AMBiTiON/Story/Ch. 4

## Chapter 4 - Point Proven

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"Hiro-tan, you're going to bother Takimoto-senpai again?"

As the students began to leave for dismissal, Aki stood at Chihiro's desk, tilting her head at the girl sitting down. "I'm not bothering her!" The brown-haired girl replied. "Just befriending her!"

"From what you say, it doesn't sound like she wants to be befriended... You've been trying to convince her to join us for the past week, and she still hasn't agreed. Why not leave her be?"

"I can't help it that she takes the same train as me to go home! I just keep bumping into her."

"Come on, Hiro-tan~. Be nice, leave her alone! Plus, we hardly have anything set up in our band currently - All we know is that I'll play the keyboard, and you'll sing. Takimoto-senpai is in for a disappointment if she actually joins now..."

Chihiro frowned. "Well, that's the thing. We don't have any knowledge about bands, and Takimoto-senpai probably knows enough to help us. Y-You know, since her sister's in ECL:PSE?"

"Aw, don't discredit me like that! I did my research on bands!" Aki joked, pretending to be upset.

Looking Aki in the eyes, Chihiro scornfully thought to herself, 'And I'm not looking for some pretentious princess who thinks she's qualified for success just for making a couple of internet searches.'

Aki turned to glance at the classroom's clock, "Ah! I should probably go to volleyball practice now. Don't go nagging Takimoto-senpai again, ya hear me?"

"Sure, sure…" Chihiro mumbled, watching the purple-haired girl take her leave. It didn't matter how Aki specifically told her not to go, or that Chihiro kind of, maybe, perhaps liked her - Aki wasn't the boss of her, and she wouldn't ever be.

Sluggishly, Chihiro got her bag and took her time leaving the school. She was quite proud of herself for looking up bands and staying up watching videos of performances the previous night, as it was for her band's sake and she was therefore being helpful, although it cost a chunk of her sleep schedule.

She headed for the train station, hoping to see Takimoto-senpai again. Chihiro was pleasantly surprised at herself for being consistent with bothering the short, curly-haired girl; Consistency was the last thing Chihiro could expect from herself. Maybe she really was determined to win Takimoto-senpai over and remain the winner of their quarrel. Chihiro clenched her fists and held her arms to her chest in triumph. She would prove to that sassy ant-sized brat that her band was worth joining...!

Stepping onto the train station platform, Chihiro took out her phone while waiting for the train. Then she saw the time.

Written in a mockingly big size, right in the middle of her lock screen, Chihiro's phone read, "3:32PM".

"I-I took too long and missed my train…" Chihiro whispered to herself, defeated. There was no way Takimoto-senpai also missed the train like she did - It seemed as though Chihiro wouldn't be able to bother her today. Disappointed, she sighed and tiredly stood waiting on the platform.

Chihiro walked along the usual road she took to go home. For the past week, she had been involuntarily accompanied by Takimoto-senpai. Although Chihiro had always gone to and from school on her lonesome, the week she spent heading home with the small girl didn't feel so lonely, despite Takimoto-senpai being so boringly quiet and serious. If only that Aki Hoshime-sama didn't have such Important Business or whatever it was to constantly attend to after school, perhaps Chihiro's life outside of school didn't have to be so bland. 'Whatever,' Chihiro shook her head, silently saying to herself, 'I only plan on taking advantage of them, so that I can be popular.'

And yet as she walked on, a familiar feeling revisited Chihiro. She stared at her feet, her side ponytail swaying.

She felt so out of place.

She had always tried so hard to fit in, to feel approved of.  But whatever she tried, it just wouldn't work. Whatever she thought of herself, it was so embarrassing and wrong, as if it would break the laws of physics. It wouldn't work. It just wouldn't.

Chihiro halted and took a deep breath. That was exactly why she wanted to form the band. She was going to get friends and make herself someone worth knowing. Be popular. Be famous, even. The auburn-haired girl forced herself to look up and face forward. She would do anything in her power to finally reach what she wanted. Even if it meant manipulating the people she met.

"Lalala~."

The melancholic silence of Chihiro's thoughts was broken by an odd, out-of-tune singing, one which did not fit into the surrounding birdsong nor the faint rustling of the canopy overhead.

"Mango or grape juice? A dilemma indeed~."

A voice, like that of a child's, ever so quiet, yet so audible throughout the empty street.

"Lalala~. Just do my math homework, like 'zoom'!"

A voice, so eerily familiar…

"Lalala~. Then I'll play Pixerrarium and beat the Octopistol! Bang bang, shoot~!"

"Takimoto-senpai?"

"Ugyaaah--!!"

The short figure jumped like a startled cat and stiffly, like a frozen statue, turned around for her astonished turquoise gaze to meet the oblivious eyes of Chihiro.

"If you don't mind me asking... Uhm, what are you doing?"

"Sorry you had to see that." Like magic, Takimoto-senpai's terrified pose returned to an unmoving, coffin-like stance. Her wild eyes blinked away into the usual dull gaze, and whatever fear was previously present disappeared as if it were dust in the wind.

"Uh, that didn't answer my ques--"

"I said sorry, okay?!" Takimoto-senpai snapped, then spun around and started to walk away without another word.

Chihiro followed her for another three steps, "Um, y'know… you looked happy just now, Takimoto-senpai."

The small silhouette stopped to face Chihiro. "Uh, so? What's your point?" She glared at her. "Does it matter that I look happy? Does it matter when I look so stupid?" Takimoto-senpai turned back around, her voice becoming icy, edged with distrust. "When I get berated by people like you?"

Slightly open-mouthed in shock, Chihiro choked on her words as she tried to speak, "Wait, I--"

"And for the love of god, does it matter when the person who finds me like this is as annoying as you?!"

Takimoto-senpai's back was turned towards Chihiro as she spat the harsh words without hesitation. "Again, sorry for that." She simply said, and made as if she were to leave, when Chihiro became the one to interrupt her.

"Hey, Takimoto-senpai. Aren't you lonely?" Her voice quivered as she searched for the correct words - One wrong step and this could go south. "Does it not get lonely to hide all that?"

"Better alone than laughed at."

"Then let them laugh. Can't you laugh too?"

The two remained quiet. Chihiro didn't dare speak. It felt like an eternity before someone said anything.

"Not in front of them." Takimoto-senpai muttered.

"And why's that? It's not illegal to be who you are." Chihiro chose her words carefully - With every word, it was like treading on a minefield. "Well, there's exceptions. But this isn't one of them."

The short girl did not respond.

As Chihiro spoke, she heard her heart pounding after every word. Closing her eyes, she decided to shoot for the target.

"This might not be the right time, but I'll let you join my band. I won't annoy you anymore if you say no." Her blood felt cold. "You wanna play drums, right? Why don't you learn it?"

Takimoto-senpai turned her head so her profile was revealed to Chihiro. "And you won't judge me for it?" She muttered.

"Yeah, I won't. No point in it. You know, you haven't met my bandmate yet," Chihiro pointed out. "so when you meet her, you can be as 'yourself' as you'd like... So? You want to join my band?"

There was a long pause. Takimoto-senpai turned to fully face Chihiro.

 "Sure." Bullseye.

Chihiro felt a weight lift itself off of her chest. She took a breath. "Alright! Then--"

"Sure! Yes! Yeah! I'll join your band! Yup!"

"I-I heard you."

"Wait, does that make me your friend? Do I need to text you or something?"

"A-Actually, that was what I was gonna ask!"

"Hah! Beat you to it!" Takimoto-senpai began to jump around and move forward. Chihiro had to start walking to catch up with the energetic girl. 'It's like a frozen layer thawed to reveal a completely different thing,' thought Chihiro, slightly impressed, 'obviously this girl's been putting up the act for a while.'

The pair chattered like birds the entire way back, the conversation mostly led by the enthusiastic Takimoto-senpai. "So what have you done with that band thing?" She excitedly asked.

"Not much 'cause we just started. I'm sure we'll get going now that you're on board though!" Chihiro gave a cheerful smile.

"Sounds fun anyways, I wanna meet that other person! I-- Oh." Takimoto-senpai's voice randomly went flat.

Chihiro stared at the suddenly dejected Takimoto-senpai, charged with energy just seconds ago. "What?"

"Ugh, my house is this way~!" Whined the short girl, whom Chihiro really couldn't believe was a year older than her. "Welp, guess this is bye."

"Aw." Frowned Chihiro, playing along. "Takimoto-senpai, should I meet you tomorrow at the train station again?"

"'Kay! And by the way," the curly-haired girl put her hands on her hips and winked, "call me Izumi!"

In response, Chihiro winked back. "Sure, then call me Chihiro!"

The two waved to each other before parting ways. Chihiro walked off, feeling victorious that she had recruited a new member to her band. Then she let her friendly aura drop.

'Two can play at putting up an act,' Chihiro thought, proudly smiling to herself. 'I was holding in a laugh that whole time, little Izumi. Sorry to say, but I've got my own dreams to fulfill. And you're just one of the stepping stones.'

But no matter how tall Chihiro stood, or how content she felt, Izumi's voice reverberated in her head, repeatedly shouting, "Does it matter when I look so stupid? When I get berated by people like you?"

Chihiro entered her house, warm pride still clinging onto her like burrs. She unlocked her phone and was ready to tell Aki all about their new recruit, when Chihiro noticed there was already a text notification from the violet-haired girl.

It said, "Hiro-tan, I think I recruited someone!"

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## Trivia

* Izumi's initial 3\* card is displayed in this story.