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And of course I want to thank all the silent readers out there!
Here's chapter 11. Hope you like it
CHAPTER 11
It's already been three months since the release of the new SKE single, and it's still a big hit. One thing is for sure: people love it, and tonight is no exception. Jurina's face brightens up as she listens to the audience's cheers and clapping. It's the end of the concert and she tries to catch her breath, her eyes wandering around the SKE theater in joy, before bowing to the public.
Girls are chatting excitedly on their way to the dressing room but the younger Matsui barely listens, exhausted. She slumps into the first chair she finds, wiping the sweat off her forehead and trying to calm her beating heart. She may love her new duet with Rena as much as the audience, it's still a very energetic song and right now, she has no fuel left. The room is now filled with laughter and chatting and Jurina closes her eyes to relax, a satisfied smile on her lips. Soon the place becomes quieter as the girls start to change and the younger Matsui feels her body relaxing, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier until her breathing progressively slows down.
It's the pulling that wakes her up. At first, she feels a small push on her arm and hears a distant worried voice. Then the shaking becomes more energetic and the voice clearer. That's when she sleepily opens her eyelids, only to see an angry Rena hovering over her.
"Don't you dare do that to me again!" The older Matsui is now almost screaming and Jurina widens her eyes at the girl who's slightly trembling.
"What's going on?" she asks in a small frightened voice, before noticing how everyone is staring at her.
"You weren't responding, Jurina. I thought you fainted again!" Rena hisses in panic, and Jurina straightens up in her seat, progressively gaining her senses back.
"No, I guess I just fell asleep," the younger Matsui murmurs pensively, having no memory of drifting off.
All eyes are still set on her and she quickly turns around to wave a reassuring hand at the other members.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just took a small nap," she smiles, seeing a few girls rolling their eyes at her, and the chatting resumes like nothing happened. Yawning a little, she turns to the mirror again, only to see the older Matsui sitting down and staring at her in disbelief.
"You were... sleeping?"
"Yes, I'm sorry if I worried you," Jurina answers carefully, and Rena turns around, hiding her embarrassed face in her hands.
"I'm so sorry," the older Matsui stutters sheepishly and Jurina reaches over to grab her arm.
"It's okay. And I needed to wake up anyway," she tries to reassure the poor girl, only receiving a weak nod in return. "I don't know how you can be so energetic after such a day though. You were shaking me so hard, I wouldn't have been able to sleep even if I was on sleeping pills."
At those words, Rena progressively lowers her hands and turns at Jurina's playful tone.
"You scared me, idiot," the older Matsui scolds her immediately, before stretching her arm to grab the girl's hand that's laying on the table and rubbing it gently. When she hears Jurina's soft chuckle, her mouth tugs into a smile.
"You're incorrigible, you know that?" she exclaims, tucking a strand of hair behind the younger girl's ear, Jurina's eyes softening at the tender gesture.
When the door to the dressing room opens, Rena notices Churi in the mirror and swiftly backs away from Jurina, avoiding her eyes nervously.
"I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow," she stammers, putting her coat on and getting up from her chair.
Jurina nods silently in confusion, observing the girl who's now turning on her heels in a hurry and heading out of the room, her eyes lowered to the ground. When Jurina finally spots Churi she smiles eagerly, only receiving a confused look in return.
"What's happening with Rena? She's been ignoring me for days now," Churi exclaims.
"Really?" Jurina raises a curious eyebrow at her friend.
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," Churi continues, occupying Rena's previous spot.
Jurina simply shakes her head and both girls get change in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, before the younger Matsui turns seriously to Churi, Rena's odd behavior all forgotten.
"So tonight, my place or yours?"
Churi immediately stiffens at the girl's words, before shaking her head.
"I can't tonight. I have plans."
"Really?" Jurina frowns, carefully watching the girl who simply nods in returns, emotionless. "That's strange. You said the same thing yesterday and the day before."
Churi doesn't say a thing and Jurina moves forward to grab her arm, skeptic.
"Are you avoiding me?"
"Of course not."
"Liar."
This time Churi turns around in surprise, immediately noticing Jurina's pained eyes.
"Is this about what happened the other night? I told you it was all forgotten."
"Well, maybe I haven't," Churi replies, avoiding Jurina's stare.
When she feels the girl gripping her arm tightly she softly yanks it away before getting up and turning to the girl with pleading eyes.
"Please leave it alone, Jurina."
"Absolutely not," the younger Matsui stubbornly answers, swiftly embracing the other girl who flinches.
"Jurina..." Churi winces, trying to disentangle herself the best she can.
"I know you're still feeling guilty about it, but you have to get over it," Jurina stresses, tightening her grip when Churi tries to push her away more fiercely.
When her second attempt fails Churi exhales deeply, wrapping her hands around the younger girl's waist.
"You won't take no for an answer, will you?" she states, receiving a small nod in reply.
"Fine. You won," she finally admits defeated, leaning her head on the girl's shoulder, her body relaxing when Jurina's digits softly caress her hair.
At the sound of the door opening she slowly raises her eyes and notices Rena watching them from afar, before approaching when her presence has been acknowledged.
"I'm sorry. I forgot my bag," she says nervously, motioning to the object hidden under the table opposite Churi's chair.
Both girls step aside, Churi staring curiously at Rena's who's now kneeling to grab it, before swiftly heading out of the room again.
"What did I tell you? No eye contact," Churi turns to Jurina in surprise, only receiving a small shrug in return.
"You're over thinking," Jurina rolls her eyes, before grabbing her hand and looking at her expectantly.
"So, my place?" the younger Matsui asks with hopeful eyes, getting back to the point.
"Yes, fine," Churi relents, stifling a laugh at Jurina's victorious smile. She could never say no to such a face anyway.
The hallway is quiet when Jurina steps out of the elevator and stretches her arm to softly knock on the door. Faint sounds can be heard from inside and she waits patiently, before noticing Churi's odd behavior who's nervously fiddling with her bag beside her.
"Why are you fidgeting?"
The older girl lets out a sigh, her digits halting their frantic movements and gripping the strap tightly.
"I've never been to Mayu's apartment before," she murmurs, averting her eyes to look at the welcome mat at her feet.
"And why are you whispering?" Jurina now asks clearly amused, receiving a scolding look in return.
"Don't make fun of me. It's intimidating to be here," her voice trails off, raising again her eyes at the closed door.
"Everything's going to be fine. I know she may seem a bit cold at first, but she's a nice girl," Jurina reassures her, squeezing her hand a little.
The door suddenly opens on Mayu who smiles at Churi before raising an eyebrow at Jurina.
"Who's cold?"
Churi flinches at her dangerous stare, while Jurina simply waves her hand in amusement.
"Hi Mayu!" the younger Matsui moves forward to kiss her cheek, getting an annoyed groan in return.
A cheerful Yuki appears a few seconds later behind Mayu, quickly hugging both guests before inviting them to come in.
The apartment is buzzing with chatter and light music, and the newcomers wave at Aika Ota and Haruka Shimazaki who are decorating a small Christmas tree in the living room.
While Jurina and Churi have their backs turned and are busy hanging their coats in the hall, Mayu's eyes notice Jurina's bag that's laying near the door and she scoots closer, trying to take a discreet peek inside. However her little act is quickly discovered, and Jurina swiftly takes it away from the wandering hands.
"What is in the large box?" Mayu asks with pleading eyes, trying to get her hands on it, receiving a disapproving look in return at her second attempt.
"It's your Christmas present," Jurina answers, pulling away the bag that Mayu is now gripping tightly.
"I can't have a clue?" Mayu pushes in a small hopeful voice that's clearly not working on Jurina who shakes her head in amusement.
Before Mayu can continue her questioning any further, an embarrassed Yuki quickly approaches and grips her arm firmly.
"Stop bothering Jurina and come and help me in the kitchen," she pulls her girlfriend away, before Mayu finally relents and follows her reluctantly.
"I never saw her so childish," Churi exclaims once they are out of reach, and Jurina chuckles at the girl's surprise.
"Yes, she always behaves like a little kid around Christmas."
"It's quite a relief actually. I think I prefer this side of her."
They both share a laugh, before joining the girls who are chatting around the Christmas tree.
Jurina carefully takes the small yellow bauble out of the box and hangs it near a purple star. The decorating is going quite smoothly and there is now almost no space left on the tree, despite Churi's best efforts to find a spot for a huge green bauble. A soft humming can be heard in the small apartment, and the younger Matsui smiles at Yuki who's hanging lightning decorations in the living room, steadying herself on a chair, while moving her body in rhythm with the song. Meanwhile, Mayu is setting the presents at the bottom of the tree, her fingers touching a bit too much the biggest ones, clearly trying to guess what's inside. Jurina can't help but shake her head at the younger girl's behavior, before letting out a happy sigh. That's why she loves spending this time of the year with them. They are full of Christmas spirit.
Jurina is kneeling down to hang a white bear figure when someone rings at the door, and she sees from the corner of her eye Yuki carefully climbing down from her chair and going to open. Just as she's about to hang a last item on the tree, she halts her movement in surprise at the familiar voices coming from the hallway, and tilts her head when Churi tugs on her sleeve. The distraught expression on the girl's face is all she needs to know she heard correctly.
"Did you know they would be here?" she stutters and Jurina now turns around to watch Rena and Airi who are taking their coats off while chatting with Yuki.
"No, I didn't," she muses, before eying Mayu skeptically who's waving at the two guests cheerfully.
Jurina can sense a shift in the air as Churi's face progressively decomposes and she squeezes her hand in a comforting gesture.
"I'm sorry. Mayu didn't tell me she invited them. Are you alright?" she asks worriedly the girl who's now shaking her head.
"I'm not, but I will be. And it's not like I can do anything about it," Churi chuckles nervously, before turning to the two girls who are now making their way to the living room.
Jurina greets the two newcomers with a smile, while Churi simply waves at them ill at ease, moving next to the sofa and burying her head in a suddenly very interesting magazine. Silence engulfs the three girls as none of them say anything, before Airin excuses herself and moves to speak to Haruka, after a lingering look at Churi's back.
"Hi Jurina," Rena smiles, moving forward to the younger girl. "Mayu didn't tell me you both would be there", she grimaces, before noticing Jurina's surprise. "Airin told me yesterday what happened at the restaurant. If only I had known what it was all about..."
Rena's voice trails off, glancing back and forth between Akane and Airi.
"I know. Mayu took me by surprise as well."
Both girls stay silent for a while, before Jurina kneels down to the box previously full of baubles to handle one small red one to the older Matsui.
"Here. It's the last one. See if you can find a spot somewhere," she motions to the Christmas tree.
Rena takes it carefully between her fingers and turns to the tree, frowning at how over decorated it is.
"Yes, sorry. I think we got overboard," Jurina chuckles and Rena shakes her head in disbelief, before placing the object between the yellow bauble and the purple star.
Mayu is taking some snacks out of the fridge when she notices the younger Matsui entering the kitchen and leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. She doesn't need to look at the girl to know she's staring at her but she chooses to ignore her, instead carefully setting food on a plate, and taking a few glasses out of a cupboard a few minutes later. The silent treatment she receives doesn't last however, as Jurina speaks up in barely contained frustration.
"Why did you invite them?"
"Who?" Mayu asks nonchalantly, and Jurina's voice rises up in annoyance.
"You know very well who. Rena and Airi. You told me it was a friendly gathering."
"I did. And that's why they are here. I invited Rena, and she asked if Airi could come as well," Mayu continues, still ignoring purposely her best friend's stare.
"Rena is not your friend!" the younger Matsui stresses, and Mayu turns to her in surprise.
"What makes you say that?" she asks innocently, and Jurina raises an irritated eyebrow at her.
"Oh come on, Mayu. Don't play dumb with me. I specifically told you not to do anything about it and you went against my wishes. Why?"
"What's bothering you anyway? I thought you were over her," Mayu shoots her an amused smile and Jurina shakes her head in disbelief.
"I am over her, but it's not always about me," she sighs in frustration, before noticing her best friend's curious gaze on her.
"Who is it about then?"
The words almost slip from her lips but she refrains herself at the last minute, remembering the promise she made to Churi a while ago. She was not going to spill the beans about her feelings for Airi, despite how persistent Mayu could be.
When Yuki suddenly comes in the kitchen, Jurina lets out a resigned sigh, before turning on her heels and moving to the living room. Mayu follows her retreating form before noticing her girlfriend's scolding look.
"Mayu, why did you invite them?" she gasps out once Jurina is far enough not to catch their conversation.
"Not a good idea?" the younger girl cringes, sheepishly averting her eyes.
"I'm not so sure. Jurina and Akane didn't look so happy about it," Yuki sighs in frustration, before noticing the confused look on her girlfriend's face. "Let's hope this evening doesn't turn into a complete disaster," she adds painfully, before grabbing the plate of food and slowly heading into the living room again.
Rena opens her small eyelids, her body stiffening when she notices she's not sleeping in her own bed. Confused, her eyes begin to adjust to the darkness surrounding her, and she progressively relaxes at the view of the girls sleeping in the living room, now remembering where she is. She tilts her head to Airi who's laying on the futon beside her, before her eyes slowly scan the room. There's an empty space next to Akane and Rena frowns, until a small noise catches her attention and she turns to the kitchen. Sitting up, she faintly distinguishes a silhouette moving near the sink and she gets up, the curiosity getting the best of her.
Jurina drinks the glass in one swift movement, her eyes staring pensively out of the window. So lost in thoughts she doesn't hear the girl's footsteps, and she jumps at Rena's voice.
"Can't sleep?"
"Rena!"
Jurina turns to the girl in surprise and tries to calm her beating heart, before noticing how sleepy she looks.
"Did I wake you up?"
"No. You know I'm a light sleeper."
The older Matsui pulls a chair and slowly sits down, watching Jurina who's pouring water in her glass for the second time and drinking it swiftly.
"You know you're going to spend the rest of the night going to the toilet."
"I don't care. I'm thirsty."
Rena sighs at Jurina's stubbornness, and rolls her eyes when she sees her filling another glass. She follows her movements as she finally places the glass in the sink and sits down her back to the wall, facing the small white window. Her eyelids progressively start to close and Rena breaks the silence.
"You should go back to bed. You're tired."
Jurina, not moving an inch, nods absently, before hearing a small yelp beside her. Opening her eyes again, she watches Rena staring outside, agape, before getting up to move closer to the window.
"It's snowing," her voice pitches up in barely contained excitation, and Jurina's mouth tugs into a smile at the view of the girl who's sticking her face to the window glass, watching in awe the snow coming down in large flakes.
"Between Mayu and you, I don't know who loves Christmas the most."
"I love snow. It's so calm and beautiful."
"Yes. A bit like you."
Rena turns in surprise at the girl's musing, before feeling her cheeks coloring at the younger girl's sincere smile. Thankfully, the dark is doing a good job at hiding her flustered face.
The whole room watches in silence Mayu who unwraps her present frenetically, her eyes lightening up immediately at the view of the 7 inches anime figure.
"Mikasa Ackerman! Thank you Jurina!"
The younger Matsui smiles when Mayu kisses her on the cheek swiftly, before getting back to the object, looking at it from every angle.
"Jurina, you shouldn't have. You know we don't have any place left," Yuki speaks up in embarrassment.
"I'll find one," Mayu says cheerfully, waving her hand nonchalantly.
"I have no doubt about it," Yuki cringes, before shooting a disapproving look at Jurina who suppresses a chuckle.
Mayu suddenly gets up and her eyes scan the room, alarming Yuki immediately.
"Where should I put it?" she muses, before moving forward when she spots a place.
"Wait, Mayu!" Yuki quickly says, watching in horror the girl trying to fit the object on a shelf, moving a few books away in the process.
All eyes are now set on them as the pair moves to the bedroom and the discussion heats up, and Churi nudges Jurina's elbow playfully.
"You're looking for trouble."
"I know. Yuki is going to hate me."
All girls share a small laugh and continue to exchange gifts, before Airi turns shyly to the older Matsui, a present in her left hand.
"Here. It's for you."
Rena carefully unwraps the paper, before smiling at the view of a beautiful red scarf. Her fingers caress the soft fabric, before realization hits her and she turns in surprise to the girl.
"That's the scarf I saw in Shibuya."
"Yes."
"You went back to buy it while I was waiting at the café!"
Rena quickly moves forward to embrace the girl, a broad smile on her lips.
"Thank you so much. I can't believe I didn't notice anything."
"Well, you were pretty much engrossed in your cooking book."
Rena rolls her eyes at Airi's playful tone, before everyone raises their eyes when Mayu and Yuki enter the living room again, and the latter cheerfully claps into her hands.
"Who wants to go outside?"
The streets are abundantly covered in snow, and Jurina kneels in the white grass in front of the building, gathering as much snow as she can, trying to form a circular uniform base. She releases a defeated sigh when the result doesn't please her enough, before hearing a small chuckle behind her back.
"Are you really going to build a snowman?"
"Of course. And you're going to help me."
Churi smiles at the girl's wink and shakes her head in disbelief. Just as she's about to relent, she stiffens when she hears an hesitant voice calling her.
"Churi, can I talk to you?"
Jurina tilts her head to Airi and Rena who are slowly approaching, before noticing Churi's mortified look. When the girl chooses to ignore Airi's question, the younger Matsui grabs her arm.
"Go on, Churi."
"Jurina..." she winces, shaking her head in discomfort when the girl inches closer.
"Come on."
Churi sighs defeated when the girl softly pushes her away and finally turns around to Airi who's looking at her expectantly. They stare at each other for a while, Churi pondering her options before quietly following the girl.
Jurina is watching the girls who are now sitting on a bench not far away, before noticing Rena who's standing near the door, gazing at them curiously.
"Will you give me a hand?"
Rena turns in surprise to the younger Matsui who's gathering snow in her hands again, and smiles.
"Sure."
Jurina stands up and rubs her hands, a satisfied grin on her face, admiring the beautiful tall snowman in front of her. Her eyes scan the floor for small branches and she moves forward when she spots a few ones near a tree, only frowning when she comes back and notices three big buttons on the snowman's face. Tilting her head to Rena's side, she spots her watching the two girls who are still talking on the bench, a worried look on her face.
"Rena, why does my snowman looks like an alien?"
The older Matsui quickly turns in confusion, before widening her eyes when she realizes what she just did.
"I'm sorry," she stutters, quickly retrieving the useless third button and sliding it in her pocket.
"Stop eavesdropping. It's not like we can hear anything from here anyway."
"I know," Rena swiftly answers, before groaning and pushing the girl's arm when Jurina starts to chuckle.
The gesture takes Jurina by surprise who loses her balance and falls on the snowy slippery grass, staring in disbelief at Rena.
"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
The older Matsui quickly moves forward in shock, stretching her hand to help the other girl get up. Jurina looks at the offered hand curiously, before a playful smile moves to her face and she starts to gather snow in her hands.
"Jurina, what are you doing?" Rena asks hesitantly, taking a cautious step back when a snowball starts to form in her left palm.
"You're going to pay for that," the younger girl points out, slowly getting up.
"Don't do that, Jurina. I'm serious."
Just as she's about to protest again, Jurina stretches her arm and the snowball hits Rena's shoulder. The girl stares in shock at Jurina's unapologetic smile, before swiftly rubbing the ice off her coat.
"You deserved it," Jurina shrugs nonchalantly, before turning and sticking the small branches at each side of the snowman, satisfied with the result. When she suddenly feels a snowball hitting her back she turns in surprise, only to see Rena forming another one in her hand.
"What? You really thought I would let it go?"
"You want to play that game? You know you're going to lose," Jurina raises an eyebrow, taking a few steps back and kneeling to gather some snow.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. You don't know what I'm capable of."
"Okay. Bring it on."
Jurina who's sitting on the grass turns her head to the poor breathless Rena.
"Told you I would win."
Rena simply waves her hand at her, too exhausted to say anything.
"You should exercise more."
"Shut up."
Jurina chuckles at the older girl's erratic voice, before noticing Churi and Airi getting up from the bench and moving towards them.
"Looks like you two had a lot of fun," Churi smiles, stretching her hand to help Jurina getting up, while Airin offers hers to Rena.
"Well, you know me. I never refuse a good challenge," Jurina smiles broadly, before glancing seriously back and forth between Airi and Churi.
"We're fine," Churi answers her unvoiced question, turning slightly to Airi who nods in approval.
The door to the building suddenly opens, and the four girls turn to Yuki who's smiling at them.
"Anyone interested in a hot chocolate?"
TO BE CONTINUED