STARLIGHT | krmy ✓

27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN —
HOLD ME.

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"AFTER-PARTY UPSTAIRS!" ICHIE proclaims boldly, her cheeks and ears flushed, sweeping her belongings up from her chair, pushing a protesting Fumi up the steps.

"Who said that we're–"

"–I did!" Ichie hiccups, and Tamao rushing to support her when she almost tumbles down the stairs, while Maya sends a questioning glance at Claudine, who shrugs.

"I don't mind."

"Going home," Yuyuko sleepily declares, expertly avoiding Ichie's flailing (an attempt to pull her back). "I'm not the one with an off-day tomorrow. Night, everyone."

She bows in Maya's direction, thanks Shiori, and is out the door before Ichie could wrestle her back in.

The Yumeōji residence radiates the same comfort as the diner and its owner did. The furniture was sparse, Akira's minimalist tastes evidently having a huge influence on the living room and dining area.

By the time everybody had been gathered by the dining table, Ichie was already raiding the fridge as if it were her home, two bottles of soju dangling from her hands. Shiori and Akira make no effort to stop her, and bring out snacks (KitKat and Pocky) instead.

Maya, however, wasn't quite feeling the celebratory mood. Ever since working the Nelke case, she had been thinking about everything that had been hidden from her and the rest of her friends. And the fact that fate somehow led all the rest of the Stage Girls back together...

"I bet that Daiba-san would remember too."

Did Nana remember it too? The Revues? And if so, did Akira? After all, she was top student of Siegfeld.

"Because the Revues existed no longer," Kirin looks her dead in the eye, seeming completely unbothered by the handcuffs. "It messed with fates too. Some weren't meant to be Stage Girls in the first place."

He smirks. "Funny that Fate decided to bring all of you together anyway."

That interrogation had left her...baffled, for lack of a better word. But it didn't matter anymore, did it? It was all over, and life was back to normal. Or rather, it left her with something even better.

Claudine seems to notice her distraction, and she reaches out to hold Maya's hand under the table, her thumb gently trailing over her skin.

"Because of you, brilliance no longer mattered. Tomoe-san never found fulfilling happiness on the stage, Yukishiro-san burnt out long before she could even touch the international stage, and Otōri-san decided she preferred watching from the sidelines."

Maya breathes in deeply, choosing to concentrate on a tipsy Ichie trying to engage everyone with her flimsy attempt at entertainment (which almost always were directed at Claudine and Fumi, but more of the former) and the little, soothing touches that Claudine left on her skin.

"I mean, look at Aladdin! Isn't Saijō-san just perfect?" Ichie slurs, standing up and raising a glass in Claudine's direction, who flashes a triumphant smile at all the praise she had been getting. "Cheers to Saijō-san, and to Tendō-buchōu!"

Maya winces amidst the approved murmurs around the table as everyone raises their glasses (except Kaoruko, who wasn't very happy about all the attention on Claudine). Claudine notices her discomfort, and tightens her grip on her hand.