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When Nico goes on stage to perform, she has two goals in mind: to shine as bright as she can, and to bring the biggest smiles to people's faces. It's been that way since she was a kid, when her only stage was the living room floor and the audience consisted of no one but her mother, and it hasn't changed one bit.

Until she met Akiha, anyway.

To Nico, the mere fact anyone could look down on idols is unthinkable -- and worse yet, even as she got to know Akiha, that opinion of hers has barely budged. If she could, at least, just write her off as some ignorant moron spewing pointless nonsense, that would've been one thing. But something about that girl caught her interest, and she found herself running into her again and again, until they've come to form an off sort of friendship. Until Nico's come to respect-- even like her.

Akiha's not stupid. She's capable, mature, and effortlessly elegant, a lot of things Nico would like for herself. Not that she'd admit it, because god knows she's bigheaded enough as it is -- but she can't just write Akiha off. She can't ignore it. The thought is a tireless drill at the back of her head, even when they're talking about anything but.

To have her insistently cling on to that baseless disapproval feels, by this point, like a personal insult.

So today, Nico's decided to prove herself. Her school's holding a fair, open to all, and u's will be performing. It took every form of badgering Nico has in her arsenal, from aggressive demands to guilt trips to puppydog eyes, but she successfully convinced Akiha to come. This time, beyond a doubt, she'll make her understand.

The school auditorium might not hold the flare of some of their previous venues in Akiba, but it does offer one significant privilege: peace of mind. They don't have to go up against other groups, they don't have to worry about the weather, and they've been allotted an entire half-hour, making this their longest concert to date. This gives them the chance to perform in their units of three on top of their usual group songs, and Nico's even the center in one.

And she's going to show Akiha exactly what she's worth.

"Nicocchi, you're spacing out." Backstage, Nozomi flicks her forehead, causing her shoulders to twitch. "Don't tell me Super Idol Nico-chan's getting nervous now, of all times?"

"Don't be stupid," she snipes back, flipping a twintail before reaching for her water bottle and gulping down a mouthful. It's cool, and helps sharpen her focus. She grins up at Nozomi. "What's a show like this compared to Love Live?"

"Heh, that's what I like to hear!"

--

Nico doesn't let herself fixate on Akiha. Her eyes skim the crowd for her between songs, and once she's found her, she shoots her the occasional glance from the corner of her eye. But she doesn't let it serve as a distraction, and she definitely doesn't let it hinder her from putting on the best show she can. She sings and dances her heart out -- all nine of them do, just like always -- and the audience cheers and yells and squeals, calling out their names.

It's only after the last song is over and the crowd's begun to disperse that she marches over to Akiha, grabbing hold of her wrist and tugging her towards the backstage with only "come with" to serve as greeting.

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Akiha has to admit, she's disappointed.

When Nico had dragged her into this, she'd let herself get her hopes up for, well, something. Akiha wasn't above admitting she was wrong. If Nico and her group really did blow her away, she'd swallow her pride and admit it. And if they were terrible, they'd prove her completely right. She'd already badgered her brother into agreeing with her on at least some of her points, maybe even Nico could be brought around.

But instead, they were... serviceable. It was still more than she gave them credit for, true. Whoever composed their songs at least understood music. The lyrics brushed up against meaning sometimes. Their dance routines and outfits, while not at all to her taste, were clearly practiced and refined.

Really, it all came down to practice. She didn't feel like she was watching or listening to musical masters, but it was clear that they cared. The effort they put in was palpable, filled the auditorium with an infectious warmth. Akiha didn't quite buy into it, but she had to admit, they were genuine.

She meets Nico's gaze whenever it falls on her, making her begrudging approval known with her eyes. She might not have focused on her, but when their eyes met others began to notice and whisper. Her uniform was noticed, too. Asagami Academy was one of the most prestigious girls' schools in the country, the kind of school you saw in the brochures and laughed at the idea of actually getting to go to.

Frankly, when Nico grabs her, she's happy for the escape route. She still stumbles as she's yanked, however, long skirt billowing awkwardly behind her as she's pulled along.

"Yazawa-san," she huffs once they're out of sight of anyone else, tucking her hair behind her ear with the hand that isn't being grabbed at. "As much as I appreciate the chance to talk in private, you really should be more considerate. You could have bruised my wrist."

"A delicate girl such as Nico could never do such a thing," she harrumphs, but lets go all the same. She can tell next to nothing from Akiha's face, which isn't anything new, nor was she expecting to be met with a torrent of praise-- but still, Nico's impatient.

She folds her arms over her chest with a scowl.

"Well?"

"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?"

Nico's mouth twists this way and that as she listens, a low grumble thrumming through the back of her throat as if threatening to burst forth. If Akiha still goes and insults idols after that, she swears--

... huh. Well. Her actual response isn't really that bad. It's not the best-case scenario, in which Akiha drops to her knees and cries that she was stupid and wrong all along, but-- Nico guesses it'll do. For now, anyway.

"That kind of lackluster praise couldn't go anywhere," she says with a roll of her eyes, but it's halfhearted. Her arms loosen over her chest, and her frown eases too, a bit. She's not as frustrated as she was prepared to get, but she's not satisfied, either.

"Are you starting to get it, at least? The value of idols."

"I can at least understand what they mean to you," Akiha settles on after a moment of thought. She wouldn't argue that they're a cornerstone of modern Japanese society - and if they are, then she's waiting for the revolution - but for Nico, and her circumstances, she supposes that they do have value.

"... in light of that, I may have said some things that were uncalled for." Like saying Nico had no life and was just trying to get one vicariously through people with only a modicum of talent.

They hadn't gotten off on the best foot, to put it simply. Akira, the mutual friend that had introduced them, had nearly burst into tears. Poor girl.

"So, I'm sorry." Not for her opinions, but for being so venomous with Nico about them. She does look sincerely apologetic, and more than a bit embarrassed. It's not often that Akiha apologizes.

"And if you hang that over my head, I really will stop talking to you. I'm being sincere here, I expect that to be returned."

"Do you have to wrap up every decent thing you say with something like that?" Nico's expression was teetering on a smile for all of three seconds, there. Now she's back to scowling, though a thwap to Akiha's shoulder manages to placate her a little.

Planting her hands on her hips, Nico turns up her nose with a haughty sniff.

"But--! Since you swallowed your pride and apologized for once, the kind and ever-gracious Nico shall offer you her forgiveness. You better treasure it!"

"Yes, otherwise you really will hang it over my head. I could be on death's door and you'd be shaming me with it."

And that thwap to her shoulder actually does make Akiha wince and rub it, though she doesn't protest. If she ever deserved a decent smack, now would be it. For some insane reason, she has started to value Nico's friendship, after all.

"But I will. Thank you, Yazawa-san."

Which is why that sounds so achingly sincere instead of just another part of their banter. Even Akiha realizes she's let her guard down too much - she recrosses her arms.

"Do you and your friends have any plans? I don't want to take up more of your time if you were going to have some sort of celebration," Akiha asks, still playing the part of the upper-class socialite. But there's an implication there, isn't there? That if they don't have any plans, Akiha would like to take up the rest of Nico's day.

The edge of Nico's mouth tugs upwards, pleased and a little bemused -- for Akiha to accept that and thank her without a protest, you'd think she really cared what Nico thought of her.

Which she should, of course. But it's still kind of nice.

"Huh?" The implication doesn't evade her, and Nico blinks once. "Nah-- we're gonna go out on Friday, so don't worry about it."

They usually do this right after each show, actually -- but Nico had said today was no good for her, and had it pushed back. She was planning on asking Akiha to go out with her, but now that it seems she might be on the receiving end of that request... she'd rather hold her tongue and see.

"Perfect," Akiha replies before she has a chance to catch herself. She lets it hang in the air for a second, bites her lip, then huffs and looks away, more annoyed at her own slip-up than anything.

"Would you like to spend the day with me, then? We can browse some store or another, and..." Akiha trails off.

She's never invited any of her friends to her home. It all feels a bit like a dirty little secret - her home life and her social life two distinct halves of her. At home, she has to be an authority, but out and about she can at least attempt to relax.

But she likes Nico. That's what she's beginning to realize. She's petty, stubborn, and full of herself, but Akiha finds herself admiring those qualities more than hating her for them.

"Afterwards, we can have dinner at the mansion. I'll introduce you to my brother, if he's home. Would that be alright?" Akiha, for once in her life, seems nervous. She's still got her arms crossed, and she seems as haughty as ever, but she's got her eyes glued on Nico, searching for her immediate reaction.

Woah. That's, like-- almost kind of eager, by Akiha standards? Nico falters; her heart flutters a bit. Maybe her chances are higher than she expected? Wait, now's not the time to think about that, Akiha's waiting for an answer!

"S-sure, that sounds fine!" she hastily replies, swiping at her bangs and patting down the front of her skirt. Is she stupid for getting kind of excited? People invite each other over all the time, right? Or other people do, anyway-- Nico's haven't had anyone over since elementary school, and she's never been to Akiha's place...

She kicks herself internally. Definitely overthinking it.

"I just gotta change outta this, okay?"

"Funny, I would have thought you'd be eager to walk around town in that," Akiha snipes. Or tries to, anyway. It comes out more as fond teasing, given the smile on Akiha's face. When was the last time Nico'd seen her genuinely smile?

Never. The answer is never.

If Nico's stupid for getting kind of excited, so's Akiha - she leans from one foot to the other, clearly filled with a sudden nervous energy. It's not a whole lot, mind, but for Akiha she suddenly seems like a blushing schoolgirl. Which she is, but still.

"Be sure to call your family and tell them you'll be coming back late. It's only proper," Akiha chides. She doesn't know a lot about Nico's family situation, but when Shiki - Akiha's brother - had been brought up by Akira, Nico had mentioned her three siblings.

Nico could offer any manner of snippy retribution -- like how she doesn't need her fashion sense criticized by a girl with her skirt nearly brushing the floor, or reminders as to how to handle her own family -- but Akiha's unguarded smile is so pretty that those words die less than halfway up her throat.

"Sure," she says instead, grinning lopsidedly in return. "Just wait here, I'll be back in five minutes!"

She hurries down the hall into the dressing room, lace-layered skirt fluttering behind her, and shuts the door. In truth, Nico's never taken as little as five minutes to get ready for anything, but she makes a special effort this time. She'd sealed her makeup properly, so there's no need to reapply it after washing her face, and her hair could use some brushing into place from all the dancing and jumping around, but that doesn't take more than a minute -- plus, her perm is super cute, so that's a bonus. Beyond that, all she has to do is change into the clothes she brought from home (she'd made a very deliberate effort in picking out an outfit that looks effortlessly adorable), stuff her belongings into her bright pink duffel bag, and she's on her way out. That probably didn't take more than eight minutes.

"Alright! All set!"

Akiha doesn't notice the amount of time Nico takes. After all, she's spent hours getting ready for meetings with members of the branch families, hasn't she? Not necessarily for the same reasons, but she's aware that appearances are important.

Besides, she doesn't know if one of Nico's friends caught her and wanted to talk about something. That would complicate things.

When Nico returns, Akiha's still leaning against the wall, arms crossed - though she pushes off of it when she returns, taking a few long steps over to her. She gives her a once-over, looks like she's about to say something, then just turns on her heel. She needs to remember not to get too eager. As much as she wants to compliment Nico, coming off too - clingy - would be embarrassing. What if Nico thought less of her?

"Was there anywhere you had in mind, or will we just be wandering the nearest shopping district?"

What's with that look? If you want to say something, go ahead and say it!

But Nico refrains, perhaps hypocritically, from saying that aloud. Putting Akiha on the spot like that is just setting herself up for another bout of aimless bickering. You have to be patient with her, like a potted plant, but a really overdefensive one who's kind of a jerk sometimes -- a baby cactus, or something.

Nico can deal with that. Maki's given her plenty of practice!

"Let's see," she begins, tapping a finger to her chin with a thoughtful hum. "That's right, Angelic Pretty's new collection should have arrived by now, I totally wanna go check it out! That concert just now was pretty demanding, though, so getting a snack first wouldn't hurt." She stretches her arms out over her head, then drops them with a roll of her shoulders. "What about you, Akiha?"

Angelic Pretty? Akiha takes a moment to remember where she's heard the name before. She's certain that someone somewhere in her family tree runs a fashion business, but she isn't exactly up to date on the brands... Especially since she's pretty sure her relative makes business suits. She repeats the name in her mind a few times... oh.

She visibly grimaces for a moment, but it fades quickly. She supposes it's better than what some of Shiki's female friends wear. It even has skirts that bother trying to reach the knees.

So, what she ultimately winds up saying is "That sounds fine, I suppose."

"But it really will be just a snack. I wouldn't want Kohaku's hard work to go to waste," and she's only allowing it to begin with because of Nico using the concert as an excuse. She supposes she'd want something to eat after all that exercise, too.

Edited 2016-03-20 18:16 (UTC)

"Kohaku? That your personal chef?" From experience with her other high-class cactus friend, it probably is. Nico can't quite keep the gruff note from her voice. Ugh, rich people...

"Well, don't worry about it. If it's just a crepe or something it should be fine, right?" Hooking her hand in the crook of Akiha's elbow, she starts walking, tugging her along. "Let's go, then!"

"She has a variety of duties, but yes, cooking is one of th- erm?," Akiha starts to go on, but being pulled along for the second time today makes her stumble - both physically and verbally. Nico's shorter than her, after all, so the angle's awkward, and more than that she's - warm.

She shakes that thought off very quickly. Much like the rich cactus that she is, Akiha bristles a little. "Yes, a crepe isn't too much, but couldn't you at least ask before grabbing at me? It's very rude." And embarrassing. At least nobody's around to see them, they're getting out of the auditorium through the back.

Please let them be getting out of the auditorium through the back.

Yes, they're getting out of the auditorium through the back. Nico isn't some shameless girl, you know! She wouldn't want any onlookers to get ideas.

Well, realistically, the only one with any ideas out of everyone in the auditorium is her, but at the very least it's a little more exciting to pretend.

"That's because if I kept waiting for Akiha to finish complaining, we would've stood there forever!" she chipperly responds, with no real bite to it. She keeps her hand right where it is, too, though now that Akiha's gotten moving it's not tugging much at all.

"I should keep this in mind next time you get started ranting about idols," Akiha snaps back, though she has even less bite than Nico, if that's possible. Somehow she just isn't in the mood for it today.

Of course, in the back of her mind, she knows why - she's legitimately attached to Nico, not just as a friend but as something more - but her father had. Opinions. About quite a few things, and he was quite eager to share them with his daughter. And though he's been dead for months now, and Akiha knows on some level that he was a very closeminded and foolish man, she still loves and respects his memory. How couldn't she? She'd never describe him as a loving father, but she'd never describe him as cruel towards her, either. And though she'd been his second choice at best, he'd still made her his heir. Didn't that mean something?

-- Yes, Akiha is having a long internal debate with herself over Nico being about halfway to holding her hand. She's that kind of girl.

She relaxes at least a little once they're out of the auditorium, reaching up and brushing some of her hair back behind her shoulder. Nico's pulling had made it fall out of place.

"I'm starting to wonder why you even spend time with me, Yazawa. I'd imagine your friends are easier for you to get along with."

"Heh!" Nico's chin tilts back with her laugh. "Clearly, you've never met them. They're just one troublesome person after the other." Punctuated with the sigh of a long-suffering martyr, but then she turns to Akiha with a grin-- "Maybe I have a type?"

"I've met Nishikino's parents," Akiha replies - yes, very briefly, at some party her father brought her to. Nico doesn't need to know just how pathetic a defense that is, though.

"More like birds of a feather flocking together," Akiha manages a much snappier response, smirking even as she tries to look disapproving. "... Besides, if you like them enough to work that hard with them, they can't be that troublesome."

Nico's grin stretches wider-- why, was that an unprompted compliment? See, that cactus analogy was spot-on!

"This and that are two different things," she blithely responds, looping her arm through Akiha's proper. Her school's right by central Akiba, so it shouldn't be more than a few minutes' walk; Nico's happy to fill it with chatter, though.

"What about you, then? What do you work hard on?"

"School work. The family business. Trying to pry my brother out of the clutches of the terrible crowd he's fallen in with," Akiha lists off, huffing slightly as she does. That last one isn't exactly something she wants to work hard on, but it's how things have panned out.

She doesn't even notice how Nico's looped their arms together. it feels natural. Comforting, even.

"But I get the feeling they aren't the same as your idol fixation," Akiha murmurs. Nico chose to be a part of that group. All of what Akiha works hard at - even her brother's proper life - is something she has to do. She reads often, but she'd hardly call that a hobby, more an attempt to keep herself sharp. Even if she enjoys it, it's more an affectation than an interest.

She muddles on it for a second.

"... I play the violin, when I find the time." There. A hobby.

Nico's brow furrows deeper the longer the list goes on, and she's glad, at least, that Akiha can tell on her own that's not remotely what she wanted. That's all stuff she's heard her mention a hundred times before -- she didn't ask just to hear it again.

The last addition, at least, holds some promise.

"Is that something you chose to do?"

"Please don't give me that look," Akiha murmurs. As a - she'd never use the word commoner - normal person, Nico just can't understand the responsibilities placed on her. Of course they're going to consume most of her life, they have to.

As for the violin, well...

"My father insisted I take up some sort of art. Painting, the piano, the violin. Anything would have been fine. I chose the violin because I thought I would enjoy it the most." So she at least chose it in a sense.

"... When Shiki's anemia worsened, my father realized I would have to be his heir. So he ended the lessons to focus on more important things. But I still practiced in my own time. I was right about enjoying it. Does that meet your exacting standards?"