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Chapter 9: Drinking gameMizuki was holding the karaoke remote now and looked at Riho and Ayumi the same way Iota would do. The ace lightly coughed to clear her throat and began to sing. Although, she found all of this embarrassing, she had no choice.
Riho delivered a perfect interpretation, as good as back in the days. Her voice was low but clear at the same time. Ayumi looked at her with longing and watery eyes the whole time, the same way she did in 2015. Without a doubt, she was still deeply moved by this song and especially by the ace’s interpretation. Unlike in Triangle musical, Riho took Ayumi’s hand at the end of the song and raised it. She gazed at her partner with a soft and genuine smile while the tiny girl answered with a bright grin. The ace then bowed humbly like Kiri would to Ayumi, still mesmerized by her performance. She followed and curtseyed.
A silence filled the room but was quickly broken by loud claps. Some girls like Miki, Ai or Sayu even stood up to show how much they enjoyed Riho’s interpretation of Kiri’s theme.
Kaede was applauding, like everybody, yet she couldn’t help but feel jealous. Of course, it was Sayashi-san, her so cool senior she had admired since the beginning; the ace of Morning Musume who got the group back to the top with the help of her leader, Michishige Sayumi, and her comrades but still…how was she supposed to compete with such an individual being when Ayumi only seemed to have eyes for her? What was she supposed to do when she was clearly no match for Sayashi Riho? As all these thoughts twirled inside her head, her generation mate, Yokoyama Reina, looked at her with anxious eyes.
“Are you ok Kaedii?” The tiny girl asked, worried.
“Yes, don’t worry Reina, I’m fine.” Kaede answered and managed to put on a reassuring smile.
“You’re lying to me…yet you know we’re supposed to have no secret for each other…” Yokoyan said sadly.
“I know and I’m sorry Reina.” The tall girl confessed quietly.
Yokoyan took Kaede’s hand, rested on her lap under the table, and squeezed it gently. The two girls stayed like that for a while.
“Ayuuumiii, quiiit flirtiiin’ with Bocchiii and come heeelp me!” A sharp voice suddenly shouted in the room.
“Stop calling me that way! And we were not…” Riho exclaimed on an indignant tone, blushing.
“Shuuud uuup Bocchi! It’s nooone of yooour business…” Erina retorted like she could.
The girl was losing a drinking contest with Risa and was now totally drunk. She had slumped on the table but still didn’t want to give up.
“Ayuuumiii, for the honooor of the Suberizuuu, you’ll gonna take my plaaace!”
The tiny girl, blushing at the thought that she was maybe flirting with her ex-dance partner, looked at her friend, then at Gaki and then at Riho and let out an incredulously “what?!”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea!” Ai chuckled.
“It’s definitely a bad idea! Nobody can beat Gaki-san at a drinking contest except maybe Yoshizawa-san but you don’t want to drink with her for sure!” Sayumi added, totally shocked by the turn of the situation.
“That’s the poooint! Iiif we joooin forces, weee could beeaat Niigaki-saaan…” Eripon explained the best she could, struggling to collect her thoughts.
“Ayumi-chan, that’s not a good idea.” The ace said to her flat mate with concern. She was still holding her hand.
The Juuky was now looking at Eripon and at her senpai, unable to take her decision.
“Ok Ishida-chan, if you want to defeat Gaki-san you can count on me, I’ll help you~!” Eri suddenly intervened cheerfully with a big smile.
“What?!” Sayumi exclaimed, stunned.
“God bless you Kamei-san…” Erina muttered before falling asleep on the table and snoring.
“Don’t worry Sayu! If I end up being drunk, you could do whatever you want with me. Take it as compensation…” Eri added casually while grabbing the bottle of Sake and pouring a glass.
Sayumi opened her mouth to answer but shut it slowly. She then blushed, a smirk quickly growing on her lips.
“Ok, I’ll help you Kamei-san!” Ayumi announced while rolling up her sleeves.
“I have a very bad feeling about all of this…” Riho confessed with a faint voice. Fear was all in her eyes.
“Me too” Ai answered with a sorry face.
“I’m delighted! I’m sure it’ll be interesting!” Sayumi exclaimed with enthusiasm while clasping her hands.
***
-A few hours later-The party was coming to its end.
Riho was exhausted. She sang Daisuki Dakara Zettai ni Yurusanai and Kirari to Hikaru Hoshi with Sakura, Silver no Udedokei with Reina, danced on Lalala no Pipipi with Masaki and did other things she forgot. Without a doubt, she was the star of the night and was happy that Ayumi organized all of this for her. Now, the party was ending and the hardest part was coming: going home safely.
Safely was an important word since Ayumi was drunk. The tiny girl was taking silly photos right now with Eri who couldn’t stop giggling. The two girls had given up on beating Risa a few minutes ago and were now playing with merely anything coming to their hands. Erina was still snoring on the table and Gaki was sipping her drink like nothing, a satisfied smile on the face.
Riho was looking at the scene incredulously. She suddenly felt that coming back home with her roomie in this state was bound to be hazardous.
She gulped.
Everybody was now collecting their things and slowly leaving, waving goodbye to the poor ace who couldn’t help but show a quite tensed and pale face. Some senpai helped the kouhai who needed a ride. Quickly, only a small group of girls remained.
“Oh my…I’m really gonna deserve that compensation…” Sayumi exclaimed while looking at her girlfriend who was totally drunk. She just got a goofy smile and silly laugh as an answer.
Risa tried to stand up to follow Ai but quickly sat back, mumbling a faint “not a good idea”. Erina was woken up by a violent pinch from Mizuki.
“It hurts!” The KY cried out.
“I’m going back home, alone.” The leader of Morning Musume said coldly.
“Miiizukiii, don’t leave me alone! I can’t remember where I live, everythin’ is mingled inside my head…I don’t know where my keys…are” Eripon whined while gripping at her girlfriend’s sleeve.
“I don’t care! It serves you right for abandoning me and ignoring me all the night! It’s always the same when you are with Niigaki-san and I’m tired of it!” The older girl spat angrily. She seemed obviously disappointed and furious.
She then left the room hastily after saying goodbye to Riho, Ayumi and her senpai.
“Ai-chan…” Risa tried faintly.
“If you need a ride, ask your kouhai.” Ai answered dryly, not enjoying seeing her friend in this state.
“Ai-chan…” Risa whined like Erina, without much effect.
“Well…It seems I will not have only a drunk turtle to bring back home tonight but a senpai and a KY too…life can be quite hard…” Sayumi thought out loud.
“Riho-chan, I can drive you home with Ishida-chan if you want.” Ai suggested on a soft tone to her favorite kouhai.
“That’s nice of you Takahashi-san but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for Ayumi-chan to get in your car, she might be sick…” The ace chuckled while scratching her hair cutely.
“You might be true but are you really ok going back home by yourself?” Ai asked, worried, her sweet smile fading a bit.
“We’ll be fine Takahashi-san, don’t worry. We’ll take our time and do pause if Ayumi-chan needs it.” Riho answered while managing to put on her most reassuring smile.
In fact, she was terrified.
Handling a drunken person was never an easy task but she felt that it would be more difficult with her ex-dance-partner.
She couldn’t be more right.
TO BE CONTINUED