@kawaii beam: yes~ i'm excited too
@kurosawa87: yup, Reina definitely is changing, little by little
@rndmnwierd: I'm trying to get better at writing romance~
Okay, this is the chapter that will lead up to the fun part (which comes in another couple chapters)
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Chapter 32 “Risa-chan, I’m going in after ten seconds! Juu… kyuu… hachi… shichi—”
“Niigaki Risa, present and ready to go!”
“Aw, come on!”
Eri crossed her arms and blew up her cheeks. Risa ran down the stairs and jumped over the last three steps. She made a mock salute to her friend with a grin.
“And I really thought I was going to get to dress you today,” Eri complained.
“Gomen, Kameha,” Risa said, winking. “That day won’t come just yet.”
The two friends were getting ready to leave for the studio. There was another recording for the “Everyday Everywhere” promotion, and Eri wanted to get there with enough time to pamper High-Queen with all her fashion senses. As usual, Risa had spent the night writing songs, so she had woken up late. But luckily for her, she had managed to get ready fast enough to avoid the turtle’s fashion tornado.
“Fine fine,” Eri grumbled. “But we still have to run, or we’re going to be late!”
The two girls quickly ran out the door. Eri ran for the sidewalk and froze. Risa quickly locked the door and ran after her friend.
“Eri, what’s wrong?” the bean asked, observing her friend’s surprised expression. She turned her head towards the place Eri was staring at, and gasped.
Ai was leaning on the hood of her black convertible with her sunglasses shoved on her head. Her wavy hair was tied into a low side ponytail that flowed down her shoulder. She met Risa’s eyes and smiled.
“Ohayou,” the idol greeted, trying to sound as gentle as possible.
“Ohayou,” Risa replied, her shock slowly melting into happiness.
Happiness. Yes, she was happy to see Ai.
“Hi Kamei-san! Oh, hi Takahashi-san!” Eri said in a sarcastic tone, acting out the scenario she had imagined.
“Good morning to you too, Kamei-san,” Ai laughed. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you.”
“Yeah,
sure you didn’t,” Eri said, grinning. “So what brings you here, Takahashi-san? I thought we were meeting up at the studio.”
“I came to pick you two up,” Ai answered. “If that’s okay, I mean.”
“Sure! We’re late anyway; might as well take up on the offer. Right, Risa-chan?”
“Um, yeah… I guess.”
“Okay then. I’ll sit in the back. Risa, you can sit in the front.”
With that, Eri elbowed the bean and skipped over to the back of the car and helped herself in. Risa calmly walked towards the front of the car to go around to the passenger seat. Her eyes met with the idol’s.
“How are you?” Ai said with a soft smile.
“I think that’s my line,” Risa said in a teasing tone.
“I guess you’re right,” Ai chuckled, recalling all the alcohol she had consumed the night before. She looked at the bean with such gentleness and sincerity that Risa could almost tell what she was thinking.
“Thank you for coming back.”
“I could never leave you.” The younger girl proceeded to take the passenger seat and strapped herself in. Ai crossed over to the driver’s seat and started the car.
As they were driving, the singer decided that she should thank Risa with actual words.
“Gaki-san… thanks for coming to get me last night. I guess… I kind of overdid it with the alcohol.”
“Kind of?” Risa said, raising her eyebrows.
“Okay, I definitely overdid it,” Ai admitted, grinning. “So thank you… for forgiving me too.”
“I kind of did it for myself too, though,” Risa said. “I think I would’ve really regretted it if I didn’t go… I value our friendship too much. I guess you’re a closer friend to me than I thought.”
“And you are also a very important friend of mine,” Ai said, smiling.
“Hey!” Eri interrupted, poking her head in between the two girls in the front. “Sorry, Takahashi-san. But no matter how close you two get, I’ll always be Risa-chan’s best friend!”
“I just might fight you for that spot, Kamei-san,” Ai teased.
“Oh, bring it on,” Eri said, grinning. All three girls laughed as the black convertible dashed down the road.
** ** **
Reina frowned as she tried to hook the black choker around her neck. She let out a groan of frustration and turned to her fashion coordinator.
“A little help?” the yankii yelled.
“There, Takahashi-san, you’re done,” Eri said to the High-Queen leader. She walked over to Reina and took the choker from her hands.
“You need me to do this again?” Eri said, smiling. “It’s not that hard to put on, Tanaka-san.”
“Just put the damn thing around my neck,” Reina snapped.
“Turn around,” Eri giggled. She easily hooked the choker around the singer’s neck and started to touch up on other parts of her costume. “You know, Tanaka-san… I think we’re getting to be pretty good friends, don’t you?”
“As if,” Reina grumbled.
“Let’s change our referral names!” the turtle suggested. “Can I call you by your first name?”
“It doesn’t matter,” the yankii growled.
“Maybe something cuter? How about Tanakacchi? Or Tanakitty?”
“Reina is fine,” the singer sighed, giving up.
“Then Reina-chan!” Eri exclaimed. “I’ll call you Reina-chan, okay?”
“Whatever.”
“You should call me Eri-chan! Or Eririn!”
“I think just your name is fine.”
“Fine,” Eri decided, puffing up her cheeks.
But her pout soon turned into a smile. At least the idol was okay with the turtle calling her by her first name. And she didn’t yell
too much. That was definitely an improvement in their relationship. As long as they were going to work together, Eri had figured that she might as well get to know the stubborn yankii better. She didn’t seem too terrible of a person.
Soon, High-Queen was rushed to the set. Once again, Eri and Risa placed themselves amidst the audience to watch the recording.
“Takahashi-san,” the MC started. “I heard it’s your birthday soon, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s September 14th,” the leader answered.
“Do you have any special plans for that day?” the MC questioned.
“Nothing yet,” Ai answered as she put an arm around Reina. “I guess I’ll just spend it with my favorite member right here.”
The idol group laughed as the audience cheered. Risa gasped out loud. She elbowed her friend next to her.
“What day is it today?”
“Friday.”
“No, the date.”
“September 7th.”
Risa gasped again. One week. There was only one week left until Ai’s birthday. Risa couldn’t just let that pass; she had to do something for her!
A party! Yes, a party would be great! Just the four of them together: Ai, Reina, Eri, and herself. They could celebrate at her house. It could be a surprise…
Risa clenched her fists. She had decided. She would plan a small party at her house with Eri and Reina. Ai could not find out. That meant Risa had to avoid her for the rest of the week. After all, she was a terrible actress and a very bad liar.
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i'll write again tomorrow~
Topic: Kokoro no Uta ~Mainly TakaGaki, TanaKame~ [COMPLETE - EXTRA: Ch. 101 - (12/1)] (Read 243944 times)