Love Live!: SHATTER [PART 9]

RURINO OSAWA:

*MEANWHILE*

*COURTYARD - HASUNOSORA GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL - KANAZAWA - ISHIKAWA PREFECTURE*

*P.O.V SWITCH - YU TAKASAKI*

The Clubroom door swings shut behind Harumiya as she walked out, her steps steady and purposeful.

My chest tightens... Kozue's song was incredible, and she poured her heart out to us...

How could someone walk away from that?

I can't let this go...

I dash after her, my shoes squeaking against the polished floor. And I crash outside into the courtyard and manage to catch up to her.

YU: "Yukuri! Wait, please!"

She pauses and turns, her posture graceful. Her eyes meet mine... Calm, clear, but there's a flicker of something deeper.

Doubt, maybe? I stop a few steps away, catching my breath.

YUKURI: "Hm? Did I forget something?"

Her voice is gentle, but I can tell she's ready to leave. I've got to say something fast, something to make her rethink this.

YU: "No, it's just, I saw you walk out after Kozue's performance. Why are you rejecting Hasunosora? The School Idol Club here is amazing, and the school's got so much to offer!"

Yukuri lowers her gaze for a moment, her hands clasped in front of her. When she looks up, her expression is steady, but her words carry weight.

YUKURI: "Hasunosora is a remarkable place, and the club's passion is undeniable. I could even forgive the reform of the Performing Arts Club...
But the school's rules and guidelines... They don't appeal to my otoyaku spirit."

Otoyaku? I tilt my head, trying to piece it together.

Then it clicks, I remember Shizuku mentioning something called the 'Takarazuka Revue', where women play male roles.

YU: "Your otoyaku spirit? What do you mean by that?"

YUKURI: "I've always wanted to be an otoyaku at the Takarazuka Revue. It's a dream I've held since I was a child.
But, I've been unwell for some time, hospitalized until recently. I don't have enough time to train as I need to anymore, not with studies on top of it. Adding Hasunosora's strict rules on top of that would only make that harder."