Chapter Text
Miko is sixteen when she meets Suisei for the first time.
Miko befriends a classmate in high school and gets invited to her house to do some homework together. She would honestly rather spend the entire afternoon just lazing around and playing games, but their test results came out recently. Her friend noticed how bad Miko's grades were, and she invited Miko over for a study session at her house. Miko reluctantly accepted, aware that she still needs to pass her classes despite wanting nothing more than to stay at home instead. She wasn't going to decline such a kind offer either.
Now here she is, dragging her feet to face an afternoon of pure suffering.
It's the start of summer, and the heat doesn't make her feel any better. She feels sluggish and sticky, and her friend doesn't seem to be doing too well either. She walks beside Miko, shoulders slumped and pink hair tied into a side ponytail that sways with each step.
Miko wishes she brought a hair tie too so that she could expose her neck to the wind. She wipes the sweat off her forehead and buys some ice cream for herself and for her friend to cool down as a small repayment for helping her study.
“We should head to the beach,” Miko casually offers. She doesn't really want to go to the beach, but it beats studying.
“Nice try,” her friend responds with amusement, and Miko pouts, having no other choice but to accept her fate.
They continue their walk to her friend's house underneath the afternoon sun. They reach their destination, and Miko is extremely thankful because she feels like she would have fainted if they took a few more extra steps.
Right as they enter through the door, a child with blue hair, sparkling eyes, and the cutest smile immediately runs up to greet her friend with an excited hug.
Miko smiles at the wholesome sight, and the adorable illusion shatters when the kid turns to her and gives her once over. Miko starts to feel self-conscious at the dry stare.
“You look stupid,” the child bluntly states, pointing at her ahoge.
Miko instinctively covers her ahoge to protect it from the rude child. She gapes at the sassy kid, indignant and speechless at the unprompted insult.
“Sui-chan!” Her friend scolds, but the blue haired child merely gives Miko a look of superiority. Despite how tiny she is, Miko somehow feels she's being looked down on. Is it weird to feel intimidated by a child?
Miko attempts to retain the pleasant smile on her face and tries to curb her annoyance.
“Nice to meet you! My name is Sakura Miko,” she politely introduces. She's older, so she has to present herself as a perfect example of maturity to this young kid.
“My sister said that you're failing your classes like a dummy.”
“I didn't say that,” her friend corrects before giving Miko a pointed look, “I just said that she was failing, which is true.”
“She still looks like an idiot,” the child tactlessly says with a shrug.
Miko's smile crumbles, and she aggressively rolls up her sleeves, ready to give her a piece of her mind.
“Why you little -”
Her friend interrupts the storm of insults on the tip of her tongue. She hurriedly drags Miko to her room to avoid a potential ruckus, and the kid has the audacity to stick her tongue out at her with a triumphant smile.
Miko gasps in shock, irked beyond belief.
Sure, the cheeky brat looks to only be around ten years old, but Miko isn't above picking a fight with a child.
Her friend shuts the door behind her and apologizes to Miko profusely.
“Sorry about that,” she guiltily says, “I'll make sure to talk to her about her behavior later.”
“It's fine, she's still young so it can't be helped,” Miko lightheartedly laughs, putting on a mature front even as she inwardly imagines smacking the back of the kid's head. She secretly stews in her irritation, a grudge forming inside her.
“My little sister's name is Suisei,” her friend offers, “I hope you two could get along.”
Miko doubts it.
They settle into her room to study, and Miko feels productive enough that it becomes their usual routine. Surprisingly, her grades actually do improve. She thinks that it's partly due to her petty motivations to prove to Suisei that she isn't an idiot.
She starts coming over more often to study at her friend's house and sometimes just to hang out. Because of this, she encounters Suisei more frequently too. She childishly tries to annoy Suisei with her constant presence around their house, but the opposite happens. The arrogant brat would always have an air of superiority and the smuggest smirk on her face, and Miko can't believe that she's losing to a child.
Suisei keeps taunting her and talking to her casually despite being six years younger than Miko. Her speech is informal whenever she addresses Miko, and Miko feels like she's being reduced to a toddler whenever she argues with Suisei.
She makes snarky remarks that are subtle enough that no one else but Miko could pick up on it. The only reason Miko could tell that the snide comments are directed at her is because Suisei would give her the most impish grin before saying it.
Miko knows that she shouldn't take any of it seriously. She guesses that the only reason why Suisei plays around with Miko like this is because she knows how easy it is to get a rise out of her. Regardless, Miko still always falls for her traps and provocations.
She's normally good with children, so she doesn't know how to handle this new challenge.
Miko would like to think that she's a decently patient person, but being around Suisei brings out the worst in her. It was like the child decided that her new purpose in life is to be the most obnoxious little shit towards Miko specifically. She can't believe that someone as kind and refined as her friend could have a sister who seems like the embodiment of evil in comparison.
Deep inside, it's not like Miko really minds. There's no harm done. She's gotten used to Suisei's attitude at this point, and her constant, annoying presence is something that she's come to expect whenever she visits the Hoshimachi household.
Does she feel pathetic having an ongoing rivalry with a kid? Yes, she does, but she can't help but stoop to Suisei's level anyway. It would be extremely embarrassing if anyone finds out.
This goes on for a few months, all through summer. Until one autumn day, her friend suddenly calls her in a panic.
“What's wrong?” Miko asks, alarmed at the fear in her friend's voice. Worry rises in her chest when her friend explains how Suisei ran away from home after an argument with their parents.
Miko isn't a horrible person, and it's not like she wants anything bad to happen to Suisei despite being a thorn in Miko's side. Miko instantly offers to help look for Suisei, and she rushes out of her house to find her. She goes around town, peeking at every possible place that Suisei could be hiding in.
“That little brat...” she grumbles in frustration. It's slowly getting dark, and Miko's heart pounds with anxiety.
Just their luck, it starts to rain heavily too. She didn't bring an umbrella, but she can't just go home without knowing that Suisei is safe. Her conscience wouldn't let her sleep.
The strength of the wind makes her forgo buying an umbrella too, since she's already drenched by the rain at this point.
She presses on, her wet clothes clinging to her body as she continues her search. Her bangs are matted against her face, and she brushes them away from her eyes. She can barely hear nor see anything through the heavy rain.
She goes to a nearby playground to sit down on the swings and rest for a short moment. Her legs are starting to hurt, and she curses her lack of exercise.
“Where are you?” She grumbles before sneezing. She already anticipates an incoming cold over the next few days.
A loud clap of thunder startles her, but her attention is drawn to a loud yelp coming from somewhere underneath the slides.
She creeps closer, hoping that her search is over. She pauses when she hears soft, sniffling sounds.
Miko carefully approaches and sees a head of familiar blue hair, barely visible from this angle. She takes her phone out to call her friend over, but she hesitates when she hears the weak sobs cutting through the echoes of the rain.
“Sui-chan?” she gently calls out to make her presence known.
Suisei jumps in surprise and quickly tries to hide the fact that she was crying.
“What are you doing here?” she hisses. She tries to sound angry, but she only ends up sounding pitiful instead.
“We were looking for you,” Miko explains softly, moving closer to her.
“Leave me alone!” Suisei growls and turns to run away from her.
“Wait!” Miko reaches out, flinching when Suisei accidentally slips from a nearby puddle.
“Sui-chan!” she yells, rushing over to her worriedly. She must have hurt herself when she fell down, because Suisei starts to cry even harder. She looks so young like this, unlike how she normally looks whenever she torments Miko for her amusement.
It pains her to see Suisei act like this when she's usually such a stuck up brat.
Unable to resist the urge to console her, Miko hesitantly holds out her hand to see if Suisei would pull away from her touch. Suisei doesn't react except to give her a subdued glare, the effect lost as her shoulders shake from trying to hold back tears.
“I'm going to carry you, okay?” Miko states. Suisei doesn't respond, and Miko takes it as permission to attempt to scoop her up. She slowly places an arm under the back of Suisei's knees, still giving her a chance to refuse.
Suisei remains silent, her eyes downcast. She looks miserable and tired.
Miko's heart melts, and she begs her body to cooperate as she tries to lift Suisei in her arms. She wouldn't be able to stand the humiliation if she fails, and Suisei most likely would never let her live it down either. Her dignity is on the line.
She's immensely proud of herself when she's actually able to lift Suisei. Fortunately, Suisei is small and pretty light, but Miko still clumsily struggles. She tries not to make it obvious to Suisei that her arms and back are already burning from the few steps that she takes.
A large crack of thunder startles her again, and Suisei seems to curl up in fear. She hides her face into Miko's shoulder, her hands twisting into fists around Miko's shirt as small tremors wrack through her tiny body. The heartbreaking sight gives Miko a little burst of adrenaline, enough to carry Suisei further.
She cradles Suisei against her chest while she brings them over under a nearby shade to shield them from the rain.
She places Suisei to sit on a bench, and her arms feel like it's about to fall off.
She notices the bloody scrape on Suisei's knee, and Miko takes out her handkerchief. She kneels in front of Suisei and lightly dabs at the wound to clean it. Suisei winces at the pain, and Miko apologetically stops. She tries again after a moment, and Suisei allows her to pat around the area.
She puts her handkerchief away and sits beside Suisei on the bench. She remains quiet and listens as Suisei's choked whimpers slowly subside.
She's cold, and she's probably going to get sick, but she forces herself to endure the discomfort for a little while for Suisei's sake.
She stays with her, and only the sound of rain fills the silence.
Miko doesn't pry despite her own curiosity. She just hopes that her presence could offer Suisei a little bit of comfort and reassurance that she isn't alone.
Suisei seems to calm down after a while and aggressively wipes the tears from her eyes. She halfheartedly glares at Miko and mutters, “If you tell anyone about this, I'm going to make you regret it.”
Her voice is shaky, and the threat holds no power with the way her body still trembles.
Her heart aches at the sadness in Suisei's voice.
“I'm sure you will,” Miko responds simply. She takes off her soaked jacket and wrings it out a little to dry it off. She carefully places it over Suisei's shoulders to offer a little warmth. It's still wet, but it might help with the cold.
Suisei gives her an odd look that Miko can't quite decipher. It's a kind of expression that she's never seen on Suisei, but she chooses to ignore it. This whole day has already shown her a new side of Suisei that she's never seen before, and she wants to convey to her that she's safe with Miko.
They go back to sitting in silence, only interrupted by the occasional hiccups from Suisei.
“Stay here,” Miko tells her before going to a nearby vending machine to buy Suisei a drink.
She walks through the rain, but she's already drenched anyway so she pays it no mind. She hands the drink to Suisei, who accepts it while still looking at Miko with eyes filled with wonder.
She's not used to Suisei looking at her like that, so Miko squirms a little bit at the curious gaze.
She settles beside Suisei once again as they wait for the rain to stop.
“You're wondering why I ran away, right?” Suisei begins, breaking the silence.
Miko glances at her, surprised that she's starting a conversation. Suisei looks away, and Miko scrambles to make the atmosphere less awkward for Suisei.
“I am, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to,” Miko responds. She doesn't want Suisei to feel like she needs to explain anything to Miko, so she patiently waits to see if Suisei would continue.
“I've always wanted to be a singer,” Suisei confesses. Her voice sounds wistful, and there's a desire in her tone that seems to come from deep in her soul.
“I don't want to study anymore,” Suisei scowls, her shoulders drooping, “I don't need it. It's useless to me when all I want is to sing.”
Miko is speechless for a moment but listens as Suisei opens up to her about her dreams. She explains that she's been making song covers online and that she's been practicing hard. The stars in her eyes seem to twinkle as she happily talks about her passion, and Miko is amazed at how determined she sounds.
The genuine dedication in Suisei's voice leaves Miko astonished, and she can't help but root for her. She's still so young yet already knows what she wants to do, and there's something admirable about it. Her resolve is impressive.
“I've never heard you sing before,” Miko comments, and Suisei looks at her with a confident smile. It's unlike the usual haughty smile that Miko normally sees on her face.
“Do you want to hear me sing?” Suisei offers with excitement, and Miko nods with delight.
Suisei opens her mouth to sing, and suddenly Miko forgets to breathe. Her head is filled with the melody of Suisei's voice, powerful and smooth in a way that leaves Miko in awe.
It's one of the most beautiful sounds she's ever heard. Suisei turns into a different person in front of her eyes, and suddenly she looks cool instead of the cheeky brat that Miko knows her to be.
A lot of people have told Miko about their dreams in passing, but this is the first time that she's seen a certain spark that makes her feel like it could actually come true.
“How was it?” Suisei shyly asks, and Miko snaps out of her stupor.
She showers Suisei with compliments and praises, and Suisei must see her sincerity because her smile becomes the brightest that Miko has ever seen and the sparkle in her eyes shine with joy.
She looks proud of herself, and Miko is happy that she seems to return to her usual cocky attitude.
It's somehow endearing, and Miko vows to herself that she would help Suisei make her dream come true no matter what.
She doesn't doubt that Suisei could do it, especially with her one of a kind talent. From what Miko knows about her, she's pretty hard headed and stubborn. She knows that it's going to be a tough road, but she's sure that Suisei wouldn't be the type to just give up in the face of challenges.
Suisei's eyes turn dull again, and Miko feels sympathy swell in her chest.
She decides to share something a little personal about herself too so that Suisei wouldn't feel so alone.
“I want to be a voice actress,” Miko shyly confesses.
Suisei turns to her in surprise as Miko shares her own feelings.
Miko explains how it's always been her dream, and it's something that she plans to pursue seriously once she graduates. She tells Suisei about how she's been practicing on her own and watching videos online to learn. She's even part of their school drama club where she can get some support to enhance and further improve her skills.
It feels nice to talk about it with someone who seems to understand, and hearing Suisei's commitment to her goals inspires Miko to work even harder to achieve her own.
She still can't believe that it's Suisei of all people that she's having this heartfelt conversation with.
Suisei listens intently and seems to ponder on her words. She seems to be deep in thought, absorbing Miko's words.
“How about this,” Miko says, moving to crouch in front of Suisei, “Let's promise each other that we'll do our best to reach our dreams no matter what.”
She sticks out her pinky finger to Suisei, and Suisei stares at her for a few beats. After a brief moment where Miko awkwardly considers retracting her hand, Suisei reaches her own hand out to Miko and links their pinkies together.
“Then it's a promise!” Suisei firmly declares, and Miko smiles at the determination burning in her eyes.
She ruffles the messy blue hair affectionately, half expecting Suisei to slap her hand away and get mad at her. She's surprised when Suisei's expression suddenly clears up, gazing at Miko with starry eyes as she lets her pat her head.
She must be too tired to stir up a fuss after the rough day she had. Miko herself can feel her own energy dropping as the tension disappears from her body.
She's still crouched in front of Suisei, so she turns around to face the other way.
“Get on my back, I'll take you home,” Miko offers.
Suisei bites her lip, “But -”
“You must be tired, and you hurt your knee too,” Miko explains.
Suisei still looks hesitant, and Miko complains, “You should rely on me a little. I'm older than you, you know?”
She huffs in exasperation at the thought that Suisei sees her as someone incompetent. She had hoped that she was able to prove to Suisei today that Miko can be responsible too, especially since she's the older one here.
She expects Suisei to reject her offer, claim that she can walk by herself, and throw a snarky comment at Miko, but instead her cheeks turn a shade of pink. Miko tilts her head curiously, and Suisei moves to wrap her arms around Miko's shoulders from behind as she gets on her back.
She's so surprised by the action that she doesn't immediately move.
Miko shakily stands up with Suisei on her back, and she forces herself to be strong for Suisei. She manages to balance herself while carrying Suisei, and she hopes the kid doesn't notice that Miko is barely able to lift her.
A sense of victory floods her chest when Suisei nuzzles into her back as she carries her home.
She falls asleep on Miko's back, and she feels accomplished that Suisei trusts her enough to do so. She must be really tired, and Miko feels proud of herself that Suisei is comfortable enough around her to relax.
She passes Suisei off to her parents and smiles at the peaceful look on her face. They thank her repeatedly, apologizing for all the trouble, and Miko hopes that Suisei won't get into too much trouble once she wakes up.
Miko catches a cold the next day, but she thinks that it's all worth it.
Suisei quickly starts warming up to her after that, and her attitude towards Miko drastically changes. Although she still has an air of playful mischief, she doesn't antagonize Miko all that much anymore.
Maybe it's because of their heartfelt conversation in the playground, but she feels like they both understand each other a little better.
“You two seem like you're getting along lately,” her friend observes.
“We're not,” Miko denies.
“You're spoiling her too much,” her friend chuckles.
Suisei is asleep on her lap, and Miko smiles at the adorable sight. It's winter, and they're all bundled up under thick blankets. Suisei must be feeling cozy, because she snuggles up against Miko even more.
She's still not quite used to Suisei being so attached to her. The days when she was trying to piss Miko off like it was her job feels so long ago.
She's still a cheeky little brat, but Miko doesn't have the urge to strangle her anymore.
Despite the satisfaction that she feels now that Suisei has fully welcomed her, Miko sometimes wonders if Suisei's attachment to her has become a little bit excessive recently.
On a fine day during spring, Suisei confesses to her under the cherry blossoms.
“I love you!” Suisei proclaims, her face bright red.
Miko is elated that Suisei feels close enough to her to see her as something akin to family. Before Miko could respond, Suisei continues, “Let's get married!”
Oh.
She means that kind of love.
Miko holds herself back from laughing when she sees the serious look on Suisei's face. She can't believe that Suisei has a crush on her, especially with how rocky their friendship started out.
She stops herself from giggling because she doesn't want Suisei to feel like Miko is trivializing her feelings. It must have taken her a lot of courage to confess, and Miko didn't want to leave the poor kid traumatized.
She crouches down in front of Suisei and responds to her genuine feelings with sincerity, “Thank you, Sui-chan. Your feelings make me happy, but I think I'm a little too old for you.”
She tries to let her down as gently as possible. She hopes that Suisei isn't too heartbroken about it.
Suisei frowns, her brows furrowing at her words, “Then wait for me! When I grow up, I'll definitely marry Miko-chi!”
Miko almost squeals at how precious she sounds. Again, she holds herself back from ruining the moment. She doesn't want Suisei to think that she was laughing at her.
Suisei's voice is filled with determination, the same way she sounded when she opened up to Miko about her dreams that day in the playground.
She doesn't want to get Suisei's hopes up when Miko has no chance of reciprocating her feelings.
Miko considers rejecting her but decides against it. Suisei is still young, and these feelings will pass. She'll move on soon and meet someone her own age, and this would become a funny memory that Miko could tease her about someday.
She gives Suisei a gentle smile and pats her head instead. Suisei happily declares, “Then that's a promise!”
“I can't believe that you're engaged to my sister,” her friend laughs upon witnessing the scene.
“Shut up,” Miko huffs.
The following years after that, Suisei would occasionally propose to her. She always asks Miko if she's grown up enough, and Miko would always give her a cheeky smile and say “no.”
Suisei always grunts in disappointment and frustration before declaring that she'll try again next time.
She even goes to visit Miko during their school festivals and introduces her to her friends as Suisei's future wife. Miko just laughs it off and affectionately pats her head.
She's surprised that Suisei still seems to latch on to her and the silly promise from years ago. She assumed that her crush on Miko would just be a short phase, but years pass and Suisei still consistently confesses to her. Miko should have realized sooner that Suisei is a very stubborn person when she wants something.
Suisei grows up, but she's still a child in Miko's eyes.
Miko thinks that someday, she'll eventually meet someone who would catch her attention and reciprocate her feelings.
It doesn't happen. Suisei still looks at Miko like she couldn't see anyone else, and it makes Miko feel a little guilty. She doesn't want Suisei to waste her youth on Miko, so when Suisei proposes to her again, Miko decides to take the opportunity to clear things up.
Suisei gives her a cold look that makes Miko shudder in fear. She's only gotten even scarier the older she gets.
Suisei shakes her head with a sigh, “Maybe I'm just not grown up enough yet.”
Miko gives her a sympathetic look, but Suisei glares at her and asserts that she has no intention of giving Miko up.
“I'm going to marry you!” Suisei declares once again.
Miko frowns, but her guilt lessens knowing that at least she already tried to dissuade Suisei. It's her choice now if she still wants to continue.
“Prepare yourself, Miko-chi!” Suisei grumbles, almost sounding like a threat as she storms off.
She could only hope that Suisei comes to her senses soon.
Before Suisei starts high school, Miko decides to move to the city to take a shot at becoming a professional voice actress.
Suisei looks upset, and Miko doesn't think she's seen Suisei look this unhappy since that day in the playground all those years ago.
“I want to go with you,” Suisei mumbles, holding onto Miko's sleeve like she doesn't want to let her go. The action is surprisingly childlike, and she can't resist the urge to comfort her.
“Your parents are going to kill you,” Miko jokes to lighten the mood.
“We promised each other that we'll fulfill our dreams, so don't forget to wait for me,” Suisei softly says.
“Don't worry, I won't forget,” Miko placates. She still believes with all her heart that Suisei is someone who can achieve her dreams. Through the years, her singing has only improved even further, and Miko is excited to watch her succeed.
Suisei makes her swear to keep in touch, and Miko agrees.
She moves to the city and starts to live alone. She gets a job to pay the bills, while her other time is spent attending vocal lessons and applying for small voice acting roles. She has a hard time adjusting to the hectic city life, and she starts to feel lonely. She ignores her homesickness and concentrates on working towards her goals.
She toughs it out at first, but she feels the daily grind slowly get to her. She starts to lose hope as more and more rejection comes instead of the big break that she's been hoping for. She's never felt so tired and hopeless before.
Time flies, and before she knows it, she's been living in the city for a few years, yet she's still stuck right where she started.
She stops talking to her friends, lacking the energy to go out or meet up. She feels like a total failure, and the longer she tries, the worse she feels. When she's not working, she just wants to curl up into a ball and be left alone.
Sometimes, she considers giving up, but she remembers her promise to Suisei. She doesn't want the other girl to see how Miko turned out, so she pretends that everything is fine whenever they message each other. She feels ashamed, and she's scared of what Suisei would think of her if she could see her now.
The only person she still consistently talks to other than her family is Suisei, because the other girl would spam her with messages if Miko doesn't reply. Her notifications would be flooded if she takes too long to respond. She doesn't have the heart to ignore her either, because if Miko is being honest, she does have a soft spot for Suisei.
She only talks to Suisei through messages, because she's afraid that Suisei would immediately notice that something is wrong if she hears Miko's voice. She's perceptive, and Miko doesn't want to worry her.
She hasn't seen Suisei in over three years. She stopped visiting home a while back when she started to feel too embarrassed to show herself when she still hasn't achieved anything. She always tells her family that she's been too busy lately, so they come visit her in the city sometimes instead.
Her daily life blurs together, and she feels numbness through it all. Until one day, Suisei suddenly brings up her plans to go to the city for college to study music. She asks Miko to help her look for a place to stay since she's more familiar with the area.
Miko hesitates but ultimately agrees. She has no reason to refuse, and she'd rather be there for Suisei than have her get lost. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to leave Suisei to fend for herself, and she wants to make sure that the other girl would be completely fine.
Besides, maybe seeing Suisei again would bring back a little bit of spark in her life. Suisei always had a way of riling Miko up.
The day of Suisei's visit arrives, and Miko heads to the train station to meet up with her. She waits around the area, keeping her eye out for a head of blue hair.
Come to think of it, she doesn't really know what Suisei looks like nowadays. Miko doesn't check her socials all that much except for work, so she's not exactly up to date with her friends.
Suisei sends her a message to inform her that she's already in the area, so Miko looks around to find her.
She notices a blur of blue out of the corner of her eyes and turns to that direction. She sees a woman standing around and looking a little lost. Her features are sharp, and she looks sort of like a model. She's incredibly gorgeous from what Miko could tell from the distance. She's a bit tall, and her posture carries a powerful stance that comes off as a little intimidating. It seems that Miko isn't the only one captivated by her appearance, and she notices a few people glancing at the girl too.
Her face is impassive as she scans the crowd, and she looks so cool that Miko has a hard time stopping herself from staring too much.
Miko shakes herself out of it and tries to resist checking the stranger out further. She's only here to look for Suisei. Before she could look away, the pretty woman suddenly makes eye contact with her.
Miko feels her heart leap when the woman's face lights up so brightly that it takes Miko's breath away. She walks towards Miko's direction in quick strides, and Miko can't help but notice how long her legs are.
But why was she approaching Miko? Maybe there was someone else behind her?
She turns around but there's no one else. An absurd thought suddenly hits her.
Could this person be Suisei? She laughs to herself, finding the very notion to be impossible. Sure there's some resemblance, but Suisei is just a cute little girl. She wasn't exactly that little anymore the last time Miko saw her, but she's not this tall either, and her features aren't this sharp.
She would describe Suisei as cute instead of whatever the hell this was.
She hasn't seen Suisei in over three years, but surely she couldn't have changed that much from the last time Miko saw her.
The pretty lady stops in front of her, and Miko is frozen on the spot. She's even more beautiful up close.
The gorgeous stranger stares back at Miko, gazing at her like she's enthralled by something, and Miko shifts underneath the intensity.
“Miko-chi,” the girl greets cheerfully, and her smooth voice sends tingles throughout her whole body.
Her doubts are cast aside when the other girl calls out to her in that adorably familiar way she always says Miko's name. It really is Suisei.
But since when did Suisei sound like that ?
Oh no, she's hot.
Suisei hasn't uploaded any songs online for the past few years since she was busy with her club activities. Apparently, she joined a school band club in high school, so Miko hasn't heard her voice for quite a while either, hence her state of absolute surprise at this version of Suisei.
Miko feels like she might be in a little bit of trouble, because Suisei shouldn't be hot, but it seems that puberty had other plans.
She has a hard time reconciling this Suisei with the little brat that she knows.
Her eyes are drawn to the stuffed plushie that Suisei is holding, and she recognizes it as the one Miko gave her as a birthday present a few years ago.
“Sui-chan?”
The stars in Suisei's eyes seem to shine even brighter upon hearing her name, and her cheeks redden. She lifts the plushie and uses it to wave at Miko.
Suddenly, she turns back into the same Suisei that Miko knows, the adorable and cute Suisei that she remembers.
She waves back at the plushie to humor the other girl, and Suisei takes a step closer to her. She then throws herself into Miko's arms, and she almost stumbles backwards if Suisei hadn’t kept her upright.
“I missed you so much, Miko-chi,” Suisei whispers into her ear.
Miko feels her face heat up, and it's weird, because this is just Suisei.
She forces herself to calm down as she wraps her arms around Suisei to return the hug.
“I missed you too, Sui-chan.”