Work Text:
Lisa-nee: hey, yukina! can we meet up tonight? there’s something i wanna talk to you about!
Yukina Minato: But we don’t have practice today… what is this about?
Lisa-nee: don’t worry about it! please?
Yukina Minato: Very well. Please send me more details when you have them
“Hehe, so professional…”
Lisa giggled as she found herself enamored by her childhood friend’s texting style. She had been in love with Yukina for a long time; ever since they started having sessions together with her father, she found herself growing more and more attached to the white-haired girl. However, as the older man lost his passion for music, and Yukina changed from that event, the two drifted apart for a time, and her feelings began to fade… only to return with thrice the strength when Roselia brought them closer together again. She was direct, serious, and yet, her heart held such passion, which came out beautifully in her lyrics, like a bird whose wings unfurled as it sang. Eventually, those feelings reached a boiling point, and she decided to confess her love to her today, on Valentine’s Day…
…and yet, she had absolutely nothing planned!
Lisa found herself struck by decision paralysis. There was so much she could do. She could play a song for her… but they do that almost every day as it is. She could have booked a slot in a fancy restaurant… but Yukina didn’t feel like someone who would truly appreciate such a thing. She tried writing a passionate confession poem… but her feelings were too big, and she couldn’t find a way to fit them on the page! All in all, the fated day finally arrived, and she had absolutely no idea what to do.
And so, she began scrolling through social media, begging to some god out there to send her a sign, or some kind of inspiration, or a even an angel down from heaven to guide her–
“REOREO: Today is Valentine’s Day 🩷🩵💚🧡❤️ I plan on spending the evening with all of RAISE A SUILEN, but this morning, I’m surprising my dearest CHU²-sama with a breakfast feast! She means the world to me 🥰”
Lisa was not religious, but she still thanked Heaven above for listening to her plea. She may not know what to do, but she had a feeling RAS’s master of surprises would have some ideas.
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“Oh, my! Lisa-san! How wonderful it is to see you! To what do we owe the pleasure~?”
“Wh– PAREO! Why would you let in a Roselia member!?”
Lisa chuckled awkwardly as she walked inside of CHU²’s penthouse, the master of the house greeting her with a complaint. “Lisa Imai! Why would you walk into enemy territory so brazenly!?”
“U-Um, sorry, CHU²…! I just… I really need PAREO’s help!”
“Huh? PAREO’s…?”
“Please, ask away! as RAS’s keyboard maid, I will do everything in my power to support a guest!”
“*grumble* Well, lucky for you, Roselia girl, I’m in a good mood today. That breakfast was divine… Very well. PAREO, you may help the enemy, just this once.”
“As you wish, CHU²-sama!”
“Th-Thank you, CHU²… haha,” Lisa laughed awkwardly, “she’s quite the character, isn’t she?”
“Please, Lisa-san. Take a seat, and tell me all about your troubles. Would you like some tea?”
“Oh, um… I actually had another place in mind for us to talk about this. If you wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all! Lead the way~!”
--------------------------------------------
“...And that’s my predicament.” Lisa sighed as she sat down at one of the RiNG cafeteria’s tables.
“I see, I see… that is indeed a troublesome situation. Perhaps it is a good thing that we did not talk at CHU²-sama’s house… if she knew I was helping you with this, she very well might have exploded with rage…!” PAREO laughed as she sat across from the bassist. “For now, how about we relax with something to drink?”
“That’s actually why I brought you all the way here. I love CiRCLE’s signature drinks, but going there right now would be… risky… so here we are!”
“Yes, of course… it would be bad if we ran into Yukina-san now.”
“Welcome. May I take your order?”
Both girls turned their heads, surprised at the sudden extra person among them. “Oh, Taki-chan! Good morning.” Lisa greeted the part-timer happily. “We haven’t decided on what to get yet…”
“I see. Feel free to call for me when you have.” Taki stated plainly, ever the direct one, before beginning to walk away.
“Hmm… Taki-san, please wait!” Acting on instinct, PAREO called out to the drummer. “It’s rather odd that you would be working today of all days… would you happen to have nothing fun planned?”
“Hah…? No, I don’t.”
“H-Hey, PAREO, what are you doing…? Taki-chan’s probably busy…”
“Hmmm… I think you should sit down with us for a while! Something tells me you would have a lot to gain from our conversation~”
“But… I’m working…”
“Hm? Oh, Taki-chan!” Suddenly, Ririko walked in, making the barista jump. “Are friends of yours here? Don’t you worry about anything, then! Business has been slow today, so I’ll take it from here. Take the day off!”
“...” Taki, defeated, let out a small sigh.
“Please, take a seat~ And do tell, Taki-san… is there somebody in your life?”
“R-Right off the bat!?” Lisa shouted with surprise.
“I-I–” Taki, blushing, took a moment to respond, before doing so quietly. “...No.”
“Hmm… is there anyone you have your eye on, then?”
“U-Um! No! D-Definitely not!” Taki lied, though the keyboardist wasn’t buying it, simply smiling patiently, almost as if the drummer’s answer didn’t even count. Feeling thoroughly defeated by her, Taki eventually relented. “...Yes… there is…”
“...But you can’t tell them, or rather, you don’t feel like you should…”
“O-Okay, how can you tell!? This is getting ridiculous…!”
“I can tell because I know exactly how you feel, Taki-san.” PAREO admitted, much to her two senpais’ surprise. “For a long time, I didn’t dare to confess to my beloved CHU²-sama, thinking that she held no romantic feelings for me… but when I finally did tell her, I found that she reciprocated…! I still feel blessed to this day.”
“That’s nice, but… Tomori would never…”
“How can you know if you never tell her?”
“H-Hey, PAREO, let’s, like, maybe chill out a little bit… we don’t want to bother Taki-chan.”
“...No. Maybe I should tell her.”
Taki couldn’t believe she was saying this. Ever since her and Tomori began playing together in CRYCHIC, she felt dwarfed by the girl’s raw, emotional lyrics. Those same lyrics that scared her and made her feel seen for the first time in her life were the reason she devoted herself to always being by Tomori’s side now, as part of MyGO!!!!!. And that was the reason she couldn’t let herself tell her about her true feelings. If Tomori knew, and didn’t reciprocate, would that throw the delicate balance of the band in disarray? Could she afford to shake their status quo this severely? What if her love hurts her? Such questions were all the drummer could think about whenever the subject of confessing came to mind.
But now… as the keyboardist’s crimson eyes burned a hole into her soul, her determination almost overwhelming, she couldn’t help but reconsider. Tomori was serious about the band, maybe even more so than her. She was kind, too, never making people feel bad, unheard, or unsafe. If she did confess, and it went poorly, would things even change at all? They’re already awkward as it is when they’re alone. Come to think of it, wouldn’t clearing the air between them mean they could be even more comfortable with each other? As Taki realized these things, she found a new courage bloom within her. Or was it fear rising up within her heart? Either way, she could tell PAREO wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she resolved to do her best.
“...Yeah. I’ll do it.”
“I knew you’d come around, Taki-san~”
“Whoa… impressive. I thought you wouldn’t be so easily swayed.”
“Um, to be honest… I just think PAREO’s that intimidating…” Taki admitted, blushing from embarrassment.
“I will stop at nothing to accomplish my mission~”
“A-Anyway, that’s nice and all, but… what am I going to do?” Lisa cut in, trying to bring the conversation back to her. “I just can’t think of any ways to confess to Yukina…”
“Same here… Tomori’s just so impressive, it feels like nothing I do could possibly measure up…”
“Hmm… if you could do anything, what is it you would like to do?”
“Uh… I feel like Yukina would appreciate something that would inspire her. Something beautiful, or grandiose.”
“...Tomori likes the stars. Maybe I could bring her to the planetarium…? No, no, she does that all the time… and we can’t talk during a show anyway.”
“Ooh, wait, stargazing is a good idea…! But… man, we can barely see any stars here in Tokyo…”
“Hmm… oh!” Suddenly, PAREO fell silent, and pulled out a tablet from her bag, setting it on the table before typing away at it at an impressive pace. “I have an idea! Just give me one moment…” The keyboardist added as she got up, leaving the cafeteria.
“...Just what could she be thinking about…?” Taki wondered.
“Who knows…” Lisa admitted, before turning to her kouhai. “Oh, um– sorry for all this, Taki-chan. I hope you don’t mind her dragging you into my problem like this…”
“N-No, it’s fine… honestly, if it wasn’t for her, who knows when I would’ve told Tomori… maybe it’s best if I just rip the band-aid off, at this point.”
“That’s the spirit! No time like the present! …Well, I say this, but it took me closer to a decade to finally work up the courage to confess to Yukina, haha…”
“...They’re really important to us. It makes sense we’d agonize over doing things right.”
“...Yeah.” The two musicians smiled at each other, having found common ground.
“I’m baaa~ack!” PAREO shouted as she walked back inside.
“...So, what’s the plan, then?”
“Please do not worry yourselves over that~ just leave it to PAREO!”
“H-Huh…? Well, I guess we should just let her do as she pleases… her reputation probably doesn’t come from nowhere.”
“That’s right~! All you’ll need to do is bring your beloveds here at 2 p.m., and think of what it is you’d like to say. Let me take care of the rest!”
Confused, yet intrigued, both Lisa and Taki agreed to the girl’s terms. Surely, they figured, it couldn’t be anything too outlandish.
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“...Okay, this is ridiculous.” Taki stated plainly as she looked at the ridiculous sight before her.
In front of her was a limousine, stretching all the way down the street in an almost comical manner… and a strange, way-too-upbeat blonde girl.
“Hello~! Ooh, you must be Taki-chan…! I can’t believe this is only our first time meeting! I’m so happy we finally can~!”
“U-Um… likewise? W-Wait, I know you. You’re that girl from my school!”
“My name is Kokoro Tsurumaki~! But you can just call me Kokoro, okay~?”
“Uh, all right… and… who are they…?” Taki added, pointing at the three ominous, serious-looking women standing behind her.
“Hm? Oh, the suit people? Don’t worry about them! They’re here to help me make the world smile~!”
“A pleasure.” One of them added plainly.
“Y-Yeah… um, sorry, but I need to meet up with–”
“Taki-san~ I see you’ve found my friend here!”
“PAREO! Good evening!”
“Good evening to you, Kokoro-san. Thank you for helping my friends here.”
“No, thank you! I can’t wait to make them smile, too!”
“H-Haaaaah!?” Taki instinctually let out her usual expression of disbelief as PAREO walked up to her and Kokoro, seemingly unbothered by the strange scene before her.
“Ah… um… Taki-chan…?”
“Wh– Tomori! You’re here!” Seeing her crush arrive, Taki panicked, hoping this scene wasn’t too overwhelming for the quiet girl. “U-Um, I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s going on either…”
“...This is an unusual sight.”
“Taki-chan~ PAREO~ we’re here!” Lisa shouted happily as she arrived, Yukina in tow. “Wh– Kokoro? Why are you here? Wait… d-don’t tell me…”
“Everyone, get in! We have to go to the airport now!”
“Th-Th…” Lisa stuttered, beginning to realize just how outlandish PAREO’s surprise was.
“The what!?” Taki couldn’t help but shout as she felt completely out of her element.
“Now, now, in you all go!” PAREO added as she almost pushed the four confused girls inside the limo. “We unfortunately cannot join you, as Kokoro-san and I have other obligations. But I have full faith her staff here can help you the rest of the way!”
“Haaaaaaaaaah!?”
The four of them, once loaded inside the vehicle, could only look at each other with wordless confusion as it began on its trip to the airport.
“U-Um…” Yukina was the first to break the silence, raising her hand slightly, almost as if asking for permission to speak. “So… what is going on, here, exactly?”
“I… was wondering about that too…” Tomori added, avoiding eye contact.
“A-Ah~ well, you see…” Lisa began, “Taki-chan and I were talking to PAREO, and–”
“We have no idea where we’re going either, I swear!”
“H-Hey, Taki-chan…! You’re going to scare them…!”
“...You two are up to something, aren’t you? Lisa, I hope that whatever this is isn’t cutting into your Roselia practice time.”
“Of course not…!”
“Taki-chan… where are we going…?”
“T-Tomori…! Listen, I promise it’s going to be okay…! Don’t look so scared…!”
“We have arrived, everyone.” One of the suits replied, as they opened the door to the limo.
“W-Wow, we really are at the airport…”
“...I presume this private jet here is for us…? At this point, I can’t be surprised any more…” Yukina asked, defeated.
“Precisely. Please, get on board. We will be departing shortly.”
Concerned, Tomori gathered her courage, and spoke up. “U-Um…! Where are we going…?”
“As was requested by the young lady, you are going to a small town in northern Russia. Please, do not worry. It won’t take long; the Tsurumaki family private jet is the fastest in the world.”
“H… Haaaaaaaah!?”
----------------------------------------------------
Before the four knew it, they were in the air, headed for a completely foreign continent to them. Neither of them quite knew how to react, and thus, silence had once again fallen between them.
Lisa was trying her best to smile and keep the mood at least somewhat high for everybody, but inside, she was falling apart, thinking that PAREO and Kokoro’s outlandish idea was about to fall flat on its face and ruin her confession.
Yukina decided to simply accept her fate, and fell asleep, waiting for the flight to finish. She may have been incredibly confused, but she kept her cool, and realized that nothing she could do would change this outcome.
Taki, however, was a ball of pure anxiety, both inside and outside. She regretted going along with PAREO’s crazy idea, she regretted telling Tomori to come, hell, she regretted even coming to work today in the first place. As a result, she spent much of the flight pacing around back and forth, trying to keep her breathing under control.
Surprisingly, the calmest of them all was Tomori: she quickly forgot about her concerns, placing her trust fully in Taki, and simply gazed out the window. She enjoyed the opportunity to fly above the clouds, and even took out her notebook and started writing lyrics (which was the only reassurance keeping Taki somewhat sane).
With their two crushes occupied, Lisa eventually got up, signaled to Taki to follow her, and the two moved to the in-flight bar, where the older girl served them both a glass of juice.
“So, uh, like… what the hell are we gonna do!?”
“I don’t know…! Confessing to Tomori on a normal day is hard enough, and now there’s all this pressure…!”
“What are we even gonna be doing in Russia of all places!?”
“We believe we can help with that.” Both girls turned their heads in surprise as the suits under the Tsurumaki family’s employ stepped forward, ever serious.
“R-Right… if anyone would know where we’re going, it’d be you guys.”
“You see… the reason we whisked you four away was originally PAREO-sama’s idea. She heard that you two expressed an interest in stargazing, and wanted to one-up that.”
“Okay… but we can do that in the country back in Japan.” Taki replied matter-of-factly. “So… why the trip?”
“As I’ve said… she wanted to one-up this concept. So, knowing the young lady is often one to surpass expectations, she gave her a call… and the two of them eventually landed on watching the aurora borealis.”
“Th-Th-The… aurora borealis!? So this is why we’re going so far north!?”
“That is correct, Imai-sama. We were originally instructed to keep the surprise until we landed, but… we could see that it was causing you undue stress, rather than the smiles the young lady hoped you would have.”
“I’m surprised you guys decided to ignore her wishes…” Lisa replied, surprised.
“Sometimes… our job demands we interpret her demands differently…”
“W-Wait… are you sweating…?”
“...Anyhow. With this knowledge in mind, please think of what it is you are going to say to Minato-sama and Takamatsu-sama.”
“...And just like that, they’re gone… Imai-senpai, what kind of terrifying friends do you have…?”
“Ahaha…”
--------------------------------------------
Eventually, after a few short hours, the Roselia and MyGO!!!!! members landed near the northern coast of Russia. After putting on the winter gear that was provided to them, the four carefully stepped off the plane, and into the snow.
“Taki-chan… the night sky… it’s pretty…”
“A-Ah…! I’m glad you like it, Tomori. Just wait, it’s going to be even more impressive soon.”
“Do you think there are penguins here…?”
“U-Um–”
“No. Penguins live near-exclusively in the southern hemisphere. The only species closer to us than that is near the Equator.”
“Yukina? I didn’t know you were knowledgeable about penguins.”
“Th-They’re… just very cute.” Yukina replied, blushing slightly, which made Lisa want to scream due to her cuteness. “...Lisa? Are you blushing?”
“U-Um! No, it’s just the cold! L-Let’s just keep walking, okay!?”
Trying to keep their wits about them, the two lovestruck ladies led their crushes to the area they were instructed to: a hill just a hundred meters away from where they landed. Once they reached the top, they were greeted with two benches, overlooking a beautiful, wintry landscape, with both pairs of girls taking one each. The full moon in the sky illuminated the tundra, giving the white expanse an almost ethereal glow. Though there wasn’t much vegetation due to the cold, the handful of shrubs and hills peppering the scene before them still served to paint a wonderful picture to the four, and the sky being as clear as can be let them see countless stars, more than they could ever see in Tokyo, unhindered by manmade light.
“This is… beautiful… Lisa, how did you come to learn of this place?”
“A-Ah~ well–”
“Taki-chan…! Look here!” Tomori cut in, mesmerized by the sky, as she reached for Taki’s arm, bringing the timid girl in closer. “You can see all of Camelopardalis. Oh– and Gemini, too…!”
“I-Is that so…?” Taki tried to reply, though she was too busy being flustered by the sudden contact to really be able to tell.
“Wait… could that be…!?” Yukina suddenly got up, spotting something in the sky. “Lisa, look!”
“Oh… so it’s beginning to happen~”
“Y-You knew…?”
All four girls watched in awe as the sky suddenly began to glow. A bright green northern light came to illuminate the darkness, shocking Yukina and Tomori, who simply stared, mesmerized.
“Surprise! The truth is… I asked PAREO for help with planning the perfect night, and, well… somehow, we ended up here.”
“But… why go through all that effort, just for me…?”
“U-Um…” Lisa turned back, making sure the two MyGO!!!!! members weren’t looking. Reassured to see them occupied with each other, she turned back to Yukina, steeling herself for the hardest part. “Yukina… I… I l-love you!”
“A-Ah–” The white-haired girl couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Ever since that day, when we played our first session together… before I even knew what love really felt like, I knew! I knew that I wanted to be by your side forever!” Lisa revealed, the dam holding back her true feelings having burst open. “And even now, now that we’re going into adulthood… being part of Roselia, playing by your side… it brings me so much joy…! So, please…!”
Punctuating her confession with a gift, the brunette reached into her bag, and handed Yukina a box of chocolates.
“Lisa…”
“U-Um! I know they’re probably frozen solid right now… I didn’t plan for us to be in such a freezing area… b-but! When you bring them home, I’m sure they’ll be tasty!”
“Lisa, I–”
“I-I hope this doesn’t change anything between us, and that you can still have me in Roselia despite my intense feelings, a-and–”
“...” Yukina, seeing that words will not be enough to calm her childhood friend, simply closed the distance between the two of them, and pulled her into a hug. “...Lisa. I would be honored to be your girlfriend.”
“A-Ah…!”
“I… to tell the truth, I have f-felt much the same for just as long…” the usually-composed vocalist blushed as she stammered. “Even through hardship… you were always there… back then, and nowadays, too. You’re the beating heart of Roselia… so much so that my own heart quickly found itself matching your rhythm.”
“Yukina…!” Lisa replied, tears in her eyes.
“I love you too. Let’s… um, be happy together?”
“Hahaha… you’re always so professional…!”
As the two longtime friends became new partners, they both carried only one feeling in their hearts: true happiness.
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“...and this here is Ursa Major, though it’s quite hard to see due to the lights… and here, you can see Cassiopeia…”
“T-Tomori…”
Taki felt so, so very in over her head.
Not only was being so close to Tomori thoroughly frying her brain, but her non-stop explanations of the night sky were so, so damn adorable. That being said… the drummer couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed that she seemed to pay little mind to the aurora borealis, after all the chaos that brought them there.
“I think this over there is Hercules… and here, Virgo…? That must be…”
“T-Tomori!”
“Ah–”
“U-Um–” Taki stammered, having surprised even herself with her shouting. A part of herself was yelling at her to shut up already; Tomori was having a good time, even if it was unrelated to her surprise. Who was she to demand more from the girl who gave a voice to her innermost doubts? The girl who made her feel so seen, after a lifetime of loneliness? Her selfish feelings of love had no place here. Who was she, to want to stand hand in hand with her, as her equal? Her, the offputting, scowling drummer with her heart closed to all?
“Taki-chan… are you all right…?”
“...!” Taki brought her gloved hand to her face, noticing the wool of her mitten had dampened from her tears. “Tomori, I-I… I’m sorry! I just… God, this is such a failure…”
“Taki…-chan…”
“I-I brought you here so you could have a good time, and you are…! And yet, my selfish self still wants more from you…! I’m sorry, I’m such a terrible friend… I was no use when CRYCHIC broke up, I vanished when MyGO!!!!! almost followed suit and you needed me, and even now… I’m only thinking of myself…! You would be so much happier without me bothering you–”
“That’s not true…”
“...!”
“That’s just not true!”
“T-Tomori–” Taki looked up at her friend, shocked to hear her voice being so assertive.
“Taki-chan…! Without you, MyGO!!!!! wouldn’t be MyGO!!!!!, and I couldn’t sing anymore…! You’re always here, helping me up when I’m down… I can always rely on you!”
“But I–”
“S-So…!” Tomori cut the drummer off, before rummaging inside her bag. “H-Here…!”
“Wha–”
Taki’s brain may as well have exploded as Tomori handed her a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
“I… I love you, Taki-chan…! I, um… when you invited me, Ano-chan was there, and… and she helped me pick a gift for you…”
“...Hah?” Taki opened the box of chocolates, finding a card inside.
“Wishing you two the best, Tomorin and Rikki~!
-chocolates sponsored by ANON TOKYO”
“...Pffft… hahaha!” Taki couldn’t help but laugh. “God, that Anon… I’ll need to give her a piece of my mind later.”
“U-Um…”
“O-Oh, sorry, Tomori. Um… to tell the truth… I brought you here because I wanted to confess, too… so…” Blushing, Taki revealed some cookies, packed away neatly in a small box. “I made them myself… to be honest, I asked Soyo to help, too. I’m no good at baking on my own…”
“Taki-chan…! Then…!”
“...Yeah. I love you too, Tomori… I always have.”
Overjoyed to feel her love being reciprocated, the ash-haired girl threw herself in Taki’s arms, making her fall backwards. “A-Ah– Tomori– aah!”
“Taki-chan–!”
poof
“H-Huh!?” Lisa turned her head, checking on her friends without breaking her hug with Yukina. “Are you two okay!?”
“We’re fine…! W-We’re… fine.”
“Hm?”
“J-Just… don’t worry about it!” Taki shouted, not wanting to attract too much attention.
After all, she wouldn’t want this to end for the world. Tomori had fallen on top of her, her head resting on her chest as she smiled.
“Taki-chan… is so warm… I’m so happy…!”
“Tomori…” Blushing as a smile found its way onto her face, Taki allowed herself a moment of selfishness, and began stroking her love’s hair, slipping a hand between her head and her hood. “So soft…”
In the end, though their senpai both had their gaze on the skies, neither of them looked at the northern lights, as they were too occupied in the other’s warm presence. One thing was certain, though; the feeling in all four of their hearts was much the same.
Somewhere, thousands of kilometers away with her friends, a certain master planner smiled.