Music re.S.T.A.R.T.

Over the weekend, the current eight-man school idol group gathered before the Nishikino Mansion. Their aim: convince Dr Nishikino and allow Maki to re-join µ's.

Standing before the grand mansion, all of them were just awestruck by the sheer grandeur that stood before them.

"Rich people's house!" Honoka broke the silence.

"This… this is… outrageous…" Nico muttered.

"Wow Maki-chan's house is so big nya," Rin remarked.

"Everyone, don't forget our task." Umi reminded the others.

"And no strange antics from any of us," Eli added, walking to the gate.

She pressed the button, and spoke an opening statement for someone to respond:

"We… we are friends of Nishikino Maki-san from Otonokizaka. On behalf of the Student Council, we wish to speak with her family."

Nothing happened afterwards, so the girls waited. A lady walked up to the gate and unlocked it. At first glance, the family resemblance is there and it is clear that Maki inherited her looks from her mother.

"Hello, everyone… Oh Koizumi-san, is that you?" Mrs Nishikino greeted them.

"Y-yes!" exclaimed Hanayo, "Madam, h-how are you?"

"Perfect, it is nice of Maki's friends to come down to our humble abode," Mrs Nishikino continued, "Oh please come in."

Inside the mansion's living room, µ's made themselves comfortable in the sofas and drinking tea prepared for them. Feeling comfortable is necessary, considering that they are confronting Maki's father: the famous Dr Nishikino.

If one could say Maki's looks were from her mother, then Maki's sternness was inherited from her father. Even from his sofa and behind his bespectacled eyes, a deadly aura radiates from him.

In contrast, his wife was perfectly relaxed and sat next to him. She was calm, except for the moments where she looked with concern at her husband.

"Dr Nishikino, thank you for having us today…" Eli began, attempting to at least conform to social niceties.

"Eli, cut to the chase," Nico remarked sharply.

"Okay…" Eli relented, "How about everyone together."

At Eli's suggestion, all of µ's stood up and bowed towards the Nishikino couple.

"Please, we wish to seek your approval for Maki to join us at µ's."

Dr Nishikino remained calm and coolheaded, only moving his hands to the armrests.

"Ladies, I am indeed regretful for this turn of events." Dr Nishikino spoke, "However, because Maki wants to be a doctor, she must focus fully on the admissions exam."

"But that's still two years away for her!" exclaimed Honoka.

"Furthermore…" he continued, not even acknowledging the outcry, "…I see no point for my daughter, the sole heir to my hospital, to be involved in this so-called idol group."

"No fair! Maki-chan wants to be an idol!" Rin cried, "Why else would she cry?"

"Nishikino-sensei, as club president, Maki-chan definitely what it takes to be a truly outstanding idol nico~!" declared Nico.

Dr Nishikino remained utterly unfazed, only looking intently at the girls who were his guests. Umi gave the two a death glare, while Eli put her finger to her lips.

"I said no stupid antics!" That was practically what the combined message conveyed.

"Nishikino-sensei, I feel that as high school students, we should have a well-rounded life beyond just academics," Eli explained, "And Maki surely would have little to no issue with balancing her life."

"If that's the case, if Maki were to fail her admissions exam, would it be your… no, the school's, fault?" Dr Nishikino continued probing.

"Someone… save me…" Hanayo thought.

"He's merciless… attacking every available point…" Umi thought.

"Eli-chi…" Nozomi thought.

"Nishikino-sensei…" Eli struggled to continue, despite being hit a raw nerve, "What we are doing is more than just club activities. We are saving our school from closedown…"

"By what… singing away and dancing about to draw people's attention to you, like those ridiculous girls in UTX," Dr Nishikino shot back.

"Don't insult A-RISE!" exclaimed Nico, "They have come a long way as school idols!"

"Such amateurish antics will never avert the decisions of progress," continued the doctor.

"…"

Eli was verbally crushed by Dr Nishikino's merciless rhetoric.

"Please, Nishikino-sensei!" Honoka exclaimed, "Why ban Maki-chan from music when she clearly likes music?"

"Honoka…" Umi murmured.

"When I first met Maki-chan in the music room, she was playing that song so beautifully!" Honoka continued her outburst, "Her voice is just angelic, and her music is akin to heaven! Maki-chan has a gift."

As Honoka said that, some of the other heads nodded. Even Mrs Nishikino's head made a gentle subtle nod.

"If she's good at it and likes doing it, there's no reason to stop Maki-chan!" Honoka ended her statement.

"Nyeah, Maki-chan likes music!" exclaimed Rin.

"Not to mention, Maki-chan is µ's composer and wrote the music scores for all our songs thus far!" Nico added.

"Please reconsider your choice, sensei!" Kotori chimed in.

"Everyone…" Eli tried to calm down the rising tensions within the room, but Nozomi nudged her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Eli-chi…" she whispered.

"This is inevitable, as the cards have dictated…" she thought.

"While I will not dispute my daughter's commendable music ability, I cannot have that be sacrificed for her career prospective." Dr Nishikino explained, "Are you only here today because you need your composer for your songs?"

"Maki-chan is not just our composer!" It was Hanayo making this outburst, "She is our comrade and friend. It is she who gave me the confidence to fight for my dreams, and I cannot let her dream to end like that."

"Friend eh…" Mrs Nishikino thought.

"Then you should see reason," Dr Nishikino said, "Maki's dream is to be a doctor."

"B-but that's… that's what Nishikino-sensei wants of Maki-chan," Hanayo continued to her best effort, "We too want the best for Maki-chan."

"Wow Kayo-chin…" thought Rin.

"Yeah!" chimed in Honoka and Kotori.

"From how you say it, are you saying that my Maki desires to be a performer?" probed Dr Nishikino, "Do you, young lady, know what you are saying?"

"Sensei, that's not what Hanayo means!" Umi stepped in, "Your daughter is reaching towards maturity, the prime of her life. It's time she makes her choices on what she wants."

"It is her own right to decide her course in life," Nozomi added.

"The course I had set for Maki is more than enough," Dr Nishikino stubbornly carried forward.

"Which era is he from? Showa?" thought Nico.

His patience reaching its limit, Dr Nishikino stood up abruptly.

"Ladies, thank you for your time but I believe…" he said.

"Boy, what's with all this noise?"

A familiar voice called out, and Maki stepped into the living room. She looked at everyone; her parents and µ's. Within seconds, Maki became the centre of attention in the entire room.

"As the cards have written," thought Nozomi, smiling gently.

"What… what are you doing here?" Maki asked, "I q-quit µ's, you know…"

Nico turned towards Maki and produced the resignation letter given to her by Maki days before, and tore it into two pieces.

"Maki-chan, you are a talented person and as club president, I cannot accept your resignation," Nico declared, "Moreover, as a fellow member of µ's and your friend, I will not accept this letter."

"Maki-chan, please re-join µ's!" Honoka and Kotori pleaded.

"You guys…" Maki murmured, "D-don't you… d-despise me for c-calling it quits?"

"Friends get on one another's nerves all the time, but we will always be friends by the end of the day," Umi remarked.

"And you can always treat us lunch for that melodrama nya," Rin chimed in with her catlike grin.

"Nishikino-sensei, as you can see, µ's is not only about saving the school or gaining fame as school idols," Nozomi said, "µ's is about the friendship between the nine of us, nine girls who earnestly want nothing more than to do things together."

"Nozomi!" exclaimed Eli.

"Eli-chi, we must acknowledge the crux of what µ's is truly about," Nozomi continued on.

"But Nozomi…" Eli interrupted, "Friends respect one another's wishes and will cheer for them wherever they are."

Eli then looked intently at Maki, smiling at the redhead.

"Maki, do you want to be part of µ's again?" she asked, "Yes or no, I simply wish that you make the choice from your own heart."

"Eli-chi…" Nozomi mouthed out, smiling.

"A composer can be replaced easily, but nothing can ever replace you, Maki," Hanayo added in.

"You guys…" Maki murmured, her face glowing red.

"Ladies, this is peer pressure…" Dr Nishikino protested, but held back by his wife's gentle hand.

"Darling, let Maki be," she said, "We will support whatever choice she makes with her life."

Then the doctor just kept quiet and turned to his daughter; everyone did. Maki knew the proper answer in the scenario.

"Please treat me nicely."

µ's cheered with the completion of their group again. Honoka and Rin dashed across and hugged Maki tightly. The others gave the redhead gentle pats and handshakes.

Dr Nishikino looked on this scene grimly, wanting to object. However, the gentle hand of his wife nudged him. They just saw there while their daughter enjoyed herself.

The next day morning, µ's were to resume their training in full at the neighbourhood Kanda Shrine. Both Hanayo and Rin were waiting outside the massive Nishikino mansion for their friend.

"Why is Maki-chan so late?" Rin complained.

"Well, we did come here a bit too early," Hanayo reminded her friend.

"Good-bye!"

The door inside opened and Maki was ready to go, attired in her familiar practice attire. She opened the gate, where her fellow first-years are waiting for her.

"No more gym outfit?" Rin asked.

"Well, I'm going for µ's practice in the open now. So there's no need to hide from my parents," Maki answered.

To the redhead's surprise, Hanayo and Rin positioned themselves side-by-side and both extended their hand towards Maki.

"You guys, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Remember when we joined µ's together…" Hanayo explained, "It was the two of you who gave me the push."

"Rin wants to push Maki-chan, but Kayo-chin thought a pull makes more sense nya," Rin added.

"Humph… it's not like I need any pushing and pulling," Maki retorted casually, "But thank you… all of you… for everything…"

Suddenly, the two just grabbed Maki and dashed off.

"Wait! You two! Let me gain my bearings!" Maki yelled.

"No! We are going to run to the shrine!" Rin hollered.

"The others are waiting for us!" Hanayo added, "Rin-chan, you're too fast! Someone, save me!"

"Save me too!" Maki joined in.

"Yahhooo!" Rin yelled.

Meanwhile, the Nishikino parents continued their breakfast with their daughter out for practice again.

"Dear, is this the correct choice?" Dr Nishikino asked, "Personally, I still disagree with this decision."

"Darling please, Maki is so happy nowadays," Mrs Nishikino said, "That smile is something we haven't seen since her childhood. These girls have given our daughter her happiness back."

"But that grey-haired girl… she looks like… her… Sigh, it has been so long already…" she thought.

"If that's what Maki wants, so be it…" the doctor relented, "But she should balance her schedule properly."

Sigh, with that ends another Love Live fanfic. Sorry for the delayed chapter (was chilling in HK right in the middle of the protests for the past week).

As for the last line from Mrs Nishikino, I based it from her encounter with the chairwoman. They do appear to know each other from the encounter, though the shock implies it had been some time since they last met. A simple allusion to the fabric of canon, as they say.