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Chapter Text

"Guh..." Misaki groaned and laid on her desk. The buzzing of the workplace filled her ears, tapping on a keyboard, silent chatter and monitors beeping. Why did she pick a desk job? Who knows. All she knows is that being behind a desk is boring. She sighed and opened another tab on her monitor.

It was showing Hello, Happy World!'s live performance. There they were, high schoolers, performing for children all around the world. Kaoru making everyone fawning over her, Hagumi and Kokoro jumping in the air, Kanon being concerned in the back and there she was.

A pink bear stared back at her. Michelle. Hello, Happy World!'s mascot. Misaki stared at her, was she feeling nostalgic? Or was it jealousy? Michelle is always in the spotlight while Misaki is inside of her, only seeing everyone cheering for Michelle, not her.

Misaki sighed and closed out of the site, rubbing her temples. "Okusawa-san, how is the project running along?" one of her colleagues asked. "Ah, it's going along well, I think..." she replied, fiddling with her keyboard. "Well, get it done by Monday, y'know how boss is..." her colleague said and continued on his merry way. "I know..."

*****

"Damnit!" Misaki cursed as she arrived late at the train station. "Ugh..." she groaned and decided to walk instead of waiting for the next train. The stars were out and they were bright, as if they were closer than percieved. The rain had stopped but still left a bit of drizzle as Misaki walked on the puddle filled street. 

It was around 10 P.M. and a lot of people were out, for dinner or just for some fresh air. Misaki shivered in her coat, the winter breeze seemed to find it's way into her thick coat. A lot of couples passed her either drunk or sober. Misaki stared at them as they passed, sighing.

On her way back to her apartment, there was someone who was already there. Her coat was an ashy blue and her hair was coloured blue. Misaki walked closer and called out to the person. "Kanon?" the mystery person turned and smiled brightly. "Misaki-chan!" Kanon replied and gave Misaki a big hug. "It's been so long!" she said, shouldering her bag. "Yeah..." Misaki rubbed her neck, something she would do if she was in an awkward situation. "I just wanted to tell you that," Kanon continued, "Kokoro is having a Hello, Happy World! reunion dinner next week." she said, "Could you come?"

"Well, I'll have to check my schedule, of course..." Misaki replied, fiddling with her fingers. "Great! It'll be at the Tsurumaki Mansion!" Kanon waved goodbye and turned, walking away. "A reunion, huh..." Misaki muttered to herself. As she watched Kanon walked away, she felt like there's something about her that's changed. Her walking was more confident, more graceful. As if the old Kanon Matsubara was just a memory in the past. 

Misaki sighed and went inside her building. She walked past the landlord's apartment and saw the lights closed, indicating that the office was close. Misaki put off her plans to pay her rent for tomorrow and went to her apartment. 

It wasn't much, the living room was rather empty, which made it seem spacious. It connected to the kitchen and moved on to the hall for the bedroom and the bathroom. Misaki dumped her bag on the floor and made her way to the bedroom and laid on her bed. She didn't bother to turn on any lights as she was going to sleep anyways.

"A reunion party..." Misaki held on to what Kanon said. But, if I go... I have to see her again... Misaki thought, staring up towards the ceiling. Her heart raced when she thought of the girl who stole her heart.

"Damn you, Kokoro Tsurumaki..."

Chapter Text

"Arisa!!" Kasumi reached out towards the blonde and hugged her tightly. "I miss you sooooooooo much!" she rubbed her cheek against Arisa's cheek. "Oi! Get off!" Arisa tried to pry her off. Saaya laughed as she and Rimi set up new food items at the Yamabuki Bakery. 

"Choco Cornet... Choco Cornet..." Rimi muttered under her breath as she stared at the Choco Cornet display. Tae seemed distant, staring out the window as if deep in thought. "Tae?" Saaya touched her shoulder, which made her flinch. "Ah! Sorry, was thinking of something..." the raven haired girl said. Saaya smiled and continued restocking the pastries.

"Do you love me?"

*****

"Tasty, tasty bread~!" Kasumi took a huge bite into her bread and munched it fast. "Kasumi, you're going to get bread everywhere." Arisa groaned as she wiped the table a second time. She and Kasumi had been living together ever since Kasumi got fired. Now, it was only Arisa who worked while Kasumi was a freeloader.

"Arisa, Arisa~ Let's play truth or dare!" Kasumi inched closer, bread crumbs dropping on the table. "What? I need to cook, why do you want to play that so suddenly?" Arisa nagged, standing up and made her way to the kitchen. "Pleaseeeeee?" Kasumi made her puppy dog eyes towards the blonde. 

"Ugh, fine, but we're having dinner first." Arisa groaned "Yay! Arisa is the best!" Kasumi cheered, digging into her bread again. Arisa sighed, "You're such an idiot, Kasumi..."

*****

Saaya.

Saaya looked up from her bowl and picked up her phone. It was from Tae. Saaya smiled and messaged back.

What's up?

I've been thinking a lot about you

What's that supposed to mean? Do you miss me?

Yeah...

The rabbit farm is fun to work at, but, sometimes I think about you and my heart aches.

Saaya felt her cheeks warming up at the message. She pushed it aside as some sort of thing Hanazono Tae would say. She messaged back,

Well, I think about you a lot, too

And Arisa, Kasumi and Rimi...

Oh.

Um, Saaya, do you want to... go somewhere tomorrow?

Sure, where to?

Up to you.

Ok, see you at 9?

Sure.

Saaya smiled at her friend's last message and put down the phone, only for it to ring again. This time, a phone call. "Hello?" she answered, "Ah, it's you! I've been waiting for your call." she placed the bowl of bread dough at the side, "Breakfast? Tomorrow? I'm free- What...

...9 a.m. sharp?"

Chapter Text

"And again."

Yukina's voice rang in the studio, her voice as clear as glass with the words written by Sayo and herself. The song ended with Ako's drumming and a few notes from Rinko's keyboard. 

"That was amazing, Yukina-san!" Ako praised her as she would do. "Okay~ Who wants a cookie?" Lisa said, shaking the bag of cookies in her hand. Ako jumped immediately from her seat and grabbed a cookie. 

"That was some beautiful work on the keyboard, Rinko." Yukina smiled towards her, who responded with a shocked squel and a face that's tinted red. "T-thank you, Yukina-san..." she said. "I agree, Minato-san." Sayo joined in the conversation as she nibbled on a cookie. 

"T-thank you, both of you!" Rinko fiddled with her fingers. Yukina's watch beeped, indicating their time in the studio being up. "Yay~ Come on, Rinrin! A new event just started in NFO!" Ako grabbed Rinko by her arm and dragged her out the studio.

"See you later, Sayo, Yukina~" Lisa waved them goodbye and went out the studio. Sayo shouldered her bag and followed suit with Yukina behind her.

"Are you nervous?" Yukina asked her teal haired guitarist. "Huh? Of course not." Sayo replied, "Being the one who got to perform at Tokyo Dome instead of Hina has been my dream." she said, with a hint of pride in her voice.

"I see..." Yukina replied, her voice trailing off. "Sayo, may I ask you something?" she asked, "What is it?" Sayo stopped walking and looked towards Yukina. "Well, it's about..."

*****

Rinko wasn't paying attention to NFO until Ako had turned on her microphone and asked her to cover for her. After a dragon had been killed, Rinko's train of thought wandered again. "Rinrin, what's wrong with you? You're not like yourself..." Ako asked her. This snapped Rinko back to the present. "Ah, sorry..."

I was thinking of Yukina-san...

*****

"No!" Lisa grumbled as she tore from her notebook and tossed the paper into the full waste bin. She scribbled a few more on her notepad, determined to come up with an original design. Who knew fashion design would be hard? Another paper ball was thrown away.

Her phone buzzed, indicating a call. She picked it up and noticed that it was Moca. "Hi, Moca." she answered it. "Lisa~ Can you cover for me at the convenience store~?" Moca groaned, "I have a bad stomach ache..." she continued. "Ahaha, okay, Moca." she hung up and sighed. 

"Guess it's a good distraction..."

*****

"Nee-chaaaan!" Hina wrapped Sayo in a bear hug, "I missed you~" she said. "Hina, I've only been out for three hours." Sayo tried to pry her sister off. "But, that was long~" Hina complained, finally letting go of Sayo. "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to practice more." she said, making her way towards her room.

Hina grabbed her sister by her leg, "But! I want to play with you!!" Sayo slowly dragged Hina on her way to her room. "I'm sorry, but our next performance at Tokyo Dome will be next month and I don't have that much time to practice." she wiggled her leg out of Hina's grasp and closed the door behind her.

"Aw..." Hina slumped and went to her own room.

Chapter Text

"Hmm~ Hmm~" Nanami hummed as she tapped on her computer. Rui sat besides her, reading a math book. "Ruirui, what do you think the others are doing now~?" Nanami asked her friend, not moving her gaze from her computer. "We can always call..." Rui gazed at her. 

"Hmm~" Nanami finally looked up, making a thinking face. "Wouldn't we be disturbing them?" Nanami asked. "No, not really..." Rui replied, closing her book and placed it on the desk. Rui picked up her phone and dialed Touko immediately. "Ho~ Why was Touko-chan the first person you dialed~?" Nanami teased Rui, who didn't gave her any mind. 

*****

Touko wasn't having a good day.

First she forgot her textbook, then she got assigned for group work with the worse group. Now, she was in her dorm, slamming her head against her desk. Her phone rang and she picked it up, putting on her cheerful facade.

"Hey, Touko here~" Touko said. "Touko-chan~" Nanami's voice rang from the phone. "Ah, hi Nanami~ How's college with Rui treating you?" Touko asked, twirling her hair. "It's great!" Nanami replied, "Ah, Ruirui is here, by the way. Here you go~" Nanami said. "Ah, Hiromachi-san-- K-Kirigaya-san, hello..." Rui muttered, 

"Hi, Rui, how are you feeling?" Touko said, blushing a bit. Her heart was beating a bit, her hands shaking. "I'm fine, how about you?" Rui replied, the sound of Nanami whistling was heard in the background. "I'm good..." Touko replied, "Um, do you want to hang out sometimes?" Touko muttered. 

"Hmm? Sure..." Rui replied. Then, the phone hanged up. Touko groaned and blushed into her hand. "Why did I ask her that?!" Touko screamed. "Ugh..."

*****

"Humph..." Tsukushi placed the box on the floor and bent her back. "Hey, Mashiro-chan, where should this be?" she called out to Mashiro. "If it's mine, just put it in front of my door..." Mashiro replied back. Tsukushi placed the box in front of her door and went inside her own room.

Tsukushi sighed and sat at her desk, continuing her work. Hours passed by and it started raining. The raindrops dripped on her window, making a soft knocking sound. Tsukushi stared at the pouring rain and her train of thought disappeared, off to think of something. 

Just then a Red Admiral butterfly landed on the other side of her windowsill. It seemed to had landed to dry itself off before flying again. Tsukushi didn't open the window, of course, but touched the glass at where the butterfly was. 

"I wonder what it's like to be a butterfly..." Tsukushi sighed and stared at the beautiful insect. She looked down and continued her work, her eyesight turned fuzzy before she passed out, exhausted from the day.

As the rain subsided a bit, the Red Admiral butterfly took off, fluttering towards it's destination.

Chapter Text

"Bye! See you guys soon!" Pareo waved towards the others, closing the door and went to Chu2's room. "Chu2-sama!" she called out, checking the closet she was in. Empty. Pareo went towards the couch. Nothing. Huh. She shrugged and went to Chu2's bedroom to see her fast asleep at her desk with jerky on her plate beside her. 

Pareo smiled and closed the door gently, stretching and started cleaning the house. It wasn't that messy, suprisingly considering how it was right after her own birthday. Pareo hummed one of RAS's songs and stopped cleaning, her vision blurring a bit. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, putting the thought away.

She has to move away, which means...

She had to leave Raise A Suilen.

*****

"Guh..." Masuki groaned, picking Rokka up from her bike. She entered their apartment and threw the drunk on the bed. She grabbed at her neck and massaged it, sighing as she sat at the couch in the living room. It suddenly rained, the harsh tapping of the raindrops echoed the apartment. Masuki closed her eyes and remembered the conversation she had with Pareo.

*****

Pareo had pulled her aside from the party to reveal a secret. "Wha'?! You're movin'?!" Masuki said, meeting the pink haired girl's eyes. "Yes, my father is asking me to move to a much more elite high school..." Pareo said, the usual cheerfulness in her voice was gone, as if that Pareo had disappear again. 

"But, you can't leave!" Masuki grabbed her shoulder, "How about RAS?! Chu2?! No one can replace you!" she stared at her, who replied with a dead gaze. A broken gaze. "I'm sorry... It's my father's decision, I cannot fight back..." Pareo pushed Masuki's hands off her shoulders and smiled, "It's okay! It's after our big live!" she said, the broken gaze disappeared. "We have plenty of time together!" 

"When do ya think you're gonn' tell the others?" Masuki asked, her eyes locking with Pareo's. She didn't respond, but rather she walked away. The frown gone and replaced by a smile as Chu2 called out to her. Masuki stared at her for the rest of the night.

Her smile seems forced.

*****

Masuki snapped back to reality when she heard Rokka stirring. She muted the TV and went to her, for some reason, Rokka was at the far side of the bed, almost falling off. "Oi..." Masuki groaned, picking her up and tucked her in the bed properly. "That's why I said stop drinkin'..." she groaned and shushed Rokka to sleep, who fell asleep as soon as Masuki's hand moved away from her forehead.

Masuki stared at Rokka, her face turning a light red. She noticed her heating face and looked away from Rokka. She sighed and exited the room, closing the lights and silently closed the door. She went to her own room and tossed her jacket on the bed. Her drum set sat at the corner, the surface is worn from play. 

Masuki went and closed the living room light, leaving only the hallway light. She went into her room and closed the door, tossing herself on the bed. The tapping of rain could still be heard as she groaned and changed into some pyjamas, closed the lights and tried to sleep.

We have plenty of time together, huh?

Chapter Text

Tsugumi fainted-- no wait, she just fell down. She groaned as she dragged herself across the floor and towards the kotatsu. "Tsugu, you okay?" Tomoe looked from the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm fine..." Himari came in from the door and locked it. She placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and stretched, laying inside the kotatsu with Tsugu.

"How was business, Tsugu?" Himari asked, fiddling with her 'business' hair, while really it's just her hair tied into a ponytail. "Ah, it's fine..." Tsugu replied, relaxing into the kotatsu's warmth. After her parents retirement, she had taken over Hazawa coffee to make some money. Kanon had joined to work part-time to earn some extra cash, along with Aya.

Tomoe came into the living room with dinner and went into the kotatsu with them. "Bon' Appetite!" they all said before eating. Himari reached for the remote and turned it on, flicking through the channel options before landing on a talk show with Pastel*Palettes. Chisato was answering most of the questions with Hina constantly trying to be in the shot. 

"Hey..." Tomoe said, her eyes looked down to her food, the same sad expression from that day appearing again. "Have you guys ever thought about Afterglow...?" she asked. The TV sounded loud, the chattering and laughs echoed the living room. Tsugumi couldn't meet any of her two roommate's eyes. That day... A Thursday...

It was the day that Afterglow had to split up.

*****

Moca stared out the window, counting the raindrops that landed on the glass. One, Two... she counted. The ticking of the clock echoed in her ears, the dark half empty apartment echoed the noise everywhere. Her clock beeped to indicate it's time for work but felt like she didn't want to go. Moca sighed and shut off the alarm and called Lisa.

She asked her friend if she was free, and asked if she could cover for her at work, making up an excuse of not feeling well. "Thanks~" Moca hung up and laid back on her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Wonder what Ran is doing? she thought but shook her head. It's probably night time there anyway, she told herself and closed her eyes, the sound of raindrops on the glass window rung in her ears.

Ran isn't here...

*****

Tomoe washed the dishes and saw Tsugu still in the kotatsu, Himari already went to her room. "Hey." she called out to her brown haired friend and sat down near her, green tea on the table. "Hey..." Tsugumi replied, not feeling spirited. "Hey, I'm sorry that I brought Afterglow up..." Tomoe said, fiddling with her fingers to calm her anxiety down. "I suddenly thought about Ran, Moca and then the whole band." Tsugumi didn't meet her eyes, her hands on the glass of green tea all the time.

"It's okay..." Tsugumi said softly. "I've always been thinking of Afterglow." she said. Tomoe looked outside the window and saw a Red Admiral butterfly land on the glass pane. Ah right, it's Spring. she thought. How long has it been? Two years since the split up? "Beautiful, aren't they?" Tsugumi said, staring at the red admiral. Tomoe nodded. 

Tsugu finished her drink and got up, washing the cup and went to her room. Tomoe stood there, staring at the butterfly before it flew off. She stared at the rain before deciding to close the blinds and go to sleep.

What would Afterglow be doing right now?

Chapter Text

"Ah-!" Aya tripped and fell face down on the floor. "Aya-san! Are you okay?!" Eve asked her, hoisting her up. Chisato came back with a wet towel and wiped the blood dripping from her nose. "It's quite slippery..." Aya said, massaging her temples. "Take five!" Chisato said, moving Aya to corner to take care of her. 

Hina sat near the door and drank some water. Maya joined her and stared off into the distance. "You okay?" Maya asked her friend, who seemed distracted. "Huh?" Hina snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine..." she replied, the lie slipping out her mouth with ease. Maya looked at her for a few more moments and sighed, looking out the window.

"Five more weeks 'til the festival, huh?" Maya pondered, her voice sounding melancholic. "Yup..." Hina replied, looking down on the floor, not acting like her usual self. Maya glanced at her for a few more times and got up, sitting at her drum set.

"I'll be starting, Chisato-san." Maya called out to the blonde bassist, who nodded and continued to tend to Aya. "Five more weeks, huh?" Maya munbled, hitting the drums a few times and playing it finally.

*****

"Achoom!" Eve sneezed into her hand. "Is it allergy season?" she asked, sneezing again. Raindrops started to gather around the group's feet as they pulled out their umbrella to shield themselves from the rain. "See you tomorrow." Chisato waved at Hina and Eve, before catching up to Aya and Maya. 

"Five more weeks..." Aya said, looking up to the star dotted sky. "Mhm." Maya said, kicking at the puddles a bit. Chisato lagged behind, looking down to her feet. "Chisato-chan?" Aya called out, making her look up and walked forward. "What's wrong?" Maya asked, "Ah, nothing..." Chisato replied.

I was just thinking how Pastel*Palettes will be no more after those five weeks.

*****

"Shirasagi-san, may I see you for a bit?" a staff had called out to her. They met at the hallway, away from the practice room. "What is it?" she asked, "Well, following trends, this year an idol band doesn't seem to attract people anymore." the staff said, "Pastel*Palettes' ticket and album sales are dropping, the views on the new MVs are dropping drastically... I'm afraid we have to let you go..." 

Chisato stared at the staff in disbelief. What? She couldn't hear herself think. Let Pastel*Palettes go? How would she find her 'dream' now? "Why? We're doing good, no? Sure, the tickets and album sales are dropping but we're still known! How about the Spring Idol Fest? When do you think you're going to let us go?"

"After the Spring Idol Fest," the staff continued, "You will say that Pastel*Palettes will be disbanding, thanking the support from the fans and wish them well."

Chapter Text

"Misaki!"

Misaki heard her voice, Tsurumaki Kokoro. Hello, Happy World!'s vocalist. Her third crush. Misaki always hid her feelings for the literal ray of sunshine, not wanting to be seen as a freak again.

Weirdo...

Gross...

Those words... She remembered them clear as day, when the rumors had spread. Ah, how she couldn't forgive herself. Her only two supporting family members died, leaving her to fend for herself. Ah, how she wanted to turn back time, but she couldn't.

Ah...

The rain sounds louder over here...

*****

Misaki didn't know what she was doing. She had been staring at a silver dress that she had for special occasions for almost an hour now. She remembered Kanon's words the other night. Would you come? she had said, after telling her about Hello, Happy World!'s reunion party. Misaki sighed, throwing the dress back on the bed, contemplating on not going. But... she didn't want to disappoint her friends but she didn't want to see Kokoro. Her bright smile, her bright hair. God... Misaki blushed. She couldn't forget her last Valentine's with her, the thought of that made her want to curl up and scream. Misaki pursed her lips and sighed, "Well..." she said, "I have to see her sometimes, I guess..." she picked up the dress and went into the shower. 

*****

There she was, Tsurumaki mansion.

It's the same as she remembered, huge... other adjectives that describes the mansion. Misaki got out of her car, locked it and stood in front of the gate. Normally, Kokoro would be charging from the door to the gate just to hug Misaki. Now, she's not even here. In fact, the only noise she's hearing is a dog barking. She took a deep breath and continued walking towards the front door. Ah, finally, some noise. The clinking of glasses made her feel comfortable as she knocked on the door.

At first, nothing happened. Typical. Misaki waited for a while to hear footsteps making it's way to the door. The door creaked open and Misaki was met by a hug. "Misaki!!" Kokoro squeezed her tightly. "Ah, Kokoro, hey..." Misaki muttered under her breath. "Come in! Everyone is here!" Kokoro said, her eyes looked melancholic at the last line. The mansion was marvelous, just the way Misaki remembered. Large halls, beautiful decor. They made their way to the dining room and saw Kanon and Hagumi there. Only Kanon and Hagumi, that is. Kaoru was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Kaoru?" Misaki asked. "She couldn't make it..." Kokoro replied, "But! Almost everyone is here and that's okay!" she quickly added, to bring back joy in the downer mood. Misaki sat next to Kanon, who had on a beautiful pastel blue sleeveless one piece with white lace at the skirt, a white knitted small jacket draped over her shoulder. Hagumi was wearing something less formal and more casual. A yellow shirt tucked into an orange skirt, with a pastel brown jacket covering her.

"Let's eat!" Hagumi said, before Kokoro stopped her. "We need to wait for Michelle!"

...

Misaki stared at her. What... Even after years, she still believes that pink bear mascot actually is sentient. A shadow covered Misaki's face before Kanon would speak up. "Um...! We could just eat without her!" she said, glancing back at Misaki, "Michelle said she was busy...!" Kanon added. "Really? What would she be doing?" Kokoro asked but shrugged it off, "Well! Let's eat, then!"

Damn you, Tsurumaki Kokoro

*****

"There, there" Chisato said, her voice calm and reassuring. She was in Kaoru's bathroom, with the said girl bent over at the toilet, vomiting. "Let it all out..." Chisato said. Kaoru gasped for air as she put the toilet seat back down, flushing it. "Thanks..." she said to Chisato, who just smiled. Kaoru walked out of the bathroom, Chisato lagging behind.

"It's all I could do for now..." Chisato sighed, exiting the bathroom and closing the lights.

*****

Hagumi didn't want to go back home.

She wanted to stay. She didn't want to go home and see... him. Just the thought of that sent shivers down her spine. She poured the sparkling wine again and chugged it down, sighing. Kanon walked into the kitchen to see her almost drunk. "Hagumi-chan, are you okay?" she asked, pushing some strands of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah! I'm perfectly fine!" Hagumi replied, almost slurring. Kanon walked over and placed an arm around her. "I'm going to take you home, okay?" she asked, only for Hagumi to protest. "No no! I wanna stay...!" she said, her words almost incomprehensible.

"No, you're going home..." Kanon said, shouldering Hagumi's arm, which pushed back some of her jacket sleeve. Kanon looked over and didn't comment, as she didn't want to know what happened to her arm.

Why was there multiple bruises?

Chapter Text

Rimi strummed her bass, flinching at the pain. She sighed and stopped playing, looking at a picture of her sister. Her eyes started to water as she remembered her sister's smile and her voice. 

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

She started crying. The pain from that day came flooding back. The rain, the blood, the gun.

The day that Yuri Ushigome had died, protecting her own sister.

*****

Saaya shifted in her seat, biting at her lips while playing with her fingers. She had to meet her lawyer to buy a bakery in Tokyo but her meeting clashed with her date with Tae and now she's just at a cafe, waiting for her lawyer to show up. "He's five minutes late..." she mumbled to herself. She looked around and saw Tae in a flower shop. Saaya panicked and tried to hide, but there was nowhere else to hide. "I'll just tell her we're having breakfast here...! Yeah!" she reassured herself and relaxed. Tae exited the shop with a bouquet of white lilies. Saaya waved towards her, who gave a confused glance at first but walked towards, taking a seat across from Saaya. "Hey, I didn't know you were here..." Tae grabbed at her neck, handing her the bouquet. "Here, you probably saw me buying them..." she said. "Thanks!" Saaya said, her hand gliding through her phone under the table.

"So, have you ordered?" Tae asked, fixing her ponytail. She had on a blue floral-lace shirt with a white jacket over it, white pants and black short heels. She flagged down a waitress and ordered a cup of coffee, Saaya ordering the same. "So, why did you wanted to meet up?" Saaya asked, pushing back her hair behind her ear. "Well, I wanted to hang out..." Tae said, playing with her fingers. "Well, that's fine, then..." Saaya smiled at her. Tae seemed agitated about something but Saaya didn't asked her. "Here are your orders." a waitress came and gave them their coffee. They sat in silence, not knowing exactly what to say.

Tae looks like she has something in her mind. 

I wonder what is in her mind.

*****

"Damnit..." Arisa cursed as her keys fell on the floor. She released her groceries and bent over to grab her keys, putting it in her keyhole and unlocked the door. She picked up her groceries and groaned as she saw Kasumi sleeping on the floor with chips beside her. She placed the groceries on the kitchen counter top, fixing her back. She turned off the television and carried Kasumi back to her room, closing her light. She took the broom and started to clean up after Kasumi's mess. Upon finishing, Arisa sighed and sat down in the kotatsu, scrolling through her phone.

Today, Arisa made lasagna!! It was tasty!

Kasumi's status was on her screen. It had a picture of her half-eaten lasagna yesterday with a mess on her table. Arisa groaned and laid her face on the table, blushing softly. Her heart pounded as she thought about Kasumi's smile and voice. She shook her head and closed her phone, breathing deeply to steady her heartbeat.

Goddamnit, Kasumi...

Chapter Text

Worthless;

A joke;

Why are you still here?

...

I'm sorry...

*****

Hagumi burped as Kanon supported her by her arm. "Kano--n-chaaaaan-senpai..." Hagumi slurred, "We-re are we goinnnnnn???" she laid on Kanon's lap, who let out a small shriek and sighed. "We're going home, Hagumi-chan..." Kanon replied, stroking her orange hair as she slurred some incomprehensible words towards her. Kanon stared at the bruises on her arm, contemplating on what they were. A stick? Cat scratches? Or, the more terrifying option, belt marks? No, those are definitely scratches... She hoped...

Kanon's ears perked up as she heard the announcer announced their stop. "Come on, upsy daisy..." Kanon said, wrapping Hagumi's arm around her shoulder. They slumped out the train and Kanon sighed, not realizing how dark it had been. Hagumi was still speaking incomprehensibly but Kanon could make out some words. "Don't... see... him..." she muttered and went back to being drunk. They slumped in the darkness towards the Kitazawa Meat Shop, the sign says 'Closed' but Kanon pushed the door opened instead. Hagumi's brother was cleaning up, caught a glimpse of a drunk Hagu and nodded towards Kanon. She continued on and made her way towards Hagumi's room. She placed the already sleeping girl on her bed and sighed, looking back at her.

Her sleeves rolled up, showing the same bruises again and in the moonlight she could clearly see them as belt marks. Kanon touched Hagumi's palm and held her hand, stroking at the bruises slowly.

"It's your dad, is it?"

*****

Kaoru stared at the piece of paper, a doctor's appointment. She checked her watch and saw the hands showing at 10:45 P.M. Chisato was besides her, scrolling through her phone, possibly social media. Kaoru took a peek at her phone. Yep, social media. But, the posts were dated years ago, more specifically when Pastel*Palettes was first introduced. "What are you doing?" Kaoru asked. "Huh-?" Chisato snapped back to reality, staring at her. "N-nothing... Just scrolling through old posts..."

"From years ago?" Kaoru stared at her, obviously not buying the lie. "Ugh... Fine..." Chisato groaned. "I'm scrolling through Pastel*Palettes first live posts for nostalgia..." she muttered, scrolling back again. Kaoru stared at her for a few minutes, sighing. She looked at the number board, waiting to be called into the doctor's office. Her nose twitched, causing her to pull out a tissue and sneezed into it, a few coughs following behind. She stared at the tissue and sighed, hiding it in her pocket.

The blood stained tissue inside her pocket.

Chapter Text

"Onee-chan?" Hina knocked on her sister's door, entering it without needing an answer. Sayo strummed her guitar as hard as she could at 8 in the morning. "Hey, I brought breakfast..." Hina said, placing the plate on her desk. Hina stared at her in concerned as she exited the room. "Onee-chan, you shouldn't stress yourself..." she said. Sayo sighed when Hina exited the room, stopped playing her guitar and took the plate. She started to eat, appreciating how the food was cooked. Her phone vibrated. Sayo picked it up, seeing texts from Lisa.

Hey, Sayo~

I've been meaning to ask you if you wanted to hang out sometime?

Sayo's face felt hot, she had always liked Lisa ever since she started being close around her. She smiled and answered her.

Hey, Lisa. Of course, I would like to hang out sometimes.

Great! I'll see you at Hazawa Coffee~

Sayo stared at Lisa's last message, her face hot. "Onee-chan?" Hina called out, knocking softly. Sayo closed her phone and frantically grabbed her guitar, continued playing it as if nothing had happened. Hina poked her head inside the room, sighing at the fact that Sayo is still practicing and not eating.

*****

-nrin! Rinrin!!

Rinko snapped back into reality, her computer buzzing in front of her with Ako calling out towards her. "Rinrin, I need healing!" Ako screamed towards her. Rinko rushed towards her and healed her, her fingers fidgeting on the keyboard. Ako trudged forward on the game map with Rinko behind her, her mind wandering elsewhere. "That's it!!" Ako cheered, running towards the Tomb and grabbed the prize they tried to get for two weeks.

"C-congratulations, Ako-chan...!" Rinko clapped at her friend, who had been beside her the whole gameplay. "Thank you!!" Ako replied, "Anyway, what's wrong Rinrin? You look distracted..." she asked, snapping Rinko back to reality, proving her point. "Ah, it's nothing..." the little lie slipped out of her mouth with ease. A small simple lie, who would know?

"Well then... Let's go to another map then!" Ako said, not caring about the obvious lie. Rinko smiled at her and exited the game to the main menu, her eyes regretting the white lie.

Yukina-san...

*****

Sayo stared out the window of Hazawa Coffee, the coffee she ordered sat in front of her on the table. She could see children having fun outside, pushing each other and laughing. Sayo smiled, trying to remember the last time she and Hina were like that. The door bell rang and Lisa entered, her outfit casual but stylish with her hair the same as usual. She waved towards Sayo with her famous Lisa Imai smiles, causing Sayo to blush a bit. "Hey, Sayo~" Lisa said towards her, sitting across from her. She flagged down Tsugumi who took her order, a cup of tea.

"Why did you want to go out?" Sayo asked. "Nothing, I just wanted to see you." Lisa said, teasing her. Sayo blushed, hiding her face. As the day went by, they spent it talking about some random things and eventually left when it was around 5:30 in the afternoon. Lisa paid for the drinks and followed Sayo out of the cafe. "Shall we go?" Lisa asked. They both walked side to side in the sunset, hands brushing almost slightly.

"Hey, Sayo?" Lisa suddenly said, "Have you thought about dating?" she asked, playing with her fingers. "No, not really..." Sayo replied, her heart beating against her chest. "I've always liked someone since high school..." Lisa confessed. Sayo stared at her, a confession ready in her head. "Ah... Forget about it..." Lisa said, arriving at her house. Sayo looked down to the ground and saw another pair of of shoes. Masculine looking shoes... Who was with her...? "See you later, Sayo..." Lisa waved and entered her house. Sayo took a peek into the house, seeing another person inside. A guy...

Is it her crush in high school?

...

..

Is she... dating him...?

...

I'm too late...

Chapter Text

Touko stirred her coffee, her eyes wandering off to the outside of the cafe. Tsugumi and Eve rushed around, getting everyone's orders. Touko stared at the ground, seeing a lot of feet tapping on the ground as she waits for a certain raven-haired. She sighed, drinking her coffee. The doorbell chimed, Touko looked up and saw Rui looking around. She was wearing a black one-piece, with lace decorating the skirt and sleeves. Touko waved towards her and she came over, the tapping of her black heels echoed as she went over. "Hey, Rui," Touko said, picking at her skirt from anxiety. "Hello, Kirigaya-san." Rui sat down and stared at the table uncomfortably. "Um, how is... university with... Nanami?" Touko mumbled, fiddling with her skirt. "It's fine," Rui responded, her neutral demeanor gave Touko a bit of a chill. "What did you want to talk about, Kirigaya-san?" Rui said, flagging down Tsugumi to order. "How's majoring in fashion?" Rui asked, awkwardly staring down at the table. "I'm sorry..." Touko blurted out.

"What?" Rui looked up to her, her eyes looked more concerned. "I-I mean!! I'm sorry that this is pretty boring to you..." Touko added, playing with her ponytail. Rui simply nodded and thanked Tsugu when she had arrived with her drink. "To answer your question... It's been great..." she said, an obvious lie slipped out of her mouth. "I see..." Rui responded. The date lasted for only fifty minutes when Rui received a call from Nanami saying that she had fallen and can't get up. "I need to help her..." Rui said, finishing her drink as fast as she could. "S-sure..." Touko replied, waving at her. After she exited the cafe, Touko groaned which caused Eve to walk over to her. "W-what is it, Touko-san!!" Eve asked. "Ah, sorry, Eve..." Touko chuckled at her mistake. Eve nodded and went back to tending customers. Touko looked down at her coffee and saw herself, obviously, but rather a sadder version of herself.

When will you notice me, Rui?

*****

"Where am I?" Hagumi said to herself as she woke up. She was still in her dress that she wore to Kokoro's reunion yesterday but she didn't remember arriving home. Her brother was in the room, cleaning up. "Oh, hey," he called out to her. "Matsubara brought you home," he answered her question, which she never even said out loud. "Kano-chan-senpai..." she mumbled under her breath and sat up. "Is... you know... home?" she asked her brother, who was dusting her desk. "No," he said, his tone was a bit scared. Hagumi let out her breath that she had been holding in. "He's gone for two more days..." her brother added. Hagumi stared at him and moved her gaze to the bed. "I know..." she mumbled, her eyes starting to tear up. Her brother went over to her and hugged her. "We'll find a way to get out of this..." he reassured her, stroking her short hair. Hagumi couldn't show any weakness, she promised herself.

She would get out of this, she promised herself.

*****

Kaoru stared out to the window, occasionally coughing into her own hand. She sniffed and continued staring out the window, not quite sure what she was doing. She remembered what the doctor had said about her condition getting worse, the cancer cells surrounding her lungs had infected one of them and if not treated immediately, it will infect the other lung and either chemotherapy or radiation therapy should be necessary. Kaoru sighed, which was a bad idea, and coughed again, this time drawing blood. She wiped her hand with a nearby tissue and got out of bed. She exited her room and saw Chisato at the dining table, scrolling through her phone again. "Hey, Kaoru..." she turned towards her and said, her voice sounded concerned for the purple-haired woman.

"Chisato..." she responded, coughing once again. "You should be staying in bed..." Chisato stood up and watched her as she started to fall. "Ah, sorry..." Kaoru responded as she pointed at her phone. "Can you get it.. for me?" she coughed. Chisato placed the sick girl on the couch and grabbed her phone, giving it to Kaoru. "Thanks..." she thanked her, who smiled and sat next to her. Kaoru dialed Kokoro's number and waited. The tone for 'Happiness, Happy Magical♪' played while she waited for the blonde to pick up. "Kokoro here!" Kokoro's voice rang from the other line. "Hey, Kokoro, do you have any spare money?" Kaoru asked, looking over to Chisato who smiled. "Yep! Totally!!" Kokoro responded, "Why did you ask?" she asked. "Just in case I don't have enough for my surgery..."

Silence.

Kokoro didn't respond. Kaoru thought she had hung up but there was no line beep at the other side. "K-Kokoro?" Kaoru said, trying to get the other's attention. "Yeah?" Kokoro finally said, "Ah, um, is it okay if I borrowed the money?" she asked, "Sure! Sure! You need it after all!!" Kokoro said to her, her voice was oddly shaky. "Thank-" before Kaoru could finish, Kokoro hung up. "So?" Kaoru had forgotten Chisato was beside her. "She said yes..." Kaoru replied, looking out the window. "You seem, scared?" Chisato looked at her friend, "Do you need some fresh air?" she offered, to which Kaoru agreed. "Sure, I need to go out sometimes..." she coughed, the blood dripping down to her floor, staining the carpet.

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was a happy girl who lived a happy life, had a happy family, had happy friends. She felt extremely happy every day! One day, the happy girl went to explore the world and saw a mysterious looking fruit. The happy girl felt happier when she saw this fruit, so she brought it back home. She was hesitant to show her family the fruit since they have never seen anything like it and they are pretty wary of the outside world. But, one day, after months and months of thinking, the girl has decided! She shall tell her friends and family about the mysterious fruit! "I'll do it! I'll tell everyone!" she said to herself the previous day, only to have her hopes and dreams shattered the next day. 

How can you have that thing?

Disgusting...

Go away, freak.

Who wants to be friends with you?

Why do you want that? To be unique?

...

It was raining the next day as the happy girl found out about new emotions.

Sadness, hopelessness, depression...

She struggles to hide it sometimes...

*****

"Move it, freak." a girl pushed Misaki to the ground, the papers she was holding scattered everywhere. "Why are you teasing her? She'll probably start to fall in love with you," one of the bullies teased her, snickering at the raven-haired girl. "Hah, yeah..." she chuckled, "See you never, Okusawa." they all laughed before walking away. "Hey, you okay?" she looked up. There she was, her crush, staring at her. Her beautiful brown hair, stormy grey eyes, and a lean, muscular body from swimming. "Senpai..." Misaki said, grabbing at her hand. Her heart started to beat faster and faster when her crush smiled, her warmth from her hand and the sparkle in her eyes, everything felt like it was in black and white, their lips almost touched, her face hot from blushing. 

"Hey, Okusawa-san..." the girl in front of her said, "Are the rumors about you true?" she asked, "Huh...?" Misaki couldn't move. The girl in front of her continued smiling but her eyebrows were arched in concern. What can she say? What will she do? Tell her their fake? Tell her their real? She couldn't do that... What would she think of her? No, she can't do it... But... Maybe, she was one? No, she can't take that risk. Misaki gave a slight smile and replied, something she would regret 'til this day.

"Yes... Yes, those rumors are true..."

*****

Standing there in the dark apartment, Misaki couldn't move into her bedroom, she stared at the vast emptiness with her bag in hand. She sighed and went to her bedroom and took off the hairband in her hair and sat on the bed, staring off into nothing. She looked over to her dresser and saw the picture of her old crush, smiling at the camera with her in the background. She looked down at her hands and sobbed, the memories of the relationship came flooding back like a broken dam. She couldn't stop the tears, all she could do was to let it be. Nothing can change the past anymore, not even her love for dumb old Tsurumaki. No, nothing can, that's why she gave up on her, that's why she forgot about her crush on Kokoro. Was it to escape? Who knows. Only she does.

Misaki's phone vibrated, causing her to look at it, seeing a text from Kanon. She wanted to answer, maybe this will be something to get her mind off her old relationship. But, she couldn't, she had no will to take the phone and replied to her friend. The darkness seemed to swallow her up, making it hard to breathe. As if she wanted to... She curled up into a ball and cried, and cried, and cried... All night...

*****

Kanon placed her phone down, concerned about Misaki. "I hope she's doing fine..." she said, hugging her jellyfish plushie tightly. Her brother knocked on her door, which she replied with a 'come in'. Her brother came in and told her about dinner. "Ah, sure..." Kanon said and put her plushie down as she exited the bedroom, fixing her hair. She sat the opposite of her brother, looking down at the plate of food. "What's wrong?" her brother asked, his eyes looked concerned. "Huh?" Kanon looked up to him. "Oh, nothing..." she replied, grabbing the spoon and started eating.

Misaki-chan...

*****

Kaoru looked at her arm, the scar where the doctor took her blood was visible. Kaoru sighed and laid on her bed, it felt as if the room was spinning. Chisato had gone back home, leaving the purple-haired all alone. Kaoru tried to steady her breathing, careful not to cough up blood. Kaoru scrolled through her social media, softly smiling at Hello, Happy World!'s old media posts. Tears went down her cheeks as she looked at them. She sat up slowly, fixing her messy hair. She coughed out the blood and stood up to grab a tissue. They were on the dresser on the other side so she had to stand up and walk to it. Her legs decided to give up before falling to the floor, fainting as she coughed blood unto the floor.

Everything went dark, she felt cold. She couldn't breathe. Chisato... she called out softly, knowing she wasn't here. Who will save her? Please... Chisato... Please come over...

*****

Kokoro stood at her balcony, looking at the stars, counting the number of constellations outside. Her headphones were playing 'Happiness, Happy Magical!' on loop, smiling softly at the shooting star. She held her hand into prayer and whispered a prayer, "I wish Hello, Happy World! would reunite!" she smiled and walked back into her mansion, hoping the shooting star would grant her wishes. She hummed her song and closed the door to the balcony and went to bed, not realizing her phone had gone off over and over and over...

Over and over and over and over and over...