Love Live! Reunite!

Chapter 17: Eli's Idea

So Umi's exercise plan was put into action, and everyone went for the run together. Umi advised everyone to run at their own speed and remember how many times they had to stop running to catch their breath, or had to slow down to a walk. Then she could record the information and keep it for the next time they ran, to see if they had improved.

"Umi-chan is very into this, isn't she?" Nico muttered.

"Yes she is," Kotori beamed. "But that's why she's a good member in our group!"

During the run, Rin was the fastest, darting off almost immediately. She was closely followed by Eli and Umi, who were in front of Kotori, who was ahead of Nico, who kept being over taken by Maki, with Nozomi following on, and Hanayo and Honoka at the back.

Even though Honoka knew she could have gone faster, she decided to wait for Hanayo and run with her, just so they both had a bit of company.

"It's not a competition," Honoka told Hanayo kindly. "Go at your own pace, we will both cross the finish line together, even if it is fifteen minutes after everyone else."

Hanayo smiled, red in the face and her cheeks puffing. "Thank you."

Honoka and Hanayo jogged together, taking the route Umi had planned. They passed a few cafés and restaurants, but Honoka and Hanayo knew to stay away.

They jogged slowly up the long stairs leading to the local shrine. When they reached the top, Hanayo fell to the floor, clutching her stomach and panting heavily, and Honoka grabbed Kotori for support.

"Well done everyone," Umi smiled. "That was very good."

"I didn't stop once, nya!" Rin grinned happily, still running on the spot.

Honoka took a large breath. "Rin-chan, how are you not out of breath?!"

"Me too," Eli said.

"Same with me." Umi noted this down.

"I slowed to a walk once," Kotori said shyly.

"Me too," Nico said.

"I had to stop once to tie my shoelace," Maki said. "Apart from that, I didn't stop at all."

"I had to walk twice," Nozomi admitted.

"And you two?" Umi turned to Honoka and Hanayo.

Honoka took another large breath. "We didn't slow down once," Honoka told her. "But we didn't run, we jogged."

Umi nodded.

"Well, you both did better than I did," Nozomi grinned at Honoka and Hanayo.

"Good job, you two!" Eli smiled, helping Hanayo to her feet.

"We will do the same run again the day after tomorrow," Umi told everyone. "But you'll be running two at a time, and I'll be here timing you."

"Like a race?" Rin asked hopefully.

"No, not like a race...please..." Hanayo whispered, still gasping for air.

"Not yet, anyway," Umi finished.

"Hanayo-chan, did you hear that?" Honoka grabbed Hanayo's hands. "Not yet! We still have a few days left of freedom!"

"Are we running back to Honoka-chan's house?" Kotori asked.

"No thanks," Nozomi shook her head. "I don't want to go through all that again."

"Which reminds me," Eli said. "Actually, I don't think it's fair on Honoka that most of us are staying at her house."

"What do you mean?" Nico asked.

"Well, Nozomi and Nico are staying at Maki's house," Eli explained. "But me, my sister, Kotori and Umi are all staying at Honoka's house. And I also don't think it's right that Honoka and her sister feed us all three meals a day."

"We don't mind!" Honoka said. "Yukiho-chan and I love having company!"

"I will be going to live with my mother soon," Kotori added. "Once she has finished moving house."

"Moving house?" Honoka asked.

Kotori nodded. "She's moving into a small cute bungalow! You'll have to come around and see it!"

"And my mother is out of the country," Umi explained. "But I'll be staying with her when she gets back."

"Well, actually, I was thinking maybe...we could all go on a camping trip, like we used to?" Eli suggested shyly.

"Oh, in one of Maki-chans's vacation homes?" Kotori asked.

"That sounds good," Nico nodded. "Maki-chan, you still have those, right?"

Maki scoffed. "Of course I do."

"Do you think we'd be able to go to one of them?" Rin asked, her eyes shining bright.

"I'll have to ask my parents," Maki answered. "I can't promise anything."

"Maki-chan, you're an adult now," Nico said, putting her hands in her hips, "and you still have to ask your parents for permission to do things?!"

Maki hesitated. "Well..." Maki coughed. "Alright, I won't ask. I'll tell my parents we're all going to one of the vacation houses."

"Oohh, Maki-chan is getting sassy!" Honoka cried.

"Crazy crazy!" Kotori agreed with Honoka.

"Wait, don't do anything that will get you in trouble - " Eli began, but Maki cut her off.

"As it's nearly December, we won't go to the house near the beach," Maki said thoughtfully, twirling her hair with one hand and tapping her chin with the other. "We could go to the house in the mountains? Maybe that will give us some inspiration..."

"This sounds like fun," Nozomi said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Okay, we'll go in three days," Maki said. "Everyone, meet at the train station at ten o'clock, and bring your suitcases!"

"Wait... Ten o'clock in the morning?!" Honoka asked.

"Only if you're sure..." Eli said nervously to Maki.

Umi looked at her notebook. "I'll have to sort out a new route for our run... We could run through the mountains..."

"Right," Honoka blinked. "So not only are you making me run unwillingly, now you're going to make me run up a mountain?!"

"I think it will be fun," Rin said. "But Rin-chan isn't too good with heights, nya!"

"Well, we can stay clear of the mountains until later on in our trip," Eli said.

Honoka's stomach rumbled. "This is quite exciting - going camping, just like old times! ... But can we go home for lunch now?"

Umi pretended to think. Then she smiled. "We all did very well today, of course we can!"