Chapter XVI: You and I
"You alright?"
A gentle voice brought Eri out of her musings, and the drummer turned her head slightly to glance at Aika, who was looking at her with concern. She offered the younger girl a faint smile, leaning her head back against the seat.
"Yeah, just- it was a long day today."
"If you're tired, you really don't have to come with me," Aika frowned, "I can just go by myself."
"No," Eri shook her head, leaning over to place her hand on top of the artist's, which rested in the space between them, "I'm happy to be going, really. Honestly, I think it'll help me take my mind off of things..."
She failed to notice the other girl's slight blush and left her hand where it was, thinking nothing of it. Eri was too focused on replaying the day's events in her head, and soon got lost in her thoughts again, staring out the car window.
She had wanted to tell Reina her secret. She wanted to be honest with the singer because she thought perhaps the other girl wouldn't judge her, and she trusted her, but instead all Eri managed to do was turn into a sobbing mess like always. And Reina had been kind and understanding then, too. For whatever reason, perhaps because Reina was a newcomer to the situation, Eri almost felt like the girl could help her.
But just as she managed to stop crying long enough to talk again, Risa burst into the garden, looking more annoyed than usual and announcing that it was time for rehearsal to start. Eri didn't pay attention to much else after that; they got so busy putting together a set for the festival that she never got an opportunity to slip out, and so she spent the entire time focused mainly on her shaking hands and the burning ache in her body.
Unfortunately, by the time rehearsal was over, she only had just enough time to get ready and head over to pick up Aika. This was the longest Eri had been without her fix in a while, and although her mind was full, she was pleasantly surprised that her hands had stopped shaking and the burn was dull enough now to ignore.
Maybe it really is this easy to just stop.
"Hey, Kamei-san- Eri?"
"Mm?" Eri looked over at Aika again, blinking as she tried to clear her head.
"Do you really think it's alright to show up in a car like this? It might draw a lot of attention..."
"Oh, I hadn't really thought about that..." She murmured, grinning apologetically, "I'm used to it by now, but I can get the driver to let us out before we get there and we can just walk the rest of the way."
Eri didn't really ever take much notice of people staring at her or following her; after all, she'd been thought of as a freak since elementary school so being a rockstar really only changed the meaning behind the way people looked at her, and she had secret bodyguards for the latter. Now that she was focused back on Aika, however, she realized that the girl seemed nervous, even uncomfortable, and she gave her hand a light squeeze.
"I guess wanting to be in the spotlight is more your sister's thing, huh?"
"Kinda..." Aika admitted quietly, smiling a bit, "My friends back home used to ask if it frustrated me that she always got all the attention, but I kind of like hiding in her shadow."
The drummer sized the other girl up, really looking at her for once. She shared similarities with Reina, like her attitude to some extent, and maybe her taste in clothing-- besides the fact that Aika was more practical--but the two were seeming more different to Eri with each moment she spent with either one of them. But while she got along with Reina well, she found Aika fascinating, and was completely forgetting about her earlier worries.
"Speaking of my sister... Do you like her?"
"Of course I do," Eri beamed, completely missing the implication there. Aika shook her head, reluctantly slipping her hand from beneath the other girl's as she attempted to make herself clear without being obvious.
"No, I mean, do you like her?" The high schooler tried again, gesturing vaguely in the air.
Eri got it the second time and she blinked rapidly, quick to explain.
"I see your sister as a friend. That's all. Why, does she like me or something?"
"No," Aika blushed hard as she realized how harsh her answer might have sounded, "I mean, you're great, that's not why- I'm just asking because I care about Rei. I needed to know what your intentions were."
Eri resisted the urge to laugh, not wanting to make fun of the other girl. But a thought suddenly occurred to her, like a puzzle piece locking into place.
Gaki-san got so mad at Sayu when she was making fun of Reina... And then when she saw us in the garden...
Oh.
The turtle's eyes widened and she sat up straight, clapping her hands together and causing Aika to jump. It was just a guess, of course, but it made sense; Risa only defended people she cared about, and it had been a hell of a long time since she cared about anyone new. But Eri didn't know how Reina felt, and if left to their own devices the yankii's bluntness coupled with the bean's anger issues, the two were likely to develop a relationship even more toxic than the one Risa shared with Sayumi. She would have to watch them for more clues, and definitely needed to talk to Risa asap.
"Uh, Eri?"
She looked up, realizing that Aika was staring at her, and that the car had stopped as well. The drummer smiled.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll tell you later." She could enlist the younger Tanaka in her plans, after all. Eri hopped out of the car, waving her driver away so that she could be the one to help Aika out of the other side. "For now, let's just have fun, okay?"
The younger girl blushed and nodded, and the duo walked together towards the venue, Eri not minding one bit that Aika was still holding her hand.
----------
The space outside the arena was packed with people, and the mood was high-tension, glowsticks bright in preparation for the concert. This wasn't really Aika's scene, but she didn't mind the crowd so much as soon as they were lost in it, and she had to admit that the buzz in the air gave her excited chills. Reina had snuck out to her fair share of concerts as a teenager, and so the artist knew essentially what to expect, but being there in person was much much different.
"They're more popular than I thought," Eri shouted to her over the din, and Aika had to agree, nodding her head as she surveyed the crowd again. Most of the fans appeared to be girls her age or a bit older, and she recognized many of them from school.
"Oi! Mitsui-chan!"
A voice called to her from the side and Aika turned to see the face of Shimizu Saki, a petite, cheerful girl she knew from her science class. The artist smiled and waved, watching as Saki moved towards them.
"I'm surprised to see you here," Saki chirped, "Especially after that thing with Momochi. I wouldn't have pegged you for a Buono! fan."
"Guess it's definitely all over the school, huh," Aika groaned, receiving a comforting pat on the shoulder from Eri, "Actually, I'm sort of friends now with Miyabi-chan and Airi-chan, they gave me tickets."
"Ah, I see."
Though the smile didn't leave the older girl's face, Aika could see a flicker of something strange pass over Saki's features at the mention of Miyabi's name. Whatever it was disappeared quickly when the small girl glanced at Eri, mouth forming a tiny "o" as she realized just who the drummer was.
"You're... Kamei Eri-san... From Wild Musume..." She breathed, and Eri gave her an amused smile.
"I am." The turtle confirmed, placing a finger over her own lips, "Let's not tell the world now, though."
"Oh, no, I understand. I don't think anyone will notice you in a crowd this big," Saki replied, seeming to understand. She glanced back over at Aika with a newfound curiosity in her eyes. "You certainly have interesting friends, Mitsui-chan."
Before Aika could respond, the crowd around them roared as the doors to the arena were opened, and people began to steadily stream inside. She clutched tighter at Eri's hand, not wanting to lose the older girl, eliciting a chuckle from her companion. Saki, however, seemed unconcerned, obviously a concert veteran.
"Hey, you guys wanna get up close? I've been to plenty of these so I know the best ways to move through the crowds."
----------
True to her word, Saki had led the duo around the clusters of people in the arena until they were right up next to the stage, where it was so uncomfortably hot Aika thought she might literally melt. Of course Eri and Saki didn't seem phased at all, and so the artist decided she'd just suck it up for now. Besides, there was, surprisingly, a bit more room at the front and she was relieved to not have to keep bumping into random sweaty strangers anymore.
"This is the only way to watch a concert," the smallest of the three stated happily. She began to babble about the setlist and her favorite songs, Aika graciously pretending to listen until she noticed that Eri seemed distracted again.
She followed the older girl's line of sight, eyes landing on a tall, striking girl standing not too far from them. The girl's head was down, and she seemed focused on her phone, but still Aika thought she recognized her. When the girl looked up at the stage, she was sure.
"Do you know Yajima-san?" She questioned, even as Saki continued going on about Buono! beside her. Eri nodded slowly, and Aika registered a slight apprehension in her features.
"Through Gaki-san, yes... Though-"
"Ah! Maimi-chan~" Saki had noticed her audience was no longer paying attention, and when she spotted the girl they were talking about she waved her over to them. Aika felt Eri tense up beside her, and she moved closer to the older girl as the runner approached them.
"Hey Captain, how are you?" The girl smiled softly, giving her friend a light hug.
"I'm good, happy to be here of course~" Saki gestured to Aika and Eri, "This is Mitsui Aika-chan, she goes to school with us--she's the one that hit Momochi in the face."
Maimi's lips twitched with what was an obvious attempt to stifle a laugh.
"Thanks for doing what the rest of us have wanted to do for about a year now." She shook Aika's hand firmly, leaving the artist to wonder just how strong the athlete actually was.
"And this is-"
"Kamei-san," Maimi cut in before Saki could introduce the girl, holding out her hand to the turtle next, "It's nice to see you again."
Eri nodded shook the runner's hand almost robotically, her expression neutral. Aika wasn't sure what was going on, and decided to be cautious until she could ask the drummer about it.
If Saki noticed the tension between the two, she didn't let it show.
"So, are you here to watch Airi-chan~?"
Airi...?
The runner sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, swinging playfully at Saki, who easily dodged the hit.
"Maybe, but we all know why you're here, hm?"
Aika watched as the smaller girl lunged at her much taller friend in an attempt to cover her mouth, giggling at the sight. The two scuffled amicably for a bit, Maimi easily maneuvering Saki into a headlock. They stopped struggling as soon as the lights began to dim, smoke billowing dramatically off the stage while the crowd around them went into a cheering frenzy.
A low hum vibrated through the air, a single bass note setting the ambience for the performers as they were slowly raised up from beneath the stage. This was followed by the drums and a guitar riff, the lights above the stage pulsing in time with the music. A spotlight struck Airi in the center like a flash of lightning, and Aika was stunned at how the kind and seemingly-docile girl she met only days ago could look so fierce and sexy.
Two more beams of light illuminated Miyabi and Momoko in turn, and soon Aika was lost in the atmosphere, swept up by the sights and sounds.
----------
"Just to think, had Eri managed tell me her secret that day, things would have turned out very differently," Reina mused as her sister finished her account of the date, turning to the next page in the scrapbook.
"You don't regret the way things happened, do you?"
The old woman smiled, shaking her head and leaning back against the couch cushions, wrinkled fingers caressing the necklace she still held in her hands.
"Not at all. Everything happens for a reason, after all. The good and the bad. ...I just was a very naive young woman."
"I'm glad for that," Aika chuckled, and the two sisters spent a moment in companionable silence, each reminiscing on their own. Both were too old for regrets now anyway, and Reina had let all of hers go a long, long time ago. Sure, some of the memories were painful, and there were even some she still wasn't quite ready to revisit, but in the end her choices landed her in a place where she was happy, and she'd had a good life.
As she sat there, however, Reina felt her throat tighten uncomfortably, the familiar cough that had plagued her for the last few years rising up to seize her tiny frame.
"Are you alright?"
Reina wanted to answer that she was, that it was normal and there was no need to worry, but she couldn't catch her breath long enough even to do that. The old woman watched as her vision became blurry, and the last thing she heard was Aika calling out to her son before she lost consciousness.