"Hmm…"

Confusing.

That's the word that came to Honoka's mind when she stared at her phone, attempting to make sense of the directions given to her by Umi.

Back when she had told Umi and Kotori about her plans to go all the way to Numazu, they were surprised.

It had been three years since she graduated from Otonokizaka with the both of them.

Though their time as idols was over, everyone in their group still kept up with Love Live and the popular school idol groups. And despite their busy schedules, everyone always managed to set some time aside so that they could watch the finals of each Love Live together.

However, this was the first time that any of them had wanted to watch a performance outside of the finals in a long time. And it was only the qualifiers round as well.

Honoka sighed quietly as she started to scroll up in her messages with Umi for the fourth time, still not understanding where exactly she was supposed to go next.

As she did, she thought back to their conversation.

"You want to go all the way to Numazu City just for that?" Umi asked her in disbelief.

'That' Honoka wanted to drive two hours just to see a show? The same Honoka that would choose sleeping under a warm kotatsu over taking an exam, making Umi and Kotori come wake her up? The same one whose hands used to shake every time she was asked to drive somewhere? The same exact person?

Umi's thoughts were almost audible just by watching her expression, and Kotori had a hard time believing it as well, so she continued in her stead.

"Are you supposed to meet someone there?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"No, nothing like that," Honoka quickly shook her head, then her lips formed into a small smile.

"It's just…"

"Just…?" Umi and Kotori replied at the same time, pushing Honoka to complete her sentence.

"It's just…they kind of remind me of us, you know? I can't really explain it well…" Honoka trailed off as she rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

Kotori and Umi both smiled though.

After that, they decided to help Honoka, and the three of them found out where exactly the venue was and how to get there from Tokyo.

But now…

"Ah, where am I?!" Honoka yelled to herself in the empty parking lot, becoming frustrated.

Finally.

After driving around in circles for what felt like hours, and talking on the phone with a confused Umi, she had finally arrived at the building.

There was only one problem though.

She was late.

She made her way through the entrance and followed the signs posted throughout the halls, then eventually reached the large double doors in front of her, the muffled sounds of singing and music reaching her ears.

She sincerely hoped that she didn't miss their performance. Not because of the potentially wasted time. Not because of the loss of her money with nothing to show for it.

She just wanted to watch the group that's been on her mind for the past few months in person, and she'd be devastated if she missed that opportunity.

After taking in a breath to ready herself, she gently pushed open one of the doors, then slipped through the small gap and closed the door behind her.

The sound of music and singing had now been turned into the sound of thunderous applause, and a small group of four girls that she didn't recognize bowed to the audience.

She reached toward her back pocket for the pamphlet she brought with her that listed the performing order of the groups, but she felt nothing.

"H-Huh? I know I…" she mumbled to herself, then stopped when she realized it.

It was still in the car.

As she reprimanded herself in her thoughts, she looked around the room, searching for anyone who didn't seem occupied.

Her eyes rested on two women that looked to be around her age.

One had straight, black hair that came down to her collarbone, while the other had shorter, brown hair.

However, both of them reminded her of someone she'd been watching closely for a while.

Honoka walked toward them, then cleared her throat.

"Excuse me…"

The two women turned toward the direction of the voice that seemed delicately quiet compared to the loudness of the room they were in, and their eyes rested on Honoka, giving her a curious look.

"Do you know when Aqours will perform?"

Their eyes widened slightly, then the one with brown hair turned to the other.

"Shima-san, when is it Chika's group's turn?"

Honoka thought it was strange that the woman referred to Aqours as 'Chika's group,' but she chose not to bring it up as the other woman opened the pamphlet.

"They should be next…mhm, they are!" the black-haired girl announced happily with a smile.

Just as Honoka was about to thank them, a familiar woman walked on stage to interrupt her.

"Next is contestant twenty-four! Here is Aqours!" she said excitedly, then walked off just as quick as she came as the curtain started to rise.

It was time.

Honoka's eyes started to glisten with excitement as the curtain rose, but her expression quickly turned into one of confusion when the spotlight turned on, only revealing five girls standing there.

Of course, she recognized them all. But she knew that there were nine.

Did something happen to their group? Did the other members leave?

As her mind started to race, only a small group of people out of the entire audience started to clap, and she remembered that she was supposed to as well.

But they looked sad.

After a few moments of silence, people in the audience started to glance at one another and whisper, wondering why the girls weren't performing.

Honoka didn't know why, but the sight of the five girls standing up there with frowns on their faces pained her.

She raised her hands near her lips and took a deep breath, readying herself.

She didn't know why she suddenly wanted to shout to them, nor did she know what she was going to say.

But she never found out.

The four other members appeared from off-stage to join them, and smiles returned to their faces.

Honoka lowered her arms, feeling a bit silly about how anticlimactic that was, then she calmed down as the girls took their positions on the stage.

Just then, Aqours started their performance of 'MY Mai TONIGHT.'

She was completely entranced.

Honoka was still in a state of shock after the show, but then the nine girls immediately talked about 'not being done,' then they quickly left the stage. The announcer carried on as usual, but Honoka was curious about it all.

For some reason, she decided to ask the women she was talking to previously, assuming that they'd somehow know.

"Huh? After this…?" Shima mumbled, confused about why the apparent stranger was so interested in her sister's group. However, she just decided to turn to her other sister.

"Mito-chan, do you know?"

Mito crossed her arms as she thought about it for a moment, then her expression turned to one of surprise as she suddenly thought of an answer.

"Don't tell me…they're trying to perform at the open house too?!"

Shima was caught off guard, then she turned her eyes to the room's exit.

"Then we should leave now so we don't miss it," she suggested, and Mito quickly nodded as they both started to walk away.

However, Mito was stopped by someone lightly grabbing her wrist.

Honoka didn't know why she did it.

Initially, she just wanted to watch Aqours perform at the qualifiers, so she could cheer for them in person.

But that wasn't enough.

"Can I come with you?!" Honoka asked with a bright smile, and Mito and Shima stared back at her with disbelief.

"Eh…?" they replied in unison.

Somehow, Honoka managed to convince Mito and Shima that she wasn't a bad person, and that she simply wanted to watch the group.

With the sisters driving in front of her, Honoka managed to not get lost on her way to Uchiura, and she was able to enjoy another wonderful performance.

And after that, she started to walk away from the school.

That was enough. She was immensely satisfied.

She pulled out her phone and immediately started to message the others about the amazing performance she just saw, hoping that they might join her next time.

"Chika-chan!"

Chika turned her gaze toward the voice, and her eyes rested on her sisters waving at her.

She quickly jumped off the stage and ran towards them, wrapping her arms around them both as she smiled.

"Shima-nee! Mito-nee!" she said happily, and her sisters calmed down from suddenly being attacked by their energetic sibling.

"That was amazing, Chika-chan!" Shima said warmly as she gently patted Chika's head, and Mito smirked in response.

"Really? It wasn't that good to me," Mito teased, and Chika immediately frowned as she glanced up at her.

"Mito-nee!" Chika complained, but then both of them laughed softly.

They started to talk about the performance for a bit, then Shima suddenly remembered what she wanted to ask.

"Chika-chan, were you supposed to meet someone?" she asked curiously, but Chika gave her a blank look in response.

"Huh?"

"Really? There was this girl who was really excited about it, she even made us lead her all the way here. I think her name was…Honoka-san?" Mito continued the question nonchalantly.

The name made Chika freeze.

'That' Honoka?

No way. No way no way no way no way.

It must've been someone with the same name.

Chika calmed herself, then responded to her sister, a small trace of hope still in her voice however.

"No, I don't think so…what did she look like?" she asked quickly.

It couldn't be.

Mito would answer the question and it would all be cleared up.

There was no way-

"Orange hair and blue eyes, right Shima-chan? She looked young too."

"Mhm, but she said she was attending a university in Tokyo. That must've been a long trip…" Shima confirmed what Mito said.

At that, Chika instantly grasped Mito's hands.

"Do you know where she went?!" she asked impatiently, her eyes serious.

Mito gave her an odd look, like she was acting strange.

"W-What's with you? That hurts you know," Mito complained lightly, but Chika leaned in even closer.

"Please!" Chika begged, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

Mito stared back at her, stunned for a moment, but then motioned toward the school's entrance.

"She said she was going back…" Mito trailed off as Chika immediately began running to the entrance.

It didn't matter if it wasn't really her. She'd accept the teasing by Mito. She HAD to be sure.

They all decided that they shouldn't pretend to be µ's. That they needed to follow their own path.

But still. If it was really Honoka Kousaka that showed up, she needed to see her.

She looked to the right as she ran past the gates, and in the distance, she saw a figure she'd recognize anywhere.

That hair color. The yellow ribbon in her hair that she still had after all these years.

Chika took a deep breath, then brought her hands near her mouth.

"Honoka Kousaka!" she shouted toward the figure, desperate to not let her chance slip away.

The figure stopped.

Please.

Please be her.

Chika watched with bated breath as the person started to turn around.

Please…

…!

Honoka Kousaka was looking back at her.

Ending Notes:

Hello everyone.

Thank you for reading the first chapter of this story, hopefully I was able to keep your interest up until this point.

Just to explain the age gap, Sunshine takes place after the 5th anniversary of the first Love Live, which means it takes place 3-4 years after SIP.

I hope you'll be able to stick with me throughout this story if you've enjoyed this first chapter.