnd if weâre talking about clinically deadââ
Maki audibly sighs, turning her back on Nico to sort through her locker. To be topped by Nico in scienceânot one of her greatest achievements, she had to admit. And since when did Nico learn to read books the right-side up anyway?
âDonât you have some duties to go take care of, Nico?â she mutters.
âAnd heeere we see Dr. Nishikino being a poor sport, unwilling to accept the cold, hard defeat dished out to her by her betters,â Nico teases, flashing her a cheeky grinâto which Maki replies by rolling her eyes at her. âAlso itâs break time for me right now. You know that, Maki.â
âOh, Iâm sorry, it mustâve slipped my mind, Dr. Yazawa.â Maki retorts, distracted.
âBut,â Rin adds, loudly slurping the noodles into her mouth, âIf they arenât brain dead, then should we be fighting them?â
âGood question, Rin,â Nico says, shooting her a thumbs-up. Maki groans into her locker. Before Nicoâs allowed to say anything more, though, the door opens.
Eli steps in.
Rin waves to her happily and Nico greets her with a respectful nod, both welcoming her in warmly, but Eli doesnât return the friendly gesture. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, she heads immediately for the shelves, where she takes out the thermos and ramen labelled as hers, and sits down at the far end of the table, preparing her meal in silence.
Nico and Rin exchange a look, but Maki doesnât think much of it. Except for maybe how her muscles feel a little bit tenser now. Or how she canât help but crouch closer towards her locker.
âSoooâŚâ Nico pipes up, âWhat about fighting the not-dead?â
âI donât see why that changes anything,â Maki sighs, âDead or not, theyâre still going to attack to us.â
âYou wouldnât attack another living person, would you?â
Jagged teeth with black rot stuck in between and webs of dribbling saliva reaching out toâ
âThey arenât people!â Maki hisses, gripping the edges of her lockerâtoo hard. Too loud too, from the looks of it.
All the air in the room suddenly goes very, very still.
No one speaks, and no one moves.
She hadnât intended for that outburst.
With a conscious effort, Maki releases her tight hold on her locker, but doesnât dare turn around. Instead, she lets her eyes stray to the back of the compartment, where they focus on a bulky shadow slouching against one of the walls: an unremarkable single-strapped sling backpack, slightly marred by friction and dust but otherwise preserved in healthy condition.
Any other person wouldâve taken it out for practical useâitâs certainly better than Makiâs own patched-up bundle of nylonâbut itâs been chucked back there for a reason: Maki isnât sure what to make of it. Everything else in the locker is hers, except for this one bag thatâs been forcefully hurled into her face, perhaps by intention, or perhaps by chance. Whatever the choice, it shouldnât be in her possession, this thing.
A gift she had gained from too high a price. A burden that sheâd rather not keep over her shoulder.
âIsnât that a little cold, Maki?â A shocked voice whispers, breaking through the silence. Rinâs voice.
Nico stays silent, but she doesnât need to say anything for Maki to know that thereâs a worried frown on her lips.
Surprisingly, Eli speaks up in her defense.
âNo, Makiâs right,â she says, calm, âItâs kill or be killed out there. They arenât going to treat you with mercy, so neither should you.â
Minutes pass, but no one objects.
âNo mercy,â Eli repeats softly, as if whispering to herself, âNot even if one of usâŚâ
The rest of her words are lost when door opens again. Itâs Umi this time, with a clipboard in hand.
Stern amber eyes search the room until they meet with Makiâs, and a quick pen taps against the clipboard with a rat-tat-tat-tat. Inventory check. Maki turns away and closes her eyes, swallowing a breath.
âNozomiâs bag, please, Maki,â Umi specifies, more of a request than a plea, with an authoritative edge to her tone. Maki had expected as much; Umi rarely appears for anything less than business, after all, which usually involves her coordinating everyoneâs activities as a whole or carrying out administrative duties as the de facto leader of the group.
And of course that means bringing up possessions that Maki would really rather keep buried down and forgotten about.
Still, the said bag is brought out from her locker and onto the table without dissent, where Maki begins emptying its contents in front of Umi: first aid kit, water bottle, emergency rations, supplementary pills, batteries (but no flashlightâit mustâve been on her person), rope, extra clothes, aâ
She stops.
Her hands feel around again. There, at the very bottom of the pack.
Heavy. Cold. Metallic.
Why would this be in her backpack?
âMaki?â Umi asks, raising an eyebrow, âIs there anything else?â
Maki blinks, then shakes her head, keeping her face as calm as possible. Her mind blanks, but her mouth miraculously strings together some words into a coherent sentence: âNo, I was just wondering if I could use the bag for myself, since mineâs a beat-up mess.â
Umi seems to consider her proposal, flipping through pages of itemized lists before finally giving her the go-ahead nod.
âThat shouldnât be a problem, feel free,â she confirms. Her attention then turns to Rin, who she calls out for the night watch duty, and the two of them leave the room with the supplies in hand, just like that.
Eli takes once glance at Nico and Maki, then promptly exits the classroom.
Nico chooses to stay, staring up at Maki with her head propped against a hand and questions in her eyes, flicking her gaze back and forth between Maki and the half-open, definitely-not-empty bag.
And Maki simply stands there, a little stunned, not quite sure why she wanted to keep the thingâs existence hidden, or what sheâs even going to do with it.
Makiâs journal sits on the ground in the dimly lit room, atop of a bed of shredded parchment scattered about the floor, like a bare-branched tree amid a myriad of paper petals.
Itâs done, her handiwork.
Maki finally grants herself some rest, clasping the thick volume shut and lying down on the cold floor beside it, not caring that the surrounding mess of paper might stick to her hair and skin.
In an absentminded trance, her fingers begin exploring all the little ridges and valleys embossed on the journalâs leather face. Starting from the broadleaved oak centerpiece, they slowly comb down its lengthâfrom branches to trunk to roots to soilâuntil they meet a circular double border peppered with miniature figures. There, tiny snakes and apples bump against her fingertips, forming a circle to nestle the tree within. One final perimeter closes the entire impression inside a smooth, simple, bold ring, completing the picture in a clean and elegant finish.
The illustration is strange, and not one Maki wouldâve chosen if she hadnât been so desperate for paper, but it seems to fit circumstances now. A small pocket of life trapped in by a malignant force, all enveloped by some other, hopefully protective, power. That, at least, is how sheâs decided to interpret it.
But as pretty and intricate as the leather-bound cover is, itâs the interior of the journal thatâs more valuable to her.
Because insideâ
A quiet click tells Maki that someone else is in the room.
âYouâre hiding something,â Nico flat out says as soon as she steps inside, not waiting for the door to close shut before throwing around her pointed accusation.
âMm,â Maki mumbles into the floor, neither confirming nor denying it.
âSecrets get people killed, Maki.â
Another halfhearted mumble.
âLook, I didnât come here to play mumbling games with you today,â Nico grumbles as she comes closer, deftly sidestepping all the paper litter on her way to Maki. If she notices anything strange about the clutters of torn paper strewn across the dark floor, she doesnât seem to say anything, barely giving it a second thought with her focus entirely on Maki.
Half-expecting an impatient Nico to knee her in the chest and forcibly throttle the answers out of her, Makiâs somewhat surprised when Nico at first hesitates, then settles down quietly by her side with an exasperated sigh. A tiny hand gingerly reaches out for Makiâs hairânot her neckâand brushes through it in careful strokes, teasing apart the knots with a tender touch. As pleasant as it feels for Maki, the practice seems to be more for Nicoâs benefit than for her own, working to calm the other girlâs high-strung agitation down.
Through it all, red eyes watch her face with a kindness that Makiâs grown very familiar with these past few weeks, but itâs accompanied by another look as wellâa heavy fatigue around her eyelids that hadnât been there before, made all the more darker in the dim lighting.
Nico waits a while before speaking up again, softening her tone: âYou arenât ever going to tell me, are you?â
Maki looks up at her. Nico stares back, meeting her eyes.
âDid Umi send you to find me?â Maki randomly asks.
âUmi?â Nico repeats with a frown, confused, âWhy would she?â
Maki doesnât react immediately, keeping her eyes on Nicoâscrutinizing herâfor a few more moments. Eventually she lets her suspicions drop, and, with a little nod, directs Nico to a little big book sitting in a pile of black-and-white paper scraps.
Taking the hint, Nico crawls over to the journal, shooting a look at Maki for any last-minute objections before unfixing the clasp and lifting the cover. Unable to see it clearly in the darkness, Nico leans in, noticing a distinct form to the object.
Then she stumbles backwards.
Whatâs inside the journal arenât, as one might expect, pages chock full of inked thoughtsâthose have all been cut out, painstakingly shredded to smaller pieces, and discarded in an unceremonious pile on the floor. Now, whatâs in place of those journal entries is a rectangular hollow, bordered on all sides by one-inch margins that all run a couple hundred pages thick, all glued together and stuck to the back panel to form a compartment within the âbookâ.
A compartment housing Nozomiâs âgift.â
âThis⌠this thing isnât real, is it?â Nico stutters, shuffling away from it, âYou⌠you donât even know if itâs real or not.â
A light draft blows through the room, whipping up the shredded remnants of Makiâs writings into a tiny storm of white cyclones and twirling shadow puppets, and reveals the presence of a second book that had previously been buried underneath it all that paper:
A Beginnerâs Guide to Firearms.
Nico runs a hand over her face, and lets out a long, drawn-out, shaky sigh.
âDamn it, Maki.â
A firm hand catches Maki on the shoulder, just before she leaves the room.
âHand it over, Maki.â
Itâs Umi. Itâs obvious what she wants, and itâs obvious how she found out.
When Maki half-turns to face her, she finds a pair of steely eyes matching the steely tone of her voice, absolutely devoid of kindness. On the surface, Umiâs stern appearance merely discourages acts of defiance, but the growing pressure in Makiâs shoulder hints at the underlying promiseâthe threat, ratherâof very real punishment if she doesnât submit. Itâs clear Maki wonât be able to reason with or spew absentminded nonsense at her this time.
âMaki,â Umi repeats in a tone of finality, considerably tightening her grip on Maki and demanding a response from her.
âYeah, okay,â Maki concedes, wincing, âIf you could just⌠let go⌠thatâd be great.â
Umiâs iron grip eventually relents, and a wave of relief rushes over Makiâs sore arm. Using her free hand, she slings her backpack over across her chest to unzipâ
âAh, I meant the whole bag,â Umi clarifies, âJust a quick search, and Iâll return it back to you.â
Maki nods, and lets her pack drop into Umiâs waiting hands. She finds the item of interestâthe journalâquickly, testing its weight in her hand before setting it aside, then proceeds with the rest of the search. Itâs quick and thoroughâevery zip, strap, and pocket is patted down, and then the entire bag, checking for hidden pockets, and itâs back in Makiâs hands.
âIâm sorry, Maki,â Umi apologizes, unexpectedly, in a tone much gentler than usual, âIt pains me when I have to act the harsh leader, but you know I canât turn a blind eye to misconduct.â
Her head is slightly bowed as she holds the journal in both her hands, and thatâs when Maki notices that she looks more than just a little bit apologeticâsheâs miserable. Deep creases seem to underline the curves around her sorry frown, and dark shadows hide themselves under the bags of her drooping eyes. Even her hair, once sleek and dark and beautiful and the envy of so many, is now shot with wisps of whitish-gray. The long weeksâmonths, evenâof responsibility and stress havenât been kind to her at all.
When she looks up again, Umi hides her weariness under a veil, wearing a thin smile and a glimmer of sympathy in her old eyes. âNo hard feelings?â she asks.
âNo hard feelings,â Maki reassures her.
Umi nods, gives her a friendly pat on the shoulderâthe other oneâand takes her leave.
Maki follows her out, but stops just outside the doorway. A small figure catches her eye, leaning against the opposite wall.
Itâs Nico.
âMakiââ
Maki stalks away before Nico gets a chance to speak.
Group meetingâeveryoneâs gathered in the classroom, sitting in desks, sitting on desks, sitting on the floor, or standing. Taking the stage, Umi stands in front of the class, tapping a piece of chalk to the crude map of the school drawn up on the blackboard.
The archery range is circled. Maki purses her lips. No one likes what theyâre seeing.
âThatâs our next spot?â Honoka protests, voicing everyoneâs concern, âItâs totally in the open and completely separate from the main school building!â
âAnd last I checked, those things are still roaming the school grounds, day and night,â Eli adds.
âYes, I know,â Umi sighs, rubbing her temples, âThose exact reasons are why Iâve been putting this one off for so long.ââshe brings everyoneâs attention to the main school building, which is almost completely shaded inââBut weâve almost completed our search within this building, save for some locked rooms, and the archery range, if I remember correctly, has both weapons and supplies stashed away that we could use.â
âDo you think itâs worth the risk?â Kotori asks, uncertainly
Umi spreads her hands on the teacherâs table. âIâm not sure. Thatâs why Iâm bringing it up with everyone first, instead of just sending a regular team through. Thoughts?â
âNooope~â Honoka calls out, crossing her arms in a big âXâ, âSafety first, right, Umi? Itâs dangerous. Way too dangerous. So letâs not go, thanks.â
âRight, someone could get really badly hurt.â Kotori says, backing Honokaâs objection. Hanayo nods in agreement with her.
Rin looks on, doubtful.
Eli raises a hand. âQuestion: How long will those stashed supplies last us for?â
âIâm looking at three months of food and water for all of us, maybe more, maybe less,â Umi says, flipping through some ledgers, âWe had been preparing for a large-scale school event before the plague outbreak hit, I think.â
Everyone goes silent. Three months to sustain all eight of them, give or take.
âIâm in,â Eli declares, crossing her arms.
Small mutterings soon fill the room, mostly from Honokaâs circle of her, Kotori, Rin, and Hanayo, as people start discussing. Eli sits some distance away, closer to blackboard where sheâs chatting with Umi, while Makiâs taken a window spot, as far away from Nico as possible.
Maki still sees Nico reflected in the window, though. She isnât talking to anyone.
With a clap from Umi, the voices quieten down.
âEli and I have decided to leave this to a volunteer vote, instead of selecting unwilling members for the task. As always, weâll be going in a team of threeâEliâs already volunteered, and Iâm familiar with the archery range, so Iâll be going tooâwhich leaves one more spot.
âOf course, if no one offers, weâll drop this search until another time, when it becomes relevant again.â
Makiâs eyes drop to the school courtyard, dotted with lumbering bodies dressed in tattered skins and school uniforms. Itâs sparsely populated, with what first seems like plenty of space in between every dark figure, but Maki knows all too well how crowded even largely open spaces can be when a horde begins collecting.
She wonders if sheâs ready to face that againâ
Rancid odors and cold air penetrate her lungs as she runsâRunsâRUNSâTOO SLOWâTOO. SLOWâ
ââŚNicoâll be our third volunteer,â Umiâs voice announces, âIâll hold a meeting with you two a little later to run through the detailsâŚâ
Maki blinks, whipping her head in Nicoâs direction.
Nico?
âWhat the hell are you doing?â
âLet me go, Maki,â Nico demands, weakly, wincing from the force of Makiâs grip on her wrist.
Objection crosses Makiâs mind, but when the pain on Nicoâs face becomes apparent, she lets her hand slip free. Still, she doesnât unpin Nico from the wall, keeping the smaller girl trapped in the prison between her arms.
âWHY, Nico?!â Maki raises her voice, half-shouting at her, âWhy theâmmph!â
Nico clamps both hands over her mouth, effectively silencing her.
âYouâre being too damn loud, Maki, so shut up,â she mutters, âAnd if youâre going to ask questionsâOne. At. A. Freaking. Time. Okay?â
Maki retaliates by glaring fuming daggers at her, which Nico seems to take as an affirmative, releasing her hold.
âWhyâd you volunteer to go?â Maki snaps, âAre you suiciâmmph!â
Nico rolls her eyes at her. âBecause no one else was going to,â she states matter-of-factly, âAnd donât insult me, Maki. I know how hold my own.â
âNico,â Eli calls out from behind Makiâs back, âUmi wants us in five minutes.â
Nico raises a thumbs-up over Makiâs head. âGotcha.â
As Eli walks away, Nicoâs tone returns to one of annoyance. âNow, any other questions?â
Maki hesitates.
Why, yes, she did have one more question.
âThe journal,â Maki says, narrowing her eyes at Nico.
Nico stays silent, but her eyes shine with defiance.
âOf course, right, right. Who else wouldâve told Umi?â Maki mutters, pausing to close her eyes and take a deep breath, then continuing, âI let you see it because you asked, because I thought you could keep a secret, because I TRUSTED YOU, NICO!â
âIt was for your own safety!â
âIt wasnât yours to TAKE!â
âIt wasnât even yours to KEEP!â
Panting heavilyâMaki perhaps more so than Nicoâthey stop only when their faces are barely inches apart from each other, jaws clenched, cheeks flushed. Any closer would mean skin contact, or a push, or a shove, or a fight.
Nicoâs the first to balk, though, taking a step back to breathe and collect herself. âIâve wasted enough time,â she sighs, âWeâll talk more when I get back. I need to get going now.â
With that, she leaves Maki behind in a light jog.
By the time Maki snaps out of her red haze, Nicoâs already halfway down the corridor.
âNico?â
âNico!â
Step, step, step. Turn. Step, step, step. Turn.
For the hundredth time that night, Maki stops pacing and looks out the window. This time, though, pale yellow streaks begin peeping over the horizon, barely visible to the naked eyeâtelltale signs of sunrise.
Theyâre taking way too damnâ
The door slides open.
Umiâs at the doorway, having stopped short at the sight of Maki still awake at this hour. A strange look passes across her face before she dons on a neutral expression, entering the room with her head slightly bowed and her eyes cast down.
Eliâs next, and, unlike Umi, she holds Makiâs gaze when she enters.
Then she closes the door behind her with a quiet click, letting her eyes fall to the floor.
And she shakes her head.
The days crawl by slowly without her, with each tomorrow feeling drearier and grayer than every yesterday.
Maki thinks she finally understands the reason Nico took the journal away from her.
Because sheâs starting to get tired of all the gray days now, and deep, dark, eternal black sleep is beginning to look more and more like an appealing alternative with every passing day.
A lonely black silhouette stands atop the abandoned rooftop again, leaning into the iron railings as it tilts its head up towards the heavens. Reflecting the color of the skies above, its upturned eyes are dyed a deep black tonight, unclouded and dim from a clear and starless night. In reality, there isnât anything to see in such penetrating darkness, but still its eyes search and scour the black expanse, desperate for a glimpse of light.
Maki blinks. There is lightâfrom down below, surrounding her person in a circle. She traces it to a bright yellow source behind her. Someoneâs shining a flashlight.
Heavy boots thud against the floor behind her in a calm approach, and the spotlight grows smaller and smaller with each step, until a tall figure emerges from the darkness: Eli.
She doesnât turn the garish light off.
âSee any stars lately, Maki?â she asks, leaning back against the railing.
Maki nods to the torch in Eliâs hands. âKinda hard to do when youâre waving that thing around.â
âIâm sorry. But you know I canât switch it off,â Eli confesses, wearing an apologetic smile on her face, âFears, remember?â
âYeah, no, itâs fine,â Maki says, waving a dismissive hand. âSo, whatâre you up here for?â
âChecking up on you. Howâre you holding up?â
âŚafter Nico, an invisible voice seems to add.
Maki fidgets around uncomfortably, pressing her weight into the iron bars. Cold to the touch.
âAlright.â Eli simply says, dropping the subject.
Itâs been weeks, but Maki has still been avoiding the topic. Too many thoughts and too many feelings that she didnât want to deal with. In fact, the whole reason she came up here almost every night was so she didnât have to think about it.
The uneasiness in the weeks leading up to her outburst.
The abrupt way they ended their last argument.
The crushing despair when she didnât return.
Her knees suddenly give in, andâthrowing her hands outâshe avoids what couldâve been a painfully jarring fall. Except one pain is traded for another, when the burn of cold iron screeching between her hands tears fresh wounds open, in the form of angry red streaks within the palms of her rust-stained hands.
The scathing pain is bearable. But the stenchâit reeks, like bad bloodâ
Putrid ichor spills out in an overarching sweep, and suddenly the stench of pungent, rotting flesh floods the air and lodges in her throat and seizes her so that she canât breatheâ
Maki finds herself doubled-over on the ground, firmly held up by Eliâs arms as she heaves inâchokes onâlungfuls of air.
Eli watches on, eerily silent, eerily cold, and eerily calm.
âNiâŚco,â she whispers to herself, lightly scratching the nameâher nameâon the back of her hand, âYaâŚzawa. Nico.â
Speaking and writing helps her think, focus.
She shambles forward, through dark, deserted corridors, heading for⌠somewhere.
She doesnât know why, but her gut tells her to keep moving. Staying was dangerous. Other dangers were aroundâ
Something in the air. Food.
The overpowering scent of something rich and sweet and savory. Just imagining the pleasure of biting into a mouthful of itâwhatever it isâis enough to make her drool. She hasnât bitten into anything for so long.
Movement, in front. Food.
She shambles forward, hurt, thirsty, hungry.
âNiâŚco?â
She stops.
That was her name, yes.
But it wasnât her voice.
Nightfall.
Nights arenât usually unnerving for Maki; then again, most nights arenât usually accompanied by thick fogs and hissing winds, with only the light of the moon to serve as her unreliable guide through the murky maze. Swirling shapes and quiet winds stalk and taunt her from both close up and far away, sometimes intimidating, and at other times distracting. Itâs a wonder she hasnât lost her way yet.
âMaki?â Eliâs voice calls out, just ahead of her.
âYeah, Iâm, uh, here,â Maki replies.
Umiâs directed another search for supplies, this time to the swimming pool and its nearby facilities. Same routineâgo in, grab things, get out.
The only thing thatâs different is that itâs just Eli and Maki on the searchâsince there arenât enough people to spare anymore.
Up ahead, the murkiness clears enough for Maki to see Eli standing by the chain-link gate to the pool. Sheâs turned her eyes upwards with a strange smile on her face, though Maki isnât quite sure what sheâs looking at. All she sees is fog, fog, and fog, all around them.
âEli?â Maki probes.
âHm?â Eli mumbles distractedly. âOh. Yes, the search. We should keep moving.â
Fog even permeates the area inside the swimming pool, settling in visibly thick blankets that roll gently with the breeze. From a quick glance around the open space, Maki doesnât see anything of note, although the pool is curiously drained of water.
On closer inspection, Maki finds that though the pool is devoid of water, isnât completely empty. Thereâs a shadow thatâs faintly visible through the fog in the distance, presumably trapped in the pool, and presumably not human.
Eli stands with her by the lip of the pool, still smiling.
âDo you remember our last search together,â Eli asks, watching her intently, âBack when Nozomi was with us?â
Maki nods, but frowns at the random topic. Small talk?
Eli continues, âDo you remember what they sky looked like that night?â
âThatâs an awfully specificââ
âMoonless night,â Eli answers, âNo visible moon. Just like tonight, with this fog.â
Her eyes leave Maki and focus on the small, dark figure on the other side of the empty pool. The edges of its shadow begin to distort as the breeze picks up and whips up the fog.
All around them, the rustlings of the poolâs chain-link fence echo louder, sounding almost like an eager applause. Or maniacal laughter. Itâs also gotten incredibly chillier, turning every light, airy graze of the wind into cuts by tiny surgical knives.
Eli doesnât appear to mind the icy chill, though, seemingly unaffected as she fixes an unreadable, blank stare back on Maki. In fact, it almost seems to invigorate her, widening the cold smile plastered on her face.
âAnd do you remember what else happened on that night?â
Maki shivers, and not just from the cold. Eliâs smile, tone, and line of questioning are all beginning to unnerve her.
âEliââ
âThis.â
She pushes.
Maki falls.
It feels familiar.
Sharp pinpricks of pain lance through Makiâs body, coupled with a few stinging scrapes and sore red bruises on her knees and elbows. Her muscles protest when she picks herself off the ground in a wobbly mess and new layer of dust and grime, but there doesnât seem to be anything broken or bleeding.
Up above on her perch, Eli stands and stares at Maki down her nose, with the smile now clean off her face. In its place is an icy bitterness that Maki has never seen before. An icy bitterness directed at her.
âThe hell, Eli?â Maki rasps, coughing up the dust, âWhatâre you playing at?â
She doesnât get an answer. Instead, Eliâs eyes flick to something behind Maki.
Makiâs gut churns. She turns around, slowly.
Step by lurching step, the shadowy figure in the mist approaches her, growing larger in size and growing more distinct in shape as it keeps drawing closer.
But Makiâs taken care of a few stragglers before with no problems, so fending off just one by itselfâeven as injured as she isâshouldnât be a big deal.
She bides her time, watching and waiting, on the defensive with the crowbar in hand.
Just a few more lurchesâ
Wait.
Maki freezes, and the crowbar drops with an ear-piercing clang.
She would recognize that shape from anywhere.
Its form is more definite now, just the shadowy outline of a shambling personâa particular person whoâs shorter than her by only a few exact inches, whoâs marked by a distinct pair of now-shaggy twin tails, and whoâs clothed in the vestiges of a signature pink cardigan.
Held in one of its hands is something long, thin, and twisted at a very wrong angle.
A horrifying chill prickles her skin and sour bile burns the back of her throat. She canât fight at all; she needs to get away.
Something loud and heavy lands with a loud thunk! against the tiled floors.
The journal, and its contents spilled out, still perfectly intact.
Maki looks up, seeing one of Eliâs hand stretched out. Sheâs thrown it to her, but not out of pityâthat much is obvious from the thinly veiled fury still visible in her eyes, in her pursed lips, in her set jaw.
So, why? And how?
But there isnât any time to ask, because Nicoâno, its comingâ
âIâve given you two choices,â Eli begins explaining, âOneââ
Maki pulls the heavy weight into her hands, scrambling to remember what sheâs read, how to fireâ
ââsave yourself and kill her, or twoââ
âchecking the magazine (thereâs one shot), reloading, cocking it back, switching the safety offâ
ââsacrifice yourself and keep Nico alive.â
âsteadying it in both hands, aiming down the sight, touching her finger to the triggerâ
âJust like the choices Nozomi had to make with you, Iâm sure,â Eli spits, the malice dripping from her voice like seething venom.
âtrembling it in her hands.
Itâs revenge, Maki realizes. Eliâs done this, plotting her fall and probably having planned Nicoâs deaâdemise, just to sate some perverse, misguided need for retribution.
She grits her teeth. She doesnât have time to reason with her.
Hey I just wanna say that I like the fics you write :) they're really good and fun to read :) esp. that 'nico. maki.' I think that was really beautiful, it just seems so.. poetic. lol I don't know the right word but yeah that was great.. Thanks for writing and keep em coming anon :) have a great day!
( ⢠_|âŹâ´âŹâ´ âŚ*pops in*
(â^ _|âŹâ´âŹâ´ H-Hello there, anon!
Awww thatâs really sweet of you to say! Iâm super glad you liked my fics, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed dreaming of and writing them. (I get really happy and excited when anyone reads âem at all omgomgomg)
Tbh Iâm not sure when Iâm pumping out another fic (schoolâs chugging along now and eating all my time up), but if you want more good stuff, feel free to check out the other writers or fics that I link under âInspiration/Creditsâ? That, and personal favorites for me are LLuminati fics (nicomaki-trashblog | nicotachi | maki-is-gay | blaerofvalenwood | rectumlord | ikusiad | nishiklno | this one catprinx ficlet), jstonedd and floopersâgreat stuff from more inspiring writers!
Also thankies so, so much for the kind message, anon! (Definitely made my night better!) I hope youâre having a lovely day or night wherever you are!
Summary: Itâs Valentineâs Day, and Nico is caught between eight girlfriends all vying for her love and attention as they fling each other under the bus and find ways to trap her alone with them. Yet despite with all the affection they throw at her, even the most beloved idol of Îź's succumbs to a little loneliness sometimes.
Notes: Fic for @blaerofvalenwoodâ because itâs her birthday today! Hereâs to one of the writers who inspired me to write in the first place, and one of the role models I look up to!
Everyone who hasnât should go wish Blaer a very happy birthday (here!)!
(This is the âlighthearted fluffâ Iâd promised to write and have been planning for since mid-July. Itâs definitely not angsty-angst, but Iâm not sure how âlightheartedâ it is, tbh.)
Inspirations/Credits: Dragon Age, Mass Effect (I hid a little Dragon Age 2 reference and maybe stole a line from Mass Effect to put in here⌠You might need to peel your eyes a lilâ to find them. Hint: Isabella-Varric and Kaidan-Ashley banter.)
Disguise on.
Binoculars out.
Target in sight.
A pair of black lenses peered out over the ledge of the apartment building, invisible to all but the most perceptive of eyes. Sharp eyes could probably catch the light glinting off the lenses if they squinted hard enough in the right direction. Even sharper eyes would notice the funny way the light seemed to dance in the air, as if the hands holding on them were trembling.
That was, indeed, what Nico was doingâtrembling in numb terror as she zoomed in on the lone figure standing by the entrance of her apartment. The first things she noticed about the person were her striking crimson hair and brilliant violet eyes, sheltered from the harshest of the sunâs rays in the shade, but still as bright as ever. Even if Nico hadnât been able to see the colors, she was certain she could still pick her target out from a mile away; no one else could pull off that distinctive rich snob look the way she did, all immaculate hair and tidy school uniform fluttering along in the gentle morning breeze like some TV show clichĂŠ, even complete with a pocket-sized book in hand to add that little touch of pretentiousness to her poise. There was no mistaking her for anyone else at all.
âMaki,â Nico hissed under her breath.
And, as if by some stroke of magic or superhuman hearing, Makiâs gaze immediately snapped up to meet Nicoâs, right through the binoculars, like she had been aware of her not-so-secret observer spying on her all along. Nico managed to hold eye contact for just about one full second before instinctively ducking out of sight, holding her head in her hands as she muffled the strangled cry that caught in her throat.
This was just the worst.
Any other day and she wouldâve been just fine with Makiâs unanticipated appearance by her doorstep. Any other day except today.
Valentineâs Day.
A day that usually spelled out shy love letters hidden away in lockers or awkward rooftop confessions followed by a heartwarming box of chocolates, but it didnât seem that way for Maki. In fact, her girlfriend looked just about ready to pick yet another fight with Nico if she wouldnât hurry her way down there soon. Broody impatience was written all over Makiâs pretty little face in big, bold, bitter letters.
Normally, Nico wasnât one to back down from a fair fight, especially if her challenger was just Maki, but it wasnât just her, and the fight was anything but fair. It was Nico versus the entire cast of Îź's and the unbridled chaos that always hounded them wherever they went. This wasnât a sweet, innocent, lovey-dovey day. No, this day was a ruthless battle royal among Nicoâs eight thirsty girlfriends to win the right to her exclusive love and attention all for themselves and themselves only.
And who else to be caught in the accidental crossfire other than the prize herself?
Okay, so maybe she was dramatizing everything again, but thinking about the day ahead tired her out already. It was exhausting, Nico admitted, spreading herself thin across eight people; a little too thinly, maybe. Sometimes it felt like they couldnât see her at all. Girlfriends or not, they still tended to ignore her, even going as far as to casually âforgetâ to invite her out in some extreme cases. Nico, though, as the (usually) older and therefore more mature one, pushed the bitterness aside and made it her duty to look out for each and every one of them. No one should ever have to feel neglected with her.
Besides, she knew they meant no ill will toward her. Blunders happened sometimes, and Nico always found the heart to forgive them. Someone else might not bother spending all that extra effort on the girls to be treated so unkindly, but she thought it was all worth it in the end. She loved seeing the smiles on everyoneâs faces, and she loved knowing that they smiled and laughed because of her. For Nico, the happiness she felt loving them was enough reward in itself.
But now they were all expecting a lot more from her on this oh-so-special day, and Nico wasnât sure how much more she had to give before they ran her weary. It was hard enough juggling her time and energy between eight girls. Throw in Valentineâs Day to the mix, and, wellâŚ
What on earth had she been gotten herself into? Nico asked herself, probably a few months too late.
Crouched down with her head buried in her hands, Nico silently begged the heavens above to let her survive the day in one piece.
One thing at a time, though, and thing one to deal with was Maki.
Plan A: Donât get noticed by Maki. Well, that plan had gone by just magnificently, hadnât it?
Plan B: Take the back door out. It usually worked every time⌠Except there werenât any back doors out of the apartment complex. Or at least, none that Nico knew of. Scratch Plan B, never mind.
Plan C: Sneak past Maki. That meant Nico needed a disguise. Good thing she was already wearing her classic overcoat and shades plus face-mask outfit, then.
Now Nico just had to tiptoe past an oblivious girlfriend, make it round the corner, and sprint her way to school at breakneck speed, all without Maki catching on to anything. An easy job, really. Sheâd outrun and outsmarted all of Îź's before, that one time when everyone decided to chase her down afterschool for skipping practice, and she was sure she could do it again.
Everything went by pretty smoothly for the first five secondsâuntil Nico felt a tug on the collar of her coat pulling her back.
âI hope you werenât trying to sneak your way past me with that shabby getup,â a stern voice called out from behind her.
Uh-oh.
Play it cool, Nico told herself, play it cool. It wasnât the end, not yet. There was a still chance she could slip away, but only if she playedâannoyed, ratherâMaki just right.
In one smooth, practiced motion, she spun on her heel to face her foe, finding a pair of unamused violet eyes staring back at her, just as she had expected.
âMaki!â Nico coughed into a fist to feign surprise, âWhat a coincidence! I never noticed you atââ
âYou could try to lie better, at least,â Maki sighed, rolling her eyes, âI saw you up there fooling around with those binos of yours. Care to explain why, exactly, you kept me waiting out here this long?â
Maki tucked the book away as her gaze lingered on Nico, with eyes that were more annoyed than curious. There it was, the cue Nico was waiting forâif Maki wanted a fight, Nico was more than happy to give it to her.
Nico took off her shades and facemask and returned Makiâs cool, unblinking gaze with an intense one of her own, hoping the strange silence would irk the other girl. Then she simply turned away from her and shrugged. âWe didnât exactly set up an appointment, Maki.â Defiance and sass through seemingly random, cocky actionsâthe surest and easiest way to get on Makiâs nerves.
Maki didnât seem unnerved in the slightest, though, opting for an air of indifference. âI came anyway because you didnât reply to my text, Nico.â
That was⌠unexpected. âText? What text?â Nico blinked, pulling out her phone. Sure enough, she got a message from Maki: Happy Valentineâs Day, Nico. Iâm coming by to pick you up at your apartment. No objections?
She got a few texts from the others too:
HAPPY V DAY NICO WEâLL BE BY THE SCHOOL GATES WAITING K LUV NYA~ <3 <3 <3
(~ăť8ăť)~ Chuun! ⤠Happy Valentineâs Day, Nico ⤠Umi and I have a little gift for you, please look forward to it!
Ni-co-cchiii~ You. Me. Alone. After class ;) Iâm giving you something extra special, if you know whatâ
Something bopped her on the forehead. Makiâs phone.
âNico, could you save that for later? Weâre a little late for school.â
Perfect. âWhy donât you go on ahead? Iâll catch up in a bit,â Nico mumbled half-heartedly, keeping her eyes glued to the phone. There werenât any other unread messages, but she kept tapping at the screen all the same; Maki would eventually give up and leave if she stalled long enough, which would be when Nico would escape and disappear before she ran into anyone else, not to be seen again for the rest of the day.
A good plan, she thought, if Maki would only play her part to hurry up and just⌠go. She seemed painfully oblivious to Nicoâs silent commands, though, and lingered in her peripheral vision, not shifting an inch. Nico wanted to scream. Why could Maki be so dense sometimes?
Fine, maybe she just needed another push. Nico popped open the little idol tap-tap game on her phone. Bushimo! it whispered, just loud enough for Maki to hear. From the corner of her eye, she saw Makiâs face scrunch up, offended, with her mouth half-open, about to retort. Good, good. Sheâd snap some snarky remark at Nico, ditch her in a huff with her obnoxiously flawless hair trailing behind her, thenâ
Then Maki slowly clamped her mouth shut, almost with a forced effort, and quietly stood to the side. Expectant violet eyes watched Nico in silence as she waited at her will, oddly submissive for once. Only the silent tapping of her finger on her bagâs belt strap hinted at her restrained restlessness. Nico shifted on her feet awkwardly. It wasnât like Maki to react so passively towards her weird attitudes.
Well, neither of them were going to school if Nico kept this up. With a sigh, she pocketed the phone and finally looked up at Maki. âWhat.â No use playing charade anymore if her dense girlfriend clearly wasnât going to take a hint and leave.
Maki blinked and stood a little straighter, surprised that Nico had stopped blatantly ignoring her so suddenly. âItâs, um, well, todayâŚâ she trailed off.
Her lips continued moving, but her voice sounded quiet and hesitant to Nicoâs ears, like she was uncomfortable with the attention she was getting. Odd. Hadnât she wanted Nico to notice her just a second ago? She was such a strange girl sometimes, Nico thought, squinting up at her. Actually, if she wasnât imagining thingsâŚ
âMaki, are you okay?â Nico asked, taking a curious step forward and leaned in, âYour face is kinda red.â
âIâmâWhat? Iâm-Iâm notâIâm fineââ Maki stuttered, shuffling backwards. There was a slight panic in her eyes, a frantic darting about as she looked at everything besides Nico, even though she was right in front of her. It was almost cute, Hanayo-like⌠but also a little annoying, coming from Maki; here she was avoiding eye contact with her again. Nico wasnât sure if she wanted to kiss her or slap her silly.
Before Nico could do either, Maki thrusted something into her handsâa little forcefully, like she was trying to put some distance between themâand quickly turned to the side. âHere,â she said, her voice returning to her normal, constantly-irritated tone, âJust a small gift, okay? It doesnât⌠really⌠mean anythingâŚâ
It was a tiny red box that fit nicely in the palm of her hand, almost weightless. Soundless too, it seemed; Nico couldnât hear anything when she shook it lightly. That probably meant the insides were cushioned. Whatever was inside must have been expensive; cushioned boxes usually made expensive gifts, Nico reasoned, and rich kid Maki didnât seem like the type who would scrimp out on gifts.
Nico shook the box again. Jewelry, maybe? But it was so small.
Wait a sec.
Tiny, expensive jewelry...
Nico blinked. A ring?
âMakiâŚâ Nico paused, raising an eye at her, âare you proposing to me?â
âHuh? N-No! I mean, weâre still in high schoolâwait, no. No! Just open it already!â
âOh?â Nico smirked, popping the lid open, âSo youâd think about it once weâve gra⌠gradu⌠uhâŚâ
Sitting on the plush white cushion inside the box was a little silver music note, about the size of the tip of her little finger, with a pin-sized silver loop melded to the top. Nico held it up to the sunlight, where it sparkled in between her fingers. It looked like some sort of mini-keyring, or a phone strap ornament missing its string, feeling a little incomplete without a certain something, but that didnât matter to Nico right now. It was pretty. And shiny silver. And it looked pretty damn expensive.
âHey, this isnât âjust a small gift,â is it?â Nico asked, probing Maki for a response. There mustâve been some reason she gave it to her. Maki wasnât the kind of person to do things willy-nilly, and sheâd gone awfully silent when Nico opened the box. âMaki?â
Maki was still turned away. Indifference? No, Nico knew better. Feigned indifference. She noticed the way those uncertain eyes kept flicking back to her and away. That, and how Maki was trying a bit too hard to act cold and tsun, but Nico caught all of her nervous ticks: teeth biting down softly on her lips, fingers squeezing and un-squeezing her forearm, shoulders drawn in ever-so-slightly.
It was completely out of character, the way she seemed unusually nervous and jumpy since Nico met her today. Nico threw her a questioning glance. What was up with her?
âHa-Happy Valentineâs Day, Nico,â she half-whispered, with a heavy blush creeping into her cheeks.
Oh.
Oh.
âOh.â The tiny silver note slipped from Nicoâs fingers and fell into the box with a soft thud.
Makiâs twitchy movements stopped. She turned her eyes back on Nico, and they stayed locked on to her this time. Again with the eerie stares. It looked like she wanted more than just some thoughtless âOh.â
Nico fidgeted under her gaze, running a finger over the boxâs rim. âUm. Th-ThanksâŚ?â
She tried thinking of something else to say, but her mind drew an utter blank. Of all the things sheâd expected of Maki, a gift on Valentineâs Day was one of the last on the list. She didnât even seem like the gift-giving type in the first place.
What should Nico do now? Would Maki expect anything in return for it? Why wasnât Maki saying anything? Tentatively, she snuck a glance up at the other girl, to gauge her mood.
Maki had turned to look away, and was back to nervous arm-gripping and lip-chewing again.
Oh for heavensâ sake, no. Nico wasnât having any of that. âMaki, donât.â
âW-What?â All Nico got was a strange look from her, which grew even more confused as Nico began to draw closer and closer to her. âWhatâs wrong? Whyâre you mad atââ
Nico cut her off with an abrupt kiss, raising herself on her tiptoes with a hand on Makiâs shoulder for balance. The muscles under her hand were tense, frozen, paralyzed. Apparently she had stopped breathing as well; Nico couldnât feel the breaths that usually tickled her nose.
Well if Maki was just going to stand there and take it, Nico supposed she could go on a little longer, breathing or not. With the hand on her shoulder, she stroked the side of her face and slipped her fingers through her hair, making sure to take her time with the kiss.
Maki whimpered under her touch, placing both hands on Nicoâs hips and pushing away slightly. Their little signal to stop. Out of breath already, Nico guessed, amused. Time to stop teasing her.
Nico pulled back gently, tracing a finger across Makiâs lips and smiling when they quivered slightly under her touch. âDonât bite your lip, Maki.â
âWas that⌠the only reason you⌠umâŚâ Maki mumbled out, half-dazed. The blush was back on her cheeks and she was staring at her feet, avoiding Nicoâs eyes again, but Nico didnât mind it this time.
âNah.â Nico stroked her thumb over her cheek in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. âThat was a little thanks for the gift too. It was really sweet of you.â
âMm.â Was all Maki said, still embarrassed.
âHere, câmon.â Nico laced their fingers together and tugged at her hand. âIâll even walk you to school as a bonus.â
Maki frowned at that.
âWhat? You donât wanna walk with Nico Nii?â Nico complained, throwing her hands in the air, âFine, fine, Iâll go to school aloneââ
âI didnât say that,â Maki interjected, âI was frowning at that, that, and that.â She pointed at Nicoâs clothes: brown overcoat, oversized shades, facemask tucked under her chin. Her disguise.
Nico had almost forgotten about it. âUm⌠Yeah, let me get this off real quick. Iâll be right back after I dump it back at home.â She made to go, but stopped suddenly.
A brilliant idea hit her.
âOh, one last thing, Maki?â
âHmâŚ?â Maki still seemed a little out of it, after that kiss. That was goodâitâd make things a whole lot easier for her.
Nico planted a quick peck on her cheek. âThanks again for that earlier. Maybe todayâs not gonna be that bad of a day after all.â
âMm,â Maki mumbled distractedly, watching Nico run off in the other direction, towards school, without her, âYeah.â
âI canât believe I almost had you,â Nico grumbled on their way to school. Thatâs rightâtheir way. Maki had caught up to her, eventually.
âI canât believe you tried to slip away again after I caught you once,â Maki replied flatly, âAnd right after I gave you that Valentineâs Day present too. Some thanks that was.â
âMy life hangs in the balance here!â Nico half-shouted, clutching her head in desperation. âIâll die if you let those⌠ those beasts have at me!â
âGirlfriends, Nico. Your girlfriends.â Maki corrected, with just a hint of jealousy, âAnd what was that you said earlier? About this day not being as bad as you thought?â
âIt could have been even better ifââ
âNIIICOOO~!â
Nicoâs blood chilled. Oh, heavens no. No, no, no, no, no.
In the distance, Nico spotted a blur of orange hair that separated from the crowd and began movingâno, hurtling towards her as it howled its death cry, with a pair of arms flailing wildly behind the figure and its legs a flurry of movement. Nico could even see the mischievous predatory glint in those chartreuse eyes and the razor-sharp points of its teeth from this far awayâeyes and teeth that were screaming for her blood.
âI take it back, I take it all back, Iâm sorry, bad day, bad BAD DAY, so, so sorry, Maki, you love me right? Yeah you do. If you love me pleaseââ Nico panicked, turning to the side with her arm out, grasping⌠empty air where Maki once stood.
She wasnât there.
Nicoâs stomach dropped, and a pathetic whine escaped her. ââhelp meâŚ?â
Down the sidewalk, Nico found a tuft of red hair bobbing towards the school gates, on the path in between the orange demon and her. Surprisingly, the blur of orange skidded to a stop right next to the Maki. Had she gone ahead to stop the howling beast before it reached Nico? Nice going! Nico mentally fist-bumped Maki.
Then Maki pointed directly at her.
And the ball of orange began sprinting again, even faster this time, with renewed vigor in its bone-chilling cry.
In its final spurt of energy, a dark shadow sailed overhead with its arms and legs outstretched, effectively blocking out the sun above. Nico closed her eyes and thought of a quick prayer (but not before cursing Maki) as she waited for the darkness to crash into her. Literally.
A hard impact knocked Nico off her feet, and she gave no resistance when she began tumbling to the ground, keeping her eyes shut and body completely still. At least she would take the wild one down with her in her brave plummet towards death.
âNIIICOOO~!â Rinâs voice pierced through her ears painfully, loaded with too much volume and happiness for her own good, âHAPPY VALENTINEâS DAY!â
Nico flinched, but recovered quickly enough to brace herself for the second, more painful collision with the rough sidewalk.
Instead, she found the landing to be softer than she had anticipatedâa pair of kind hands had caught her under the shoulders mid-fall, and were now carefully lowering her to the ground. Someone with a good heart who was gentle with her (unlike Rin), and someone who seemed to have her back in the worst of situations (unlike Maki).
Once safely on the floor, Nico cracked an eye open. She was greeted by a mop of bright orange hair and curious chartreuse eyesâRinâbut behind her, the sweet round face, short brown hair, and gentle purple eyes of her kind saviorâHanayo. The one angel who could tame Rinâs devilish tendencies. Nico felt all her tense muscles immediately relax. Someone trustworthy, who could maybe get her out of this mess.
But even Hanayo had trouble with Rin sometimes, she noted, as the latter sat snugly on her throne atop of her prey, watching her intently like the cat she was. She could almost imagine Rinâs tail swishing to and fro lazily behind her while she continued eyeing her strangely. What an odd sight they would make to some passerby: a first-year straddling her upperclassman on the concrete pavement, with her friend hovering by the two of them.
Nico considered simply asking Rin to let go of her, but the chances of that actually happening seemed pretty slim. Rin looked pretty damn satisfied with her paws on her trapped prey; there was no way sheâd be willing to give up a prize like Nico to any sort of pleading.
Nico closed her eyes, struggling to think with Rin breathing on her face.
If Rin wouldnât get off her on her own, and if Nico couldnât persuade her to, that left⌠Hanayo. Appealing to her soft-spoken childhood friend might be the next best option. Sure, Rin ignored her from time to timeâlike the way she ignored pretty much everybody once she was lost in her playful tendenciesâbut for the most part, she would listen and give in to Hanayo. Everyone had a soft spot for the timid, adorable first year, especially Rin, being her closest friend and all.
Of course. And Hanayo, being the kind, loving soul she was, would always be willing to help anyone in need, soâŚ
âHanayo,â Nico pleaded, âCould you please tell Rin to stop using me as her chair?â
There was an odd pause. Hesitation? Nico didnât think Hanayo would be the type to hesitate to lend help.
Maybe she hadnât heard. âHanayo?â Nico repeated.
âNico?â a soft voice asked, âWhoâre you talking to?â It was a gentle tone, much like Hanayoâs, but a little higher in pitch. Not exactly Hanayo. Nico blinked her eyes open, slightly alarmed.
She met a set of amber eyes in the spot where the first year had stood last that leaned over and stared her like some sort of strange specimen. Hanayo didnât have amber eyes. Or long grayish-brown hair. Or that red-and-blue-striped second-year ribbon.
âK-Kotori?â Nico got up with a start, quickly brushing the dust off her clothes. âTh-This uh, isnât what you think it is. I wasnât sleeping on the pavement, okay?â
Kotori simply smiled and nodded, remaining politely silent so that Nico could continue explaining. No questions, no funny looks, no judgement. Just patience as she listened to the thrilling story of how Nico wound up lying on the public sidewalk, alone.
ââŚand Iâm pretty sure they ditched meâfirst Maki, and then Rin, who probably just dragged Hanayo along with herâso, um⌠yeah.â Nico finished, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. Her voice grew quiet, and she shuffled her feet. âPlease donât tell anyone?â
Kotori nodded and made a motion of zipping her lips. âMy lips are sealed."
Nico let out a heavy sigh of relief and collected herself before they began their way to school. After the bizarre things that had happened this morning, with still more madness to come, she was glad to finally meet someone with a little more sense in their head. Beside her, Kotori hummed a simple melody, her stature calm and at peace.
Now this wouldâve more like been one of her normal school days. Quiet mornings and slow walks, with the cool morning breeze tickling her hair and the soft rustling of cherry blossom trees growing a little louder as they neared the school. Not screaming demons and near-death experiences all because of some Valentineâs Day craze.
Speaking of Valentineâs DayâŚ
âOh, Kotori, I saw your text earlier. You said you and Umi had something for me for Valentineâs Day?â
âMmhm~ Itâs at school,â Kotori answered, cheery as ever. Then, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands together. âOh! I forgot to ask, are you free right now? Itâll probably be better if I give it to you as soon as I can.â
âItâs perishable?â Nico raised an eyebrow. Had they gotten her Valentineâs Day chocolates? But if they had, why would they keep that in school, of all places? Nico had thought Kotori and Umi to be more sensible than that.
Deep in thought, Kotori tapped her chin, humming to herself. âI guess you could say itâs perishable⌠It just depends if Umi⌠hmâŚâ she trailed off in a mumble.
âHm? âIf UmiââŚ?â Nico echoed.
âOh, nothing, nothing!â Kotori hurriedly brushed aside her earlier comment, âWe could get it right now, though, if youâre freeâŚ?â
Suspicious⌠Nico had been around enough pranks to sense when one was afoot, and Kotori seemed up to something. Apparently whatever Valentineâs Day strangeness was going around had affected her as well. But she could trust her, the compliant, well-mannered, innocent Kotori, couldnât she?
âSureâŚâ Nico agreed, with just a little bit of doubt.
Amber eyes peeped out from behind the door, watching for any nearby movement, before shutting it with a quiet click.
âSafe,â Kotori sighed, letting out a nervous breath. She perked up quickly, though, turning to Nico with her cheery tone back in place. âIâve hidden it away in here, but first let me find a few things, okay?â
Definitely strange, Nico thought, but she pushed her suspicions aside. She doubted Kotori would mean her any harm.
As the other girl dug around in her bag, Nico took a quick look around. Kotori had led her to lockers inside the clubroom, which seemed pretty dark right now; the room was mostly lit up by the lazy glow of morning sunlight streaming in from the windows, and not much else. With the lights off, everything still looked untouched after yesterdayâs cleanup: the rolling whiteboard was blank and pushed to one wall, the floor was nice and spotless with no dirty clutter left out and about, and the lockers were all tidy and shut, save for oneâNicoâs locker, it seemedâwith a little pink ribbon hanging out from it.
That pink ribbon hadnât been there yesterday.
At some point, Kotori had hopped over next to Nico, and they were both now staring at the strange pink ribbon.
Nico pointed at it. âIs that part of your present?â
She got a confused blink and a shake of the head from Kotori. âNope. You didnât put it there?â When Nico shook her head, Kotori shrugged and went over to her locker. âSomeone else, maybe? I put Umiâs gift in my locker. Now, where was itâŚ?â
Nico continued staring at the mysterious ribbon, reluctant to touch it for some reason. It gave off a bad vibe to her, almost⌠dangerous? Maybe the imagined threat was just part of her imagination, but Nico thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Sheâd fix it later, somehow. Right now, Kotori demanded her attention.
âOh! Found it. Here!â From her locker, Kotori pulled out a traditional scroll, hefty-looking and tied with twine, with her name on it. Umiâs present, obviously; only someone like her would carry around something like that. In her other hand was a tiny white box and a small, irregular pouch. Kotori beamed at her. âHappy Valentineâs Day, Nico!â
Silence occupied the room for a good minute as Nico stared at her in shock, taken aback by all the gifts. âAll this⌠for me?â
Kotori nodded, and Nico took them in her hands, a little hesitant and a little wary. No one had ever given her so much before, and all in one go too. It didnât help knowing that she probably only received them because she just so happened to be Kotoriâs girlfriend, and because this just so happened to be Valentineâs Day.
There were only a handful of things, but Nico still felt guilty accepting them. She couldnât exactly return such thoughtful gifts back to Kotori either. Not that she didnât want or appreciate themâit was an incredibly sweet gesture, and Nico was already more than happy getting them; it just felt too much like she was taking advantage of Kotoriâs generosity.
Meanwhile, Kotori was still standing there and smiling, clasping her hands behind her back and bouncing a little on the spotâKotori signals for hiding her excitement. It looked like she was waiting for Nico to do or say something. Why was everyone looking at her so expectantly today?
The awkward blunder she had reacting to Makiâs present was still on her mind. Nico didnât want a repeat of that nervous tension again.
âShould I, uhâŚâ Nico shifted on the spot a little uncertainly. âOpen them?â
Kotori nodded, and her eyes twinkled a little brighter. Sheâd hit the mark, luckily.
For the moment, Nico set Umiâs present aside and focused on the two tiny gifts in her hands. Decorated with lace and cute little animals, they were clearly part of Kotoriâs make.
The bundle of irregular somethings, Nico guessed, were Valentineâs Day candies; a fact she confirmed when it untied to release its rich, sugar-sweet smell of chocolate into the air, and also revealed an assortment of cute little white and milk chocolate hearts. Her mouth watered at the sight and scent, but Nico forced herself to put them away. Later, she told herself. She couldnât just indulge herself while Kotori was watching her. Besides, there was still another present in her hand.
The other gift, a tiny box, looked a little more familiar to her. A lot like the one Maki had given her this morning, in fact, only that this one was white and finished off with a dainty white bow and some lace. Slowly, Nico pried the lid off the box, taking care not to destroy any of Kotoriâs delicate decorations on the outside.
A pretty silver ribbon lay inside, about the same size as Makiâs music note, with minute details engraved into its surface. It was simple, but elegant. And just like the Makiâs gift, Kotoriâs little ribbon had a curious pin-sized hole attached to its top as well. Nico played with it between her fingers, examining the peculiar ornament-thing with wonder and curiosity.
Seemingly pleased with Nicoâs fascination with her gifts, Kotori hummed a small, happy tune and went to sorting through her locker, leaving Nico to herself.
âThank you, Kotori, Iââ Nico stopped herself short. She wanted to thank Kotori, but simple words seemed a little lacking for the sincerity she wanted to get across. White Day promises and assurances of future gifts wouldnât cut it eitherâshe didnât want to make Kotori wait for her to return her feelings.
She could, howeverâŚ
âKotori?â Nicoâs voice came out unusually quiet. Nervous jitters shook her chest, but she ignored them and took a shy step forward.
Kotori poked her head from her locker. âMmhm?â
Nico took the chance to reach up and plant a kiss on her cheek, before quickly backing up.
âTh-Thanks,â Nico managed to mumble out, turning away. It had seemed like a better idea in her head. She could feel her face heating up. Why was she the one who was getting embarrassed?
Surprise and a light crimson lit up Kotoriâs face for a second, then she cupped a hand around Nicoâs cheek and brought her forehead down to touch hers, giggling softly.
Times like these made Nico feel strange in a pleasant sort of way, with both happiness and skittishness popping in her chest like a thousand tiny fireworks. Her bright eyes, her soft touch, her little laugh; Kotoriâs presence was enough to leave her with a taste of delight in her heart, sweet and pure.
Warm hands too, Nico thought. Either that, or she was blushing too madly to feel anything. She hadnât even noticed when Kotori had pulled away to finish tidying up her locker, standing there as dumb as she was. The next thing she knew, Kotori had taken ahold of her hand in one of hers, with Umiâs scroll in the other.
âSo, what does it say?â Kotori asked, âUmi wouldnât let me see what she wrote.â
Her voice snapped Nico out of her daze, but she continued staring blankly at the scroll for a few seconds as she struggled to find her words. âYou, uh⌠havenât looked at it?â
Kotori shook her head, handing it over to her to unravel.
The scroll revealed a sea of beautiful calligraphy as Nico spread it out, wave after wave of neat, black characters on a single sheet of parchment that was clean and pristine, written in Umiâs distinctly impeccable hand. Black on white, surrounded by a simple border of bamboo motifs, it was very minimalistic. Umi wasnât one for flamboyant extravagance, after all.
Nico took a closer look at the words, noticing a pattern. Just as she thought, there was a structure to them: two stanzas, with three short lines each. It wasnât any old calligraphy, she realized with a start, it was haiku.
See me, fair maiden,
Your eyes are like bumblebees
That fly to my soul.
Oh speak, fair maiden,
Lips like wings of sparrows.
Red ones. No feathers.
That was it, signed off with Umiâs name at the end.
Nico read it, reread it, and read it again after that, unsure how to react. Kotori hadnât said anything for the past few minutes either, probably just as speechless as she was.
It was⌠passionate, Nico could give her that, and⌠embarrâumâemotional. And it was also⌠very, very quiet in the room.
In the silence, the two of them simply stared at Umiâs words.
Then the door whipped open with a deafening crack.
âKOTORI! There you are!â A panicked Umi rushed into the room, jolting Nico and Kotori awake from their trance, âDo you know where the poems I⌠wrote⌠areâŚ?â Her voice died off when she saw her writing out in the open, only mildly surprised.
But when she saw Nico, and when she noticed that the scroll was in her hands, she paled. Fear slowly crept into her eyes as Umi stood frozen to the spot, unable to tear her eyes away from Nico. Slight uncontrollable spasms took control of her limbs. Random syllables garbled out of her gaping mouth. Red embarrassment deepened in her cheeks with each passing second.
Nico didnât think the room could get any quieter, but it did, somehow.
Umi, funnily enough, was the first to move, taking a short stumble backwards and raising a shaky finger at the thing in Nicoâs hands. âN-N-Nico? Whatâs, whatâs that youâre holdingâŚ?â
Nico hesitated before silently lifting the scroll up, pointing the calligraphy in Umiâs direction. Umi flinched, as if the mere sight of it pained her eyes, and diverted her eyes to Kotori instead.
âK-Kotori?â In fitful jerks, Umi turned to her childhood friend, with fearful accusation heavy in her voice.
Kotori raised both her hands up, nonthreateningly, fixing a worried smile to her face. âUmi, please donât panicââ
âP-P-Panic?â Umiâs voice grew shrill and her eyes rolled around, unfocused, as if she had cracked. âOf course! Of course not! Iâm not panicking. Not, panicking! At all!â
Umi⌠broke, twitching and babbling on the spot while taking the occasional shaky step back. Her normally calm amber eyes darted around, wild and half-delirious, looking for a desperate escape.
As if anticipating Umiâs actions, Kotori had carefully edged around the room, trying to trap her friend in without her noticing. She was almost on her, but Umi was almost out of the room.
âPanic?! No, no, no. B-But I need toâyesâneed to go, now!â Abruptly, Umi turned on the spot, making as if to run. âHave a good dayââ
Kotori leaped the last few feet at her, barely catching Umi by the waist and carrying the two of them to the ground. Tangled up on the floor, her captive began thrashing about, careful not to hurt Kotori but at the same time clearly panicking, waving one frantic hand towards the clubroom exit.
âKotori! Let me go! Sheâll think Iâm weird!â Umi wailed.
âUmi! Please stop!â Kotori called out, struggling to maintain her grip on Umi while looking around for something that could possibly help. Her amber eyes made eye contact with Nicoâs. âNico! Please! Do something!â
âR-Right! Um!â Nico started, feeling a little panicked herself. Umi was usually the one calming her over-the-top antics down, not the other way around. Put in such an abnormal situation, she wasnât quite sure what to do. There must be something she could use, something nearby.
In her haste, Nico almost dropped the haiku scroll, but caught it after a stumble.
Haiku?
Bingo.
Shoving her sense of shame away under the overly-confident persona she usually used for stage performances, Nico calmly approached Umiâs struggling figure with the scroll in hand and knelt by her head.
âUmi,â Nico commanded her in her most authoritative voice, calling for her attention.
It worked, and Umi stopped flailing about wildly. She looked up, with deep-seated fear in her eyes. âY-Yes?â she asked, meekly.
Nico closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for embarrassment. When she opened them, she looked Umi right in the eye and placed the other girlâs hand over her heart.
âYour beautiful words,â Nico said, projecting her voice a little louder than normal and carefully counting the number of syllables in her head, âLike a silver love arrow⌠shot into my heart.â
Her words took effect almost immediately; Umiâs eyes blanked out first, glazed over and unfocused, as a deep red gradually washed over her cheeks. A minute later, the hand Nico held over her chest fell limp, and the rest of her body followed soon afterwards.
Umi had fainted.
âUmi!â Kotori cried out, holding her up and shaking her by the shoulders.
Nico, though, fell back on her haunches and let out a heavy sigh, incredibly relieved. There were a thousand ways that couldâve gone downhill when Umi had shown up, but thankfully none of those scenarios had happened. She shuddered to think about the disasters a hysterical archer with the strength of ten horses could get them all into if let loose in the school.
âSheâll be fine, I think. Sheâs faced down worse before.â Nico turned to Kotori. âAre you okay, though?â
Kotori gave her a hesitant nod, a little uncertain. âI⌠I think I should be fine.â She seemed more worried about Umi than herself, though, checking her friend for any injuries and the like while still trying to rouse her awake.
âOh!â Kotori said suddenly.
âSheâs awake?â Nico got up with a start, prepping herself up for round two.
Kotori shook her head with a little smile, cradling Umiâs head in her lap. âNo, I just remembered something. Umiâs actually got something else for you too, I think. But I guess she should give that to you herselfââ
The ringing of the school bell cut their morning short. Classes were about to start. Both Nico and Kotori looked to Umi, who was still unconscious.
âAw, no!â Kotori whined, trying to nudge Umi awake, âUmi~! Wake up, please!â
âCâmon. We should really get going, Kotori.â Nico stood up and offered a hand to her distraught girlfriend, who looked reluctant to leave Umi in her senseless state. âIâll help carry your stuff while you carry Umi, okay? I canât exactly carry her myself since, um⌠Anyway, weâll sort out the rest from there.â
Together, they made their way to the second-yearâs floor, with Kotori hoisting Umi on her back and Nico hauling all their bags with them. Some people gave them odd looks as they passed by, but luckily they didnât run into any teachers who mightâve questioned why the normally vigilant Student Council Vice President was half-dead so early in the morning, or why she needed to be carried up to class on Kotoriâs back, or why Nico was acting as their pack mule with all three bags around her shoulders.
Once they reached the classroom, Kotoriâs solemn mood lightened up a little. âThanks, Nico, I think I can manage from here.â The light optimism was back in her voice.
Nico nodded in approval. âJust before I go, thoughâŚâ
âMmhm?â Kotori shifted Umiâs weight on her back so that she leaned forward a little.
Nico smiled and reached a hand out to caress Umiâs cheek, though she was still out cold. âTell her thank you for me, will you? Her words were really touching.â
âYeah, sheâd like that, I think,â Kotori said, smiling. Whatever made her friends happy always made Kotori happy too. It was good to see her smiling again.
âAnd I know I said this earlier, but thank you too, for those gifts. And also for letting me read Umiâs poems in the first place.â
This time, Kotori seemed a little taken aback by the thanks, blinking slowly. Slowly, a shy smile and a light blush spread across her face as she fidgeted on the spot. Was she⌠embarrassed? Kotori? What a rare sight, Nico thought. It was kind of cute.
Nico gave her a reassuring smile and a squeeze on the arm, then quickly left for her own class. Hopefully she wouldnât show up too late.
The late bell chimed.
Nico tore the door open with a thunderclap.
Startled by her dramatic entrance, the classroom grew quiet when she walked in. Everyone stared at her. She could feel the judgment and the questions in their looks, but Nico didnât care. Only one personâs opinion really mattered.
In the eerie silence, she pulled her eyes up to meet the teacherâs stern gaze, and held her breath.
It felt like the quiet before a storm.
âSit down, Yazawa. Youâre fine.â
Safe, Nico thought as she let out a breath and relaxed in her chair. There would be no storm tonight.
Something tumbled out of her pocket when she sat down, though. Instinctively, she reached a hand out in its general direction, but when she laid eyes on it, her breath caught in her throat.
It was a small, dark blue box.
Umi.
When had she slipped it into her pocket? Nico was pretty sure Umi had fainted after she had replied to her in haiku. Or had she? It was a surprisingly sneaky move for someone as direct as Umi.
Well, whatever. Nico brought it to her lap to shield it from curious eyes, andâdouble checking to make sure the teacher was actively occupiedâshe cracked it open to take a little peep inside. She had an inkling she knew what it was, or what its general shape and make would be, at the very least.
A silver heart, with a loop at the top. There was a tiny message too, in Umiâs precise print: Happy Valentineâs Day, Nico (From Umi)
Nico closed the box and smiled to herself. She hadnât been that far off with her embarrassingly cringeworthy haiku about silver arrows and hearts, it seemed. But⌠hearts. Nico hadnât expected that from someone like Umi. For all of her serious, no-nonsense, duty-first attitude, it turned out that even the Student Council Vice President could be surprisingly sweet and sappy sometimes.
That made three boxed gifts she had gotten for Valentineâs Day so far: Makiâs, Kotoriâs, and Umiâs.
Nico squinted at her desk. Or maybe it wasnât just three. Something in her deskâs cubby hole caught her attention; more specifically, it was two brightly colored somethings tucked deep inside, hidden away from the prying eyes of passersby. Out she pulled two boxesâone yellow, wrapped with a gold ribbon, and the other green, in a silver ribbonâand a tiny note:
Nico, we wanted to give these to you at the school gates, but Rin took off, and you werenât in class when we tried waiting for you here either, so I hope you donât mind if we left these in here for you? ~Happy Valentineâs Day, by the way!~ đ đą Rin & Hanayo đą đ
So thatâs where they had gone off to after they left her lying on the street. Well, Nico couldnât really grudge them then, since she did leave them hanging by her classroom in the end, even if she did so unknowingly (she couldnât have anticipated Kotori stealing her away to the clubroom, could she?). On top of that, they had still thought to leave their gifts with her before they left the classroom. Maybe a little lenience and some thanks was in order for them. Receiving presents had put Nico in an oddly forgiving mood today.
The boxes caught her eye again. Nico gave a quick scan of her surroundings; the teacher was busy writing something on the blackboard, back turned against Nico, and everyone else seemed distracted or otherwise. Now was as good a time as any to take a quick peek, she supposed.
The yellow boxâRinâs, Nico assumedâhad a little silver bell inside, while the green oneâHanayoâs, probablyâhad a silver rabbit. Both were topped off with a tiny loop, like the others. Nico tucked them all away safely in her bag, before anyone could notice and ask her questions with their eyes.
Five boxes in total, then. Maki, Kotori, Umi, Rin, and Hanayo. If Nicoâs hunch was right, that meant she should be expecting three more. Only Honoka, Nozomi, and Eli had yet to talk to her.
For some reason that left her a little more scared than excited. Assuming they had gotten anything for her, Honoka wouldâve probably cooked up something weird from another one of her spontaneous plans, Nozomi was definitely plotting something, no question about it, full-stop, and Eli, well, Nico wasnât sure. She seemed to be acting normally in class. Then again, ânormalâ Eli in class was ex-Student Council President Eli, professional and prim and proper, which wouldnât tell Nico anything if she was actually up to something.
Nozomi, on the other hand, had been giving her suspiciously sneaky looks ever since she sat down in class today.
It gave her bad vibes.
Lunch time.
Normally, Nico was one of the first who zoomed straight out of class as soon as the bell chimed, but today she waited until both Nozomi and Eli left the room before packing. Then she waited a little bit longer after that, just to be extra careful.
Nozomi had shot her a wink before she walked away. Nico shivered.
âYazawa?â One of her classmates called for her, pointing at the classroom door, or rather, the person waiting outside the open door. âOne of the second-years wants you.â
Nico nodded. That was either going to be Kotori or Umi, orâŚ
âHonoka.â Nico greeted her curtly. Why wasnât she surprised?
âHeeey~â Honoka frowned, âWhatâs with that attitude, Nico? Itâs Valentineâs Day! Valentineâs Day! You should be happier!â
âRightâŚâ She trailed off, letting a lull hang between them for a while. âO⌠kay.â
âGuess⌠whaaat~?â Honoka grinned at her, ignoring her apparent lack of enthusiasm. That, or she was completely oblivious to it. Nico couldnât ever tell with someone as unpredictable as Honoka. Sometimes she had amazing perception and foresight, while at other times⌠it was just plain terrible.
But Nico supposed it wouldnât do anyone any harm if she played along with her. She hadnât made any plans for lunch, anyway, so she had some time to kill. âWhat?â
âNo, Nico,â Honoka wagged a finger at her, keeping the other behind her back. Nico was⌠being lectured by her underclassman. Well, wasnât that a first. âYou need to guess!â
âOkay⌠Letâs see, you forgot your lunch again?â
âBrr brr!â Honoka mimicked a buzzer, and crossed her arms. âWrong answer, try again!â
âYou⌠want to rope me into lunch detention?â
âBrr brr! Nope!â
âOh, I know!â Nico slapped her palm with a fist. âYouâre slacking off on School Council work coming here to see me!â
Honoka pouted this time. âHeeey⌠Whatâs with all these accusations, Nico? You know I donât always go to you for trouble.â She twiddled her thumbs, looking like a hurt puppy. âEven if⌠that last one is kinda trueâŚâ
Maybe sheâd gone a little too far teasing her, Nico thought, feeling guilty for raining on Honokaâs parade. All Honoka had done was show up on her doorstep, hyped up probably because she had something special planned for Valentineâs Day today, only to find Nico acting so grumpy and apathetic towards her for no apparent reason. She should⌠really treat her girlfriend better, honestly. Those sad puppy dog eyes were killing her.
Nico stepped closer to her and tried soothing her with soft caresses, softening her blunt tone to gentle whispers as she traced a slow thumb over her cheek.
âHey, hey, Honoka? Iâm sorry. IâmâHonoka, look at me?â Nico tried catching her downcast eyes, standing in her line of sight. Honokaâs face was still stubbornly turned away, but at the very least she got those blue eyes turned in her direction. Good enough, Nico supposed. They didnât look as unhappy as she had feared. Still, she kept the soft and mellow tone in her voice, just for good measure. âI didnât mean any of that just now, Iâm sorry. Whatâs up?â
Blue eyes watched her for a while, then perked up as soon as she saw she had Nicoâs undivided attention. Another one of Honokaâs astonishing traits, Nico noted: her ridiculous ability to recover so quickly from her moods. Honoka simply brushed it off as if the little pout she had just a second ago hadnât existed at all.
As cheerful as ever, Honoka whipped out a rather large box from behind her, wearing a massive grin on her face. âItâs Valentineâs Day, right? So I got you⌠chocolate!â
Nico just stood there in wonder.
âLargeâ was maybe too general a term to describe what Honoka held in her hands. It was a clean, nondescript wooden box with a sliding front lid. It was oblong-shaped for storing larger foodstuffs. It had the word âBreadâ engraved on it, decorated with carvings of wheat. It was, quite simply put, a breadbox.
âHonoka, I canât believe you got me bread,â Nico deadpanned, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice, âPlease tell me you arenât serious. Chocolate bread.â
Completely oblivious to Nicoâs light scorn yet again, Honoka scratched her head sheepishly and let out a small laugh. âWell⌠I didnât know what to get you, soâŚâ
A terrible groan rose in her throat, desperate for a release, but Nico kept it to herself. She didnât want to sound rude and ungrateful. A gift was a gift, Nico reminded herself, and what mattered most were the thoughts Honoka had put into the gift.
Nico wondered what had led Honoka to think that chocolate bread wouldâve been the perfect Valentineâs Day gift for her.
âHonestly, I donât know what to do with you,â she sighed, opening the box in Honokaâs hands to confirm her dreaded suspicions, âBut thank you anyway, I reallyââ
Nico blinked at the boxâs contents. Oh, that was definitely âchocolate breadâ in the breadboxâif âchocolate breadâ meant actual chocolates shaped into cute little pieces of bread. Nico noticed a few white Homura manjuu buns in the mix (white chocolates?), but for the most part Honoka had packed in a ton of milk chocolates in there. And there was a ton of chocolate.
âIâve got something else for you too! Itâs uh, in here, though.â Honoka shook her hip, where Nico spotted something small and bulky in her skirt pocket.
Ah ha. It was probably the sixth box, if Nico guessed right.
From Honokaâs pocket, Nico pulled out an orange box, inside of which held a little silver smiley face. Like all the others, it was connected to that strange, tiny loop at its top. âHm. I thought so,â Nico hummed, inspecting the silver piece.
That got a worried look from Honoka. âYou âthought soââŚ?â
Nico waved her hand dismissively and placed Honokaâs gift back in its box. âNothing, nothing to worry about. Thank you. Iâm sure Iâll figure it out later.â she said, leaving Honoka looking confused with such an ambiguous message.
Back to the more pressing concern, though. Nico had to figure out what to do with that box load of chocolates. âYou know, Honoka,â Nico picked one of the chocolates up, admiring it before popping it in her mouth. It was pretty damn good, as expected of Kousaka sweets, but⌠âI canât possibly eat all of this on my own, even if I shared with my family, so⌠would you mind if I shared it with the others?â
A few minutes passed in strange silence. There was⌠no response from Honoka. Panicked alarm bells began ringing in Nicoâs headâhad she said something wrong? Maybe Honoka didnât want her to share those sweets she had painstakingly crafted just for Nico. Or was this about her reaction to the silver gift? Whatâ
Honoka began bouncing on the spot, a little excited and a little restless, staring at her expectantly like a puppy eager for praise and attention.
Oh, was that what it was? She just wanted a little affection. And here Nico got all worried about nothing. Well, it was infinitely better than the alternative of actually upsetting Honoka, so Nico just shrugged her earlier concern off.
âOkay, fine, câmere.â Cupping her cheeks, Nico gently pulled Honoka down to kiss her forehead, earning a happy little giggle from her. âHave I told you âthank you,â yet? Thank you. If youâve still got some time, wanna tag along with me until lunch ends?â
Honokaâs smile grew wider, which Nico took as a yes.
First, she needed to deal with that breadbox. Then, if her luck would hold, she would hopefully avoid getting into too much trouble. She just needed to watch out for a certain troublemaker who had been giving her suspicious looks today.
Suspicious was the last thing Nico wanted to run into.
Yet here she was back in the clubroom staring at a suspicious pink ribbon hanging out from her locker. It had slipped her mind, and so went about untouched throughout the day since she discovered it with Kotori in the morning. Nico regretted not dealing with it sooner beforehand.
Bad vibes.
âWhatâs wrong?â Honoka asked, looking back and forth between Nico and the weird ribbon. To her eyes, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, besides the ribbon. But she didnât get it, she didnât understand. Nico, though, knew trouble when she sensed it. A very specific, very sinister aura lingered around in invisible handprints all over her tampered locker.
The answer to this mystery finally came to her. Of course. Who else wouldâve been sly enough to prank her on Valentineâs Day?
âNozomi,â Nico hissed under her breath.
Honoka continued staring at her blankly, shifting the breadbox in her hands. âUm⌠O⌠kay?â
Nico snapped her fingers in front of Honoka, making her jump. âNo, no, you donât see. Listen. Look, here.â She pointed at the dubious little bit of ribbon hanging out from the bottom of her locker. âThis thing here? This thing isnât mine. It wasnât there yesterday, and I donât know what it is. See how it sticks out, like it wants someone to tug it free? It tempts you. Only Nozomi would use these kinds of sneaky lures. Itâs a trap.â
That got Nico thinking. Trap⌠a trap⌠Nozomiâs trapâŚ
Nico snapped her fingers again. âItâs a booby trap.â
Honoka gave her another blank stare, clearly not on the same wavelength as her.
âNever mind, forget about it,â Nico mumbled, deflated.
âSo⌠If we want to put thisâŚâ Honoka hefted the breadbox up, then nodded to the locker. ââŚin there, should we open it?â
âNo! Havenât you been listenââ Nico paused, humming in thought. Should she let Honoka open it? Nico certainly wasnât going to touch the thing, and here was her willing victimâuh, volunteerâoffering to do the job for her.
âThen weâd never get it open, huh?â Honoka hummed along with her, thinking, âWhat if we put it in your locker in the third yearsâ hallway?â
âNo, no, Iâm sure Nozomiâs bugged that one too,â Nico lied. Nozomi hadnât, really, but Nico didnât like the idea of climbing back up three flights of stairs after all the trouble they took coming down here, and she needed an excuse for Honoka to stay. As un-suspiciously as she could, she snaked an arm around Honokaâs shoulders, drawing her closer to her like a confidant. âNo, we need to face this⌠together.â
âUm⌠Nico? Youâre acting weird.â
Ignoring her comment, Nico raised her voice louder and placed her hands on her hips, posing with steely determination in her stance and gaze. âHonoka!â
âYeahâŚ?â Honoka responded skeptically.
âFirst, let me get that box out of your handsâyou must be tired, right? Of course you areâso you have the easy job ofââ
âNIIICOOO~!â
Nico felt the wind leave her lungs and the paralysis take control of her limbs all of a sudden. Her peaceful world crumbled to bits.
The demon had returned.
Immediately, Nico resigned herself to her unlucky fate. Once she heard that cry for her blood, she was doomed. All she could do was console herself as a heavy weightâRinâdumped herself on her shoulders and wrapped her legs about her waist.
The sheer force of Rinâs landing, though, unexpectedly threw Nico forwardâheadfirst towards the locker.
Warning flags flashed in her mind. Rin was one thing. Nozomiâs traps was another thing entirely, a thing she feared much, much more than the impulsive antics of some playful child.
And that fear drove her to avoid the would-be collision with her locker by catching herself just a few mere inches away from it, straining her fingertips against the safe lockers to either side of hers.
The ribbon hovered there right in front of her face. Nico felt a beat of sweat slide down her chin.
Nothing happened.
Once she was sure she was in no danger, Nico let a long breath out and held herself against the lockers with the palms of her hands, resting her sore fingertips.
âOw, ow, ow, owâŚâ Nico muttered, flexing her fingers, âThank goodness I didnât touch it.â Then, remembering the weight on her back, she turned around to scold Rin, but got a kiss on the cheek instead.
âNi-cooo~â Rin giggled, âWhatcha doinâ here?â
Nico sighed. âRin, Iâd love it if youââ
âOooh, whatâs that?â Rin piped in, her interest piqued as she pointed at something.
Nico swallowed a nervous gulp. Rin with her interest piqued usually spelled out bad trouble. Warily, Nicoâs eyes followed Rinâs finger down to⌠the pink ribbon. Rin wasnât just pointing at itâshe was reaching out for it.
Her eyes widened.
Like a movie in slow motion, Nico watched with horror as Rinâs fingers drew closer and ever closer to the ribbon. She watched in fear when her mouth refused to cooperate with her, moving way too slowly to stop the upcoming disaster. She watched with dread as she remained absolutely powerless to stop Rin, helplessly frozen to the spot.
Rin tugged at the ribbon.
âNOOOâ!â Nico called out, a little too late, pushing herself away from the trap.
The locker flung open immediately, and Nico closed her eyes as a horde of soft and heavy round things collapsed over the three of them like an avalanche. Breathing was fine, but buried under whatever the oddly spherical objects were, she found it incredibly difficult to move. She could hear the muffled struggles of the other two coming from somewhere else in this big mess.
Booby trapped, Nico lamented in her mind.
Day 465, Nico wrote in her mental journal. She was still trapped in this deep, dark, booby dimension. Above her, dim lights shone out with their promises of freedom, close enough to reach out for if she could only move her limbs in this heavy mass. But she was hopelessly stuck here. Sometimes, she could still hear the snivels of the other two caught in here with her, quiet in the distance, so quiet that they could pass off as figments of her imagination. Had they even existed in the first place? She didnât know anymore.
A hand grabbed her wrist.
Finally! Nico muttered a quiet prayer of thanks as her savior pulled her out of the black abyss and into the blinding light.
âWh-What day is it?â Nico spluttered, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light, âTime? How long have I been lost for?â
âHuh? Oh, um, Thursday?â A familiar voice answered her. That was good. This was someone Nico knew, but she couldnât tell who it was yet. âItâs⌠only been a few minutes since my gifts dropped on to you, Nico-cchi.â
Nico⌠â-cchiâ? Nico struggled to think. She knew sheâd heard that word before. It was someoneâs nickname for her. A very specific someoneâs name for her.
Realization and fear slowly dawned on her.
Nozomi.
Sure enough, Nico found Nozomiâs distinct turquoise eyes staring at her as waited for her to wake up from her stupor. She also found herself with her back against the lockers, with Nozomiâs arms to either side of her, trapping her in. A quick look around told Nico there was no escape. Sheâd been rescued from one booby trap only to be caught in another.
A hand cupped her cheek, running ever-so-slowly down her neck, her shoulder, and her body, until it came to wrap around her waist. Instinctively, Nico tensed and kept her gaze on Nozomiâs chestânot because she was drawn to the sheer size of it, but because she didnât want to meet those turquoise eyes, afraid of what she would see there.
Another hand traced the outline of her jaw, and gently tipped Nicoâs chin up. âNico-cchi⌠You arenât even going to look at me?â It wasnât a plea. Nozomi was teasing her, knowing full well she was in total control.
She didnât leave Nico with much of a choice. Hesitantly, Nico turned her trembling red eyes up to Nozomi.
Nicoâs eyes took in a Nozomi with a dangerously wicked smile smeared across on her face, and a Nozomi with eyes that shone full of the dreaded mischief and desire Nico hadnât wanted to see. She was trouble enough on regular days, always creeping up behind her with those hands of hers groping for her chest when they were together, but apart from that, sheâd never been one for overly-affectionate hugs or touches.
Yet here Nico was, tied up in Nozomiâs embrace. Of course, Nozomi hadnât done anything to her just yet, but it was scary how bold Nozomi had become all of a sudden. She could only imagine what Nozomi wanted to do with her, now that sheâd caught her in relative privacy.
âNozomi.â Nicoâs voice left her in a weak, airy gasp. She could feel the cold sweat sliding down her skin, feel the violent heartbeats pounding against her chest. Nozomiâs grinned widened, as if she could smell the terror off her and relished in it. Toying with her, she leaned in, and Nico held her breath as Nozomi slowly grazed her lips from her jaw up to her ear.
âNico,â she mumbled next to her ear, audibly breathing in Nicoâs scent and humming softly against her skin.
Nico shivered, biting her lip to keep herself from whimpering. She could imagine the way her cheeks would be flushed red right now. It was hot.
Thankfully, Nozomi pulled back from her a little, giving her some much desired space. âIâll admit, I didnât think Iâd catch you this quickly,â she said, squeezing the hand on Nicoâs waist and smiling when she squirmed under her. Her eyes glanced to the side. âOr the others either,â she added as an afterthought.
Nico followed her line of sight to the messy heap to her left, which, as she now saw, were simply a mountain of round Nico plushies. The pile wiggled sporadically, hinting at the existence of life still buried underneath it. Honoka and Rin were still stuck in there, it seemed.
âAnyway.â Nozomi said, turned her attention back to Nico. âWeâve got some⌠unfinished business.â
Nico didnât like the way her eyes glinted when she said that, even though she wasnât sure what âunfinished businessâ Nozomi was talking about. They hadnât met until just now, and Nico didnât remember making any specific plans with Nozomi on Valentineâs Day.
âŚExcept for that text of hers she had deleted this morning:
Ni-co-cchiii~ You. Me. Alone. After class ;) Iâm giving you something extra special, if you know whatâ
Oh heavens no.
âSpeaking of,â Nozomi dropped to a low whisper, pressing closer into her with that sinister smile back in place, âYou didnât reply to my text this morning, yâknow. Whyâs that, hm?â
Whatever Nozomi-in-heat had planned for her in that text she sent, she obviously meant to give it to her right now, that âextra specialâ thing⌠or experience.
Nozomi circled a slow thumb over cheek, maybe meaning for it to be a reassuring or seductive gesture, but it only made Nico tense. Nozomiâs hungry eyes on her, looking as if they were tearing away the clothes around her bust, didnât help her any either. Nico shuddered, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.
âYouâre a little tense, Nico-cchi,â Nozomi whispered softly, âIs there anything I can do to⌠soothe it all away?â Nico didnât miss the way Nozomiâs finger was tugging at the hem of her skirt, implying she was thinking of something a little more intimate.
âNo, no, no, no, no,â Nico blurted out all at once, finding her voice again, âI donât want any kind of âsoothingâ from you, no thank you. If youâd just let me go, Iâm sure Iâll be perfectlyââ
A pair of lips cut her off rudely, pressing into her firmly, but gently. Unable (and unwilling) to push Nozomi off, Nico steeled herself against her perverted hands instead, expecting them to slip under her clothes and roam her body the moment she let her guard down. Those hands only held her steady, though, with one around her cheek and the other on her waist. Nicoâs clothes were still on, and Nozomi wasnât groping at her inappropriately.
Her kiss was just as chaste; no teeth, no tongue, and no saliva. Just soft lips, gentle caresses, and tiny, ticklish breaths. Nico relaxed when she realized Nozomi had no intention of harassing her, and lifted herself on her tiptoes with both hands on the otherâs shoulders, pressing back into her. Uncalled-for groping and playful touching was one thing, but if Nozomi wanted a kiss, Nico was more than happy to indulge her.
When Nozomi finally pulled back, the mischief and lust were gone, replaced by happy delight as a deep blush colored her cheeks and as her breaths came out short. Her eyes still shone and a smile was still plastered on her face, but they looked a lot tamer than before. Content, almost.
âHappy Valentineâs Day, Nico-cchi,â Nozomi said, smiling as she pressed something into Nicoâs chest. Looking down, Nico found a little box held against her. It was all purple save for lid, which was embossed with a yellow crescent moon surrounded by tiny yellow stars.
Nozomi brought Nicoâs hands together and placed her gift in them. âGo ahead and open it. I think you probably already know whatâs in there, though.â
âA silver moon?â Nico guessed, staring at the lid.
âHmâŚâ Nozomi hummed, âMaybe, if this was a present for me, but youâre your own person, Nico-cchi.â
Nico raised an eyebrow at that, confused, to which Nozomi simply pointed at the gift in her hands with a smile, as if telling her the answer lay inside.
Lifting the lid revealed a black interior with a simple silver star in its center. That was it. No notes, no clues, no nothing. Only a tiny silver star that sat prettily on a cushion of black velvet, twinkling like how a real star might on a clear night sky. It just as mysterious as a real one too; it held no apparent answers for her.
âExplain?â Nico asked, pointing at her gift.
âThatâs you,â Nozomi answered, poking her forehead with a finger, âAll of them, theyâre all you.â
All of them? Did she mean all the silver gifts Nico had received today? Music note, ribbon, heart, bell, rabbit, smiley face, star, and whatever Eliâs might be. They were all random items. How could they possibly be related to her? Nico shook her head, swiping Nozomiâs finger away with a frown. That made no sense. Nozomiâs words were growing more cryptic with every word she said.
âYouâll find out later, Nico-cchi,â Nozomi sighed, shaking her head with a smile, âTheyâre special. Thatâs all I can tell you right now.â
âHey, um,â a voice called out from the left, interrupting them, ânot to rush you two or anything, but if youâre done flirting and all, we could use a little help here, thanks.â
Nozomi and Nico both blinked. The clubroom was empty, as far as they knew. There shouldnât have been anyone around.
Turning to the source of the voice, Nico found Honoka and Rin still trapped in plushy idol hell, struggling to break free. The both of them were pouting at her, apparently jealous; Rin in particular was sticking her tongue out with a âNyeeeh~â, but it was hard to tell if it was pointed at her or Nozomi. Maybe the both of them.
âUm, Nozomi, what should we do?â Nico asked, stalling for time. If those plush Nico dolls filled with lead (or whatever, Nico wasnât sure) were as heavy as she thought, Nico didnât fancy cleaning them up.
She got no response from Nozomi, though.
âNozomi?â she asked again.
Nozomi had gone off in the opposite direction, and was sprinting out of the door at the speed of light.
âHEY!â She called out to Nozomiâs back, watching her disappear around the corner.
Great. Now Nico was alone in the room with two pairs of sorry-looking blue and yellow eyes fixed on herâeyes that were pleading up at her to dig them out of the huge plushy mess theyâd gotten themselves into.
A few mini-Nicos rolled away from the heap while Honoka and Rin thrashed about, but it wasnât enough to free them from their prison. Nico guessed it would take the good part of a half hour to release them from Nozomiâs plushy jail, and another half hour on top of that to clean up the mess spilled all across the clubroom floor. The thing was, she wasnât sure if she had the time, even if she had wanted to help.
âNico, pleeease!â Honoka begged her, bowing her head down low. Sheâd probably prostrate herself on the ground too, if she could.
âYeah, pleeease!â Rin added, âRinâs sorry for ditching you this morning too!â
Nicoâs eye twitched. Sheâd almost forgotten about that little incident. Rin had abandoned her just this morning, and now that she was the one who was desperate for helpâŚ
Apathetic red eyes bore down on the trapped pair as they flinched under her cold gaze, which were growing more reluctant to lend them aid with every passing second. They werenât making the best case for themselves, to be honest.
But, Nico reminded herself, they were her girlfriends. She should be doing the best she could to see them safe and free, and if she couldnât do that all by herself, she could always ask for a few extra helping hands.
âAlright, fine,â Nico sighed, letting the better side of her take over, âLetâs see what Super Idol Nico Nii canââ
The bell chimed, signaling the end of lunch time.
Her arm stopped in mid-air, with her fingers hovering a few inches away from a Nico plushy.
Five minutes were counting down. There was no way she could get them out in five awfully short minutes.
Four minutes. Students would be beginning to file into the hallways right about now, crowding them up. That meant Nico would need to slowly weave her way through the mass of students to reach her classroom, and that took a lot of time.
âUm, N-Nico?â Rin stuttered, worried now with Nicoâs inactivity, âY-You wouldnât just leave us here, would you?â
Three minutes. Besides, there were still three flights of stairs in her way to class, and it always took the good part of a minute for Nico to climb up them, assuming they were all clear.
âNicââ
Two minutes. Now or never.
Nico whipped her head up to face them with an exaggerated smile on her face, startling the two of them, and struck her Nico Nico Nii pose.
âO-Of course not!â she shrilled in a pitch way higher than normal, âSuper Idol Yazawa Nico would never do that! Nico is just going to class now, bye.â
With that, Nico dashed out the room and up the nearest set of stairs, ignoring the loud cries for help behind her.
She got to class with a minute to spare, receiving odd looks from everyone except Nozomi.
Nicoâs last few classes before school ended went by pretty smoothly. Surprising, since she had half-expected to be called to the Principalâs office for leaving a locker full of Nico plushies on the clubroom floor. But to be fair, that hadnât been any of her faultâshe hadnât been the one who decided to pull that locker open.
Partway through class, she had thought sheâd seen a two pairs of accusatory blue and yellow eyes glaring at her from the corridor, led away by a teacher, but when she had looked back, they were gone. Sheâd convinced herself they were just figments of her imagination.
By now it was afterschool, and as Nico walked down the corridor, she gave herself a congratulatory pat on the back for surviving the day. Six and a half hours of Valentineâs Day craziness, and she hadnât collapsed from exhaustion, or been torn to pieces between her eight girlfriends. It was a miracle, honestly, if Nico had ever seen one.
Still, something nagged at her from the back of her mind, the kind of feeling she had forgotten something importantâ
A door opened to her right and Eli stepped out from it, bumping into her.
âor someone.
âOh, Iâm sorry! Are you okay?â Eli caught Nico by the forearm, blinking with wide eyes when she recognized her. The surprise on her face turned into a pleasant smile. âNico? Perfect timing! I was just about to go looking for you.â
âMe?â Nico asked, feeling a little wary. Too many people had come looking for her today, and most of those encounters had ended in pranks or otherwise. She doubted Eli would be the playful type, but there had been a strange twinkle in her eye when she had lain her eyes on her during their âaccidentalâ bump.
Nico had been getting too many of those looks today too.
Eli also seemed a little out of character. Nico couldnât quite place her finger on it, but something was a bit off about her. With a big grin on her face, her hands held behind her, and her back straight as she stood to attention, Eli looked like she wanted something from Nico.
Nico had come to expect thatâtoday was Valentineâs Day, after all. What unnerved her, though, was the way she drew the attention of everyone around her, visibly turning heads as students walked by around the two of them. Some began whispering to each other after they passed her by, while others raised their eyebrows, then continued along their way, unconcerned. Everyone, though, had been staring at whatever Eli had hidden behind her back.
On top of that, Eli hadnât said anything besides her little apology since she had run into Nico. It was strange.
âEli?â Nico didnât really want to be the first to start the conversation, but this awkward standoff in the middle of the school corridor was getting them nowhere.
All of a sudden, Eli bowed before her, dropped to one knee with a rose between her lips, and pulled out the thing she had been concealingâa suspicious small red box.
âEli, whatââ
The box popped open to reveal a silver ring. The type used for engagements.
A genuine engagement ring, set with glittering diamonds and lain on a bed of plush black, encased in an open ring box. It sat snugly in the palm of Eliâs hand and was raised up high in front of her, eagerly waiting to be accepted.
Nicoâs mind blanked. What was happening. Why was this happening. How was this happening.
âNico,â Eli said with the rose between her teeth, still grinning, âWill you accept me as your wiââ
A random arrow interrupted her before Eli could finish, zipping by just inches from her face to slash the roseâs bulb apart in a storm of petals.
The dead stalk flopped to the floor from Eliâs open mouth.
Eli still kept the smile frozen to her face, but Nico could see the telltale signs of shock and annoyance in her pursed lips and the tightly clenched muscles of her jaw. She obviously hadnât anticipated anyone interrupting her in such a flashy manner.
Slowly, she pocketed the ring box in her jacket, apparently deciding to give up after the failed proposal. Muttering something about Nozomi and bets under her breath, Eli collected herself and stood up with a sigh. When Nico met her eyes, normal Eli, with her characteristically calm blue gaze, had returned. It looked like whatever crazy spell Eli was under wore off with that rather direct threat from a particularly angry archer.
Nico had suspicions on who it was; she knew of only one person who could handle bows with such deadly precision.
As if checking for danger, Eli took a quick glance down both corridors before placing her hands on Nicoâs shoulders, almost protectively, and pushed her towards the classroom she came out of. Nico raised an eye at her, but all Eli gave her was a reassuring smile.
âIt should be safe here, so stay here for a few minutes, okay? Iâd take you with me, but I donât want you hurt.â Eli whispered to her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek and cupping both of Nicoâs hands within hers. Ever so gently, she closed Nicoâs fingers around a light blue box Nico didnât remember holding. âIâm sorry I havenât seen much of you today, but Happy Valentineâs Day, Nico. And remember, I love you the most.â
She left her with a wink and stepped out in a light jog, turning around the nearby corner. The moment Eli set foot outside, though, a sudden whirlwind rushed into the hallway. Nico caught only a glimpse of distinct blue and red hair blowing past herâUmi and Maki?âbefore silence and stillness descended down in the now-empty corridor. It was late afternoon, after all, and everyone had either gone home, or gone to attend their afterschool clubs and activities.
Nico shivered. It had gotten too silent too fast in here. Was it something about the room? Had she accidentally interrupted a club?
Timidly, Nico turned to look around the room she was in, and noticed something immediately.
It was empty.
It took Nico a few more moments to realize that Eli had, in fact, purposely waited here to ambush her from this vacant room. Odd, that; all that waiting, just to give her a little gift.
Nico eyed the curious light blue box in her hands, the last thing Eli had left her with before disappearing off to who-knew-where. This was the final Valentineâs Day box. Now Nico had all eight of them. Maybe there was a reason Eli had saved her box to give to her last. Would it hold the key to all of Nicoâs questions had about the silver pieces?
Inside, she found a silver sun lying on a plush white cushion, and⌠nothing else.
She let out a disappointed sigh, setting herself down on the floor and bringing her knees up to her chest. So there werenât any answers here either. It was a little disheartening, Nico thought. Everyone had given her with such wonderful silver gifts, but she had absolutely no idea what they were, and no clue what they meant either.
Rolling Eliâs silver sun between her fingers, Nico bore her eyes into it, as if it would impart some kind of hidden knowledge to her that way. What was the last thing Eli had said to her? Something about staying in the room for a few minutes? All by herself, in this eerily empty room?
Nico sighed again. âOkay,â she said to no one in particular, âSure, why not.â She could use some peace and quiet anyway.
Leaning back against the wall, she stayed in the room as Eli bade her to, watching in silence as foreboding dark clouds rolled into the evening sky outside.
A thought slowly crept up on her.
She was⌠alone.
Half an hour had passed.
A black storm howled out angrily in the gray landscape outside, rattling the window frames and spitting its raindrops against the glass in a great big messy slobber when it couldnât get in. It touched the room in other ways, though. With the world thrown under its cloak of thick clouds, shadows filtered through the windows like dark sunlight, draping everything inside in deep, muted grays.
Nico found it the room too loud, yet at the same time, too quiet.
She tried not to think she was depressed, but she had to admit, the weather did dampen her spirits quite a bit. The only thing she had to distract her from all the gloom and boredom were the shining little silver pieces sheâd been playing with for a while now.
They were all arranged in a circle by her feet, in the order she had received them: Makiâs music note, Kotoriâs ribbon, Umiâs heart, Rinâs bell, Hanayoâs rabbit, Honokaâs smiley face, Nozomiâs star, and last of all, Eliâs sun. Nico had inspected each item in the circle over and over again, trying to find some use to them, or some meaning that she had missed before, but had come to a complete loss. Maybe she could figure it out if she actually had someone to talk to in this dreary room.
Closing her eyes, Nico let her body slump against the wall, feeling the weariness wrap its heavy manacles around her body. Of course, if she had desperately wanted find someone to talk to, she knew she could always crawl away from this spot. To the clubroom, maybe. They probably had afterschool practice or something today. Sitting here wouldnât do her much good anyway.
It was a good idea in her mind, but Nico couldnât find the will to move, tethered to the spot by an invisible chain of exhaustion. She didnât have the energy to pick herself up from the floor, never mind walking all the way down to the clubroom. Even something as simple as thinking was becoming more and more of chore for her.
So she just sat there, body limp and mind dead, listening to the rain slapping itself against the windows in a world that was black under her closed eyelids.
All alone, by herself.
Nico felt like a worn out rag doll. A thing to be picked up and played with whenever she caught so-and-soâs attention, then simply thrown away as soon as they were done with her. Abandoned as soon as someone else came along. Left out on the streets. Deserted when trouble arose. Set aside to be forgotten in the dark. It was an endless cycle of being used and reused and constantly passed between people. Sometimes that left her with a couple small scrapes and tears, and sometimes one of them would be kind enough to patch her up as best they could, but the stitches leftover would always remind herself of the bad times.
Nico didnât resent them, though. How could she, when she loved every single one of them? All she wished for was that they would treat her with a little more care. She wondered if that was asking for a little too much.
It grew colder, all of a sudden. A breeze swept into the room without warning, slithering over her exposed arms and legs with its icy tongue and raising goosebumps all over her skin. Nico shivered. She never did like the cold much; it always reminded her that no one was there to comfort her in their arms and stave off the frigid loneliness for her.
Thankfully, it didnât last long. Blessed relief came in the form of a heavy warmth blanketing her from the shoulders down, and the presence of two warm bodies lying to either side of her. Their fingers threaded their way in between her own, squeezing them gently, reassuringly. When Nico didnât react, they shuffled closer, bumping their tiny shoulders into hers and letting them fit snugly against her. Strangely, she found their weights more a comfort than a burden.
They gave her strength with their warmth. Enough strength to lift her heavy eyelids open and revive her voice, at least.
âWhoâŚ?â Nico drawled out groggily, as if waking up from a deep sleep.
The two held their hands in front of her, each of them cradling something small in them. Tiny pieces sparkled brightly in the palm of their hands, even in the dim lighting. Nico had to squint to make out the details, but they widened at once when she saw what they were.
A tiny silver bell in the hand to her left, and a tiny silver rabbit in the one to her right.
âRin?â Nico choked, surprised, âHanayo?â
âNyaaa~â Rin purred into her shoulder happily. Hanayo gave her a quiet âMmhm.â
âBut⌠Um⌠Wha⌠UhâŚâ Nico mumbled, fumbling with her words and finding it very difficult to talk with her mind only half-awake, âWhat? I mean, why? Or, um, how?â
Rin popped into her field of vision, childlike curiosity in her eyes. âWhaddya talking about?â
Nico squeezed her eyes shut. Why were words so hard? âUh⌠What⌠whatâre you two still doing here? Itâs⌠afterschool.â When she cracked her eyes open, she found a confused Rin staring at her with her head cocked to a side.
Rin blinked at her with odd eyes. âWe were looking for you.â
âWhy? Schoolâs over.â Nico frowned. âUnless you two are here to drag me out of this room to the club or something?â
âUm, no?â Rin replied, puzzled, âWe donât have club today anyways.â
Hanayo shook her head with a gentle smile. âNo reason. We just felt like it.â
Rin nodded in agreement. âIf you want, we could stay here with you. Itâs no fun being alone.â
Alone. That was right. Nico had been alone when they had found her, wallowing in her melancholy as she sat by herself in a gloomy, gray, empty classroom, with the rain as her only companion. Sheâd been treated like a rag doll, stuffed away in the closet once playtime was over, left there to be forgotten about and uncared for until someone stumbled across her by chance.
But Rin and Hanayo had purposely gone out of their way to look for her. What did that mean?
âWhy?â Nico asked again, this time in a quiet, more solemn tone.
Noticing the change in her mood, they didnât answer her immediately. Rin looked to Hanayo, who was blinking at Nico, surprised by her tone or words or both.
Nico avoided both their eyes, turning her gaze to the side. She knew she had let an awkward and ambiguous question hang in the air between them, and didnât expect them to answer her. It had been unfair of her to ask in the first place; they were only her first-years, young, happy, and innocent. She thought of apologizing and brushing her comment off lightheartedly. They didnât deserve to have their sunny world drenched in Nicoâs self-pity.
Before she could say anything, though, Rin and Hanayo kissed her on her cheeks, catching her by surprise.
âWell, duh, itâs because we love you, Nico!â Rin happily said, wearing her characteristically cheerful grin on her face.
âAnd because we want to see you happy,â Hanayo added in, smiling gently as she held one of her hands in both of hers. Rin mirrored her, and she continued speaking in her soft-spoken tone. âYouâre always working your hardest to make usâall of usâsmile; we wanted to do the same for you too.â
When they took their hands away, Nico found their tiny silver gifts resting in the palms of her own.
It was such a simple answer. Why had it been so hard for Nico to understand? Of course they cared about her. That was why everyone had sought her attention out in pranks and had given her all those little gifts. They had all tried their best to make today a special, memorable day just for her.
Teary-eyed and with trembling lips, Nico brought Rinâs and Hanayoâs gifts over her heart, shielding her face from them.
âAh! Sheâs smiling!â Rin called out in an excited voice. Then she paused, and her tone grew slightly more worried. âOr⌠crying? Smiling-crying? Niiico?â
Nico shook her head, quickly blinking the tears away and straightening her smile as she looked up. âThank you, you two,â she whispered softly. The trembling soon returned, though, and shook through her entire body now. Nico struggled to keep her voice steady. âIâIâm sorry, I donâtâdonât know what to say. Iâm justââ Tears threatened to trickle down her face again.
Someone pulled her down into a gentle embrace before she could cry, and she heard a soothing voice calm her down as comforting arms wrapped around her head that was buried in their chest. Someone elseâs handsâRinâs, probablyâstarted stroking her hair.
âSometimes you donât have to say anything,â Hanayo said, âFeelings should be more than enough, right?â
âI g-guess,â Nico sniffled, lifting herself from Hanayo with a wobbly smile, then turned to Rin. âAnd Rin, stop petting me. Iâm not a cat.â
Rin gave her a cheeky grin and chose to hug her from behind instead, popping her head over Nicoâs shoulder. âFeeling better yet?â
âYeah, thanks, you two.â Nico smiled and patted their heads. Rinâs grin grew even wider and Hanayo smiled back, blushing.
A knock by the door drew everyoneâs attention.
âNot to interrupt you or anything, but you all did remember we were going to hang out together today afterschool today, right?â Maki chided, leaning against the door with her arms crossed.
âUhhh⌠We were?â Rin asked, to which Maki covered her face with her hand and let out an exasperated sigh.
âYes, we agreed on that last week. I even sent texts to everyone to remind you all. Why didnât any of you reply back?â
The three of them pulled out their phones to check. Nico shrugged. âPhone was silent.â
âSilent!â Rin echoed.
âSilent,â Hanayo said, looking down sheepishly.
âYou three are unbelievable,â Maki muttered, âDisappearing off without a trace andââ
âSooo~!,â Rin interrupted rather loudly, before Maki got a chance to scold them. Makiâs eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing, probably used to Rinâs mannerisms by now. âWhat now?â
âNow Iâm taking you all home with me. Itâs getting late. TheyââMaki shot a finger pointedly at Rin and Hanayoââmight not be here to drag you out of this room, but I am.â She paused, and her expression turned softer, almost worried, when her eyes fell on Nico. âIf, um, youâre feeling better, of course. I could⌠wait a while, if youâd like.â
âNah.â Nico shook her head with a smile, helping herself, Rin, and Hanayo off the ground. âThanks for worrying, but Iâm alright now.â Maki nodded slowly, doubtful, watching on as Nico went around collecting her things, pocketing the gifts back in her bag.
The pieces shone a bit brighter now, Nico noticed, shimmering like tiny diamonds in the palm of her hand as the sunlight flickered across them. They were warm too, from when they had been sitting in a tiny patch of sun on the floor.
Nico blinked. Sunlight? She couldâve sworn it was raining heavily just a second ago.
Looking past the window, she found the evening outside changed. The depressingly gray murkiness that had existed just minutes before had been replaced by a new land of deep amber shades and sharp silhouettes. Shallow puddles and gloomy wet stains still scarred the landscape here and there like the remnants of a war or a great struggle that had passed, but were beginning to dry up. With the rain gone, people, animals, and other activities went about freely outside, moving along at an easy and relaxed pace. It was almost like a new sense of peace had risen with the return of the sun.
Nico herself felt as if a huge burden had lifted off her shoulders. With one last look at the peaceful scenery outside, she turned back to the three who were standing by the open doorway, waiting for her.
âNico?â Maki probed her after her strange silence. Rin and Hanayo looked on, just as curious as Maki was.
âOkay, got it, Iâm coming along now,â Nico answered, âYou waited a little bit before coming in; you could wait a little longer, canât you?â
âI wasnât rushingââ
âYeah, yeah, I know,â Nico cut her off, waving her hand dismissively as she stepped out into the corridor, âBut I didnât know you for an eavesdropper, Maki.â
âExcuse me?â Maki raised an eye at her and frowned, insulted, apparently.
âEaaaves-drooopper,â Nico repeated, shooting her an amused look, âI assume you know what it is? Itâs rude to listen in on someone elseâs conversation, you know.â
âOkay,â Maki huffed, âExcuse you, but that was none of my fault. I just happened to pass byââ
âTheyâre at it again,â Hanayo pointed out, walking behind two of them by Rinâs side.
âYep,â Rin replied, grinning.
âTheyâre still at it,â Hanayo commented, watching Nico and Maki squabbling in front of them like children. It was almost comical. Nico was using wide, sweeping gestures to firmly emphasize on her point, while Maki gave her more nonchalant waves of the hand, but more exasperated looks.
âYeeep,â Rin yawned, bored now.
ââlook at you, avoiding responsibility yet again,â Nico taunted, âI literally havenât seen you all day since you ditchedâditchedâme on the way to school and youââ
âWith all due respect, Nicoââ Maki tried to cut in, butâ
âWHYââNico raised her voice and threw her hands up, stopping Makiââis it whenever someone says âwith all due respect,â they really mean âkiss my assâ?â
Ignoring her, Maki cleared her throat. âWith all due respect, Nico, I left you in Rin and Hanayoâs reliable hands.â
âYeah, so reliable. So reliable they ditched me too! Left me lying there in the middle of the street.â Nico turned around, facing Rin and Hanayo. âUh, no offense, you two.â
Hanayo gave her a forgiving smile and an unconcerned shrug. Rin, though, poutd at her and protested, âUh-huh, but you left me too, at the end of lunch! Youâre not exactly guilt-less yourself.â
âI wasnât the one who opened that locker and started that thing! That was all you!â Nico accused.
Maki pinched the bridge of her nose, as if all the bickering was giving her a headache. âRin, I donât think you want to argue with this⌠human parrot. All it does is screech at you when you try talking to it.â
âOh, Iâm a parrot, am I?â Nico scoffed, holding a hand to her chest in mock offense, âWhat does that make you, you rude, brash, hotheaded gorillââ
âOh, weâre here,â Maki casually interrupted her, turning her back to Nico as she unlocked the gates and held them open for everyone, âAfter you three.â
Nico rolled her eyes, stubbornly setting her feet on the ground and putting her hands to her hips. âI wasnât doneâH-Hey!â
âLess talking, more walking,â Rin piped in, pushing herâhardâinto Makiâs mansion. Hanayo followed in after them, and Maki shut the gates behind with a soft clank. Before Nico could go any further, though, someone held her back.
âUm, Nico?â Maki tugged on her sleeve with a hand, keeping the other behind her back, âThereâs one more thing. That I wanted to give to you.â Rin and Hanayo had stopped as well, and formed a semi-circle around her.
Nico raised an eye at her, pleasantly surprised. âYou got another gift for me?â
Maki shook her head. âNot just from me. Here.â
From behind her back, Maki took out a small, pink box. Nico recognized it immediately; it was the same size and shape as all the others that she had received today. On a tag attached to it, her name was scribbled on in eight different handwritings.
âNot everyone could make it here afterschool today,â Maki explained, âso they left this with me, but I want you to know itâs from all of us. All of Îź's.â
It was the final, final box. Nico opened it.
Inside it lay another silver piece, in the symbol âÎź's,â along with two other things: a small note tucked into one of its sides, and a silver bracelet, plain and undecorated, with a detachable clasp.
Nico took the bracelet into her hands, speechless, and it finally clicked in her mindâthe silver pieces everyone had given her today were charms, she realized, with odd loops designed specifically for this one bracelet. One by one, Nico slotted it through each of the silver pieces, and they fit together perfectly.
âItâs beautiful,â Nico whispered in wonder, fastening it around her wrist, âThank you.â
âDonât just thank me, thank everyone else too,â Maki replied. She then pointed to the box. âAfter youâve read the note.â
With the bracelet fixed around her wrist, Nico unfolded the note:
You are the music that often drifts through my thoughts, the quiet presence that sits by my piano and hums along in my mind as I touch my fingers to the keys, whispering to me with that powerful voice of yours and telling me to reach out for the dreams I would never have dared approach by myself.
You are like the soft chiming of the bell I hear in the winter holidays, the light, cheery tunes that spark a vibrant glow of happiness within meâlighthearted joy, jittery restlessness, enthusiastic hopeâwhich brighten the world around me and make it so much more fun and exciting to explore.
You remind me of the calmness I feel around rabbits, a feeling of cozy delight and soft reassurance when I hold close you in my arms, when you let me know that you feel comfortable relying on me and that you find as much comfort in my hugs as I find in yours.
You are like the tiny ribbons in any one of the dresses I make, a little piece of the whole that may at first seem small and insignificant, but is essential in tying everything together behind the scenes; a special little thing that is needed to bind the entire dress together, to bind us as Îź's, and to bind me to you.
You are the unpredictable heart that beats within me, sometimes acting as the force that steadies my nerves when I draw the arrow back firmly and focus, while at other times throwing it all into chaos when you beat like the thundering of a thousand hooves against my chest, in a feeling that is both frightening and exhilarating at the same time.
You are the reason I can smile and laugh so freely around you, always playing along and humoring me despite your grumpy front, which only reveals the kindness that you keep hidden deep inside, the kindness that shows that you do care, both for me, and for all of Îź's.
You are all the stars that I see and admire when I look up to an open night sky, a massive expanse of a million different personas that each sparkle and shine as their own character, but all make up one body that is beautiful and brilliant and unique in its own little way.
You are the sun that always rises with my dawn, the light in my life that continues shining past the rainy days and enduring through the cloudy nights, no matter how dark or depressing they may seem, to move ever onward with your head held high towards brighter tomorrows, inspiring me to do the same.
You are the spirit of Îź's, Nico.
By the end of the note, the tears were flowing freely from Nicoâs face, running in tiny rivulets past her eyes squeezed shut and over her trembling smile to drip down her chin to the wet pavement. Maki had drawn her into a tight embrace when the first tears began to fall, and Rin and Hanayo had followed suit, wrapping themselves around her too.
Everyone had planned this day from the start, Nico realized, from the all the sweet little gifts down to the every ridiculous prank. It was a day dedicated to showering her with love and attention, and a plan to make sure that each of them had some time to spend with Nico on Valentineâs Day, however long or short that time might have been.
And that time was keyâthey didnât always have time to spend with her, and neither could Nico hog any one of them all to herself without pushing aside the others, but it was enough to know that they cared about her, and that they knew she cared about them.
âThank you,â Nico croaked out, her throat coarse. Everyone took it as a signal to squeeze her a little tighter, then let go, one by one.
All three waited patiently by her side as Nico took the time to collect herself, reading the note over and over again and sniffling a little more as she wiped the her tears on her sleeve. After some time, she finally pocketed everyoneâs words and looked back up at the three of them in front of her, trying to reassure the worry on their faces with a smile.
âIâm⌠Iâm fine now,â she said, struggling to keep her voice as steady as she could, âItâs okay, donât worry.â
âOkay,â Maki noted, crossing her arms. She looked unconvinced, but she didnât push the point. Rin and Hanayo were more accepting, nodding and returning her smile with one of their own.
Without a word, Rin darted off first toward Makiâs house, and the rest of them followed after her. She waited a while for all of them to catch up, then restlessly bounced off ahead againâdragging Hanayo along with her this timeâthrough the front doors. That left Maki by Nicoâs side, and the two of them casually strolled down the front patio as they watched Rin and Hanayo disappear into the mansion.
âSo, Nico,â Maki began once they were out of earshot, watching her from the corner of her eye, âWhat did you think of today? It wasnât so bad, was it?â
âMmm,â Nico hummed with a happy smile on her face, tracing each item on her bracelet with her fingertips, âYeah, it wasnât so bad after all, I guess.â
End Note:Â Happy Bâday, Blaer! I hope you have/had a lovely day today! ^^
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