Love Live! Dear Song (Maki Nishikino x Male reader)

Chapter 8

Maki's Perspective

It's been a hard month, but finally Muse has returned to normal after the accident at the school festival and the incidents that happened afterwards.

As I saw Hanayo and Rin approaching my desk, I saw Katahara-senpai, who I've spoken to when Y/n introduced me to her, open the door and say "Hey Y/n. How about you come and have lunch with me?"

Y/n looked up from whatever he was reading at his desk and nodded while he did a kind of half smile that he always seems to do when he seems content with whatever is going on. I don't know why, but ever since the school festival, I've felt kind of off when I'm around him. I don't get it but when I think about him, I think about how he came and hugged me until I would talk to him on my way home, how his chest was so wide and felt safe, and how he had said he wanted to be there for me. I don't understand why my mind returns to that moment and in the end, I just feel off around him.

After Y/n left with Katahara-senpai, I heard a couple of girls nearby talking.

"L/n sure has been spending a lot of time with Katahara-senpai." One girl said

"I heard a rumor that L/n and Katahara-senpai are dating but are trying to keep it a secret." The other girl said

"Really? I wonder why." The first girl said

I tried to ignore their conversation as Hanayo and Rin approached. I got up to join them for lunch but for some reason, the thought of Y/n being in a relationship with Katahara-senpai makes me feel really uneasy.

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Y/n's Perspective

I sat at a bench outside eating lunch with Hinagiku, who invited me to come eat lunch with her today. I had been confiding in Hinagiku as someone I trust quite a bit recently. But today, we've been eating silently for the most part. The weather isn't bad today, but whenever she asks me to eat lunch with her, typically she wants to ask about something.

"So when are you going to try and confess to Maki again?"

There it is.

I sighed "I dunno. I was gonna confess to her after the school festival. But then Muse had it's problems and I just haven't really found the right time."

Hinagiku looked at me and said "Is that really it?"

I sigh in defeat. She reads me way too easily. "Fine, I feel like whenever I try to talk to Maki recently, there is some distance or something between us and whenever I try to talk to Maki about my feelings, I feel like if I tried, I wouldn't be able to breach whatever is between us." I don't plan to tell her of me supporting Maki the day of the school festival, and Maki showing me a small glimpse of weakness, I want that moment to stay just between me and Maki.

Hinagiku sighed and said "I know I don't really have much in terms of relationship advice, but I say that you aren't going to breach whatever it is if you don't try. Worst case scenario, she says no, but that's the absolute worst that could happen and it's better to do it then constantly fret over it."

I nodded. "Right, I'll think about taking you up on your advice here." Still, with Maki as the person I've fallen in love with, it's hard to accept the idea that I should just take the plunge and go for it. But she is admittedly right, I went from viewing her as a source of inspiration, to a friend, to someone I'm in love with. And while I could play it safe, which would keep our friendship the way it is, if I take a risk, I could turn this into something beyond just friends.

I stood up and after thanking Hinagiku for the push, I left and headed back to class.

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After class came to an end, I approached Maki and said "Hey, please come to the music room after club practice. I'd like to talk to you about something."
Maki looked at me and said "Can you tell me why?"

"Please, just trust me and come by there later, okay? This is something important." I said

"If you're gonna be so insistent then I guess I can." Maki said

"Thanks. I'll see you then." I said before walking away, trying to avoid showing just how worried I am that I'll mess this up.

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That afternoon, as I arrived at the music room, where I asked Maki to meet me, I opened the door to see that I was the second one there.

"Hey Maki." I said "Thanks for coming by like I asked."

"Will you tell me now what exactly is so important that you wanted to talk to me about alone?" Maki asked

I sat down and gestured for her to join me. I then said "Listen, there's something I need to say to you. You see, there is a girl I think I may be in love with. She is beautiful and smart, and proud, she has trouble admitting that she cares about people, but it's definitely there. For a while now, I've wanted to tell her how I feel, to tell her that what I want for the two of us is more than a friendship, but in the end, I always worry that things won't work out. But I'm done with that. I love you Maki. I love you so very much."

Upon my words clicking in Maki's head, she began to blush fiercely. "You what?"

"I love you Maki. And I have for a while." I repeated

"So you and Katahara-senpai aren't in a relationship?" Maki asked

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard somebody mention a rumor like that. Nah, she's just my friend." I responded "I get if you need some time to think it over or something so just answer me some other time."

Maki's Perspective

After telling me to respond some other time, Y/n returned to that half smile of his and turned around, as if he was just gonna go after saying that.

My cheeks felt so warm and my heart's beat felt so fast. I don't think I'm not embarrassed when he said he was just friends with Katahara-senpai. I felt relieved.

Oh.

Am I in love with him too? I don't think I've felt like this towards anybody else before.

Y/n's Perspective

As I turned around, I began to step out of the room and leave so that Maki could figure out how she wanted to respond. I felt a hand on my wrist and I saw it was Maki.

"Are you really going to leave after saying something like that?" Maki said, blushing even more fiercely than before.

"Well I figured that you would like-"

"I never said that I would need some time before I responded." she said

I turned around and Maki said "I don't know if this is love, it feels different compared to how I love Mama and Papa, and I don't know what kind of thing a girlfriend does, but I don't think I've felt like this towards anyone else."

"This is my first relationship too so I don't really know what a boyfriend does. But I want to tell you that as I grew to know you, my desire to be friends with you turned into a desire for something more. I want to stand beside you, and support you. And when I looked in, I figured out just what exactly the desire became. It was a desire to love you and be there whenever you need me." I then said to Maki "Will you go on a date or something with me this weekend?"

"Do you have anything in mind?" Maki asked

I shrugged and gave her a smile "I'll figure something out."

"I'll go do something with you this weekend. If not just to see what you end up coming up with for a date." Maki said

"Then I better make it good." I said "Now how about we walk home together?"

"Okay."

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A/n: I know it's a rare thing when I swap perspectives like this multiple times in a chapter, but I felt like it worked with what I had in mind. Unlike last week, where I spent too much time writing something I gave up on, you can expect more this week.