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~Normal POV
9/24 - Saturday
After how depressing his hang out with Rise got yesterday, Yu decided to try again today to make up for it. He rather hoped to give her a more relaxing day this time. She was happy to accept the idea. So after school, they ventured out to Okina again. Her special orders were obviously not ready for pick up yet, but she still wanted to check out the stores again.
Yu had learned rather fast in his time spent with her that "shopping," for girls, actually meant, "looking at clothes and other accessories, trying them on occasionally, and only rarely buying anything." And this seemingly mundane task always made Rise happy. So who was he to argue? He loved seeing her happy... He loved her. But once they arrived in Okina, she revealed that she had a new scheme this time.
"Today, we're buying for you!" She announced, playfully poking his chest for emphasis.
"Really now?" He didn't consider himself to be what you would call "fashionable," especially compared to Teddie, but he was under the impression that he dressed perfectly fine. When he wasn't wearing his school uniform, that is.
"Yep! I'll put together the best outfit for you, so be prepared!" Rise said, cheerily.
Yu smirked at her and couldn't help taking the opportunity for a joke. "I see how it is. You just wanted an excuse to get me to take my clothes off? Is that it?"
Rise broke down laughing. She should have seen a quip like that coming, but she still walked right into it.
"I'm kidding, by the way."
"I know, but geez!" She said, between giggles, "That really got me!" She paused to catch her breath before continuing. "Now, let's see... I've already checked out most of the stores here. First is-" She looked around. "Over there- and then..." She had looked in the direction of a building in particular. And what she saw there made her stop and stare.
Yu followed her gaze. She was looking at an ad on the side of the building. He couldn't tell what it was for, but the picture displayed a pretty girl with curly bright hair. He gave her a puzzled look. What was so weird about that? It was just an ad.
"That ad..." Rise said, distractedly. "I see... So Kanami is the new poster girl..."
"Kanami?" Yu said, quizzically.
"Oh uh... That store's sign has a girl who was at the agency with me," She explained. "Kanami Mashita... She was my junior... She was cute, so I figured she would sell. I recommended her for a few projects that I was on."
He looked at the ad again and said, "Well, that's good, isn't it? It'll help with her career."
"Oh yeah, of course!" Rise said, smiling. "We're friends too. She was really worried about me coming here. But I told her, nothing would happen to me. And then: nothing did... because of you..." She finished, somewhat sheepishly.
He wanted to remind her that it was a joint effort, but it was too nice to hear her say that; so he didn't correct her.
"And well, if some other girl takes off-" She continued, "I'm sure the agency will leave me alone."
"They might, yeah," Yu replied.
At this point, they heard a couple of guys talking as they passed by. "Man, Kanamin is so cute. It's crazy that she's still in middle school. I like how she's not so fake like Risette." This got Rise to look their way.
"Yeah," The second guy said, "Kanamin's like... plain and honest. Somewhere between a little sister and the girl next door. Like, the kind of girl you want to protect." The two kept walking without noticing them.
Rise had her jaw open, looking rather offended. "Yeah, yeah, 'I'm fake.' That's the role I played... It was all an act... Everything... Hey! All that stuff about Kanami is an act too!"
But the two were far enough away at this point that they didn't hear her. She frowned and looked down sadly. Yu went and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him without question.
"Let's go home, senpai... I don't want to be here..."
Yu merely nodded and kept his arm around her as they walked back to the train station.
~...
Upon arriving back in Inaba, Rise led him to the flood plain. She was quiet the whole trip, like she was lost in thought. And much to his dismay, she wasn't cheerful anymore... Looks like her day was ruined again.
"Rise...?" He said, gently as they walked down the flood plain path. She wasn't leading him anywhere in particular, she just kept walking and this is where they ended up.
She stopped and looked up at him again at last. "Senpai, are you... happy right now?"
"Not while you're unhappy, I'm not..." He thought, but she wasn't finished yet.
"Do you like being with me... like this, the way we are now? You like having such a cute underclassman, right? I'm an ex-idol, after all." The way she was asking these questions had a sad edge to them. Like she was genuinely worried he would say no.
"You mean about you being an idol? That part doesn't matter. I'm just happy spending time with you," He answered, honestly.
Rise seemed a little anxious but pleased with his reply. "Y-Yeah, of course not... What am I saying? You see me as Rise, huh? The real me..."
She took a shaky breath and kept talking. "I'm sorry, senpai, I was just irritated... I dragged you all the way to Okina, then just came back without doing anything... I'm really sorry..."
"Aw, it's alright..."
Before they could continue this train of thought, they were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to them.
"Oh, big bro and Rise-chan!" They looked and saw Nanako run over to them.
"Hey there," Yu greeted.
"Oh, Nanako-chan..." Rise said, "Y-You're going home?"
"Yep!" Nanako said, smiling.
Rise looked at the small girl for a moment before an idea popped into her head. And she couldn't stop herself from acting on it. "Hey, Nanako-chan, um... well... Do you know who Kanami Mashita is...?"
Nanako looked up at her quizzically. "Um... Kanami... Mashita... Oh- you mean Kanamin? Yeah, I know her. Some of my friends like her. But I tell them, 'Rise-chan's way better!'"
Rise gaped at her. She seemed a little embarrassed but also happy to hear such words. "Y-You do, huh?" She chuckled nervously. "Thanks... B-But I'm totally different from how I am on tv... You must be disappointed..."
Nanako shook her head with a smile. "Nope! I like you!"
"Oh... thanks..." Rise replied, sheepishly. "But that means... you like the me over here, huh..."
Nanako was confused by her quiet mumbling and said, "The... 'me?' Aren't you just Rise-chan? I like you, that's all."
At first, Rise was stunned. She didn't know how to respond to such a thing. But it did make her smile again. "Thank you, Nanako-chan... I like you too."
"Yay!" Nanako gave them both a quick hug before taking off down the path- apparently she didn't want to miss her favorite show coming on soon.
Once she was gone, Rise looked contemplative again. "'You're just Rise-chan,' huh..." She frowned. "What was I thinking, asking all that to Nanako-chan..."
He could only listen as she started venting again. But it was ok, venting was necessary for situations like this.
She sighed. "Risette... I quit so I wouldn't have to think about stuff like this..." What she said next, however, came out in a loud and somewhat forceful tone. Like she had to say it before she could stop herself. "I have no regrets about showbiz. I wouldn't want to go back. Why would I sacrifice my real self?! I- I just want to become a Rise who's needed by the ones who see the real me. Like you, senpai... That's the me I want to be. It's the truth."
Yu couldn't say he truly believed all of that. But she was passionate, he admired that part.
"I... got a little upset today when I heard those guys talk about Kanami..." She continued. "I'm sure I'll forget it tomorrow..."
She looked down sadly. He thought she looked very helpless right now, more than he'd ever seen her. Yu decided that moving closer and putting his arm around her again might help. Rise was a very physically affectionate person, so such things helped her too. When he did it, he got the reaction he wanted. She tried to hide her smile and failed quickly; her face went a bit red too.
"S-Stop, senpai..." But her soft giggle told him she wasn't too upset. "Though, maybe I'm in the mood to be close to you right now... I'm sorry for being so selfish today."
"It's alright," He replied simply. "Doesn't bother me that much."
"When I was working, I met lots of people, but at the cost of free time to meet people outside of work. I had no free time at all... So when I was alone, I was truly alone. Whatever I was thinking about... I had to keep it to myself."
He felt his heart sink a little. That feeling was one he was all too familiar with...
"So..." Rise continued, quietly. "Right now... I don't wanna be alone..." She looked up at him with a hint of shyness, something he rarely saw on her, and said, "Stay with me... Just a little longer..."
"Sure, Rise... I'll stay as long as you want."
They spent the rest of the afternoon together at the flood plain. They talked of many things, anything that came to mind. Always keeping the subject well away from anything related to her work or showbiz in general. He told her a few amusing stories from his past to make her laugh. Or sometimes he'd talk about something fun he did with one of their other friends. If she had a story to share, he listened happily. It was a good time with just the two of them. Though it had started out as a bit of a moody day too, it ended well enough. She was smiling and laughing again.
Somehow, he helped her feel better. And it was easier than he thought. All he had to do was be there for her. He listened to her tell him another story, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Yu silently vowed that somehow, the next time they had a day together, he'd find a way to tell her how he felt. No beating around the bush, no hesitation, nothing would stop him. She needed to know that she'd never have to feel alone again; not if he had anything to say about it.
~End of Chapter