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What a booooooring day... thought Ako, swinging her legs off the side of her bed. Eyeing the phone on her nightstand table, her eyes formed into a makeshift glare and her mouth into a humourously fake frown. "Geeeez! Why did Yukina-san have to cancel band practice today?"It really wasn't like Yukina-san to cancel practice for Roselia, she thought. But apparently according to her, there was a big emergency that she needed to attend to. She and Sayo started to worry, the latter sending a message of concern to their group chat, but their worries were quelled when Lisa followed her "emergency" with a simple message, which amused Ako so much she unlocked her phone just to take another look at it.Gay Bassist Mom [09:42]: Don't worry, she just found some kittens lol
Gay Bassist Mom [09:42]: She won't let go of them so she probably won't have any hands to hold the microphone with
Sayo didn't want me to nickname her :( [09:43]: Yukina-san, you're ridiculous.She started giggling after another look.Well, if she wasn't going to the studio today, it turned out she was going to have to find something else to do on this boring Sunday. Starting with..."Onee-chan!" she yelled, swinging open the door to her room and running out in her pajamas, attacking her sister from behind with her favourite secret technique: The "Sneak-Attack-Hug-From-Behind (Patent pending)". While the "sneak" part was only included in its name, it was so effective that the older of the two girls almost dropped what she was holding. Almost.Tomoe couldn't help but laugh. She had trained and practiced to avoid the maneuver but unfortunately cooking in the kitchen meant she wasn't well-prepared to employ a dodging technique of her own. "Haha, morning Ako. Someone seems excited, you sleep well?"The younger Udagawa nodded, though still behind her sister. "Yup! Though, Yukina-san went and cancelled practice today, so we don't need to go to the studio today."Still concentrated on her cooking, Tomoe's laughter died down into a simple smile. "So let me guess, you've-""Got nothing to do today!" Ako joined in, the two saying the last part at the same time, followed by a cheerful "Mmhmm!" from Ako."Hmmm..." Tomoe flipped the contents of the pan, earning an impressed "Whoaaa..." from her sister before continuing. "Well, didn't you say a few days ago you had a raid today? You weren't sure you'd be able to attend it because of practice, right?""Oh hey, you're right!" Ako finally released her grip on her sister, running back to her room and returning a second later with her phone in her hand. "I can't believe I forgot, thanks Onee-chan!""Haha, no problem. Though, if you're going to be busy with that, I've got an idea I think you'd like."Ako unlocked her phone again. Nervous, Rinko began walking from the train station. Checking her phone again to remind her of the address and absently scrolling through excited messages from Ako, her pace quickened and a smile formed on her face.
Master Dark Sorceress [10:07]: heyyyyyyyyy Rinrin, are you there??
Rinrin the Healer [10:07]: Oh, good morning Ako-chan! I'm here. Master Dark Sorceress [10:08]: sweet, wanna come raid my place? yukina-san has cat practice so instead we can bug onee-chan together! It'll be fuuuun! Rinrin the Healer [10:08]: Are you sure that's okay? Master Dark Sorceress [10:08]: yup, don't worry! I've got a super-secret plan
Master Dark Sorceress [10:08]: you're gonna looooooooove it!
Rinrin the Healer [10:09]: Okay, Ako-chan. What time should I come over? Master Dark Sorceress [10:09]: as soon as you can! since we moved last month I have to throw my new address at you thoughTurning the corner down a new street, she scanned the area for a house just like the one described, her eyes catching the bright colours of the house, but not before-"Rinrin! Over here!"Almost dropping her phone, she looked over to the balcony to see a very excited familiar face jumping up and down, waving her arms. She waved back with a soft smile on her face and began to walk over to the front door, putting the device back into her bag as she watched purple pigtails rush back into the house.Gripping the strap of her bag around her chest, she reached out to the doorbell, awkwardly standing outside hearing a "Ding-dong!" resonate through the Udagawa residence. She hoped it wasn't a disturbance to anyone.She wasn't waiting for very long before the door opened, but instead of being attacked with a hug by her purple-haired best friend, she saw another figure on the other side of the door, one she knew nowhere nearly as well, with long red hair."Ah, you must be Ako's friend, nice to meet you. What was your name again?"Rinko's grip tightened. She wasn't prepared for this. Slowly looking down, she began to speak. "I... Sh- Shiroka-""RINRIN!"Rinko breathed a sigh of relief as Ako slid down the railing of the stairs and ran over to hug her. Tomoe considered scolding her for pulling a move like that, but decided against embarrassing her in front of her friend."Onee-chan, this is Shirokane Rinko! She's one of the coolest people in the world!"Rinko couldn't help but blush as Tomoe laughed at that statement. "Well, nice to meet you, Shirokane-san. Please, come in."Rinko nodded, and began to walk in, though weighed down by the remaining hug from Ako."Well, when she gets off of you, at least." Stepping into the living room, Rinko took a look around. It wasn't the largest room she'd ever been in, but it was decorated nicely and they made nice use of the space. It certainly wasn't on the small side either. But one of the first things to catch her eye in the room was not just one, but two computers set up on the same desk, with what appeared to be fancy office chairs with hoodies draped over them, one purple and one dark red."Ako-chan, did you get a second computer when you moved?"Ako nodded. "Fuhuhu... I knew you'd notice, Rinrin! Onee-chan helped me put a second one at the desk so we could play together!""P-Play together?"Tomoe rolled her eyes, a small smile still present on her face as she ruffled Ako's hair. "You didn't tell her, did you? I'm guessing you both forgot about the raid today then..."The younger sister was quick to remove the older's hands from her head and fix her hair. "I knew I forgot something! There's a raid today, Rinrin! We weren't gonna make it because of practice, but since Yukina-san had her own cat practice, Onee-chan suggested you come over so we can play together!"C-Cat practice? Tomoe figured it was better not to ask..."Y-You did this for me?" Rinko blushed, which was met by an eager nod by Ako."Yup, we sure did! Sounds like fun, right?" Rinko nodded, then Tomoe and Ako joined in. "Well, we still need to install the game on Onee-chan's computer, but once we do that, you can log in and we can kick some butt!"The two of them sat down at the desk together, Ako at her computer and Rinko borrowing Tomoe's, Ako sliding her chair over to help with the installation of the game for Rinko. As the progress bar on the program started to fill with light blue, Ako jumped out of her chair and rushed out of the room. "Hold on Rinrin, I almost forgot something!"Rinko turned around in her chair, but instead of seeing an excited Ako dash out of the room, she was only met with a grin from Tomoe, flustering her as she turned her focus back to the computer.Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were sitting around the living room table, eyeing the contents laying there, Ako with a big grin on her face and Rinko with a small smile and a notebook in her hands."Alright Rinrin, when I say something, mark it off the list!"Rinko nodded and grabbed her pen."Drinks!"Pen scratches were heard from Rinko's notebook."Ummmm... the game!"More pen scratches. Tomoe wondered how long or in-depth this list would really be."Ummm... Ummm... Snacks!"Rinko looked up at the table. "Ako-chan, we don't have snacks.""Huh?!" Ako rummaged through the contents of the table. "You're right! Onee-chan, do we have any snacks?""I don't think we do." Ako frowned, but her expression lightened as her sister continued talking. "But if you guys are successful in your raid we can go eat somewhere to celebrate?"Ako threw her arms into the air. "Woohoo! That sounds great! Let's do our best, Rinrin!" Lowering one of her hands to quickly grab one of Rinko's, she raised it back up, bringing the other girl's hand with it, who then raised her other hand up with a smile.I knew she'd be down for the challenge, Tomoe thought. At least Shirokane-san is having fun too. I'm glad the two of them are enjoying themselves."Rinrin, do you have an elixir for your mana?" Ako looked over at the other computer, where Rinko was looking over an inventory menu."I have two, Ako-chan. I'm ready.""Alright! Let's do this, Rinrin!"And the two rushed their characters into the heat of battle. It had been twenty minutes, the two of them wondering if the fight would ever end. Memorizing the attacks of the bosses was easy after the girls had seen their attack patterns a few times each, helping them avoid damage and ensuring them the raid would be successful. With the current boss's pattern memorized, Rinko allowed her thoughts to wander.
Ako-chan... she's trying really hard. She was looking forward to this raid for a whole week.
Ever since meeting Ako-chan, I've... been having so much fun. Not just playing together, going places after school and talking about our classes, exploring cafes and being part of Roselia together...
Ako-chan means so much to me... and I'm glad I mean so much to Ako-chan. She's such a great friend.
I'm glad I can return the happiness she gives to me. I'll do my best... for Ako-chan!
Rinko moved her mouse over to one of the lower icons on the screen. Clicking the icon to cast the spell, watching her character perform an animation, and shifting her gaze over to Ako's character, seeing "Healing Ray" and a bountiful number in green appear over her character's head.With a determined smile on her face, she fired another Thunder Beam at the boss. After all, Ako did say this boss was weak to lightning attacks.