CH. 104 - Preparing for a Dance

 A different day, the girls all meet up excitedly and happily with each other, riding the high of emotions they're feeling after the day they just had.

 “So, did he ask you??” Chizuru asks excitedly.

 “He did! Did he ask you??” Hisana asks as Chizuru nods excitedly. They both scream as they hold hands and jump for joy. Shiori watches before looking at Lucy.

 “How was yours?” She asks. Lucy crosses her arms with a cool smirk.

 “It was amazing. I don’t know why Sugawara was acting like they were gonna blow us up or something. How did yours go?” Lucy asks. Shiori blushes a little with a smile.

 “It was good… he lit me on fire…” she says, loving the thought of that night. Lucy looks at her shocked and concerned.

 “Okay… I guess you might’ve had it worse than me…” Lucy says in a mumble. Alice watches them, confused.

 “I don’t even know what they’re talking about.” She says plainly. Suiyoubi smiles.

 “The boys asked them out to the Prom.” She says. Alice smirks.

 “Pffft! So what? That’s easy. Watch. Suiyoubi. Will you go to the prom with me?” She asks with a bow.

 “Of course I will.” Suiyoubi answers happily. Alice smiles and fist pumps.

 “Yes! See? Easy.” She says. Chizuru then looks at the girls with a big smile.

 “Oh my Cos! We have to start getting ready! There’s so much to do and the dance is in a couple days! We have to get our dresses, we have to plan!” Chizuru says.

 “Yeah, and I’ve gotta get my hair done! And my nails and everything! Kitaro put so much thought into asking me out, I’ve gotta look my best!” Hisana says happily.

 “She’s right. They all did. Why don’t we have a spa day just for us? That way we all look and feel our best.” Lucy offers. The girls light up.

 “Yeah!” they shout.

 “That sounds so nice! Just the girls getting all pampered for the best night of our lives!” Alice cheers.

 “Then let’s get to it!” Shiori says as they all head out.

 They walk around town with excited smiles as they go into a clothing store. They look around happily before Alice pulls out a dress that’s rather… exotic to say the least. Alice smiles as she shows her friends, but they look at each other then shake their heads. Lucy and Hisana then grab her shoulders and turn her around, shoving her back towards the dressing rooms. There, the girls basically put on a fashion show as they all try on different dresses, and hitting different poses for their friends as they clap and laugh together.

 After going through all the cute things they found, they gather their picks and checkout with the store clerk. They fill their arms with the bags of shoes, dresses and other accessories, then leave the store only to realize how much stuff they really have. They look around for a moment as if searching for ideas before Suiyoubi perks up. She opens a small violet purple portal next to her, leading to her room. Mormo looks back, surprised only to get crushed by the bags and items. The girls giggle as Mormo twitches with his legs sticking out of the pile before the portal closes.

 They then move on to a nail salon. The girls enter and look at the different colors to pick from while thinking of any fancy designs they may want. Suiyoubi, Hisana and Chizuru sit with their techs as the other three get their toes done in comfy chairs, sighing as they relax. After a bit, Hisana excitedly approaches them showing off her new nails. They sweat at the sight of the teddy bear themed nails that are rather exaggerated. They shake their heads and point her back to get new ones. She slumps over a bit but does as she’s told as the nail tech drops his head onto the table with a groan.

 They leave the salon and show off their nails to each other, Chizuru lifting her foot to show the matching set on her toes. Alice’s stomach growls, so she gets their attention and points at a smoothie shop nearby. They all lick their lips and drool before quickly getting smoothies.

 As they walk along with their smoothies, Lucy notices a tattoo and piercings shop and lights up. She points at it as the others look concerned, excluding Suiyoubi. She gets excited too as they rush inside. Lucy sits down and sticks her tongue out as the piercer gets to work. They quickly pierce her tongue as the girls wince, Alice looking more shocked than the others, covering her mouth at the sight. Suiyoubi then approaches them from a different room before smiling and pointing at her cheeks, revealing dimple piercings in her cheeks. Shiori and Chizuru have wide eyes as Alice’s eyes roll back and she passes out. Lucy then steps to them and sticks her tongue out with a smile, showing off her new piercing. Shiori and Chizuru smile awkwardly as they give them a thumbs up with a sweat.

 For their final stop of the day, they make it to a hair salon. They go inside and are happily taken in by the stylists. Lucy sits in a chair and gets her bleach touched up, and Hisana does the same with her color as Alice gets a dye job on her hair. Suiyoubi talks with a stylist about her hair as Chizuru does the same.

 “I’m not sure what I wanna do with it. I’ve always kept it kinda short, but now I’m not so sure.” Chizuru says as the stylist analyzes her.

 “Well, you could always grow it out and if you don’t like it, cut it again! In the meantime, is there a particular look you’re going for?” the stylist asks.

 “We’ve got a Senior Prom to go to!” Chizuru says with a smile as the stylist smiles back.

 “Then I know just what to do.” She says as they get to work. After some time, a few of the girls being done sooner than others, Shiori sits in a hair dryer as she just relaxes and lets the warm air blow over her gently. Chizuru and Suiyoubi sit to her right as they do the same.

 “Ah~ today was so nice.” Shiori says softly.

 “It really was. Maybe we should make a habit of this? Just go out and spa day ourselves.” Chizuru offers.

 “I would love that. I have so many more piercings I want to get.” Suiyoubi says happily. Shiori and Chizuru look at her with a sweat drop before smiling.

 “So did you get anything fancy done to your hair, Shiori?” Chizuru asks.

 “Nah, nothing crazy. Just a trim and some tips. Since we’re styling our hair and doing our makeup before the dance, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing.” Shiori says. Chizuru giggles.

 “Yeah, I asked too. I wanna look my best for Senior Prom!” Chizuru says excitedly.

 “Looking best for Senior Prom is all about the outfit. It’s totally what brings it all together.” A woman says to Shiori’s left as she reads a magazine, covering her face. The girls look over, surprised, as the woman gets slightly nervous, shaking and sweating as she hides behind her magazine a bit more. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard..” she says, obviously trying to change her voice.

 “If you’re going to change your voice, at least make it less obvious.” Suiyoubi says as the woman flinches.

 “Who are you?” Shiori asks as the woman sighs before dropping the magazine, revealing Amy sitting in the hairdryer with rollers in her hair. The girls light up.

 “Amy!” Chizuru and Shiori say.

 “Yo.” Amy says with an upset look.

 “What’re you doing here?” Shiori asks happily.

 “This is where I always go for my hair. Waves like mine don’t just happen, you know.” Amy says with a huff.

 “Right. You would be into that kind of stuff.” Shiori says with a smile. Amy looks at her offended.

 “And what’s that supposed to mean, huh?” She asks as Shiori leans back defensively.

 “Nothing! I’m just saying you’re really pretty, is all.” She says. Amy blushes a little, then looks away.

 “Y-yeah? Whatever. It’s not like I need you to tell me that..” she says with pressed lips. Shiori giggles.

 “I kinda miss tutoring you since you graduated already.” She says as Amy smiles at her. “Speaking of which, how’s that going?” Shiori asks. Amy crosses her arms and tries to look cool.

 “It’s good or whatever. You know.” She says casually. Chizuru leans over and whispers to Suiyoubi.

 “I heard she got into film school almost immediately..” she whispers. Suiyoubi looks surprised.

 “Really?. It’s probably thanks to Shiori’s tutoring..” Suiyoubi whispers back as Amy twitches irritatedly, hearing their words.

 “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m, like, super good at my craft too! Just cause she helped me doesn’t mean I didn’t earn it myself!” Amy growls as Shiori chuckles.

 “We know.” She says softly as Amy huffs but calms down.

 “Whatever. It’s going good. In fact, I’m totally making a movie right now with some upperclassmen. They said I was good enough to join them already.” Amy says smugly as the others smile at her.

 “I’d believe it. You were really good once you started applying yourself.” Shiori says as Amy snickers to herself. She then looks at the girls and smiles.

 “Anyway, I heard you’re getting ready for the prom or something?” Amy asks. The girls nod. Amy smiles as she leans back. “Yeah, I remember my dance last year. It went so well my boyfriend dumped me that night. He said, me and the dance was so boring he couldn’t imagine us together anymore.” Amy says, obviously upset about it. The girls look worried by her words as she continues. “But whatever. I’m totally over him. Just whatever you do, make sure to keep the night interesting or you’ll lose your partners, that’s my advice to you highschoolers.” Amy says as Shiori droops.

 “You just graduated like five months ago…” she says before sighing and looking worried. “But she’s right… What if they think we didn’t put in any effort like they did? What if they think we just don’t care and leave?” Shiori says anxiously to the others.

 “After all the effort they put in asking us to the dance…” Chizuru says, worrying too. “We have to make sure the night is the best night of their lives too! No matter what!” Chizuru says, determined as Shiori nods too.

 “Go get ‘em, girls.” Amy says, proud of the totally valid inspiration she just gave them. Soon, the girls finish up their spa day as Alice shows off the black soft tips of her hair to the group. Now all freshened up, the girls gather as Chizuru speaks to them.

 “Okay. Now to prepare for the most fun, bestest night ever! Here’s what we’re gonna do…” she says as they trail off, planning for the Senior Prom.

 As the girls are getting themselves all prepared for the Senior Prom, the boys of the group gather for their own way of getting prepared.

 “Aaaagghh!!” Hikigaya shouts in a frustrated grunt. Hikigaya exhales upset as he slumps in a chair in Sugawara’s home.

 “And you care about it this much why..?” Sugawara asks him with a sweat and concerned look.

 “Probably because he knows he’s ugly and his hair is weird.” Haru says with a smirk when suddenly a pair of scissors comes flying at them, stabbing into the wall between them. They look at Hikigaya as he glares at them before sighing and drooping.

 “Because Shiori’s out there right now getting all cute for the Prom and I’m just sitting here looking the exact same as I always have. I want to show her I’m putting in effort for her. That I’m not just coasting through our relationship.” Hikigaya says as he looks at an electric hair trimmer sitting next to him. The boyfriends look at each other before smiling softly. Haru then steps forward.

 “Well, then you gotta commit! Let’s just get started and you’ll feel much better. O-” Haru starts as he grabs the trimmer, but then as he turns it on, it slips from his hand and completely buzzes Hikigaya’s hair down the middle. The boys look shocked as Hikigaya stares blankly.

 “Haru! What did you do??” Sugawara shouts.

 “It was an accident!” Haru shouts back.

 “Guys, calm down. It’s fine.” Hikigaya says, before closing his eyes tightly and looking as if straining for a moment, when suddenly his hair grows and goes back to normal. Hikigaya looks at them and points to his head. “Superpowers, remember?” He says. The boys sigh in relief before Sugawara takes the trimmer from Haru’s hand forcibly.

 “I think I should handle this stuff.” He says as Haru nods sadly. “I get where you’re coming from, though. I’m sure the other guys are feeling the same.” Sugawara says softly when they hear a commotion going on outside the door.

 “Speaking of which, here they come.” Haru says as the front door flies open and in comes Mormo flying through the air, screaming, before he slams into the back wall. Kitaro huffs as he steps inside.

 “Why do we have to bring him along again?” He asks, obviously upset.

 “Technically, we don’t. But I imagine Suiyoubi would be upset if we abandoned him in his time of need.” Ryuji says.

 “First I get crushed by girlie apparel, now this..? I hate you guys…” Mormo says as he drops to the ground with a squeak. Touma then notices Sugawara holding the hair trimmer and scissors before Hikigaya.

 “Oh. You already started?” He asks softly.

 “Started what?” Sugawara asks.

 “We figured we were all gonna get nice and cleaned up together for the dance. Guess you had other plans.” Kitaro says, crossing his arms. Sugawara then lights up.

 “No! We totally all should! Clean cuts, clean nails, all of it! Now’s the chance to change up our looks if we want!” Sugawara says excitedly. Haru rubs his finger under his nose with a smug look.

 “Ah~ you guys go ahead. You can’t really improve perfection so I’m good.” He says as Sugawara looks at him with a judgmental look. Haru is shocked. “What’s with that look??” he shouts. Touma looks a bit nervous at the prospect despite wanting to.

 “I want to, but… I have n-no idea what I’d change about myself…” he says softly.

 “Yeah, thinking about my look isn’t really something I do.” Kitaro says plainly. Sugawara sighs as he lifts the trimmer and scissors.

 “Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me.” He says with a smile. Some time goes on as the boys help each other out getting their hair cut properly among other little things they feel like doing. Ryuji paints his nails a dark color as Sugawara focuses on helping Hikigaya. As they go, Touma approaches the table with a pair of scissors on it. He thinks for a moment before grabbing them and looking in the mirror, preparing to cut his own hair. Before he can, Sugawara and Ryuji notice and shout at him.

 “Wait, don't!” They shout. Touma stops and looks at them. Before they can say anything else, Kitaro starts strangling Sugawara playfully with a smile.

 “Shut up! Don’t stop him now! That would’ve been funny!” He says as Touma looks at him.

 “You were just gonna let me do that?..” he asks softly as Kitaro shrugs smugly. Touma then punches him on the head angrily, leaving a big bump as Touma steps towards the others.

 “I was just kidding…” Kitaro groans. Eventually, the boys finish up as Sugawara wipes his forehead with a satisfied smile, stepping back to look at his work.

 “There. Finally, all done. What do you think?” He asks as Ryuji steps next to him. He stares at the others for a moment, thinking.

 “I think you did a great job.” He says as Sugawara blushes and giggles.

 “Aw, thanks. It was easy with your help. You and I seem to be the only ones who really care about our appearance.” He says as Ryuji nods.

 “We’re right here, you know.” Haru says from offscreen.

 “Okay. It’s time for you guys to get lost and find your outfits for the Prom. Please, please be mindful about what you’re gonna wear. I really don’t want my hard work making you look good thrown away cause you put on something stupid.” Sugawara says as the boys understand and leave while talking back a bit. Ryuji looks at them before turning to Sugawara.

 “You want some help with your hair?” he asks. Sugawara smirks smugly as he flips his hair a little.

 “Nah, I’ve got my own thing going on. You can’t really improve perfection, am I right?” Sugawara giggles at his own callback joke as Ryuji chuckles too.

 “Right.” he says before waving and walking off. Sugawara watches his friends leave before turning around.

 “Okay. Time to check my closet.” He says before opening a large walk-in closet filled with tons of clothes. “Good thing I spent so much money before my family cut me off…” he says to himself before smiling and getting to deciding.

 Soon, the night of the Senior Prom comes. Shiori sighs as Lucy stands behind her, adding some final touches to her hair. The girls are all gathered in Shiori’s room with their hair and makeup done, and only a few without their dresses on.

 “What’s going on, girl?” Lucy asks.

 “I’m just nervous about tonight… I really want this to go well, better than well, if we can, but…” Shiori says as Lucy steps in front of her, sitting down on her bed.

 “Yeah… I know how you feel. But it’ll be okay. As long as we do our best to be the best girlfriends we can be, the rest will work out.” Lucy says as she smiles at Shiori, who smiles back.

 “Okay, now!” Alice says as she huffs and pulls some ribbons on the back of Suiyoubi’s dress tightly. The built in corset of the dress hugs her tightly, but she hardly reacts. Alice ties it off and huffs with a proud smile.

 “That doesn’t bother you?” Hisana asks. Suiyoubi shakes her head.

 “Not in the slightest. But then, I am very used to this.” She says. Chizuru then adjusts the dress around her chest as they bounce a little.

 “Jeez Chizuru, couldn’t save a bit of boob for any of us?” Shiori says with an upset look. Chizuru giggles as she rubs the back of her head bashfully.

"Hey, speak for yourself. I think we're doing just fine." Hisana says with a playful tease as Suiyoubi and her flaunt their chests. Shiori looks annoyed as Chizuru smiles with a sweat drop.

 “Come on, let’s get dressed too. We'll need to leave soon if we’re meeting the boys at the place.” Lucy says as she gets up.

 “Touma’s driving them, right?” Shiori asks as she gets up. Chizuru steps next to her.

 “Yep. His dad has a van they could use.” She says.

 “And Hiki’s mom is taking us, right? Since she has a van too?” Lucy asks as Shiori nods. Chizuru gets excited as she tries to contain herself.

 “Eeee! I’m so excited to see them! I bet they’re gonna look so pretty! Tonight’s gonna be the best!” She cheers.

 “True, but remember, we’re gonna make it a great night for them so no funny business, okay?” Lucy clarifies as Chizuru, Hisana and Alice put their fists up happily.

 “Right!” they shout together.

 After getting all put together, the girls make their way downstairs. Takanou and Hamasaki watch with bright eyes and smiles as they look at Shiori coming down the stairs. She looks at them and gets a little embarrassed.

 “Do I look alright?” She asks timidly. Hamasaki instantly starts taking pictures of her happily.

 “You look amazing, sweetheart! You’re absolutely dazzling!” Hamasaki says as she quickly snaps her from different angles. Riku looks over the edge of the couch with awe and a blush too.

 “Woah, sis… you actually look so pretty!” He says as Shiori gets a little mad.

 “Why do you say that like you expected me to be ugly!?” she shouts. Hamasaki then quickly grabs her shoulders and pushes her along.

 “No, no. Don’t get too upset, or you might ruin your look. Just go have fun, sweetie! I love you so much!” Hamasaki says as she stops by the door, watching Shiori step away, waving.

 “Be safe and call us if you need us!” Takanou says as they both wave their daughter off to her Senior Prom. Asami stands by her van as the other girls happily get in. She then smiles as she sees Shiori before her.

 “Cos, look at you. You look so gorgeous. I remember Amber’s prom… She would’ve loved to see you and Hikigaya dance together…” Asami says with a smile and tears in her eyes. Shiori smiles softly as she takes Asami’s hand. She goes to say something, but Asami quickly clears her throat and rubs her eyes. “You’re right. It’s no time for tears! Come on, girls! There’s memories waiting to be made!” She says as she closes the doors for them and quickly gets in the driver's seat and drives off.