Chika and You stared at each other, neither knowing what to say, standing there in silence as they alternated between blinking helplessly at each other and staring at their shoes. For You, this was just another illustration of how far apart she and Chika had grown, and rather than coming as an unwelcome surprise it was more of an expected disappointment. For Chika, she'd never felt so lost in her life. This was a girl she'd always thought would be there for her through anything the world could throw at them. Now though... Now Chika could truly understand what You had been feeling, this distance between them that had somehow exploded from a mere crack to a gaping chasm seemingly overnight.

The silence carried on until an announcement came over the station's intercom.

"Well... that's my train," said You listlessly.

"Oh. Then I guess this is goodbye..." trailed Chika awkwardly.

You gave a small smile, her attempt to play the reassuring companion Chika had grown up with. "Yeah, but it won't be goodbye forever," she said. Her heart clenched and her smile almost cracked, because You knew that that was a lie. She was sure Chika would be too busy with school idol activities to keep up with a single long-distance friendship, and it would just be too painful if she were to be the one to initiate contact again and again and again until one day the responses just stopped coming.

"Yeah," agreed Chika half-heartedly. Somehow she knew it wouldn't happen either. She took a deep breath, then looked You in the eye. "Goodbye You-chan," she said with finality, "I wish you all the best in Tokyo."

"Goodbye, Chika-chan," responded the brunette wistfully. "I know you'll take Aqours to Love Live and beyond."

And without another word, You got on the train.

.

.

.

"OH HELL NO!"

"Wha-?!"

"Mari-chan?!"

Mari Ohara wrapped You's arm in a vice-like grip completely at odds with her shiny personality as she dragged the diver back onto the platform, her eyes shimmering a dangerous molten gold. Not a moment later and the train doors closed, whooshing away to the city, and perhaps taking You's future with it.

You stared open mouthed as she stuttered protests. "B-But! B-But, I'm supposed to be-!"

"With your friends where you belong," Mari practically snarled at her. Without another word, she grabbed You with one arm and Chika with the other, scooping them up into identical fireman carries. Her two passengers yelped in surprise, before starting to protest. "Silence!" declared Mari. The two second years quieted instantly, the blonde's aura sending out tidal waves of fury.

Mari turned back to the rest of their gathered friends. "Riko. Follow," she commanded, the redhead obeying with an 'eep!' of fear before trailing after the heiress as she stomped away.

Kanan moved to stop her, but paused as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She turned her violet eyes to stare in agitated confusion at the interloper's sea-green irises.

"Let her go, Kanan..." said Dia softly, "This needs to happen."

Kanan bit her lip in uncertainty, but reluctantly nodded. She didn't know what dastardly tricks Mari had up her sleeve, and neither Mari nor Dia were particularly rational at any given time of day, but if they were both in agreement then perhaps this course had merit.

Dia gave a small smile before turning to the first years. "Alright, now that we know You-san isn't leaving us, shall we get some ice cream?"

"You can't just expect us to ignore what happened!" exclaimed Yoshiko.

"There's a shop nearby that serves a Devil's Dark Chocolate Cherry Sundae," enticed Dia.

The blunette's eyes widened and she fell into her Yohane persona. "With a name like that, surely it must be fitting sustenance for a fallen angel such as myself,"

"Maybe they'll have red bean flavor, zura!" wondered Hanamaru aloud.

"Or matcha!" enthused Ruby.

"Indeed. Let's be off then," said Dia, leading the way. The first years trailed behind her like ducklings.

Kanan sighed when she noticed that You's suitcase was left unattended, grabbing the luggage before catching up with the others.

A stone faced Mari carried two second years over her shoulders, each of them gazing down at the ground and looking as miserable as possible as their arms and legs hung helplessly. Meanwhile, the third second year could only follow the path of the rampaging blonde, trailing in her wake as Mari's aura literally parted the crowded streets of modern Japan, a miracle in itself.

Riko had never been so terrified in her entire life, not even during all those horrifying encounters with Shiitake. And now, as Mari led her through the lobby of one of her family's hotels, she felt her skin grow as cold as the grave. She was being led into the very lair of the dragon itself.

The environment seemed to change around her as her fear made itself manifest. The red velvet carpet turned into the blood-stained floor of a dungeon. The friendly faced employees turned into sinister skull-faced minions draped in darkness. The golden chandeliers of twinkling lights turned into massive ornaments of human skulls, the eye sockets glaring at her in eternal torment as their souls could find no release. And perhaps worst of all, the cheery elevator music turned into an elaborate symphony of death, a suffocating promise of agonizing misery.

When they stepped off onto the top floor, Mari guided Riko to an elaborate door before practically kicking it down.

Without a word, she single-handedly threw Chika onto the bed, the ginger landing with a yelp. Then she threw You, the brunette colliding with the ginger in a painful reunion. Mari turned her glare on Riko and the redhead wisely rushed into the room.

"Listen up!" proclaimed Mari, "Two of you have some very serious communication problems and the third isn't helping, so none of you are leaving this room until they've been solved! I'll check on you in the morning." And with that, she slammed the door shut, sliding three deadbolts into place from outside.

Almost immediately, two thuds slammed against the door as Chika and You made the obligatory yet futile attempt to escape.

"Mari-chan!" called Chika from the other side, "You can't do this!"

"This is illegal!" added You as they both pounded the door with their fists.

"Can and will," replied the blonde sternly. "There's a large western-style en suite, and snacks are below the TV. Now work things out."

Without another word, Mari walked away.

Elsewhere...

"Checkmate, zura!"

"Again?!"

A giggled played from Hanamaru's lips. "Now, now, Yoshiko-chan. All the rituals in the world won't help you win a simple game of chess."

The fallen angel clutched her ritual items protectively but conceded the point, sighing as she first dropped the electric candle into her bag, followed up by a gentle storing of a green plush coelacanth.

"Mou, Yoshiko-chan!" spoke Ruby as she dug out another spoonful of ice cream, "You could've won if you hadn't taken her bishop!"

Yoshiko sputtered indignantly before defiantly replying, "Well if you're so good then why don't you play?!"

A couple tables away were Kanan and Dia, sipping milkshakes as they watched over the younger members and You's almost forgotten luggage. The third years had remained mute in companionable silence since they'd sat down, but eventually, the blunette sighed and said what was on her mind.

"Where do you think Mari took them?" asked Kanan, stirring her straw around idly.

Dia shrugged in response. "I wouldn't know. Though knowing Mari-san as we do, I wouldn't be surprised if she locked them in an enclosed space and refused to let them out until they worked out their issues."

"I was afraid you'd say that," sighed Kanan. "Why did you let her go back there? Does this really sound like a sane, rational, legal thing to do?"

Dia stared Kanan straight in the eye. "It took us two years to overcome our difficulties. The second years do not have nearly that much time."

"...I guess you're right," conceded Kanan. "I just don't want Mari to get them, or herself, into trouble."

"Mari-san is trouble," snorted Dia, "And one of the first lessons taught to any heir of a wealthy family is that legality is often far more obstructive than necessary, and progress is sometimes better served when it is avoided entirely." A small smirk of amusement hovered on Dia's face as Kanan noticeably squirmed. "Case in point, do you remember when I acquired the workout regimen for Muse?"

"You didn't do that legally?!" hissed Kanan in alarm. "What did you do?! Break into someone's house and rob them? Remotely hack one of their computers?"

"Actually," began Dia.

"Stop! I don't want to know. The less I know, the better."

"Of course. However, should you ever wish to utilize morally dubious legal loopholes to evade taxes, please don't hesitate to ask."

Kanan sent an unamused leer at the older sister. "...This is one of those things you and Mari talk about when I'm not around, isn't it?"

"As you said, the less you know, the better," replied the ravenette with a smirk.

A pout formed on Kanan's face. "Sometimes I like you better when you're being strict."

Before Dia could respond, a jingling sounded throughout the shop, signalling a new arrival. The third years looked over to see their favorite blonde bombshell saunter over to them.

Mari plopped down on the seat next to Dia. "Soberweis, eh? Nice choice!" she said approvingly, holding out a thumbs up.

"Mari!" hissed Kanan as the blonde rejoined the group, "Where have you been? Where did you take our friends?" Dia said nothing, but it was hard to miss the curiosity in her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" replied Mari cheekily. "I took them to the one place where eternal relationships are born. I took them to the Sea Star Suite!"

"You did what?!" exclaimed Dia indignantly. "I thought that room was special to us! How could you just give away such a sacred, meaningful place?!"

"Dia, calm down. It's for a good cause, isn't it?" said Kanan, attempting to appeal to the ravenette's rational side. Though admittedly, a small part of her felt the same as Dia. Some very special, very wonderful things had happened in that particular suite, and Kanan didn't like the idea of sharing it.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," dismissed Mari, "They're in a different hotel altogether."

"...You have multiple Sea Star Suites?"

"Sure do! Daddy let me put in as many suites as I wanted in as many hotels as I wanted!"

"Just how much did all that cost?"

Mari shrugged nonchalantly. "Less than that pot of stewshine I made during our training camp."

"Rich people are crazy," muttered Kanan under her breath, just loud enough for Dia to hear.

"You could be one of them," offered the ravenette, "As I mentioned earlier, with a few loopholes-"

"Please stop trying to break my moral compass."

Dia only offered a sly smile in reply, the exchange prompting a raised eyebrow from Mari. "Oh? Did Dia suddenly develop a mischievous streak when I wasn't looking?" She snaked a hand around to Dia's side in an attempt to surreptitiously grope the side of the ravenette's chest. "I guess I need to step up my game," she said with a smirk.

"Please refrain from such actions in public," scolded Dia as she leaned away.

"I'll just take that as an invitation for when we're in private then," said the blonde with a wink.

Kanan and Dia only sighed before returning to their milkshakes, idly sipping at them before the first years caught their attention once more.

"Checkmate!" declared Ruby happily as she plopped her rook into place.

"Whoa..." breathed Yoshiko in awe.

Next to her, Hanamaru smiled. "Good game, Ruby-chan," she congratulated.

"That was amazing!" praised Yoshiko, much to Ruby's embarrassment. "She was like the demon general Alciel commanding one of the four armies of hell!"

"No, no," demurred the redhead, "It's just a game."

But the blunette wouldn't hear it. She grasped Ruby's hands in her own and stared deeply into her emerald eyes. "Ruby. Please take me under your wing as your lowly familiar and enlighten me in the ways of turn-based strategy."

"Oh? What's this, zura?" asked Hanamaru mischievously as she leaned in. "Could it be? Does Yoshiko-chan want to become one of Ruby-chan's 'little angels'?"

"W-W-What?!" exclaimed the fallen angel as she sprung back.

"Little Angel?!" cried Ruby in delight. Her face was a beam of bliss as she gazed at Yoshiko with excitement.

"Wait a minute! I didn't say anything about being an angel!" protested Yoshiko.

"But Yoshiko-chan always says she's a fallen angel," pointed out Hanamaru helpfully. "With Ruby-chan's tutelage, you could be a true angel once again, zura."

"Oh please be my little angel, Yoshiko-chan!" pleaded Ruby, the English words rolling off her tongue. "Please!" She popped up from her chair and threw her arms around Yoshiko in a great big hug.

"Yoshiko-chan! Take this chance and arise to the heavens once again, zura!" exclaimed Hanamaru as she too embraced the blushing blunette.

"Wha?! Ruby! Zuramaru!" cried Yoshiko. She squirmed as they nuzzled against her, trying to find a way out of their marshmallow embrace. "But... How am I supposed to say no to this?" she asked helplessly.

From a couple tables away, Dia crushed the remnants of her milkshake cup in a fist of iron. "Yoshiko-san," she hissed threateningly.

Kanan exchanged a glance with Mari, before the diver stood and literally threw Dia over her shoulder before marching to the door. Mari helpfully placed Kanan's milkshake in a to-go carton and grabbed You's luggage.

"Kanan-san!" shouted Dia, "Put me down! I need to protect my sister's purity!"

"Not from them you don't," quipped Kanan.

"KANAN-SAN!"

Behind them, Mari looked over to the first years. "Girls! Kanan and I are taking Dia out for a walk." ("I am not a dog!" shouted Dia.) "We'll probably be having a sleepover too, so feel free to spend the rest of the day however you see fit. Ciao~!"

As the three third-years left the ice cream parlor, Kanan turned to Mari. "So should we check on the second years anytime soon?"

"Meh," shrugged Mari dismissively, "I'm sure they're fine."

"I'm sorry You-chan!" bawled Chika.

"I'm sorry Chika-chan!" sobbed You.

The baka mikan duo hugged tightly in their emotional embrace, crying hot tears of reconciliation.

On the bed, Riko lounged luxuriously, one hand holding a sandwich to her mouth as the other aimed a remote at the 70-inch plasma screen TV opposite her. She took another bite as she browsed the hotel's collection of erotic yuri films, trying to find one she hadn't already seen.

"This sandwich is amazing," she muttered.

And it was.