"I am a delicate lady too, you know," Akiha sighs, but, for once, drops the argument. She realizes vaguely that she wants to praise Nico, or at least tell her she was wrong about her.

It isn't just swallowing her pride and doing the honest thing. She - actively wants to feed Nico's ego.

There's a terrifying thought, and she chews on it a while as she leans against the wall, looks away from the shorter girl casually.

"You were fine. The entire aesthetic doesn't appeal to me in the slightest, but..."

But Nico shone a little. Between Nishikino, a girl Akiha was vaguely aware of just because of her family, and that foreigner - it's Nico that Akiha had wound up focusing on. It wasn't anything to do with the outfit, or the dancing, or even the music.

It's just the charm of seeing her doing her best, of putting in hard work and feeling like it had been rewarded. Akiha can't remember the last time she'd been able to experience that. For her, the best has to be her default - anything less and she'd be seen as useless. Her father had wanted a male heir, and her brothers... had circumstances beyond their control. He had named her his heir because he had no other options.

It ate at her. Compared to that, just seeing someone she cares about genuinely enjoying the fruits of their labor is a relief.

Of course, she doesn't tell Nico any of that.

"You did well," she says, simply. "I won't be joining you at concerts, but you and your friends worked hard, and it shows."

She pauses for a moment.

"Will this go to your head?"