Chirp chirp chirp.
Every morning, I wake up to the sound of little birds chirping by the window. These brown little birds are from the big elm tree in the nearby park and they have come here to play again. Since my own name is Kotori, I pay a lot of attention to these birds. As a grade schooler, I installed a small bird feeder in front of my window. Now a lot of cute little birds come here to play every day. The bird feeder is about as big as a textbook. My bird food consists of some leftover cookies, different fruits and bird food bought from the pet shop by the train station. When I put something on the bird feeder, everyone will eagerly peck at it with their little beaks.
Chirp chirp ♪
One, two, three, four – there are nine visitors in total this morning. Just like the number of members of μ’s.
When I open the window, the little birds don’t scatter or fly off. Instead, they gather around me and look at me with their small black eyes.
They’re soooo cute!
It makes me happy that so many birds live here, in a street that is full of tower blocks – I even woke up earlier than the alarm clock this morning.
Today, the members of μ’s are meeting up for a practice session at school. Even though summer break has started, we continue to practice. As a result, I have to put on my school uniform nearly every day.
“We have to change our outfits for practice anyway, so why can’t we come to school in our jerseys?” That’s what Rin, one of the first-year students, always says. However, we can’t just go against the school rules, can we?
Besides, I really like school uniforms. In fact, I absolutely love them ♥ Don’t be fooled by my appearance - I actually love to cosplay. It might sound strange to say something like “don’t be fooled by my appearance”, but I have often been mistaken for an innocent and well-behaved girl.
I love cosplay, I love sweets, I love my pair of rain boots with pink laces and I love to fool around with my friends.
Speaking of which – I also love cute idols with a meek personality ♥
When I first learned about my childhood friend Honoka’s plans to become a school idol, I was a little shocked. Deep down, I was a little happy, too. ‘What a great idea ~ !! Hehe ♥’
“Our school is being affected by the declining birth rates. In order to save our school, we need to become school idols!”
Honoka always came up with the strangest ideas, she was unpredictable like a jack in the box. I clearly remember how my jaw dropped open when I first heard of Honoka’s idea. I also remember how I was overcome with excitement back then, how my heart felt like a flock of happy little birds about to leave their nest. It was so sudden, so unexpected and unconceivable. Nevertheless, I thought that it was pretty interesting. As someone who had been interested in cosplay for a long time, I was already familiar with school idols.
However, I knew that my other important childhood friend would surely disapprove of Honoka’s plans. After all, Umi is well-versed in martial arts and Japanese dance, she’s serious and hard-working, she has an awe-inspiring air and can also be quite stubborn at times. A very traditional and virtuous girl!
It was no surprise that she stubbornly refused when Honoka shared her strange idea with us. Back then, I thought, ‘Aw, I knew Umi would say that‘. At the same time, I had a hunch that Umi would eventually give in and become school idols with us in spite of her protests. When faced with Honoka’s endless energy, Umi would always feebly give in. I knew that she had never won.
As Honoka energetically continued in a voice that was as loud as an elephant’s trumpeting, an image appeared in front of my inner eye - Umi, dressed in a blue miniskirt, dancing and singing, with an embarrassed but extremely cute expression on her face. ‘Don’t worry, it’ll be alright, Umi is a real beauty, so that look suits you very well –’
Let me tell you a secret.
Umi can do martial arts and Japanese dance, she looks great in pantskirts and kimonos, and looks quite dashing with her long, pitch-black hair. It’s no wonder that the younger girls always get excited and start screaming whenever they see Umi. Umi’s a confident and attractive girl – she’s “invincible”.
However –
I often catch myself thinking –
It’s awkward to say it out aloud. But let me just tell you this in secret.
Well, compared to the word “invincible”, doesn’t “rarely defeated” suit Umi better? Ah ah, if she knew that I had thoughts like that, she would surely kill me, but, Umi – I’m sorry. I can’t stop my imagination. Compared to a dashingly dressed Umi who clenches her fists and proclaims victory, a dejected Umi who is on her knees with both hands on the floor and tearfully admits “I lost…” is so much more attractive, so much more outstanding, so much prettier –
It makes my heart race so much faster♪
In my opinion, that Umi is as pretty as a picture!
The Kotori who watches Umi’s archery competitions with thoughts like that is a very messed up person, isn’t she?
Even if it’s only once, I want to experience what it feels like to be by Umi’s side when she bursts into tears. Although that’s how I feel, Umi is rarely defeated, and even if she is defeated, her serious nature will never allow her to lose her composure. Ever since our grade school days, I have never seen her like that, not even once ♥
For that reason, I have made myself an “archery girl Umi” doll with some felt and yarn – along with another secret “defeated Umi” doll ♥ The doll of Umi, who is teary-eyed and dejected in defeat, is currently dangling from my desk lamp. It’s incredibly cute – you can’t help but to pet it. I had some fabric left anyway – ehehehe♪
As for my confession – if you agree with me, please make sure to tell me in secret ~ ! I’ll make another doll so we match♪Of course, I won’t tell Umi.
So Umi, you aren’t allowed to read this page, okay?
Just kidding – ♥
Before I leave the house, I pat the cute “defeated Umi” doll.
“I’m leaving ~ ! Let’s do our best today, too ♥ “
– Hehe.
Right now, this is my most precious possession.
Ah – I just remembered.
Before I made the “defeated Umi” doll I made a doll of dancing Honoka. Next time I‘ll make a doll of Hanayo that shows her with a belly bulge after eating lots of onigiris. Or a smug Maki doll with her A+ exam, or a doll of Rin jumping around in a cat costume.
They’re all pretty amazing!
Shrine maiden Nozomi exorcising evil spirits with prayer beads seems a bit ordinary, but the shrine maiden outfit is too good to leave out!
’m sure that, if I made a set with all members of μ’s, it would look very cute ~ ♥
The thought alone makes me very excited
“Ah, it’s a calico cat!”
On my way to school, I encounter a calico cat from the neighbourhood. The cat has a red collar around its neck and often goes for a walk around here. The cute little cat is round and long, like a real Japanese cat. It looks very pretty today, too!
“Come here, come here ~ ♪“ I say and greet it with a couple of “meows”.
The little cat also answers with a “meow”.
“So you’re with your friend Black-chan today!”
Meow meow.
A dashing black cat appears from the shadows, its tongue slightly stretched out as if it wants to look cool. It licks my hand as a greeting. Eeek – it tickles ♪ Is it because my hand still smells of bird food?
“I have club activities today. I’ll do my best!”
The two cats continue to watch me as I form a small victory sign with my fingers. Under the blue summer sky, it seems as if the two little cats are cheering me on. Meow meow. Thank you for your support!
A glance at my watch makes me realize that I’m a bit early.
That’s right! Maybe I should check out the stores by the train station. Even though I’m almost done with the new costumes for our summer show, the head decorations still need to be refined and I’ve been worrying about this a lot lately.
I decide to take a detour and to take a stroll down the main street where a lot of stores are located –
I arrive at the Manseibashi Bridge that crosses the Kanda River. The air is slightly moving under the hot sun, but it’s gotten a little cooler now that I’m close to the river. Right above the river is the orange-coloured Chuo line. A train just rattled past.
There are a lot of doves on the bridge – coo, coocoo.
Wah – now that they’ve seen me, they’re coming closer and closer.
I’m sorry, but I didn’t bring any food with me this time – I hurry to the end of the bridge.
Whew. From the bridge, I look down at the dark green, muddy river – oh, there are turtles!
One turtle after another another appears. They’re lying on the dry concreted riverbank, a couple of them even have their heads stretched all out.
I often think to myself, even though we’re in a city, even though the river is surrounded by concrete – there are still so many turtles living here.
There are bigger turtles and smaller turtles. One, two, three, four – today there are sixteen of them. Everyone’s stretching their necks with all their might, as if they want to catch a glimpse of me.
“Are you guys doing well? It’s very hot today –”
I wave at them and begin to feel a little awkward as they continue to stare at me like little gophers.
Um – you see, dear turtles, even if you keep staring at me like that, I haven’t brought any food today.
I walk back from the bridge and check out a couple of stores on the main street before I return to school. My house and Honoka’s house are on different sides of the train station. Even though my house is closer to school, I feel a little lonely since I almost never encounter any of the other members on my way to school.
I also can’t go home from school with everyone else.
Nico also lives on the same side of the Kanda River, but my house is in the opposite direction of Nico’s. She also seems to be very busy and always disappears right after practice –
Nico is very well-informed when it comes to internet or idol news, so I guess she’s busy collecting information?
A while ago, I went to her for advice on the costumes and she took me to an idol shop in Akihabara which seemed to be made for experts. Nico helped me out a lot, since I would’ve never found a shop like that on my own!
Nico can be considered as our idol advisor. Advisor…strategist…soldier…ah, how about I make some uniform-themed costumes next time? Right – let me note that down before I forget it:
Try making some uniform-themed costumes next time? Having Nico as an advisor is so cool. ♥
“Hello”
A police officer who is on patrol greets me not far away from school. Wow, there are a lot of people – One, two, three, four…five in total. What happened?
I have known this local policeman since I was a child and after seeing my surprised expression, he tells me that due to the start of summer break, they’re expecting a great influx of young people in Akihabara which is why they’re intensifying their patrolling activities.
So that’s the reason. Well, they have a point. To me, Akihabara is a very familiar place, but under the bright summer sky, I can feel that the atmosphere in the city has slightly changed. It feels as though the city is getting fired up for the summer break.
I take in a deep breath.
I have an inkling that something amazing is going to happen this summer.
Splat.
The crisp sound makes realize that I accidentally dropped the ice cream from the cone in my hands.
Oh no! I secretly bought this Hokkaido vanilla ice cream when I was checking out the stores and wanted to finish it before I arrive at school –
Uwah, what should I do?
In the end, there’s nothing that can be done. I crouch down and stare at the ice cream as it slowly melts away, ah –
Amazing.
An army of ants immediately gathers around the ice cream. There are so many of them and their numbers are increasing – One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…wah, too many to count! The formerly white ice cream has become a black mountain of ants within a few seconds.
Ants sure are hard-working, I admire them for that. If I can make so many ants happy, I’m totally fine with dropping the ice cream ♥
Eat away, go ahead and restore your energy. Can ants catch a heat stroke? I hope these ants can happily make it through the hot summer!
I giggled at the thought of it. At this moment –
“Ah, it’s Kotori! Good morning, what are you doing?“
Honoka is walking towards me.
Without realizing it, I have almost reached the school.
“Aaaaah! What’s up with the ice cream?! It looks very delicious! And it smells very nice. Sniff sniff –”
Honoka starts to smell the ice cream with all her might, her nose almost touching the ground.
“Ah, that won’t do, Honoka, you can’t eat food that’s been on the ground –”
After hearing my words, Honoka sadly drops her gaze and nods.
“I know –”
“Could it be that you’re hungry?”
Honoka’s eyes widen and she nods her head several times. “Uh-huh uh-huh.”
“Kotori, how did you know I was hungry? I let my guard down because today’s practice starts later than usual and overslept! I didn’t get to eat any breakfast, uwah, I’m starving!”
The dejected look on her face was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah, if it’s like that – wait a moment.”
I rummage through my bag for yesterday’s cherry pie. I originally intended to share it with everyone during practice break.
“Want to eat this?”
Seeing Honoka’s face immediately lighten up with delight makes me very happy as well.
“Wah ♥ Thank you, Kotori! That’s Kotori for you. You even predicted that I wouldn’t get to eat any breakfast today –”
No, that’s not what happened –
I force a smile, but at the same time, I’m also glad it turned out this way.
Today, I’ve met a lot of kids. [Note: she’s most likely referring to the animals]
I have received everyone’s support but have been unable to help anyone in return – until now. At the end of the path I took this morning, Honoka is the final beneficiary.
It’s always been like this - whenever I had something to eat with me, Honoka would always be magically drawn towards me. Hehe, maybe her nose is just as sharp as a wild animal’s.
Hey, Honoka. After you’re done with that sweet and sour cherry pie, let’s do our best together!
No matter when, I will always support Honoka’s stomach ♪
Comments♥Honoka
The aroma of Kotori is always so lovely. I wonder why is that? Is it because she likes to prepare sweet stuff?
With that aroma, Kotori always allures and captures me, as if she was a trap and I was an animal.
I'm looking forward for the next time you have some sweets Kotori!
When I saw the palm of my hand, I noticed that I was holding a small toy.
A little while ago I was a bit tense, but seeing this, I was able to relax a bit. Ehehe♪
This model had small accessories. They were very cute, I loved it!
I think it's a bit childish, but still, even at my age, I wanted to get it, at all costs.
In the streets of Akihabara there are several places where they have several toy vending machines, that's where I was able to get them. But... I'm not entirely sure that I can collect all the variations.
I asked myself if I should do it, I wanted to try for a while, and I have to admit that it was very tempting, so I couldn’t help it.
At the corner of the street I found one of the machines. I was able to get a large amount of stuff from the two times I tried it. Ehehe♥
Since I don’t want them to be thrown away anywhere, nor to break, and apart from the fact that I have no reason to use them, I decided to hang on to them. I gently put them in a box.
This will need to be placed inside a closet that’s found in my room.
Ahhh... it was fun while it lasted... the dream of a little girl.
I opened the closet door and placed the box above a stack of boxes that were already there.
When trying to place it in the best possible place, I came across a kind of cloth that was hidden in a corner.
Its smell... for some strange reason, it was very nostalgic.
That peculiar smell brings back memories of the past.
“Ah!-”
By accident I let out a little shriek when I touched that cloth. I took it out of its place to discover what it was. An old ivory dress. It was a bit opaque, and very small, to the point that I couldn’t use it at all.
But... I missed it a lot... these memories of having used this beautiful one piece dress.
Suddenly, some tears started to break out. Nostalgia, joy, tension and anxiety. That mixture of feelings suddenly came to me, feeling them in my chest. I still wondered where was this dress.
There’s always something magical that makes the minds of people think of their roots.
While smiling, I tried to dry my tears. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
I came to the city of Akihabara before starting elementary school.
Of course, it can be considered that Honoka and Umi are my childhood friends, but it’s not what it sounds like between the two.
Their mothers knew each other even before they were born, as if they were predestined to be best friends.
For my part, I lived west of Tokyo.
In the year that my mother became the principal of Otonokizaka High School, I moved with her to the school’s neighborhood.
In those days, the birth rate had begun to decline. And for preschool and elementary school children it was easier to get into schools.
And I live with my parents, both worked hard.
When I was a young girl, I didn't have a very positive personality to speak of...
I remember how nervous I was at that moment when we were moving.
How will the new house be like?
What will the new city be like?
I will feel lonely when I get separated from my friends that I knew since pre-school... will I be able to make new friends there?
I think these must be the classic fears for a little girl who moves from her residence and city.
Even though afterwards... and now that I think about it, I don't remember much of what happened on that day, except for those "anxious thoughts".
But anyway, even though at the time I was worried about moving, without a doubt, I assumed that I was definitely capable in adapting in that new city.
You see, to be honest, I'm very clueless, even since I was a child. And because of that I cannot think of so many things at once without having issues, or forgetting some things♪
It was excellent that on my first day of school I met Honoka and Umi. I was so happy to be with them in this quiet and friendly city. This is a city that accepts any kind of person. You could say that this place is strange.
Usually, children born in homes with local traditions such as Honoka and Umi, and children born in homes with working parents (or another way of saying, salaried workers) like me, mostly think differently from each other, and don't get along.
However, despite this, we three understand and love each other. Isn’t it surprising that in this case it was different? ♪
Although, if you think about it, the always energetic and positive personality of Honoka. And the serious (and with a great and strong sense of justice) personality of Umi, you can clearly notice that they have a personality, and way of thinking, very different from each other.
And I must say that they’re also very different from how I am, and my way of thinking about stuff.
Speaking of that... I really don’t think they’re my childhood friends. They were born and raised together in this small city, and in that time, we have never seen or known each other.
But don’t get me wrong! Since we been together, I feel that they’re my best friends, despite how different I am from them. We know each other very well, we accept each other the way we are and respect each other.
I'm really happy how everything turned out. ♥
But wait, you know... there's something I want to tell you. This feels a bit unusual...
How can I tell you? ...It's a bit difficult for me to express it with only words.
But I definitely want to tell you.
I think... I'm sure this is because of the atmosphere of this city.
Here in Japan, it is known as an "electric city," a city where people from all over the world come, and it's currently in a wave of redevelopment.
The changes that occurred in stores were noticed vividly.
Every day there are many changes, which you can see clearly.
The bright lights from the boards at night.
The maids attracting customers.
It’s as if the city had become a box of bright toys. But on the other hand, there are many things that hasn’t changed since the old days.
You can find many things that are different in this "electric city".
There are state-of-the-art appliances, as well as old accessories.
High-class audio manufacturer stores and shops with old railway models.
For example: If you go to that store where I get the toys, you will also see a figure that is similar in size to the human proportion.
UTX has a stage, where their idols stand out with their beautiful performances.
There is also the old trophy shop, popular cafes, traditional shops where they sell manjuu, there’s also a shop where a rich and popular crepé is prepared, a restaurant where they offer delicious tonkotsu ramen, an old traditional Ryōtei restaurant with very high class-
Oh… I'm sorry.
But everything is outstanding; a lot of things are around here. Everything...
Everyone says that this is fine, and they like it a lot.
Both new and old, ordinary things are fun as well.
The necessary things, as unnecessary.
The bright as well as the dull.
The perfect things as well as the imperfect, the hard as well as the soft.
Everyone... Every single thing.
What I want to say is... everything is valuable. Honestly, everything is worth it. It's as if the city itself expresses that.
That’s why everything that’s here is pleasant and fun. It’s as if the city itself calls to you, if you’re attracted to it.
That's what I think of this atmosphere, where everyone undoubtedly grew up together.
So Honoka, we’ll try to protect Otonokizaka, and I mean it.
We’re going to protect the traditions of this city.
Although this city is currently being pushed by a great wave of changes, we’re going to fight against it.
That’s another reason why I "changed" my mind and decided to become a school idol.
Of course, I won’t know or understand what we’re facing, but the truth is that I’m the same as any ordinary girl, and I hope that this city, and Otonokizaka, can continue to have a happy and bright existence.
I’m sure that I’ll fight and I do everything possible.
Sometimes it’s already decided who the winner is, but that doesn’t mean that you’re completely beaten. One day the loser will rise and make a new counterattack.
Because this is... the real road of the battle, right? And now, I am a member of the "traditional" team.
And even though we’re now at a numerical disadvantage, we’ll do everything possible to defeat them.
Because ever since I came to this city, I've always been happy.
I was given this power, I trust in the power of tradition.
And, this beautiful place, for those girls who are younger than me, I have to protect it.
That’s what I think.
Comments♥Nozomi
I like this city, and in a different way compared to Honoka and Eli. And I feel that I can understand what Kotori said. This city has an intermittent and strange energy, and has a mysterious glow. For me, this place is perfect, where someone would want to live in. But Kotori, when you go to get more of those toys, can I go with you? And thanks for the perfect cake roll!
I still remember my first encounter with Honoka and Umi.
One could say that the two of them had already been friends when they were still in their mothers’ tummies. I was the new girl who had moved to the area.
However, both of them were incredibly good girls, cheerful and kind. Upon seeing me, Honoka, who had always been interested in everything and everyone, immediately ran towards me and struck up a conversation.
“Wah, your name is Kotori right, such a cute name! Where are you from? What’s with your hair? It sure smells nice, could it be cake? Let me smell – it smells like cream, it’s sweet, completely different from the steamed buns at my place – let me smell again.”
Umi, who was standing behind Honoka, stopped the latter and said,
“Honoka, there’s no way she can answer if you keep bombarding her with questions.”
She then proceeded to introduce herself.
“I’m Umi from the Sonoda dojo. This girl here is called Kousaka Honoka, her family runs a local wagashi store – she loves food like cake or cookies the most – I’m very sorry about that.”
When I first met eyes with the earnestly apologizing Umi, I immediately understood what a just and serious person she was.
Even back then, it was easy to see what sort of dynamic the naive and bubbly Honoka and Umi, who seemed to get strung along by Honoka a lot, had. It was kind of funny. Umi seemingly read my thoughts and shrugged her shoulders, as if to say “You understand”. Meanwhile, Honoka didn’t seem to care about us at all and kept sniffing.
“Geez – Honoka, it tickles. Kya ~ ♥ “
Without even realizing it, I was already calling Honoka by her first name. And just like that, these two became friends with me right away.
From then on, we were always a group of three. Now that I think of it, I had indeed eaten some scones with a large portion of cream that day. One could say that this was the beginning of our friendship.
Honoka and Umi lived very close to each other (their houses were on the same street, only a few decametres apart) and had been friends since their mothers’ generation. Unlike them, I lived on the other side of the train station. They were surrounded by people they knew whereas I was still clueless about my surroundings. I felt very insecure because of that.
And then – something happened on a hot summer day, a few years after our first encounter.
—
“Minami-san –”
After hearing the nurse’s call, I abruptly raised my head. I felt someone staring at me from across the room.
This was the hospital’s waiting room.
The hospital was somewhat far away from home, in Ochanomizu. It was around the time I had just entered third grade of elementary school. “No need for medicaments today, you may go home without further ado.” I nervously thanked the smiling nurse, turned around and anxiously followed my mother out to the reception. ‘What should I do? Someone might have seen me.’ My mind was a mess. My mother was in a good mood and happily rubbed my head. “Kotori, isn’t it great that there was nothing unusual today, either? Let’s arrange the next examination for half a year later.” My mother looked very happy, so I was happy, too – but I was still bothered by the stare I felt earlier on. Was it a classmate? ‘What should I do – ‘ Surely, I was going to be questioned at school on the next day. Why were you at the hospital? How was I supposed to answer? I was fine already, but still – My mother said she still had some work to do and asked me if it was okay for me to go home on my own. I hastily nodded and hurried out of the hospital. I held my little bag tightly and headed for the station, neither looking right nor left. After a little jog through the pedestrian area, I could soon see the traffic lights in front of the Ochanomizu station. ‘What a relief, I just need to get past that and then –’ Just when I thought that – “So it really is you, Kotori.” I was impatiently walking on the spot, waiting for the lights to turn green when a refreshing voice from behind caught me off guard I was so shocked I shrank a little. It was a very familiar voice, a voice that I heard almost every day. Trembling, I turned around to face the person who was standing there. It was indeed – “U-Umi –” The me back then probably felt like a little child that got caught red-handed in the middle of a prank. Umi grabbed my wrist as if to say “Caught you!”. Her expression was serious, but when she saw my frightened face, she burst out in laughter. “Pu-hahaha – why are you so scared? It’s me, Umi. Not some suspicious stranger –” Of course I knew that and it was precisely because I knew that that I was this worried. But Umi thought that I mistook her for a suspicious stranger and was laughing so hard tears started to well up in her eyes. Umi’s misunderstanding made me laugh as well. “Geez – Umi, don’t scare people like that ~ I almost stumbled.” As the words slipped out of my mouth I accidentally slapped my knees – and immediately felt Umi’s gaze. I hastily looked down at my feet. Ah, shoot – I let my guard down right after I visited the hospital. I was wearing my favorite, ivory-coloured dress. It was long enough to cover my knees – Umi sounded a little irritated when she said, “Of course it’s easy to stumble if you wear a long dress like that. It’s summer now and Kotori is such a cute girl, you could really wear some cuter skirts.” But Umi herself was also just wearing capri pants. When I told her this, Umi explained, “Kotori is different from me, you look really good in skirts. The best length would be a little bit above your knees –“ She suddenly grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled it up. “Kyaaa –” I yelped before I could suppress it. People around us started to look at us. “Ah, I - I wasn’t trying to flip your skirt or anything –” Umi pulled back her arm, her face flushed beet red. So cute, hehe, like a naughty boy. “But you’re right, Umi. If I dress like that, will I become a cute girl?“ My fluttering, ivory-colored dress. I grabbed the hem of my dress and pulled it up above my knees – my dress had become a light and cute miniskirt. If I dressed like that, would my legs look thin and long? Just like the cute idols I admired on television. Without realizing it, my entire knee became exposed. When I felt Umi’s gaze, I got scared. Not moving the slightest bit, we both stared down at – “Your knee seems to be – injured? Ah, yes, so that’s why you were at the hospital today,” Umi mumbled to herself and understood. There was a bulging, light white scar on the inner side of my knee, about three centimetres long. At this moment – A thought floated through my mind: I should just tell her that I got this scar from a recent injury and gloss over everything. But at the next moment, I found myself telling Umi the truth. “You see, I had weak legs as a child.” Umi’s expression remained the same, only her eyes widened a bit. That’s right. There was no need to hide it from Umi and Honoka. At this moment, I realized something. The insecurity that I had always carried with me slowly vanished. But why – Even today, I find it difficult to understand what happened back then. Umi didn’t say anything and the circumstances didn’t force me to tell the truth. It’s just that, when I saw Umi’s earnest and serious expression – I felt like I had to tell the truth. Even though I had kept this secret for years – I didn’t want to hide anymore. Whenever I asked myself how much longer I would have to hide it, I felt ashamed. I was sure something like that shouldn’t be kept a secret. This wasn’t the right moment for false pride. There was no need to put on a brave front to avoid someone else’s pity. And there was no need to think of excuses for going to the hospital just because people’s curiosity used to hurt me. I just needed to – I just needed to tell this person the truth. Besides, my leg was already much better. “And that’s how it is –” After that, I explained the real reason behind my hospital visit to Umi on our way home. Umi happened to be at the same hospital because she wanted to pick up some medicaments for her grandmother on her way home from the bookstore. My left knee had always been weak, not to the extent that I was unable to walk, but my left leg always dragged behind a bit. In the past, I was either made fun of or overwhelmed with pity which caused me a lot of trouble. I underwent surgery at the age of five and was able to walk and run normally after that. I still needed to go to the hospital for regular checkups though, to make sure there wasn’t anything unusual. I didn’t intend to keep it a secret, but I didn’t see the necessity to bring it up either. Deep down, I just wanted to be a normal girl like everyone else. Whenever I wanted to talk about it, unpleasant memories would resurface and I ended up hiding the truth although I didn’t like it myself. “I see, so that’s what happened –” Umi’s initially shocked expression quickly turned into a smile. “I’m so happy your knee has fully healed.” Umi’s smile looked so incredibly earnest – I was a little mesmerized by it. Umi’s smile was mature and dashing at the same time. A girl like Umi – probably looked better in a kimono than a miniskirt? “Uhm, could it be – that you’re always wearing long dresses because of the scar on your knee?” Umi asked, suddenly realizing something. “Yes – after the surgery, I used a customized walking aid for a while, so I’m already used to having my knees covered. Besides – don’t I look like a princess in this dress? Everyone seems to admire me when I’m wearing it.” I smiled and slightly tugged at my fluttering dress. “Do you – really feel this way?” Umi was relentlessly staring at me. I lowered my eyes. “Yes. Besides, I’m still – uncomfortable about that scar…” I had never worn a miniskirt before. Similar to how my voice slowly trailed off, I wanted vanish with it as well, but Umi’s firm gaze wouldn’t let me do so. She stared at me for a little longer. “Can I come fetch you tomorrow morning? Let’s go to school together from time to time.” With this, she stood up from the bench. Umi wasn’t very good at consoling people – at moments like these, some ice cream could cheer everyone up immediately – I smiled awkwardly and stood up as well. However, it was also one of Umi’s strengths that she didn’t cautiously stretch out her hands to help me up. If I had been treated like an ill person, I would have regretted telling the truth. No matter when or where – I wanted to be myself. I liked the Umi who acknowledged me the way I was a lot. That’s why – “Hey Umi, want to grab some ice cream before we go home?“ Umi reluctantly said “School rules forbid that we buy snacks on our way home“ but I dragged her to the ice cream parlour anyway. I had some ice cream vouchers with me, so how could I let this opportunity slide? Umi ordered a scoop of matcha ice cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I ordered a scoop of banana-strawberry ice cream and a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. The fragrant, chocolate-colored ice cream which reminded me of Umi and the sweet, marble-like yellow ice cream – were just like the two of us. —- “Good morning!” “Kotori, good morning!” Energetic voices resounded through the intercom in the middle of my breakfast on the next day. It was Honoka and Umi. I glanced at the clock – it was only 7:30 AM. ‘They’re really early, could it be that Umi got way to motivated and arrived early? And Honoka came with her, too. But I’m still eating breakfast –’ They were already standing in the doorway before I could finish my thoughts. “Good morning Honoka, Umi – I’m sorry, but I’m not ready yet –” I said as I chewed my breakfast. Before I could finish the sentence – “Tadaaa ♪“ Good morning Kotori. Look at this beautiful lace trim! I brought my precious skirt today ♥ “ Honoka spread out the miniskirt she brought with her. The skirt was rose colored, checkered and had cute ribbons attached to it. Umi smiled and said, “Aren’t you shocked, too, that Honoka has a skirt like that? I heard it was a present from a relative –” “You’re so noisy, Umi! Just be quiet already.” Honoka scowled. “I heard it from Umi. I think this skirt will look very good on you, Kotori! It will suit you a hundred times better than it suits me!! And don’t listen to Umi, she didn’t have a single miniskirt at home and had to come to me for help.” Honoka stretched out her tongue, so cute ♥ Umi was embarrassed and scratched her head. “I-I don’t mind – cute things don’t suit my personality, they don’t look good on me at all, that’s why I don’t have any miniskirts. If it were kimonos or pantskirts, I could lend you as many as you’d like –” The miniskirt was very light and had an incredibly cute lace hem. I received the skirt from Honoka – “Wah – so short!” I was shocked by how short it was. It was probably only thirty centimetres long? Compared to the dresses that went past my knees that I usually wore, the difference was like the difference between an adult and a child – Both Honoka and Umi burst out in laughter. “Well, it’s a miniskirt, of course it’ll be short.” “Compared to a dress, its length – is probably around a third of a dress’s length.” Cheerful Honoka and seriously nodding Umi. Overwhelmed, I stretched out my arms and squeezed them – tightly – very tightly. “Thank you, Honoka, Umi. I’ve always – always wanted to try wearing a skirt like that! Thank you for noticing my feelings – ♥ “ This is what I learned afterwards: I always gushed over classmates in cute clothes and talked about how cute miniskirts were when they just barely covered your panties – that Honoka and Umi often asked themselves why I always wore long, princess-ish outfits. That’s why they came over to my house after discussing it at home. I thought to myself: These wonderful friends of mine are my life-long treasure – On that day, a lot of people were surprised by my miniskirt. Some people said it was very cute and told me to dress like this every day – I was very happy on that day. I was made fun of by a few boys, but that was unimportant. After all, I wore the skirt because I myself liked it. I always wanted to wear it but never had the courage to do so. After wearing the long-admired miniskirt, I felt optimistic and confident like never before. The insecurity I felt due to my leg vanished on that day. A light scar is still left on my leg. If you look closely, you’ll see a scar on my knee that is about one centimetre long. However, the scar is also a dear memory that I share with my wonderful childhood friends – I consider it a scar of happiness. No matter how sad the memory or how painful the scar is, as long as you stay true to yourself, everything will turn into a happy memory. My experiences are the best proof for that. Ever since then, I have grown into a full-fledged miniskirt fan. I am now in charge of making the costumes for μ’s. Naturally, they’re all miniskirts. We’re idols after all and miniskirts are the basic requirement for that. See, Umi – it was you who originally recommended “cute miniskirts” to me. That’s why I absolutely won’t let you reject them ♪ My legs aren’t any different from other people’s legs anymore – in fact, they have even grown strong enough to deal with the intense dance moves of μ’s. Ah, though they might have grown a little too strong – hopefully, they won’t grow any thicker – Today’s diary entry ends here Next time I’ll try to turn the rose colored skirt that is full of memories into a new costume for μ’s. Comments♥Umi “Surpassing oneself isn’t achieved by facing many things at once, it is achieved over time.” Kotori always refers to herself as an "ordinary and cowardly person", but she’s always there when you need her the most. I'm still baffled, since your appearance hasn’t changed at all, you’re still the same pretty girl as always. Inside of you Kotori is one of the most precious things that can exist in the world, your precious heart. 04 - Rain Today was a very nice day and- *broom* Suddenly, the sound of a thunder was heard... in no time it will start raining. As soon as I left the main entrance of the school, I looked up at the sky, and I could see that the gray clouds were beginning to form, and they were increasing rapidly. I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. When I was still halfway there, going to my house, I felt a drop fall on me. As I thought, it was going to start raining... and right now! Looking back, I noticed that a wall of rain was beginning to form. I went in search of a place to hide, and when I found the entrance of a small building, I decided to go there. Several drops fell on my body, it felt like I was in a shower in the middle of summer night. This day there was no practice with the girls of μ's, and ... Oh oh, the weather went from a rain to a storm. It seemed like one of the southern islands. In the end, it was a good decision to deviate from the path and find a refuge to protect me from the storm, but I was alone. I had my small folding umbrella at hand, but it was useless, against this strong storm it wasn’t going to be of much help. The sound of the falling drops was getting louder and louder- and the asphalt was gradually flooding. It already looked like a river. "And now what shall I do ...? I cannot go home if the weather continues like this "I said in a helpless whisper- *brooom* Another thunder was heard from a distance - I was already starting to feel very uneasy. *splash* *splash* *splash* *splash* I started to hear splashes in the distance, but it wasn’t the rain. Someone was approaching. Whoever it is, it's running towards here. In trying to find out who it was, it turns out that it was a member of μ's first year, Rin. She was running very fast, I hadn’t noticed she was here. "RI-RIIIIIIIIIIIN !!!" Suddenly I gave an involuntary scream. "Huh? Who? Nya- "she said in a carefree voice. She turned around and placed the briefcase on her head. She looked everywhere for who called her. When she found me, she shouted "Ah! Kotori! It is raining very hard!!" She came here and took refuge in the small hole that was in the entrance of the building, there I noticed- "Rin! You’re completely wet! Have you been running like this from the school? Don’t you have an umbrella?" Apparently she didn’t bring anything to dry her, so I took out my towel. While drying her body, I listened to her: she was telling me something that seemed fun for her. "YES! This rain reminds me of a shower, it’s so beautiful! nya ☆ It had already started to rain when I left school, and I was a little lost- But I wanted to get home quickly because I wanted to watch TV- and that's why I was running nya" As I listened, I was still drying her, but I noticed that the shirt of her uniform was beginning to show through how drenched It was- W-What do I do!? Embarrassed, I immediately looked away. My heart was racing ♥ But It seems she didn’t notice, instead I looked back at the sky. "After all... it doesn’t look like it's going to stop nya" I realized that the sound of the rain and the thunder, have increased a lot since I'm hidden here. In fact, both sounds are so intense that I barely can listen to her when she talks to me. And to make matters worse, the sky continues to darken more and more. "Ah! A lightning nya!! "She said excitedly. The brightness of the lightning in the distance was noticed for a few seconds. "What do I do?... I'm scared." Unintentionally, I had said it out loud. But then, Rin took me by the hand. Ah! - despite being completely wet, her hand is very warm ♥ "I'm not afraid of this, the sound of the thunder is too far away to fear them" While saying that, she held my hand tightly. "After all, this is nothing for me." She looked towards the wall of rain that was in front of us. Suddenly- her face became serious. I stared at her. Somehow... I was excited. I'm used to seeing her smile, so it's... strange to see her like this. But still, I'm still afraid of thunder, and I don’t want to leave until the storm stops "As I told you before, I have a show that I want to see at all cost, so I want to go home! All right, I'm going to run as fast as I can, therefore- I'll go. Kotori, I think you'll have to stay here alone for a while ♪ " But- Well, I've been alone here for a while before you arrived. But it's sad to know that you will leave right now. And now what should I do? I'm really scared by this storm- "I have a better idea. Kotori, let's go together! Nya ☆ " After saying that, she held my hand tightly, and quickly- "AAAAHHH-" With her body still wet, she gave me a big hug. When I felt her body soaked- My heart jumped. "Very good! If we run together in the middle of a storm like this, it will surely be fun nya ♪. Anyway, we both want to go home, and getting wet a little bit shouldn’t be a problem, because now we're both soaked, so, what do you say? Will you come with me?" she said as she formed a smile on her face. I had gotten up and decided to reply. "I'm only soaked because you hugged me!" I'm sorry, I didn’t mean- but you were smiling so quietl- Oh, it seems that the sound of the rain is no longer so intense, or at least that's what I thin- "All right! Let's go now nya!!!" As soon as she finished saying that sentence, Rin started running. I felt an abrupt tug, and then, I was running next to her. She was still holding my hand. "KYYAAA- WAIT- RIN RIN RIIIIN!!!" I shouted with all my might while I kept running. I quickly felt the drops fall on me, on my hair, my face and... Well, my whole body in general to be honest ♪ Immediately I was soaked. But Rin shouted in the rain. "You just have to keep moving forward, don’t be afraid nya!! ☆" Yes... it may be true. But even if I try to tell her, the sound of the heavy rain prevents her from listening to me. She was still holding my hand, but somehow... I felt more secure. More... happy ♥ "And anyway, don’t worry if you get wet, being soaked is a nice feeling, it feels so good nya!-" But at the end of that sentence, she suddenly stopped. She was looking up at the sky when she cried out with all her might. "HEY, RIN IS HERE! LIGHTNING AND THUNDER, COME AND PLAY WITH ME! " "D-Don’t say that Rin! I'm scared, and I don’t want to die now." Upon noticing, I realized that my voice was so strong that it exceeded the sound of rain. "Ahahahahaha, it was time for the ordinary Kotori to return ♥" Her smile shone brightly, even in the rain. She was very similar to Honoka. Running like that, without fear of the obstacles that are in front of her. It shows that it doesn’t matter what kind of difficulties exist, in order to achieve your objectives, you must never doubt yourself, not once. Even if you aren’t ready, the first step is the beginning towards another step further. And, surely to go through all this, you only need the strength of a white and pure heart ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ After a while, we were close to home, and now the rain was a little weaker. But for us, staying wet was fun, we both jumped in the rain, and in doing so, my pink umbrella was shaking from side to side. "Kayo-chin!!" Rin raised both hands while shouting aloud, and ran away, like a puppy when discovering something new and interesting. When I saw Hanayo, I could see that she was carrying an umbrella, but- "KYAAAAAA! Rin you're wet!! " She reacted late when she discovered that Rin was running towards her. She tried to evade her, but Rin was much faster and she jumped on her. Oh! Now Hanayo was also soaked! "But- Why are the two of you wet?" Hanayo said without understanding what was happening. Rin and I looked at each other and we started to laugh. "We were running together in the rain, she told me it would be fun ♪" By saying those words, I couldn’t find out if she could understand the meaning or not. Hanayo was still worried. And now that I think about it, being with them, and in this situation, it makes me feel as if I was with Honoka and Umi. I wonder if Honoka and I will take our first step forward together? And I wonder if I already did it a long time ago with Umi? In the next storm, I want to be smiling and enjoying it with them. Before, I was scared of getting wet, scared of thunder and lightning, I was a coward. But today, Rin has taught me something. That being surrounded by such great and nice companions, all that fear disappears. And I think that from now on I can also enjoy the storms on my own. I want to tell you all... I'm very happy to know you! ♥ Comments♥Koizumi Hanayo For Rin, being wet feels good. It can be said that rains and storms are like her friends. The day in which I found both completely wet, I was very surprised! But they seemed happy, so that's good, right? Anyway I lent my towel to Kotori so that she could dry herself, I would like to continue to be by her side, and to continue being friends. 05 - Always and Forever On the other side of the school’s main entrance, you can find an old store. It’s an old two-story building, which is used as a store and a home. If you’re going to visit it, at the entrance you will find a large sign that reads "Western wear clothing and accessories store" Ah, and more to it: This is the only place where you get the school uniforms, gymnastics clothes, bags, accessories and many other things pertaining to Otonokizaka. Half of the store is occupied by school supplies and stationery, and there’s a section dedicated to sweets. If you lived in this neighborhood ever since you were a young boy or girl, you have surely visited this store many times. When we pass by here, we were always greeted by an elderly couple, every morning. They were very gentle and always smiling. “Hello-” Inside the store it was very dark and quiet. The only thing that was heard was the rattle of the sliding door when entering. Eh? There’s nobody here? “Hello! "I repeated, but this time with a stronger tone of voice. Ummm... I'm here because I need a new swimsuit- " "Ah- Wait a moment, I'm coming" The hoarse voice of an old man was heard. Excellent. I did it ♥ A creak can be heard from somewhere, apparently it was coming from here. Meanwhile, I decided to take a look around the store. Right now it's 3:30 p.m., and since I entered, no other customers have arrived, I'm still the only person here. The place was very dark. I started to get a little scared… As I continued to look, I noticed that there were two mannequins next to the main entrance, and both wore Otonokizaka school uniforms, although they were dull and were collecting dust. "Hello! You were looking for a swimsuit, right? I'm sorry for the delay, lately I've had hearing problems," he said as he searched the shelves for the swimsuit. Looking at him better... I wonder if he has a deviated hip? ... Maybe it's just my imagination. "U-Ummm... that’s a size 160 L please!" "Ahh- 160L, 160L... 160L.... and... here it is" He pulled from the shelf a dark blue swimsuit. The very same swimsuit that’s used in Otonokizaka. It was traditional, a one-piece, very common and average. However, it’s very cute and it fits me perfectly. I love this marvelous swimsuit ♥, and anyway, I have used it since elementary school. I was starting to feel that the previous one was getting smaller and smaller, so this was my last year in which I’ll be using it. That’s the reason why I came to this store, to buy a new one. While he wrapped the swimsuit, I fixed my attention elsewhere, where the sweets were at. Now that I remember- I came very often with Honoka. And when we finished playing, we always bought some sweets. But since I’m a lover of the handicrafts, from time to time I came alone to buy other things. Remembering this, I began to smile. I always wanted the "set of accessories to become a princess", a set that was similar to a pouch, it was made from a pink and transparent plastic- "Lately the sweets haven’t been very popular" Apparently he had noticed that I was looking intently at the sweets, but when he said that phrase... it sounded like he was sad, or depressed. T-That... that wasn’t my intention, I didn’t want him to feel that way. "Oh, I-I'm sorry... but I still like the sweets a lot, could I come here often and buy them?" I rushed to say. “Thank you. But in this case, I wish you could have come earlier. Because I decided to close the store this year " What?... At hearing this, my mind was completely blank for a moment. Will he really do it? "I looked directly into his face as he handed me the swimsuit in a plastic bag. "Umm... Are you serious? You’re saying the truth? But if you close it this year... whatever will we do? Where do we go to get everything that we’ll need for school?" While I was frozen in place, he explained the situation to me with a bitter smile. This wasn’t a recent decision, but something that was decided a while ago. As the number of students in Otonokizaka decreased, the number of customers for the store also greatly decreased. Even so, he decided to keep the store open as a pastime, but after finding out that Otonokizaka will close, he decided to put a final point on the situation. As for the candy store, there’s a large chain of stores nearby, and today's boys are of a higher class, preferring to go buy them there. They no longer want cheap sweets like the ones he sells. Another reason they have decided to close it is because for the couple it’s getting increasingly difficult to attend the store, due to their age. "Also, I haven’t done the inventory count for a while, and the remaining reserves are covered in dust. I'm a little worried about it" Even though what he told me wasn’t good, he said it with a smile on his face. But for me, it was a really shocking, and tragic story. We’ll be losing another one off the important places- ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ The next day. “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah-“ Sitting in the classroom, I gave a long sigh, Honoka must have noticed that something happened, because she asked me. "Why the big sigh? Did something happen Kotori? You didn’t sleep well last night? It's not good for you to do that♪ You're taking on a lot of work with the costumes, you just do the embroidery at night” While she was saying it, she got closer while giving footsteps, similar to those done by dancers. Apparently, she’s very animated today... I don’t want to ruin it with these problems, but- Well, it's not really that, the problem is what happened to me yesterday... " I explained everything that happened in the store, and when I finished explaining it- “EEEEEEEEEHHH!?!?!?!?” Honoka's astonished cry echoed throughout the room, as usual. They all turned to look at us. Just in that moment, Umi was entering the classroom. "And now why are you doing so much of a fuss Honoka?" "Bu-But it’s terrible! Kotori, if that happens, then we cannot buy our uniforms! Where can we get them? I don’t think I can finish high school with the one I have now!" I was also thinking about the same thing. I stared at Honoka, who was confused, unlike me, who was calm. I tried to say a few words to reassure her a bit. “Emm... this is different, the problem is not how you pose it. If the store closes this year, surely they’ll put a simple shopping department in the school, where they’ll only sell uniforms, bags and many other things. So we won’t have problems if we’re missing something.” "Maybe... maybe you're right..." Her lips began to tremble. I would like to say something to reassure her, but I can’t think of what... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I explained to Umi what happened, since she wasn’t here when I told Honoka. "Well, from now on, I need to go more often. Today I forgot my eraser, so at break time, I'll go buy a new one in the store" That's right! ♪ And I'll go get a lot of candies as a reward for every time I study!" Honoka said, back lively and stomping. "I think you're exaggerating a bit, but it's true. I’m very sad and disappointed. Besides, if they sell everything they have there, they’ll close the store... and maybe move to another city, because they may not have any reason to continue living here, and move to a place where they can relax " Oh... I forgot to mention this. “EEEHHH?” "This city is a very important place for me, and something else that’s a part of it is disappearing forever! That's where I bought my gym clothes, and every time we finished playing, we bought sweets. " Umi and I agreed with what she said. I remember that one past summer we spent 100 yen on ice cream. When I ate it, my mouth was completely red. And one time we were contemplating getting a turtle that was for sale. "It shouldn’t be like this!! You have to talk to them!" Umi then stood up to control Honoka, who was making a lot of fuss. "I already told you, we’ll only cause them problems. They haven’t decided to close the store? If it should happen, the school will surely set up a store like that. And speaking of the school, we already have a lot of problems knowing that Otonokizaka is about to close " "I don’t want that to happen either, I don’t want Otonokizaka to disappear!" Honoka responded while shouting. Umi forced a smile. I felt restless, and inadvertently murmured "With everything that's happening, and at this rate, I wonder if we’ll continue to lose more stores in the neighborhood? Akihabara is a city with many people, but this store has a great influence in this city, right? And if it ends in this way... " "That won’t happen! And I will not allow us to lose Otonokizaka! Besides- Girls, what can I say!? I'm not abandoning it!!" Honoka's energy... Umi and I were amazed, my heart was beating fast. "It’s decided, together with the Otonokizaka girls, we won’t let the store close. Because that's what they need, right? For the store to do well, they need more customers." As she said those words, her eyes began to shine. She gave a big hug to Umi, who had to step back in order to keep her balance and not to fall. "As long as the school is still remains, the store will not close! Together with μ's we will try to protect Otonokizaka, but we can also do the same with the store! Let's make a promotion campaign to attract customers! We three could help! ♪” At the end of that sentence she gave us a wink and a smile, also some taps on the shoulder. "Okay, first of all, we should make a poster, right? ♥ " Seeing that smile full of self-confidence makes one smile too. She really had unexpected ideas, and that surprised me more and more. Unconsciously, I started to laugh. After all, we’re almost always dragged by her ideas. Besides, she also managed to convince Umi, who most of the time refuses to these kinds of things. After that conversation, Honoka went to the art club to borrow some markers. I really think that the strength of Honoka is a great talent, and therefore, I think it's the best when being an idol. The most appropriate. You’re a box full of surprises. So, if you’re with me, I’ll always be happy ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ We placed 30 handwritten posters around the entire school. And at the bottom we put some candy coupons. I wondered if it was right for us to do this without their permission. Honoka said that it was fine, since, after all, both receive a bonus in return, but anyway... well, it was fine, just feeling little nervous. This advertising campaign makes sense, we’ll try to gather as many people as we can. We’ll try to convince everyone to buy in the store. Umi, on the other hand, is right about something. Except for the sweets, in that place there are only school supplies, it’s a shop destined for a school. It’s not as if everyone suddenly had the need to acquire a new eraser. But even so Honoka remained stubborn with that idea, it didn’t matter if you suddenly became a person who studies a lot, and suddenly you need 10 new notebooks. And besides, some students bought sweets, but that made me realize something: The objective is not being accomplished. Today we have returned from practice with μ's. And the first day of the week, we started the campaign for the store. "Here I am ♪ Many customers came today, right?" Since then, Honoka has visited the store every day, and it seems she has already become a daughter of this house. "Oh, you’re here again? Welcome! You’re not obligated to come here every day" said the old woman with a kind smile. Honoka turned her attention to the notebook that was on the counter. It records the number of customers that came for the day... and apparently the number had increased a little, it won’t be easy for the store to prosper. "Emmm, are you going to close the store this year?" I asked again "Thank you very much for your support. It’s a great pleasure to see so many nostalgic faces again ♪ Comparing them from the first time I made their uniforms... they’re already like our daughters! Really, thank you very much. Today, high school kids are busy, that's why they shouldn’t come here, right? And I think that was enough. This store was great fun for me. Being present in several generations of Otonokizaka students... I have seen many changes. Thanks to girls like you, I was always encouraged. This school has been here for 100 years, and I regret not being able to be with it until the end. Our time here is over " In the middle of those words, I heard a sob by my side. It was Honoka, who couldn’t stand it and had started to cry. Like her usual smile, her tears are also contagious, and I too had begun to cry. Seeing us both in that way, made Umi quietly and peacefully tell us in a low voice. "Look girls, lottery candy, remember, right? Should we try it? After so much time..." We decided to do it. We pulled the cord... Honoka did it! She won the jackpot! Her face once again had that smile that characterizes her so much ♥ Umi and I looked at each other and started to laugh. On the way back home, the old woman gave each of us some candy as a reward. These candies were wrapped in a cellophane. By putting one in my mouth, my cheek swelled more and more. It ended up being a very delicious candy ♪ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ That night, I was sitting in my room. It was late, but I was still awake. I was very engrossed and I moved the needle from one side to the other. I was making an Otonokizaka uniform, to dress a doll. I had to make this uniform with materials that were within my reach. It won’t be very good (or very cute), but I did the best I could, and with all my heart. And that's because... there's nothing I can do. But at the same time... I can’t go without doing something. This doll has a face very similar to mine, and I designed it that way. It was made of felt. I also made some adjustments to the backpack that I used in primary school, and at the same time I created a smaller one for the doll. It already has the same weight as a newborn baby. Although I wonder if in these last days it would have worked in this way... well, this is an idea of mine, nothing more, but... I think that when you graduate, there are many things that you can give to younger kids or brothers... and in the case of Otonokizaka... you can’t. There is hardly anyone to give them to. Nobody... will wear this uniform. Nobody in this world will need it, many uniforms will stop being made. And that’s really sad. So, if I do this kind of work, surely everyone will be happy... or at least that's what I think. When listening to the story of the old woman, our wanting that the store continue to be open was selfish on our parts. I just hope that store... was more cheerful with our presence. This owner always gave us a warm smile, to each girl from Otonoki who went or passed there. This store had so many Otonoki girls. I'd love to give back to it, but I think it's out of my reach... Ready! I finished making her new uniform. Tomorrow morning, I plan to take this doll to the store and use it for decoration. Will they be surprised? And I'm wondering if for next time, should I make the costumes of μ's according to the doll? And instead of posters, they will have a CD of μ's, so that the shop can sell them. In addition, our popularity goes up, the number of customers in the store will also rise, right? And thanks to that, if... if we really avoid closing the school, we could have the couple reconsider the idea of closing the store. Yes. I don’t want to give up! Surely that’s not my destiny. The reality is always "A chain of possibilities" of various colors. And I’m sure that I will choose my destiny. Okay, if I learned something from Honoka... is that you shouldn’t feel discouraged. I will do the best I can in μ's!! Otonokizaka High School has given me a good feeling, and I’m very grateful for that. Comments♥Ayase Eli Since I was a little girl... I really like that store. It has helped me many times And when I heard the news, it affected me completely. But, I think that the feelings from the girls towards the store have reached the owners. This is our battle, and if you decide to resign, even if it's only for just a moment, everything will be over. That's why I liked that you didn’t do that Kotori, I'm sure that your kindness will help us a lot when we need it the most. 06 - Caught In Between! “But I didn’t know that about you, Umi!!” Honoka reproached as she turned her back to Umi. She decided to imitate her, while she replied. "Well, I don’t know some things about you either, Honoka." I was completely frozen, we were already preparing to go home when this happened... “U-Umi..." I decided to call her, I tried to calm things down. “I'm sorry, but I'm going home, and thank you very much Kotori, today was a job well done-" After saying that, she gave a slight nod and... went home. "Honoka, Umi let’s-" I stopped talking when I saw her, she was very sad. Honoka... her lips were trembling, and- "Umi thinks I'm an idiot!" She pounced and clung to my body. Well... I-I can’t deny that, maybe you think that you are, but that doesn’t mean you are! I was being shaken by Honoka, but when I looked at her, she stood still and told me. "Umi is an idiot, idiot idiot idiot! But that doesn’t make me an idiot for saying it first, right? ...Yes, I’m one too" A few small tears began to come out, and she also began to grumble. She looks so cute when she does that ♥ If Umi could see how Honoka is acting right now... surely Umi would forgive her. Although, I wonder... should I go with Umi and ask her if she's okay? Every time she has a fight like this with Honoka, she always ends up leaving. And I understand that. I understand why she leaves every time it happens. At this moment, she must be angry, but also... she must be upset about this situation, since she hates to fight, and more when it involves Honoka. It’s very common for her to get a little angry for anything that she deems immature, even for trivial things, you know? Although I hope I'm not exaggerating it, after all, sometimes it's for the best to change your mood, right? "Honoka... let’s go home? I want to sleep early today so I can be in perfect condition, because tomorrow we have to make preparations for the party!" I said excitedly and while standing up. But suddenly she looked at me terrified. "A-And... what’s going to happen with Umi??” "Don’t worry. If Umi doesn’t come ... you'll have fun anyway. Or maybe Umi will be in a good mood and she’ll come! All right? I'm sorry, but we have to go and rest a little. As a reward, tomorrow I'll buy you an ice cream, what do you think? ♪ " ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Tomorrow is Sunday. After a while, I don’t have plans or activities with the girls of μ's, it will be a completely free day. During the summer break, we made a new song for the Live, and almost every day we practiced and worked our hardest. But I wonder how I’ll spend the rest of this vacation... until now there hasn’t been much to do, except finish the homework they gave us for the summer, or spend time doing crafts and baking cakes. I would like to go to the city, since I want to look for new materials and thus be able to make new costumes for μ's. But... seeing the calendar... That's it! That day, the boys from the choir group will have practice. Why do I mention it? Well, since I became a high school student, I volunteered to help that group. And coincidentally it belongs to the primary school of Otonokizaka. But currently there is only one class for each year, and the number of members in the choir group is 8 boys. In which I decided to continue to help them. At the time when I was in elementary school, I was in the craft club, and the club teacher had asked me if I could take care of the costumes for the choir club. Despite the density that this work entailed, I decided to take it easy. I remember that the first time I went to deliver the costumes, they were practicing. Seeing them sing... it was very beautiful! ♥ There was a teacher playing the piano. They were accompanying him in the rhythm (and there was also a preschool kid, and it looked like he was crying) I was worried about him, so while the other kids practiced, I decided to take care of him. I went to that club so many times, I ended up becoming an "Onee-san" for the choir guys.♥ Ah, of course, I want to tell you that in that club I don’t sing, I just watch them practice, or I take care of the child that I talked about. On time when they had to give a presentation, I helped them in any way I could. And there are times when I bring some cakes prepared by me for them to enjoy after practice. These are some of the things I do when I volunteer. Since I started with the homework, I came to them... about twice a month or so? I don’t remember very well. ♪ But... since I became a school idol... I've been very busy, and I've been very distracted... One day, I was in the city of Akihabara, and I happened to meet one of the choir boys. He was next to his mother, and when he saw me, he told me "Onee-chan, when will you come back?" I’ll be back soon. I want to see everyone's smiles again ♪ I'll be very happy to see them again! ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ "Waaah! Sounds like fun! I would like to go. Hey, hey hey hey hey Kotori, can I go with you??? I miss Otonokizaka Elementary very much. I haven’t been there in a long time... and we're on full vacation ♪ I wonder if the pool will still be there? ...That's right! If we go, we could take our swimsuits and enter the pool! Even if you’re not a student of that school, can you enter, right? If not, how do I sign up for-" Before she finished speaking, Umi responded coldly to the excited Honoka "Kotori is only going to help the choir group, not to enter the pool. If you're just going to play, you could cause problems. Isn’t it better to calm down? If you're that excited, the boys will be excited too and they'll make a big racket. And now that I remember... Have you done at least one page of the summer homework? " "Ah-AAAAAHHHHHH. THAT’S RIGHT!!" "Ummm... but you still have more than half the summer to finish it, so there's not much of a rus-" I wanted to reassure Honoka, but Umi looked at me coldly, and with an irritable tone, she answered me. "Changing the subject, I didn’t know you had that job... I would have liked if you to told me something about that" Um, Umi... about that... I- "Anyway, Honoka, it would for the best if you do the homework first. If you don’t finish it soon, Eli won't allow you to participate in the Summer Live " "Whaaaat? But if I already passed the aptitude test, I also have to do the homework!?" "You know very well that the duty of a student is to study. And I completely agree with Eli. Above else, you said “I also have to do the homework" when it’s natural that you should do it" "Of course I know! But-" While she was busy responding, she grabbed the melonpan that was on the desk and gave it a big bite. “Huh-“ "AH!" Umi shouted angrily. "That... was my melonpan-" And trembling, she pointed to the bread bitten by Honoka. U-Umi!? Honoka opened her mouth, as if to say oops! But it was already late. "That was the melonpan that Kotori bought me from a new store in Akihabara-" "I-I'm sorry Umi. I forgot that I had already eaten mine, hehehe... but this one was in front of me, and I made a mistake" Honoka was confused, while Umi continued to blame her. "Enough, you're very disorganized! You don’t do the homework, and now you eat the food from others!" "That- that's not true. I plan to do the homework, and do you think I ate your melonpan on purpose? I only saw it in front of me and I was a little distracted." Oh no, now Honoka also started fighting. "If you get to go with Kotori, you would only go play with the kids in the pool. And I'm pretty sure she won’t tell you anything, and you’ll end up getting her in trouble too. Kotori will be affected because you took advantage of her confidence- " "AHHHH! ENOUGH! I UNDERSTAND! Tomorrow I’ll do my homework! Stop behaving as if you were my mother! If you keep scolding me like that you'll get wrinkles on your forehead! Even though you're an idol you never change, there's no need to say all that just for melonpan. You’re very stingy Umi" Oh oh... that was too much, I wanted to disappear from there immediately. HOOO-NOOO-KAAA!!” And finally, Umi exploded! She stood up, She looked like Oiwa-san. Bang ♪ The sound of the bell had rung! "Wh-What’s happening?" And on this side we have Honoka! “Honoka, up until the first grade you were never able to go to the bathroom by yourself" "And you Umi, because of room changes you cried because you missed your home" "You can’t eat spicy curry" "That's just taste! If we talk about that, you can’t drink carbonated drinks because you end up drowning!" "When we were little, I always had to show you my math homework, remember?" "You did that because you were terrible at math!" "You’re younger than me!" "If it's about when we were born, you were born after me!" Emm, that last one is wrong Honoka... In a fight like this, I always end up intervening, or saying phrases like "Ehhh, I don’t know Umi" "I... I'm not too sure Honoka" Trying to tell them both anything as long as they finish fighting. Hehehe ♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ “ Warabewa mitari nonakano bara ♪ (A boy saw a little rose on the heath ♪)“ In the music room, the clear voices of the children filled the room, while the music of the piano was heard in the background.... "They’re really good, right?" Standing by the window, I was talking to Honoka, who was sitting on the floor. "Yes! They are all very cute, I wonder if we were like that in the past..." While she said that, she looked vacantly away. Mmm... what are you thinking... "You want to go to the pool? From what I understand, today it’s open. When they finish practicing, surely the choir guys are going to play, so if you ask the teacher, he will surely let you in. ♪ " Despite what I said, she was still distracted. "That's fine, but..." It was then when- *clink* There was a small sound, the door to the music room was opened softly. There was a small rustling, coming from a bag that shook from side to side. "Umi-chan! Around here ♪ " Honoka looked away, wincing. Maybe Umi-oh, she was petrified. Yesterday, when I called her, I hadn’t told her that Honoka would come. I only told her about the invitation. But I had this small feeling that she would come to understand it. Because look, there's the proof. She brought several bottles of barley tea for the whole chorus group, and she also brought a bottle of blue Ramune. Oh, wait, it's three bottles! ♥ If you still didn't know, that's the only carbonated drink Umi tolerates, and she can drink it without any issues. We used to drink and enjoy it together at festivals. "Umi, yesterday..." Before Honoka apologized, Umi, without saying a word, handed her a bottle of Ramune. You could tell the bottle was cold, because it was sweating from the summer heat. "Thank you" Honoka looked up to see Umi's face, and apparently she was relieved. She took the bottle and stood up. Ahhh, I'm so happy!♥ Well, now it's my turn to act. Umi, I'm glad you came! And there’s something else that I want to show you..." Of course, it's something that I had prepared in advance. "Aaaah! it's melonpan, the same from yesterday!" Honoka's voice resonated happily, Umi, on the other hand, was blushing ♪ "There’s... a lot" "Yes! I also brought some for the children ♥ There’s a total of 20. I usually make homemade cookies, but there are times when something different is a good thing! Now you can eat all you want Umi" Right at that moment, the song was over. "That's melonpan, Kotori onee-chan!? Amazing! I'm happy, thank you very much ♪ " All the boys were happy, I asked the teacher who was approaching. "Emm... can I give it to all the boys?" This melonpan, and the barley tea that Umi bought, gave me a little bit of relaxation. After that... All the boys went to the pool once it was opened. "Well, you two want to go?" I proposed that idea, to see if it helped in the reconciliation of them both. "It will feel good to be in the hot water after all this time!" "To thank you for the melonpan... you will come with us Kotori" Seeing the smiles from both of them... I started laughing too. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ "Ahhh... How nice it feels! yuda nattara!! Yudanaayo!! ♪" (TN: Reference to a Japanese song, entitled:" What a nice bath "" い い 湯 だ な ") Honoka was singing, while Umi was embarrassed and tried to quiet her. “Honoka, you’re singing very loudly, your voice is very noisy " When the three of us were together in the big bathtub, the hot water splashed everywhere Ah... not again. This isn’t good at all. “Umi...” Some gentle touches on her back. She reacted with a small shake, which generated a small splash, even so she turned around. I could see through the hot steam how white her skin was. "After a long time, us three have come together!" Upon mentioning it, Umi started to laugh. "When I was in elementary school, I liked coming here with my dad" "Just because he liked this, and I felt bad for him now that I remember it, when we three started singing from the girls' room, he could hear everything from the outside, remember Umi?" “It happened like that? " "Of course! You also sang! They were the songs we learned in music class" “Idol song ♪” "I did that??" Umi said confused as she turned her neck a little. And here we are now, after a few years, back together in the Himari hot springs. It’s an old sauna that’s located between Akihabara and Okachimachi I must admit that this old-fashioned atmosphere... it pleases me. ♥ As mentioned earlier, Honoka's dad used to come here on his vacation or off days. Us three also used to come with him. Until then, I had never gone to a public bath in my life, but since that day, I loved the hot springs.♥ *shaking* This public bath during the day... has a very nice atmosphere, and I feel things can get better! "By the way, Umi... perhaps, your breasts have grown?" "W-What are you saying Kotori?? Of course not!! T-There’s no change to them!! " As I fixed my sight on her breasts, she quickly hid them. Hmmm, it's very hard to hide them now♪ And you Honoka? You like milk, surely they must have grown a lot, right? " And surprisingly, KYAAAAAAA-“ I grabbed her breasts. Oh, they’re soft ♥ "S-St-Stop! You’re tickling me Kotori! " Honoka writhed in laughter. She looks so cute ♪ Umi was seeing everything with her face completely red with embarrassment. Hmm, maybe it's because of the hot water? That's why I like these types of baths. It’s very relaxing, and very beneficial. Honoka was completely red with laughter. And Umi, with her wet hair, somehow it looked sexy. I can’t help it, I love them both very much ♥ When we left the bathtub, the three of us drank an orange smoothie at the same time. It felt as if I was remembering our moments from the past, when we were young girls. Umi gently whispered in my ear a "Thank you ♥" "It was very delicious, wasn’t it? It's good that you liked the melonpan" "I-I wasn’t referring to that!" I know you weren’t, Umi, but you don’t have to worry about it! Meanwhile, Honoka had already finished her smoothie quickly. “And... what do you say? What do you think about going to karaoke?" We should take advantage of the opportunity! "Yeah! I'll call the other girls! If someone is available we’ll meet at the karaoke. These gays, people go in groups, so... what do you think?" After saying it, Honoka gave a little hop, apparently the idea seemed fun. "It's an excellent idea! I'll call Hanayo! " "I'll call Eli" Umi for her part, gave a big sigh. Oh right, I forgot that Umi doesn’t like karaokes that much. But... I want her to come with us. Well then... I'll call the karaoke to make us a reservation. If it’s going to be us nine, then we’ll need a big room... " Umi! I'm so happy with her that I gave her a big hug. Honoka also decided to give her a hug ♥ And we started laughing. After everything, we all got together for karaoke night, and we sang several songs. The rest of what happened will stay in that place. I will keep it as a secret ♪ By the way, before starting with the karaoke, Rin had asked me. "There are times when I see Honoka and Umi fight, but they never fight with you? In fact, I've never caused any problems or discomfort among the three of us for them to start arguing with me ♥ Comments♥Nico Oooh... Even though they fight like a married couple, Honoka and Umi are best friends! But next to them, Kotori is also a friend~. That day, when we went for karaoke, it was really amazing! But I ate lots of toast with honey and I gained weight! It's a miracle that I could sing and dance like that~ 07 - μ’s Swimsuit Contest Summer break is going to end soon. This year was when we formed with the girls the school idol group: μ's. We’ve been practicing almost every day of the week. Including Saturday, when the whole place is empty. Furthermore, we also had time to make meetings, to plan the choreography, to come up with ideas for the shows and to make the costumes that we are going to use. Unexpectedly, I had a lot of things to do. Truth be told, I’m very surprised! We really gave it our best... and I think we had a fantastic summer together. It was the very first time I got so busy on a vacation as well! ♥ But right now, I want to try a different thing. It has to be something new. What do you think about a handmade pet by me? Or maybe a cookie in medal form? It could also be something I can make with the help of the girls. That would be so fun♪ While I was considering those thoughts, I headed towards morning practice. Everything was normal, until that appeared before my eyes. SWIMSUITS COMPETITION AT THIS SUMMER FESTIVAL We have many prizes awaiting for you. Please join us and participate! You can be this summer’s heroine! Requirements to qualify: Own a swimsuit to model on stage. How to register: Via application form, which can be found in the city hall office Thas poster was posted on the bulletin board on the street corner. “Can you be this summer’s heroine…?” The poster was so big that I couldn’t take it with me and instead I tried to memorize it. Taking a look at my surroundings I noted that they were working hard on this. The festival is celebrated on this street at the end of every summer. People await for the fair booths at night, and there’s a children’s festival held too, also there’s a little stage where a singer comes and sings a ballad. It’s a local event but it seems like, this time, they are going to hold this kind of competition. Hmm... it sounds like something an idol would do. Being distracted with that, I didn’t notice there was a bit more. The prizes were written down, like a plasma TV, tickets for traveling and… 50,000￥! "Wooow, 50,000￥! If only I could win them..." My head was spinning. A lot of images went through my mind. If I had 50,000￥… I could buy all the material I want to make the costumes! And I could also make more gathered skirts… I could even add lace frills which I had given up because of how expensive they were. A beautiful bicolor satin can be added too. Without stopping to murmur, I began walking towards the school. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ “Hey, Maki, you told me about the activities budget for µ’s, right?” I asked her in a low voice. Right now we are in a break after a hard practice. “Hm, yes. I must admit I am not prepared, because I wasn’t part of the group when the activities started. Until now I’ve been saving everything I could so in that way we would all be contributing to the cause… but if you are interested about it, the money is being destined for this summer’s live.” Now I do understand. Maki was changing her socks when she spoke again. "I've only been able to save a little, we must be patient with this sort of thing, you know? Besides, we practice every day... there are times when you're hungry, and you end up spending a little. That doesn’t mean that its been squandered,but the opposite. Even so, I don’t think we are going to make it for the live. Now that you mentioned an event like this, if we try it, you’ll have to take into account the equipment, the posters and many other things. It could be expensive... " Hmm... That’s true. And if we don’t end in a good placing in the competition... While I was thinking about that, my mind was still spinning. Many wishes came to me suddenly. Since autumn came, I planned to make a maid suit, but without a budget, it was impossible. "Oh well. But, at this moment you have also been spending your own money for some things, but you shouldn’t worry about that anymore, and Eli said that we should stop talking about this issue. That a school idol is paying with her own money the club’s activities is ridiculous, something should be done with respect to the subject." Yes, that’s right. For the new song that we have planned, I put a lot of effort into making the costumes, I wanted to do something more elaborate for this occasion, if only we had a bigger budget... even with my savings we can’t reach it!! Although, I wouldn’t use my savings, because if Eli finds out, she’ll be angry... "For my part, I think this is very different. I think the final decision should be taken together, because putting all the responsibility and burden on one person is wrong. But of course, I don’t think it's your strong point to talk about this with the others, right? " Maki-chan winked at me. "N-It's not that... it's that..." Ahh! I started to hesitate. "You know? ...I do many things, for example: I'm always cleaning, I also make the costumes, I take care of them, and I do whatever it takes to improve them... I don’t have much to say, and I do not want to bother anyone, so I do everything by myself " I-I doesn’t mean that I like to be alone... I’m referring that they’re all busier than me. For example: Honoka helps in the manjuu store every day. Umi has to practice martial arts and nichibu (traditional Japanese dance), and you Maki... so that your father allows you to stay in µ's, you promised not to neglect your studies, you have to study every day. Nozomi helps in the temple. Nico is responsible for publicizing µ's, and she also seems to be busy with other things, and of course, Eli... is the president of the student council... Having said all that, that leaves Hanayo, Rin and me. Both are still first year girls, besides, I was the first person to be invited by Honoka, and together, we invited the others to join. My parents work a lot, so I don’t get help from them. It’s because their jobs have to do with school issues, they told me that I can do this while I'm still a good student. There are times when I feel completely alone. And I can’t help, but feel this way. Maki was smiling. Enough! I can't stand it, I'm very weak when you make that smile. ♥ "Hey! If that’s the case, I think I have a small idea for you." A little confused, I listened to her idea. Due to the results of the previous recruitment, Maki was in charge of the club's budget. "Assuming you can obtain that extraordinary budget... you could make new skirts for the summer live outfits!" I could make new skirts with frills for all! I will definitely do it. "Well, we have to try! But the swimsuit contest is a little complicated... surely 50,000 yen will be very useful. And if we’re standing on the stage of the summer festival, I think it will be excellent publicity for µ's. The people would applaud us and show us their support! And maybe that’ll be good... I always work hard making the costumes, and with the current budget it's hard for me to do it, as much as I want to... the only thing I want is to do what I really love. " Eli started to laugh, so I got scared. "Oh boy, I didn’t know you thought that way" I just... I just wanted to be useful to others through my favorite hobbies, and try my best... Lately I thought I wasn’t showing my all. Now I felt a little embarrassed... "Just seeing you, it clearly shows the passion you put into making those dresses. And one thing to emphasize, you always noticed if Umi's skirt was two centimeters shorter or longer " Oh, that... About that, Umi never liked short skirts, in fact, she strongly opposes it, but school idol skirts are always short. And besides, her legs are very cute ♥ "It's just that... it's a little awkward for me to make the dresses now. But imagine everything I could do " “Yes, yeees!" Nico said shouting. "No. 1 Idol Nico wants to apply for this swimsuit contest! When Nico-nii appears, µ's will become more popular! I think it will definitely increase our reputation, and of course, the prize we get will be dedicated to us all, but assuming we get the large plasma screen television, it should stay at the Idol Research Club, which I’m the president of! I could record 3 TV shows at the same time. And then, if the idols program ends, I can see the recordings, and then I can slowly review all the details- " Nozomi replied to Nico, who had started to dance. Well, then... do you think we can win? Your swimsuit is a bit... um... of course it's not bad, but, you won’t be as qualified compared to the others " "That’s not true! It’s possible that everyone focuses on girls with a bust as big as yours Nozomi, but what makes you believe that a girl without so much of a bust can’t win this contest? Furthermore, if they’re too big, the judges will look like perverts who like those type of girls, so it will be very difficult for the judges to vote- " "Eh? If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better for me to get them three? " "Ugh- A-Anyway, what I was going to do was to buy a swimsuit that will make me look cool and thin! So I can participate in the contest ♪ " After that, Nico bought a new swimsuit, it was fun to see how they discussed the contest. Upon returning, we had a serious talk about who will be in this contest... I didn’t want to compete with the others, so we discussed that it would be better if only one person participated in the tournament, and we all agreed with it. Besides... I don't have much money to be preparing so many swimsuits. ♪ We were debating and writing it down on the board, and, upon completion- "Eh? EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH? ME!?" ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ That night, I was on top of my bed, sewing. I was still really surprised, I was remembering today's events. Also, I was still laughing. After all, it's... weird. Being in charge of the clothes, I always thought of that work as a "behind the scenes", and the simplest part of the job. Oh, don’t get me wrong, of course it's what I like to do, but personally I don’t see it as something to highlight, despite that it's really good, and I'm having a lot of fun. But, I don’t want to represent all the girls of μ's in the swimsuit contest by myself ... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Honoka, Rin and me. When the candidates were reduced to us three. Honoka screamed "This is not OK! If I'm alone there on stage, I feel like I'm going to fail! Also, even under normal circumstances I’m clumsy, and if I make a mistake in the swimsuit contest... I have a feeling that this will be an irreparable mistake!! " She said it with a serious face, and we all looked at her, perplexed. Then we started laughing. "You say that you’ll fail in the contest, and you’re worried that you might make a mistake? It’s something that’s very common! Anyone can make a mistake" While Nozomi responded with a flirtatious smile, Honoka, completely flushed, said "I didn’t say that I wasn’t, but anyway... I'm worried" I don’t think you're a clumsy girl Honoka... When I looked at Maki, I noticed that she had a serious smile. "With this, the image of µ's will absolutely increase, surely the day after the festival we will be a sensation on the internet, there is no doubt that we’ll be a legend in many ways. But not everything is good, I've seen policies which are completely obscene- " KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-“ Honoka shrieked before Maki finished speaking. Well, now she won’t want to participate. Rin stood up and said. "Anyway, I can’t participate, I'm not attractive. I have short hair, like a boy, and I'm not made for the swimsuit contest. In the pool of an amusement park that I went to, they confused me for a boy! People will think that µ's has a boy as a member! And once they start with the rumors we’ll be in trouble! " We all started laughing. That's your excuse Rin? Well, certainly, maybe you could win a contest of girls who look like boys ♥ Well, that’s enough. I think this is a good idea. And besides, I was the one to suggest this. I want to win that prize! And to be able to invest the money into maid outfits that I want. I will do the best that I can! It's done! I finished sewing. I was mending this cute swimsuit to use in the contest. After all... I want to show how cute and cool the girls of μ's can be. I chose a bikini a bit daring and decided to make some general arrangements. Since I had finished, I decided to try it on. I was standing in front of the mirror. Oh, my navel is exposed, and it fits me well, what a nice feeling. Although I think I can do better than that. When I was a child, my parents were very busy working, to the point that I couldn’t go on vacations. When I was alone, I secretly grabbed some of my mother's clothes, and dressed up as her, also I began to play. Of course, they were too big, but now everytime I change my clothes, I have several feelings. If I wear this swimsuit, I feel like I'm going to the beach Or that feeling of being a princess at a dance when I wear a dress. Feel like a teacher when you wear an elegant suit. More if you wear some glasses. And with a cute skirt, it feels like you're an idol. Always attracting the gazes from everyone, I must say that I love it. Another thing that I must admit, is that I got used to standing in front of the mirror. Surely, these feelings that I have perhaps it has caused me to like to cosplay. It's completely fun, and I'm very happy. Perhaps it is a bit different from a traditional idol. But I'm sure that the sensation that I feel at this moment... is completely brilliant. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ "And the winner of this contest is... the 2nd year student from Otonokizaka High School, Minami Kotori-san!" When the announcement of the winner was presented, loud shouts were heard from the audience, and I knew who they were from. The girls of μ's were sitting there, giving me all their support. Aaah, I'm so glad I got this far! After the end the contest, we were back. "After all... it was a strategic mistake to choose Kotori as our representative, like I said, if it had been me-" She still haven’t finished speaking when Nozomi responded "If it had been you... we wouldn’t have won the contest ♥" "It really bothers me when you say that" Upon hearing that... "I want to apologize, I..." A little discouraged, I was apologizing to everyone. "But what are you saying? You were amazing and you won the contest! Besides, you were really pretty Kotori." Honoka was applauding, while Umi was smiling and caressing my head. "It wasn’t easy for you to win that competition. You were great Kotori." Rin said, who had appeared out of nowhere. "Yes, Kotori was the prettiest! Even from the top of the stage, I was surprised... after all, it's different from what I had thought, but I'm very happy that you got the prize " Hanayo just appeared, and had in her hands a white box, and a big smile on her face. The prize was the latest electric rice cooker model. "Now that I have this... I can cook rice every day at the club!! We won’t have any more problems, since we won’t be running out of rice" I had never seen that smile on her before... it looked like a baby's smile. But at that moment, Rin- "Ugh, I don’t want to eat rice all the time! It would be great to eat some ramen once in a while!" We all started laughing. Somehow... it makes me feel that I have many different things. Surely that's how it feels to be in μ's. Today was a fun summer day, right? And summer break is almost over. Soon it will be the season where Hanayo will be cooking rice or other delicious things. Comments♥Rin When I knew that the prize was the rice cooker, I was really surprised! And knowing that it would be for Kayo-chan, I also wanted to have one of my own! When I saw her next to the rice cooker, I told her to be careful, so she wouldn’t fall. Kotori worked hard and is was very expensive. Kotori, I want to thank you. For the cultural festival, I will help you in making several onigiris and distributing them~ I wonder if many visitors will come...