Notes:

A cyalume is the same thing as a kingblade!

Just a quick warning to those who suffer anxiety or panic disorder, a panic attack is described here. Just a word of warning, no matter how accurately or inaccurately I described it.

In Japanese flower language ("Hanakotoba") Red spider lilies mean "abandonment, death, never to meet again", blue hydrangeas mean "frigidity, heartlessness, cold", lilies of the valley mean "sweetness/promise of happiness", chamomile means "patience and endurance in the face of hardship", iris means "good news, loyalty, noble heart".

Sorry this took so long - I kinda lost my spark for a while. But that being said...you know how I said "Chapter 8" would take ages? Chapter 8 (the actual one) + this (Chapter 9) was "Chapter 8", and BOY was it a monster to write (esp the..."lyrics"? I really don't know what the line is to even translated lyrics in fics, even if they make sense in context, so I just wrote my own for some of it). This was so...so...SO exhausting to write, hence why I think the first part of this is the weakest imo, and why it took over a month, so I had to cut a lot to make sure I didn't keep everyone waiting and I've just been SO tired, so sorry if it seems like there's a little less...I just felt like I'd be damaging myself if I tried to write any more ;; one part in particular I think I wrote TOO much for (I wrote this chapter non-sequentially) and it burnt me out so badly that I kinda had to take it easy for the rest of this chapter (it's in the first scene, I hope you recognise which part because it killed me)

Either way, even if I had trouble writing this chapter, I remember how much fun I had writing this in the summer, even if those feelings I had in the summer that drove this fic have since faded away. It's a wonderful feeling that I want to feel again. Even if those feelings might have changed over the course of several months, I put of a lot of myself into this. I had fun, I cried, I put myself through lots of emotional pain doing research for this, I cried again because I still can't handle Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari, I enjoyed my summer in my own way, I did so much research on Japan that I kinda wanna go to Minato Mirai now, I had doubts over whether I was too late to continue writing...I never expected that I'd EVER end up writing something novel-length to work through my own emotional issues, and I have plenty of my own regrets about the way I've written this story, and what I've written (I think the live was a bad idea tbh), but...I don't regret a thing! I've learned so much, and I'm glad people enjoyed it. A BIG thank you to those who followed it all the way, to those who commented and reviewed, and even those reading now. I doubt I'll find myself with both the time and inspiration to write another fic for a loooong time, so don't count on anything, but...it was fun! I'm kind of at a loss now. Writing more would be very exhausting, but I've built so much out of this fic, and there's so much unsaid about everyone, and so much I want to say and talk about, but...Until next time! (Which will probably be when I fix the errors I probably missed in this chapter hhh...)

(also, tell me if you find any errors! I wouldn't want the last chapter to ruin anything...I mean if worst comes to worst, pulling this chapter and reworking/splitting it is always an option)

The Starry Sky

-Introduction-

Unable to do anything else amongst the restless crowd, you look around for a sense of scale of the arena you stand in, and you see darkness, punctuated by an ever-present, undulating ocean of colours that climb the far walls at every edge of your vision, kingblades from others with the fortune and drive to have been selected in the lottery to attend. Purple, light blue, dark blue, orange, yellow, red, grey, pink and green wave and dance and flicker as freely amongst the crowd as birds of a feather as diffuse blue light shoots from the heavy spotlights above the stage at standing guard above the stage in the dark, around ten metres in front of you, and the ceiling is painted a dim blue, the darkness hiding a sense of anticipation. An encompassing roar from the unsynchronised calls, cheers and conversations in the crowd form on every tier; a forward wall of noise focused in the direction of the stage vying for the attention of performers who have yet to arrive as the cameras lie in wait for them from every angle like apex predators hiding from plain sight, waiting for their moment; the moment of the live, the thrill of the show as small screens to the side of the stage show a medley of old music videos, from START:DASH! to Music S.T.A.R.T! to Happy Maker! to SUNNY DAY SONG, memories of a simpler time playing over and over as an overview of µ's limited time as an idol group. Compared to the Tokyo Dome, the Tokyo Dome City Hall was more intimate and smaller, but warm - at least you've heard from the veteran idol followers attending.

"Oh, I think something's happening!" the fan next to you says as she leans in to make sure you're able to hear her, barely able to contain her anticipation. You can see her expression from the corner of your eye; she's smiling excitedly and waving her kingblade.

The faint lights started to darken, lowering slightly as white light gave way to pitch black, aligning with each other, and the crowd cheered only louder, waved kingblades more frantically still, knowing what came next. A white µ's logo appears on the large screen at the back of the stage against a black, engrossing background.

"µ's."

Comes Honoka's voice over the sound system, her soft, warm yet informative tone reverberating throughout the arena; you can tell just by her tone that she's grown so much since her time as a school idol. The crowd's roar dims to a murmur, then disperses to give way to rapt silence as some kingblades slow to a halt and others are lowered, paying close attention as blue dotted star projections ghost across the ceiling, looking exactly like the starry sky you'd see in a planetarium. Kotori's, older more matured, almost whisper-like voice comes next, as the video of Umi, Honoka and Kotori's first performance of Start:DASH! plays onscreen; the footage looks dated, especially on such a large screen. Audio from the video plays faintly, taking backseat to their voices, and everyone's kingblades turn grey; you change yours too, holding it up high.

"In the beginning, 13 years ago in 2011, there were only three of us in µ's. We were unsure of where we were going, but we knew we wanted to be school idols, to save our school from shutting down. Nobody came to our first performance, but we kept going. We couldn't give up."

The video fades into the PV for Someday of our Life, and Umi's calm, breezy yet strong voice speaks after Kotori, the experience in her voice speaking volumes. She sounds as mature as ever. The kingblades in the arena turn dark blue, lowering the light levels slightly.

"Four more members joined µ's, and we became seven. And so, we released another music video. µ's was still young, but we were popular within our school, and we gained increasing attention."

The video on the screens fades again, to the nine-member video for START:DASH!. It's still essentially amateur footage at this stage, giving the video another layer of charm as Eli's similarly experienced voice and light blue kingblades follow Umi, belying the optimism that had never left her over the years. She still has warmth in her voice, like it could be the teenage Eli speaking.

"Two more joined, and so µ's was born as the nine of us. After several more performances, we saved our school, and reached number 19 in the school idol rankings. µ's was climbing upwards, with nothing to stop our dreams."

The PV advances to Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE, and Nico's voice comes next; of everyone that had spoken so far, hers expressed the most growth, the most development, the childish note present in her teenage self gone. You hear some people comment that she sounds much more adult than she used to sound, and the crowd lights up pink like cherry blossoms in March.

"µ's reached even greater heights, even though we withdrew from the first Love Live. We became stronger, and we knew we had to push on, as three of the group would graduate at the end of the year, and so, we set out to compete in the second Love Live!"

Segue to the PV for Yume no Tobira, the footage looking much more professional than any video before; Hanayo speaks next, her soothing tone ever-present, drawing total silence from the crowd as they listened to every softly spoken word under the projection of a starry sky, switching out pink for green.

"It was difficult; there were two stages of qualifiers for the second Love Live, and we had some tough competition. We struggled under the pressure, but we overcame those problems together. We knew we had to win the second Love Live."

The dark blue lustre of Yume no Tobira gives way to the dreamy light blue and white of Snow halation, throwing bright white light further into the crowd, and Rin's voice bursts from the speakers, the spark from her youth still present, if not a little bit lower and minus her old speech quirk, a voice without a face somehow still expressing a smile; you feel energised hearing her speak, seeing the bright yellow of your kingblade amongst a sea of electric yellow. You hear a shrill voice in the crowd scream Rin's name.

"We made it to the second Love Live even though it was difficult, and we almost didn't make it...everybody was supporting us, and we knew we had to put on an amazing show!"

Snow halation's winter blue becomes Bokura wa Ima no Naka de's warm, familiar red, white and purple, bathing the crowd in warmer colours, and an entirely new Maki speaks, one who sounds like she has blossomed since the teenage years depicted in the video, her tone almost reminiscent as you and the crowd flare up red; she sounds like someone who grew up to become a well-adjusted, kind adult.

"We won the second Love Live, and we were overjoyed. Three members graduated the school we'd helped save, but we decided to disband."

Red, white and purple are joined by every other colour in the spectrum, the screens depicting vivid city scenes of night-time New York City, from the Angelic Angel video. Nozomi's voice comes last, her motherly tone conveying a sense of finality as the chronicle reaches late into µ's history, the crowd settling on royal purple. Her voice is a calming presence, and the crowd hushes once more to listen.

"Before we disbanded, we were sent to New York to promote Love Live. It was a success, and we disbanded as the school year ended, with no regrets."

Finally, the screens show the PV for Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari, and Honoka's voice returns.

"We performed one last time at the Third Love Live we helped create, before we ended activities for good, and we achieved our dream together. And now, one last time, we can spend today together with all of you!"

The stage opens up and a platform rises, shapes in the dark resting upon it. All nine of them can be heard, the chorus' tone marginally lower than what they used to sound like:

"We are µ's!"

-Yume no Tobira-

You focus your vision towards the stage to make out the shapes rising from the ground. In the dark, nine figures can be seen rising, a trio standing back-to-back surrounded by six figures. The starry sky on the ceiling dims as the white lights above the stage turn back on and faint blue lights warm up on the bottom edge of the stage, faintly outlining the figures and showing their outfits: blue ballet shoes, white thigh-high socks, flower crowns in their hair, and layers of translucent blue and purple frilly features over opaque armless white dresses and blue dresses.

Then, something almost magical happens; the blue and purple translucent frills of the dress light up like fireflies against a dark sky backdrop, like blue chochin lanterns on Obon, like twinkling blue stars across the bodies of µ's as they stand static, their faces illuminated by the light given off by their outfits; they're smiling, their eyes belying an unimaginable reserve of energy. You can hear scattered gasps and loud screams and cheers as they illuminate the dark backdrop, kingblades waving twice as fast; the woman next to you softly squeals. You see Honoka hold her arm in the air in the centre as she rises, their outfits glowing as brilliantly as any of the kingblades in the audience; the audience lights up their kingblades blue, knowing what's coming, and without you even paying attention to the quick colour switch you make, your kingblade is blue. The lights below and above the stage dim, and it begins...

The first chimes and the calm twinkling sound of the piano intro to Yume no Tobira starts, their outfits twinkling like nebulae in the night sky, forming nine constellations against the starry sky backdrop that lit up on the walls around the stage once again, stage lights burning orange now as you hear those familiar words...

"Yume no tobira..."

Honoka's dress lights up bright orange in the midst as she raises her arm to the heavens slowly before lowering it. The trio of Eli, Umi and Honoka rotates as the other six leads a circle of each other around the three like some unseen maypole dance, and Umi and Eli each take centre stage, raising their arms once again...

Then it begins, all at once: a cymbal crash, an upbeat guitar-driven intro, and the lower lights burn blue, bright, brighter still, while the upper lights flash like cannons of light heralding the start of the show, the large screen behind the arena showing a close-up of the nine, now in clear view, phosphorescent blue outfits turning to starlight white! The crowd screams, and everything is blue, waving, roaring, alive, like a neon ocean, and you are but a single, but important, drop. You adjust your eyes to the sudden change in light, feeling almost dizzy at how quickly things are moving along, and before you know it, kingblades are in the air, beacons pointing up to heaven. They move into formation as their arms move like clockwork, and they're together once more as Nico, Umi, Maki, Honoka and Kotori twirl towards the back row of idols - You look at their faces; genuine happiness, and the same intangible wave of emotion the crowd felt, nearly as bright as their outfits, their expressions never more alive, the spark of the moment, a fire brighter than any sun...

"Yes!" The song calms as the piano and guitar flow, letting them shine - the fire in their eyes doesn't disappear as the lights on the stage settle to a warm blue, as sure as the legacy left by their finished dream never truly disappeared - the screens behind them show close-up views of the live, and you see Nozomi's smiling face, flanked by Umi and Honoka, spotlights sweeping across the stage...

"Yes!" They change formation again, waving their arms from one side to the other as they take their new positions, bright blue, white and purple continuing to shine bright against the dark sky backdrop like stars, sorting into their subunits, the shock blue ocean of kingblades continuing to ripple; the camera focuses on Maki now, and Bibi gently settles to their knees as Lily White elegantly circles the stage, the spotlight focused on Printemps...

Their arms reach out towards you gracefully, as if to raise you up onto your feet, the delicate voices of Printemps a brief respite from the whirlwind rush that had taken you all aback; it feels as light as a feather on the breeze in the evening breeze of summer, like taking a breath after surfacing, and all nine of them raise them arms to the air as BiBi are raised back to their feet, moving back into position, their fists raised rhythmically into the air with the others; the gears of µ's move back into place as the music too picks up again, each kingblade counting the rhythm, their hands raising into the air on a high, their outfits heating up to thunderbolt white again:

Yume no tobira, the door to our dreams once a distant vision

The spotlights flicker blue, bathing everyone in this dream realised, the shadows of µ's flicker between hard and soft, jumping and twirling in the light;

Yume no tobira, the door to our dreams found long ago forever an open door

The ellipses of spotlights reaching across the venue illuminate the faces of the crowd, briefly blinding you as the stars on the stage burn white, complementing their shades of blue and purple;

This memory will last forever...

The spotlights flash and dazzle once more as the music nears its end in a blaze of glory - complex hand movements and twirls, moving across the stage to form the original circle the song started out with, and the song fades with the same chime heard at the beginning, µ's looking skyward, their hands linked in an unbroken circle.

The lights fade to black and the crowd screams louder, every kingblade becoming a blur. Someone behind you whistles loudly amongst the rising cheers and roars as the stage lights turn on, and you adjust your eyes to the sudden change in brightness. The nine members of µ's stand in a row on stage now, smiling; from left to right: Rin, Maki, Hanayo, Kotori, Honoka, Umi, Eli, Nozomi, Nico - all nine of them are breathing heavily, especially Nozomi, Eli and Maki, their skin glistening in the changing light.

=MC 1=

"Hello, everyone! Good afternoon It's been a while, hasn't it?" Honoka announces, smiling. The other eight of them exchange pleasant glances; Maki and Hanayo look over at Rin several times, and Nozomi and Eli smile at each other as if to say "This is fun, isn't it?", and Honoka and Maki check the other members several times over as the crowd cheers in response to the first question directed at them. The crowd is rainbow now, nine colours distributed randomly across the hall, waving intermittently in anticipation of the next line, Honoka again:

"1, 2, and..."

"We are µ's!" The nine of them say, in perfect sync, as the crowd cheers again. You almost can't take your eyes off the stage; it feels familiar to be seeing the nine of them on stage again, and yet unfamiliar to be seeing them all grown up. Hanayo, Honoka and Nico have long, flowing hair now, Nozomi has a single violet ponytail and Maki wears hers in a loose spiral bun with free strands falling down, but for the rest, their hairstyles are the same as they always were, if not a little longer - years of growth and change can't be hidden.

"Wow, it's been a long time since we came to Tokyo Dome City..." Hanayo says.

"The last time we were here was at the Tokyo Dome. Tokyo Dome City is so beautiful, especially in the spring and the summer!" Honoka adds, looking around the crowd with wonder as the large screen behind them on the stage shows her wonderstruck face, scanning the crowds. For a moment, you can feel her gaze.

"This place is a lot smaller than the Tokyo Dome, but wow...there's so many people...!" Kotori exclaims; the nine of them wave to the crowd, including you, surveying the hall.

"This live will be broadcasted too. Wave to the cameras!" Nozomi comments as the nine of them make their own individual full turns, the crowd cheering in response, members of the crowd waving back to them.

"Is it being streamed?" Honoka asks.

"Right now? It's August the 17th right now, but that won't be the date for people watching online." Nico replies.

The nine of them finish their revolutions and return to their straight-line formation, straightening their dresses.

"I'm Honoka Kousaka!" Honoka says, stepping forward, "And I hope you have fun today!"

The crowd roars, and the sea above your head becomes a fiery orange, waves passing across its surface.

"My name is Umi Sonoda, and I wish you a wonderful concert!"

Umi steps forward, in line with Honoka, and everything becomes dark blue, a colour more suited for the darkness.

"I'm Kotori Minami, and I love you all!"

Kotori steps forward, and white fills in the dark blue crowd, and suddenly the darkness beyond the crowd seems so far away...

"I'm Rin Hoshizora, and I hope you're loving summer!"

The crowd never stops cheering as Rin steps forward, and you barely notice as white almost fades to yellows.

"My name is Hanayo Koizumi, and I'm glad to be here!"

Yellow darkens again to green, and it's much more noticeable to you this time, a rich green.

"I'm Maki Nishikino. Glad to see you again."

Maki steps forward, and green becomes sharp crimson.

"I am Nozomi Tojo, and I hope you all feel the energy in here like I do!"

Nozomi steps forward, and purple seems just as deep as crimson, if not darker.

"I am Nico Yazawa, and I'm going to steal your heart!"

Purple gives way to bright pink, and Nico steps forward.

"My name is Eli Ayase, and we're going to have a wonderful time!"

The crowd cheers again as Eli steps forward, making way for a light blue sea; the nine idols bow, and the crowd cheers one last time.

"It's also nice to be in Tokyo for a change, too, especially after living in Sapporo for so long. It's so lovely in the summer!" Eli says, to which Hanayo nods in agreement. "We've had a very hot summer, haven't we?"

"We've even had the Bon Odori celebrations recently, which is always one of the best parts of the Japanese summer." Umi replies, to a small crowd reaction; "The Minato Mirai Bon Odori was only last night, too. Did any of you go...?"

Umi puts her hand to her forehead and searches for a reaction, to which she receives a mild, pleasant cheer.

"Watermelon, ramune, fireworks, peanuts and yukata...it's my favourite time of the year!" Rin says, agreeing as she looks over to Umi, nodding; Umi and Eli nod in agreement.

"Wait...did you say peanuts, Rin? I don't think that's a universal summer experience." Nozomi interjects. "Maybe it is for you?"

"Ah, I see, I see...I'm from Chiba-ken, which is famous for peanuts." Rin says, almost pondering on something.

"Well, that's still in Tokyo, isn't it? We still celebrate the summer in style." Nico says, posturing. "And doing a live in the Tokyo Dome City Hall is celebrating in style, even if only for a day. Have you enjoyed the summer so far? It gets really hot in August, too."

Nico's question is met with a generic roar of approval and waving of kingblades.

"When was our last performance? Was it the Tokyo Dome...? Wait, no...or was it in New York...?"

"You were right the first time, Honoka." Maki responds. "That would be our performance in the Tokyo Dome."

"But what about now?" Kotori says, looking over curiously.

"Well, for now..." Honoka interrupts as Kotori looks to her other side, over to Honoka, "We have the first song we ever wrote, when there are only three of us. Do you know which one that is?"

The crowd cheers; they know what Honoka refers to.

"Well, then...let's get to it!"

-Start:DASH!-

The lights dim to nothing again, and for another few seconds, there's a feeling of purgatory before the lights fade in.

The first few notes are instantly recognisable; broken chords, leading into a more complex piano intro...and then there's an explosion of light as everything comes to life - the stage lights, even µ's, glowing bright white;

"Hey, Start: DASH!"

You see the performance on the large screen behind them, and the small ones on the sides of the stage too, the stage lights tracing rays of rainbow through the audience, each kingblade moving back and forth in sync with the music;

"Hey, Start: DASH!"

The group disperses, their hands little birds rising into the air; Rin holds her hands to her heart -

They hold their hands to their hearts still as Eli sings, gesturing them outwards like a starburst;

Don't give up, that day will definitely come

Their hands spread outwards now, opening their hearts to you and the crowd;

The stage lights up purple; Nozomi follows Umi's line perfectly and the screen behind her shows a subtle wink that would have otherwise been unnoticeable as she tags in Maki;

Maki, too, opens her arms outwards to you all, a far cry from the prickly persona of old even in the red lightning; she holds a note as she keeps her arms open, the music slows -

The lights fade to a warm green as Hanayo sings, an ever-hopeful expression on her face during her time in the spotlight;

Green warms to pink as Nico carries the same hope in the spotlight, swaying from side to side;

Pink shifts to orange, and the spotlight focuses on Honoka now, and her voice is full of the same energy her body is as it continues to step from side to side, the spotlight hitting her like light from the heavens...

"START!"

The stage lights flash in anticipation, and in front of you is an energetic sight

With your blazing heart, you can definitely clear the way to the future

The feel of the feverish crowd, the sparkling rainbow stage lights that cut paths through the crowd -

The rising heat, the passion of everyone present and the sight of the idols on the screen;

It feels almost natural!

Only Honoka sings now, standing in an ethereal orange spotlight of her own, a single voice filling the hall as all eyes watch her every movement, her fingers tracing an upwards arc towards all of you, her arms outward;

An instrumental break follows, and the crowd besides you is the only thing you hear now, a blur of colour being thrust into the air rhythmically, the stage screen a dreamlike background of stars and circles and triangles and hearts, the stage lights white now, lazily wandering across the hall as the idols dance without a care, settling into a circle formation -

Only Eli faces the crowd now in the sky-blue light, almost beckoning you in -

Those with their backs turned on stage turn ninety degrees to the side as Maki continues in that familiar red-hued light;

In the centre of this circle, facing you now is Honoka as the circle around her raises their arms skyward and pulls down, reeling in their hopes and dreams, and circular projections flicker across the stage;

Accept this happiness and join with me

Cherry blossoms fall like snow onto the stage as the circle becomes a line, two lines, their formations shifting as they dance, moving from side to side again -

The two lines become one, split into two again and shift amongst each other before locking into two shimmering lines;

One final line of song, and the stage lights cycle between their signature colours in turn with each line;

"Hey, Start: DASH!"

"Hey, Start: DASH!"

The music comes to a stop, and the stage darkens as they, too, come to a stop...

-Dancing Stars on Me!-

The stage is dark, if only for a second; you hear a howl, and the sound of rusty gates creaking as fog engulfs the floor of the stage and a crescent moon descends. The stage lights turn on, and atmospheric purple reveals µ's, their feet obscured by the fog as if they were ghosts, their outfits faint blue and purple, lit up like spirits.

They stand with one arm raised to shoulder level, their fists in front of their necks, their eyes closed as they stand for the bells of the introduction...

A jump in the air as µ's cheer and dance outwards from their formation; the music finds life and you witness a shock of atmospheric purple lighting and flakes of confetti rain down upon the stage, slim white stage lights firing photon bursts as the crowd becomes royal purple, a dark atmosphere entering the hall.

It's a magical

A steady beat holds, and it's almost as if it's Halloween again, yellow-lit silhouettes of houses in the background; the crowd keeps pace as you watch the crowd of bodies jump and dance and wave with the beat;

Ghosts fade across the stage, and among the fog you still recognise dancing feet -

The formation shifts, and Hanayo emerges from Eli and Nico's outstretched hands;

It's a magical

Kotori, Umi and Maki take centre stage as six turn their backs, their hands waving across the dark night they stand in -

Fog creeps into the crowd, drawing you all further into this new spirit;

Dancing stars on me!

The screen grows darker again and blue streaks are traced down the crowd as Nozomi, Honoka and Rin stand in the centre, six dance circles around them,

A pulse of white light illuminates the stage!

They rotate like clockwork, the ghosts on stage leaving after images in the dim light;

A burst of confetti falls like blossoms!

The circle stops again and raises their arms to the air again, and the circle in the centre disperses, twirling outwards to form two lines, two lines that hold their hand to their hips and point outwards as night turns to day, the dim purple lights on stage becoming a noble white, and everything stops for a moment -

Let us dance even more, even more

The fog vanishes, the crescent moon disappears, and they touch each foot with their hands from side to side, an upward arc, and they raise each leg up to touch their feet with their hands delicately yet swiftly again, bright purple projections on stage turn to yellow and blue

Even as the fog has disappeared, the moon has vanished and the stage screen depicts daytime, the ocean of purple kingblades bathes you in a wonderful depiction of night, even still as the stage lights flash brilliant white;

Another scene appears onscreen, that of the street in the PV, the final scene

Let us dance even more, even more

Confetti falls again now onto this daytime stage, even more than before, and it doesn't stop falling - the white stage lights flash, and the stars on stage before you are radiant blue and purple as they dance even more -

A dance of circles leads the nine once again into a two-line formation and they stand, reaching their arms out and drawing in, as if to reel the crowd in as they turn to the side and lean backwards as one leg folds; it's a lively scene, and the rain doesn't stop, a step to the right, a step to the left, a clockwork circular motion with their arms, and a twirl; Kotori and Eli kneel as their dancing slows to a pose, and the confetti stops, the music fading out, the lights fading to black...

INTERMISSION

The silence of an empty dressing room was shattered as the door was flung wide open, the nine members of µ's pouring in, charging the room with energy as they almost skipped to the centre of the room, an atmosphere of chatter now present; Umi giggled as she placed herself besides Maki; she turned around and took Maki by the waist, drawing her in for a spirited yet unexpected kiss, her lips grasping Maki's for a single spontaneous moment.

"Oh, wow, you're in a good mood, aren't you?" Maki remarked, impressed, to which Umi giggled again.

"It's very different from the type of dance I'm used to, but it's great fun. I'm glad I still remember how to do this!"

A circle formed in the centre of the room as Nozomi closed the door behind her and took her place besides Eli. Most of them were smiling almost as much was physically allowed, some of them fidgeting or making idle motions on the spot as an outlet for their energy.

"So far, so good!" Honoka remarked, beaming.

"Maybe this was a good idea after all, Honoka." Nico commented. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

Honoka ruffled Nico's hair gently. "I'm glad!" She said, to which Nico half-heartedly swatted away Honoka's hand, prompting a giggle.

Kotori almost jumped in glee: "I'd almost forgotten how passionate the Akiba crowd can be!" she said, her eyes wide open with joy. "I've performed a few times in my café in Paris, but it's nothing compared to this..."

"Oh, my, I'd almost forgotten about my job..." Nozomi said, an air of calm confidence in her voice, "for all I know, some of my employees are here watching me perform. I hope I'm not setting a bad example."

"I don't regret a single thing about this." Eli replied. "I'm glad I finally got to dance again."

Nico turned her gaze to Eli: "Hey, Eli, have you seen the news? Apparently we're #1 in the idol rankings for some reason. I'm not sure how or why, but we're there."

"I saw it last night! I showed Honoka. I don't think we should be there, personally, but if they're happy, I'm happy."

"I suppose we're just plain old idols now." Hanayo said. "That's what A-RISE did, and they wanted us to continue anyway."

"I can't believe they're still going." Nico replied.

"Speak for yourself, Nico. We're performing. Today." Came Maki, a knowing, almost teasing smile on her face.

"Aw, Maki. You know it's for one day..." Nico said, devolving into laughter with Maki as she put her hands to her mouth, and Maki sighed contentedly. "It's a nice change of pace, at least." Maki remarked.

"How's everyone doing with their personas, as far as changes of pace go?" Nozomi asked, surveying the circle, to which she received mixed to good responses.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, responding to Eli's 'so-so' head sway.

"I know we practiced it a little, but I'm not really bothering with it that much. When we were younger, our personas were mostly just ourselves," she replied, nodding at Nico, who simply smiled quietly, "so I came to the conclusion that our personas now would still be just ourselves."

"It just kind of comes naturally, I suppose." Maki interjected, gesturing with her hands; "We spent a long time making it feel natural. My persona used to be the reserved, prickly girl, but I don't want to be that person any more, so I'm just myself."

"I think...I think it's hardest for me." Rin murmured; the room went quiet and all eyes were on Rin. "I was the genki girl, with Honoka. But I'm a little more reserved, and it takes so much energy to be like that nowadays."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Rin." Nozomi said, her assurance cutting through the tension immediately, "You did just fine up on stage!"

Hanayo put her hand on Rin's shoulder.

"You were very energetic up there."

Rin beamed, and animation returned to her stance.

"Thanks, Kayochin! You always know what to say..."

"I'm glad, Rin. Now, come on, you need to keep up that energy. We both do, at least, so let's go eat."

=Lily White MC=

Later on...

The white lights above the stage brighten again as kingblades are withdrawn and raised into the air again, drawing the crowd partially, but not fully, out of the trance put upon it, focusing all eyes towards the trio in the centre - though you are unable to hear what they're saying over the din of the crowd, and you crane your neck to see the idols over the waving arms ahead of you. Nozomi looks to Umi and says something you cannot hear or even lipread, to which Umi replies which a gentle nod and a single line which you are also unable to make out. You look over to Rin, who simply appears to be surveying the crowd with what almost seems like wonder on her face in the revealing light of the stage as the crowd continues to cheer and you feel that familiar concert haze rising again. Rin puts her hands together as if to address a classroom, and the noise subsides.

"Hello, Tokyo Dome City Hall, and thank you!" She says, to which the crowd responds with a cheer; you can hear the woman next to you cheering too as she raises a yellow kingblade into the air, lost in the excitement of the concert still. Rin, Umi and Nozomi synchronise their stances and move their hands across the air as if drawing something on some unseen canvas, ending on a head tilt and a stylish pose:

"We are Lily White!" They announce.

"I'm sad it's not spring. I wanted to do Shunjou Romantic next..." Nozomi says, breaking the ice.

"We still have plenty of other songs to do though, don't we?" Umi replies.

"It's...it's a very, very hot summer day though!" Rin says. "I hope you all stay hydrated in the summer heat!"

The crowd cheers again, milder this time, even if many of them likely will not heed her advice. The large screen behind them shows Rin's smiling face.

"So, uhm...wow, it's been a while, ehehe...hmm..."

"It's nice that we're all together again. Ehe..."

Rin pauses again to catch her breath, and clears her throat, delicately touching her heart with her fingers; she speaks quickly.

She takes a breath: "So, I was thinking on the way here...I'm...I'm so glad to be here with all of you, in the w-warm Tokyo summer."

She pauses again, and breathes in once more.

"Ah...wow, the crowd looks so pretty...so, uhm..."

Nozomi and Umi take a step towards Rin, and each place their hands on her shoulder and back respectively, whispering something into her ear. You don't hear or see what they say once again, but you hear murmurs among the crowd.

"What's happening?" The man on your left asks you.

"Maybe she's just nervous." The woman to your right replies, kingblade in hand. You see a few kingblades in the crowd tentatively snap to yellow.

"So, as I was saying, I'm glad to be here!" Rin continues. "The thrill of the show, the feel of the stage...being here with you!"

The crowd cheers rapturously now, a forest of mostly neon yellow partially obscuring your view.

"Ah, so...uhm..."

Rin stops again, and this time you can hear her breathing audibly over the sound system. You continue to focus on her; Nozomi squeezes her shoulder and Umi rubs her upper back supportively, and Rin simply looks down and continues to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, let me just..."

She cups her mouth to her hands and fixes her hair, clearing her throat, sniffling and readjusting her stance.

She fixes her stance again and straightens her outfit.

"I'm sorry..." She repeats again as she shakes her head, to the concern of the crowd as Nozomi and Umi lean in to talk to her again, her breathing very much noticeable.

Rin takes a few moments and takes a few deep breaths in, fanning her face with her hands. The screen behind her at the back of the stage pans out to show all of lily white now.

She looks down again, sniffles, and puts her hands back to her face.

"I'm sorry..."

RIN HOSHIZORA

"I'm sorry..." Rin repeated once more, the harsh stage lights unforgiving now. The entire crowd was yellow in support now but even in the face of this crowd's worth of support, all Rin saw was darkness, and all she heard was her own heartbeat, her own blood through her body.

"Let j-let me just..."

Rin's breathing became heavy and shaky, and her mouth became dry; it tasted like failure to her as her next attempt to clear her throat made her painfully aware of the feeling in the back of it. The crowd's best efforts to support Rin with a lightning-coloured display were noticed, but not understood properly as words of support poured out from the darkness, from crowd members hoping they would be heard, from the two women beside her.

Nozomi and Umi put their hands to their ears and looked down, listening to their earpieces, and the crowd's support fell on deaf ears. Rin covered her face entirely with her hands and shook her head twice more - no more sound came from the speakers, the microphones cut off. Nozomi tried to turn Rin towards her, but Rin backed away, shaking her head insistently. She continued to back away towards the back of the stage, desperate to escape both failure and danger.

"Rin...you can do this." Umi assured. Nozomi smiled and nodded in agreement, reaching out her hand.

"I can't, Umi...I, I-I have to leave. I can't be here. Someth...something's wrong. I can feel it, something's wrong with - my heart hurts, my throat hurts, everything's wrong!"

Rin backed away three more steps towards the exit before she turned around and bolted offstage.

"Rin! Come back!" She heard Umi call behind her.

It was too late; Rin was gone.

Harsh white lights, the transition of the noise of the crowd to a foreboding silence, the air sterile in the summer heat.

The clattering of panicked footsteps echoing through the backstage corridors of the Tokyo Dome City Hall dulled to heavy, irregular heel clacking, but the laboured breathing didn't subside, nor did the shaking, the foreboding sense of death, or the sobbing, the unending sobbing...

Rin wasn't sure where she was, or where she was going, or where she'd been. Why couldn't she see properly? Why wasn't her vision working, or her heart, or her head, or her senses, or even herself?

Her vision seemed blurry, like something that should have corrected itself, but didn't. Rin tried her best to stop the shaking, to make her muscles obey her.

They did not obey. She still felt like she was shaking all over, but couldn't really be sure as she couldn't feel anything any more; her hand, her face, her neck, all numb.

Why wasn't she standing up straight anymore? She wanted to either scream or be sick, and felt like both were going to happen at once. The feeling stuck in her throat felt wrong, and she wanted it gone, but wishing it away proved hopeless, and so it remained.

"I'm going to die...", she thought. "It's coming for me. I'm going to die right here."

"I'm shutting down."

Rin pawed at the wall and righted herself, struggling to make her unsteady legs and lungs co-operate, and righted herself with one last burst of energy in a desperate attempt to escape the prying eyes that were surely following her.

"Hanayo, what is she doing?" Honoka exclaimed, her eyes intently watching Rin's last position on the live feed on her laptop.

"I-I'm not sure, Honoka..."

"What do you mean you don't know, Hanayo?! Surely you know everything there is to know about her?!"

"Honoka, don't shout, please."

"I think Honoka just wants to know what's making Rin so nervous..."

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen her like this since university, Kotori."

"She's left Umi and Nozomi there on stage!"

"Honoka, please! For goodness' sake, lower your voice!"

"I just don't know what they're going to do..."

"Tell them to stay there. I'm going to go and search for her. If you need help, ask Nico, Eli or Maki."

"I'm coming with you too, Hanayo!"

"Actually, I think it's better if Kotori comes with me and you sit tight on that sofa. You seem agitated, and I wouldn't want Rin picking up on that. I'm sorry, Honoka. Don't take it personally. I just want to make sure she calms down, whatever's happening."

Honoka nodded and beamed in response, and relaxed her shoulders, slumping slightly as her expression returned to her resting smile, a poker face perhaps. Kotori looked between Hanayo and Honoka nervously before gently raising herself from the corner sofa, sympathetically meeting Honoka's eyes, as if to assure her that no offence was intended. She was unable to determine Honoka's response before Honoka beamed again politely and returned her gaze to the screen.

Hanayo walked as far as the door and held it open for Kotori before breaking into a run down the corridor outside, catching Kotori off-guard as she matched Hanayo's pace a second later.

"Hanayo, wait for me!" Kotori shouted ahead of her, though Hanayo only slowed down a little as they started their panicked run through the seemingly clinically white-lit corridors of Tokyo Dome City Hall's backstage. It was just as unfamiliar to Kotori as it was to Hanayo; Hanayo herself was unsure of where she was headed as she led Kotori blindly past countless unfamiliar doors, any of which could have contained Rin, but she knew that Rin didn't know where she was going either. It was flawed logic, to be sure, but it was her only hope as someone who knew Rin better than anyone else in the world. Kotori kept up for the most part, her sickness from days previous showing no signs of itself, though fear started to set in instead, fear of what may have happened to Rin as Kotori's heart overclocked itself twice over and her lungs failed to keep up, the emotional strain of the situation taxing her body already - she could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, and she didn't like it.

Hanayo stopped just outside the exit to the MEETS PORT reception and turned around, distraught. "Did you see her, Kotori?" She said, her body rising and falling as she took deep breaths in an attempt to put herself to rest. In the distance was the drone of fans in the lobby, mostly unaware of what had taken place.

"I'm sorry, Hanayo, I didn't...I didn't hear her either."

"Oh, this is bad..."

"Shall we walk back? Maybe we'll find her on the way." Kotori said as she smiled at Hanayo, making the best attempt she could to melt Hanayo's worries away with charm. Hanayo knew this method all too well, and relaxed her expression.

"That sounds like a great idea, Kotori. Maybe we'll be able to hear her a little better without the sound of us running through the corridors."

And with this, Kotori put her hand on Hanayo's back and ushered her back in the direction they came from, their footfalls tiny, if not uneven, clicks against the floor now.

"I'm a little lost, to be honest..."

"Don't worry, Kotori, it doesn't matter. We're not lost if we find Rin."

A silent agreement formed between the both of them to cease talking. Their focus was mostly in their hearing now; it was mostly background noise, be it the electric buzzing of the lights on the ceiling, the faint whisper of the crowd in the lobby, or the distant, indistinguishable noise of the crowd in the concert hall.

Tension rose once again as they approached their dressing room without hearing any sign of Rin, though that tension was broken at a junction when Kotori gently put her hand on Hanayo's shoulder, stopping Hanayo in her tracks as Kotori raised a finger; "I think I hear her." Kotori whispered.

Hanayo did not speak, but moved her ear towards the door as Kotori did. They heard muffled sobbing, irregular and punctuated by gasps that sounded almost pained, likely on the far side of the room.

"What do we do?" Kotori whispered.

"She hasn't been like this for a long time...Not since just before she dropped out of university." Hanayo whispered back, her eyes darting between Kotori and the door.

"What do you mean, Hanayo?"

"Rin has a history of taking on more than she can handle...sometimes she doesn't take care of herself. I try to help her, but I can't always stop her from making hasty decisions."

"Ah...I know what you mean. I spent the whole day with her at the arcade, and she just couldn't get enough of Akihabara. Nico had to tell her to slow down."

"...Yes, exactly."

"Anyway, uhm...I'll let you talk with Rin alone. I wouldn't want to be a burden, so I'll be outside, if you need me. Please tell me if Rin's okay!"

"I will." Hanayo replied.

Kotori watched Hanayo open the door, and close it behind her. She didn't catch any glimpse of Rin, and so simply hoped for her safety.

Hanayo found Rin on the floor of the unused dressing room, propped up against the corner sofa on the far-right corner, sitting on her side with one hand on her stomach. There was a look of fear in her eyes, though her gaze seemed out of focus, lost in her own thoughts.

Hanayo strolled towards Rin, her footsteps barely audible now, and sat on the floor beside Rin, keeping a few inches between them to be sure. "May I touch you, Rin?" She asked, pre-emptively moving in for a comforting hug.

"NO!"

The sheer ferocity and unexpectedness of the sound of Rin screaming at her jolted Hanayo, but yet...Rin didn't seem angry. The intensity of that single roar died to a whimper as Rin continued sobbing, her eyes back on the ground.

"Please...just hold my hand."

Hanayo nervously took Rin's hand, terrified of another outburst. No such outburst came from Rin as Hanayo held her hand; it was warm, if not a little cooler than it should be, and covered in sweat, but shaking slightly. Rin continued to sob pitifully, her eyes lifeless and red-ringed against the pale background of her face. Hanayo joined their fingers together, though Rin didn't seem to notice.

"What's happened to me, Kayochin? What's...what's happening to me? I, I..." Rin got as far as the first trembling word of another sentence before being interrupted by another wave of faint, gasping sobs, sniffles and whines, the only sounds in an otherwise silent environment as Rin continued to stare at the floor, broken.

"I can't go back out there, I can't, I can't! I-I let-I let-I've dis..." Rin's sentence went unfinished. Hanayo could see that she was still shaking. Hanayo shuffled a little closer and squeezed Rin's sweat-drenched hand gently.

"Take your time, Rin. There's no rush."

Moments passed as Rin remained silent, taking deep breaths in, her hands trembling in Hanayo's grasp, her overheated body slowly cooling as she tried her best to return to reality, to little effect. Moments turned to minutes as Hanayo shifted her gaze every so often in a show of kind patience.

Her first words came out minutes later: "I've...I've let everyone down...I've...my heart..."

Rin took a deep breath in, and finally managed a full sentence.

"I used to be so confident. What's happened to me, Kayochin?" She continued. She was still shaking and breathing heavily, and her voice were as if she was about to be sick.

"I'm here for you, Rin. Don't worry." Hanayo said, afraid of a misstep. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Rin didn't respond, but instead whimpered, though she did not make any effort to get up, which Hanayo interpreted as a no.

Minutes more of silence followed as Rin returned to her pattern of heavy breathing, sniffling, shaking, and ineffective attempts to gain composure. Hanayo continued to wait, perfectly content to sit there until interrupted.

"I used to be so confident, Hanayo." Rin remarked, breaking the silence, though not breaking her fixation on the floor. She sniffled again, and her breathing was, for the most part, inaudible, though Hanayo still felt occasional trembles in her now limp hand.

"I was the student council president. I made it to university. I was even the leader of µ's for a bit." She continued, still distraught.

Hanayo remained silent for a moment, wondering if it was okay to talk to Rin yet.

"Rin...you have to take care of yourself, sometimes. It doesn't matter where you are in life, you have to take care of yourself first."

Rin did not respond to Hanayo.

"I'm not what I used to be, Kayochin. I can't do this again. I can't."

"That's okay, Rin", Hanayo said, "Nobody's going to make you do this again. Not me, not Honoka, not your parents, nobody. I'm here for you."

Rin nodded slightly in response. "I'm sorry, Kayochin, but I can't go back up there right now. Is that okay?"

"That's perfectly fine, Rin. Are you okay to go back to the dressing room?"

Rin paused, her eyes finally leaving the floor, turning her head to train them on Hanayo. "Only the dressing room. Please."

When Hanayo and Rin left the empty dressing room, Kotori was waiting outside - and Eli, and Nico, and Honoka and Maki, and Umi and Nozomi.

They were met with an uncomfortable silence as Hanayo processed the unexpected excess of people, and looked at Rin out of the corner of her eye, standing partially between her and the group that had formed: Rin's expression was somewhat ambivalent, burnt out even.

"...I'm sorry, Umi. Nozomi." Rin murmured, barely making eye contact.

"Rin..." Umi began. "Don't worry about it. We understand what happened, and we don't think any less of you."

Umi's expression warmed to optimistically hopeful, belying her own brand of exhaustion.

"The lily white subunit corner went along just fine." Nozomi added. "It's happened to plenty of other people and nobody ever thought any less of them. We won't pressure you to come back on stage, so you can take it easy and sit backstage."

"Um, actually...could I join you for the last song?" Rin said, prompting some glances of surprise.

"Only if you're absolutely sure, Rin." Eli assured. "You have to be ready if you want to join us for the final part."

"Maybe you should dress up anyway, just to be sure." Nico added. "Be sure to take it easy for me, okay?"

Reverie

µ's dressing room

A voice came from Rin's earpiece as she watched Nico putting her hand to her ear live on stream, catching her breath after the end of the last song: "Hey, how's it going, Rin? How's it going with Hanayo?"

"I think I'm okay now, Nico! I'm all dressed, too."

"I'll see you on stage! You're gonna look amazing, okay? Knock 'em dead for me."

"Give it a twirl, Rin! Not too hard, though." Hanayo spoke, encouraging Rin as best she could.

Rin twirled, and the skirt on her dress fluttered slightly - white sleeves running the length of her arms, a pink and white dress; the top half is white, though from the waist down, pink segments with white frills overlap each other delicately with deep pink bows attached at the colour transition, as if to hold something in place, with a single cream yellow rose lower down holding another arc of pink fabric; her shoes were snow white with two small pink bows and upon her head, a pure white headband with a shocking pink hibiscus flower. It was a beautiful, velvet white, a pure white, paired with a hopeful yet mature light pink.

Hanayo brushed off Rin's dress for her and moved forward to adjust several parts; "Oh, you have to see my favourite part of it! Let me just...there!"

Hanayo stood back, and showed Rin to the mirror; beneath the white of her outfit, beneath the frills, beneath the skirt, was a faint luminescence, though fainter than their previous costumes, a light that almost wanted to be free.

"This is it?" Rin asked, puzzled.

"You know that isn't it, Rin." Hanayo said, taking Rin's hand. "Now, come on. It's almost time. Let's get back on stage."

-Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari-

The lights fade to total darkness now, and the crowd becomes nervous. You still hear cheers and screams, but there's a tension in the air - everyone knows it's the end. The only thing you see now are the spectrum of kingblades being vigorously waved in every direction.

Gradually, the starry sky from the beginning returns, a rich blue spilling across the stage and the ceiling, dotting them with tiny crystalline stars, and ephemeral circular white projections saunter across the floor of the stage. You hear the noise of the crowd, yet...without the nine of them speaking, it almost feels like a silence, or even a liminal space, a gap in time as the noise of the crowd seems to become increasingly muted. You can see silhouettes on stage huddled in a circle, but they're unmoving, barely visible.

This silence seems to last forever as the crowd begins to hush, lowering their kingblades as the rainbow-tinted ocean grows still, parts of it disappears like stars fading from the sky at sunrise, and the tension builds without limit as you keep your eyes on the seemingly motionless shadows in the middle of the stage.

"One!" You hear a voice say over the sound system, echoing throughout the room.

"Two" Another voice says.

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Ten!" The crowd adds.

"µ's Music Start!" You hear all nine members yell as faint blue stage lights flood the stage, stars drifting over all in the Tokyo Dome City Hall, a galaxy in itself. Everyone knows it's the end and not the start, but it still feels so right to hear; you see more yellow than usual in the crowd, no doubt due to Rin's return.

You hear those chimes, and you know it's begun; on the vast screen at the back of the stage, the PV for Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari fades in, that dreamy, starry background drawing you in as bubbles drift slowly across the stage and through the hall, and the outfits of µ's faintly glow faintly, as if you see their hearts - a dull but hopeful white.

The music begins and their outfits burn bright, an explosion of hues against the starry sky and the circle moves outwards, dancing with their arms outstretched, smiling as if it truly were their last show - and it was, and the circle inverts as each member crosses over to the opposite side;

"Ah! It began with a subtle premonition...";

Honoka's arm raises upwards towards you, the stage lights fading to orange

Ah! Like a starry sky, hope never truly fades;

Nozomi and Rin finish each other's line perfectly, white light illuminating their brilliant smiles

A flower may wither in the winter, but like your smile, it will return;

Nico and Hanayo finish each other's line just as perfectly as Eli and Umi wave to the crowd;

The circle of idols reaches out to the crowd, the crowd cheers again, and it's almost as if the nine in front of you have forgotten it's the end.

Together, they dance, a moving circle, and even if intangible, their shared connection remains;

The circle moves around still, the crowd's roar barely registering below their voices, purple, light blue, yellow, green, deep blue, orange, grey, pink and red moving like clockwork, reaching towards you as they pass by as together they form a rainbow whirl...

We are a single light;

They raise their arms upwards to the starry sky again...

Even the little bird must leave the nest someday;

They sing loud enough for the world to hear now and burst of colour comes forth from their outfits as the crowd screams now, their kingblades lighting up grey

But even so, it may return;

It almost feels like goodbye, but their outfits shimmer still

There may be an ocean between us, but no distance will keep us apart forever;

The screen behind shows Umi's carefree smile against a dreamlike blue sky, mirrored by a deep blue kingblade ocean in the crowd, which shifts to crimson

Would you like to turn back time?

No, no, no, this moment is the greatest...

The music sounds almost carefree now, without regret; there are no words needed as the circle continues, waving off the crowd as the final song draws closer to its end - the circle inverts multiple times, and each stage light is a different colour. You're still bathed in star projections, and the hall in galaxy blue. You can feel the body heat of everyone rising in the hall, if only for a moment, but that's the experience. Your eyes are still fixed firmly on stage; they're waving to you again as members of the circle move in, hold hands, move out like a gear in some unseen clock...

The screen behind them shows their discarded training clothes on the grass, as shown in the original PV so many years ago, the day of the end of µ's;

Nico appears to limp slightly, but she fights through it, and her face shows tears on, but she fights through them still, making them tears of joy;

We made it here it here chasing the light;

They wave again, lowering their hands, raising them again; it's almost the end, but all good things must come to an end

We won't say farewell, we'll meet again, won't you call me?

The dim, starry skies in the hall, the spectrum of kingblades that look as if they were white light split through a spectrum, almost feel like the end of a memorable dream;

The nine of them form a line, and step in circles, a step, another step forward, and make a turn before forming another circle, raising their hands together;

Even the little bird must leave the nest someday;

Rin supports Nico with an arm over her shoulder, bringing µ's into a circle

But even so, it may return;

A twirl outwards, and the skirts of their outfits transform into vibrant-hued cascades of their signature colours, blue, pink, orange, green, yellow, purple, red and grey in an instant, and you hear the crowd scream one last time, the smooth white glow on their outfits shining rainbow amongst the stars on an orange-lit stage, the faint light from beneath their outfits a radiant white glow

There may be an ocean between us, but our hearts will forever be connected;

Bubbles begin to drift across the stage, blown by an unseen breeze, sparkling, shifting through the colours you see before you;

A memory trapped in a painting can be painful, but we'll cherish those memories together

It's the end now, and the crowd reaches fever pitch, inspired by the change in colours, and the static you hear once again becomes the sound of a cheering crowd;

Would you like to turn back time?

No, no, no, this moment is the greatest!

After all, after all, this moment is the greatest!

Ah! Even the faintest of dreams can change everything

Ah! We've come this far chasing our dreams...

Fall

Late Sunday afternoon.

Dried tears, headaches, aching muscles and inactive costumes undercut a tense silence as the former members of µ's filed into the dressing room, exhaustion an emotion shared even as they took seats on the makeup counter, the chairs at the counter, the corner sofa, and Rin lowered both herself and Nico onto the beanbag nearby; the only sounds coming from anyone were the unsynchronised clicks of dress shoes against the floor and the shuffling of dresses. The lights seemed dim compared to those of the stage now, and the air wasn't any better either.

"Wow, what a show that was! I could almost do that all over again!" Honoka said, her airy exclamation shattering the silence, an unbreakable smile still on her face, her stage persona inseparable from her true personality.

"Honoka, we're all tired. Please, just quiet down." Umi said as she distractedly observed herself in the mirror, hushing Honoka with a firm yet breezy tone. Honoka simply stared at Umi, puzzled - as if exhaustion was a foreign concept to her, her mind still racing from the thrill of performing once again.

"Did...did it really go that badly for you all?" Honoka asked.

Umi turned around and focused her gaze onto Honoka fully now, and narrowed her eyes in irritation, a glance becoming a glare.

"Did it go that badly? I almost lost my father today. Rin had a panic attack and Hanayo had to comfort her. Nico's injured her ankle, and we're all at our limit. I would call that going badly, Honoka."

"I'm sorry, Umi, I-"

"Are you, Honoka? All of this has happened because of your selfish desire to live in the past! You pretended that you didn't see this concert coming, but really, I think you had this planned all along. You didn't even care about whether we wanted to relive old memories once again, because you were going to drag us all along with you regardless. You haven't changed at all, Honoka. You don't think about anyone but yourself! Now, please. Leave me alone."

Umi turned away, and Honoka did not reply, instead staring, dumbfounded, processing the fact that everything Umi had said was in fact directed at her. She didn't much like her name being used against her, and yet...she was barely registering what had just been said about her as the adrenaline wore off and the gears of her mind slowed, her attention brought plummeting back down to earth.

"Umi, you're shouting again...don't you think you're being a little harsh on Honoka?" Kotori said.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Kotori, but not now." Umi replied, her eyes still forcefully fixed on her own hair.

"Umi...maybe it's a little unfair to say that. I can't speak for everyone else, but I at least wanted to do this." A voice said from even further away, a chair that had been moved metres away from the counter. Umi didn't see it, but Rin nodded in agreement, too exhausted and afraid of being caught in the crossfire to voice her concerns.

"Maybe so, but that isn't the case for everyone else, Eli."

"Umi, please listen to me...all I wanted was to reconnect." Honoka said, almost pleading as she reached out to touch Umi's shoulder.

"I don't want to hear it!" Umi snapped, her head jerking back towards Honoka, though her back still faced everyone. Honoka reflexively pulled her hand away in shock as if she'd touched the surface of a stove with her bare hands, staring wide-eyed at Umi.

"Because of you, Rin's in the worst place she's been in for years. Maybe you should have thought about what this could have done to us all before you made us chase your unfinished dream. Now, please, leave me alone."

Umi looked once again at her hair and absentmindedly fiddled with it in an attempt to look occupied, forcing a distraction on herself.

A hand once again reached out towards Umi's shoulder, and as it gently made contact with Umi's shoulder, she spun round with an unprecedented ferocity as her sharp nails pressed into the hand and ripped it from her shoulder.

"I said leave me alone!"

There was no response; Umi immediately came to regret what she'd done when she saw the woman standing in front of her as she turned around, the owner of the hand she'd viciously torn away.

"Maki..."

Maki's eyes were wide open, yet somehow blank, and she didn't reply or even move, clutching her fingers delicately as she stared in disbelief, her stance stiff and awkward, her mouth ajar at someone she thought was her lover, someone who had hurt her before she had even spent the night in her arms. Silence dominated as the other four turned to see the source of the unexpected outburst. Seconds passed, motionless; an overwhelming sense of gravity formed between Umi and Maki, like a black hole.

Time resumed slowly as Maki took several slow steps backwards, towards the door, her right hand still cradling her left.

"Maki, I'm sorry."

Maki didn't respond or even acknowledge Umi's plea.

"Maki, please!" Umi breathed as Maki's eyes made contact with Umi's once more before closing her mouth and turning away, making a silent exit. Umi couldn't see if she'd drawn blood, and only saw Maki's face for a moment, but she'd seen enough; she knew that through the shock, through the distance, through the exhaustion, she'd seen betrayal. Umi attempted to give chase with an urgent stride, but found herself stopped in her tracks by Nozomi's outstretched arm.

"Let her go, Umi. You need to calm down yourself first."

Umi sighed in shame and worry, red haze lifting from her thoughts.

The sharp sound of a vibrating phone on a hard surface diverted Nozomi and Umi's attention; it was Honoka's phone, continuing to vibrate on the counter. Umi scanned the room for its owner, but to no avail.

"Where's Honoka?" Umi asked.

"She left as well." Nozomi replied.

The phone continued to produce a shrill noise as it received notification after notification; driven by equal parts annoyance and curiosity, Nozomi, Eli and Umi converged towards the device, looking at the excerpts of notifications on the screen.

"Yukiho:

I'm sorry. I didn't know anything about what you were doing and it wasn't my place to judge y..."

After 10 seconds came another buzz.

"Yukiho:

Mom supported you, and so did Dad. I should have done the same, even before I knew wh..."

The phone vibrated again after a 15 second wait.

"Yukiho:

I was wrong to talk to you like that. When you come home, I've made something to say sorry. P..."

The trio stared at the device for a full minute; no more notifications came. Yukiho's explanation was done.

Umi, Nozomi and Eli shared glances, though Nozomi and Eli looked more at Umi than each other, searching for something. They saw what they hoped for: realisation, realisation that regardless of her point, Umi had in fact been too harsh.

"I'm a monster." Umi murmured, taking a step back and placing her hands over her mouth. "Honoka was happy, and I was rude, and bossy, and vicious to her. Now look what I've done! I've driven Maki away already!"

"Ugh, I have such a headache...calm down, Umi." Nozomi said. "I'm sure everything will work out."

"How can I be sure everything will work out?! Look what I've done!" Umi said, panic setting in.

Nozomi and Eli glanced at each other, to which they both simply nodded.

Eli moved towards Umi, her posture relaxed, and Nozomi left the room with the same cool, outgoing strut.

Unknown dressing room

Nozomi found Maki sitting on a chair at the counter in an empty dressing room; it wasn't difficult to find, given that she'd left the door ajar. Nozomi closed the door behind her with a tiny click, and the outside world ceased to exist.

"Hey, Maki. Just checking in to make sure you're fine." Nozomi said, ambling across the room towards Maki.

A distracted "Mhm" was all that came from Maki.
"Even if you are, it wouldn't hurt to chat, would it?" Nozomi said, taking another chair from under the counter and placing herself besides Maki, resting her arms casually on the counter and turning her head to her right, where Maki looked down, unfocused.

"Heh, yeah...I suppose so..." Maki replied. Nozomi smiled, and tilted her head sympathetically.

"Being in a relationship isn't easy, Maki. Don't worry about it."

Maki sighed. "I suppose, but...honestly? I don't think it's working out."

Nozomi's composure broke, and she stared at Maki, sympathetically wide-eyed.

Maki continued: "I don't know when I'll do it, but..."

Exhale.

"...I...I'm thinking of breaking up with her today."

Nozomi's mouth opened, ajar.

"Maki..."

Maki's eyes never left the counter as she kept talking, laying out what she believed to be a solid argument.

"It doesn't feel the same as it did 5 years ago, or even before that. Maybe we were meant to be together then. But not anymore."

Nozomi shook her head in concern that hid anxiety and panic - the feeling that she was watching everything fall apart before her eyes.

"How can you know, Maki? You've been together only days, and even then, you haven't had much chance to be alone together to see if the spark is still there. Do you remember how you felt last night, at Minato Mirai? We could all tell there was something between you before either of you told us."

"It was a festival, Nozomi...of course it would seem that way. I was careless, and caught up in the festival spirit."

"Oh, I'm not talking about the festival," Nozomi countered, faint desperation underlining her words as she moved her hand towards Maki's in support, "It's much more than that; how you stayed up late talking with her in your living room, how you spent most of Thursday together, how you even went to Akiba together with her and Eli. Do you think Eli and I got married right away, or even entered a relationship right away? You watched us both spend years dancing around our feelings for each other, and that's how it was between us until Eli confessed for good. And even then, that wasn't the first confession between us. It was a convoluted dance between the two of us, where neither of us wanted to get any closer, yet neither of us wanted to get any further away. Do you know what I'm talking about, Maki? How you spent all those years pining after her?"

Maki's fixation on the counter finally broke as she turned her head to face Nozomi.

"Don't act so shocked." Nozomi remarked. "You already told me yourself. Maybe not in those words, but you told me enough. So? Do you remember that feeling?"

Maki's head didn't turn away fully, but her eyes did. "I do, but...she's been so distant. I've barely had any time with her."

"Before I met you, Eli was the same." Nozomi replied. "If you remember what I told you long ago, I was so afraid of talking to her before we first met in first year at Otonokizaka. She intimidated me so much...I was...so afraid to talk to her. She was so lonely..."

Nozomi was the first to turn her attention away as she swallowed and bowed her head; her eyes wavered a little as her gaze defocused, reliving memories unknown to Maki.

"Are you okay, Nozomi?"

"I...I'm fine, Maki." Nozomi said, returning her focus to Maki.

For the most part, Nozomi's composure returned, though desperation still remained, and she continued: "My point is that she seemed distant when we first met, but she had a lot on her plate. She was so depressed up until shortly after she met Honoka and the rest of you, and I felt powerless to help her for the first two years at Otonokizaka. But gradually, as we learnt about each other, she opened up to me about her problems. I think that if you're there for Umi, especially after what happened to her father, you'll both be just fine, just as we were. Please, just give her a chance..."

Nozomi looked away again, making a small, almost inaudible choking sound as she put her hand to her mouth briefly.

"Oh...are you sure you're okay, Nozomi? You seem very emotionally invested in this."

"I...I just need a moment."

Nozomi swallowed again and inhaled.

"I'm good now. Thank you, Maki. I suppose I'm just tired."

"Don't worry, we all are."

Nozomi giggled, worry disappearing from her face. "Maybe we just need some fresh air."

"Well, we are going to...where was it...Gourmet Burger Kitchen later? I'm sure we're all hungry as well."

"Give Umi a chance. That's all I'm asking. You don't have to forgive her for that outburst right away, and I don't know when she'll have the courage to talk to you again, but just take things one step at a time."

Maki nodded decisively.

"Do you want to stay in here for a while?" Nozomi asked.

"That", Maki sighed, "would be the better option for me right now."

µ's dressing room

Umi sighed as Eli removed her headband and handed Umi a bottle of water, from which she drank heartily. Quiet chatter from Nico, Hanayo, Kotori and very occasionally Rin drifted over from across the room, but otherwise, neither of them said a word as Eli brushed Umi's hair delicately, occasionally stopping to ruffle a knot out of her hair, or to move a stray strand back to where it should be.

Umi capped the bottle and set it back down on the counter. "Sometimes Honoka frustrates me, but I know she means well."

"That's what friends do", Eli said, brushing Umi's hair, "they push each other to be the best that they can be. I know that no matter what, it's what you both do. That's why you're still friends."

"Maybe so, but...I'm still worried about Maki."

Eli set down the brush and picked up a paper fan, fanning Umi gently as she continued to pace circles around Umi; "Until you decide to set things straight with Maki, it's out of your hands. Just don't leave it too long, okay?"

"Okay."

"Is that better?" Eli asked, focusing a cool breeze on Umi's cheek. Umi moved a stray hair out of her hair, then moved her hair out of the way delicately to ensure maximum coverage. Eli giggled, and moved the fan closer.

"Ah, so that's a yes."

"Eli!" Nico asserted from the circle of five across the room. "We're ready to go anytime, so when you're ready, I'll text Nozomi and tell her we're all ready."

Eli set down her paper fan and walked over to Nico, resting her aching body on the seat next to her on the corner sofa; Nico turned her body to face Eli.

"Actually, Nico, I want to talk to you about something."

"Oh?"

Eli moved in closer, lowering her voice to a hush: "Actually, everyone seems really tired right now, and I think we'll all just turn on each other if we try to go out to eat with all our suitcases. Do you think it would be a good idea to drop everything off at Maki's house first and maybe relax for a bit, then pack?"

In that same hushed tone, Nico replied, glancing between Rin and Hanayo: "That's a pretty good idea. It's up to Maki, though. I'll text her."

Eli pre-emptively stopped Nico's hand in place; "Are you sure that's a good idea, Nico?"

"Huh...maybe that's a better idea. Usually she says I can text her about anything, but...yeah, that seemed rough. Hang on. I'll text Nozomi"

The next twenty seconds stretched towards infinity as Eli and Nico watched the screen on Nico's phone, tense. Eli knew her wife well, but Maki, not as well, nor did she know much about their experience with other couples. She understood Umi more; the distance, the pressure, her former tendency to hurt those around her.

"She'll be fine, Eli, really. Don't worry. Maki might be a different woman, but we still know each other well. I know Nozomi well enough to know she's fi-oh, a text from Maki!"

"Huh, I didn't think she'd be the one to text back..."

Nico didn't say anything more, but made a distracted "hmm" sound in response to Maki's text.

"I'm glad she agrees though." Eli said. "We'd only be asking for trouble, going out together in this state."

"Can I ask you all something?" Rin asked from beyond Nico, weakness in her eyes.

"Hm?" Eli asked.

"Please just take us somewhere I won't be seen by anyone."
Eli and Hanayo exchanged glances.

"Sure thing." Eli said.

The shuttle journey back to Maki's house was a quiet affair; In the front row was Honoka, Eli and Kotori. In the middle, Nico, Nozomi and Umi. In the back, Maki, Rin and Hanayo. Nobody had so much as mentioned it, but it was clear to all that the seating order was strategically chosen by several of them to ensure they wouldn't be seated next to others - Umi and Honoka proved particularly unpopular in this order.

Those with window seats chose to watch the urban scenes of Akihabara go by wordlessly, some of them for the last time in a long time, while the three in the middle gazed uncomfortably at their phones, opting to lose themselves in their own thoughts, hoping desperately for the journey to end. Every so often, a whispered exchange could be heard, mostly from Rin and Hanayo and Nozomi and Nico, but the default tone in the vehicle was immutable: wordless, secondary to the sound of the wind and the other vehicles on the road rushing by through the open windows. The sweltering summer heat was uncomfortable now as everyone stayed still in their seats, desperately trying not to make any noise despite their discomfort; those on the side of the sharp sunlight pouring through the windows simply squinted their eyes and moved their heads in a futile attempt to find something to block the sun. Eli and Nozomi exchanged pained glances via the mirror at the front of the shuttle every so often - though neither of them did anything with it, knowing they couldn't mend the problems of nine people like they used to be able to do.

Lost for words, Nozomi sent Eli a message containing an image of blue hydrangeas, and another consisting of red spider lilies.

Eli's response was several images: Lilies of the valley. Chamomile.

Iris flowers.

We Are A Single Light

Late Sunday afternoon.

The Nishikino home, too, was mostly quiet. The kitchen was empty, and the television in the living room was turned off, the sun the only source of light; the far sofa opposite the television was occupied by one distracted Eli Ayase, gazing out the window with her legs under her, head resting on her hand, elbow resting on the sofa's arm. The faint chirping of cicadas kept her grounded in her late summer daydream, wondering about what went wrong, and what should not have gone wrong. Maybe if she'd turned down Honoka, none of this would have happened - whether this was a good thing or not was another topic of debate between herself entirely.

She felt something rest on her leg, before she realised what it was as she felt Nozomi's body rest on hers, her head resting against Eli's, her arms around Eli's waist.

"Hey there, fox. You seem distracted...we've had a lot of that this week."

Eli laughed gently, and moved her eyes over to Nozomi. "Maybe I'm just tired. That live didn't really go the way I wanted it to go, and everyone else seems to be in a really bad mood. I almost feel bad that I'm not feeling irritable."

"Really?" Nozomi replied. "Everyone could use your guidance right now."

"Oh? And what about yours?"

"Aww," Nozomi said, moving her face closer to Eli's and relaxing her body, "I guess even 11 years on, we're still mothers to this dysfunctional group."

"Being a mother is fine with me, after all," Eli replied, turning her head to face Nozomi, "And I wouldn't want this trip to end on such a bad note."

Nozomi turned her own smiling face to Eli's and put her hand on Eli's shoulder, keeping the other around Eli's waist, the ends of their noses touching.

"I love them almost as much as I love you, Elicchi." Nozomi purred. "Even if I'm not HR, handling squabbles is part of what I do, after all..."

Maki's room

Umi opened the door without a sound; no click, no squeak on the hinges, nothing. Maki kept her bedroom in good order, especially for someone who didn't live there anymore.

She saw Maki at the far end of the room, gazing out the window, examining her left hand, turning it in the light slowly.

"Maki."

Maki raised her hand slightly upon being pulled out of her train of thought, flinching slightly and Umi saw it, if only for a moment before Maki let her arm hang down by her side - several small scars on her fingers, where Umi's nails had broken the skin earlier. Maki made little effort in her movements, only turning her head to face Umi while her body turned only a few degrees. Her eyes were outlined in red, and they almost sparkled, though her face was blank as before, the corners of her mouth unmoving.

Still, she said nothing, looking at Umi with those blank, unfocused eyes of hers.

Umi bowed as deeply as she could, and stayed in this position for several empty seconds.

"Maki, please know I'm sorry."

"Umi...we have to talk." Maki's voice was slow, almost a murmur, but those words held power.

Those four words.

Those four dreaded words.

"I never meant to hurt you, Maki. I didn't know it was you, but even then, I have no excuse. I shouldn't have lashed out like that at anyone."

"It's not just that, Umi."

"I promise I can make it up to you. Please! The last thing I want to do is hurt you." Umi started to tremble; it was all coming apart for the second time today.

"Umi, I..."

"I can make it up. Do you remember Minato Mirai? The Honey Toast Bakery? The evening in Kyoto?"

Maki's eyes showed offence. "Are you even listening to m-"

Cutting her own sentence short, Maki's eyes lost expression, and returned to the previous blank, thousand mile stare. She looked away again, out the window, before returning her eyes to Umi.

"I'm not about to break up with you, Umi." She said, sauntering over to her bed and picking up a pair of jeans, folding them slowly with the same blank, expressionless thousand-mile stare Umi had first seen her with when she opened the door. "But whether you meant to do it or not, you hurt me..."

"I know." Umi replied, resigned. She knew what she'd done, and yet struggled to find a solution, and so declined to reply.
Maki sighed and set down the pair of folded jeans. "I just...need more space. I don't know how much space. I just want to be left alone right now. I'm sorry, Umi. Please leave me in peace."

Umi relaxed her trembling muscles as best she could, and slowly turned around, closing the door behind her, praying to the gods that she wasn't about to lose everything. "I'm sorry."

The closing door revealed Nozomi to Maki yet again, leaning carefree against the wall, her arms folded.

"She said a lot of the same things I did. You're being a little hard on her, Maki. She never meant to do it, after all."

"I know...", Maki sighed again, "I just need more time to feel a little better."

On the other side of the wall, Umi listlessly ambled through the bedroom corridor, dazed, confused, somehow...cold.

"Hello, Umi. Are you...okay?"

Umi turned her head to see the voice's owner: Hanayo.

"...Umi?"

"I'm fine, Hanayo."
"You don't seem fine..."

"Not now, please, Hanayo. I'm sorry. Please stand aside."

"You aren't okay at all, are you? Have you been honest with your feelings? I don't think you've talked to Honoka yet..."

"Hanayo, please, move aside!"

"No. I can't do that."

Did Umi hear that right?

Did Hanayo just deny her, to her face? Without stuttering, hesitation or hedging, with a gentle smile still on her face?

No.

That was something only the old Hanayo was incapable of.

In that moment, Umi felt everything stop, and clarity came back to her once again; she'd raised her voice to Hanayo.

She was taking out her frustration on other people again.

Hanayo tilted her head in confusion. "Umi?"

"I have to make this right."

Hanayo smiled, Umi's realisation clear for all to see. "There we go. It isn't too hard, is it?" She said, ruffling Umi's hair gently. "She's in Rin's room right now. Your father's going to be fine too, okay?"

"...Thank you, Hanayo."

Umi started her amble towards Rin's room, leaving Hanayo alone again.

Rin's guest room

At rest in the sunlight's rays streaming through the windows, Honoka and Rin sat across from one another on Rin's bed; Rin at the edge of her bed with her head turned to face Honoka, while Honoka sat with one arm supporting her weight, her knees bent, her other, free hand used for gesturing.

Rin adjusted her sitting position now and again as she spoke to reduce the strain the conversation put on her neck; "Well, I loved Mulan. When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble with my identity, and that movie really helped me feel better about myself...it really helped me through a lot when I rewatched it as a teenager."

"Oh, ehehe...I feel bad for saying that I only liked The Little Mermaid so much because I thought Ariel and the crab were cute. Personally, I loved Treasure Planet more than any of them."

Rin gasped. "You've seen Treasure Planet? How did you find it?!"

"Well," Honoka giggled, covering her mouth with her free hand, "I used to be really good at finding hard-to-find things online. Sometimes...Umi...helped me, but...even if Nico and Hanayo were better than me at that stuff, it was great fun at least!"

"When you can find anything you want in Akihabara anyway, you don't spend as much time online." Rin replied. "But I don't really follow things like the idol scene anymore, so I don't need to search for things online like that."

"Ah, no, no, I suppose not...well, you can find anything in Akiba!"

Rin held up a small figurine peeking out of a bag lying on her bed as an example. "Like this figurine! I don't remember who this is, but I thought it was cute."

Honoka leaned forward, and examined the figurine; "Ohhh, that's Sailor Moon! I loved watching that in the morning before school when I was a child."

"Ohhh...I didn't watch much anime as a child..."

Rin's follow-up was interrupted as the door clicked and quietly eased open.

"I apologise for the intrusion."

It was Umi.

Rin's shoulders tensed up, and she set down her figure and lifted herself onto her feet. "I'll, umm...I'll go hang out with Nico."

Without a word, both Umi and Honoka let her go, leaving Umi facing Honoka in the doorway. Honoka didn't make any effort to intimidate Umi, instead choosing to stare her down with innocent eyes. Her face, too, was neutral. Umi considered telling Honoka about the texts, catching herself when she realised that in this context, telling Honoka that she'd read her phone would be out of line, and for five agonising seconds, they stared at each other from across the room.

"Come in." Honoka said, unwilling to reject somebody who'd been encountering nothing but loss and regret. Umi did not sit down, opting instead to awkwardly stand in front of Rin's bed as her gaze on Honoka faltered. Countless last-minute calculations were made between them as to who they believed should apologise first, with no verdict in sight; Honoka started to lose focus.

"Umi. I'm...sorry."

Honoka looked down awkwardly as she said it, still wondering if she'd caved in too easily. Another split second, and she decided to double down.

"I...was selfish. I'm sorry, Umi. I really didn't think about any of you. I-" Honoka was interrupted by Umi's finger on her lips.

"I accept your apology, Honoka."

"But I was so insensitive to your pain and so preoccupied with setting up my own vision of a perfect reunion that I-"

"No buts, Honoka."

"I didn't thi-"

"Honoka."

Umi stepped back bowed, her own eyes on level with Honoka for a moment.

"All I want is for no more arguments." Umi said, back straight, legs parallel. "This was my fault. For losing my cool in front of everyone, for hurting Maki, for hurting you, for making everyone uncomfortable. We've been friends for 25 years now, and we've had more fights than with anyone else combined. But we're still friends, aren't we?"

Umi lifted her finger from Honoka's lips after several seconds, determining that she would no longer attempt to bear responsibility for everything that had gone wrong. Umi beamed at Honoka and loosened her muscles, turning to leave. "Anyway...I think I'll let you be for now."

Honoka shifted herself forward on the bed, pushing herself off and standing back on her two feet again. "Umi, come here."

"Hm?"

"Umi."

Umi turned back around, and Honoka beckoned her over; Umi had been through this multiple times now, but didn't enjoy their makeup hug any less.

"I'm so glad it didn't end this way." Umi said, her head on Honoka's shoulder, the exhaustion in her eyes a content tiredness now.

Honoka disengaged and smiled back, her eyes reflecting that same triumph.

"Umm..." Honoka started, "This is actually Rin's room, so maybe we should-"

"Agh!"

A startled cry came from outside the door, coupled with something bumping against the walls on the other side of the room as Honoka and Umi turned their heads to the source of the noise.

"Rin, be careful! That's my bad leg!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Nico! I didn't mean to do that! I just need to get the figure I wanted to show you."

A second later, Rin burst into the room, carrying Nico awkwardly through the doorway, stopping short of Honoka and Umi.

"Uhm...sorry...I just needed to get something." Rin stuttered; Nico averted her gaze.

"Rin, Nico...don't worry about it!" Honoka exclaimed. "We're okay now. Do you want to go to the living room?"

"Actually, we were just there." Nico said. "But Eli's asleep on the sofa, and we didn't want to wake her up."

"She seemed so tired, and it's so warm in there anyway, so it's probably easy to fall asleep..." Rin added.

"So we're going to the kitchen to get some of the berry Fanta Rin told me about instead." Nico continued. "And Rin's gonna take me there!" She said, looking up at Rin and pointing towards the doorway.

"We're going to the kitchen?" Rin asked, turning her head curiously.

"We're all going to the kitchen! Come on, Rin, Umi, Honoka, let's go!"

Kitchen

"Well, I was just saying, even if hikikomori culture is a problem, Japan isn't really doing much to help them, is it?" Nozomi mused, gesturing to Maki, Kotori and Hanayo, to which she did not receive a reply, but instead confused glances.

"Ah, sorry..." Nozomi said, gesturing in apology, "Sometimes I get carried away."

Maki gestured back in dismissal. "Don't worry about it, you can talk about anything with us."

"Thank you, princess." Nozomi replied, to which Maki slapped her hand in mock indignation; Hanayo giggled and adjusted herself, sitting a little further back on the kitchen chair to ensure her comfort.

"I'm sorry to change the subject, but is Eli okay?" Kotori asked from her seat in between Hanayo and Nozomi on the row of kitchen chairs by the counter as her, Maki and Hanayo looked to Nozomi for an answer, one part worry, one part curiosity.

"Don't worry about her, Kotori", Nozomi replied, warmth in her tone, "She gets tired very easily even if she doesn't show it a lot. She's always one step away from falling apart, so maybe it's for the best that she gets plenty of rest...I'm sure Sleeping Beauty will be glad to be home, though. It's been such an exhausting summer and I doubt this heat will let up any time soon. She's probably getting worried about her flowers, too."

"You've fallen asleep a lot this week, too...are you okay, Nozomi?" Hanayo replied.

The collective gaze shifted from Hanayo straight back to Nozomi, their desire for an answer no more sated than it was before the start of this conversation. No answer was given as the collective gaze shifted once again, to the group standing at the doorway: Honoka, Umi, and Rin carrying Nico in her arms.

"Oh." Umi said. "Uhm, I-"

"Oh my word", a single voice said, cutting through the silence from Rin's arms and throwing her head back in exasperation, hanging her arm freely, "Will you two just make up and kiss already?"

Umi and Maki's gazes shifted and diverted awkwardly towards the floor, and Umi remembered what she'd said; that she'd needed time. This was not enough time, and yet...it was all the time they had, and in that moment, Umi found herself in the same silence she'd been drawn into earlier, a nothingness she'd felt more of than anything else today. Honoka rested her hand gently on Umi's back, and Umi closed her eyes and inhaled.

"Maki...I can't tell you how sorry I am. Violent outbursts like that are...unacceptable, and no excuse can begin to make up for it."

She breathed in, preparing her next sentence.

"Umi..." Maki interrupted, looking her in the eyes, "I'm...only glad I've known you for so long. It's...how abusive relationships begin. Once the first violent outburst is forgiven, it only makes it easier for them to happen, and stay trapped. Sometimes, even people who seem sweet on the outside can be the worst type of person."

Umi was lost for words, her mouth running dry, her blood running cold at the idea of even being connected to the idea of an abusive relationship; was this the monster she'd become?

"I know, because...I've watched it happen myself." She said, her eyes darting between Umi and the floor, her arms almost limp, her eyes welling up again, sparkling in the afternoon sun; "They escaped it eventually, but the damage was done. I don't think I could have done anything myself, and other people definitely tried to help, but I haven't seen her since she quit her job to escape for good. It wasn't me that was trapped, but I felt so powerless. She begged us not to tell anyone else. I..."

"Maki, why didn't you tell me?" Nozomi interjected, her mouth open, her gaze soft, her composure finally broken.

"I...didn't think it was important."

Most of the eight gathered had fallen silent, keeping their mouths firmly shut for fear of speaking out of turn on a subject they had no experience with, but at the same time, feeling desperate helplessness, as if everything was falling apart in front of them for good, the bonds of 15 years...broken again.

"But...at the same time..." Maki's eyes gained a new strength, and she looked back up at Umi, smiling faintly as she folded her arms lightly and sniffled, a single, final teardrop falling from her eyes. "I've already met the real you, and she isn't violent. I remember the massive fallout you had with Honoka back in school, and even then, that worked out. I know that...your anger wasn't directed at me, either. I've met the real you, and Honoka likes the real you, too, we all do. I've met her, and I've danced with her, and I've fa...well...I think she's really cute."

Umi's bloodstream grew warm again, and she choked, her throat still dry as she swallowed to hold back her emotions bursting out like water from a broken dam. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Maki. And to all of you, I'm sorry for losing my cool in front of you. I promise that I'll never-"

Umi's long-winded apology was cut short as Maki marched forward and took Umi in her arms, and everything that need to be said between them had been said; the raised heartbeat shared between them, the soft touch of Maki's hands on the back of Umi's neck that said: "It's okay", as they wrapped around Umi, the feverish body heat transferred between them as Maki pressed her own against Umi's in this sudden embrace, the warmth of their breath on each other's skin as their lips locked again, like lantern's fire.

When all was said and done, Maki didn't let go, nor did she look away; she simply looked into Maki's eyes with a sparkle and her eyes and an undeniable smile on her face, her attention solely on Umi as they remained close enough still to feel each other's breath: "Just don't do it again. Not to me, not to Honoka, not anyone."

"I swear on the Sonoda family's honour."

"Wow...I'm so happy for the both of you." Hanayo said, her hands clutched to her heart.

"Wow..." Nico added, a knowing smirk on her face, "I'm happy I only had to tell you once to kiss."

Maki tilted her head to gain a line of sight on Nico, and stuck her tongue out.

"I'm glad for you two, I really am." Nozomi said. "Sorry to change the subject, but it's getting late. We should probably start getting ready to head out to go eat before going to the airport, hm?"

Maki sighed and looked back at Umi before looking back to Nozomi, smiling helplessly. "Maybe we should..."

"And plus, I was promised hiyashi chuka." Rin said, Nico nodding in agreement; her otherwise cheerful tone hid the fact that she knew this was her last chance at eating good food with good people for a while.

"Nozomi..." Kotori asked, her tone unsure, "What about Eli? Isn't she asleep?"

"Ah...Well, I'll do what I always do. Carry her to the shuttle myself."

"What about my luggage? And Rin's? And Nozomi's? And Eli's? I'd rather not find out right now if I can walk without pain or not..." Nico asked.

"I'll carry it!" Honoka exclaimed.

"You can't carry that much, Honoka. It's physically impossible." Umi reminded her, turning her head to face Honoka.

"I'll help!" Kotori chimed in, raising her hand.

Maki chuckled. "You do know Sana can help us too, you know? And that we don't have to do it in one go?"

"Ah..." Honoka replied. "I didn't think of that."

"We're all dressed, and most of us are packed. Maki, have you packed?"

"I didn't need to pack much, but yeah, I'm packed."

"Okay then. The rest of you finish up, I'll be in the shuttle with Eli." Nozomi said, waving her hand lazily.

The last day for the former members of µ's in Akihabara almost felt like a dream, like the aftermath of a subtle wish made upon the starry skies of the last week; the skies were light blue and cloudless in the midst of the August haze and just as August gives way for September, everyone knew that summer gives way for autumn, that their fame for now was only temporary, and for some, it was their last day in Tokyo for a long, long time. Having almost forgotten the feeling of fame after their show earlier in the day, Electric Town had been deemed off limits after Honoka and Umi were almost immediately recognised, and so the next best destination was a small ramen bar serving hiyashi chuka upon Rin's insistence in a side street elsewhere in Chiyoda; none remembered its name, though Honoka swore to return, much to Umi's indignation and following reluctant agreement.

"You know one thing about this that annoys me, Honoka?" Umi asked, holding her bowl to her face as she slurped her almost empty bowl of ramen and side-eyed Honoka.

"Oh?"

"I'm a celebrity again here, and now I either have to sign autographs all day or change my appearance again while I'm working."

"Oh wow! Does that mean we get to see you in that cute ponytail hairstyle again?" Kotori said, laying down her bowl and utensils entirely, touching her fingers to her mouth in glee. "Honoka, Maki, you have to promise to show me what she looks like in that style now! Put them up on the chat!"

"Yes...!" Honoka said, dropping her own utensils on the table entirely. "Maki, Maki, Maki, you have to do it, you have to!"

"Well...why can't you do it?"

"Please!" Was the reply, from both Kotori and Honoka, Honoka banging the table with her hands.

Umi sighed, and fixed her hair absentmindedly.

"I'm 29 years old. I think it's preferable to just stay inside instead of looking like someone trying to dress like a teenager or a delinquent."

"Delinquent? That's not an excuse, Umi." Nozomi countered. Umi quickly became flustered at both the attention and the reactions, her hands frozen in place; "Why does everyone want me to change my hairstyle?"

"You have to do it, Umi." Nico replied. "For the group chat."

Umi stared down into her bowl. "I'm definitely staying inside all day."

"Ehehe...wow, that must be awful. It was fun when we got back from New York, but it was a little much for a girl like me..."

"Honoka..." Nico interjected.

"Wait, Nico", Nozomi said, holding a hand up in Nico's direction, "Let's see how long it takes her to realise it."

Nobody talked for several seconds.

"Why is everybody looking at me?"

"Um, Honoka..."

"Don't ruin it, Hanayo!" Nozomi interrupted.

"Ruin what?"

There was sniggering coming from several places in the table now, and eating was paused yet again, unable to continue in lieu of the laughter.

Honoka threw her arms down, threw her head back in exasperation, laid back in her chair and yelled in anguish, prompting a wave of laughter across the table, especially from Nozomi, Nico and Maki.

"Fine...I guess I'll change my hairstyle too..."

"You have to make it the Harajuku style, Honoka. You have to." Nico said, leaning in.

"That's the style she had a month after the New York trip, right?" Eli asked in between mouthfuls of ramen, eating slowly and carefully as her delicate hands operated with perfect yet slowed precision.

"Yep!"

"Aww...I don't know if you're joking, but I loved that style on Honoka." Hanayo interjected, pushing her empty bowl forward to allow her to lean in further. "I'd love to see it on her now as well.".

"I don't know, though..." Honoka said, uncertainty entering her voice. "I don't think I could make that look work at my age. I might just get it cut or something..."

"Hanayo, you do know you and Rin will have to disguise yourselves as well?" Maki said with a sympathetic smile.

"Well, Rin and I live together anyway, so planning around that won't be too hard. I just have to make sure Rin's safe. Honestly, I think Kotori's the only one who won't have to disguise herself."

"I'm gonna miss you, Kotori." Rin added. "Paris is so far away...please tell me you'll come back again."

"Ehe...well, maybe I will. My first home was here, and plus, my family is still here in Japan. I'll always have plenty of reasons to come back, especially all of you. I love all of you, and I'd always love to come back any time."

"We'll never be too far away, no matter where you are in Japan!" Rin exclaimed, drawing in Hanayo's nearly empty second bowl, only to be slapped away; "I'm not done, Rin."

"How are you finding the hiyashi chuka, anyway, Rin?" Eli asked, steadily slurping away still at the last of her ramen.

"This place is small, but I'm coming back here if I ever go to Akihabara! It's so hot outside too, so I feel like there's not enough in my bowl, but...I feel like the only way to cool down properly is to pour a bottle of cold water on myself right now."

"I can help you with that." Nozomi chimed in, taking a bottle of water out from her purse and handing it to Rin, though Hanayo intercepted it before Rin could reach out; "I'm sorry, Nozomi, but I think she might actually do it if you give it to her."

"Kayochin...! How could you stop me from staying hydrated?"

"Everything in moderation, Rin."

"...Huh."

All attention on the table turned to Nico, who was staring at her phone distractedly, thumbing the screen.

"Something up, Nico?" Maki asked.

"I'm getting a lot of job offers..."

"Oh...congratulations, Nico!" Eli commented.

Honoka beamed at Eli, and giggled. "Huh, maybe this wasn't a total mistake after all."

"What you mean by that?"

"Ah...honestly, I don't think this live should have happened at all. I'm still not sure what happened myself, but...it's a fun experience either way."

"Oh? You regret it?"

"Honestly...? I don't regret anything. As long as you learn from something, whether it's good or bad, then nothing is a waste of time!"

"Faito dayo!" Eli replied, gesturing with her fist in solidarity.

"I agree...we just didn't have enough time. Don't let her fool you, though." Umi added. "She still learns everything the hard way, and takes me along for the ride too."

"No?" Maki said, stroking Umi's hair gently, kissing it once for good measure, "If it weren't for all this, I wouldn't have gotten together with you, or reunited with anyone else."

"It's the dream we realised together." Nozomi chuckled. "It's just the way fate goes, and if Honoka had to create her own destiny, so be it."

"It's almost like our last song goes...Ah! It began with a subtle premonition..."

"Ah, don't, Honoka!" Eli said, carefree hints of a laugh in her voice, "I don't want to cry any more than I already have today. What is the time, anyway? I'm still cleaning my hands so I can't really take out my phone right now."

"Oh, my." Umi exclaimed. "I think we should probably get going, since Kotori's flight is in less than three hours now. Is everyone done?"

"Rin, are you done?" Hanayo asked.

"There's no more ramen, so I'm done!"

"Kotori, why exactly did you pick such a late flight?" Nico asked. "That's a long day for you."

Kotori simply smiled confidently, without an instant of hesitation. "It's so I could spend as much time with everyone as possible, and also so I could go straight to bed when I got home. Umi and Honoka helped me with my flight, too."

"Ah, you mean Umi." Honoka replied. "I didn't really do much."

"Thank you, Honoka." Umi said. "And thank you too, Kotori."

Nozomi raised her hand, and the restaurant owner stepped over. "Could I have the bill, please? Thank you." Nozomi said, leaning in slightly to be heard over the din of the other eight.

As they came closer still to the airport, anxiety rose among the nine; the same anxiety that Honoka had felt upon seeing Maki on the news, the same anxiety Nico had felt before Eli had taken her to the Asakusa Toro Nagashi, the same anxiety Hanayo had been hiding from everyone, that after the end, it would all end again. In the front row of the shuttle was Eli, Nozomi and Rin, in the middle row was Umi, Maki and Nico, and in the back was Hanayo, Kotori and Honoka. Roads turned to highways, arcades and hobby stores turned to office buildings that formed a valley over the highways, and so too did the attention of the nine turn to each other, the rush of warm air and traffic becoming background noise as the end drew closer...

"I'm kinda sad I never got to do that card-reading for you, Hanayo." Nozomi said, her body twisting again to face Hanayo at the back of the shuttle.

"I suppose..." Hanayo murmured.

"There's a lot of things to regret on this trip, but many to celebrate, too. I really enjoyed going to the Asakusa Toro Nagashi with Nico." Eli interjected, her head turned to include everyone in her peripheral vision.

"That might be a celebration for you, but that's a regret for me because I missed it..." Honoka replied. "I can go any year, but it's better with all of you. At least I can still go with Umi."

"I wish I'd gone now..." Kotori added, adjusting her position. "I don't know when I'm coming back here. My life isn't as exciting as yours."

"You're definitely coming back here!" Came Honoka's reply.

Kotori murmured, spending several seconds formulating a reply.

"I'm not sure if I'll have the money for something like this for a while. I'll have to save up."

"Then we'll help you!"

"We?" Umi replied.

"Fine! I'll help Kotori myself!"

"Oh, no, I'll help too, of course." Umi said, gesturing with her hand to her heart. "I didn't mean it in that way."

"Honoka...did you ever make up with Yukiho?" Nico interjected. A few heads turned to glance over at Honoka and Nico, hoping she hadn't struck a pressure point.

"Yep!" Honoka replied, carefree. "She said she was going to make it up to me the next time she visited our bakery, which is soon. Speaking of which...Eli, how is Alisa doing?"

"Alisa?" Eli said. "Oh, haven't I mentioned her before?"

A resounding "no" was the reply.

"Ah, well...she moved back to Russia. We don't really talk much anymore, but she did come to the wedding. I don't know much about what she's doing, but all I know is that she's doing well. I talk to my grandmother from time to time, but I should really get Alisa in the calls..."

"Rin, did I ask you where Miho went after you graduated?" Umi said, checking Rin's attention via the mirror in the front.

"I think you did! I haven't seen her since graduation from Otonokizaka though...It's kind of a shame. Even if she was a little weird, she was really funny."

"She got on really well with the alpacas too." Kotori replied. "She was a great help to me...ah, now I miss the alpacas...I know they're probably not there anymore..."

Nozomi joined in, despite only having one year's worth of experience to reminisce: "I wonder if Otonokizaka still has alpacas?"

"Well, the year after you graduated, there were also some rabbits in the school." Hanayo said softly, hoping she wasn't about to disappoint Nozomi with what she'd missed. "It was only for a year though, since the rabbits escaped a lot."

"I have to wonder what happened to the school idol club myself." Nico said, her expression unchanging. "I hope whoever's managing it now is doing a good job with it."

"The last I saw, it was in Yukiho and Alisa's hands." Honoka replied. "They did just fine with it, though they ended up never forming the idol group they said they were going to..."

"Honoka, I'm curious, though. A-RISE are still performing in Akihabara, and you're still living there. Have you ever met any of them?"

"Well..."

Honoka paused, unsure of which details to leave out, which details to include of her encounter with Tsubasa two months ago; she hadn't seen her since, and she continued her pause to reconstruct the gaps in her memory. Honoka was fairly sure she'd been at least tipsy during that encounter, if not drunk, and wondered what was truth, and what was her own interpretation.

She could have sworn there was something about Tsubasa, maybe even the old connection between them that was never broken, not in any of their sporadic meetings since 2011, but...however she felt, maybe it just wasn't meant to be, whatever it was that Tsubasa seemed to be so aware of that night.

Honoka's tone became serious as she stared into space, trying her best to find the details she'd forgotten: "I met her in June, the night I first met up with Nozomi and Eli. I was drunk, and I walked through the back streets of Akiba to get home. I was having some trouble, and...that's when she appeared. She led me home when I could barely do it myself...I don't know if I was imagining it because I was drunk, but...I remember her almost going in, um...to kiss me at my front door. I thought I saw her lean in a little before pulling away and hurrying away. I...don't know."

Silence filled the shuttle now; nobody expected this.

"It's maybe for the best that she didn't, Honoka." Eli replied. "If she did, that...could be taking advantage of someone who'd had a little too much to drink."

Honoka sighed. "I guess...I just wish she wasn't so mysterious. The last vivid memory I have of her is when she helped us for SUNNY DAY SONG. Now she's appearing once every few years..."

"I think that's when most of us last saw her." Maki said, attempting to dispel the new tension this story had brought. "Have you seen Erena or Anju?"

"I met Anju once a few years ago, I think." Honoka said, staring into space, still trying to remember. "I haven't seen Erena since the day of SUNNY DAY SONG, though..."

"I haven't seen anyone from Otonokizaka in this week, apart from all of you." Eli mused. "I'm not sure if we would recognise any of them at this point."

"We recognised you when we saw you at the station, so I'm glad for that, at least." Umi said, a hint of relief to her tone.

The shuttle stopped, and conversation ceased; the jetstream of warm air became sterile hot air, and for the last time, the nine of them were snapped out of their daydreams.

"We have arrived at the airport station." Sana said, his voice as neutral as ever.

Walking into the airport was the hardest part yet for most of them; the feeling of finality, that they may never come here again, and that with every step they took, they walked closer to home and to the end of this wonderful journey, further away from the people that had shaped their life, and the haze of summer, as if they were teenagers on another adventure. Watching Kotori print out her boarding passes was the first half, and the second was the overwhelming tension as they stood in a circle in the middle of the plaza, their suitcases held within this unbroken circle. Most of the nine had their hands held awkwardly together by their stomach, or hanging awkwardly by their side.

"This is it..." Hanayo murmured, almost dejected.

"I'm really going to miss you all..." Rin said, the same tone of murmur to her voice.

"I can't take it!" Rin yelled, running towards each and every member of the circle, hugging them tightly. None of them knew if she was ever going to let go.

"...Nico?" Kotori asked, tilting her head in concert. "Nico, are you okay? You were very quiet on the way here..."

"I'm fine! I just...don't want to say farewell."

"Nico, what did I tell you?" Eli asserted. "Between us, there are no farewells. Only see-you-laters. Got it?"
Nico nodded, staring at the floor with a pained smile.

"It's painful, I know, but this week has been almost like a dream."

"I wish I'd taken more photos..." Honoka said. "I got photos with all of you, and I'll post them on the chat when I get home, but...I still feel like I don't have enough.

"Actually..." Honoka continued, "Can I get one more?"

The other eight looked at her curiously, even though they knew what she was talking about.

"Everyone...come here."
Honoka beckoned the circle around and behind her, and she took out her phone.

"Closer together!" Honoka said. "My arm isn't that long and I need everyone in this photo."

"Wait." Umi said.

The eight looked at Nico, who still stood by her suitcase, passively looking on.

"Nico, what are you doing over there?" Maki asked.

"Get over here! Why are you standing there? We need you in this photo!" Nozomi yelled, her voice infused with laughter.

"Come on!" Eli repeated, beckoning Nico over. Maki and Nozomi ushered her over as Nico slowly walked over and placed her at the centre of the group as she entered their range, next to Honoka.

"Okay, guys!" Honoka said, their heads grouped closely together. Umi smiled politely, Eli made a peace sign and stuck her tongue out ever so slightly, Nozomi stuck her tongue out and winked, Rin made a peace sign and stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to gain height, and Hanayo did the same on the other side of Eli's shoulder, laughing as she did so, Maki grinned, Kotori mimicked Umi's polite smile with charm, a spark in her eyes, Honoka grinned wildly with an open mouth and Nico laughed hopelessly as Honoka put her arm around Nico's shoulder, drawing her cheek closer to Honoka's own laughing face.

"Say...faito dayo!" Honoka shouted, extending her arm and pressing the button on her phone's screen. "1, 2, and...photo taken! I'll send it to you guys soon!"

Laughter came from the group and carried throughout the chambers of Haneda Airport as they moved back round the circle to stand by their suitcases. A silence followed as the laughter dispelled, and so too, did their voices.

They knew they couldn't wait forever.

Nozomi turned to Nico, and beckoned her in with both arms.

"No, no, you're not doing this to me again, no..."

"This isn't for you", Nozomi said as she gently enveloped Nico with her arms, her eyes sparkling with joy, "it's for me."

"Promise me we'll meet again, Nico." Nozomi added, her head resting softly on Nico's shoulder.

"I promise."

Nozomi let go, and her eyes met Nico's. "I'm holding you to that. I have the money to make it happen whenever you want."

"And you call me a princess." Maki commented.

"Hey, Hanayo." Eli said, her hands absently grasping her suitcase handle, "When are you up for Sapporo?"

"Well..."

"Trick question! We have the money to make it happen whenever we want."

"In that case..."

"Sapporo Snow Festival!" Rin yelled. "Sapporo Snow Festival! Sapporo Snow Festival!"

"Well...ehe, maybe that's..."

"Sapporo Snow Festival!" Hanayo yelled, joining in with Rin, even if more subdued and reluctant to make a scene, "Sapporo Snow Festival!"

"What's this about the Snow Festival?" Honoka said. "I wanna go!"

"Well, count me in." Maki commented.

The conversation was interrupted by the tiny sound of Kotori clearing her throat, rubbing her eyes and inhaling: "I'm sorry, but...my flight starts boarding soon, and I want to be there..."

"It's not farewell, is it?" Honoka replied. "Call me, won't you?"

"I will!"

"Your flight's soon, too, Maki..." Umi said, crestfallen, adjusting her jacket.

"Are you kidding me? I've already started thinking about plans to see you again...I was thinking a high-class Italian restaurant. Come here, Umi."

It wasn't a goodbye kiss; only a see-you-later kiss. Maki held Umi's hands in hers, but she didn't squeeze them tightly as if she was saying goodbye; it was a simple embrace that promised more.

"Thank you for everything, Maki." Eli said, bowing. "I had a wonderful week. I don't know what lies in our future, but I'll be sure to enjoy it."

A chorus of thanks followed on from Eli.

"Oh my...no, it was nothing. It was all Honoka." Maki said, making a humbled gesture. "I have to ask, Honoka...you seem mixed on the subject on this week, especially the live...I can invite you back any time, you know. How about it, Honoka? Would you like to turn back time and do the concert again?"

A brief moment of thought, a heartbeat.

Honoka smiled knowingly and glanced down at her phone, at the photo she'd taken with all nine of them; she'd had fun, she'd laid her dreams to rest, and here she stood in the culmination of a week's worth of reconciliation, the aftermath of a week's worth of lost feelings. But would she go back and do it again? Make sure they didn't lose contact, cancel the live, kiss or reject Tsubasa, explain herself better to Yukiho and her mother, be there for Nico a little more?

"No, no...no..." She said, her expression warm as she lifted her head and faced Maki, a silent promise to move on, "This moment is the greatest!"