Love Live! Swapped

Chapter Fourteen

Person | Personality
Kotori → Maki
Maki → Rin
Rin → Eli
Eli → Nico
Nico → Kotori
Umi → Nozomi
Nozomi → Hanayo
Hanayo → Umi

*****

Honoka was happily munching on a piece of bread when Nozomi and Umi entered the club room. Both were silent.

Honoka waved at them cheerfully. "Hey! How did it go?"

"Unsuccessfully, I'm afraid," Umi sighed, sitting in the chair opposite Honoka and resting her arms on the table. "I couldn't stop stuttering... Kotori is just so different..."

"It's the same with Eli-cchi," Nozomi said. She remained standing, and folded her arms. "Thankfully I spend a lot of time with Nico-chan, so I had some kind of idea what to say, but it was so weird..."

At that moment Hanayo entered the clubroom, almost in tears.

"Hanayo-chan?" Honoka asked, suddenly feeling very worried. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Hanayo began slowly, her voice wavering. "I..."

Everyone watched her.

"I need comfort rice!!!" She cried, hurriedly walking over to her rice cooker and preparing everything.

"I'm guessing things didn't work with Rin-chan..." Honoka tapped the table thoughtfully. "So...what shall we do now?"

"There is still one person, we haven't spoken to yet," Nozomi said, closing the door Hanayo had just walked through. Then she rested her back against the wall and sighed. "Shall we go speak to her now?"

"We'll have to be quick," Hanayo responded, turning to face everyone, a bowl in her hands. "Rin-chan got really suspicious, and I think she figured out what was going on when I was talking to her. Thankfully, she still thought I had Umi-chan's personality."

"I'm pretty sure Kotori figured it out too," Umi said glumly.

Honoka placed her bread on the table, reached over and held Umi's hand in her own. "Don't worry, we'll get everyone back to normal."

Umi just nodded. Her eyes were focused on Honoka, but her gaze was distant. It made Honoka's heart sink. Umi was normally focused, and in control. Seeing her so worried was unnatural, and Honoka didn't like her friends being so upset...

"Want some bread?" Honoka asked Umi.

Umi smiled, and a small laugh escaped her lips. "No thank you, Honoka." Umi hesitated, before removing her hands from Honoka's grasp and speaking. "I spoke to Rin for a few moments, and it was weird having her speak so calmly to me..."

"Rin-chan seems a little more stricter than Eli-chan at rehearsals," Hanayo replied honestly whilst her rice cooker rumbled.

Honoka glanced over to face Nozomi. Like Umi, Nozomi looked hurt painfully worried, although Honoka could tell she was trying not to show it. Honoka couldn't bare to see her friends looking so miserable.

Hanayo continued slowly.  "Rin-chan...told me she was disappointed in me..."

Honoka stood up, and began to walk over to Hanayo. "Don't worry. That wasn't really Rin-chan talking..."

"Eli-cchi is still a little bit unsure to the idea of having a large group of friends," Nozomi added, her voice quiet. "It's only been about a month since she and I joined μ's. Don't be sad, Hanayo-chan."

"I don't want Rin-chan OR Eli-chan to be disappointed in me!!" Hanayo sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

"Dont worry, when they're all back to normal, I'll make sure to give Eli-cchi a scolding," Nozomi joked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a handkerchief for Hanayo. "But Eli-cchi will warm up to everyone eventually. She's still just getting used to having a large group of friends who all care about her..."

"Nozomi-chan..." Umi said slowly.

Nozomi cleared her throat and turned her back. She opened the clubroom door. "Let's hurry and find our final hope to getting everyone back to normal - I would like everyone back to normal as quickly as possible, we can't waste anymore time."