I wouldn't stand a chance in the real world
If you're not by my side I won't survive
You're going through the motions of Lilt's latest routine, a little bit for the practice - but if you're being honest with yourself you have long since memorized the choreography and you're just trying to calm yourself down. This isn't your first Live, but it's definitely your most important! You can't let anyone here down, they're all so cute and shine so brightly on stage. Your eyes are closed as you spin, imagining the nine of you on stage with your pretty costumes, but then open when you hear Coco ask Ru to answer her phone. Your gaze follows Ru, a little bit distracted from your dancing but not completely - not until the shorter girl comes over to you, her eyes wide and glassy.
"Ru?" You question, and you resist the urge to bite at your lips as you grab the phone.
Something in the back of your mind is hissing -
this is it. this is the moment when it all falls apart. You thickly swallow, bringing the phone to your ear. You recognize the voice as your school's principal, and she sounds panicked, despite trying to speak to you in decisive tone that you can easily understand. Your... your school is gone. You don't even have that moment of disbelief where it all seems like a joke. The billboard for love live was gone, and the entire building seemed... solemn. It should have been filled with girls ready to compete in Love Live, but instead... nothing. There was something off about how even a few days before the Live, not all of the groups had shown.
Now you understand. All of the talk of Japonica being a stronghold for music and creativity had chased off your worries of becoming like the provinces across the ocean. You had hyper focused on your own lives, and it wasn't like you got much word of what was happening over there nowadays anyways. But now people here were... Your throat closes as you hold back tears, and nod as your once principal asks whether you understand the situation. You are
not to come home. There was someone waiting there for you - the nine of you were considered fugitives for participating in an illegal organization. You were
wanted and if any of your parents housed you they would be in trouble as well.
"What are we supposed to do?" You ask, voice barely creeping out from your throat. The words are sticking to you, not wanting to escape - not wanting to make it all real. The woman would pause, before telling you not to be afraid, and that help was on the way. What you needed to do now, was pack up as quickly as possible and stay
very quiet. Someone would knock on your door and tell you
the cavalry has arrived and you are only to open the door after hearing that exact phrase. You have no idea what that means, but you utter a soft sound of compliance, before telling her goodbye.
She says that if this is the last time she gets to speak with you, that she was a big fan of Lilt, and hopes to see more of you in the future.
That confuses you, but she when she hangs up you do to, and look up at Ru, and then out at the other girls. Your heart is pounding, but you do the first thing that comes to mind - first you run to the window and close the curtains, then you flick the lights on and off twice to get everyone's attention. Once people are looking at you you motion for them to be
quiet, putting a finger to your mouth and hoping that they comply.
"Pack, quickly! I'll explain, I promise but we have to be quiet." You don't know how you're managing, but you do - for their sake. You can't let anything happen to them - you're all in
danger and you can't let anything happen to them.
They were counting on you, at least right now.
Until help got here, you had to keep them quiet, get them packed, and get them caught up on what was happening.
"Love Live is cancelled, but we're not going home yet it's dangerous." You don't want them to panic, but you don't want to keep anything from them.
"Help is on the way. We're gonna be ok. We've just gotta be really, really brave until help gets here. We can do that, right Lilt?" You're fighting not to panic, and your voice wavers, but you hold yourself together for the girls. They're your best friends, all of them, and with them,
for them, you keep from crying and keep your tone from growing as empty and hopeless as the pit in your stomach.
You won't let anything happen to them.
