#we have 3 mixed recycling bins and she's decided by herself that one should be cardboard only

[mydignityisinflames]

Oh good the first manic note has arrived. Time for my anxiety to skyrocket every time I hear her door open

[ramblinganthropologist]

Inktober Day 3 - Roasted

Summary: It’s not you... no, it’s you. Ayame had hoped Ray could get along with her fellow idols, but KiraKiratter blowing up that day is proof otherwise. At least she didn’t punch her? 

---

“Are you freaking serious?!”

It had been such a nice, quiet morning too.

Ayame yawned as she exited her bedroom, rubbing her eyes. Her schedule said she didn't need to be up for another hour, but she preferred to rise early in the morning. It gave her a little bit of personal time where she could prepare for the day. After all, an idol always needed to be ready.

The girl sharing the room next to her clearly hadn't gotten the message about needing eight hours of sleep, however. When Ayame poked her head in, the dark circles under Ray's eyes were practically visible from the door. She winced in sympathy for whoever had to cover those up later – she was pretty sure Sunburst had a variety show later.

“Weren't you supposed to be in bed by 10 last night?”

Tired green eyes focused on Ayame as her stepsister untangled herself from her blanket and met her at the door. Ray was a half head taller despite being a year younger, and she definitely had more muscle on her too. It wasn't totally rare to have an athlete become an idol – Ema was the best lacrosse player at their school after all – but someone with her... sparkling personality... definitely was.

Ok, she was kind of crabby. Or really crabby... now she was getting mean.

“I couldn't sleep. Ai sent me some shit about the show I'm going to be on later and I fell into a black hole of video clips.” She yawned and scratched the back of her head. “Was gonna grab some breakfast but then little miss sunshine decided to ruin my day.”

Ray held out her phone, the cracked edge barely protected by her violently pink rubber cover. Her KiraKiratter was set to English, so it took Ayame a few seconds to remember her classes. Thankfully, what she was supposed to look at was in Japanese

Yuuki Aine: Getting ready for today's variety show! Can't wait to see everyone there!

Underneath was a photo of the popular young idol waving to the camera. Her partner Mio was close by, and from the looks of things both were wrapping up some early morning training. Despite the time, it had already wracked up quite a number of views and comments from fans and well wishers alike. No doubt the show would be a popular one.

Especially considering Sunburst was going to be on the same one.

“They didn't tell you Pure Palette was going to be there too?”

Ray responded with a groan as she stuck her phone back in her shorts pocket. This was so she could backtrack into her room to start getting ready. Her school uniform was a heap of cloth on the ground, one sock by the window and the other rolled under her desk. It mixed with a lot of other clothes. The girl may have been many things, but neat wasn't one of them.

“Just that a popular Friends unit was going to be on with us. The way they were going I thought it was going to be the Space Cadets, not Pinkie and the Brain.”

Ayame shook her head at the nicknames and opted instead to sit on her stepsister's bed. Watching Ray get ready in the morning was like chaos incarnate, and not in a good way. How the girl kept her head on her shoulders was beyond her.

“You know you can't call them that at the taping, right?”

Ray had been in the process of stuffing her card binder into her backpack, the long-abandoned school official bag collecting dust next to her desk. Brown eyes met green – there was some annoyance there for sure.

“Yes, mom, I know. It's Aine and Mio from Pure Palette. They’re only fucking everywhere lately.”

She put her bag on the desk. “You should probably get ready too. Doesn't Sakura Sensation have that gourmet food thingy later?”

“Not until noon, don't get out of it.” Ayame crossed her arms over her chest. “You're a student of Star Harmony Academy, don't make us all look bad.”

Of course, Ray would have to wear her uniform to do that, and she more than often 'forgot' to do so to official events. She 'forgot' to do a lot of things sometimes. This was why Sunburst needed a proper manager – Sakura Sensation was always pristine, no matter where they went. Of course, she had long since given up trying to tell them that. They were all stubborn so the best she could do was shrug.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mind getting out of my room so I can get ready, dearest elder stepsister?”

Ayame was already standing, heading to the door. “Have a good day at work today, Ray.”

“You too.”

The door shut behind her and Ayame was free to head downstairs for breakfast. With any luck, it would give her some ideas for the gourmet taping later that day. Though as she walked down the stairs, there was a sinking feeling in her stomach from more than just gravity. She cast one last glance back at the door, but then turned away.

Nah. As bad as Ray was, even she knew how to behave herself in public... right?

---

“Alright, that's a wrap everyone!”

Ayame sighed in relief as she relaxed her posture. It was the end of the filming, and her stomach was feeling more than a little full. She didn't mind of course – the waffles she had been sent out with her partner to try were delicious. As she had mentioned in her report, the fresh strawberry-infused whipped cream had been the best part. Plus, the cafe was downright adorable with its cat motif. Normally she had to say it anyway, but she would definitely be heading back again on her free time.

And... maybe getting a smaller serving.

Next to her, her Friend partner Honoka had already pulled out her mobile to check social media. Of the two of them, the glasses-wearer was far more savvy when it came to using things like AiTube and KiraKiratter. Managing Sakura Sensation's presence was part of her pride and joy, or at least she had said so when Ayame had asked if she had needed help. She seemed content to scroll her feed, so there wasn't much problem there.

“Anything good today?”

Honoka wore a bored expression as she continued to scroll down her feed. “Something from Reflect Moon about their upcoming live. We should probably go to that to see if they're as good a unit as they are apart.”

“I'll stick it in the schedule.” Ayame was already reaching for her Mobile and penciling it in. “Anything else?”

Sometime during scrolling, Honoka's eyebrow shot halfway to her hairline. That only made Ayame's stomach drop even more, even though she hadn't heard anything yet. It was like she didn't need to – she already knew.

“Please don't tell me.”

Honoka turned the screen around. “She did it again.”

Her feed was, in short, chaos. The most comments came from two posts – one from @Sunburst_Ray and another from an account she didn't know. The one from her stepsister's was in English, though Honoka had already translated it.

Anyone know how to say 'I'm not your friend, leave me the fuck alone' in Japanese? Asking for a 'friend'.

The answer as to why was a brief video clip taken from the back stage of the variety show Sunburst was supposed to be at with Pure Palette. From the looks of things, it was after filming and post Pure Palette's victory performance. Only two people were on screen – Aine in her school uniform, and Ray in her street clothes with a half finished can of energy drink.

“Ray-chan, you look tired! Did you sleep well last night?”

“No.”

Ayame winced as she watched. She knew that tone anywhere; it was her stepsister's “leave me alone” voice. Most people had no problem picking it out, but Yuuki Aine was a special one. She admired her for her commitment to making friends, but right now was just... dumb.

No wonder the two girls didn't really get along.

All Ayame could do was watch as on screen, Aine's cheeks puffed out. “That's no good, idols need their rest! You need at least eight hours to perform well!”

“Yeah, I know.”

No thank you, just another long slurp from a rapidly emptying can. Ayame could already see the exit move – brush past to throw it into the recycling bin. She had used it at home a few times already with their father. Only Aine wasn't their father and didn't realize what was going on.

Honoka clicked the volume down a few steps as  the next part played. “Make sure you go to bed early tonight, Ray-chan! A full night's rest and a good breakfast should fix you up in no time!”

“Oh no.”

Oh, yes. On screen, Ray's eyebrow twitched. Then her fist. Suddenly, she had Aine up against the wall, one fist near her head. The pink haired idol looked positively terrified as Ray leaned in, probably within a half inch of her face.

Where the heck was security, and who was filming this instead of helping?

“R-Ray-chan, wh-”

“Stop fucking trying to help me!”

“But... I want to help a friend o-

“I'm only going to say this once. We. Are. Not. Friends.”

And then she shoved off, leave Aine to stand there against the wall. The other idol was shaking, yet her face was starting to turn pink. Meanwhile, Mio was rushing over to her, looking ready to shout after Ray's form. Ray just didn't care – she kept walking, towards the camera from the looks of things. Then it shut off with just a focus on her face.

Oh boy... she was pissed.

Ayame could only groan and place her head in her hands. “I told her to behave herself.”

“She's not very good at her emotions, is she?” Honoka was already surveying the damage from the sound of things – and by how fast her finger was going. “No way Aine's going to return her feelings like that.”

…

Well, now she had a headache for multiple reasons. And it wasn't going to go away anytime soon as more posts about the so-called passionate confession continued to flood her feed. All she could do was watch and wonder how anyone had read romance out of that.

Clearly, Ray was roasting the crap out of Aine in one last ditch effort to make her leave her alone. But hey, what would Ayame know about that? She only lived with the girl.