Re:Live 13 - Sonoda Arc (4) ~Fluttering Butterfly~

Hotaka sent the order off to the kitchen and took a seat across the girl. Although he had grown somewhat accustomed to his assigned work, this would mark the first time somebody ever ordered the "Eat-With-A-Butler-Special." It was outlandishly expensive for the services it provided, but Tenchou had stuck with the original price in hopes that vying customers would grasp at the limited-time offer. Not to mention, there was a myriad of service options to select, from the typical play-a-game-together to the more eccentric make-a-ceramic-together. It seemed Tenchou was somewhat desperate to make the most of this short event.

The girl stirred her coffee with a metal spoon. As she did so, a gentle clanking of ceramic against stainless steel reverberated in the air between her and Hotaka. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear (revealing a small hoop earring) as she lifted the cup to take a sip. Despite them being rather ordinary movements, the girl performed them with elegance. She had dark brown hair that reached down longer than Rin's but shorter than Hanayo's. Along the front fringe of her hair was a deep-green highlight that accented her noticeable tomboyish demeanor.

"Pokkun-san," the girl suddenly said. "I would like you to call me by my nickname."

Hotaka jumped. He blinked a few times and asked, "Nickname? Um, not to be discourteous, but I don't believe we've met before."

The girl raised an eyebrow. She sat there in silence for a moment before reaching for her purse. After rummaging through the contents for a bit, she let out a sigh. It sounded almost as if she expected his response, but was hoping that perhaps he would say something else.

"So you really did lose your memories, huh?" the girl said, picking her cup up again. "I'd heard from Bakahiro, but I didn't realize how bad it was."

As Hotaka listened to the girl speak with a defeated, yet concerned, tone, inklings of his past crept up from the depths of his mind. Though they were still hazy like all his other small recollections, he managed to match a name to face.

"Ah," he murmured. "Ageha… You're Ageha!" Hotaka had pressed his palm against his temple anticipating another headache, but oddly enough, this time there was none.

Ageha broke out in a mischievous giggle and smirked, "I thought I asked you to call me by my nickname, no?" She had her elbow on the table, propping her head up by the cheek. Ageha's wholehearted smile struck a contrast against her cool demeanor, but at the same time, it wasn't unfitting.

"Oh, t-then," Hotaka stammered for a second. He scratched his cheek bashfully before saying, "Hacchan…"

Ageha laughed quietly as she watched Hotaka fidget around, as if she was taking the chance to thoroughly tease him. Her smile twinkled but her eyes were glazed with a hollow, almost regretful, haze. It wasn't explicitly noticeable at first glance, and Hotaka himself had not taken notice of Ageha's subtle expression.

"It feels like it's been a long time since we last met," Ageha said. She let out a quick breath through her nose as she looked down at her coffee. Her smile dwindled slightly but as if catching herself, Ageha looked back up at Hotaka, widening her grin. "Have you been well, Taka? Apart from, you know, losing your memories and whatnot."

Hotaka nodded. The only things that made him feel "unhealthy" were the headaches he got whenever he would recall something from his past. Besides that, Hotaka felt perfectly able.

"That's good to hear," Ageha said. She took a sip from her cup before calling to one of the waitresses. While she had mixed in some sugar, after drinking all that coffee, Ageha wanted something sweet to balance out the bitter aftertaste. "Erm… I'll have this Swiss roll cake."

After the order was confirmed, the waitress scurried off to the back to relay what cake was ordered. Ageha watched the waitress retreated to the back before turning to Hotaka, "So what's the deal with you working here by the way? It's not like you have financial issues, no?"

"Oh, well… It all just ended up like this really. I'm only working here for this week. After that, I'll be back to my normal routine."

"Your routine, huh? What's that consist of now that you've gone and reset on us?"

Hotaka winced. The way Ageha had worded his amnesia plucked at the guilt in his heart for some reason. Her tone didn't suggest any malice, so he assumed this was her natural way of speaking. But regardless, Hotaka summarized what had happened since he awoke with no memories.

...

"Hey, about that lady with Hotaka-san, doesn't she seem kinda familiar?"

Some of the waitresses were chatting during the short intervals when nothing particular needed to be attended to. The topic of discussion naturally turned to Ageha since she was the first to order the limited-time special. Despite her youthfulness, based on her clothing choice and accessories and whatnot, it seemed that Ageha was either fairly wealthy or fairly whimsical. Not to mention how she nonchalantly purchased the special which had a price that most people would back away from.

Tenchou caught wind of the gossiping and turned her attention away from the plate she was garnishing. She glanced at the subject at hand and suppressed a snort. "Well at least you girls recognize her face somewhat.

"Huh? Tenchou, you know who she is?"

"Ageha Tsukikawa. She's known primarily for two things. Do you know what they are?"

The waitresses shook her head but at the side, Kotori hesitantly murmured, "Dance?"

Tenchou raised an eyebrow as she replied, "Hm? That's correct, Kotori, but… are you familiar with her?" She turned back to the plate in front of her and finished up the decoration.

Kotori gently shook her head. She had just recalled how Hotaka had blurted out Ageha's name during one of their practice sessions, but she never expected to encounter her like this.

"In any case, while she's made herself a pretty big name in the dance world, it was the other thing that really brought her to fame," Tenchou said. She eyed Kotori for a moment and with a casual smirk, added, "Well, I'm sure you'll find out what that 'other thing' is soon enough."

Kotori tilted her head, trying to work out what Tenchou was hinting at. As Tenchou ran off to take another shot at advertising the limited-time special, Kotori turned back to Hotaka and Ageha. The two were hitting it off, growing increasingly immersed in their conversation. She was glad that Hotaka managed to reunite with someone he knew of prior to his amnesia, but the mystery around Ageha and her relationship with Hotaka only served to feed her curiosity. The knowledge and talent Hotaka displayed during practice sessions seemed to suggest that Hotaka was a fairly big name in the music world, and perhaps even the school idol world.

"Hacchan, even though I can't remember much about the past, I'm really glad to see you. It's a bit odd." Hotaka smiled softly, taking a peek at the muddy coffee surface.

"Not really," Ageha said coolly, surprising Hotaka. She noticed his alarm and added, "Ah, sorry. I meant that because I've seen you react similarly before. Like, during your previous amnesia attacks."

"Oh, I see. Of course, that makes sense," Hotaka chuckled nervously. He paused for a moment before steeling himself. "Hacchan, is it okay if you tell me more about my past. All the important things I've forgotten, what I'm aiming for in life, anything really."

Ageha crossed her arms and frowned. She took a few seconds to think, but they were short. Ageha started with a question, "How do you feel about your current life?" While she had an eyebrow raised in an almost comical manner, there was a chill in her eyes.

Noticing that, Hotaka paused. Sure, his current circumstances weren't particularly undesirable; he had a roof to sleep under, warm food to eat every day, a steady job, and a mentor role for the Otonokizaka girls. But each and every time he reflected on his situation, Hotaka came to the same conclusion:

"There's nothing I can complain about," Hotaka murmured. He stared intently at Ageha, saying, "But I can't help but want to know my past."

"I see," Ageha let out a little huff. "I suppose anyone in your position would say the same." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. With fluid movements, she flipped the card over while unhooking a pen from her breast pocket. After taking a moment to scribble something down, Ageha slid the card over to Hotaka. "I'm sure Bakahiro said something similar, but… for the time being, don't go mindlessly pursuing your past."

Hotaka picked the business card up. There was a couple of addresses written on the backside. "This is?"

"Just some hints. For once, I agree with Bakahiro this time around, but if you really want to find out about your past, check some of those places." Ageha lightly stabbed her fork into the cake that had been set in front of her. As she chewed on a bite of cake, Ageha watched Hotaka's expressions intently, as if determining something that Hotaka himself was unaware of.

A few seconds passed, and Ageha let out a silent sigh. She glanced at her wristwatch and nearly jumped from her seat. "Oh no, it's already this late. I gotta get going now. I'll see you around, Taka." With that, Ageha quickly paid the bill at the register, pausing for a moment when she heard the price of the limited-time special, but forked over the cash and left hastily.

Hotaka watched Ageha disappear into the crowd before getting to his feet. He neatly pocketed the business card away and started clearing out the table.

"Even if it was your friend," Tenchou suddenly said, placing her hand on Hotaka's shoulder, "one purchase of this special is still a profit." She pumped her fist in the air as Hotaka laughed weakly at Tenchou's excitement.

"Sorry that I'm not too enticing of a deal," Hotaka felt the need to apologize.

Sup friends.

I've been gone for a hell of a long time, haven't I?

For that, I can only give my sincerest apologies. For those who may be interested why I was on hiatus for such a long time, I shall give a brief summary:

One of the main reasons was that I was studying abroad in Japan (I visited the Love Live shrine while I was there, woohoo!), but little things piled up on my end, mostly just school-related things, but yeah. I should be back for the time being, but like always, don't expect too much consistency from my update rate.

I do want to at least finish the µ's story, so hopefully I'll get around to doing that.

I'm not so sure how motivated I'll be feeling for the Aqours story, but we'll see, I suppose.

Anyhow, glad to be back and once again, sorry for the inactivity.

-Empyreum