A/N : It's been so long since I wrote something. Pardon this absurdness and horrible grammar.
Disclaimer : I do not own BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!
"Kanon, let's get some tea after school I have the day off from work and there is no practice with PasPale either." While changing her indoor shoes in front of her locker, Chisato addressed the friend beside her without turning her face.
"I-I'm sorry Chisato-chan, I have band practice today…"
The voice coming from her side was timid and soft, making it difficult for Chisato to hear. Even though she didn't look at her interlocutor, Chisato could already imagine what kind of face Kanon was making. Hiding back her disappointment, Chisato turned her face to the side and faked a smile. Many years in the entertainment industry, Chisato already mastered the trick.
"I see. It couldn't be help then."
"Sorry, Chisato-chan…" Didn't dare to look straight into Chisato's eyes, Kanon dropped her head down and muttered an apology once again.
"It's okay, Kanon, you don't have to apologize." Chisato tried to brighten the latter's mood with a small laughter.
Chisato was very good at lying and hiding her feeling. Just like that time when she lied to her fellow Pastel*Palettes members about their failed first live, she lied once again to Kanon. It wasn't okay at all. Since Kanon joined a band, Chisato had lost count already on how many times Kanon rejected her invitation for a tea. She did know that Kanon had her own world; her own business. It wasn't just about Shirasagi Chisato, Kanon had so many other things to worries. It wasn't like Chisato was the main heroine of Matsubara Kanon's life. She was aware of that. But still, since she was accustomed living in the center of attention, labeled as number two was kind of irritating. Actually, she had experienced this kind of feeling before. It was when her office decided that Maruyama Aya would be the vocalist in their new formed band.
"Jealousy, eh?" Chisato murmured that to herself.
After she separated her way from Kanon, Chisato took a little detour through the shopping district. While walking alone, her thought was flying somewhere else. The crowd in the shopping district didn't manage to distract her attention at all. Her train of thought was still running.
Jealousy.
Chisato realized that she had so many dark emotion within herself. She wasn't a good person as depicted by media. She accepted that fact about herself. It was just her nature. She lied to everyone, even sometimes to herself. She really hoped Kanon would accept that fact about her too but she was too afraid to show her real self. Kanon was her precious friend after all.
Chisato didn't want to waste her rare day off but she didn't have any idea what to do or where to go. She could just hang out with her band mate but she saw them almost every day in the office anyway, so it wouldn't gave her a day off feeling.
"Haaaa…." Chisato let out a big, unladylike sigh, which she usually wouldn't made.
Walking slowly without any real destination, Chisato suddenly felt someone else's presence behind her. She turned around hurriedly.
"Oya, if it isn't Chisato. What are you doing here?"
"Kaoru! Were you stalking me!?" Surprised by the sudden interruption, Chisato raised her voice a little.
"O' Lord, this must be fate! Meeting Chisato her out of nowhere. Just as Shakespeare said, 'It is not in the star to hold our destiny but in ourselves'." Didn't mind what Chisato said, Seta Kaoru made her usual antics trademark.
Chisato tried her best to ignore her extraordinary childhood friend and started walking again. Didn't really care that she was being ignored, Kaoru followed and walked beside Chisato.
"Could it be that you have something to buy?" Kaoru started talking again, ignoring Chisato's uncomfortable face. "Oh, you should try the croquette from Hagumi's place. It's top notch."
Couldn't bear it any longer, Chisato finally opened her mouth.
"Kaoru, could you please stop following me? Where are you going anyway?" Chisato said curtly.
"Hahahaha it's funny that you asked. Of course I'm going to practice with my band." Kaoru put both her hands in front of her chest while making melancholic expression.
Chisato tried to fight her inner urge to run away from Kaoru when she finally realized something.
"Practice? Will Kanon be there too?"
"Of course she will, she's my cute little band mate after all."
Hearing Kaoru called Kanon as such, Chisato felt a little annoyed. Nevertheless, she turned her face to look at Kaoru and switched her actress mode on.
"Kaoru, may I come with you? I want to observe other band and learn how to make my play better." Chisato let out her puppy eyes, convinced that the taller girl would said yes.
Kaoru stopped her walk and didn't gave her an answer. She was just standing there, blinking her eyes nonstop.
"O-of course, it's just for study purpose. I really have no ulterior motive."
Chisato couldn't believe that she stuttered her line. She was used of the camera yet here she was stuttered while talking to Kaoru. After a moment; which seems like a decade to Chisato had passed, Kaoru threw both her hands high in the air.
"What is this ephemeral happiness? Chisato wants to see me practice!? Truly, magnificent!"
Once again, Chisato tried her best to fight the inner urge to run away from Kaoru. She endured it. All of that was just for seeing her precious friend's practice.
"Well, should we go now? Your friends must be waiting." Chisato led Kaoru to start walking again.
"Of course, anything for you, little kitten."
Hearing what Kaoru said, Chisato couldn't help but rolled her eyes.
After arriving at the studio, Chisato couldn't find the figure she wanted to see.
"Are you looking for Michelle?" Kitazawa Hagumi jumped suddenly in front of Chisato.
"N-not really, I just haven't seen Kanon." Chisato tried to control her pounding heart. She must be startled because Hagumi suddenly jumped to her out of nowhere. Or was it because of something else? Chisato didn't really know herself.
"Ah, Kano-chan senpai? I saw her with Mii-kun going outside earlier. Maybe they were looking for Michelle." Hagumi answered with a pure smile, without any suspicion at all.
"I see, thank you Kitazawa-san."
Chisato went out to look for Kanon and spotted her right in front of the restroom with a girl wearing a bear costume. If she wasn't mistaken Kanon told her that her name was Okusawa Misaki. She was the person inside Michelle's costume. It seems that they just came out from the restroom, probably after Misaki finished changing costume. Although she hadn't wore the head part. Chisato moved closer slowly, afraid of being noticed.
"Really, this costume is so hot…" Chisato could hear Misaki's whine.
"Do-don't force yourself, Misaki-chan. Just take it easy for today." Next, she heard Kanon's voice.
"Yeah, I would love too. But Tsurumaki Kokoro said that she wanted to perfect our new song today. Once she set her mind on something, nothing could stop her. You know that too, right, Kanon-san?" Chisato saw that Misaki was holding the bear head and prepared to put it in. Chisato could vaguely saw Misaki's smile.
"You're right Misaki-chan. Let us both give it our best today!" Kanon said while smiling cheerfully.
"I'm really glad that you're here, Kanon-san." Misaki put the bear head on and completed her transformation.
At Misaki's word, Chisato could see that Kanon was blushing slightly.
Uninvited feeling welled up inside Chisato's chest. She didn't like what she saw. Sure Kanon was free to make friends with anyone beside her. Yet, she didn't want to see Kanon get along that well with someone other than her. She didn't want to see Kanon blushed because of someone else. She wanted Kanon's warm smile just for her and her alone. Chisato never knew that she was that greedy.
"Okay, let get back to the studio, Kaoru-san must be here already."
Hearing Misaki's voice or rather Michelle's voice, Chisato immediately turned around and hid behind a drink counter. She didn't want Kanon and Michelle to found her out. Luckily they didn't paid too much attention to their surrounding and walked pass her just like that.
"What am I doing exactly…"
Chisato let out another big sigh. Today was her day off but she felt more tired than usual.
After she had a tea, she came back inside the studio. When Kanon saw her, she widened her eyes in surprise.
"Chisato-chan? What are you doing here?"
"Kanon… I…" Chisato couldn't finished her sentence. She, herself, didn't even know what she was doing there. She was there to see Kanon but she couldn't possibly said that in front of everyone in the room.
"I invited her. Chisato said that she wanted to observe other band's performance. How, transient is that?" Kaoru came in the right time, she answered for Chisato.
"I see." Convinced by Kaoru's answer, Kanon nodded slowly. She looked back to Chisato and opened her mouth again. "Well then Chisato-chan, please enjoy our performance!" Kanon smiled brightly.
Somehow, seeing Kanon's smile made Chisato's chest hurt. She didn't know that Kanon had that kind of confident in her. The image of timid Kanon she had in mind, started to crumbled little by little. She always thought that she was the closest person to Kanon but it turned out that she didn't know everything about her friend. What she thought she knew, in fact was only illusion created by her mind.
Kanon's band, Hello Happy World, started playing a song. The song was bright and cheerful. The song was truly meant to make someone smiled. Nevertheless, Chisato couldn't smile at all. Her thought was full with something she didn't understand, it started hurting her head. One song, two songs, and until five songs ended, Chisato hadn't smiled at all. Two hours had passed, and Hello Happy World finished their practice.
"Yes, it's perfect!" Hagumi balled her fist and threw it in the air.
"Hmm, this song is truly, magnificent! Just like the embodiment of happiness itself." Kaoru closed her eyes and nodded several times.
"Kokoro, we still need to fix some part. This one over here…" Michelle walked closer to Kokoro while holding a music sheet when Kokoro suddenly jumped to hug her.
"Michelleee!"
"Wha- don't hug me so suddenly!" Michelle protested but she didn't do anything to stop Kokoro from hugging her.
"It's all thanks to your idea, Michelle! This song will bring smile to many people. I'm sure of it!" Kokoro tightened her hug.
"You're exaggerating and besides, it's hard to breath, Kokoro." Michelle whined.
Chisato was looking at Hello Happy World interaction. She didn't know what to do and so, like always, she faked a smile.
"As a token of thanks, I'll give you a kiss!" Kokoro brought the subject out of nowhere.
"E-eeeh? Wait Kokoro, isn't this escalated way too fast!?" Michelle was losing her cool when Kokoro gave her a light peck on the check.
Chisato didn't saw that coming. Since she heard about Tsurumaki Kokoro from Kanon, she had thought that Kokoro was full of surprise, but she never thought that Kokoro was 'that' full.
"Michelle, your fur is so soft!" Kokoro grinned happily. Faint red could be seen on her cheeks. "Come on, everyone, you have to show your gratitude too." Kokoro said to the rest of the members, implying that they had to do the same thing as she did.
"Your wish is my command, Princess Kokoro." Kaoru agreed easily, she looks like she enjoyed this.
"Wha- Kaoru-san?! Not you too?!"
Kaoru gave Michelle a light peck on the forehead. It was fortunate for Misaki to be inside Michelle's costume, since no one could saw her flaring face right now.
"Indeed, Michelle's fur is soft. How transient!" Kaoru ended her act with her usual sentence.
"Now, Hagumi!" Kokoro called for her orange-haired friend.
"Roger, Kokoron!" Hagumi put down her bass and ran toward Michelle with full speed. "Micheelleeee!"
"Hagumi, brake, brake!" Michelle put both her hands in front of her chest but it was no use. Hagumi's force managed to get her down in a sitting position.
In Hagumi's case, she gave Michelle a light kiss on her nose. After that, Hagumi immediately got back to her feet.
"Michelle's nose doesn't have a fur, so I don't know how soft it is!" Hagumi complained.
"Then why did you kiss the nose in the first place…" Michelle said with her remaining energy.
"Kanon, you're the last!" Kokoro shifted her eyes to where Kanon was.
"D-do I really have to do it…?" Kanon hide behind the drum.
"Of course, Kano-chan senpai is a member of HelloHappy too~" Hagumi smiled from ear to ear.
Kanon raised from her chair and started to walk towards Michelle.
"Kanon, it's just a token of gratitude, you don't have to be shy." Kaoru added.
"Bu-but…" Kanon was hesitant. She never kissed anyone, moreover in front of so many people.
"It's okay Kanon-san, let's get this over quickly so we could go home." Michelle let out a sigh and get up.
"Th-then, excuse me…"
Kanon faced Michelle and closed her eyes.
In that instant, Kanon felt that someone grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room.
"E-eeh? Chisato-chan!?" When Kanon opened her eyes, she could see Chisato's blonde hair dancing around in the air.
Chisato had endured enough. She had seen Kanon smiled because of someone else, blushed because of someone else, but seeing Kanon kissed someone else in front of her was out of question. Without stopping, Chisato continued to walk while holding Kanon's hand. They kept walking outside the studio.
"Chi-Chisato-chan, it's hurt."
Chisato finally stopped when Kanon called out to her. She let go of Kanon's hand and stood still. She didn't apologize to Kanon nor turned around. All she did was standing like a statue.
"Chisato-chan, are you mad at me?" Confused, Kanon asked the girl in front of her.
Aaaah, why do I have to realize this now?
Chisato put both her hands to cover her face. She could feel that her face was hot. Really hot.
"Chisato-chan…?" Didn't get a reply, Kanon moved a little forward and tried to peek at Chisato's expression. Her effort was no avail since Chisato was covering her face with her hand. All Kanon could see was Chisato's reddened ear.
Chisato couldn't hear Kanon's voice clearly. Her world was blurry upon the realization she got. She finally understood. The reason behind why all that uninvited emotion she felt today attacked her at the same time, she finally knew that. The reason why she wanted to see Kanon, why she felt jealous when she saw Kanon and Misaki together. It was all connected. She had a clue about what she felt but she just brushed it off because she thought that she was mistaking her feeling for something else. Nevertheless, when Kanon tried to kiss someone in front of her, she couldn't pretend as if everything was okay.
After calming herself, Chisato finally turned around to face Kanon. She let out her best fake smile, and opened her mouth.
"I'm sorry Kanon, I must have not think clearly."
"Chisato-chan… Thank God, you're not mad at me." Kanon let out a sigh of relief. She never saw Chisato acted like that so she was afraid that Chisato was angry with her.
"There's no way I could be angry with you." Chisato's fake smile was so radiant no one could believe it was fake.
I'm…
"Then, shall we head back? We must've made everyone worried." Chisato extended her hand to Kanon, which Kanon gladly took.
In love with my best friend…
They walked side by side while holding hands. This time, without force.