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Beautiful Women Gathering Around Yuu | By Ueto Ruri
Love Live Nijigasaki
Yu's on a slump, so Ayumu and Setsuna will do their best to help her out. Perhaps too extremely.
Tags: YuSetsuPomu, yuri, spicy, threesome
Commissioned by Ryqoshay
Read it on Dynasty Scans or the Discord Server
Well, you have 28 in your username, so that seems like an appropriate number to ask.
28: Best Part of writing fanfic?
Disclaimer: I am a few drinks in right now, as it is New Year’s Eve. BUT! I think the best part of writing fanfic is the chance to explore things that canon doesn’t. Whether that’s relationships, plots, possible explanations for things that never get explained, possible post-canon scenarios, whatever. It’s just fun to take these characters we know and love and see how they’d react to things.
I think that’s the best part of writing fanfic.
i love how @ryqoshay made Maki talk like this in HtHaN- it was really cute, im still at Chapter 24 though,but here's the fanart i made for it! Enjoy!
Quentin's Salon
Primary Pairing: N/A Starring: Quentin, Rebecca Also Starring: Hakumei, Index Words: 673 Rating: G Prompt: Ebullient
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Summary: Quentin brushes his daughter's hair
Author's Note: Bonus second entry for the 4th
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Rebecca hummed happily and swung her feet off the edge of the chair by her father’s desk.
For his part, Quentin took the moment to appreciate the rare serenity in his usually rambunctious daughter. Pretty much the only other time she was this calm was when sleeping, or watching her bodyguard, Hakumei train with his wife, Yuri. But this, this was his moment of peace with Rebecca.
“Would you like me to braid or style your hair in any particular way today?” Quentin asked as he slid his brush through long black strands. “Or just your normal twintails?”
“Mmm…” Rebecca’s hum meandered from her made up melody to a more thoughtful tone. “Maybe braided twintails?”
“Your wish is my command, M’lady.”
Rebecca giggled at the statement before going back to humming.
Quentin pulled the brush through a few more strokes before setting it down on his desk.
“Eh? Done already?” Rebecca protested.
Quentin chuckled and began to separate her hair out for braiding. “You know I can’t brush too much as it could cause damage. And your mother would have my head if I made your hair start falling out.”
“Awuuu…” Rebecca pouted. “Couldn’t we just have Ameliorate heal it? That’s what she does, right? Heal stuff?”
Quentin pondered an answer for a moment. “You know, I’ve never asked if she knows a hair repair spell.” Never thought we’d need one. He added silently. “Anyway, we shouldn’t keep Hakumei waiting too long.”
“Oh, right! Training!” Quentin could see his daughter consciously restrain herself from bouncing with excitement as she didn’t want to disrupt his braiding.
“And there we go. All set.” Quentin patted Rebecca’s head to make his point.
Rebecca bolted out of the chair, spun, and scrambled back up it, using it as a launching pad to throw herself into her father’s arms.
“Thanks Touchan!” She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re welcome, my dear.” Quentin replied.
The moment was over too soon as Rebecca pushed back and turned her gaze to the corner of the office.
“Hakumei-chan, let’s go find Kachan for your training!”
“Thank you for your patience.” Quentin said to the girl walking toward them as he set down his daughter. “I know Yuri has been taking care of your hair since you arrived, but she’ll be heading back out on contract soon. If you would like, I can take over for her.”
“Yeah!” Rebecca chimed in. “You should totally do that, Hakumei-chan! Touchan’s the best at brushing hair. Even better than Kachan!”
“I shall take you up on that offer.” Hakumei stated. “Thank you in advance, l’Exécuteur-sama.” She bowed.
Quentin was about to remind Hakumei that using his given name was fine when Rebecca grabbed her hand and started dragging her toward the door.
“Let’s go training!” Rebecca cheered along the way.
“She’s still so formal.” Quentin shook his head as the girls departed.
“Indeed, she is.” Index, the other occupant remaining in the office stated from where he sat at his desk.
“Maybe Rebecca will start rubbing off on her and she can loosen up a bit. Poor girl is wound tighter than Yuri was when I first met her.”
“Yuri is still quite stoic.”
“Yeah, but she was even more so before. And I’d like to think I had an effect on her. So maybe Rebecca can do the same for Hakumei. Like father, like daughter, and all that.”
“I would say Rebecca is even more ebullient than you, sir.”
Quentin laughed heartily. “You know flexing your vocabulary isn’t going to work on me, Dex.”
“I am aware.”
“However, I do like the sound of that… Ebullient…” He chuckled. “If Tack hadn’t already started calling her Ricochet, I’d half a mind to start using that as a nickname.”
“It would suit her.” Index agreed. “However, I believe Ricochet is even more fitting.”
“Yeah, you got a point.” Quentin shrugged. “Anyway, when is our new client supposed to arrive?”
“They should be here momentarily.”
“Right.” Quentin nodded and moved to his desk to prepare.
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Author's Note: First off, Rebecca is the given name of my OC whose call sign I use as my screen name; Ryqoshay. Hakumei is the given name of Yozakura, initially her bodyguard and eventually girlfriend, then wife. This scene is set years before either girl officially joins the Roughnecks and thus have not started using call signs. They are likely around 9 or 8, with Rebecca being the older of the two.
Quentin is currently the leader of the mercenary guild and happily raising his daddy's girl to take over after him. He eschews his call sign, l’Exécuteur with with most people, thus the bit where he wants to remind Hakumei to use his given name.
For readers unfamiliar with my D&D story, as most of it is, and will likely remain unpublished, I started writing it as what was supposed to be a paragraph or two of a character bio. It spiraled out of control into a twenty page story that introduced a new mercenary guild into my DM's world. And even though it's been years since that game, I continued to write the story, world building and just having fun with it.
Recently, I started tapping this story for use as a TTRPG created and DM'd by Setsuna for her girlfriends and a few others to play in my Niji fic, Tri-Arame. I considered writing this scene as a roleplaying event for the game, but as it takes place far too early in the timeline, I left out the LL connection. I do have a couple other such TTRPG entries later in the event.
Prior Prompts Used: Time Heal Train Soon
Technically I used serene as well, although in the form of serenity, so one could argue it doesn't count. As such, I was sure to use it properly later.
Nico trimming Maki’s hair as commissioned by @ryqoshay!! The idea of Maki dozing off while Nico does her magic is still a really adorable image uwu
Commissions are currently open!
NicoMaki by the piano as commissioned by @ryqoshay
If you haven’t read their writing, I recommend doing so! It’s fun adapting scenes from a piece of writing into an illustrated form. Hopefully my vision wasn’t too off haha
Commissions are currently open!
Summer Festival
“Ryqo, wait!” Tack’s voice called out from within the house as I opened the front door.
Sure enough, a moment later, a bundle of energy, wrapped in a white yukata with purple stars, bounced down the hall towards us.
“Yoza-chan! Mayocchi!” The grinning girl greeted. “Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!” She launched herself at me.
I sidestepped the incoming tackle hug but thought better of it when I saw Mayonaka step into the path instead. Thankfully, Ryqoshay reduced her momentum a bit so she wouldn’t bowl over the younger girl. Wrapping my sister in a tight embrace, the raven-haired girl lifted her off her feet.
“Mayocchi, you look so~ cute I just wanna hug ya ta pieces!” Ryqo giggled, earning a smile from my sister. Setting her down, she turned her sights on me. A smug smile formed on her lips. “I though’ ya didn’ like that hair clip.”
“Mama picked it out.” I lied for some reason. “And it’s not that bad. I’m getting used to it, I guess.” Her smirk grew. “Besides, it matches this yukata well.”
I caught Mayo’s gaze out of the corner of my eye. Don’t you dare. She blinked. Please… Not now… We’ll never hear the end of it. It really does match, though! Ryqo really does have a knack for picking out cute accessories, and she knows pink is my favorite color…
“Ryqo…” Tack said, exasperated, as he walked up. “I still need to finish tying your sash.”
It was then that I noticed he was holding said piece of cloth and Ryqo’s outfit was lacking.
“Need help?” I offered.
“Can you get her to stop squirming around?” Tack said somewhat sarcastically, but I could detect some frustration in his tone.
“I can help with that.” A monotone voice said from behind him.
He turned to reveal Luna holding a strange device.
“Mr. Tingly!” Ryqo exclaimed happily.
“Mr. what?” Tack asked.
“I’ve been shocked by tha’ before.” The overly excited girl explained. “I’ made me feel all tingly an’ weird, so I named it Mr. Tingly!”
“Right…” Tack sighed. “Luna, put that away. We still need to take care of your hair.” He glanced at me. “Think you two can get her to wear this?”
I nodded, accepting the strip of cloth. “I tied Mayo’s, I think I can get Ryqo’s.”
Several attempts later, I was beginning to sympathize with Tack’s plight, but I finally got the sash tied properly. No sooner than that task was completed than Tack and Luna returned to the foyer so we could leave as a group.
“Your parents messaged me saying they were running late.” Tack said as he closed the gate. “They’ll meet us at the festival.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah…” I agreed. They’re always late these days.
“Will Shougo be meeting us there as well?”
“He’s picking up Taiyouko, so yeah, he’ll meet us there as well.”
“Taiyouko?”
“His new girlfriend!” Ryqo explained in an overly dramatic voice.
“Ah, I see.” Tack said with a smile.
“I can’ wai’ ta meet ‘er! He’s been ‘oggin ‘er all to ‘imself an’ they spen’, like, a~ll o’ they’re time t’gehter!” Ryqo continued to explain unnecessarily, while holding her arms out in an effort to represent the amount of time she was describing. “I’s like they’re attached at da hip ‘r somethin’.”
“Like you and Oneesan.” Mayo spoke up.
“Exactly!” Ryqo said with a giggle.
“I, wha-what?” I spluttered, shooting a glare at my sister. “What the hell are you talking about?”
She returned a rather passive gaze. “You and Rebecca-nee spend a lot of time together.” She said with a small shrug. “Is that not what friends do?”
“Of course!” Ryqo answered, still laughing lightly.
“Well, yeah, but…” Why did it feel like my heart wanted to pound its way out of my chest? Was I really that angry about this, or was something else bothering me? Stop staring at me like that, Mayo! Geez!
Thankfully, my sister obeyed my silent demand and looked forward once again.
Ryqo laughed aloud before asking Tack something and the conversation shifted. We talked about how Ryqo was liking her new school, Tomodachi Academy, and as we neared the festival, we started talking instead about what we wanted to see and eat first upon arrival.
“Mmmmm… I smell meat!” Ryqo breathed in deep before making a beeline to a small karaage stand.
“Ryqo, wait!” Tack called. “Let’s all get our orders in and I’ll take care of it.”
“Woo! Sensei’s payin’!” the girl cheered, throwing a fist in the air and jumping a little.
“I can cover Mayo and I.” I offered.
“Don’t worry about it.” The man said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Your parents have spent plenty keeping Ryqo and Luna entertained over the years.”
Well, that’s true.
We all placed our orders and the woman began chopping fresh cuts of meat in a flurry of two unusually shaped knives. Well, unusual in that I don’t believe such knives were meant for use in the kitchen. For starters, chef knives generally only have one edge. It was strange, but I was willing to dismiss it because she showed incredible skill in wielding the blades to prepare our food fresh to order.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mayo staring. I followed her gaze to Tack, who was, in turn, staring at the woman behind the counter, so I took a closer look at her. Well, I guess I can’t blame him, she is somewhat attractive. I have heard that men like red hair and her piercing emerald eyes certainly demanded attention. But other than those traits, nothing else really stood out. She was above average, I suppose, but barely. She didn’t wear accessories as far as I could see, her shoulder length hair was left loose, her kimono could easily blend in with any festival crowd, and for someone running a food stall, her smile seemed a little bit on the forced side. Maybe Tack really just liked redheads? Still, it was rude to stare… Which is what I’m doing now… I turned my attention elsewhere.
“So, what was tha’ all about, Sensei?” Ryqo asked as we made our way back into the crowd.
“What do you mean?” he asked in reply.
“Don’ thin’ we didn’ catch ya’ starin’!” her voice went into teasing mode.
“I just…”
“She was very pretty.” Ryqo interrupted.
“Well, yes, she is.” Tack admitted, glancing back towards the booth. “But, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’ve met her before…”
“So why didn’ ya ask?”
“She didn’t seem to recognize me, so I figured I may be in error.” He shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t want to hold up the line.”
“Hrm…” she stared at him before looking at Mayo who nodded. “Alrigh’, fine, I’ll le’cha off da hook this time…”
Tack and I both rolled our eyes and he shook his head.
“Woo! Shootin’ range!” Ryqo cried, suddenly. “I’m gonna win a prize!” That said, she scampered over to the booth, tossed a few coins on the counter and grabbed a gun.
By the time the rest of us arrived at the stall, the small sniper wannabe had already burned through all of her shots but had yet to hit a thing. Strange. The twin-tailed girl stared at the mock weapon in her hands for a moment before holding out more coins for another clip. Her second attempt seemed to go a bit better as she took more time to aim, but still failed to knock over the necessary number of targets to win a prize.
“<Somethin’s no’ right…>” She muttered before cursing in English.
“Ryqo.” Tack chastised sharply. “<Watch your language.>”
“<Sorry…>” Her gaze never left the device.
“Would any of you three care to try your hand?” The booth’s attendant asked us.
“I’m good, thanks.” Tack politely declined.
Wait, three? I glanced about for a moment. Where is…
“Woo! Got ‘em!” Ryqo cheered suddenly.
“C-congratulations, little lady!” The attendant replied. “That many targets gets you…”
“I want that one!” She pointed at a plush purple dragon. Figures. “An’ I wanna go again!” She held out more coins.
“Yes, of c-course.”
“Got ‘em all again!” the girl with the gun exclaimed a moment later.
“Congr…”
“I want tha’ one!” She pointed this time to a plush pink cat. Strange. “An’ I wanna go again!” She held out more coins.
“I’m terribly sorry.” The man said, not accepting this money this time. “I’m afraid I must limit players to two large prizes each.” He pointed to a small sign, which did indeed list that as a rule, though in very small print.
“Awuuu…” Ryqo pouted.
“However, if anyone else wants to try, you are more than welcome. I… just need to check something. I’ll be back in a moment.” With that, he exited the back of the booth.
Not a second later, Luna appeared from behind the stall.
“Luna, where were you?” Tack asked.
“Fixing things.” The girl replied flatly.
A large grin crossed Ryqo’s face. “So ye’r da one ‘oo increased the air pressure!”
“Yes.”
“Uhm… let’s move on, shall we?” I said nervously, gesturing towards the rest of the festival.
“You mean there was something wrong with the air pressure?” Tack asked as we walked away.
“Yup, yup!” Ryqo chirped. “’Member ‘ow I couldn’ knock over anythin’ at first?”
“Yes.”
“Well tha’ guy ‘ad the pressure turned down too low. Luna-chan fixed it!”
“I see.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I feel like I should scold you, Luna, for tampering with someone else’s property, but I’m not going to. I also feel like I should tell you not to do something like that again, but I’m not going to do that either. Lastly, I feel like I need to go back and warn that man that his booth may explode at any second, do I need to do that?”
“No.” Luna replied. “It was an easy adjustment; no modifications necessary.”
“Alright,” Tack sighed, “let’s just leave it at that then.”
“An’ this one’s fer you, Yoza-chan!” Ryqo suddenly said, shoving the cat in my face.
“Huh?” I uttered before removing the stuffed prize from my field of vision.
“I saw ya lookin’ at it.” The older girl smiled. “It’s cute and i’ suits ya.”
“Th-thank you…” I replied, feeling warmth spread to my cheeks.
“An’ I’m sorry, Mayocchi an’ Luna-chan.” She continued, practically ignoring me now. “I wan’ed ta get you two somethin’ as well, bu’ he had a stupid limit.”
“It’s alright.” Mayo said simply while Luna remained silent.
“Tack! Girls!” I heard my mother call from behind us.
“Youko-chan!” Ryqo cried, running ahead to glomp my brother’s girlfriend. Leave it to Ryqo to skip formalities and go straight to familiar terms.
Thankfully, the new girl smiled. “Shougo warned me about your hugs.” She said with a laugh. “You must be Becky-chan.”
“Yup! Yup!” the raven-haired girl chirped.
“Good to see you’re in high spirits, as always, Becky-chan.” My mother said, patting her head and earning a giggle. “Sorry we’re late, Tack,” she turned her attention to him, “I trust our girls weren’t too much trouble for you?”
Tack chuckled. “You know as well as I that I had far more trouble with my own two than with yours.”
My mother hummed in response. “Well the fireworks should be starting soon, so we should probably find seats. Shall we?”
With that, the nine of us made our way to the hillside we traditionally used each year. Ryqo and Taiyouko had hit it off immediately and were chatting excitedly about gods knows what while Tack and my father began talking about some local politics. My mother, Shougo and I talked about the festival and what we had already seen and done.
“Something wrong, Tack?” My father asked a moment after the first firework burst in the sky.
The rest of us turned our attention to the man as he stared at the smoke trails. “Yeah… I just…” He stood up. “I’ll be right back.”
“You sure you’re alright?” My mother asked as well.
“I think I remember where I met her.” He explained before walking off.
“Met who?” Mother asked those of us left behind.
“A cute redhead.” Ryqo cooed. “Sensei’s in lo~ve!”
“Really? Well good for him. That man needs a good woman in his life.”
Ryqo pouted, earning a laugh from my mother.
“You know what I mean, Becky-chan.” She continued. “You and Luna-chan are good girls, but Tack could really use a partner.”
It wasn’t until after the finale that we saw Tack slowly walking back towards us with a strange expression on his face.
“So, how did it go?” My mother asked.
He looked up as if just realizing where he was. “Well, I was wrong; she’s not who I thought she was.” His eyes flitted over to Mayo, just for a moment. “I’m not sure what I was thinking.” He’s lying, and fairly obviously at that. He took a breath. “But I somehow ended up with a date this weekend.”
“Congratulations!”
“<Sensei and Vivian, sittin’ in a tree…>” Ryqo began chanting.
“Who’s Vivian?” I asked.
“Sensei’s new girlfriend, durr!”
“How did you know her name?” Tack asked.
“Wha, even you?” The girl gaped at us for a moment before jabbing at her chest. “Nametag! She had a nametag! Don’ tell me I’m really da only one tha’ noticed!”
“I saw it.” Mayo said simply.
“Well o’ course you did, Mayocchi,” Ryqo said with a giggle, “you actu’lly pay attention ta things.”
“I saw it.” Luna added.
“Even Luna-chan saw it!” Ryqo threw up her hands in a dramatic display of exasperation. “Were you two jus’ too distracted by dose em’rald eyes a’ ‘ers?”
“Wha? No!” I denied quickly, as Tack just sighed. His response was probably better as mine attracted more attention from the others. “I… uhm, was paying more attention to those strange knives she was using.”
“I asked her about those.” Tack said. “Apparently they’re what her father used, and now she’s just accustomed to using them.” He shrugged. “They obviously work for her, as you saw.”
“So wha'cha gonna do?” an overly curious girl asked.
“Dinner and a movie of course.”
“Bo~ring!” Ryqo sneered, making a thumbs down sign. “And so~ cliché.”
“And how would you know?” I asked. “It’s not like you've ever been on a date.” At least I don’t think so…
“And I intend to ensure that stays true for a few more years.” Tack added, earning a chuckle from both my mother and brother. “What do you think, Asame? Five, six more years at least?”
Ryqo booed again.
“I don't know, Tack,” my mother replied, “your little girl is growing up fast. You may want to reevaluate that time limit.”
My father grunted disapprovingly.
“I’m ready now!” the aptly labeled little girl insisted, stomping a foot in frustration.
“When did you two let Shougo start dating?” Tack asked my parents, earning more disapproving sounds from Ryqo now that she was being somewhat ignored.
“Well we were willing to let him start last year, but he didn’t seem interested at the time.” My mother answered honestly.
Shougo shrugged. “All the girls at my school are boring.”
Taiyouko elbowed him in the ribs.
“But then you transferred, of course.” He said, earning a smile from her. “But maybe things would have been different had I chosen to go to Tomodachi, I hear there’s no shortage of cuties there.” His girlfriend shoved him, but he recovered quickly as he had obviously anticipated the move. “And that goes for both guys and gals.” He looked up at Tack. “You may want to be careful.”
“Hey!” Ryqo protested. “Who’s side are you on!?”
Shougo just laughed in response.
“So I guess we’ll have to talk about it next year, then.” Tack said after a moment.
“Won’ matter.” Ryqo suddenly pouted. “’S no’ like they’ll be ready by then anyway.”
“So you already have someone in mind?” Taiyouko inquired.
“Uh huh.”
“Like I said, Tack,” My mother began, “your little girl is growing up fast; she’s already got a crush.”
“It’s not a crush.” Ryqo crossed her arms.
“Who is it?” Taiyouko asked. “I have some friends over at Tomodachi. I’ve probably heard their name.”
“Not tellin’” the raven-haired girl stuck out her tongue.
Tack, my brother, his girlfriend and my mother laughed and I even caught a smile on my sister’s face as she watched Ryqo’s behavior. I wanted to join them, but I found that I couldn’t, though I know not why.
My best friend has a crush, that should make me happy, right? Why did it make me feel uneasy instead?
“Looks like you have your work cut out for you.” My mother said, placing a hand on Tack’s shoulder. “You have my condolences.”
“So where should we go next?” Shougo asked.
“Choco banana.” Luna spoke up for the first time in a while. And she wants food. Figures.
“Choco banana it is, then.” Tack said. “And I think I see a stall right over there.” He turned to the rest of us. “Shall we?”
We agreed.
The rest of the night was rather uneventful, and my memories are sketchy at best. This may be due, in part, to the fact that I found myself unable to get Tomodachi Academy and its student body of “cuties” out of my mind. Perhaps, just maybe, that was the night I honestly started to consider attending classes there as well. Just to keep an eye on whoever this crush of Ryqo’s is; make sure they were fit for her and did not have ulterior motives. Ryqo is far too trusting sometimes and I didn't want anyone to take advantage of her good nature. That was definitely the only reason.
Other Idolsona stuff.
Aelic’s Karaoke Night
“Spoiled brat!”
“Over-entitled queen!”
Ryqo and Hakumei crossed their arms almost in unison and turned away from each other as I walked in the room. “Hrmph!” they puffed in stereo.
What the heck did I miss in the few minutes I was late?
“Oh, Ae-chan!” Ryqo caught my eye and immediately started waving. “Over here! Over here! Over here! We saved a spot for ya!”
“Shhh!” Hakumei held a finger to her lips. “They’re starting.”
“You ‘Shhh!’” Ryqo mimicked back.
Sure enough, music started pouring out of the multitude of speakers scattered throughout the fairly sizable room. Spotlights flooded a small stage at the end opposite me and a girl grabbed the microphone and began singing an upbeat and catchy tune.
This is a karaoke room? I knew my family lived out in the sticks, but the local karaoke bar in town was nowhere near this size. Heck you could probably fit three of their rooms in here, maybe a fourth, and there were apparently multiple rooms like this, from what I had heard. About half a dozen small tables were set around the room with several chairs each. Along the exterior walls were long padded benches. All told there was probably about two dozen students gathered here. I was really beginning to like this Tomodachi Academy. Definitely made the right choice to come here.
I took the seat offered to me beside Hakumei who gave me a pleasant smile. Ryqo leaned forward and flashed a toothy grin and a peace sign. Well they both cheered up fast, weren’t they just fighting?
I glanced across the table to see Nullsilver on the other side of Ryqo, fully expecting to see her tinkering with some half disassembled device in her lap. To my surprise, she seemed to be paying rather close attention to the singer on stage. Strange, she seemed so disinterested in everything else besides that cursed drone of hers. At least her hair was the same color as the last time I saw her.
The four of us, well sans Nullsilver, so the three of us made small talk between numbers, mostly about our favorite idols. The singers on stage ran the gambit of incredibly talented to decidedly mediocre, but there were thankfully none that I would call bad. And that was good. Becoming the best of all of them would be a worthy challenge indeed.
“Ooo! I’m next!” Ryqo suddenly shot up from her seat. She scampered to the stage like a child late for dinner. “Heyo!” she cried into the mic upon arrival, throwing a hand into the air. Pretty much everyone except for Hakumei, Nullsilver and myself responded in kind. Must be some sort of tradition of which we were unaware.
I recognized the song immediately; Mahoutsukai Hajimemashita, originally sung by the legendary Yazawa Nico. Ryqo’s high pitched voice and high energy was a good match, though I could tell she was a little bit too excited as she often was a little ahead of the beat. It was a decent enough tribute, though I certainly preferred the original. In the end, her enthusiastic performance was met with appropriately enthusiastic applause.
“You’re turn, Yoza-chan!” she called, pointing at the girl beside me before skipping off the stage.
Hakumei sighed before rising to walk calmly to the front of the room. I must admit, with all of the idol music I had listened to in the last year or so, I had not heard the song she performed that night. Still, it came as no surprise that it was a serious and powerful ballad that lent itself will to the tones she was capable of producing. Ryqo, undoubtedly, gave the most passionate reception, going so far as a standing ovation. Not completely undeserved, but I had seen better, even earlier tonight.
“And now for you, Luna-chan!” Ryqo said gleefully.
“…”
She wants the impassive Nullsilver to sing?
“I already requested one a’ yer fav’rites. Git on up there!”
“…”
The twin-tailed girl pulled something out of her bag and held it in of the other. Pocky? “If you sing, you can have this.” She spoke slower with clearer enunciation, likely to drive home her point. “It’s limited edition and this was their last box.”
Something changed in Nullsilver’s eyes, though not the color. Without a word, she rose, walked slowly to the stage and stood before the microphone. Moments later, the music started playing…
Wait. Something’s not right. That’s Moshimo Kara Kitto, originally sung by Toujou Nozomi. How the hell did they expect an emotionless girl like Nullsilver to breathe life into one of the purest songs in µ’s’ discography? But from the looks on some of the older students’ faces, they seemed to actually be waiting for a good show.
The girl on stage opened her mouth and…
A tingling sensation ran down my arms as I could do little but sit and stare for a few seconds. It was beautiful. The only one capable of doing better would be Toujou herself.
A moment later, the logical part of my mind caught up and I started glancing about, seeking the actual source of the vocals I was hearing. Surly, Nullsilver was just lip-syncing and someone else was providing the words. That was the answer, right? That or this was a really good recording. Either way, there was no way she was actually singing right now. Right?
I looked at the two girls beside me. Hakumei was sitting properly, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face, just enjoying the music. Ryqo was leaning forward, elbows on the table with an incredible grin on her face as she stared wide-eyed at the performance. It suddenly dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, this was real, no matter how surreal it seemed.
I collapsed back in my seat and just stared as well, letting the lyrics wash over me until the last chime faded at the end of the piece.
My suspension of disbelief was shattered immediately as Nullsilver turned, without ceremony, and walked off the stage, apparently oblivious to the roaring applause. She made a beeline back to our table, took the offered snack, sat down and tore into the package like a kid at Christmas.
Despite her utter lack of stage presence, I found myself pitying the pour soul who had to follow that performance as the applause continued for a while.
“So, Ae-chan.” Ryqo spoke up. “I think yer the only one who ‘asn’t sung yet.” Of course. “We can’ start goin’ back up for second rounds ‘till ev’ryone’s ‘ad a go.”
Well, I wanted a challenge. And fate decided to give me one, in the strangest package I could imagine. Still, I thought, while making my way to the stage, a duet with her would be a good way to gain some publicity. I found myself anxious to play guitar again. I needed to make more music. Excitement burned in my gut me as ideas raced through my head, but I had to push them aside. Right now, I had to follow a grand performance with one even better. I needed to make the audience remember me, despite everything else they had seen and heard tonight.
I quickly spotted an energetic, rock-style song that had been one of my favorites upon first diving into the world of idols. “Let’s burn.” I murmured under my breath before grabbing the mic and shouting out the opening lines. I got the reaction I wanted as several in the audience started clapping along with the raucous beat, though I won’t deny I was hoping for more.
I was sweating by the time the final cords faded and I made a quick mental note that priority one was to get my stamina up. Task two was to become more accustomed to these blasted lights, or I would never survive multiple songs. But far be it for me to let my current audience know that. I swallowed to wet my throat and shouted my thanks for the applause, though it was notably less than that for the performance before mine.
Ryqo was squirming in her seat with excitement when I returned. “Oh my god, tha’s like my favoritest song ever!” she squealed as I sat down.
“You mean one of…” Hakumei started.
“Yeah fine, whatever,” Ryqo interrupted with a dismissive wave, “‘one of’ my favoritest songs ever.”
I smiled. “It’s one of my favorites as well, though their new single is giving it a run for its money.”
“I know, right?” the raven-haired girl laughed. “I have all of their CDs if you ever wanna borrow them.”
“I was going to make the same offer.”
As Ryqo let loose a riotous bout of laughter, I turned my attention to the girl opposite me.
Nullsilver sat silently, watching the stage intently as the next singer chose their song. Every so often, she would raise a stick of Pocky to her mouth and nibble a little off the end, apparently slowly savoring the rare version. Out of everyone I had met in my first two days in Tomodachi Academy, she was by far the strangest. Despite that, I wanted to learn more about her. I needed to know how such a voice could come attached to such a personality. Questioning her directly would likely be a lost cause, so perhaps I would need to hit up Ryqo or Hakumei for answers.
Speaking of, the former was asking me something. I apologized and asked her to repeat her question before answering. Before long, we fell back into our pattern of making small talk between numbers and enjoying a night of good music.
Other Idolsona stuff
