#airi’s fes card has my whole heart

[icywaddle]

ShizuAi: To You, Who Aims to Become an Idol [Airi Fes Card]

A gift for @emotsper! Inspired by this post!

Humming to herself softly, Shizuku strolled down the street at a relaxed pace. She gazed out at the bright streetlights, taking in their almost ethereal glow, sighing contentedly as a warm breeze swept over her arm. Sweet smells drifted towards her on the wind, street vendors jovially advertising their stock to passersby. As she kept walking on, a hand pulled her out of her reverie, warm against her arm.

“Jeez- Shizuku, you can’t keep getting lost like this…”

Shizuku turned to face the person who had taken her arm, smiling and laughing warmly. “Ah, Shii! You found me!”

Groaning, Shiho shook her head and began walking ahead of Shizuku, leading her forward. “Honestly…” She mumbled, striding forward through the crowd. “I don’t know how you can just wander off like that and not be worried at all-”

With a soft giggle, Shizuku glanced down at the way Shiho was holding her arm. Her grasp was firm, but not tight by any means. She was gentle, intentionally holding Shizuku loosely enough that her grasp wouldn’t hurt her. “Because I know you’ll find me, Shii! I trust you.”

Shiho shook her head, scoffing lightly. “Jeez, Shizuku-” She muttered, but her grip softened just a tad. Shizuku simply smiled, noting the slight redness to Shiho’s ears. They walked the rest of the way back in comfortable silence, Shizuku eventually released from Shiho’s grip so the two could walk side by side.

When they reached the house, Shiho unlocked the door and walked in, stretching and yawning. “You had something to eat while you were out with your group, right?” She asked, tilting her head at Shizuku.

Hesitating for just a moment, Shizuku nodded. “Mhm! We went to visit a cafe one of Airi’s friends recommended. Their deserts looked amazing~”

Shiho seemed to notice Shizuku’s choice of word. Looked, not tasted. She put down her guitar case, brows crinkling in concern. “Shizuku-”

Shizuku shrugged her bag off of her shoulder, placing it down. “What about you, Shii? Did you do anything fun with your bandmates?” She said, slipping her shoes off as well.

“Shizuku… I-” Shiho began, but trailed off. She glanced up at Shizuku’s face, set in a resolute smile. She blinked, looking away and taking her own shoes off. “… Yeah. We went to a diner. One of Honami’s friends said it was a good place.”

Beaming, Shizuku nods and steps up into the living room. “That’s good to hear!” She stumbles slightly, almost falling but catching herself on the wall next to her. Shiho lunges forward to catch her, but she waves her off. “Ah-! Sorry… I’m feeling a little tired today, Shii. I think I’ll go to bed first.”

Reluctantly, Shiho seemed to swallow the words on the tip of her tongue. She stepped forward, slipping under Shizuku’s right arm and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “… I’ll walk you up first. I have something else to do before I turn in.”

Shizuku laughed softly, ignoring the soft ache in her stomach as she ruffled Shiho’s hair. “Aww, Shii~”

“Don’t push it…” Shiho grumbled, turning her face away embarrassedly. Shizuku’s laughter grew just a tad as the two of them made their way to Shizuku’s room. Shiho lifted Shizuku’s arm off of her shoulders, stepping back but standing uncertainly instead of leaving for her room.

“Goodnight, Shii.” Shizuku said softly, letting her face fall just slightly out of her smile. Shiho glances up at Shizuku, the expression on her face sending a painful twinge through Shizuku’s heart. Something about Shiho made her look like a little kid again. Small, lost, hunched over and just the smallest bit scared. “Shii…?”

Shizuku glanced at her face, noticing the way Shiho kept her gaze turned away. A soft exhale left her lips as she walked forward, raising her arms almost questioningly. Seeming to notice the movement, Shiho hesitated only a moment before she shuffled towards Shizuku, awkwardly walking into the hug. Shizuku gently wrapped her arms around Shiho, crouching slightly so the latter could rest her chin on Shizuku’s shoulder. Shiho awkwardly leaned forward, burying her face into Shizuku’s neck and wrapping her arms around her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Shiho clinging onto Shizuku like she was the only thing real in the world, Shizuku enveloping Shiho in her arms, surrounding her in comforting warmth. Eventually, Shiho pulls away, and Shizuku drops her arms. She stands up slowly, stretching out her sore legs. Shiho blinked a few times, then raised up a hand to scrub at her eyes. “…Goodnight, Shizuku.” She mumbled, turning and stumbling down the hallway. Shizuku raised a hand, giving Shiho’s back a soft wave of farewell before she turned to the door of her room.

Wrapping her hand around the doorknob, Shizuku pulled the door open, rubbing her eyes sleepily. The soft sound of a muffled sob drew her attention, causing her to jerk her head upwards. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a bump on her bed, a tiny tuft of light pink hair poking out of a gap in the blankets. Whoever it was seemed to have heard the door opening. The figure tunneled further into the blankets, their hair disappeared into the sheets as they tried to stifle their hiccuping.

Shizuku waited a second before she slipped quietly over to the bed, sitting down on the opposite side as the person under the sheets. They skittered away to the other side of the bed as the mattress collapsed slightly under Shizuku’s weight. Shizuku chuckled softly, speaking in a low voice.

“Hey…” She murmured, leaning towards the blanket. “Are you alright..?” The person sniffled, quivering for a minute before shifting around. Something Shizuku presumed to be the person’s head poked up in the blanket, shaking side to side.

“Ah… I’m sorry to hear that. Would you… Want to talk about it?” Shizuku asked, tilting her head as she rested her back against the headboard. The figure sat for a moment, then began moving. Slowly, they inched towards the edge of the blanket, tentatively poking a hand out into the open air. Their hands were tiny, fingers short in proportion to their palm. Shizuku giggled softly, placing her hand next to the person’s and letting them inch their way over to her hand. Small fingers wrapped around her hand, and she gave the person’s hand a gentle squeeze.

After a moment, the person, who Shizuku at this point was quite sure was a child, scooted out of the blanket a bit. Shizuku blinked in surprise as they shuffled their head out, shaking their head slightly to reset their hair.

Short pink hair, mildly teary pink eyes, and a small band aid resting on the bridge of her nose. The child in front of her was the spitting image of Airi- give or take a few years… And maybe a few shades of pink on her hair. She sniffled, giving her eyes a haphazard swipe with her arm, and glanced up at Shizuku. The latter offered a reassuring, if not slightly surprised, smile, patting the bed next to her as an invitation. The child- Airi? moved out from under the blanket, shuffling awkwardly on her hands and knees until she was sitting next to Shizuku. She glanced up at the taller girl, and Shizuku swore she could almost see sparkles dancing in her eyes. That… Might’ve just been the tears, though.

“There you go.” Shizuku said comfortingly, smiling at the slightly awed kid next to her. “What’s your name?”

“A-Airi…” The child stuttered, still staring up at Shizuku. “Wow… Miss, you’re really pretty!”

Shizuku tilted her head, a bashful laugh escaping her lips at the praise. “Ah, thank you, Airi~ What a coincidence! I- Have a friend who’s named Airi too!”

The child Airi raised her eyebrows, leaning closer to Shizuku. “Really? Woah…” She blew out a breath, relaxing back onto Shizuku’s pillows.

“Oh- You can call me Shizuku.” Shizuku said, shifting back onto the blankets slightly. She took another look down at Airi, watching as she sniffled again.

“Shizuku-?” Airi breathed out quietly, tilting her head up to give Shizuku’s face another long, searching look.

Shizuku smiled warmly. “That’s me.” Chuckling softly at the look of wonder in Airi’s eyes, Shizuku was also drawn back to the tears that accompanied it. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you crying earlier, Airi…?” Shizuku asked softly, meeting Airi’s still slightly teary gaze.

Airi glanced away, looking down as if ashamed of herself. “… The boys in my class.” She scoffed, turning away and rubbing her eyes again. “They’re… all idiots.”

“How so?” Shizuku tilted her head, noticing how Airi’s fists had begun to clench.

“They don’t understand.” Airi mumbled, bringing her gaze back down to her lap, but not before Shizuku had caught a glimpse of wetness brewing in her eyes again. “They tell me stupid things… I’ll never be an idol, I’m too boyish…” Airi pulled her knees up into her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

Shizuku scooted closer slowly, raising an arm and cautiously wrapping it around Airi’s shoulders. Seeing if she wanted the touch. Airi leaned into her arm, shuffling towards Shizuku and relaxing into her side.

“They’re wrong.”

Airi blinked, glancing up at Shizuku through tear-filled eyes. “Huh-?”

Shizuku smiled down at Airi, tilting her head slightly. “I think they’re wrong about you, Airi. Honestly, you could wear tomboyish clothes, or dresses and girly clothes, but what does that matter?” She gave Airi’s short hair a gentle comb through with her fingers. “As long as you like it, and you’re wearing what makes you feel like you, I don’t see any problem with that. Don’t listen to them, Airi. You’ll be perfect whichever way you want to be.”

in that moment, Airi thought, Shizuku almost looked like a goddess. The light had shifted behind her, a shy moon peeking out from behind the cloudy sky to shine down on her. Backlit by the light, with her silver hair dancing around her and shining in the darkness of the room, Shizuku’s tentative smile seemed to light something warm in Airi’s heart.

Nodding, Airi dabbed at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. “Yeah… I guess so.” She said, eyes still glued to Shizuku.

“And…” Shizuku began, a slight chuckle in her voice. “You said you wanted to become an idol, right?”

Airi nodded even more vehemently, drawing a proper laugh from Shizuku. “Yeah! I’m gonna be the best, most hopeful idol ever!” She pumped a small fist into the air, grinning toothily.

Placing a hand over her mouth as she continued to laugh, Shizuku nodded along with Airi. “Well, do you have any questions about being an idol? I might be able to answer some~”

Airi seemed to think for a second before Shizuku’s words properly sunk in. “Wait- Miss, are you an idol!?” Her eyes went wide as saucers as she stared up at Shizuku with something like reverence.

Shizuku beamed down at Airi, giving her a squeeze with the arm around her shoulders and prompting a fit of giggles from the smaller girl. “Yes, I am! My friends and I formed an idol group a while ago!”

“Woah..! Is it fun? Is it hard? Oo, what kind of performances have you done?” Airi squeaked excitedly, letting a waterfall of questions crash out of her mouth. “What kind of idols are you? Wh- Ack!” Shizuku ruffled her hair, stifling the unrelenting stream of words flowing from Airi.

“One at a time, please~” She laughed, watching as Airi’s cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.

“Sorry, miss idol…” Airi mumbled, fiddling with her fingers, but didn’t seem entirely repentant.

Shizuku shook her head. “You can just call me by my name, Airi. Right now, I’m not an idol on a stage. I’m just a person, like you.”

Airi nodded, scooting closer to Shizuku. “Okay m- Shizuku-?”

“Just like that.” Shizuku said, her smile broadening slightly. Airi noticed the change, sitting up slightly straighter and returning a toothy grin of her own. “Now… Let me see. … Um, what were your questions again-?”

Lifting her fingers, Airi ticked off a few questions. “Is being an idol fun? Is it hard-?”

“Hmm~ I’d definitely say it’s fun. I love performing with my friends and getting to see so many happy people at our shows!” Shizuku said, resting a hand on her cheek. “Then, hm… Well, I think that’s complicated. It’s not easy, that’s for sure. But… I think it’s worth it. There’s a lot of practice, and it takes a lot of time to get the skills you need, but it all feels worth it in the end.”

Airi seemed to think for a second. “Miss Shizuku, do you think I can be an idol?” She tilted her head up, a vulnerable look in her eyes.

Shizuku nodded instantly. She thought of Airi, the one she knew. Bold, spunky, confident, ready to say what she thought at any moment. She thought of the Airi in front of her, small and slightly unsure, but still with that recognizable spark in her.

“I know you can.”

She said, feeling something warm stir in her chest as she watched Airi practically light up at the news. Still, a bit of doubt seemed to linger in her eyes. “How do you know I’ll succeed…? What if I fail?”

The quiver in her voice almost broke Shizuku’s heart. She reached over, gently pulling Airi into an embrace. Airi startled slightly, but willingly moved forward, wrapping her small arms around Shizuku’s shoulders and letting Shizuku envelop her with her own arms.

“You won’t, Airi. Someday, you’ll be the greatest idol anyone has ever seen.”

Shizuku murmured, patting Airi’s back.

“Even if you’re nobody else’s, you will always be my idol.”

Although she had only known the girl for a few minutes, something about her words resonated with Airi. She looked up at Shizuku, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

“Yeah…!”

Airi grinned, pulling back slightly and pumping her fist in the air. She turned around, addressing the empty room before her as if she were making a declaration to hundreds of people.

“I’m gonna be the cutest idol in all of Japan!”

She turned her head back to look at Shizuku, still beaming widely. Shizuku smiled as well, laughing and giving Airi’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Of course you will. I have faith in you, Airi.”

Airi nodded, a small giggle leaving her mouth as well. “Thank you, miss Shizuku.” She said, her voice almost uncharacteristically soft. When she looked back up, Shizuku noticed a flicker of something else in her eye. Something she couldn’t quite understand. Whatever it was, it seemed a bit too… worn, for a child that age. It was older. More mature, but filled with a sort of understanding. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“My pleasure, Airi.” Shizuku said, a soft smile curling her lips. Airi leaned back, resting her head against Shizuku’s chest with a soft sigh. Slowly, she began to disappear, her legs breaking into tiny white particles. Shizuku let out a surprised squeak when she noticed the change, but Airi seemed unbothered. She simply relaxed into Shizuku’s arms, murmuring a reassurance.

“Ah, it’s fine.” Airi said calmly. “I’m just going back.” The glitchy evaporation continued up her legs, enveloping her waist and crawling up her stomach. She turned, giving Shizuku’s hand one last squeeze as her shoulders and arms disappeared. The last thing Shizuku saw of her was her expression. Not as joyful as before, but somehow more meaningful. Lips drawn apart in a toothy grin, eyes sparkling with hope.

Then? She was gone. Shizuku raised her hands into the air, watching as the tiny particles slipped through her fingers and disintegrated. The door snapped open before the last few particles had disappeared, causing Shizuku to yelp, flinching and smacking her head against the headboard.

“Woah-! Shizuku-?” Shiho’s concerned voice echoed from the doorway as she stepped into the room. “Did you hit something?”

She rushed over to the bed, But Shizuku waved a hand at her airily. “Ah- Don’t worry, Shii. I’m alright. You just surprised me a bit-”

Shiho stood up reluctantly. “… Are you sure-?” She seemed slightly wary of Shizuku’s casual demeanor, her eyes darting around the room a few times. Had she seen something…?

Shizuku nodded, scratching her head sheepishly. “I’m sure. Sorry for worrying you, Shii~”

“Alright-” Shiho muttered, seeming unconvinced. “I’m going to go get ready for bed.” She strode off, slipping open the door to the restroom and locking the door.

A yawn bubbled out of Shizuku’s chest, making her realize just how tired she was. She scooted herself down on the bed, going from a sitting position to nearly horizontal. Before she could fully settle down, a tiny notification ping came from her phone. She leaned over, fumbling with the screen for a moment before managing to open it. Apparently her tech lessons with Haruka had been worth it… But perhaps not as much as she’d liked, Shizuku rues as she tries to remember which icon would lead her to her messages app. Two accidental videos and a hastily canceled food order later, she found it.

Clicking on the app brought her to a menu, contacts listed line after line. Minori, Shiho, Haruka, and…

One new message.

From Airi.

Shizuku hesitated just a second before clicking on the chat, opening the message. It was short, only a few words.

“Jeez- just had a weird ass dream-”

Raising an eyebrow, Shizuku took a minute to process that. Airi had messaged her. Less than a minute after the strange child Airi had disappeared. She clicked on the text bar, fingers stumbling across the keyboard as she attempted to type a response.

“ Dte am? - A b iut. Wja t?”

… At least it was- semi-readable.

Her reply came in less than thirty seconds.

“… You meant “dream, about what…?” Right-? Uh- Nothing, just- It was weird. I’ll explain next practice.”

Shizuku tilted her head. It could be a coincidence? It practically had to be. There was no way that had actually been Airi, right? Still… Shizuku glanced at her hands, remembering the warmth of Airi’s hand, the way that the particles had slipped through her fingers. The same particles that flashed every time Shizuku entered or exited the Sekai. Maybe. Just maybe…?

She felt her eyelids grow heavy, her arm drooping down to the bed with phone still in hand. With her last ounce of energy, Shizuku slid her phone off to the side, placing it on her dresser before relaxing back into her bed. She’d deal with all this tomorrow. As her eyes drifted shut, she swore she could hear the soft sound of a child’s giggle, echoing quietly from her phone.