Anemone Heart

Honoka released a long-suffering groan as she slumped over her table, uncaring of how her notes and textbooks dug into her torso. The cool wooden surface against her throbbing forehead brought the newly-minted student council president some form of relief after hours of gruelling revision under the supervision of her two best friends.

Sonoda Umi, who had been hunched over her book across from Honoka, sighed when her leader's hand stretched far enough to enter her field of vision. The group's lyricist had finished her work hours ago, much to Honoka's chagrin, and had since scribbled away at her notebook while waiting for her friends to complete their own assignments. "Honoka…" Umi warned, glaring at the head of orange hair.

As if able to sense the heated stare Umi threw her way, Honoka's form visibly stiffened as an unpleasant and wholly terrifying chill shot down her spine, although she made no move to shift her otherwise listless figure. "Umi-chan…" she whined weakly, wiggling her fingers. "I need a break!"

"I told you, you can have a break when you're done with this set of Maths questions," Umi replied impatiently, the urge to breathe another sigh rising. "Besides, you had one just thirty minutes ago."

"But these ones are hard," Honoka complained, her voice muffled somewhat by the table. "And I can't think when I'm hungry!"

Umi raised her nose. "Well you'll just have to learn," she lectured. "Kotori and I have pampered you for far too long, and it's time we laid down more stringent rules."

Snapping upright, Honoka turned her attention to the girl sat to their side. "Kotori-chan!" she imploringly cried, fixing the designer with the most potent puppy dog eyes she could possibly muster.

Kotori's resolve instantly crumbled. "Ah…" she floundered, whipping to meet amber eyes. "Umi-chan…"

"Kotori, I thought we came to a consensus!" the archer exclaimed disbelievingly.

μ's designer faltered. "We did, but… Honoka-chan looks so sad…" she weakly argued. "Can't we cut her a break today? Pretty please?"

"Yeah!" chimed in Honoka as she leaned forward onto her arms, closing the distance between her and Umi's faces. "Pretty please?" she echoed, flashing her most disarming smile.

The archer felt her heart lurch from both Kotori's tone and Honoka's close proximity. Throat bobbing as she struggled to swallow what little saliva her abruptly dry mouth contained, Umi's eyes widened as Honoka drew even nearer – close enough that Umi could feel her warm breath brush gently enticingly against her skin, that she could drown in those bright, endless sapphire–

A strangled noise reverberated from the back of Umi's throat as she reeled away, snapping out of her trance. In her haste to escape, she slammed her knee against the underside of the table, which elicited a yelp from the archer as searing pain radiated through her leg. Her yelp was matched by Honoka, who – because of the sudden movement in her table – lost balance and found herself swiftly sprawled over the wooden surface with a loud 'thud'.

Kotori scrambled to her feet, flitting over her friends. "Umi-chan, Honoka-chan, are you two okay?!"

Umi groaned, allowing Kotori to help prop her upright. "Fine… I'm… fine…" she gritted, hissing as she tried to straighten the injured limb.

Honoka threw up a shaky peace sign as she rolled over onto her back, the sound of paper crumpling coming from beneath her. "Me too…"

Umi huffed, taking in the mess her friend had created. "Look what you did Honoka!"

The young leader of μ's swiftly flipped over to gape at their lyricist. "Me?! You're the one who overreacted! Umi-chan, you're not fair!"

"I'm not fair?" Umi incredulously replied, unmindful to Kotori's attempts at calming her down. "You just tried to turn Kotori against me!"

When Honoka pouted, the archer shook her head. "Honestly… This is all for your own good. How will you cope if Kotori and I aren't around anymore?"

Alarm sharpened Honoka's eyes. "Wha– Where are you two going?!" Honoka hastily asked, rising to her hands and knees. She ignored the innumerable sheets of paper she irreversibly ruined in the process.

And Umi did too, for her attention was focused entirely on the girl before her. "What?" she said, brows knitting in confusion. "We're not going anywhere… I said 'if'."

Honoka's body sagged in relief. "Geez, don't scare me like that!" she cried, climbing down from the table. Once back into her original position, she rested on her haunches. "If you're not going anywhere, then this is fine isn't it? You worry too much, Umi-chan."

"And you don't worry enough!" Umi immediately rebutted.

"That's because I have you and Kotori-chan with me! And I don't plan on letting either of you go!" Honoka confidently chirped. "So don't worry Umi-chan! Everything'll work out, and we'll be together forever! You'll see!"

Despite herself, Umi felt her cheeks erupt with unfathomable heat as her mind drew a blank. "I… You…" she stuttered, choking on her own words. "I-I need to go to the bathroom!"

Jumping to her feet, Umi stumbled momentarily as her bad knee threatened to give out from under her with the abrupt shift in weight. Kotori moved to help, however, Umi recovered quickly and gestured for the designer to relax. "I-I'll be right back," she said, after which she hastily dashed – or performed the closest equivalent she could with an injured leg – out of the room, shutting the sliding screen behind her.

Honoka blinked. "What was that about?"

Kotori shrugged helplessly, a comforting smile playing across her lips. "Maybe she drank too much tea?"

Honoka hummed, expression deathly contemplative.

"Do you need any help with your homework, Honoka-chan?"

Her demeanour did a complete one-eighty. Nodding enthusiastically, Honoka's eyes gleamed brilliantly with hope. "Yeah! Will you help me Kotori-chan?"

The designer's countenance was kind. "Of course."

Honoka beamed, leaping over to pull Kotori into a loose embrace. "You're the best!" she yelled, heedless to the tiny squeak that escaped Kotori's lips from being caught unaware. But just as Honoka opened her mouth to continue speaking, she was interrupted by a low gurgle emanating from the pit of her stomach. Laughing sheepishly, she released Kotori and used her free hand to rub the back of her neck while the designer giggled. "Ah… but first, can I go get a snack?"

Kotori nodded cheerily in acquesal. "Don't take too long though. I don't know when Umi-chan will get back."

"No problem! I'll be back before you know it!" Honoka exuberantly responded as she stood and darted towards the entrance. "Thanks Kotori-chan!"

"Be careful!"

Craning her head around, Honoka blithely brushed off her concern with a reassuring grin – one that was almost instantaneously wiped off her face as the leader missed a step and tripped over her own feet. Yowling, she stumbled across the remaining distance, her flailing, outstretched hands barely saving herself from slamming her face into the door panel.

Kotori winced. "Honoka-chan!"

"I'm fine! Everything's fine!" Honoka reflexively shouted, gracelessly shoving the screen open to stagger out. It was only when the panel slid shut and Kotori heard Honoka steadily plod down the stairs did she release the breath she was holding.

'Honoka-chan never changes...' she thought, letting out a nervous giggle as she moved to busy herself with tidying up their things. Smoothing over the crumpled sheets and re-stacking the few books Honoka had knocked over, Kotori made fast work of reorganising the mess; such was the skill of somebody who had adopted the role for the past few years. Wiping her hands together, she inwardly patted herself on the back for a job well done as she scanned the area for anything she may have had missed.

Something on Umi's side of the table caught her eye. Tensing, Kotori's gaze shot to the sliding panel, expecting someone to burst into the room at any moment. No one did.

Still, she stayed motionless in place. It was only after a few beats passed did she begin gingerly reaching for the navy book.

As she reverently held it in her hands, Kotori's eyes traced the beautiful calligraphy that marked both author's identity as well as the purpose of the book. 'This is… Umi-chan's lyric book.'

It certainly wasn't the first time Kotori had seen or touched it. Being one of the archer's best friends meant being privy to some of her ideas and fledgling drafts, although it usually took some badgering on her and Honoka's part for the reticent lyricist to grant them peeks into her not-so-confidential song book.

However, on hindsight, Kotori realised it had been awhile since Umi had shared anything with them, in spite of the fact that she had clearly been on a roll for the past few days, if the intense bout of writing had been any indication. It had gone unnoticed by both herself and Honoka, since they were in the midst of studying for their examinations, but now…

Curiosity piqued, Kotori cracked the book open. She skipped the first few pages, their contents already ingrained into her memory in the form of μ's initial handful of songs. Flipping past the halfway mark, Kotori's scan began to slow as she saw new, roughly formulated concepts and the random sentence or two, some of which had been crossed out rather vigorously. A silly smile stretched across her face as she recognised how some of the prompts related to the occasional mundane happening in their lives. Turning the page, Kotori expected to be greeted by more of their antics, or perhaps even another inspirational, patented Umi song.

Her eyebrows arched in shock.

'Your heart is so distant, I want to cry

But even so, I've decided I will wait

For you, my first love'

The designer's hands quaked slightly, body thrumming with unwanted electricity as she realised how serious a matter she had inadvertently stumbled upon. 'Who...' Kotori thought as she swallowed thickly, her utterly bewildered mind racing a mile a minute while she read the heartfelt lyrics, wondering what – or more likely who – could incite such emotions in her best friend.

'Did Umi-chan meet a boy?' was the first conclusion she jumped to. However, Kotori shook her head, hurriedly tossing the notion aside. Collected and mature as Umi always seemed, she was the least likely member in their group to fall for a male; Kotori was fairly sure Umi still half-believed in the existence of cooties.

Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. 'So who could it be?' she pondered, wracking her brain for anything that stuck out as odd behaviour over the last couple of days. Nothing immediately came to mind – the trio had spent practically all of their time either with the rest of μ's or just between themselves, leaving little opportunity for Umi to meet anybody else. And midnight rendezvouses – as romantic as they sounded to Kotori – were improbable, since Umi had resolved to spend them over at Homura to ensure Honoka didn't slack off.

'That's right. This entire time, Umi-chan's only ever spent time with us and–'

Kotori's heart suddenly became a contender to her whirling thoughts as it hammered violently against her ribcage, threatening to break free from its bony confines. "Honoka-chan…?" she breathed in dismay.

Mentally reviewing the recent few days, Kotori could now easily pick out the countless moments Umi's eyes would flit to watch their restless leader – more so than it ever did in the past, which was saying a lot. How typically readable hues gleamed with that indiscernible something Kotori had never registered having developed until now, as the lyricist innocuously scribbled away at her notebook, her silky locks draping over her like an iron-clad curtain, shielding her book – her feelings – from the rest of the world. How those same eyes, without fail, softened moments later; no longer just brimming with the innocent, friendly affection she used stared at both of them with.

Kotori released a shuddering sigh in hopes of alleviating the little stinging twinge in her chest.

She hadn't even noticed these changes.

She desperately stifled the little, quiet whisper in the back of her mind that told her that maybe, she hadn't wanted to notice these changes.

So caught up in her mulling, the designer failed to hear the door slide open until she heard an all-too-familiar alto voice ask, "Kotori, what are you doing?"

Jumping in her seat, the startled ex-maid squeaked and slammed the book shut, clutching it to her erratically beating chest. "U-U-Umi-chan!"

Instantly recognising the book in Kotori's arms, Umi's amber eyes snapped up to meet Kotori's own, wavering pair, and held the awkward stare for a few tense beats. Observing the guilt on Kotori's countenance, there was no doubt in Umi's mind that the designer had seen its contents.

The air grew heavy between them, suffocating with its thick, near tangible friction. Opening their mouths, neither girls made a sound as they struggled to find the words to say.

The tension shattered when pattering footsteps of increasing vigour hastily approached the room. Before either could react, Honoka skidded around the bend and unceremoniously ploughed into Umi's back, sending them sprawling to the floor in a tangled heap.

"Cra– sorry Umi-chan!" apologised Honoka as she hurriedly clambered off her best friend's back. "Are you okay?" she asked as she offered Umi a hand up.

Umi grunted, accepting the aid. Once back on her feet, she brushed away whatever dust clung to her clothes. "You need to pay more attention to your surroundings, Honoka!" she berated, glaring at the leader, whose body had stiffened in anticipation of the admonishment while her head was hung in shame. Melting a little at the sight, Umi sighed exasperatedly, running a hand through her hair. "Honestly… What am I going to do with you?" she grumbled.

"Not scold me?" Honoka suggested, chancing a glance at the lyricist.

Umi smiled, and for a split second, Honoka thought she was off the hook. However, her hopes were crushed, and her form slouched, when Umi replied, "That's not happening."

Honoka yelped in pain when Umi reached out and pulled her ear in one swift motion. "U-Umi-chan! W-Wait! That hurts!"

As Kotori watched them, her lips unconsciously curled into an almost imperceptible frown. She absentmindedly squeezed the book tighter to her chest, as if the words could etch themselves into her aching heart; as if that could soothe the pain she felt.

'Gaze at me more, I'm right here.'

Soft snores, muttered gibberish and even breaths were the background noise to an otherwise listless night as Minami Kotori laid on the futon she had borrowed, in the same position she had been almost an hour ago when she had first crawled into the soft mattress. She hadn't understood it until then, just what people meant when they spoke of being kept awake by mental exhaustion. It had seemed ridiculous at the time; if one was tired, it was natural that their bodies eventually slumbered. But now, as her mind plagued itself with an unending torrent of thoughts, in spite of her best attempts to quell the unabating noise… now, she could sympathise all too well with their plight.

Kotori softly sighed for the umpteeth time that night. She slowly opened her eyes, aware that she would get no sleep like this. The sheets rustled as she got to her feet and carefully manoeuvred around her friends' prone figures. Quietly leaving the room, Kotori padded towards the toilet.

Minutes later, Kotori exited the bathroom, feeling a tad fresher and more clear-headed than she had been going in. To her utmost surprise, she found herself standing face-to-face with Umi, who was leaning against the wall, allowing the lone light from the stall to faintly illuminate Umi's sharp, albeit somewhat tired, features.

Kotori flashed her a smile and promptly sidestepped out of the way, wordlessly motioning for the archer to enter. However, Umi shook her head, her form otherwise unbudging.

The designer's eyebrows knitted in puzzlement. "Umi-chan–?"

"How much did you read?" blurted Umi. The question seemed to catch Umi off-guard as well, for her eyes bugged out almost comically the moment it left her lips.

'So that's what she wants to talk about.' Kotori could barely bring herself to muster a shadow of a smile."... All of it," she softly admitted.

"Kotori–"

Giving Umi no time to finish, Kotori interjected, "They were for Honoka-chan, weren't they?"

Sputtering, Umi's cheeks coloured with a vibrant crimson. "W-What?! N-No! K-Kotori, I–"

"Umi-chan..."

"... I…" Umi trailed off weakly, before deflating. She could never lie to her best friends; literally, they always saw through her flimsy attempts at deceit. "Y-Yes. They…" she breathed another sigh. "How did you know?"

"You're not very subtle, Umi-chan," Kotori answered, scuffing her feet against the floor. "You kept looking at Honoka-chan the entire time."

It was a bit of a stretch, but Kotori supposed it wasn't too far off from the truth when Umi's eyes widened and filled with panic. The designer was quick to alleviate her worries with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Honoka-chan didn't notice."

The archer's shoulders fell in relief. "Please don't tell her. I'm…"

"I won't," reassured Kotori. Her features softened. "They were good lyrics, Umi-chan."

Umi tensed at the compliment, taken aback. "Ah… I… T-Thank you."

Kotori smiled again, canting her head just enough for her tresses to fall over her shoulders. "Let's go back to sleep?" she suggested, walking towards Honoka's room without waiting for a response. Umi's mouth parted slightly as she half-raised a hand in a feeble attempt to stop her friend. However, no words would leave her chapped lips. Pressing them together, Umi dutifully fell into step, although diligent amber eyes stayed trained on her friend's back.

It was only when Kotori's hand touched the sliding door that she felt something tug at her pyjama sleeve. Peering over her shoulder, her eyes locked onto Umi's, taking in the lyricist's furrowed brows and pursed mouth. "Umi-chan?"

"What aren't you telling me, Kotori?"

"What?" Kotori beamed. "I don't know what you're–"

"Kotori."

The sombre tone in Umi's voice made the false smile on Kotori's face drop in an instant. Gnawing uneasily on her lower lip, the group's designer broke eye contact as her gaze dropped to bore holes into the wooden floorboards. "It's nothing, Umi-chan."

Umi reared up and grabbed her friend by the arms, drawing her close. Kotori's eyes snapped up to look at Umi's face in surprise, taking in the rare display of burning insistence and authority in amber eyes. "You can't lie to me, Kotori," she said firmly, before her grip slackened slightly and the intensity in her eyes began to fade. "Please… You're… We're best friends, aren't we? Tell me what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong, Umi-chan."

"Kotori–"

"There's nothing wrong," Kotori continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "You just put my feelings into words better than I ever could, Umi-chan."

"Huh?" Umi breathed, her hands beginning to slide down her friend's arms until they slipped off completely to dangle limply by Umi's side.

"Umi-chan…" Kotori whispered, voice cracking slightly as her lips upturned into a shaky smile. The archer's stomach dropped, the sensation unsettling and leaving her cold as she noted the fashion designer's watery eyes.

"Whose feelings do you think Honoka-chan will notice first?"

Capping the whiteboard marker in hand, Ayase Eli exhaled. She rested a hand on her hip and took a step back to examine what little progress they had made during today's meeting. "I guess this is all we can do for today," Eli concluded with a bob of her head.

The rest of the assembled members of μ's let out restless noises of varying degrees – with Nico, Rin and Honoka's being the most audible.

"I can't believe it's been two weeks, and we still can't come up with anything!" whined Honoka as she sagged heavily into her seat with hands on her head, ruffling her hair to alleviate some of her distress..

Rin splayed her upper body atop the cool surface of the table. "What are we going to do, nya?!"

Crossing her arms, Nico made no effort to hide the sheer disgruntlement on her countenance. "Have you really not written something new?" she asked Umi. The rest of the assembled group turned to the lyricist.

Had they not been paying such rapt attention to Umi, they would have undoubtedly missed her eyes anxiously flickering momentarily in Kotori and Honoka's direction, before swiftly glancing away. It was nigh impossible to overlook from their periphery how Kotori shiftily squirmed in her seat and avoided meeting Umi's eye as well.

'How suspicious,' Nozomi mused. From her position, she could easily spot Honoka's silent concern over her friends' odd behaviour; the fact that their normally candid leader hadn't immediately tried to diffuse the situation or inquire further told Nozomi plenty. 'So this has been going on for a little while, hm?'

For the past few weeks, μ's had been chipping at their latest monumental task – creating another song for an upcoming school idol showcase. While it hadn't been necessary, since they had a decent catalogue of songs, after hearing that some of their fellow Love Live competitors, East Heart and Midnight Cats, were preparing to perform new hits to keep their audience engaged and interest high, they thought it in their best interest to match that fervour. After all, while A-RISE were their main rivals, it would have been foolish to write off the other groups. Of course, while they had offered their help and suggestions a la their most recent training camp, the duty of writing their lyrics once again fell ultimately to Umi; mainly because no one saw it fit that dancing fruits and praising Nico were appropriate if they wanted to be taken seriously. However, despite the clear stress it weighed on their friend, who admittedly was reserved about her troubles, never had the topic of her lyrics, or lack thereof, been so hard to approach. It was only today – the Monday after their exams had finally finished – that such an incident had been deemed even possible.

"Nothing usable, no," Umi regretfully responded.

"That's fine, Umi," mollified Eli. "We shouldn't be asking you to do so much anyway, especially when you three are still trying to ease into your new responsibilities."

'Leave it to Elichi to be the understanding one,' Nozomi thought. "Mm, leave it to us," she added. Viridescent eyes twinkled gleefully. "Besides, the three of you should be leaving now, no? Around this time of year, there should be lots of paperwork~"

An impish grin bloomed across Nozomi's face as she watched Honoka's head loll back in defeat. Kotori patted the new student council president's shoulder sympathetically, and the way her hand seemed to linger didn't escape Nozomi's notice.

With their discussion adjourned, the trio of second years began to gather their bags – or rather, Umi did so as Kotori handled the task of lifting a reluctant Honoka from her chair. "We're sorry for not being more of help," Umi said on behalf of all of them.

"It's really no trouble. I'm sure we'll all figure something out soon," Eli replied, watching with unconcealed mirth as Kotori struggled with prying Honoka away from the desk. The problem was swiftly resolved when Umi delivered a solid chop to Honoka's head, eliciting a cry from the energetic girl as she released her vice grip on the table to hold her sore head.

Resignedly shaking her head, Umi grabbed Honoka by the arm and pulled her towards the door, with Kotori in tow. "If you'll excuse us," Umi said as Kotori waved to the rest of them and closed the door.

Hush fell upon the room for a few ticks before Rin could stand it no more. Bolting to her feet, she shouted, "What was that about, nya?!"

Maki closed her eyes and sighed, twirling the tips of her tresses around her finger. "Calm down, Rin."

Hanayo's eyebrows knitted, tugging her friend's blazer in a futile attempt to convince her to sit. "Rin-chan…"

"Calm down?!" Rin exclaimed, flailing her arms wildly. "But Maki-chan! Kayochin! You saw that, right?! Rin wasn't imagining it, right?!"

Maki huffed, casting the animated girl a sharp look. "If you mean the way they purposely danced around each other, then yes, everyone noticed, Rin."

"So what are we going to do?!" Rin asked, head swivelling around at near breakneck pace to glance at everybody. Maki allowed her eyes to shut again, lest she give herself a headache trying to keep up with Rin's energy.

Nico leaned forward, propping her forearm on the table in a posture that would have been menacing, had it not been for the fact that it was Nico. "What makes you think we have to do anything?"

Hanayo's forehead wrinkled. "But we can't just leave it like this…"

Rin nodded ardently. "Yeah, yeah!"

"We don't know the first thing about their problem," Nico stubbornly retorted. "And for all we know, they can fix it amongst themselves."

The conflict Hanayo felt reflected clearly in her honest eyes, while Rin's reaction was less diffident, as she puffed up indignantly. However, both of their expressions morphed into one of pure surprise when Nozomi quipped, "Nicocchi might be right, you know."

Eli quirked a brow. "Nozomi?"

"... I have a bad feeling about this," Nico begrudgingly groused as she folded her arms defensively. "What do you know, Nozomi?"

"Hmm? I have no idea what you're talking about, Nicocchi," Nozomi evasively replied, her enigmatic smile sending shivers down her fellow third year's spine. "All I'm saying is, we might not be able to do much."

Maki paused, eyeing the senior suspiciously. "This is unlike you Nozomi," she remarked.

Nozomi cocked her head playfully. "Oh? What's that supposed to mean, Maki-chan?"

"You're usually one of the first few people to try and butt into everyone else's business," the group's composer bluntly stated, eliciting a mellifluous giggle from Nozomi – one that only served to further unsettle the assembled members, barring Eli.

"I didn't say that we shouldn't get involved," Nozomi replied. "Just that for the most part, it's up to them to resolve the issue."

Her cryptic response eluded the self-proclaimed super idol. "What's 'the issue' in the first place?!" Nico exploded.

Nozomi turned to her with a mischievous smirk. "Ahh, I'm not surprised if innocent little Nicocchi can't tune into affairs of the heart–"

Nico bristled, tuning out everything after the phrase 'innocent little Nicocchi'. "I'm not innocent or little–"

"No? I thought all idols were supposed to be pure," Nozomi breezily commented.

"You're not, aren't you?" Nico darkly countered, her gaze drifting downwards to glare daggers at Nozomi's gifted chest despite herself.

Nozomi winked cheekily and pointedly lifting her index finger, unaffected by the barb. "But that's my appeal~"

As Nico and Nozomi got carried away with their verbal sparring session, the rest were left to stew over the latter's words.

"'Affairs of the heart'?" Hanayo softly quoted, looking to Rin for clarification. Her best friend could only shrug, equally as confused. Meanwhile, Eli merely sighed, her perceptive mind and keen insight to her friend's mysterious ways helping her connect the dots. Likewise, Maki – though not as used to Nozomi's mind games – was clued in by the hints dropped.

"Seriously?" Maki said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Nozomi's rarely if ever wrong…" Eli hesitantly replied, although her eyes darted to look at her friend for confirmation.

Said girl hummed. "What do you think?"

"I think you're both crazy," Maki immediately stated, to nobody's surprise.

Nozomi grinned, taking it as a good sign as she turned to her partner-in-crime. "Elichi?"

The blonde pursed her lips, but inevitably caved to her friend's demands. "I trust you," she simply replied, to Nozomi's delight.

"Hold on, just what are you three talking about?!" Nico demanded.

"Nya! Rin wants to know too!"

Hanayo hunched slightly into herself. "I'm not sure if I like where this is going…"

"Don't worry Hanayo-chan," Nozomi half-heartedly pacified, the wolfish grin on her face doing her statement no favours. "I have a plan."

Maki inwardly sighed, sensing the tell-tale signs of a migraine forming as her temple throbbed incessantly. 'I can't believe they roped me into this.'

"What did you both need me for?" Umi queried as they stood in the centre of an empty classroom Eli had led them into.

"We just wanted to discuss a few things," Eli answered smoothly.

Umi's brows furrowed in bewilderment. "Was it so important that you needed to speak to me now?"

Her question made the blonde fumble; what was excuse enough to drag her away from student council work? "Well…" she slowly replied, "you... could say that, yes."

"I see… Then, by all means," Umi said, motioning for the dancer to go on.

Eli stiffened. What was she supposed to say? "Oh. Right. Yes… Hmm…"

Maki huffed. Not wanting to dither like the blonde clearly intended to do, she decided to step up to the plate. "Umi."

The lyricist subconsciously tensed upon hearing Maki's serious tone. "Maki?"

"What's going on between you, Kotori and Honoka?"

"W-What?" Umi stammered, taken aback by the redhead's forthright inquiry. Gulping uneasily, she tried to calm herself, already feeling heat creep up her neck. "I don't… understand the question. What brought this on?"

"You and Kotori were acting suspicious today," Maki stated, crossing her arms impatiently.

"And we just wanted to make sure everything was alright," the blonde finished, slipping into her role as the 'good cop'.

Umi stiffened, and guilt made its way onto her feature as she belatedly realised the trouble she had caused them. "Oh," she murmured. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry any of you…"

"Well you did," Maki retorted.

Eli gently nudged Maki. "What she meant was, you're our friend," she kindly elucidated. "It's only natural we're concerned if something seems amiss."

Her words melted the archer's cool façade. "I'm not sure if it's something I should really talk about… Or if I can even put it into words," she confessed.

Blue eyes softened sympathetically. Flashing Umi an understanding smile, Eli clasped her shoulder. "Take your time. We're here to help you, Umi."

A little behind Eli, Maki nodded to echo the sentiment.

With a defeated sigh, Umi hesitantly submitted to their somewhat heavy-handed aid. "Perhaps… we should sit down? It… might take awhile."

"What? So what you're saying is both you and Umi have crushes on Honoka?"

Kotori 'eeped' anxiously, terrified by the tiny, albeit imposing, senior stood before her. "Y-Yes?"

"Seriously?" Nico incredulously asked. Kotori felt her heart sink and a lump develop in her throat, but before she could reply, Nico continued, "I mean, that's fine and all, but why Honoka, when you have me in the club with you?"

Intoxicating relief flooded through the designer's veins the moment she heard those reassuring words. "I-It's fine?"

Nico halted mid-speech to stare at Kotori oddly. "Huh?" she said with eyebrows drawn inward. "Of course it is. Well, I guess it isn't, since you're in this disgustingly cheesy love triangle – and it's made worse because it doesn't include me – but there's nothing wrong with being in love, is there?"

Kotori considered it for a brief moment. "No... I guess not?"

"Exactly," Nico said, as if stating the obvious.

"Uhm, but…" Kotori meekly replied, brows drawn together in bewilderment, "what about the rule where idols aren't supposed to date?"

Nico paused. Certainly, she had brought it up before – several times in fact – and she would be infuriated if she found out one of her beloved idols had been caught in a scandal of such colossal proportion… but she couldn't tell Kotori that. "It's fine if it's between two girls – fanservice and all," she answered, finding within herself that it wasn't entirely false. However, that didn't mean she wished to stay on the delicate topic. Quickly, she returned to the problem at hand. "So you're fighting because of it?"

"No! Umi-chan and I aren't fighting..." Kotori tapered off. At Nico's dubious look, she shrank in her seat. "Per se…"

"But?"

"I… I don't know what to say to Umi-chan anymore…" Kotori admitted rather shamefacedly.

Nico sighed, covering her eyes with her hand in exasperation. "Honestly… are you two idiots?"

The frank question jarred Kotori, who took a step back. "Nico-chan?"

"You both probably liked Honoka for ages before ever finding out about each other's feelings – and you could still stay friends, right? Umi's important to you, right?" Nico challenged, rising onto her tiptoes to better meet the designer's eyes.

"She is!" Kotori cried, lurching forward defensively.

Despite Kotori's face being so close to hers, Nico neither flinched nor blinked. "So why are you letting this get in the way of your friendship?"

Kotori froze as it sunk in. Nico had a valid point. Why was she allowing it to tear them apart? When did years of amazing memories and camaraderie shared with the lyricist become any less important than those she had with Honoka? "I... You're right, Nico-chan," Kotori muttered, more so to herself than the twin-tailed girl at first, before she exclaimed with a fire in her eyes, "You're right!"

The short senior puffed up in pride. "Of course I am," she haughtily boasted. That bravado quickly evaporated, however, when Kotori wrapped her in a firm hug. "O-Oi! Let me go!"

Kotori giggled, squeezing Nico's waist even tighter – as a show of gratitude. "Thank you, Nico-chan!" she exclaimed, leaning back just far enough to flash her a sincere smile.

Nico averted her gaze, fighting the pink that threatened to dust her cheeks. "D-Don't mention it," she replied, failing at nonchalance. "Just make sure this doesn't happen again. And you owe me."

"How does some sweets sound?" Kotori offered.

Nico's face scrunched contemplatively. "Make it a cream puff."

Kotori beamed. Nodding, she let go of her fellow fashion coordinator and spun on her heel, ready to make good on the deal.

Before she reached the door, she heard Nico say, almost as if an afterthought, "Oh, Kotori."

The designer peered over her shoulder. "Yes?"

Nico crossed her arms. "We're your friends too. Don't keep things bottled up."

And it was then, as Kotori's bright smile softened into a sweet, soothing quirk of the lips – one functioning effectively as balm to soothe any wound – that Nico understood why the designer did so well as Minalinsky, Cafe Maid Extraordinaire. "... Thank you, Nico-chan."

"Ah, Honoka-chan, you missed a stamp right here."

"Oh! Thanks Nozomi-chan," Honoka said, moving to rectify the oversight in her paperwork. Once completed, she sighed and wiped away the invisible sweat on her forehead. "Why did everyone have to steal away Umi-chan and Kotori-chan?"

Nozomi lifted a curious brow. "What, am I not enough for you?" she teased, passing Honoka another stack of sheets meant for filing.

"That's not it Nozomi-chan," Honoka instinctively replied in an effort to pacify her friend. She stopped and blinked, however, when it occurred to her that it was indeed the problem. "... Actually, it kind of is," she corrected, bold accusation glinting in narrowed eyes. "You're not helping at all!"

"Don't say that." Nozomi winked, whipping out one of her tarot cards from her blazer to hold between two fingers. "Call this tough love."

Honoka grumbled and returned to scribbling unenthusiastically on whatever paperwork she could understand in the haphazard mess. This tranquillity only lasted for a few seconds, though, before Honoka's head shot up. "What was that?"

Nozomi glanced over curiously. "What was what?"

Placing her pencil on the desk, Honoka grasped the edge of the table and made to bend down. "I thought I felt something–"

Panic momentarily swamped widening eyes as Nozomi pointed at a random corner and yelled, "What's that?!"

"Eh?!" Honoka exclaimed, jerking up so quickly she almost gave herself a whiplash.

"Oh, it was just my imagination. Sorry!" Nozomi chirped, bopping her head lightly.

"Wh– Nozomi-chan–"

"Ah Honoka-chan, I forgot! A teacher needed you. C'mon, let's get going." Not allowing the leader to recover, Nozomi stood up and tugged her by the sleeve. Honoka stumbled off her chair, barely maintaining enough balance to flounder behind Nozomi as she was unceremoniously hauled out of the student council room.

"What–"

"Hurry, hurry, we can't keep them waiting," Nozomi sang, not missing a beat in her stride.

"W-Wait a second, Nozomi-chan–"

The door clicked shut.

Popping out from under the desk, Rin released the breath she had been holding in a noisy exhale. "That was close!"

Hanayo flopped out from beside her, red in the face. 'H-Honoka-chan needs to close her legs...'

Getting to her feet, Rin stretched languidly, before crouching down to help her friend up. "Kayochin, are you okay?"

Hanayo squealed, nodding fervently as she staggered upright. "Y-Y-Yes!" she squeaked. Noting the curious, almost dubious, tilt in Rin's head, Hanayo cleared her throat. "I-I'm fine. Let's just… find what we're looking for? Before they get back…"

Rin perked up, finally remembering what they had been smuggled into the room for in the first place. "Oh, right!" Sprinting over to the second years' bags, Rin identified Umi's and promptly unzipped it. With contents laid bare, the cat-like girl rummaged through it with gusto until she found what she was looking for. She yanked out a thin, innocuous notebook with a flourish and presented it to Hanayo, smug grin playing on her lips. "Tada!"

"That was easier than I thought it'd be," Hanayo admitted, scrutinising the cover to ensure they had obtained the right book.

Rin skipped up to her friend and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Piece of cake! Now–"

Both girls froze, and dread started to seep into their skin, sapping them of the warmth and cheer they had just gotten accustomed to as familiar, if muffled, voices reached their ears, growing ever closer with each passing beat.

"Thank you both again for your advice."

"It was no trouble, Umi."

"But of all people…"

"Honoka admittedly has her moments… but still–"

"W-W-What do we do Kayochin?!" Rin hysterically cried. Eli and Maki were supposed to keep Umi distracted and well away from the student council room long enough for Rin and Hanayo to sneak off with their prize; they hadn't planned for the eventuality that the trio would return before they could flee.

Hanayo was in an equal state of panic. Her body swivelled around, once, twice, three times, searching desperately for somewhere they could– "H-Hide!"

"Where?!"

"I–"

The door creaked open and there stood Umi, with Eli and Maki flanking her from behind; all their expressions carried varying degrees of surprise – and in Eli and Maki's countenances, alarm.

"Oh, Rin, Hanayo. What brings the two of you here? And where are Honoka and Kotori?" Umi asked politely.

Rin stiffened, pressing the book she hid behind her back harder against herself with sweaty palms. "Ah, Umi-chan!" she greeted with a nervous laugh. "Nya… uh… You see…"

"H-Honoka-chan had to see one of the teachers," Hanayo hurriedly explained, stepping forward to partially shield the antsy Rin from view. "And Kotori-chan was already gone when we first got here."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Rin exclaimed, manoeuvring so she stayed hidden behind Hanayo as the duo inched towards the door, angling their backs from Umi's line of sight. "So we'll just be leaving nya!"

"Wait," Umi said as they sidestepped next to her, freezing the anxious looking twosome in place. Her eyebrows knitted. "You never answered me: what were you here for?"

"Ahhhh it's not important anymore Umi-chan!" Rin shouted, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. Pointing into the room, she yelled, "Ah! Look over there!"

The instant ever-gullible Umi was distracted, the cat-girl yelped, "Run Kayochin!" Grabbing her best friend's hand, Rin yanked Hanayo out into the hallway, ungracefully shoving past Maki and Eli with a brusque, "Sorry!"

"R-Rin-chan, slow down!" Hanayo panted, struggling to keep pace with her friend's sprint. "S-Somebody help meeee!"

As Hanayo's cry for help faded away, Umi turned to Eli and Maki, befuddlement creasing otherwise flawless skin. "What… just happened?"

Eli flashed her an uncertain half-smile. "Maybe it's best not to question it?"

Maki sighed wearily. The hand that was subconsciously playing with her hair dropped so the composer could fold her arms together. "I'll go check on them."

Picking up on the subtle cue, Eli pounced on the opportunity to escape. "Let me come with you. I need to find Nozomi anyway." The blonde waved to their lyricist. "Take care, Umi."

"And you as well." Amber eyes clouded over with trepidation. "Also, about… earlier…"

"Your secret's safe with us," Maki calmly assured.

The remaining tension in her shoulders melted away, and Umi graced them with a tiny, yet earnest smile. "Thank you."

"See you tomorrow?" Eli asked as she and Maki slowly began to walk back to the club room.

"Most definitely," Umi affirmed.

Converging at the club room minutes later, the members of μ's, barring the second years, gathered around the notebook Rin had reverently set down on the middle of the table.

Rin warily peeked over the tabletop, her hands visibly shaking as they grasped the edge in a knuckle whitening hold. "A-Are you ready, Captain Nozomi?!"

Closing her eyes, Toujou Nozomi took a moment to suck in a deep breath. She released it in a steady stream, repressing the anxiety that muddled her senses as she knew they served no purpose on the battlefield. Once purged, clear jade eyes flew open and locked onto the only present orange-haired girl in the room across from her. "Go, Cadet Rin!" she ordered.

"Nya!" Rin cried. With lightning speed, her hand struck forward, batting the book open.

"Stop messing around and open it properly!" Nico demanded, slamming her hands onto the desk, resulting in the flimsy material to shake thusly.

"Take cover!" Nozomi frantically yelled as she dove under the table, with Rin hurriedly following suit.

Nico felt her hackles rise. "What are you, kids?!"

"N-Nico-chan…" Hanayo nervously soothed, gently resting a hand on the club president's shoulder. The touch alleviated some of Nico's anger – anger Nozomi deemed simmered enough to climb out from under the table.

Nozomi grinned coyly. "Now now Nicocchi... It wouldn't do you any good to be so upset; you'll get even more wrinkles like this."

It took the combined strength of both Eli and Hanayo to stop Nico from launching herself at the other third year.

Nozomi laughed, ducking behind an exasperated Maki for protection.

Peering over her shoulder, Maki pointedly remarked, "Nozomi, this was your idea. Hurry up before Umi figures out her book is missing."

"Alright, alright." With a tiny pout, Nozomi turned back to the innocent notebook. "It never hurts to have some fun, you two. Now… let's see..."

As Nozomi deftly flipped through the pages, everybody else gravitated towards the space until they found themselves crowded around the desk, hunched over for better leverage. The anticipation was practically palpable in the air as they waited with bated breath, watching slender fingers flick past pages upon pages of familiar lyrics. Everyone – Nico and Rin in particular – were on the verge of exploding at the unbearable slowness of it all, when finally, Nozomi discovered reason to pause.

Like hungry, voracious pack animals, the rest of the group descended, intently scrutinising the sheet for all it was worth.

And that was when they gaped, awestruck by the uncharacteristically sensual lyrics.

Rin was compelled to lean in closer, if that were even possible. "Did Umi-chan really write this?!"

"Harasho…" Eli breathed; her mind whirled at the depth of… emotion Umi displayed.

Eyes twinkling maniacally, Hanayo drank in the text as if it were liquid ambrosia. "This is it!" she zealously proclaimed."The song that will make μ's a true idol group!"

Maki squinted. "We weren't one before?"

Furiously shaking her head, Hanayo adamantly declared, "You don't understand Maki-chan! We were school idols! But with this song… with this song!"

Worming herself out of the circle, Nico huffed and haughtily lifted her nose. "I-It's not that great…" she stuttered, wincing when even she heard herself falter. Nevertheless, Nico wasn't one to lose face, as she stubbornly folded her arms.

Hanayo took personal offence at the slight. "Not that great?! Nico-chan!" Confidence bolstered by the rush of adrenaline, Hanayo – sweet, not at all docile Hanayo – seized the senior by her forearm and yanked her back, jabbing the text with her other hand. "Look at it! The wistful tone, brimming with desire! The way she teases – will she or won't she admit her feelings?!" Clutching her chest, Hanayo's eyes fluttered shut as unadulterated veneration surged through her veins. "This is the pinnacle of song writing!"

The rest of the group weren't quite sure what to be more mesmerised by: the song itself, or Hanayo's riveting speech and abrupt change in demeanour. No matter how many times it occurred, there was still room for pause.

"Well, since it has the Hanayo seal of approval…" remarked Nozomi, being the first to regain her senses. "Maki-chan!"

"Nozomi?" said composer warily replied.

"Make it a duet!"

Maki's eyebrows arched. "A duet?" she tentatively repeated.

"A duet!" Hanayo gushed, the sparkle in her eyes only intensifying.

Eli's countenance grew guarded. "Nozomi…"

The corner of Nozomi's lips quirked endearingly. "Don't tell me you aren't interested in how this will go, Elichi."

"Nya, but who'll sing it?" Rin asked, puzzled.

Nozomi withdrew a tarot card from inside her blazer and revealed its face to the group. "Isn't it obvious? The only two people capable of singing this song are Umi-chan and Kotori-chan," Nozomi sagely answered.

Upon sighting the card's image, Hanayo snapped out of her trance and exchanged guilty looks with Rin. "... B-But…" Hanayo voiced timidly.

"Trust me~"

"Because that always goes so well," Nico groused under her breath.

Nozomi's expression turned predatory. "What was that Nicocchi?" she said with thinly veiled threat. Raising her hands, she wiggled her fingers and mimicked groping motions. "It sounded like someone was asking for me to–"

Nico squeaked, laughing nervously as she scuttled to take refuge behind Maki. "N-Nothing! I was just saying that your ideas always work out!"

Maki contemplatively pursed her lips. "To be fair, I don't think they've failed once…"

"That might be true…" Hanayo hesitantly agreed.

Vacillating murmurs filled what otherwise would have been silence as no one else could think of an argument against it.

Nozomi took that as their consent. "Then it's settled!" she announced. "Operation: Anemone Heart is a go!"

The gradually brightening sky was still tinged slightly by twilight's receding dark swirls when Sonoda Umi burst into the club room, wheezing heavily. With no regard for either burning legs or lungs, the archer wasted no time as she carelessly dropped her bag and archery equipment to the ground and dove for her self-assigned seat. In near pitch darkness, Umi frantically upturned chairs and everything in reach, even ferreting through the little nooks and crannies in a desperate search for her missing lyrics book.

She had discovered it lost late yesterday night, when she had planned on making some minor corrections to her most recent – and confidential – piece after the mind-opening conversation she had with Maki and Eli. Hours spent tearing apart the contents of her bag and, once finding nothing, her room, allowed Umi to conclude that she must have had misplaced it somewhere within the school premise.

Which was why she was there, an hour and a half before classes began, scouring through the few places on campus she had been to prior to its disappearance.

Coming up empty handed, the frustrated lyricist resorted to getting on her hands and knees as she painstakingly checked beneath the long desk. Umi's nose wrinkled as her hands brushed against the layers of grime and dust that had collected over the years, and she made a mental note to instruct the group to clean up the clubroom later.

Distracted by her own thoughts, Umi missed the sound of the door creaking open, as well as the hint of light that trickled through the widening gap. It was only when she heard the click of the light switch – and was blinded by the sudden flood on fluorescent light – that Umi snapped to attention.

Unfortunately for her, she had overlooked the fact that she was still crouched under the table. Slamming her skull into the hard surface, Umi let out a loud yell as she scrambled out into the open, clutching her sore head in agony.

"Umi-chan?!"

"K-Kotori…?" Umi managed to grit out.

The designer rushed over and dropped to her knees, inspecting Umi's head for any sign of visible injury. "What were you doing under there Umi-chan?! Are you okay?"

Kotori's cool hands soothed the ache into a dull throb. "F-Fine…" Umi sighed, able to focus more clearly now that the pain receded. Kotori helped the archer to her feet and gently eased Umi into a seat as she continued, "I… lost my book…"

"Eh?"

"My lyric–" Umi froze mid-speech. 'What is Kotori doing here so early? I only told them to go on without me… is Honoka here as well?!'

Seeing the fear dilate Umi's eyes, Kotori hastily said, "Don't worry, Honoka-chan isn't with me!"

Umi relaxed, but anxiety gave way to question as Umi's brows furrowed curiously.

"Nozomi-chan sent me a text message telling me to come to the clubroom early, so I came here by myself," the designer explained. "Honoka-chan is probably still asleep at home…"

The archer nodded and let out a soft 'ah'. "I haven't seen Nozomi today…"

"Hm? Maybe I'm just too early…" Kotori mused aloud.

With nothing and no one to act as a buffer, they stared awkwardly at each other while silence briefly settled between them.

Kotori straightened as a thought struck her. "Ah! Do you want some help looking for your book?"

Umi's mouth twitched. Slowly rising to her feet, she replied, "I would appreciate that a lot. Thank you, Kotori."

"No problem! It's… what friends do." The declaration seemed to surprise Umi, but only for a second, before any and all tension evaporated into thin air. They shared a furtive smile.

"Where did you already search?" Kotori asked as her expression turned playful. "Other than under the table."

The quip elicited a faint blush from the archer. "I just arrived here shortly before you did, so nowhere else."

Kotori scanned the room, seeking places that could have hidden the missing item. "Let's get started, then?"

Umi bobbed her head in concurrence. "Let's."

Splitting up made the task of hunting for the elusive book that much more bearable. Conversation was sparse, as they busied themselves with the job at hand, but by no means was the quiet discomforting. Rather, there was a sense of ease as they worked in synchrony, weaving around each other and systematically clearing each section of the room.

"Umi-chan!" Kotori called as she stood rather precariously on her tiptoes, staring at an anomaly wedged inside the dense shelf of Nico's idol memorabilia. Reaching up, she jiggled it out of its confines, almost losing her balance in the process. Thankfully, Umi swooped in and supported the designer by her shoulder, preventing the spill that would have otherwise occurred.

Kotori sighed in relief. "Thanks, Umi-chan." They exchanged another smile, before Kotori outstretched the book in hand. "Here you go!"

The lyricist accepted it gratefully and, once safely in her grasp, hugged it firmly to her chest. The endearing action tickled a bubbly little giggle from Kotori.

As Umi pulled the book away from herself, the rustling of paper was heard, and before either girls could register, a swath of paper rushed out from the notebook and fell onto the floor in a messy pile. Umi's heart leapt into her throat, and she bent down to scoop the loose sheets in a panicked frenzy.

Seeing her friend's state, Kotori did the same. However, she paused upon noticing an irregularity and quickly called it to attention. "Umi-chan? Aren't these music sheets?"

Umi stopped in her tracks. Sorting through the papers in hand, the lyricist belated realised that, indeed, they were the composition to something – and looked fairly complicated, at that. Notes neither had even known existed sat on the music bars, all for a song whose title sent Umi's stomach churning.

"Anemone Heart?" Kotori curiously read. It took her a split second to connect the dots, and it was in that instant that her eyebrows shot up. She worriedly stared at her quaking friend. "U-Umi-chan? Are you okay?"

"W-W-W-What–"

Kotori grabbed her arms in an attempt to steady the unfocused archer. "C-Calm down Umi-chan! I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding!"

"Y-Yes, a misunderstanding," Umi breathlessly echoed, laughing airily to herself. "That's it. It must be. There's no other logical explanation to this... this…"

When Umi started to hyperventilate, Kotori took it upon herself to shake her best friend frenetically. "Umi-chan, breathe!" she cried.

A subconscious part herself found itself listening to Kotori's instructions, and Umi's breaths slowly began to even out. Blinking sluggishly, she tried to rid herself of the light-headed feeling that accompanied such distraught breathing.

Kotori slumped, equally feeling Umi's exhaustion. It was from that motion, however, that the designer caught something from the corner of her eye.

Innocently stuck to one of the music sheets was a small post-it note. As Kotori leaned over to read it, a small gasp slipped from her lips.

"Kotori?" Umi tiredly queried at hearing the sharp intake of air. Following the designer's line of sight, the archer's normally keen mind took a few beats to register and assemble the scrawled text's meaning. But once it did, Umi's back snapped ramrod.

'Be sure to practice! You two are our main act!'

The duo traded looks.

Without needing words, they scrambled to their feet and bolted out of the door, their minds filled with the single-minded pursuit of finding the only possible culprits.

The hallways and classrooms they skidded down and burst into were deserted, given the ungodly hour they had arrived at; and while each fruitless turn drained them more than the last, both were grateful nobody else was around to witness their rabid behaviour.

When they exhausted their groups' usual haunts, that being the different years' respective classrooms and the rooftop, Umi and Kotori sprinted towards the last remaining stronghold: the music room.

As they swung the door open, they had partially anticipated for it to be empty, in accordance to every other vacant spot before. However, what greeted them were the six very faces they had expected to find, albeit not all in positions typically expected of them. Surveying the space, Umi's gaze landed on the piano bench, where a napping Maki laid sprawled across, her head resting on Hanayo's lap. When their eyes locked, Hanayo graced Umi with a small smile on behalf of her slumbering friend. "She had a long night," Hanayo whispered.

Staggering in, Umi, with great effort, managed to recompose herself – more so than Kotori, at any rate, who was struggling to catch her breath while she propped her hands on slightly buckled knees.

Nico, who had been leaning against the piano, pushed herself away from the grand instrument and tapped her foot impatiently. "What took you both so long?"

That set Umi off. "What is that supposed to mean?! And what is the meaning of this?!" Umi shrieked, shaking the slightly crumpled bunch of music sheets in her hand.

"Shh!" Hanayo chastised, holding a finger up to her mouth. Her abnormally stern countenance demanded an obedience everybody readily granted her, something that appeased the protective mother bear. Maki, who had stirred lightly during the conflict, swiftly calmed, and with a soft groan, fell right back asleep.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, Hanayo's winning smile returned, and she flashed them a thumbs up – the signal to continue.

The jarring shift and back in atmosphere rendered Umi speechless for a few beats as she took some time to process the events that just happened.

Nozomi, however, need not such a thing. "Isn't it obvious?" she said, gliding up to the pair. "You're going to sing your feelings."

Umi and Kotori promptly flushed. "W-What feelings?" Kotori squeaked.

Nozomi smirked, the knowing glint in her eyes sending both girls' pulses sky-rocketing. "I wonder…" she playfully pondered, intentionally leaving it open-ended.

Eli sighed and made her way to intercept, lest Nozomi's incessant teasing caused one of them – namely Umi, although Kotori didn't look very collected herself – to pass out. "In any case," the blonde chimed in, "they're good lyrics. It would be a shame if they went to waste. And we felt the two of you would pull this off the best amongst us."

"That's right, nya!" Rin enthused.

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo rebuked in an sharp undertone.

Rin flinched, recalling their fellow first year was catching up on the sleep she desperately needed. Rubbing the back of her neck, she grinned sheepishly. "Sorry!"

With a kind smile, Eli looked to Umi and Kotori expectantly. "So? What do you think?"

Uncertainty dominated Kotori's expression. "We can't…" she murmured. 'It's not right for me… to use Umi-chan's song like this... '

Nozomi felt a shadow of a smile ghost over her lips at the predictable response. Schooling her features, Nozomi stated in the most assertive tone she could muster, "Kotori-chan. Umi-chan."

"N-Nozomi?"

The intensity that of which bright green eyes pierced through them sent shocks radiating through their systems. "Would you rather live knowing you got this off your chest, or regret never taking the risk?"

Umi gulped at the heavy implications. This wasn't how she had wanted to confess – not that she had ever considered confessing in the first place! She herself had only come to terms with the idea that she may have fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with her best friend fairly recently; to jump from that to… to…

She buried her face into her hands, embarrassed by how hot they burned.

Nozomi finally allowed the little upward twitch in her lips to present itself. "Honoka-chan is dense," she softly elucidated. "If you don't tell her, she won't ever have to know. But don't you think it'll do you both some good if you can at least pretend?"

'To have tried?'

Kotori chewed on her lower lip, seeking comfort from the strawberry lip balm she fancied wearing. "When did all of you…?"

"Yesterday," Nozomi answered with an innocent tilt of the head. "When did you?"

She observed Kotori's luminescent blush and how she scuffled the toe of her shoe into the floor, as well as Umi's furious head shaking, and knew she wouldn't get an answer. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter, when both of you realised," Nozomi mused. "And it doesn't really matter when you plan on actually confessing either."

Umi's head snapped up. "Wha–"

"Afterall, this is just a song," Nozomi continued as if uninterrupted. "As school idols, it's our job to inject as much emotion as we can into each and every one. Isn't that right, Nicocchi?"

Nico stiffened, caught unaware by the question. "H-Huh? Oh, y-yeah! That much was obvious, wasn't it?"

Nozomi nodded, pleased by the support. Eyeing Kotori and Umi, she could see their hesitance slowly fade away, replaced by a burgeoning determination she was proud to have instilled within them. Nevertheless, Nozomi flashed them a wink for good measure. "So? Umi? Kotori? What's it going to be?"

'We have your back regardless.'

"Umi-chan…"

At the call, Umi turned to face Kotori, whose eyes were alight with a resolution the lyricist had never seen before in all their years of knowing one another. "Kotori…" she muttered. 'You really want this, don't you? For Honoka...' Umi's eyes fluttered close. Her mouth thinned into a narrow line; one that quirked almost imperceptibly. 'In the end, if I had to have any rival… I'm glad it's you.'

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

With Kotori's hands full, since she had to not only practice for two new songs, but also create everybody's outfits for the first piece, they had decided to keep the duet simple, despite it being their second – and closing – act for the school idol showcase they had been invited to perform at. Initially, the designer had been reluctant to let such a thing go; with μ's going up against fellow Love Live contenders, they needed all the glitz and glamour they could get, and plain jane uniforms simply would not do. However, surprisingly enough, it had been Nico who nipped the misconception in the bud and dissuaded Kotori from working herself to death.

"There's an appeal in school uniforms!" Nico had confidently proclaimed, which had led to Hanayo's passionate – and all too convincing – speech about the audiences' proclivity for the innocent yet scintillating vibe that accompanied such attire; it stemmed from the contrast of sporting such normalcy – the 'attainable' – and pairing it with the unreachable pedestal idols naturally were placed upon, or so they said.

Which was how Kotori and Umi ended up here, just a short distance away from each other as they stood in front of their respective microphones, waiting for the stage-hands' cue. It had been decided that they would take full advantage of the amenities provided; and that involved the trap beneath the stage from which they would rise once the group before them finished their song.

Umi let out a shaky breath, feeling familiar nerves gnaw at her insides with untold ferocity. Her Otonokizaka uniform felt unbearably stifling compared to their early outfits, and the flowers strapped to her hands did Umi absolutely no favours as it only compounded the dread that filled her, being able to feel that it was real, and that their performance was happening.

A quick peek out of her periphery revealed Kotori in a similar state. The flighty ex-maid busied herself with smoothing her already impeccable blazer and skirt, biting anxiously on her lip.

"Ready in ten!" the stage manager called out, holding up his hands to count down. "Nine! Eight!–"

"Kotori?" Umi exhaled, just loud enough to be heard over the ruckus.

Kotori seized locking her microphone in the vice grip that was her right hand for a moment to look at her companion. "Yes?" she replied, sounding equally as nervous.

Umi licked her dry lips and mirrored Kotori's position. "Whatever happens…" she trailed off meaningfully.

The designer need not be told what Umi thought, for she believed in the same thing. "Un!"

"–One! We're live!"

The platform raised smoothly without even a peep, and within seconds, Kotori and Umi found themselves staring out into the sea of glowsticks. Just on cue, the music's introduction – and the feedback played into their earpieces – kicked in, and the floor came alive, pulsating to the rhythm with a dark, gorgeous blue hue. Their bodies, reverberating mildly from the heavy bass, began to instinctively move to the beat, physically working off some of the nerves accumulated. And right then, the spotlight finally hit, eliciting resounding cheers from the audience.

"Lonely my love, lonely my heart! I'm not a flower bud–"

Their voices cried in unison, harmonising brilliantly in their joint effort to reach out to the one they both adored.

"Lonely my love, lonely my heart! I want to be picked–"

"Umi-chan! Kotori-chan! That was amazing! You guys were amazing! More than amazing!" was the first thing they heard when the platform descended. Sweaty, tired, and only held together by the last fleeting traces of adrenaline pumping through their veins, Kotori and Umi had no time to react before the orange whirlwind that was Kousaka Honoka swept in and caught them both in a bone-crushing embrace.

Umi gasped, partially in shock, but mostly in pain. "H-Honoka–"

Tears beaded in the corners of Kotori's scrunched eyes as she wheezed, "Honoka-chan, you're squeezing too tight–"

Honoka hastily let go of them, the sudden loss in support sending both girls stumbling back. "Whoops! Sorry!" the leader apologised sheepishly. As they recovered, they noticed Honoka was still dressed in her outfit; had she been watching them the entire time? "But wow, I can't believe it! That was crazy! I didn't know you could write something like that, Umi-chan!"

Umi felt herself flush, though she was grateful it likely went unnoticed, considering how rosy her cheeks already were from the exertion. "Me neither…" she shyly admitted.

Honoka beamed. "You're way too modest! I knew you could write well, but this… wow!" she raved, flailing her hands excitedly. If it were even possible, she perked up more and whirled on the other performer. "And Kotori-chan! You were incredible too! I couldn't keep my eyes off you half the time!"

Kotori giggled, smothering the impulse to coddle Honoka; the girl looked too much like a puppy dog at the moment, with her sincere, shining eyes and vibrancy. "Thank you, Honoka-chan."

Placing her hand on the back of her head, Honoka ruffled her hair sheepishly.

'Now's my chance!' Kotori thought, emboldened by the high she received from their performance. Catching Umi's eye, Kotori flashed her a cheeky smile.

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori called, turning her attention to the girl in question, who could only glance back curiously. "I love you!"

Honoka's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the declaration. "Eh?"

"M-me too!" Umi cried, shrinking back slightly when Honoka's large blue eyes whirled. "I-I love you too," she muttered, unwilling to lose to Kotori in this regard.

Honoka blinked, and for a moment, Umi feared the leader had seen right through her – through them. But then Honoka's signature, winning grin returned with full force. "I love you both too!" she exclaimed, pulling them back into a hug with renewed vigour. "Always and forever!"

As the trio shared a laugh, the rest of the group observed them from afar.

"Is this really okay?" Hanayo apprehensively asked, shifting her weight between her feet.

"Nya, they're happy... right?" Rin answered, only marginally more certain than her friend.

Maki half-heartedly shrugged. "This may have only caused more problems in the long run…"

Nozomi and Eli shared their own knowing looks. Before either could speak though, another voice chimed in.

"They'll be fine," Nico said, nonchalantly leaning against the nearby wall. "It's Honoka and friends, after all."

Everybody twisted to glance at her in mild disbelief.

"What?" Nico asked, narrowing her eyes.

"For Nico-chan to say that…" Hanayo whispered fearfully.

"Y-You're not Nico-chan!" Rin exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the club president.

The short senior's body tensed indignantly. "What is that supposed to mean?! How do those things even relate?!"

"Enough questions! Prove that you aren't an imposter, Nico-chan! If that's even your real name!"

"Who do you think you are, doubting Nico Nii when she has so kindly graced you with not only her presence, but her reassurance! I'll show you…" Kicking off the wall, Nico stomped up to Rin, who accepted the unspoken challenge. As they faced off, Hanayo tried to worm herself between the two in an effort to defuse the escalating – on Nico's end, anyway – argument. Meanwhile, Maki was content with staying off to the side, exasperation overtaking any form of embarrassment she may have once felt over being associated with them.

"Will everything really be alright?" Eli asked, watching over them with almost parental concern.

Nozomi giggled, looping her arm with Eli's. "Relax, Elichi. Everything will work out. You'll see."

The blonde lifted a dubious brow. "Did you cards tell you this?"

"Hmm? No…" Nozomi focused on the second years, noting how they had so easily lost themselves in their own little world. "Let's just call it a feeling."

The thunderous smack of flesh against floorboards, followed subsequently by Yukiho's "I told you so!" prompted Umi to screw her eyes shut. Wearily massaging the bridge of her nose, she bemoaned, "Even after all that, Honoka's the same as ever…"

Kotori giggled, clutching her pillow closer to herself. "And that's part of the reason why we both fell in love with her, isn't it?"

Umi curled into herself, fighting the powerful urge to deny or shy away from the embarrassing claim. How could Kotori say it aloud so easily? "... I suppose so," she grudgingly acknowledged.

Kotori cocked her head, watching the lyricist fiddle absent-mindedly with her pyjama sleeve – a nervous reflex if she had ever saw one. "What's on your mind?"

'Other than my envy of your candour?' Umi inwardly grumbled, before hastily casting aside the thought. 'No, no, I can't think like that… Kotori is Kotori for a reason. Just as I am myself.'

Desiring to clear her mind, Umi took a deep, cleansing breath, before starting, "I just want to get this off my chest." The lyricist reached out to cradle her friend's soft hands in her own pair, calloused from years of archery, and stated with utmost sincerity, "Kotori. I'll support you regardless, and I know you'll do the same for me, whether Honoka picks either, or neither of us."

It took Kotori no time to recover, as she, without a shred of hesitation, affirmed, "I will." Her soft smile grew sly. "But Umi-chan."

"Yes?"

Kotori swung their hands together. "This doesn't mean I'll give Honoka-chan up to you," she teased, earnest challenge in her eyes

Umi chuckled and squeezed lightly Kotori's hands. "Neither will I."

"Ah, but…" Halting the tiny little motion, the designer's expression morphed into one of serious contemplation.

Umi's eyebrows furrowed. "Kotori?"

"Would it be so bad if we shared her?" Kotori pondered aloud.

Dark crimson stained Umi's porcelain cheeks, and her heart hammered wildly at the ribald insinuation. She hurriedly snatched her hands back, the physical contact suddenly feeling as if it could sear through skin. "W-W-What?! K-K-Kotori–"

The sliding panel was thrown open. "I'm back!" Honoka announced, striking a victorious pose.

"Honoka-chan! Welcome back," Kotori greeted, showing no signs of being affected by the conversation they had mere moments ago.

"So? What did I miss?" Honoka asked as she flopped beside them, sitting indian-style.

Kotori hummed thoughtfully for a few beats, before cheerily stating, "Nothing much!"

"Ehh…" Honoka puffed up her cheeks indignantly. "You're both keeping something from me."

"Maybe~" Kotori singsonged playfully.

Honoka petulantly pounded loosely clenched fists on her knees. "That's not fair, Kotori-chan!"

The designer let out a mellifluous laugh. She paused, however, upon noticing the white powder dusting the corner of her friend's lips. "Ah, Honoka-chan… You have some…"

Umi sighed exasperatedly, already with a tissue paper in hand. "Here, let me," she said. Years of caring for the impetuous leader overcame the otherwise daunting emotions from her fledgling crush, as Umi unflinchingly cupped Honoka's chin to angle her head better while dabbing her mouth clean.

Once she deemed Honoka's lips spotless, Umi nodded satisfactorily. She immediately realised the position they were in, though, and hastily withdrew her hands, lest she did something impulsive. Honoka thought nothing of the jerky action, though, as she chirped, "Thanks, Umi-chan!"

Swiftly rising to her feet, the lyricist marched to the nearby bin, just barely hiding her blush from view. "Honestly, it's like you never grew up…"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kotori's lips. 'That's right. Nothing has really changed, has it Umi-chan? We still follow Honoka-chan's lead, even if our reasons may be a little different now...' Her eyes found Umi's, and Kotori's chest burned with none of the simmering jealousy she had, it having been replaced by kinship. 'So it's okay to carry on like this, right? With our normal, everyday lives...'

Padding back towards her friends, Umi returned the smile and dipped her head subtly. However, the archer's poise was ruined when Honoka yanked her down to sit beside her. Letting out an undignified yelp, Umi barely stopped herself from tumbling onto the ground. "Honoka–!"

"Ei!" Honoka enthused, hooking her arms around both her best friends' shoulders to pull them close. "See! Now none of us have to be lonely!"

"W-W-What–"

"Your song, Umi-chan! Your song!" Honoka replied.

Kotori stiffened in alarm. "Honoka-chan?!" she exclaimed, whirling on her girl with wide eyes.

"I've been thinking recently… that you guys were kinda acting strange. And I was really worried, you know?" Honoka quietly informed them. "But after you sang that song, it's like everything's gone back to normal!" Their leader grinned, hugging them harder. "I was being honest when I said that it was amazing. I could feel everything even when I watched from backstage!"

"Honoka…" Umi nervously whispered.

Honoka pouted. "Let me finish, Umi-chan!" she cried. When the archer relented, Honoka pursed her lips pensively. "Let's see… Hmm… I won't pretend to know what happened between you guys… or who the song was for… but no matter what – and I mean no matter what! – I'll be supporting you two! And that's a promise!" Honoka punctuated the declaration by pumping her fist into the air, before promptly re-wrapping it around Kotori's shoulder.

Neither Kotori nor Umi knew if it was relief or disappointment that cooled their nerves.

Sighing, although Umi would rebuff any claims of it sounding wistful or disheartened, the archer retorted, "How can you support us when you can't even support yourself half the time?"

Honoka gasped, dramatically feigning hurt. "H-Hey! You didn't have to go that far! I… I can do things!"

Tittering, Kotori patted Honoka's lap in what was supposed to be a pacifying gesture. "Don't push yourself too hard, Honoka-chan."

Honoka choked back a pained cry, staring at her friend in astonishment. "N-Not you too, Kotori!"

Kotori nestled herself closer to the object of her affections. "We'll be right here for you too, Honoka-chan. Isn't that right?" she said, glancing to Umi for reinforcement.

The corner of the lyricist's mouth stretched upward. "Yes. That's definitely a promise."

Surprise froze Honoka in place for a few beats, but she thawed out quickly enough and drew them into an even tighter embrace. "I have the best friends!"

With Honoka's eyes screwed shut in glee, she missed the knowing smile Umi and Kotori shared.

Perhaps their feelings hadn't reached their dense, beloved leader quite yet. However, gradually, the distance between their hearts shortened ever so slowly.

And for Umi and Kotori, that was more than enough for now.

'Affection runs throughout my body

Someday, our loving heartbeats will meet.'

AN: Well, this became… less dramatic than I kind of wanted it to be. On hindsight, as I listen to Anemone Heart, a sexier vibe may have been more appropriate. Perhaps another time. This was just a fun little (well it was supposed to be) thing that popped into mind. I wrote it in hopes of adjusting more to their individual voices, and to kick my muse into shape. I'm not too sure about the dialogue tbh; I intentionally shot for a sort of subtitle-esque feel. I find that I have the tendency to do that when I write for Japanese shows, since I'm thinking in the language half the time (or am trying to, anyway).

Lots of potential for a sequel here – one that'd actually end with them getting together. Might consider writing it some day.

Please leave a review, favourite, or maybe even a follow if you liked this! I love feedback. And this is mostly unedited, so if you spot any mistakes, feel free to give me a shout!