It was 2 in the morning when Nico arrived home with Maki.

The noise of the door opening was enough to wake up both Honoka and Nozomi. The two ran downstairs, startled.

When they saw the couple, they couldn't help but rejoice and make an uproar.

"Uso! Maki-chan, you're back!" Honoka shouted from the top of her lungs, regardless of how late it was. The emotion of having her friend back was too overwhelming.

"Maki-chan, okaeri." Nozomi greeted with her usual motherly gentle smile.

The others inevitably woke up and also made their way to the entry.

Just like their leader and the fortuneteller, everyone was overcome with joy to have their pianist back home.

The 9 girls were reunited in a group hug.

After the excitement toned down, Kotori served some tea and the girls sat down on their living room.

Maki cleaned her throat and begun to talk.

"First of all... I'm extremely sorry for all the trouble I've caused you for these past days. I've been very selfish, I admit. But I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me, never giving up on me and accepting me back as I made yet another selfish choice."

"Matte, matte!" Rin interupted.

"What's wrong, Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"Someone pinch my cheek!"

Hanayo catered her friend's request.

"Waaaa! I thought it was a dream since Maki-chan was being way too honest but she's really back with us!" Tears peeked from the corners of Rin's eyes.

"Ba-baka!" Maki's face became slightly red.

"A-anyway, I stormed out my house with empty hands. I don't have a change of clothes..."

"I can lend you my pajamas." Umi offered.

Without further ado, Muse decided to go back to sleep. Maki and Nico were exhausted so they, specially, needed the rest.

However, not everyone went back to their rooms right away.

Honoka and Eli stayed behind to clean up the tea set.

"Nee Eli, what is love?" Honoka asked out of nowhere.

"Eeh? Love, you ask?"

"Hm, and I don't mean the kind of love you feel for friends and family. I mean in a romantic way. What it is?"

"Even if you ask me... I'm not too sure." Eli immersed herself in her thoughts for a while. "I guess it's when you see someone and your heart starts beating really fast. You can't stop thinking about that person and when you do something that might hurt her, your chest aches. You want to hold hands, hold that person in your arms, your body temperature rises when you do it and-" Eli's voice abruptly came to a halt. It finally dawned on her. Weren't those things exactly what happened whenever she thought of Nozomi, when she was close to her friend?

"Eh? Eli? Are you okay?"

The half Russian snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at Honoka.

"Thank you Honoka!"

"Thank...? Why? I didn't do anything...?"

Eli kissed her friend's forehead and went back to her room.

"Eeeeeh? What just happened? I don't understand anything anymore."

The sun shyly popped up, its rays seeping through the blinds of Nico's room.

The girl slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Maki's adorable sleeping face.

What a great way to start the new day.

She closed in on her lover and wrapped her arms around her.

"Nhnh..."

"Morning nico~! It's time to wakey-wakey~!"

"Don't be so loud, Nico... Let me sleep some more." Maki buried her face on Nico's chest.

"Oh, this is such a rare sight! Nishikino Maki not wanting to get up early!"

"Do you really need to call my full name...? Aaaah, now I'm wide awake." Maki instantly got up.

"Nooo, don't go!" The black haired girl grabbed her partner's waist.

"Eh? But you were the one who told me to wake up."

"Gimme a good morning kiss and I'll let you go~."

"Fi-fine!"

Maki brought her lips to Nico's.

Both smiled afterwards.

A few rooms down, Eli knocked on Nozomi's door.

Nozomi opened the door still half asleep. Her lavender-colored shirt slightly falling to one side, exposing her left shoulder.

"Good morning Nozomi! I brought you breakfast!" Eli was speaking quite formally.

Nozomi quickly became suspicious.

"What's wrong Elicchi?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

"You speak formally when you're nervous..."

That's right. No one else knew Eli as well as Nozomi did. The two girls have been together for such a long time, after all. Now that she had finally realize her feelings, she has to confess. But how? What if Nozomi doesn't correspond to her feelings? Would that break their current relationship? Such questions ran through Eli's mind on loop.

"Ah, it's just that I made a new recipe and I'm unsure if it turned out good enough." She gave a cheap excuse.

The fortuneteller didn't really buy her explanation but decided to let it go.

Both girls sat down on the bed, Nozomi took the first bite.

The blond girl attentively stare at her friend's lips.

"Ah, her lips look so juicy and soft." She shamelessly thought, her heart beating faster and faster.

"Elicchi, do you, perhaps, want some too? You keep staring at me."

"Eh? Ah, huh... Yeah!"

Without thinking, instead of taking a portion from the plate, Eli's mouth took the slice that was hanging from outside of Nozomi's mouth, hence touching her lips.

"EEP!" The bold move startled Nozomi.

"Go-gomen Nozomi!" Eli apologized as she realized what she had done.

Both girls' faces heated up.

With that, Eli raced out of the room.

"Elicchi, wait!" Nozomi Tojo pleaded but there already was no trace of the girl inside her room. "If you do such things, how can take you out of my heart and mind...? Zurui yo..."

Obs: Waaaaaa! Things are getting back on track, one step at a time!

Maki and Nico's issues are almost resolved, Eli finally understood how she feels about Nozomi and Honoka is desperately trying to find her answer for Umi and Kotori.

Eli and Nozomi are still oblivious of each others feelings though. How will their relationship progress from now on?

But man, this chapter was a lot of fun. Specially the last part, mufufu. Eli is such a seme. :3

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

See yall next time~! ^w^