ID Chapter 4

# Chapter Four - "Let's Go Dancing"

### Junko

    The baths on the second floor of the I MY ME dorms were the smallest in the building - both the individual tubs as well as the entire facility in general. As near as I can figure they're the oldest too, or at least they certainly seem to be the most well worn out of all of them. Nearly everyone tries to use the new baths on the third floor when they can, but nine times out of ten I make a point to use these. They remind me a little bit of the bath I have at home - though far less elegant than the vintage Italian claw-foot tub in Dad's estate - and they're small enough that you can usually soak in peace unless they're particularly busy. Which, thankfully, they usually aren't. Because sometimes, when I'm at my limit of dealing with people, I just want to soak in peace.

    This was one of those times, and even though I wasn't entirely alone, there were few enough girls in here that it was easy to project a vibe that said "please use another tub", giving me ample room to stretch my limbs. It was the first time in over a week that I was really alone of my own choice, and as much as I was enjoying the new friends I had made, I was thankful that I had finally shaken off my two most junior teammates for at least an hour or two. I also figured that I would be unlikely to run into anyone especially interested in chatting with me here. Dam-Bi and Megumi have rooms on the first floor, whose facilities - while still old enough that it would be hard to call them "new" - were still more modern than these, and the juniors have rooms on the third floor, so they have two options to bathe without going anywhere near the stairs.

    Our newest member, well, I don't really know or care which floor she's on, but I have a feeling she wouldn't be caught dead in here.

    I *had* invited my roommate to join me. She could probably have used the break to clear her head, plus she skipped her bath last night when she passed out from exhaustion, but she insisted working on her current project was more important. Seeing her like this weighed heavily on my mind, to the extent that it was impossible to relax in the warm water. Even closing my eyes, all I could see was Rinko standing there in Lina's office, so proud of writing lyrics that were just so…

    Unable to get comfortable, I decided to return to my room. Rinko was exactly where I had left her, sitting in front of the window, hunched over the desk, scribbling down ideas vigorously. My heart ached to see her like this, but there was nothing I could do except carry on like normal. I put on my headphones and, unsure of what I was in the mood for, put on the song Lina had assigned to our group. Today had been almost a complete waste, but I could at least get familiar with the music.

    I awoke some time later when my phone's alert sounded through the headphones. An email advertisement from a store I'd once bought a cute top from which I would, in all likelihood, never acknowledge, let alone read. Peaking over the side, Rinko appeared to still be hard at work, until I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and it became clear that she had fallen asleep sitting at the desk.

    Perhaps it was because I was still partly asleep, but I could no longer contain myself. It had been bugging me all day. I want to help Rinko in some way, but I know that she would never accept it. She's as stubborn as she is determined. Looking down at her sleeping peacefully, I furrowed my brow and had a thought.

    *It won't hurt if she doesn't actually know.*

    It was a weird thought, but I didn't have any other solution. I quietly made my way down to the floor and gently pulled the notebook out from under Rinko's head. I read her most recent lyrics. They were slightly better, but they were still… not good. I held my natural response - a large sigh - so I didn't wake her, and smiled - a natural response to seeing how cute she was slumped there onto the desk. I had a feeling I'd fall asleep again if I tried to write in my bunk, so I headed up to the common area. Technically, as it was after lights out, I wasn't supposed to be out of my dorm, but I figured it was a worthy reason to take that risk.

    Settling in at one of the tables meant for studying, I probably wouldn't even be seen if someone wandered by, and it seemed the most fitting excuse for this situation in case I ended up needing it. I opened the notebook to a blank page after flipping through and refamiliarizing myself with Rinko's handwriting. It had been awhile since I'd had to fake an assignment for her, but I didn't think I was going to have any problems going unnoticed… especially with how messy it was.

    "Now, what should the song be about?" I wondered out loud, talking it through with myself. "It has to be about dancing, but… relatable to most people… Maybe a love song? Everyone's been in love at least once…'

    I stared out the window, letting my gaze linger on the cloudy night sky. The moon was still a little bit visible through the clouds, being so large and shining so brightly, but from down here the stars were pretty much completely…

    *From down here…*

    Suddenly, a spark of an idea came into being. I felt myself blushing warmly and slapped my cheeks lightly to break myself out of the daydream that had inspired me.

    "I could… write it to her… like a letter. Yeah! Then it wouldn't be so weird!"

    I was so excited I had to breathe deeply a few times to pull myself together, and then I began to write. The words seemed to flow naturally, as if they were falling straight from my heart onto the paper. It took an hour, maybe two, before I was finished scribing my feelings onto the page.

    *Well, now even if it doesn't work, I tried…*

    Becoming aware of how much time had passed, I headed back to our room. Rinko had slept the entire time I was gone. I opened the notebook to the page with the new lyrics on them and gently slid it back under Rinko's head before climbing into bed and going back to sleep, finally able to relax.

    When I woke back up to the light of the morning sun, I took a cautious peek over at the desk. Rinko was still dead asleep, but I refused to be the one to wake her. She had to discover what was waiting for her on her own, so I stayed where I was, waiting anxiously for her to stir.

    Despite having slept longer than me each of the last two nights, Rinko yet again awoke from her slumber slightly dazed. She groaned loudly to announce her arrival back to reality, stretching her arms high above her head. This was followed by a few minutes of silence, during which I wondered if she had fallen asleep again straight away.

    "Oh my gosh, did I write these in my sleep? These are amazing! Junko, you've gotta come read these!"

    "Good morning, Rinko. What is it?"

    "Look! I finished the lyrics! I really don't remember much, but I think everyone will really like them!"

    I clambered down from my bunk and took the offered notebook, yawning slightly as I skimmed over them, pretending to be surprised. "Wow, Rinko, you really improved! This is leaps and bounds better than yesterday!"

    "I know! I knew I had it in me!" She glanced at the small clock we keep on top of the desk, looking rather shocked she had slept so long. "Oh my gosh! It's already eleven?! C'mon, let's hurry up and get ready! We don't wanna keep Lina waiting!"

    Without even changing out of her pajamas, Rinko made a dash out of the room and to Lina's office. I quickly made myself presentable as best I could in a minute with a hastily applied hairclip before following behind my best friend, laughing to myself as I grabbed the notebook Rinko had forgotten.

    Rinko beat me to Lina's office by about five minutes, and when I walked in alongside Dam-Bi and Kanon - both of whom I encountered in the halls on my way there - the entire group was gathered together. Rinko was sitting in the center of the largest couch, the other girls gathered around her as she looked particularly glum. I held up the notebook slightly and she jumped up and jogged to me, no longer the slightest bit down, ready to present the new lyrics to the group.

    "Ok, everyone! I think I finally figured out the perfect lyrics!"

    Everyone looked cautious, expecting a repeat of yesterday, as Rinko started to sing.

> *Let's go dancing far into the galaxy, fly to the moon and then to me*
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> *I'll light up Pluto, Venus, Mars, and Mercury before I think to leave*
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> *I'll get a one way ticket out into the cosmos, leaving behind the Milky Way*
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> *Picking a star to take me far to where I wanna be, riding on the rays*
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> *And if you come with me, we could go explore each constellation*
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> *See the universe, explore an alien space station*
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> *Flying high above the night, watching our planet as it spins*
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> *I have hope that you'll follow me, but I start to wonder if-*
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> *It's yes or no, won't you come along? The look in your eyes says ‘Take me with'*
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> *So, tell me, what will it be?*
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> *Come escape with me and you can see*
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> *Space right here by my side, the summer triangle guiding us*
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> *And that's when I hear you say*
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> *That, if only for today*
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> *Let's dance through the stars*
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>

    Everyone was completely silent, looking up at Rinko in awe of the change that had taken place in just one day. They were speechless.

    "Yeah, compared to the lyrics I wrote yesterday, these are super amazing, don't you think?? So, when can we start?"

    Every face in the office, Lina included, were smiling ear to ear, as the idols mobbed Rinko.

    "Hanarin, you did it!" Dam-Bi cried out in excitement, giving Rinko a large hug.

    "Ms. Hanazawa, we're all so relieved!" Megumi hummed the words out quietly.

    "I knew you could do it! I'm so sorry for doubting you!" Chiyo also embraced the brunette as she spoke.

    "Yeah, we're sorry..." Kanon added.

    "I'm really glad! I'm so excited to sing them!" Even Eimi was smiling happily at the way things had turned out, or at least it seemed so, if her smile was in fact genuine.

    Lina let out a huge sigh of relief.

    "Hand them over, I'll send them in and we can get to work." Rinko handed the notebook to Lina, who quickly began typing them out, wanting to finish everything as early as she could. I couldn't help but smile ear to ear, feeling my cheeks burn with the effort.

    "Good job, Rinko."

    I decided to keep the truth to myself - after all, seeing Rinko so happy was enough to make the effort worth it. My eyes remained fixated on my best friend, her happiness beaming off of her smiling face. It was enough for now to bask in the light she was emitting, feeling as if the sun itself was warming my cold skin.

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