“Chikaaaa, hurry up in the bathroom! You’re gonna miss the show!”
“I’m hurrying as fast as I can, You!”
It was a dark night outside of Chika Takami’s dorm room, but the warmth of the small space heater in the corner of her room made it feel quite cozy inside. The room itself was small, just barely fitting a small bed, equally small dresser and a nightstand. The murmur emitting from the space heater wasn’t loud enough to disrupt conversation, but was loud enough of a white noise to be heard from where the two girls were sitting.
You Watanabe sat cross legged in the middle of Chika’s bed, TV remote in her hand.
Chika could not fit a large sized TV in her room—nor could she afford one!—but she did house a small TV in the corner of her room. She didn’t have a stand to put it on, so it ended up resting on a mountain of old used textbooks.
While Chika was washing her face in the bathroom, You turned up the volume of the TV as the TV program she and her girlfriend had been anticipating began to air. Chika rushed to finish drying off before joining You on the bed, sitting as close to her as possible. You felt her cheeks warm up upon contact with Chika’s skin, her arms just barely brushing against her own.
Chika didn’t notice—of course—but the feeling was soon drowned out by the sound on the TV.
“Today we have an interview with Aqours members Mari Ohara, Dia Kurosawa, and Kanan Matsuura, who are all here in Japan today for their summer break! Say hello everyone.”
The camera panned first to Kanan, then to Dia, and finally to Mari. The three introduced themselves before the interview began, each donned in casual clothing.
Chika found herself glued to the TV screen, her eyes starting to itch a little bit. You noticed Chika’s shift in mood almost immediately,gently placing her hand on Chika’s knee to comfort her. As she continued to watch the TV, the interviewer began to ask the girls some questions. They were asked about their new lives at their individual schools, their friendship, and also about a potential future for Aqours.
It was Dia that responded to the last question, of course. She twirled a piece of her currently short, black hair in between her fingers as she spoke. “The future holds limitless possibilities. We can’t say anything for certain, but nothing is impossible.” She chuckled. “It will be nice when everyone can get together again.”
Immediately, Chika's whole body tensed up—a cold shiver running down her spine as she clutched her hands tightly. She moved one of said hands so that it rested on top of the hand You had placed on her knee, to try and calm herself down. She squeezed You’s hand tightly, continuing to concentrate on the TV interview. Or, at least, she wanted to, but she couldn't focus.
You noticed the even more drastic change in Chika’s mood quite quickly, gently squeezing Chika's hand back before she spoke. “Do you want to watch something else, Chika?”
“No!” Chika yelled without hesitation, her eyes beginning to moisten. Her heart began beating faster as she dwelled on the topic brought up in the interview. Chika knew she was letting her emotions get the best of her—as she always did—but she couldn't stop the ache that was beginning to form in her chest. It was similar to the ache she felt when she learned Uranohoshi couldn't be saved all those years ago.
You was taken aback by the sudden volume in her girlfriend’s voice, but knew all too well what Chika was feeling. She felt it too, but Chika always had a harder time hiding her emotions. Though Chika always saw her transparent emotions as a character flaw, You never saw it that way.
“Chika?” You asked, concerned. Her gaze began to focus on the damp spots forming around Chika’s eyes.
Chika was unable to give a response, her body clenching up as she fought against her emotions from coming to the surface.
Sensing Chika’s distress, You slowly wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in a hug, bringing her face so close that their noses were touching. Chika showed no signs of objection, but did not reciprocate either. She only sat huddled in You’s arms, her eyes becoming more and more itchy and watery.
When she was finally able to speak, Chika’s voice quivered. “Do you really think we'll all be able to be together again, You?”
You knew the question was coming, but she still wasn't sure how to answer it. She didn't want to give Chika false hope, but she also didn't want to make a negative statement. Would all nine of them really be together again? And even if they did get back together, would Aqours still be a focus? What if some of them changed? The future was so uncertain, but Dia’s earlier words helped her try to form a proper response.
“I don't know.” You started. “But I do know that no matter where we all are, we'll always be together in our hearts. Being apart won't change the love we have for each other, nor will it change the time we spent together. I do hope that once we're all done with school we can see each other again, but I really can't say for sure…” You paused, noticing that Chika was looking at her intently, her eyes beginning to dry. She laughed nervously when giving her final response. “I know that probably isn't helpful, but I just don't really know what else to say.”
Chika nodded, releasing herself from You’s grip. She smiled. “You're right, nothing can change the time we spent together. I know the future is so uncertain, but I just miss everyone so much.”
“I do, too.” You responded, eyes focusing on the bed sheets underneath her.
“At least I have you, You.” Chika stated after a long silence, cupping You’s cheek in her hand. A soft smile formed on a Chika’s face as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
You blushed a very bright red, closing her eyes and continuing to look down so as to avoid Chika’s gaze. “J-jeez, of course you do! And we'll be seeing Riko soon too, so…”
Chika chuckled, amused by how embarrassed You was. She moved her hand from You’s cheek to the back of her head, gathering her soft, silky hair in her hand as she kissed You on the lips.
You was caught a bit off guard by the sudden gesture, but was quick to indulge in the sensation of Chika’s soft, smooth lips gracing her own. She thought about how she forgot her chapstick—her lips cracking and chapped. The kiss didn't last more than a few seconds, but upon licking her lips afterwards, You tasted a hint of Chika’s lipgloss. It was mikan flavoured, because of course it was.
Chika giggled and stuck out her tongue after taking her lips off You’s, again amused at how embarrassed her girlfriend was. She blushed a little after seeing You lick her lips.
“Do I taste good, You?” Chika asked, slightly embarrassed herself but trying not to show it.
You tugged down on the toque that she was wearing, pushing it over and in front of her eyes, tilting her head slightly. “Y-yeah…”
Chika laughed again before kissing You a second time, on the cheek. You peered out of her toque after pushing it up a bit to catch a glance of Chika as she pulled away. She smiled.
“Sorry I'm still so embarrassed all the time.”
“It's okay, you're so cute!” Chika replied instantly. She moved closer to You, leaning her head onto her shoulder. She was smiling all the while, thinking about how happy she felt. “You're always here to cheer me up.”
You had completely taken off her toque at this point, placing it on the bed and allowing her unkempt hair to be seen. She smiled while leaning her own head to rest on Chika’s. “I'll always be here for you, Chika. Haven't I always?”
Chika let out a soft “mhm” as she continued to lean onto You’s shoulder. One of her hands found You’s and clasped onto it tightly. She began to rub You’s hand with her thumb gently, pouring all of her focus onto it.
Many moments passed as the couple sat huddled in silence, the sound of the TV just an ambient noise in the background. When Chika finally lifted her head up, she noticed the interview on the TV was about to end.
“Thank you everyone for watching! We hope to see you soon!” Sounded Kanan, waving at the camera as it faded to black. A commercial began to run shortly afterwards.
“We missed it, huh?” You noted, watching Chika stand up and off the bed.
“Yeah, I guess so, but it's okay. We'll be meeting up with them soon, won't we?” Chika answered with a smile. She offered her hand to You to stand up with her.
You took it, allowing herself to be pulled up next to Chika. She smiled hearing Chika’s response. “Mhm! I can't wait to see them in a couple days!”
Chika giggled, grabbing both of You’s hands in her own. “Yeah, yeah! We're all gonna go out for hot pot and it's gonna be so much fun!” She paused, shyly backing away from You a bit and tapping her foot lightly. “It'll also be the first time we’ll see them as a couple…”
You blushed but didn't look away from Chika this time. Instead, she walked closer to her. “Do you remember being so nervous to tell them?”
Chika’s cheeks began to warm up, turning a soft pink in colour. She giggled. “Yeah, but when we finally did tell them, they just laughed and told us, ‘it's about time’!”
You giggled as well, walking even closer to Chika so that their foreheads touched. “Yeah, all three of them! It was so funny! Even Ruby, Yohane, and Hanamaru were under the same impression!” You paused, her smile vanishing as a realization slowly kicked in when she looked at the ring on her index finger. “What about Riko…?”
Chika’s smile also vanished, her gaze shifting from You’s face to the floor. “I wonder if she's okay?”
Both You and Chika stood in silence for a long while, contemplating their situation. Both of them loved Riko very much—the three of them all treasured their two years at school together—despite everything. They were all incredibly important to each other. Neither You, Chika, nor Riko could say their love for one was stronger than the other.
On the day of their graduation, Riko approached Chika and You before their respective ceremonies. They met on the beach, where Riko held onto three small ring boxes, each box corresponding to their Aqours image colour.
“I bought these rings as a token of our friendship.” Riko started. “So that no matter how far apart we are, we'll still be together.”
Chika slowly opened up her orange box, revealing a very simple silver ring with a small orange gemstone in the middle. You’s was sky blue, followed by Riko’s light pink.
“I know I'm going far away so we may not see each other often, but I want us all to remember our promise to each other.”
“Promise?” Chika asked.
“You don't remember, Chika?” You asked, her eyes dampening as she pulled her ring out of the box and placing it on her index finger. “After Aqours disbanded, we made a promise to always be friends. No matter what.”
“That's right…” Chika trailed off, sliding on her ring as well.
Riko nodded, showing off the ring that was already on her finger. “No matter how far apart we are, we'll always be friends. We'll always love each other!”
The three of them burst into tears then, huddling together in a hug. Each of them had to prepare for their respective graduation ceremony, but couldn't stand to be apart that day.
They were all late.
“Riko is…” You trailed off, unable to find the words to say.
“You, can I ask you something?” Chika asked, a look of determination on her face.
Caught off guard, You looked at Chika with wide eyes. “Y-yes?”
“Do you still love Riko?” Chika inquired, her face calm but showing curiosity.
“Ch-Chika, what kind of question is that!?” You responded, flabbergasted.
Chika didn't really respond—she seemed more curious than really upset. She was intrigued to hear You’s answer.
You scratched her cheek with her index finger. “I… maybe…”
Chika smiled, which made You slightly confused. “How do you feel about sharing?”
You blinked her eyes a few times, trying to figure out where all this was going. “What do you mean by that?”
Chika looked at You in the eyes, squeezing her hands. “I've been thinking about things, and if you and Riko are okay with it… why don't we all try dating?”
“Huh?” You asked. “You mean, like we'd all be each other's girlfriends?”
“Yeah!” Chika answered. “It's not something I'd suggest lightly, and if neither of you are okay with it then I'll drop the subject.”
You contemplated the idea. It wasn't something she ever would have thought about, but the idea was very enticing. She'd have to think about it further—of course—so she answered Chika honestly. “Well… I'll have to think about it. Give me until a few days before our trip to America, and I'll have an answer for you.”
“Alright!” Chika responded, squeezing You’s hands again. “For now, shall we enjoy the few days we have together before we meet with Kanan, Mari, and Dia?”
You smiled, squeezing Chika’s hands back. “Aye aye, captain! You wanna order some pizza?”
Chika’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Yes!! Let's place an order!”
The two girls enjoyed their time together over the next few days, eating pizza, getting a little tipsy, and overall enjoying their solitary time together before meeting up with their friends.