Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The hardest thing, You thinks, about receiving so many love confessions at school on an almost daily basis, is having to turn them all down softly and with a kind smile. She always tells them the same thing: that she's busy, and doesn't have time for a relationship, and that's the truth. Having her time table packed with swimming, diving, and school idol activities among other responsibilities that people trust her with, doesn't exactly give her much time to go on dates with somebody else. As well as this, she really doesn't feel the need to be in a relationship. She's content where she is.

"I appreciate the gestures and all, but is it too much to ask for just a little peace?" she tells Chika at lunch one day, as they're sitting alone on the roof. Riko is downstairs working on an art project, and the rest of Aqours are spending lunch in their own ways.

Chika chuckles. "Perhaps it's because you've got that 'hard-to-get' vibe coming off you that makes you even more popular."

"Great."

You lets herself fall back onto the warm floor with a sigh, enjoying the quietness of the roof. Chika leans over her, holding a couple of strawberries. "Want one?"

With a nod of her head, You opens her mouth, allowing Chika to pop it in. She chews slowly, savouring the sweet taste.

"Y'know, the confessions would all stop if you were in a relationship for real," Chika says, and You hums in thought.

"Perhaps, but I'm really not interested in one right now. And how would I find somebody I actually wanna date?"

Chika stands, puffing out her chest and placing her hands on her hips. You looks up at her with raised eyebrows. "You've got one right here!"

Bolting up, You exclaims, "What?!"

But before Chika can reply, the bell signalling the end of lunch rings. You packs up her bag, her cheeks flaming. Why would Chika suggest for them to date? For real? She shakes her head in disbelief, attempting to switch her thoughts back to the lesson ahead of them.

"Race you down the stairs!" Chika says, and she's off in a flash. You grins, accepting the challenge, and takes off straight after, despite the rules about no running in the school.

Yeah, it was probably just a joke.

---

By the time diving practice finishes after school that day, You is exhausted. Chika smiles at her from the stands as she watches, not having anything else to do tonight. And when You finally climbs out of the pool at the end, she's there to give her a pat on the back and a soft towel.

"Thanks," You says, wrapping it around her shoulders, before gladly pulling her swimming cap off. Chika digs around in her bag before taking out a bottle of cold water, which she tosses to her. "Why are you so eager today?"

"Ahaha... Swimming practice is tiring, so I thought I'd help you relax afterwards!" Chika replies.

They head back to the changing rooms in a comfortable silence. You quickly changes, throwing on a hoodie over her uniform, as the nights are gradually getting colder.

Chika asks her a sudden question as they stand at the bus stop. "Can I stay over at yours tonight?"

You blinks. Sure, they sleep over at each other's houses a lot, but this is kind of out of the blue. "Hm? Sure."

"Great!" Chika sends out a hurried text message to her mother, humming to herself in a joyful tune. "Got any work to do tonight?

"Nope, I just finished everything yesterday!"

The ride back to You's place is filled with pleasant conversation, but she still feels that there's something that Chika isn't saying. Perhaps it's because of the way she's tapping her feet impatiently, or how she's looking out of the window too frequently, but You has known her since they were toddlers, and it's almost impossible for either of them to convincingly lie to each other at this point.

"I'm home!" You calls out to nobody in particular, throwing open the door to her house. Her mother is currently out on business for a short while, leaving her to take care of things on her own.

"It's been a while since it was just the two of us here..." Chika says, dropping her school bag at the entrance with You's, and bending down to take off her shoes. The Watanabe house is warm, with its own unique personality that Chika finds endearing. It fits You to a T.

They head up the stairs and get changed into their pyjamas. Chika has a spare pair and some extra clothes and toiletries that she always keeps here whenever they have a sleepover. When they were younger, the sleepovers were frequent; probably at least once a week. But now...

"Chika-chan, I'll take a quick shower, so you can do what you want." You disappears in the bathroom, and Chika is left alone in her bedroom. There's a small box on her dresser, one which Chika knows is filled with various love letters from girls in this town, and even other places they've visited. She leans over the bed, grabbing it, and opens the lid.

By the time You leaves the bathroom, Chika is sitting on her bed, surrounded by letters and giggling like a schoolgirl. "I can see you're having fun," she deadpans, and Chika jumps in surprise, having not noticed her there.

"I'd say it's more of an... investigation..."

"Hm?"

As if to demonstrate, Chika holds up a couple of letters with a grin. "If you want a relationship, you can easily pick and choose from any of these girls. But you're saying that you just want peace for a while. Surely the logical step to take would be to get a girlfriend so they won't pester you anymore."

"But I don't-" Chika places a finger to You's lips, silencing her.

"You may not want a real girlfriend, but nothing's stopping you from pretending to get one."

"Oh yeah, amazing. So how will I be able to pull off being in a relationship without somebody thinking something is off? They won't exactly forget about me just like that, especially if I'm in a 'relationship' with some girl I don't even know all that well!"

Chika stands up on the bed, making it creak, and holds out a hand to You. "Your solution is right here!"

"I don't follow..."

With an exasperated sigh, Chika grabs You's arm, pulling her up. "I'm saying that you should pretend to date me!"

This causes You to stumble back, and she almost falls off the bed, but Chika's grip is too tight. Something about her expression tells You that she won't drop the subject unless she accepts. "Pretend to date you?" she splutters, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, it'll be easy! Our relationship won't change much from how it is now, and we'll be able to convince everyone!"

"And what about Aqours?"

Chika thinks for a moment, then pats You on the shoulder. "Let's not tell them either. Dia-san would probably spill it before the day even begins."

Folding her arms, You looks back to the pile of letters. Sure, it would be nice to have some peace, but is it really worth deceiving everyone? But just maybe...

"Ok," she finally smiles, "I'll do it with you. But we will have to break up after some time. I don't want this going on forever."

"Yay!" Chika throws her arms around her, and they lose their balance and fall off the bed, crashing into You's dresser. They stay there for a while, and You takes this time to sort out her messed up thoughts. She'll actually be dating her best friend. Ok, not really, but they'll need to make it convincing. And what if somebody sees through it?

Chika nuzzles her head into her shoulder, distracting You from her thoughts.

"Alright," she whispers. There's no use in dwelling on it, especially now Chika seems committed. "This might be kinda fun."

Chapter Text

You wakes up the next morning to the sound of taps on a phone. Upon turning over to see where it's coming from, she sees Chika beneath the covers, giggling to herself, and You's brain immediately snaps on.

"Give me that!" she demands, snatching the phone from Chika's grasp, who bolts upright. She squints in the darkness to see a half typed out message that announces their "relationship". Luckily it hadn't been sent yet, otherwise they'd be in a big mess. "What were you thinking?!"

Chika tilts her head. "Well, I thought we may as well tell everyone sooner than later, right?"

"No." You deletes the message, and hands the phone back to her. "We'll just let it naturally slip out during club today, otherwise everyone might get suspicious." She glances at the clock. "Especially when you're sending a message at four in the morning."

"Awww... but I guess that does make sense," Chika admits, crawling back into the comfiness of the duvet. They're sharing a bed, but it's not uncomfortable or anything, it's just natural to them.

You stands up, stretching. "Ah, I guess I should start my routine early today, as it'll be hard to go back to sleep. You coming?" She flashes a grin towards Chika, who shakes her head with a yawn.

"Count me out. I have no idea how you have this much energy in the morning."

"Okay, I'll see you soon!" And You grabs her training outfit before leaving the room.

Physical training gives You a way to clear her mind. It's challenging, but fun, and she loves competing with Kanan to see who can hold Mari under the most ridiculous circumstances. Maybe she can sweep Chika off her feet too, to make everything even more realistic.

She shakes her head, picking up a weight. They don't need to go that far. Too much can also make people suspicious.

And it seems like my only thoughts are of our plan. Why am I overthinking this?

You switches her thoughts to Aqours practice later today. Where everyone will know about me and Chika-chan.

"Argh!" she huffs out loud, setting the weight down with a thud. "It's not that big of a deal! I'll just have fun with this, I'll be able to spend more time with Chika-chan, and we'll have a good laugh over it."

Satisfied with this resolution, she picks up the weight again with more determination and spirit.

---

"Are you ready?"

Chika and You are standing outside the school gates, about to begin their first day as a couple.

"Yep," You replies, her expression more laidback than this morning. She throws an arm around Chika's shoulders. "Let's do this, shall we?"

They head to their classroom, which is mostly full with the other students in their class, including Riko, who's reading a book on her own. Chika rushes towards her, slamming a hand down on her desk, which makes Riko jump.

"Hiya!" she greets with a bright grin.

"Hi! You scared me." Riko narrows her eyes. "How come you're in such a good mood today?"

Chika pouts. "Aren't I always in a good mood?" She moves over to her seat, dropping her bag on her desk, before turning around dramatically and extending a hand out to You. "You-chan and I have some very good news!"

You can't help but roll her eyes at Chika's acting, but a fond smile makes its way onto her face. "Yeah," she affirms, giving Riko a nod.

"Really? What is it?"

"We're officially dating!" Chika looks as though she's about to burst from excitement. Riko's mouth falls open, almost unable to find words to reply with.

"What?" is all she says.

"Yeah! We talked it over last night! It was super romantic."

But that doesn't seem to be Riko's concern. "Oh no... I guess I owe Mari-chan 500 yen..."

You's face heats up. "Wait, what? You had bets on us?!"

"Yeah, I said you wouldn't get together until third year. Mari-chan insisted it'd be this year..."

This adds to Chika's glee, who winks at You, unseen by Riko. You lets out a sigh of relief, and takes her seat behind Riko.

What they almost fail to notice is that all their classmates are staring at them, having fallen silent at Chika's loud announcement. Chika smokes triumphantly, before sitting down and taking her books out for the lesson. So far, so good.

Class passes without incident. Well, except from a few notes being passed between Chika and You, who are both usually sleeping during lessons.

She totally fell for it! Chika writes, followed by a big smiley face.

You is more at ease now, knowing that the rest of Aqours believed that they'd get in a relationship sooner or later.

After school, they go up to the roof for practice.

"Oh, by the way," Riko says as they walk up the stairs, "I forgot to congratulate you guys. I know you'll be a great couple!"

"Thanks," You says, wondering whether it'll be weird if she takes Chika's hand. She won't mind, right?

She reaches for Chika's hand without trying to look, to be more natural. Taking it in hers, You lightly strokes the top of Chika's hand with her thumb, mentally begging herself not to blush. Chika seems surprised for a moment, but she quickly accepts, lacing her fingers between You's. It's warm, and it feels like their hands fit perfectly. Smiling reassuringly at You, Chika speaks again.

"Riko-chan, do you know any good date spots?"

"Me? Why would I know?" Riko says, frowning.

"You seem to know a lot about romance."

"I- I do?!"

Chika laughs at Riko's flustered expression, and opens the door to the roof, where the rest of Aqours are already waiting for them. "I was just joking, don't look so mortified! Maybe I'll ask Mari-chan."

"Ask me what?" Mari says, perfectly within earshot. She notices You and Chika are holding hands, and her mouth spreads into a wide grin, then she casts a sly glance towards Riko.

"You-chan and I are dating!" Chika announces, and everyone falls silent. You lifts her head up, relaxing her shoulders.

The first one to break the silence is Kanan. "Really? That's great!" She's not a very good actor, You thinks, as she suspects Kanan isn't surprised at all. Instead, she looks like a proud mother, watching as the two childhood friends are finally growing up.

Mari wipes a fake tear from her eye. "I'm so glad for you two! Riko-chan, you know what's coming!" she says, holding her hand out.

Sighing, Riko drops the money into Mari's palm, who quickly counts it, satisfied with her winnings.

The first years also respond with a "congratulations," and so does Dia, who also tells them not to let their relationship distract them from practice. They all took it well, but none of them look particularly surprised, and both Chika and You are at ease in their roles.

"So what's next?" Hanamaru asks as they take a water break. "When you're in a relationship, you go on dates, right?"

Chika nods excitedly. "Yeah, I'm thinking of what we should do for our first date."

"How about dinner at our hotel?" Mari suggests, half-jokingly.

"That's... actually not a bad idea... We'll think about it," Chika replies.

The rest of practice is spent productively, with a few comments and occasional glances stolen at You and Chika here and there.

As the sun sets, they begin to go their separate ways. You heads to the beach for a bit before going home, fancying a bit of time on her own.

Upon hearing footsteps behind her, she turns around to see who it is.

"You've not gone home yet?" Chika asks, walking up beside You.

"Nah, I'll go soon."

Picking up a couple of stones, Chika hands one over to You, and she throws her own in the water, watching the small splash as it enters. You follows.

"What do you think of our first day?" Chika asks, picking up another stone.

"It went better than I expected," You replies, looking out over the water. "Is it weird to say I'm enjoying this?"

"No, not at all! I'm having fun as well! We'll be able to spend more time together, and you'll have peace from all the girls confessing to you. It's perfect."

"Yeah..."

You looks somewhat melancholy as she watches the reflection of the sky in the water. The days are slowly getting darker, summer coming to an end. "I wanna do this year forever," she says with a wistful expression.

"Me too," Chika says, "but all good things must come to an end, right?"

Chika wraps an arm around You's waist, bringing them in closer. Her ruby eyes are shimmering, and You remembers how Chika's eyes sparkle whenever she talks about something she loves. "But our friendship will never end, no matter how far away we are from each other. You want to go to a famous diving school in America, right?"

You nods. "And you'll go to study business to take over the family inn."

"Haha... It's strange how our goals are different, but we'll still be together, even if not in person."

Spinning around, You throws her arms out wide, a warm smile etched on her face. "For now, let's enjoy this year! We're only young once, right?"

"Yep!"

Satisfied, they stay there, watching the sun set until You has to go to catch the last bus home.

Chapter Text

You hums as she opens the door of the washing machine, taking out diving gear and dropping it into a pile on the floor. The melody is soft and calming; it's one her father used to sing to her before he went out on another voyage, a spell that worked every time without fail to stop her tears. Chika's family would then take her out for a shopping spree in Numazu to treat her for being so strong and such a good friend.

She catches herself smiling at the memory, and realises she hasn't moved to fold the gear up.

"So are you gonna sit there all day looking like someone who just won the lottery?" Kanan says, approaching her from behind. "Please tell me if you do win the lottery. I want to go on a cruise," she adds on jokingly.

You sighs. "I wish," she replies, picking up a suit and zipping it up, laying it on the table.

"Or," Kanan continues, with a hint of a smirk on her face, "you're thinking about your lovely girlfriend and how you'd like to go on a cruise with her." She grabs a pair of goggles and hangs them on the railing just outside to dry. She can definitely be mischievous at times. It must be the result of being attached to Mari for so long.

You makes quick work of folding the suit, handing it to Kanan without so much as a blink. She's learnt not to blush so often around her friends upon any mention of Chika over the last few days, and it's surprising that she's already been doing this for almost an entire week. However, Chika's getting restless, and You can only guess it's because they haven't done anything major yet.

Like a date.

"Oh, I wouldn't forget to take you with us on a cruise, Kanan-chan," You says. "You'd make a great third wheel for once." She casts a sly glance towards her friend, who pouts.

"Just so you know, I will confess to Mari and Dia. Sometime."

You giggles. It's cute to see Kanan flustered and even more unusual to see her being anything less than a brave warrior who charges into things without a sweat. "Keep telling yourself that and it might come true."

Walking back inside, Kanan pats You on the head and goes back to putting diving suits in the washing machine, turning it on. There's a small whirr as it powers on and starts spinning, the oranges and blues and pinks and blacks mixing together in one messy spiral. "We're not here to talk about my love endeavours. Yours are more important." She winks at You.

"Yeah, well, there's not much to say except we don't know how to go on dates," You replies, heading out onto the deck and leaning over the railing. There's an urge to jump into the water, that is hard for her to resist, so she turns away and puts her back against the railing. It's like she loses all control when she's near water.

This reminds her of something. "Hey, remember the time Chika-chan got so excited waving the ship off that she fell over the pier?"

Kanan stands straighter, smiling fondly at the memory. She joins You and tosses her a can of orange juice from her fridge, cracking her own one open. "Yeah. Then we jumped in to get her out and we all got our clothes soaked. Then Mum told me off because that was my best skirt."

"But we couldn't help it. Chika just has a knack for getting us into things."

"Like your relationship."

If Kanan wasn't such a good friend, You might consider chucking her into the water. She frowns, tapping her finger against the can. "Not everything is about that, you know."

Kanan sheepishly rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, I do. I'm just proud that you guys aren't as dense as we thought and you're finally together. It's exciting."

“Anyway, please tell me why you asked for me to help you out today when you look like you don’t even need it.”

There’s a short pause, and You bursts out laughing, knowing she’s caught Kanan out. Apparently Kanan wants to spend their time gushing over how cute You and Chika are as a couple, even though everyone does that already at school. “Yeah, but it’s different for me. I’ve known you guys basically forever,” Kanan says whenever one of them bring it up.

Today however, Chika is busy helping out at the inn, leaving You to be the unwitting guest to Kanan’s ramblings, as much as she prides herself on being the mum friend. Or at least, that’s how Mari refers to her.

“You’re pretty clever, huh? Maybe try putting the same amount of thought into your school work,” Kanan says.

“As if you can talk! Dia-san always speaks about how you’re usually asleep during class!”

They break into giggles again, and it’s at times like this when You is truly grateful for her friends. They watch the calm ripples of the water as the sky gradually dims.

—-

Hanamaru stands at the end of the table, setting her bag down purposefully on it before everyone is even ready. All heads turn to her.

“Something wrong?” Yoshiko asks through a mouth full of bread. Dia sends her a disapproving frown.

“Yes. Big news.”

Before anyone can respond, she zips open her bag and takes out two rectangular pieces of paper, both with a colourful photograph on them.

“Tickets?” Ruby says.

“Yep! I won a reading contest while back and forgot about it, but these tickets arrived over the weekend! It’s for a contemporary romance though, so it’s not really up my alley.” Riko almost spits out her drink.

“Really? I thought you liked all kinds of books,” she says, frowning.

Hanamaru laughs. “I do, but as far as movies go, this genre really isn’t my thing. I prefer historical or war movies. Stuff with gruesome battles and fights to the death!” She claps her hands together, her eyes sparkling. Yoshiko slowly edges away, her perception of the kind bookworm now tainted forever. “Anyway, I wanna give these tickets to someone here. Does anyone want them?”

As if on cue, everyone turns to You and Chika, who are sitting beside each other, not really concerned about the tickets. “Eh?” Chika says. “Us?”

Mari’s shit-eating grin doesn’t fade. “You guys said you were stuck on date ideas, right? This is perfect!”

“Yeah, but...” You begins, but her voice trails off when she notices how eager everyone is. What she doesn’t say is that she and Chika have a history of falling asleep at these kinds of movies. Wouldn’t the tickets just be wasted on them? And Chika is also intent on finding a date idea for herself. She looks over to Chika, who is tapping on the table in thought.

“Sure, why not!” she eventually replies. You blinks in surprise. Chika grabs her hand. “This’ll be super fun!”

There are gasps of awe from everyone, including Dia, who is secretly into hearing about their relationship, as much as she tries to deny it.

“Perfect!” Hanamaru high-fives Mari, before handing the tickets to Chika.

“We look forward to hearing all about it!” Mari adds on.

Chika’s smile wavers as she looks at the tickets. “Huh... so it’s one of those boring love stories,” she mutters to herself. Luckily, nobody hears it. "We'll enjoy it! Thanks, Hanamaru-chan!" she says to the group, tucking the tickets safely into the pocket of her bag.

"When's the movie?" Kanan asks.

"It's on Sunday," Hanamaru replies. "You'll be able to spend as much time as you want out together!"

Chika nods excitedly, her anticipation of spending more time with her fake girlfriend overtaking her distaste for the movie.

You leans back in her seat, smiling to herself, and she fails to notice the wink Hanamaru directs at Mari.

There'll be a lot to do before the date. Find clothes, look for a place to eat, maybe a surprise for Chika to top it all off.

To be honest, You's looking forward to it.

Chapter Text

On Saturday, You returns home after diving practice. Her coach had scolded her on more than one occasion for losing focus, and though she apologised, her thoughts continued to wander.

She takes her shoes off and heads to her bedroom, flopping onto the bed with a sigh. The date is tomorrow, and there's so much to think about. Chika won't mind if she wears something more casual, right? She doesn't really have any formal clothes, and she doesn't want to ask anyone.

Honestly, she doesn't even know why she's thinking about this so much. It's a date. A fake date. It's not like she needs to impress Chika, but she can't help wanting to.

A knock on the door distracts her from her thoughts.

"Coming!" she calls, before skipping back down the stairs and flinging open the front door. Standing there, shuffling from foot to foot, is Ruby. "Ruby-chan? Is everything okay?" she asks. The first-year shakes her head quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I was just wondering..." Her voice trails off, finding her words. "I was just wondering if you'd like me to help you find an outfit for tomorrow!"

"Eh?" You blinks at Ruby. Out of all the things she had been expecting, this certainly wasn't one of those. "Uh... Sure, I guess. If you want."

Ruby's face lights up, and she grabs You's hand. "That's great! How about we go to my house? We have a lot of nice outfits there you can borrow!"

"Huh? Okay, if you wouldn't mind." You mentally thanks Ruby for offering. She's not sure if she wants her to see the state of her wardrobe.

They walk for quite a while, until the large house comes into sight. You hasn't visited the Kurosawa house much, but from what she remembers, it's pretty impressive. Not like Mari's place, but still big and posh. It's almost intimidating. They enter the house, taking their shoes off at the door, and You is led up the stairs to Ruby's bedroom.

To put it simply, Ruby's room is cute. The walls are pastel pink, with posters of idols plastered neatly on the walls. A large bed sits in the middle with a pink duvet and pillows. Ruby opens her wardrobe, beckoning You over.

"Would you mind wearing a cute dress? I’m not sure I have much else...” Ruby says apologetically, standing to the side for You to have a look.

“No, it’s fine! A change of pace would be cool.”

Ruby smiles, and goes through her wardrobe, scrutinising each dress before moving on to the next one. You notices in admiration that she does have a lot of outfits, but that must be due to her family’s wealth.

A couple of minutes later, when Ruby is still finding dresses, the current possibilities being laid out across the bed, her bedroom door opens, and Dia pokes her head in.

“Ruby, do you- Oh! You-san? What are you doing here?”

You turns around, reflexively opening her mouth to apologise for being there, as Dia can be quite scary sometimes, but Ruby jumps in before she can speak. “I’m helping her pick an outfit for her date tomorrow! Do you wanna join in, sis?”

Dia folds her arms, her eyes scanning the dresses laid on the bed and You’s too-casual outfit, before clicking her tongue. “Sure thing. You really can’t wear those shorts and that hoodie to a date.”

Clasping her hands together in delight, Ruby nods towards the wardrobe. “We’re seeing what clothes in here will suit You-chan!” she says.

Humming contemplatively, Dia sifts through the clothes, constantly glancing at You with narrowed eyes. She sure is taking this seriously. You instinctively straightens up, not wanting to be told off.

After what feels like forever of just standing there, all the possibilities are picked and laid out. You lets out a groan at the sheer number of them. “Can we narrow them down a bit more?” she asks, looking at Ruby with pleading eyes.

It’s Dia who replies. “Of course not. We need you to try on every one of these so we can see which one fits you the absolute best. We can’t have you going on a date looking like you just threw something together at the last minute.”

You sighs. This will be a long night.

—-

Riko slides open her balcony door, after having to hear Chika talk to herself over her choice of clothing for the past half hour. “Can you quieten down? I’m trying to do homework.”

Chika looks up, having just noticed Riko. Immediately, she crawls across her carpet and stands on her own balcony, leaning over as though she might fall. “No! I’m in the middle of a crisis! I can’t go on my first date looking half-assed! I need to make a good impression on You-chan!”

Raising an eyebrow, Riko replies, “You guys have known each other since you could walk. I’m sure she doesn’t care what you’ll be wearing.”

“But this is different, Riko-chan. It’s a date.” Chika draws out the last word for emphasis, and she hops on her feet impatiently. “You-chan has seen every one of my outfits already multiple times, and I need something fresh for this!”

Seeing where this is going, Riko turns back. “Fine, come over then. You can use some of my clothes.” She pauses. “But please don’t climb over the balcony. Go over to the front door.”

Chika visibly lights up, and Riko has to suppress a chuckle. Her excitement really is infectious. Chika disappears back into her home, and not even a minute later, Riko's own doorbell is ringing.

When they're both upstairs again in Riko's room, Chika flings open the wardrobe door, which bounces on its hinges. "You always have such good taste in fashion, Riko-chan..." she says enviously, sizing up each dress and top one by one. "I really need more cute outfits like these."

"Then why don't you go shopping with You-chan for clothes?" Riko suggests. "You know, like a date."

Chika whips around, grasping Riko's hands with a large grin. "That's right! You're a genius!"

"...Really?" Riko replies sarcastically, but she goes to take some clothes out of the wardrobe, holding them up against Chika to get a better idea of how she'd look. To tell the truth, she had been wanting to do something like this for a long time. Sometimes, her favourite characters in romances are the cool friends who are always cheering on the main couple.

And maybe those cool friends get relationships as well somewhere along the line.

Riko's mind wanders to a certain first-year, but she shuts out those thoughts before they go any further.

"What do you think of this one?" she says eventually, holding up a pastel yellow blouse with a floral skirt.

"It's so cute! It'll totally fit me!" Chika says, and before Riko can reply, she takes both items of clothing and rushes to the bathroom to try them on.

While she's in there, humming a bright tune that's slightly muffled by the door between them, Riko's phone buzzes and the screen lights up. It's a message from You.

Help. Dia-san is slowly driving me mad.

Attached is a picture of Ruby's room, covered in clothes that Riko assumes are for You to try on. She laughs; it seems Chika isn't the only one excited for the date.

---

You collapses on her bed with a large sigh. It's midnight and she only just returned home with her borrowed dress and shoes. For some reason, she feels even more tired now than she usually does during practice. It must be because of Dia.

She rolls over onto her back and switches her phone on, squinting her eyes at the sudden light. She had received a few messages from Kanan, mostly asking her to tell her all about the date once it's over, as well as apologising about Dia, since apparently Ruby had messaged her about everything.

"I wonder if Chika-chan is also prepared..." she mutters to herself, and switches over to her conversation with Riko, who had replied to her pleas with light humour.

Finally back home, she taps out, and sends the message.

That's good to hear. I feel sorry for you. Chika-chan's also been getting ready.

You bolts up, reading over the message again. Was Chika worrying about making a good impression as well?

It's almost as though they really are together, but she brushes those thoughts out of her mind. They're just in a fake relationship, right?

So why were they both making such an effort?

Chapter Text

You checks the time. It’s almost 11am. She’s supposed to be meeting Chika at half past eleven outside the cinema.

She carefully slides a blue clip into her hair, making sure not to mess it up. She’s wearing a white dress that goes down to her knees, with light blue polka dots. You has to admit that Dia has good taste, despite her having taken hours to finally pick something out.

Heading down the stairs with a silver handbag she found in the back of her wardrobe yesterday, she finds her mother watching TV in the living room.

“Going out?” she says. “And what’s with the cute outfit all of a sudden?”

You fiddles with her hair clip, realising she hadn’t told her mother about Chika. She tries to laugh it off. “I just wanted to change things up a little.”

You’s mum raises her eyebrows, a hint of a grin forming itself on her face. “But why so formal? Is it something important that you haven’t told me?”

“N- no. It’s nothing, really. Really...” You’s voice trails off as she moves towards the door, wishing to escape the awkward situation.

“Really? But you’ve been acting strange since I got back from my business trip.” Her mother pauses. “Does it involve Chika?”

She’s got me. You throws the front door open. “I’ll see you later!” And she heads off.

Her face is flaming as she walks down to the cinema. Chika will be arriving by bus, as she lives further from Numazu. You slaps her cheeks, hoping to pull herself together by the time Chika arrives.

When You gets to the cinema, she stands outside, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. She cranes her neck, hoping to see that mop of orange hair in the sea of people. And eventually, she sees it.

“Chika-chan!” she calls, waving at her. Noticing her, Chika’s face immediately lights up and she runs towards her, enveloping her in a giant hug that makes them almost topple over.

“You look so cute today!” Chika says when they finally part, her smile impossibly wide. “That dress suits you so much!”

“You really think so?” You gives her a little twirl with a laugh. “Thanks! You also look amazing!”

“Haha... I had a little help from Riko-chan,” Chika says a little sheepishly. “She suggested we go clothes shopping some time for a date!”

“That sounds cool! I’d love to do it!”

They enter the cinema hand in hand, barely even noticing the way You’s hand naturally finds Chika’s and laces her fingers around hers, swinging their arms as they walk. They buy popcorn and drinks, and go into the theatre labelled on their tickets, taking their seats in the middle where they’re not too far forward, but not right at the back either.

“Are you ready for this?” Chika says, flashing a grin towards You.

“Totally.”

“Wait! I’ve got an idea!” Chika jumps in her seat, causing the popcorn to tilt dangerously. You catches it before it begins to fall. She raises an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Let’s have a competition. You know that we’re both awful when it comes to romance movies like this and we’re usually asleep before even the halfway mark. Whoever falls asleep first will be paying for lunch later!”

“What if we’re both still awake by the end?”

“Then we’ll split the bill in half!”

Of course Chika would try to mix things up like this. You holds out her hand, offering it for Chika to shake like a fake contract. “It’s a deal. I’m not gonna lose.”

“Neither will I,” Chika replies, and they settle into their seats to wait for the movie to start.

The theatre dims and the title screen begins to play. You dips her hand into the popcorn bucket at the same time as Chika, and they both steal a grin at each other before turning their focus back. She’s determined on winning.

Chika munches on the popcorn, already feeling her attention beginning to waver. The girl on screen is a naive teenager who can’t help but chase after the popular jock, who is constantly surrounded by girls. Chika scrunches her nose up. Why can’t the girl just admit her feelings already? She shuffles closer to You, who is apparently engrossed in the movie, as she isn’t taking her eyes off the screen. After a moment of hesitation, Chika’s hand reaches for You’s in the darkness, and she holds it, their shoulders touching. You seems a bit surprised, but she squeezes her hand back.

Somehow, Chika finds herself getting quite into the movie, cheesy as it is. She’s watching it in a more ironic light, which makes it more enjoyable. She feels a weight on her shoulder, and she looks over to see You resting her head on it, still not taking her eyes off the screen. She sure is persistent.

The movie ends as the girl dances to a pop song with her new boyfriend, the popular guy she had been chasing all along whilst all the other students in the school watch them in awe. Chika claps politely, and the lights come back on again, which is the cue for people to leave.

Chika gets ready to stand up, but she realises You is sleeping on her shoulder. She huffs triumphantly, and moves a hand to shake You, but she stops when she sees how cute her fake girlfriend looks, and she senses her face heating up. Why is she thinking like this? About her friend who she has known since she could walk? But still, she continues to sit there until they are the only two people left in the theatre and Chika feels disappointed at the thought that they’ll need to leave now.

“You-chan,” she whispers. You blinks her eyes open and yawns.

“Is the movie over?” she asks, sitting up and running a hand through her hair.

“Yep. And you owe me lunch.”

You groans in defeat. “Well... I didn’t get much sleep last night,” she weakly protests, but she stands up anyway with a smile, knowing full well Chika won fair and square.

Chika is frozen in her seat for a second, still trying to process what just happened. Had she really gotten flustered at the thought of You falling asleep on her, and the hand-holding, and the hugs...?

“Chika-chan?” You says, with that frustratingly cute concerned face of hers.

“Y-yeah. Let’s go!” Chika jumps up with far too much enthusiasm, and they exit the cinema.

On the way to the restaurant, they make light conversation, chatting about Aqours practice and fun memories.

When they arrive, they make a game of ordering food they haven't tried before. Chika almost drenches her food in ketchup, which earns her a horrified look from You, and they both leave an hour later, satisfied and full. You makes a show of paying for the meal, to seem like a good girlfriend, when in reality, she just lost a bet.

They eventually find themselves wandering to the swimming pool in Numazu, with the sun beginning to set and the streets getting quieter.

"It's lucky I brought my swimsuit with me. I had a feeling we'd end up doing something like this," Chika states, patting her bag proudly. She doesn't need to ask You, as she already know that she takes her swimsuit everywhere with her, always prepared for an impromptu swim.

They hurriedly get changed and are standing by the edge of the pool a few minutes later.

"Ahh... This is so calming," You says, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

She dives in, gracefully, like a dolphin, Chika thinks. She has always admired You's swimming and diving abilities, noting that she and Kanan could be mermaids. You doesn't emerge for a few seconds, which begins to worry Chika.

But suddenly, a hand reaches out and grabs Chika's foot, pulling her in with a scream.

When Chika resurfaces, she finds You bent over in laughter. Her hair is glistening with water and it almost sparkles in the light of the setting sun. Water trickles down her face and neck, and Chika lowers her face slightly in the pool again to hide her blush and the fact that she just might be having a gay crisis.

You's her fake girlfriend. Why is she so flustered?

"Chika-chan, you should have seen your face!" You says when her laughter has died down enough for her to speak again.

It's then that Chika gets an idea. It sounds crazy, and she can't even believe she's thinking of this, but before she can stop herself, she wades towards You with a challenging look in her eyes. "Oh yeah? Well how about this?"

And Chika firmly but gently holds You's shoulders, and she lowers them both in the water. You watches her, confused, but then Chika lays her hands on her cheeks and brings herself in, kissing You on the lips.

It's soft and sweet; Chika feels You relaxing into her hold as they close their eyes, savouring the moment. Underwater kisses are cliche, overused in movies and books, but still, Chika loves the fizz of pleasure that surges through her body, and when they finally resurface for air, their cheeks are pink and they're laughing in glee.

No words need to spoken between them. Chika presses her forehead against You's and they stay like that for a while, floating in the calm ripples of the water that sparkles in the moonlight.

Chapter Text

Chika screams silently into her pillow.

This wasn’t part of the plan. Not at all. No way.

Why does she have such a massive crush on her best friend?

After getting out of the pool, Chika had walked You home. Neither of them really knew how to say goodbye after that, so Chika simply said, “Well... I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” with an awkward smile, tripping over her words in some places.

She presses her face into the pillow harder, mentally cursing herself for not just taking the chance and saying, “Actually, I might love you for real”.

But would that be weird? Would You reject her?

Chika turns over onto her back with a sigh. It looks like she won’t be getting any sleep tonight with her mind in this mess.

“Hey, is something the matter?”

Riko’s voice snaps Chika out of her thoughts. She scrambles to find words to reassure her. “I’m fine! Just a little tired!”

Riko frowns. “Actually, you haven’t told me how your date went yet. Or is that the problem?”

“No, not at all! The date went really well! I just-“ Chika bites her tongue, realising she was about to spill everything. She sits back in her seat, wanting nothing more at that moment than for the bus to drive off a cliff. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to deal with crushes she shouldn’t even be having.

There’s a short silence as Riko waits for Chika to continue, but she doesn’t press on, which Chika mentally thanks her for. “That’s good. You can tell us all at practice, ok? Then you won’t have to repeat the story a million times over,” Riko says with a small laugh.

“Sure.”

The rest of the bus ride passes in a comfortable quietness, the hum of the motor providing background noise. Chika clutches her bag closer to her chest and gazes out the window, resting her chin on her palm. She refuses to think about You right now, refuses to acknowledge the butterflies in her stomach when her mind drifts to their kiss last night.

She’s supposed to be helping her best friend, not making things even more complicated.

When they arrive at school, Chika plops down in her seat in their classroom and puts her head in her arms, tired from even thinking about yesterday.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” Riko pipes up, taking her books out from her bag and settling down.

Chika turns her head slightly to face her, noting her concerned expression. “Right as rain! We were just out late yesterday, and I didn’t get much sleep.”

Well, at least that part was the truth.

Riko folds her arms. “That doesn’t sound like right as rain to me.”

Before Chika can reply, the classroom door slides open and You herself steps in, almost looking on death’s door. Her tie is wonky and there are more than a few strands of hair out of place, as though she forgot to brush it properly. She yawns as she approaches the duo, and Chika notices the faint scent of chlorine on her.

Apparently, Riko had realised the same thing. “Did you go swimming? This early in the morning?” she asks with an almost chiding tone.

You offers a tired grin, stretching her arms above her head. “Couldn’t sleep. Cycled here at five in the morning because I was restless. ‘Morning, by the way.”

Her eyes don’t meet Chika’s, which she is almost grateful for. She doesn’t think she can handle those deep blue eyes sparkling at her without combusting. Now she understands exactly how all those girls have crushes on You— it’s probably impossible to not have some kind of feelings towards her charm.

“Honestly,” Riko sighs, “You two are made for each other. Even Chika-chan looks like a zombie today, and she’s the most energetic person I know.”

You turns towards Chika in surprise, who groans into her arms. Luckily, she doesn’t say anything, as the teacher enters the classroom, and orders everybody back to their seats.

Chika decides to sleep off her tiredness during the lesson, ignoring Riko’s exasperated sigh.

The morning passes uneventfully, and then it’s time for lunch.

The girls walk up to the roof for Aqours practice, and Chika is glad to have something to keep her mind off her developing feelings. Nothing is better for running away from gay thoughts than dancing with all her friends.

When they arrive, the others are already there, sitting on the floor. Kanan is holding a notebook with a smile, which Chika knows to be where she keeps all of the choreography notes. They are meant to be learning a new dance today, one for a live that they would be partaking in at the end of the month, a collaboration between school idols from various schools.

Chika sidles over to Kanan, leaning over her shoulder to peek into the notebook. There are mostly some messy scribbles that she guesses are meant to look like people, but they seem more as though Kanan had gotten into the hobby of drawing malformed trees.

“Before you can make fun of me, yes, that’s Dia,” Kanan states before Chika can get a word in, pointing at a doodle that looks more like a bush glued to a pencil than one of her greatest friends.

Hearing her name, Dia joins the pair, holding the notebook towards her to get a proper look. She squints.

“That’s... unflattering, to say the least,” she eventually remarks, and Kanan straightens up indignantly.

“Really? I’ll have you know that I pulled an all-nighter to get these done! And you know there’s nothing more I hate than losing sleep.”

“Welcome to the club,” You pipes up in a deadpan tone, flopping back against the wall.

Kanan’s pout disappears, quickly replaced with a grin. “Oh, how did your date go?”

Chika and You exchange a glance, the first time Chika had worked up the courage to look at her best friend’s face today, and You nods to prompt her. “It was great!” Chika says, a little too enthusiastically. “We went to the cinema and ate and hung out by the pool!”

A lie by omission. Oh well.

You doesn’t correct her, so she holds back a sigh of relief. Hanamaru claps her hands together. “See, those tickets went to good use!”

“Yeah, they did...” Yoshiko agrees, sitting a good two metres away from Hanamaru.

Having brightened up, Kanan brings them to attention. “Alright, guys, we don’t have all day. I’ve finished making the new choreography, which will be something a bit unique, but I’m sure we can pull it off!”

There’s a chorus of oohs from the group, and Chika can feel the excitement bubbling inside her that usually reappears when learning a dance. The rush of dancing to something for the first time, and the second time, and the fiftieth time, never ceases to hype her up.

Kanan continues. “I’ve decided that we will be grouped in pairs for this dance, with a group of three as the centre.”

In an almost grand gesture, she flips her notebook to the correct page and turns it towards them. The names of the girls in their positioning, according to their group.

Chika scans the names, looking for her own. So there’ll be Ruby in the centre, with Riko and Mari. Then Yoshiko with Kanan, Dia with Hanamaru, and-

“I’m with You-chan...” Chika whispers, already feeling herself heat up. She turns her head to look at her best friend, who is fiddling with her cap absentmindedly, not taking her eyes off the page.

“If you have any issues with this, then go ahead and tell me now, please,” Kanan says, and when nobody speaks up, she moves on. “Okay, good.”

The girls stand up and move towards their partners. Chika approaches You with a sheepish smile. Somehow, she feels almost uneasy being so close to her, as though she’s invading her boundaries. It’s a stupid thought, though. They have been casually affectionate with each other ever since they were kids, so why is she worrying about it now?

But then You whispers into her ear, “I think Kanan-chan is up to something,” and it hits Chika.

Of course. As much as she had tried to hide it, Chika knew that Kanan was secretly thrilled at the news of two of her childhood friends dating, and was taking this opportunity to push them further.

In that case, she would surely be disappointed if she ever found out that they weren’t actually dating. The hole they had dug themselves into was pretty deep, considering that the entire school was fooled by now.

That, coupled with the kiss from last night—

“Hey, Chika, are you listening?” Kanan says before she can continue with that train of thought.

“Yep!” And she exhales when she isn’t interrogated further.

Kanan runs them over the first dance steps, though Chika finds it hard to tear her eyes away from You’s blue eyes, or her cute pigtails, or literally anything else about her.

She’s the leader of Aqours. She needs to concentrate.

She slaps her cheeks to pull herself back into reality, which earns her a couple of glances from the other girls, and a concerned look from You. Chika rushes to reassure her, ignoring the hand-shaped red marks that are probably painting her cheeks right now, which You cannot suppress a giggle at.

She’ll consider that a win.

Chika takes a long sigh, standing on her tiptoes and stretching out towards the ceiling. Other than her little crisis, practice, along with the rest of the day, had been rather uneventful, as they had only begun to learn some basic choreography at the start.

Still, she can’t deny that her heart picked up its pace a little every time she locked eyes with You.

There’s a sound of rushed footsteps, and Chika turns just in time to see a girl barrelling straight into her. Pens and books clatter on the floor and she is quick to bend down to help pick them up, reassuring the girl who is stammering over her apologies.

“What’s the big rush?” Chika asks once the items are back in the girl’s grasp, holding a hand out to help her up.

The girl bounces on her feet a little. “You’re Takami-senpai, right? Leader of Aqours and Watanabe-senpai’s girlfriend?”

Chika rubs her neck. She can guess where this is heading, if the girl’s earnest eyes and tight grip on a small package are anything to go by. “Yeah, I am. Something up?”

“Oh, uh...” Her voice trails off, her cheeks reddening. “So I heard that Watanabe-senpai had a girlfriend, and it made me kinda sad because I have a big crush on her!” The words hit Chika at the speed of a train, and she frowns, but the girl hurries to correct herself. “Of course, I would never do anything, because I only want Watanabe-senpai to be as happy as possible, and I know you would treat her right, knowing that you guys are childhood friends-“

She stops mid-ramble to take a breath, and Chika has to suppress a small giggle. She guesses that You has to deal with girls like these daily, though the number had notedly decreased since they started “dating”. Behind them, they had left a trail of teenage girls who had just had their first heartbreak, broken dreams and impossible fantasies.

She places a hand on her shoulder, prompting the girl to look up into her ruby eyes with a slightly frightened expression. “Hey, just because you aren’t in a relationship with You-chan, it doesn’t mean you can’t become friends with her! She loves having friends!”

That may have been a slight understatement, given that You frequently ends up with girls clinging onto her whenever they go out, always delighted that they want to talk with her.

“Yeah, you’re right.” The girl glances at the clock on the wall. “Ah, she’s probably gone now, isn’t she? I wanted to give this to her to share with you as a congratulatory gift...” She holds out the package to Chika, neatly wrapped in sparkly blue paper. It seems to be a box of chocolates, a rather safe yet effective idea.

“I’ll take it and be sure to give it to her! And I promise I won’t eat the whole thing!” Chika offers, placing her hands on her hips.

“Thank you, Takami-senpai!” The girl hands it over to her, carefully so as not to crush the chocolates inside. “Also, you’re a really nice person! My friends and I all love Aqours, and we will always support you!”

She takes off skipping down the hallway before Chika can thank her or ask for her name, but it warms her heart that so many people care about her idol group.

They care about... her.

She’s no longer a nobody standing in the shadow of You’s dazzling light. She’s no longer met with “Who are you again?” when she tries to approach people.

She feels she can stand on the same stage as You, equal as friends and partners, rather than ten steps behind and out of view of everyone else.

But when Aqours is over...

No. She won’t think about that yet. She’s happy the way she is, right now, surrounded by friends.

It’s still fairly light outside. Maybe she’ll take a walk home before it gets dark.