Love Live!! If Three's A Crowd, Nine's A Multitude!

Chapter 38

"Get me this Christmas tree!" 

You'd think she's dying in three days and needs this specific item in order to die peacefully. I mean she literally could've asked us to do anything. Maybe she was taking it easy on us. The next day we all hopped in Mari's van and started to the place where they had the tree.

Chika had given us the address, she apparently found the tree online. She said that they "absolutely needed it." 

"Is there a particular reason Chika needs this Christmas tree?" I said as Mari took another wrong turn.

"Every year for about four or five years now, Chika-chan has always picked out the Christmas tree." Riko explained.

"She cries every time we threaten to pick it without her." You commented.

"So what if she cries?" 

"Have you ever dealt with a crying Chika?" Kanan looked at me.

"Actually, no I haven't and now I'm terrified." I nodded.

Mari was obviously getting lost. Dia was yelling directions at her. 

"Everyone be quiet so they can concentrate." Ruby said worried we might crash.

"I think it's illegal for Mari to be looking at a map while driving zura." Hanamaru piped in.

"SHUT THE HELL UP HANAMARU!" Mari said obviously stressed. "RIKO GIVE HER SOMETHING TO EAT!" Riko grabbed a snack out of her bag and gave it to the now crying Hanamaru.

This was an actual disaster. What the heck was happening. The rest of the car ride was silent except for the occasional scolding from Dia.

"You're not signaling your turns!" she lectured.

"IF THEY SEE ME TURNING, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Mari said angrily.

"You made a wrong turn, we were supposed to go left not right." Dia shook her head.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Dia. MAYBE IF YOU WERE BETTER AT GIVING DIRECTIONS WE WOULDN'T BE MAKING WRONG TURNS!" 

"DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE WITH ME! I SWEAR TO GOD MARI JUST DRIVE BETTER!" Dia yelled.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE GOTTEN YOUR LICENSE!" Mari shot back.

"Guys, why is there a semi-truck heading straight for us?" I joked causing the two to panic.

"MARI GET OUT THE WAY!" 

"I'M GOING!" 

"Wait... there was no semi-truck." I was greeted with glares.

So instead of a 25 minute ride, it was an hour and a half. I was actually surprised we got there considering the navigation skills of the two third years. 

We all hopped out of the vehicle and walked into the field to find the specific tree. Chika texted us exactly where it was. Apparently she had visited this place a little while back and saw the tree. She said the fourth row and the fifth tree. 

We walked to the fourth row. There is only one problem.

"Which side did she say?" Riko asked.

"Someone go ask her." Yohane said.

"On it." You said calling Chika. She put her on speaker.

"Y-Y-You-chan?" Chika said being over dramatic. "T-The doctor says that I-I-I might not have much time left..." 

"Shut up, what side is the tree on?" she asked.

"Y-You don't c-care about my health?" Chika gasped.

"Chika-chan you're on speaker." You sighed.

"I am- How are you all doing?" she laughed like the idiot she is.

"Chika," I said calmly, "We had to suffer Mari's driving and Dia's navigation to get here, just tell us where the freaking tree is. On the right? Or the left?"

"Oh it's on the right." we could feel the grin on her face through the phone.

"Okay, thank you." I looked up to walk to the tree. It was gone.

"Eh?" I said very confused.

"What's wrong zura?" Hanamaru said walking over to me, "Eh?"

"What's wrong you two?" Kanan said before looking where we were looking. "Eh?"

The tree was gone.

The tree was gone!

THE TREE WAS GONE!

I took off towards the parking lot to see a car with the tree pulling away.

"AFTER THEM!" I yelled. We all took off after them. There was no way we wasted an hour and a half getting here just to get nothing.

"Mari can you chase after them?" Yohane said.

"Believe or not, this is the one thing I can do." she said as she sped after the car.

It was a long pursuit, and quite dangerous as well. We were cutting off traffic, trying to get closer to the red car that had our Christmas tree.

Yes, ours. We already claimed it. It took a while, but they finally exited off the highway. This time taking a turn towards our neighborhood.

"How convenient." Ruby said, "After we get it, we won't take long getting home."

"Yeah what are the odds..." You nodded.

"Seems suspicious." I said.

We kept following them, they drove us all the way to our neighborhood taking turn on our street. Um, what the heck...

"You don't think Chika-chan ordered it for delivery right?" Riko asked.

"If she did, I'm murdering her." Kanan threatened.

We drove down until it stopped in front of the girls' house. 

"She did... there's no way..." Mari face palmed.

"WE DROVE AN HOUR AND A HALF?!?! FOR THIS?!?!?!" Dia seethed with anger.

The people came out of the car. Well actually it was an SUV, we didn't get a good look at it until now. And the next part shocked everyone in the van.

"Mama?" Mari's eyes widened..

Mama? Wait a second...

"M-mom?" Riko got out of the van.

Oh wait things are starting to make sense now... These were their parents. Well actually their moms. At this point I just let them go relax with their family. I was starting to head into my house when someone called my name.

"Shizuko!" Mari waved.

"What?" I said on my doorstep.

"Don't you want to meet them?" 

"You guys should be together, you haven't seen each other in a while." I said opening the door.

"Actually Shizuko, we need to talk." Mari's mom said.

And that's when things became very complicated. 

Eh, this was a little short... sorry for that. I should be able to update on Friday or something... anyways I don't have much to say because I gotta go to class. But yeah have a good day!

-Kazuya