Maki Nishikino's life, from the day she was born, was already planned out.

"You're so cute, Maki-chan! Are you going to grow up and be a doctor like your father?" Her parents' friends coo around her.

"Uh huh!" Maki always answers without hesitation. It was only natural for Maki to answer so, when her parents own a hospital and can provide everything for her. It makes sense.

She does everything her parents expect her to, because it's the only thing she knows. She always sees how hard her parents work and doesn't want to cause them trouble, not when she barely sees them with how much they have to work. Her classmates work hard but none of them have the high expectations Maki had already lived with from the start. How could she care about things like current trends when her future is already laid out for her?

When she discovers the piano, it's as if something begins to burn inside of her. She spends every moment practicing the piano, singing her heart out. She loves the feeling of the keys under her fingers, how playing them all together has the sounds melding into a wonderful melody that make her parents smile. Always so quiet, she lets herself be heard at these times, singing with the notes in her joyful state. She wants her parents to smile at her, to be proud that she can do something other than get good grades.

But when she starts going to cram schools and has private tutoring lessons, her time with the piano begins to lessen and lessen until finally, they become nonexistent. She can't think about those sorts of things anymore, not when she needs to study.

Even going to Otonokizaka is her parents' wish, and though she has to leave everything behind, she listens, because it was what her parents decided. She would get through high school, study for the entrance exams for university, and become a doctor. It's all she ever known. Does she really have a say in it? Could she have a say, when her parents worked so hard to be able to provide so much for her?

It's fine, she thinks. Just three years of high school. She's always held herself aloof and doesn't bother with her classmates, not when she doesn't have time to go out and have fun like the rest of them.

Until she discovers the piano in the music room.

Unbidden, all the feelings she tried to repress burst out, and she walks toward the piano, entranced. She can't resist its allure, the grand piano sitting there in a corner of the room, unused. It looks so lonely, sitting there, waiting for someone to play it.

She presses down on a key. Hearing the beautiful sound makes Maki's heart soar again. Slowly, without her realizing, she sits down on the bench, completely entranced. Her fingers move across the keys, drinking in each sound the piano makes. Familiarity comes back to her and her fingers move faster, dancing across the keys. Without realizing it, her mouth moves in time with the keys, soundlessly at first, until her voice echos in the quiet room. She smiles as she sings, closing her eyes, letting reflex take over for her as she plays the songs from memory, as she always used to do.

The song ends abruptly when Maki's fingers crash down on the keys all at once, a horrible chime sounding throughout the room that even Maki cringes. Her smile is bitter as she glances down at the keys, lifting them slowly from where they are though she still keeps them on the piano. She's already resigned herself to the fact that music has no place in the reality that is her life. What use is music to an aspiring doctor who no longer has the time to spare to things that won't help her academic life?

Still, she keeps coming back, day after day. Here, in this room, she claims her music to herself, for only this tiny moment. Playing the piano calms her down and singing lets her feel free. This is the only concession she'll allow herself, because studying and helping out at the hospital are the only things she has in her life.

(Why does she feel so unsatisfied?)

When a strange girl glues her face to the music door and claps excitedly for her one day, Maki's life is changed.

Suddenly, she's introduced to so many new things. She didn't think she'd get badgered so much to join an idol group. She's always taken compliments to her piano playing and singing in stride, but the more she hears them from her upperclassmen and Hanayo, the more she feels embarrassed at getting them. She spends her mornings waking up to go jogging up and down the stairs to the shrine alongside eight foolhardy girls.

It's... nice, Maki grudgingly admits later. She's pushed everyone away because she didn't have time for things like socializing and hanging out. As long as her grades don't drop and she keeps up with her studies, her parents don't mind... whatever she's doing with this strange group of misfits.

Everyone in μ's has such different personalities that sticking all of them together into one room makes Maki's head spin sometimes. Honoka and Rin are too overeager and enthusiastic, Nozomi's uncanny sense for people unnerves her, Hanayo and Kotori are too passive, and while Eli and Umi are rational, this only holds if Eli isn't conspiring with Nozomi and Umi isn't too busy trying to keep Honoka in check.

Despite her feelings about everyone though, she doesn't think she's ever met anyone as difficult as Nico Yazawa.

Even though Nico is supposed to be older than her, Maki has a hard time remembering that. Nico, who looks and acts more like the little kid Maki could ever be. It makes Maki feel irritated because she wants nothing more than to tell her to grow up and act responsibly for her age. All of her upperclassmen seem so reliable, except Nico. Whenever she looks at Nico, the first thing she hears is that Nico Nico-nii! and those hand gestures.

It drives her insane.

The sounds of the piano ring in discord to match the sudden turn her thoughts take. Maki cringes at the mistake. They don't have practice today so Maki spends her time in the piano room instead, not feeling like going home yet.

"Maki-chan? What was that?"

Maki tries not to jump at the sudden intrusion. She brings her eyes up and finds Nico standing in the doorway staring at her.

"Did you just mess up?" Nico makes a face. "That didn't sound right."

"N-Nico-chan? I just blanked out for a moment." Maki waves a hand dismissively, turning back to the keys. Her words aren't a complete lie though, as they're amazingly blank right now since discovering Nico is here.

"What are you doing, making a new song?" Maki blinks when Nico is suddenly next to her, peering down at the piano keys.

"No, I just..." Maki frowns for a brief moment. "I just wanted to play the piano."

Nico hums at her. "Alright then." And sits down next to her on the bench, looking over her shoulder at both Maki and the keys. Too close, too close– Maki takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. She's never been one for physical affection and even now, she still gets embarrassed whenever Rin or Honoka, whenever they're overenthusiastic, jump on her as they're prone to do.

"What, are you too embarrassed to play now?" Nico asks after a minute's passed and Maki still hasn't moved. Though Nico's face is blank, Maki can feel the disappointment in her words.

"T-that's not it," Maki mutters, groaning inside when she realizes she's stuttering. Nico gives her a strange look.

"Okay..." Nico reaches out suddenly, pressing sharply on a random key.

Maki flinches at the loud sound and even Nico looks surprised, blinking down at it. "Hey! Don't just hit whatever you see!" Maki instantly scolds. Her eyes trail down to where Nico's finger is. It's small, much smaller than Maki's, and it looks so strange seeing such a tiny finger on the piano.

"I've never played a piano before!" Nico admits with a huff. Maki brings her attention away from Nico's fingers to blink at her.

"Eh? Really?"

"We're all not rich like you, Maki-chan," Nico says with a wry smile. Maki ignores that jab, looking at the piano for a moment before she brings her eyes up to look into Nico's red eyes.

"... do you want to try then?" Nico looks as if she's about to retort something, but she pauses, looking at Maki warily. Maki would have kept looking at her, but she realizes if anyone walks in right now, they'd find her and Nico sitting close on the bench, staring intently at each other. She quickly averts her gaze, fighting the rising blush, hating that she's so thrown off balance right now.

"Alright, I could try a little. It's fine for Nico to learn some new things every now and then." And Nico flips her legs around to face the same direction. Maki can't help but follow her legs, swallowing unconsciously. "So what do I do?" She looks up at Maki and Maki has to tear her gaze away to look at her. Maki's never seen Nico look so... demure. It makes her blink for a moment before she looks away, pushing the blush trying to make its way to her cheeks.

"Just asking, do you know how to read notes?" Maki asks.

"... eh." Nico makes a face. "Do I really need to know that to play the piano?"

"It'd... be helpful, but I guess not for right now." Maki sighs. Nico lets out a puff of air, humming slightly. Maki turns to the keys, trailing her finger along, wondering where to start. How to read notes? Or scales? Or-

"Hey, I wanna see you play instead," Nico suddenly speaks up.

"H-huh?" Maki snaps her head at her. "I thought you wanted to learn."

"I want to see you play first!" Nico smiles at her, though Maki can't help but feel suspicious as she glances at it. "I've heard you play but I've never watched you. I wanna see how it looks! C'mon, play it for Nico?" And Nico widens her eyes, pushing her hands together to look up at Maki, her lower lip trembling. Maki balks at that look, feels her resolve slipping with each second.

"F-fine! Just stop... looking at me like that!" Maki mutters, pushing down the blush trying to make its way to her face. Nico sniggers at her. "S-shut up! You just... you..." Maki sighs exasperatedly. "Whatever." She puts her hands back on the piano, and begins to play.

She's nervous and twitchy though, for some reason unknown to her. Even Nico can tell, when she raises her brow at Maki.

"Okay, stop." Nico sighs. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I-I'm not!" Maki says, and she has to grimace at the fact that it's the most unconvincing thing she's ever said. Nico only smiles smugly at her.

"Is being in the presence of Super Idol Nico-nii making you nervous?" Nico says with a little snicker.

"Ugh, no," Maki mutters, shaking her head.

"Then pretend I'm not here and play."

"... what?"

"If you love playing the piano, then show me! I want to see how you look when you're playing the piano!" Nico only says, crossing her legs. Her expression is teasing with a smirk. "Show me how the cool idol Maki-chan plays the piano."

"C-cool?" Maki gawks at her. "Ugh..." Maki lets out a groan but she knows when she's being challenged. Her pride won't let her back down now. "Alright, fine!" Taking a deep breath both literally and figuratively, she rests her hands on the piano again. She begins to play, blocking out every distraction including Nico's close presence next to her, so close that their arms are almost brushing.

Maki lets reflex and familiarity take over as her hands flow across the piano keys, letting herself become lost in the melodious sound of her instrument. It starts out as a hum but before long, Maki allows her voice to accompany her playing, a soft murmur to the harmony of the piano. As her hands fly across the keys, she feels her mind doing so as well, forgetting all of her troubles, remembering only the wonderful feeling of immersing herself in her music.

When her fingers begin to slow down for the finale, she opens her eyes, though half-lidded. Only when she finishes, the last note of the song drifting like a whisper throughout the room, does she fully open them, smiling softly to herself as she does so.

"Whoa..."

And Maki remembers she's not alone, turning to Nico, who's staring at her with an awestruck expression. She feels embarrassed to be caught so... open, but it makes her chuckle instead, as she turns her eyes back to the piano.

"... when I was younger, I loved playing the piano. I used to do it all the time. I'd spend hours at the piano in our house, just... playing and singing," Maki says quietly, running her hands along the keys.

"... loved?" Nico only asks.

"My parents... when piano time kept taking too much out of my time to study, I had to stop playing." Maki's eyes turn wistful. "I'm supposed to take over my family's hospital. I have to keep my grades up and go to medical school. I don't have time for it anymore." She smiles bitterly.

"Isn't that... sad?" Nico asks in a quiet voice.

"It's just how it is."

"Then why are you here, being an idol with us?" Nico blinks at her. "If you really want to be a doctor, shouldn't you be spending your time studying instead?"

"I..." Maki gives a low hum. "I don't know, to be honest."

Nico looks at her for a moment before she makes a displeased face. "That kind of answer, it pisses me off."

Maki is too surprised to feel offended. "What?"

"You don't have fun practicing with everyone?" Nico leans forward, eyes boring into her own.

"Uh..."

"You don't like being an idol? You don't like being idols with the rest of us? You don't like singing with all of us, together?"

"What are you saying?! Of course I do!" Maki snaps, narrowing her eyes. "I love practicing with everyone! I love singing with all of you! I love music so much, I could never give it up!" She exclaims, staring hard at Nico. The only sounds are in the room are Maki trying to catch her breath. Nico blinks at her, stunned for a moment, before she grins.

"Then, that's all you need, isn't it?"

"What?" Maki can't help but gape at her upperclassman, trying to make sense of her words. What did that mean? Nico Yazawa, who is the most flighty and pushy person Maki's ever known, who tried to sabotage their group in the beginning due to petty jealousy, who's looking at her as if Maki is the little kid.

"I don't really know much about being a doctor, but that's in the future, isn't it? Shouldn't you have fun and enjoy the things we have now? I mean, even I know I can't be a school idol all the time," she grimaces with those words, "so that only means I have to enjoy my time as one to the fullest, right?"

"I... guess," Maki slowly admits, still staring at Nico incredulously. Nico crosses her arms with a small huff.

"Maki-chan, you're the type of person who over thinks everything. You love music, don't you? Then show me! Show everyone! Share that feeling with everyone! Share it with everyone and make them smile!" She shrugs her shoulders. "That's really all you need!" Nico stops speaking and looks at Maki critically. When Maki only continues to stare at her though, she averts her eyes and gives a small cough. "C'mon, l-listen to your club president sometimes," she tries to say with a nonchalant air but Maki hears that stumble at the end. It makes her smile.

"Okay then, Nico-senpai," Maki says with a small laugh, as she looks down at her upperclassman. Nico turns to look at her-and blinks in surprise, for some reason. Before Maki can ask, Nico quickly whips her head away, her cheeks red.

"... some respect," Nico mutters, shaking her head. "Jeez, you underclassmen who can't appreciate all the hard work that I, your upperclassman, do for you." Nico pats herself as she stands up from the bench. "As punishment, you're playing another song for me next time!"

"Next time?" Maki blinks at her, before she begins to protest. "H-hey! I thought you said you wanted to learn the piano! When did this turn into watching me play?!"

Nico smiles slyly at her. "Because I said so! You'd do it, for Nico, won't you?" And she does it again, with her upturned eyes and pout and Maki makes a strangled sound in the back of her throat. "Good!" Before Maki can blink, Nico's already halfway across the room. She turns around then, with one eye closed, as if regarding Maki carefully. Maki blinks when she notices the slight pink on Nico's cheeks.

"I guess Hanayo and Honoka weren't kidding when they said you look your best when playing the piano," Nico admits grudgingly, and she can't quite meet Maki's eyes for some reason. "A-anyway, think of a song you're gonna play for me next time!" And Nico runs out of the room before Maki can say anything.

Maki ducks her head, hands on her incredibly warm cheeks. "W-what was that?" she can't help but mutter, both angry and confused. Sighing, she puts her hands back on the piano keys, absently playing another melody.

Maki plays one more song to refocus herself, her smile much brighter than before.

A/N: It was originally going to be another long story, but I kind of threw my hands up. To be honest, were it not for Rin, I'd actually be more into makihana, but Maki and Nico just have this amazing personality clash that's pretty fun to explore. And not gonna lie, nicomaki have rather pretty doujinshi.