heartholder | IC INBOX.

[ Only yesterday, they had their first live in a while, but it doesn't mean that Riko can rest just yet. Sending gifts is definitely on top of the list. Riko spent a few hours looking for a perfect present for Chika a few days before, but she couldn't find anything good enough. At least not until she had noticed a necklace that made her think of Chika immediately. Sea and the color orange...there's no way Riko would associate them with someone else.

Once the necklace is in the fancy box, Riko attaches a short note for Chika too, before wrapping the whole thing and sending it. The note, which Chika will find in the morning on the Sunsui festival day, reads as follows:

Merry Sunsui, Chika-chan. You have no idea how happy I am to have you by my side. Yesterday live was really fun, I hope we can do it again soon.

Would you like to meet sometime later and go to the festival together?
Riko ]

Edited 2017-12-23 17:00 (UTC)

[Unfortunately, Chika, this is your back-up secret Santa. Since he doesn't know her and his default gift for girls is jewelry, what's left by her door is a nice bracelet recommended to him by a shopkeeper. It's on the expensive side to try and compensate for being completely impersonal, and the note simply says: Happy Sunsu. He sort of tried.]

[ Whoever placed the tree in the apartment building, must've done it overnight as Riko's pretty sure it wasn't here yesterday. The moment she steps closer, a realization dawns upon her—she's read about this in the book on Shehui traditions (which contains the story behind Sunsu festival as well). There are some talismans hanging on the lower branches, but Riko stops when she notices a certain one that mentions Love Live. It brings a soft smile to Riko's face. Love Live...she didn't really think about it before as she was busy being scared of basically everything and trying to wrap her head around the concept of traveling across the worlds. Love Live means a lot to their group. And to Chika. It's not just that—it's important to Riko too, even though she didn't know what to think about it at first. Then, Chika taught her that there's nothing wrong about being lost and finding your own way. It's funny how some time ago, she'd take her time writing the wish down. However, now she just knows what it should be.

Before hanging the talisman, Riko takes one more look at it. "I want Chika-chan's wish to come true." For some reason, Riko thinks that signing it won't be necessary. Her own wish and Chika's are probably the same—Riko wants to win the Love Live and shine together with her beloved friend and everyone else she holds dear. It happens in a second and Riko does it on a whim—she presses her lips against the talisman and hangs it on one of the branches right away. ]

Why I am so embarrassing...

[ Chuckling to herself, she goes to take another talisman. Hopefully, it should be okay to have another wish for Dia and Ruby. ]

Chika-san. If you are around... I would like to speak with you for a while. I have been rather absent ever since the lockdown situation.

Ruby was really scared, and I pretty much forgot everything else for a while.

Are you well? None of the monitors harmed you, right?

[ Perhaps Riko shouldn't have been so surprised to see a familiar snack in this world but there's nothing wrong with little culture shock, is there? Before she knows it, she's knocking at Chika's door, holding a few packages of different flavors of pocky. It's astonishing how similar this world and their world are. ]

Chika-chan? Are you here?

12/20; delivery

sunsu

backdated to 1/10; action

text

yuenai returns; action