Original work of Teren Mikami and Aifuji Yuu (Hasunosora Scenario Team)
Originally Published in: Link! Like! Love Live! First Fan Book. Physical version and digital version of the book is available to purchase at amazon.jp and various store.
*the date of this story isn't clear but it should be around Christmas 2023, or maybe early December
The childhood friend is gay as usual. (Mostly Megumi is gay for Ruri)
Without further ado, enjoy!
I finally found a café with a charging spot.
“Phew…”
Megumi let out a breath, placed her pouch on the seat, and ordered a latte.
Thinking about the dying battery, she remembered someone she knew very well. She smiled gently and plugged the charger.
I did a lot of ego searching today. It seems like yesterday’s live show was a big hit with everyone.
As I looked at each comment, I realized that there was no way my battery would last. Even with a portable charger, it wouldn’t be enough.
Still, not checking wasn’t an option, but finding a charging spot was difficult.
A table for one with a view of the windows.
It was evening. The reason she wasn’t heading straight back to the dorm was because of a message on her phone, which was barely holding on at 3% battery.
“I've arrived at the station.”
“I'll be waiting for you at the usual spot.”
“Okay.”
Megumi wondered if the brief response meant the other person was just as drained as her phone. She decided to relax until the person she was waiting for arrived.
“It's been a while since I went shopping with Ruri-chan.”
She carefully held her latte with both hands and wiped away the small smudge of her lipstick from its lid.
It’s just shopping with her childhood friend. That’s all. Even something as simple as that isn't easy when you’re living in a dormitory. We need to abolish the whole thing about submitting a permission form to go out.
“It’s not a wish, so you don’t need to grant it. Once it’s submitted, it should be automatically approved.”
There was nobody around to respond to her thoughtful remark.
The view outside is of a boring office district. Dark clouds hovering above Kanazawa's sky, giving it a gloomy feeling.
“I wonder if Ruri-chan is here yet.”
I endured the biting and unpleasant cold until I stepped inside. The fact that I remained seated with my coat still on was evidence of that. Perhaps, the person I was waiting for might also be dashing towards me, enduring the cold. "Hang in there!" I muttered to myself.
I thought of my childhood friend, whose whereabouts I didn’t know. Someone said, "The time spent waiting before the fun begins is also quite enjoyable." That may be true.
Just as my smartphone's battery indicator shifted from red to orange, she burst in.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
When I turned around, I spotted a familiar set of twin tails. She was still catching her breath, clutching her scarf and coat.
“Did you come running?”
“Yeah, I ran like crazy.”
“Fufu, I see.”
“I’m sweaty.”
“I see.”
She frantically uses her hands to fan his flushed cheeks and laughing softly. Seeing Rurino like that, Megumi also smiled, amused.
“What's up, Megu-chan? Did something funny happen?”
“Yeah. My prediction was spot on.”
“Huh?”
As Rurino tilted her head in confusion, Megumi handed the latte to her.
“Here, calm down and have a drink.”
“Sankyu.”
After taking a sip, Rurino's eyes widened slightly. “I'm sorry Megu-chan.”
“What's wrong?”
“It's cold.”
When Rurino realized how long she had kept her waiting, she lowered her eyebrows, and Megumi shook her head gently.
“I wouldn't hand a hot drink to someone who's already sweating!”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“That’s exactly what it is.”
There's no need to apologize for making her wait.
She looked tired, so I just wanted to give her some water. That's all.
“It’s tasty, right?”
“Yeah. I was a little surprised.”
“By what?”
“This is the one that Ruri likes, isn’t it?”
I realized it when she said that.
Somehow I craved it today. Now, I kind of get it.
“Of course, I know exactly what to give to a tired Ruri-chan.”
“As expected of you, Megu-chan! The embodiment of thoughtfulness!”
“Yes!”
Sorry, that was a lie.Today was just a simple shopping trip. But I was looking forward to it more than I'd expected, somehow … I managed to hide this too, this time.
・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
A faint of white breath rose up into the dark sky and vanished.
“There are a lot of people around this time, huh?”
At night, Kanazawa Station was swamped by people. It's a rush-hour, after all.
Megumi glances at Rurino, who is mumbling to herself next to her, she pauses and asks, “Are you tired?”
“Nah, not at all. I was alone the whole day, so I’m totally fine.”
“Where did you go?”
“Komatsu Airport.”
“Ah... that unusual hobby of yours.”
“Watching planes come and go is fun.”
“Just sitting there glued to the window?”
“Yeah?”
Her large eyes blinked in surprise, causing her long eyelashes to flutter along with them. I found myself mesmerized by her eyelashes, I felt dazed, unsure why, and finally looked away.
Unlike a smartphone, which can be charged by simply plugging it into a plug, when it comes to charging Rurino, it's impossible to know how or what can charge it.
Well, if I don’t understand it, then no one else probably does either.
“Sorry, Ruri-chan. I’m really sorry, but can we head back toward the station?”
“Okay.”
Megumi took the lead, with Rurino following closely behind. They walked through the crowd, avoiding people as much as they could.
“It must have been hard running in this busy street.”
“Not at all! Sometimes my tiny stature comes in handy…”
“Don't be depressed.”
“Like this—crouch down, then swoosh swoosh! Like in American Football, you know.”
“I don’t understand.”
"Hmm. Think of a thief—does that help you to grasp it?”
“I don’t get that either, aren’t you making fun of American Football right now?”
“I'm sorry.”
Rurino was still trying desperately to communicate by moving her hands and making gestures. I don’t get it.
But she was cute, so It didn’t matter.
“Did you take off your coat from the beginning?”
“Nah, I took it halfway off. My scarf was covering my mouth, so it was very hard. I couldn't breathe properly, the area around my mouth started to get mushy when I inhaled and exhaled, which was really annoying, and in the end I couldn't breathe, hahaha.”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Rurino started laughing as she recalled the event. Caught in the moment, Megumi also joined and said, “Take it off before it gets to that point!”
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting, Megu-chan.”
“Even so.”
“Well, I ended up taking it off. The people around me were surprised. Then, I apologized to everyone.”
“So it was you who was making all the noise.”
“It was me.”
While having a casual conversation, they turn aside towards the station.
“What are you buying?”
“First of all, let’s take a look at some clothes.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t have any specific goal in mind. In fact, my purpose has already been achieved. A few days ago, I invited her to go shopping, and she replied nonchalantly “Sure." However, it felt a bit awkward to go without any real purpose. After thinking for a moment, Megumi said, “Today, I was looking for something pretty.”
“Pretty things?”
“That's right! I thought it would be useful for a variety of things. You can use it for new songs, live shows or even streaming” Raising a finger, Megumi spoke with usual confidence.
Rurino nodded, her eyes sparkled. “I get it! Then we have to check a lot of stores!”
“That's right!”
That's how it’s happened.
・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。
They were selective in choosing the boutique. Among the many stores lined up, some featured familiar brands, while others were new to her. Normally, Megumi would narrow her search down to brands she is somewhat familiar with and do a thorough search. However, today, under the pretext of "looking for beautiful things", she had to do a quick look around all the stores on the floor.
“Wait here, Megu-chan.”
“Eh? Okay.”
There was one store that were both drawn to and Megumi was pushed into the fitting room by Rurino. Megumi turned back to her with a puzzled expression.
“I'm going to look for something pretty!”
With enthusiasm, Rurino walked around the store and returned with several clothes in hand.
“This one.”
“Oh, okay. Huh?”
“Let's try it one by one.”
“Okay, but—”
Aren't we supposed to look for those together? Megumi thought, tilting her head as she closed the curtain of the fitting room. She can see a silhouette visible through the curtains, humming happily.
Maybe she wanted to see me in doing turn-around with the outfit.
“Well, if Ruri-chan is in a good mood, then it's fine." I took off my jacket and carefully removed my turtleneck. My hair is a little tingly from the static electricity. With only my underwear on, I stared at the winter blouse Rurino had brought.
It looks warm, elegant and cute. I feel like it leans a little closer to cute than “pretty”, but I try it on anyway.
"Hmm...." I widened my eyes as I saw myself in the mirror.
The soft brown blouse reminds me of a teddy bear. It has white embroidery on the collar and shoulders. I had thought it might be a little too cute, but when combined with my skirt and current earrings, it surprisingly didn't give a childish impression. On the contrary, it was a nice accent to the overall adult look.
“Megu-chan?”
“Yes, yes.”
The sound of rustling clothes had stopped so she must have realized that Megumi had finished getting changed. When Megumi opened the curtains, Rurino’s eyes widened and she began clapping silently.
“What kind of reaction was that?”
“Nothing, just thought, Ruri's eye was spot on.”
“Praise me!”
“Megu-chan is elegant, beautiful and cute!”
“That’s right!” I puffed out my chest, and Rurino nodded in agreement.
“Megu-chan looks good no matter what she wears, but this one really shows off her curves. It also goes well with Megu-chan's everyday clothes, it's beautiful. The best.”
“Okay, I'll buy it.”
“Hurry, try the others too.”
Rurino pointed to the remaining clothes she had brought earlier. Come to think of it, this was only the first set.
“I'm looking forward to the rest." Rurino said as she closed the curtains.
“Alright, fine. Make sure to take a good look.” Megumi said while peeking out from the curtain
Ruriko smiled innocently and nodded. “Of course!”
Satisfied with the response, Megumi closed the curtain again.
She can hear Rurino humming once again.
Her lipstick had come off, this is 10 points of damage.
“Hmm…”
She took off her blouse and tried the next outfit. It was a white V-neck with cute bell sleeves. The fabric was thick and it looked like it could be worn in winter. It might be a bit chilly without a scarf, or so she thought, but then she noticed that a thick green scarf had been attached to it.
“Ruri-chan, when did you develop such good taste?”
“Did you say something?”
“It’s nothing.”
She put on the top and wrapped the scarf around her neck.
“Hmm.”
Once she paired it with the jacket she had been wearing, in an instant, she looked like a fashion model.
The color combination was stylish, and the atmosphere was completely different from before. If the previous outfit was cute + elegant, this one was cool + elegant.
“For indoors, if I take off the jacket and scarf…”
As she removed her jacket and scarf, those bell sleeves added an extra layer of cuteness to her look.
“Megu-chan?”
“Yes, yes!”
When she opened the curtains, Rurino was waiting for her, just like before.
“Oh!”
“How is it?”
“Megu-chan, you're both cute and cool!”
“I know, right? Maybe I should become a model.”
When Megumi put her hands on her hips provocatively, Rurino turned to the empty space next to her and said, “Ruri's childhood friend is a model, are you jealous?”
“Who's there?”
“I don't know.” Rurino said, replied nonchalantly, and looked at Megumi again. “But yeah, anything looks good on you, Megu-chan. Are you done looking for something pretty?”
“Wait, wait. You can’t call it a day just because Megu-chan done buying new clothes.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“New song: Dress-up dolls à la Mode…”
“You just made it up.”
“I didn’t!” Megumi shook her head.
Then, an idea suddenly occurred to her. “Ruri-chan should try some clothes too.”
“Since we came all the way here.” I asked her.
“Huee.”
It was the least enthusiastic reply of the day.
“Honestly, I was really surprised earlier. Ruri-chan, you've really improved your fashion sense.”
“Well, that's because of Megu-chan.”
“There's no such thing as that.”
“Yes, there is.”
With a face like a withered vegetable, Rurino continued, "Besides, today’s goal is to find something pretty, right?" Her next words struck Megumi’s nerves. “In that case, it has nothing to do with Ruri.”
“Alright, follow me.” I'll make her understand. Megumi said that with determination.
・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。
“Please teach this girl a lesson!”
“H-Huh? What...?”
The nail salon artist was flustered.
“Wait, Megu-chan!”
“Just be quiet and let them do their thing, like how you used to do when Ruri-Mama speaks!”
“Ugh! That was a long time ago!”
She seated Rurino, then grabbed another chair and sat down next to her. The nail artist looked back and forth between the two of them in confusion.
Megumi then continued. “This girl says pretty things don’t suit her.”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Oh...” The woman's seems to grasp the situation.
“Huh? Wait, what?”
“If that's the case, leave it to me. I’m going to teach her a lesson!”
“Is that something you should say at a nail salon?” Rurino muttered.
Giving a quick glance at Rurino, Megumi then winked at the nail artist, “I leave it to you♪”
As they left the shop, Rurino looked at her hands, fluttering her long eyelashes.
“Wow…”
“It’s pretty, right?”
“Yes, they are. To some extent, yes.” Rurino said, looking at her own hands.
The design, a soft white base, mixed with pink patterns, was cute and sparkling beautifully.
Of course, this wasn't Rurino's first time getting nail art, but having it done by a professional was very impressive for Rurino. Then, Rurino's arm was swiftly taken by Megumi.
“Okay, to the next stop!”
“Huh?”
・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。
After that, they went around to many other stores. They went to another clothing store, buying clothes for the perplexed Rurino, and explored the cosmetics floor from end to end, trying everything. They went to a perfume store and a bath bomb store too. Megumi put all her effort into it.
All of it was for coordinating Rurino’s look.
“Okay, then, let’s take a look over there.”
“Uh, okay.”
They stood in the hallway on the eighth floor of the department store, where the walls were entirely made of glass. As Rurino caught sight of her full reflection, she murmured, “Wow.”
“It’s not true to say that Ruri-chan has nothing to do with being pretty!”
“Is that so?” Rurino still seemed unsure of herself, and Megumi's eyebrows twitched.
Her natural face was already perfect. Her hairstyle is cute, but her beautiful face and accentuated double teeth will make a hundred people turn their heads and say, “Look over there!” Megumi had always seen her that way.
Now, with the addition of stylish clothes, polished nails, and minimal cosmetics, there stood a perfect, stunning beauty—someone who should shine anywhere without a hint of embarrassment.
Look at her, those unsure faces and cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“No matter how you look at it…”
“...”
“Do you still need something?”
“No, I mean. Uhm...” Rurino said, looking up at Megumi timidly.
“Megu-chan, is this okay to stand next to you?”
At that murmur, Megumi felt a sense of understanding. She got it.
It wasn’t about dragging Rurino around and dressing her up in cute and beautiful things. From the very beginning, for Rurino, it must feel like an evaluation from her.
With a slight smile, Megumi gave her a firm pat on her shoulders.
“I’ve told you many times, haven't I? Ruri-chan is the second cutest in the world.”
“But, Megu-chan is biased…”
“That's not true.”
Saying that, Megumi smiled.
“I’ve found it now—what I’ve been looking for from the start. Something pretty.”
“Uh!”
Hearing those words directly, Rurino winced. Then, quietly, she averted her gaze.
“Th-Thank you, Megu-chan.”
"Mmm."
After nodding, Megu tilted his head.
“Did you find yours, Ruri-chan?”
“Eh, well, I don't know.”
“Even though you have a lovely sight right in front of you!?”
“Well, I guess it’s always in my line of sight. I didn't discover anything new.”
“I see”
Even though I tried so hard.
I had a fun time shopping. I’m glad I chose searching for a beautiful thing as my goal today.
In fact, I can’t wait to compose a new song inspired by this Ruri-chan.
“It was fun, Megu-chan.”
“Hm? Hmm~ well, then that's good!”
With a satisfied nod, Megumi placed her hands on her hips, while Rurino laughed carefree.
Then, as if noticing something, Rurino pointed toward the window.
“Ah! Look, look, Megu-chan! It's so beautiful!”
“Don’t suddenly be self-aware like that!”
“No, not that! Look further! I mean, outside the window!”
Following Rurino's gesture, Megumi stepped closer to the window.
A dazzling light reflected in Megumi's eyes, same with Rurino.
“It's the season for illuminations.”
“That’s right.”
The city lights flickered, decorating the metropolis.
They shined brightly, as if they were dancing through the night.
In front of such a beautiful sight, the two of them gazed at the Kanazawa night for a while.
Then, in a quiet voice, Rurino murmured. “Thank you for everything, Megu-chan.”
“Huh?”
“Today was fun thanks to Megu-chan. Looking at the Kanazawa night together like this makes me glad I came back.”
“If that's what you mean, it's all thanks to Ruri-chan for coming back.”
As she said this, Megumi glanced over to her side, and saw Rurino's face. Still gazing at the illuminations.
The pristine expression was different from her usual soft and happy mood, and of course it doesn't have the dull feel of a dead battery. Breathtaking, like a piece of glass art.
“Hmm, I came back because Megu-chan was here.”
“Hm…”
Rurino, who seemed to have noticed her gaze, turned around. Her usual smile was on her face.
“What's wrong?”
“It’s nothing!”
“I see.”
After saying that, Rurino looked up at Megumi and continued.
“The illuminations are beautiful, aren't they?”
“Eh? Yeah. I guess so.”
I was distracted by something even more beautiful, so my reply was a bit off. But Rurino was laughing as usual. Then she spun around and took a step, looking amusingly happy. “Finding something pretty is difficult for Ruri. Sorry!”
Even though you said the illumination was beautiful just now.Although I wasn't sure what she really meant.
“Well, as long as you had fun, Ruri-chan, that's good enough!”
This is fine.
Translations : Afi
English proofreading : Zonic
—-
“She's so whipped.” - Afi
“RURIMEGU!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 ITS SO PEAK… 😭😭😭😭😭 AAAAAAAATJYJEKYEJFWJWTOYEKSJFWUWTNAVEVSJTWB 😭🥹😖🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😖😖😖🥺😭😭🥺🥺😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺💥💥💥💥💥😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭😖😖😖😖😖🥹🥹🥹🥹😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭” ~Zonic
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