Apologies for being a bit late but I tried!
Other than that I hope you enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Love Live! characters nor do I own the series itself.
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Chapter 23: The Final Operation
The club room was filled with dread. It had been nine days now since the first operation started, and about twelve plans were made, executed, and failed miserably. The three third-years never wanted this moment to come, the moment when they would run out of ideas or anything. It was as if an artist lost their inspiration, or an author having a writer's block, they have nothing.
That is until Eli jumped up of her seat and slammed her hands on the table. This sudden action made the two older girls flinch. With her widest grin, Eli said her idea with confidence and -strangely enough- nostalgia. "How about we do Operation NicoMaki on them?"
Nico's eyes widen in disapproval whilst Nozomi looked absolutely confused and amused. "Operation NicoMaki?" The eldest girl questioned as she watched the other two converse through their eyes. She felt like laughing at the grim expression Nico was making compared to the huge grin Eli was wearing.
"About three months ago," Eli started turning her head to Nozomi. "Nico and Maki were like Kotori and Umi; obviously in love but is too prideful -or scared- to confess to one another." Eli stood up and walked back and forth with her hands to her back. Nico shook her head at this and Nozomi smiled. "So I decided, just like this, to do an operation." The blonde grimaced at the remembrance of her -failed- attempts.
"After approximately nineteen attempts, my desperate plan seemed to succeed on the twentieth try."
"What was the plan exactly?" Nozomi giggled when she heard Nico groan after she finished her sentence. Eli spun and hurriedly walked towards Nozomi, she then took both of the girl's hand and smiled charmingly.
"Our next plan for Operation KotoUmi, to trap them in a room together for a day!"
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Honoka cheerfully skipped down the hallway. Not walk, skipped. It was not rare to see the girl so happy and cheerful, but today was different. She finished her lunch early and managed to talk to her -not so secret- crush, Tsubasa. Umi didn't get how the two got along so well, especially with their contrasting personalities. But Honoka just brushed it off and said that it was probably because of their personality that they get along.
If it wasn't for Honoka's enthusiastic impulses, both her and Tsubasa wouldn't have met. And if it wasn't for Tsubasa's cool and patient nature, the two wouldn't have got along as well as they did now. All in all, Honoka is just glad that she got to meet and befriend Tsubasa. "Ah~ I'm so glad~," Honoka said to herself with a wider smile glued to her face.
"Glad about what?"
The sudden voice that came from behind startled her immensely. She spun around only to be greeted by a pair of teasing brown eyes. Along with flowing blue hair and her signature fedora on top.
"Umi-chan! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Honoka exaggerated her words by place a fist on her chest, but maybe it wasn't an exaggeration. Who knows?
Umi let out a light chuckle before grinning at the ginger-haired girl. "Sorry, sorry, I saw you pass by and thought of saying 'hi' until you blurted something out." She scratched the back of her neck in an enthusiastic manner. Making Honoka quite suspicious of Umi, so she did not beat around the bush and boldly ask the girl.
"Umi-chan... aren't you a bit too cheerful today?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean you're not really the type of person that would be this... enthusiastic! Especially since it's lunchtime on a Tuesday, you hate Tuesdays! You say it's the slowest day of the week apart from Mondays!"
The logic and reasoning Honoka gave made Umi think about it carefully. Why was she cheerful? Is it because she woke up earlier than normal? Or maybe because the maids made her meal more delicious? Umi was not certain anymore, so she decided to shrug it off.
"Not sure... but enough about that!" Umi slung her arms around the Honoka's shoulder and grinned. "I haven't seen you since we went to the mall, I didn't even see you at the party. Where have you been?" The curiosity in Umi's tone was more than the girl had intended.
Honoka, on the other hand, had a shocked face. "Ah! That's right!" She began with a startled voice. "We haven't seen each other... strange, it felt like you were always with me though." The extremely confused face Honoka was wearing almost made Umi laugh. And she did. But it was more of a chuckle than a laugh. The action, though, made the ginger-haired girl pout.
Umi patted the shorter girl's head as she shook her head in astonishment. "It kinda did, didn't it?" She began before pushing Honoka along. "Now come on, the bell's gonna ring soon!" Umi grinned then walked in front of Honoka and started tugging her to the classroom.
The ginger-haired girl lifted an eyebrow -along with a confused frown- before following Umi and moving to walk beside her. What a strange day, Honoka thought. Oh well, could be worst.
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"So, I have a friend who has a room that can be locked from the outside," Eli began as she pointed at their 'plan blueprint' on the whiteboard. "The room is a bedroom along with a mini fridge and a snack bar. It's very comfortable and has the right specification to make them be in the mood." At her last word, Eli wiggled her eyebrows making Nozomi giggle and Nico groan. Two reactions she was expecting.
"Okay, that seems reasonable but how do we, well- drug them?" Nozomi adjusted her glasses, "assuming you have a plan?" She continued. Eli's stare lingered for a bit too long before she cleared her throat with a heavy blush on. Nozomi seemed to be clueless of what happened but Nico knew it all too well. The raven-haired girl saw that lust in Eli's eyes while Nozomi was talking and wanted to be out of this tension. Unfortunately, though, she is forever stuck being the third wheel.
"A-ah, yes. Good question, Nozomi." You're so smart you wonderful gorgeous goddess! "And to and to answer your question, during my... treacherous first year, I encountered some education on what to use to make them sleep." The purple-haired girl and raven-haired girl eyed Eli suspiciously. Seeing this, Eli shook her hands with the action having a desperate hint to it.
"D-don't worry! The drug is safe -more or less," Eli encountered, mumbling the last part. "And getting will be all on me! You guys don't have to do anything!" She quickly changed the topic before the two older girls could question her. Luckily for the blonde, the two girls decided to let her go.
Nico crossed her arms with a huff, "if that's all to it then are we dismissed?" The question was not meant to sound harsh or rude, but the tone Nico used says otherwise. Nozomi and Eli both knew that the raven-haired girl was not mad or some sort, but was instead in a hurry. She tends to sound rude on accident when she is in a hurry.
Eli nodded her head, "absolutely, remember though, the plan starts on Friday so they wouldn't have to miss school. Other than that you guys are dismissed." As soon those words came out of the blonde's mouth, Nico stood up and speed-walked out of the classroom. Nozomi gave an all-knowing smile as the shorter girl left but stayed at her seat until Nico is out of the room.
Eli shook her head and was a bit surprised to see that Nozomi has not left the room. Before she could question her, the said girl turned her head to Eli with a distant smile.
"Elicchi... I think we have to talk..." Nozomi started solemnly.
"About what?" With a nervous smile, Eli asked.
Nozomi's expression turned serious, but Eli was almost sure she can see a tinge of sadness, fear, and another emotion she couldn't seem to identify evident in her eyes.
"About us."
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Nico ran -more like jogged as a teacher had already scolded her for running in the halls- through the almost empty hallway. Though it was currently lunch and almost class time, this particular hallway was normally empty. A perfect place for lovers to meet.
"Hey there." A girl with bright red hair appeared from a corner, she had a smile on and walked towards the raven-haired.
"Sorry for the wait." Nico smiled apologetically then reached out for Maki. The two hugged for a second before letting go.
"It's no problem. As long as I get to hold you like this more." Then once again, Maki pulled the shorter girl closer. She leaned her head on the girl's shoulder and rested it there. Nico sighed and rubbed the younger girl's back affectionately.
"How long?" After a few minutes later, Nico finally had the courage to ask the question the two dreaded. Maki pursed her lips and pulled away. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, instead, she leaned forward and kissed her lover.
But the sweet kiss did not last long as Nico hesitantly pushed Maki away. "How long," Nico asked once again, but it felt more like a demand than a question. Maki tensed but sighed knowing she could never win against her lover.
"Late June... so we have approximately a month since it's almost the end of May."
"Still not enough time though..." Nico gritted her teeth and shook her head. "This plan better work or I swear to god I'll make them fuck each other whether they like it or not."
Maki chuckled at Nico's reaction and took the girl's chin and lifted her head up. She moved forward gave her a quick peck. "Come." The redhead demanded, pulling the girl along into an empty bathroom. "We still have time to spare," Maki whispered into Nico's ear seductively. This made Nico giggle, but nevertheless, she obeyed.
She's totally different when we're alone compared to when we're in front of everyone... not that I mind it, hehe...
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Final Plan - Trap by Eli
It was after school and Eli had asked Umi if she wanted to stop by the park on the way home. Of course, Umi was a bit hesitant and suspicious at first but being the generous little cousin she is, she agreed.
Everything was normal and the two were just talking about random stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary when Eli suddenly felt thirsty. Umi suggested they get a drink from a nearby vending machine. Eli agreed and offered to do it herself. Left alone, Umi sat down on the bench guarding their bags and daydreamed for a second.
The daydream was -obviously- about Kotori. Left in her own thoughts, Umi remembered a time from her childhood with Kotori. Those memories -those sweet memories, Umi loved every second of it. Everything in her childhood was more than perfect... if it weren't for him. The sudden memory of her... father left a sour feeling in Umi. Fortunately, though, Eli came in the right time.
"Heyo so here's your drink and here's mine." Eli started, lifting up and offering Umi an iced coffee and a hot chocolate for herself. Regaining from her bitter memory, Umi wanted to distract herself from it, so she took the iced coffee and swallow it in one go. But since her mind was such in a hurry, she did not question or wonder why the drink was... already open.
Soon the rush in Umi's head died down, and the next thing she saw was Eli saying sorry with a smile before everything went black. And the last thing her mind said was...
What the fuuuuuuck?
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"Mhm..." A tired groan came out from the blue-haired girl as she shuffled on the bed. She wanted to stay sleeping but the bright sun rays are making her do otherwise. Giving up, Umi opened her eyes only to see an unfamiliar ceiling. That is not my ceiling... this bed is far too comfortable to be mine... where the hell am I? The questions in Umi's head echoed and it took a while for her to fully process what's going on. Turning her head, Umi's eyes grew wide as a pair of eyes does the same.
Oh, shi-
"KYAAAAAAH!"
"GAHHHHH!"
Umi backed off too far and accidentally fell on the floor with a painful thud. Seeing this, Kotori gasped and leaned over to see if the Umi was not injured badly. And thankfully enough, she wasn't.
The blue-haired girl was rubbing her head while releasing an uncomfortable groan. She looked up and saw a pair of concerned hazel eyes directed at her. Before the two said anything, they both just stared at each other with confusion, interest, shock, and all kinds of mixed emotion evident in their eyes. Kotori was the first one to speak, opening her mouth and stuttering out, "d... déjà vu?"
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Planning to not leave you guys in the shadows and make the next chapter as soon as possible!
March Update:
-Broke my phone and got a new one ^^;
-Spring break was boring
-I watched and finished Love Live (for the third time) but this time with my brother and he was sad at the end
-His favourite character is Kotori (good taste)
Anyways that's all that happened in March! Have a great April and see you guys in the next chapter, bai~