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Roselia had a Vibe. A very specific one, at that. One that said: ‘you are a peasant and we are merely allowing you to listen to our sound’ and yet was also deeply personal. Every hardcore Roselia fangirl felt so incredibly blessed to even exist at the same time as their gothic idols, to witness something so great.
To be honest, Yukina had no clue what vibe she’d been going for initially. Much of Roselia’s aesthetic had been accidental. She hadn’t expected them to be so goth, more so thinking of that one Pokémon when she came up with their name, but that was just how things went. She’d entered music to show the bastards of the industry what the Minato bloodline was really about and now through some convoluted path she was here.
She hadn’t expected things to get so personal either. But there was a reason for that. Sunkissed Rhodonite. Determination Symphony. Ringing Bloom. Our Path. Sanctuary. That one love anthem Lisa had composed and Yukina had sung just because why not. The two NFO songs she’d created just for Ako’s sake. All were songs about her cherished bandmates.
Of course, all their lyrics were based on Yukina’s experiences, but some especially so. And she couldn’t help it. Girls were simply too amazing, she’d decided, and all her bandmates were girls. So if she wanted to write a cheeky song about one of them every now and then, then she should be allowed to. It was her right.
That was another discovery that had come from Roselia. Girls. Were. Amazing! As an angsty middle schooler she’d kind of forgotten what girls were despite (probably) being one herself but now she was back in the loop. And the verdict was that she had missed out on a lot. Girls were hot. Girls were pretty. Girls absolutely ruled. Every day, Yukina became more certain of that fact. She’d even acquired a girlfriend - one who was fiercely loyal to her, composing riffs and melodies to aid her thoughts. Which was ridiculously hot.
It was simple. Yukina Minato, vocalist of the century, or whatever, was an absolute raging lesbian.
There was just one issue, however, and it was that-
NOBODY OUTSIDE OF ROSELIA KNEW THAT SHE WAS A LESBIAN.
It was so frustrating. She was in college now. She had the lesbian flag hung above her bed and she kissed and cuddled and most times did a lot more with her girlfriend (Sayo, another fact everyone was unaware of) underneath it. She was in an ALL-GIRLS BAND. She wrote songs EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT WOMEN. And yet, most of Roselia’s fanbase still couldn’t get the message.
“This is the fifth one in a week!” Yukina exclaimed in frustration, looking at the article Rinko was showing her. Emblazoned across the top of the screen were the offending words: ‘MINATO DATING FAMOUS BOY BAND VOCALIST SINCE LAST YEAR???’
Honestly, what the hell was this? The site that had written it had changed their profile picture to rainbow for June like all the other corporate shits in society and yet they still pulled this nonsense? She didn’t even know the man they were shipping her with this time! At least other outlets bothered to dig up a man she had glanced at once. It was like they weren’t even trying anymore.
Rinko remained quiet, seemingly unsettled. Her and Ako were a lot more active online, and as such discovered these articles and brought them to her, and witnessed her explosive reactions every time. Normally, Yukina didn’t care for public opinion of her, but she’d been keeping a close eye on this bizarre trend.
She thought the message had been clear. The only man she actually knew was her dad and also she’d had one weird dream where Lisa had had a baby brother. That was it. It should be obvious she didn’t care for men at all. And as well as that, all the other girl’s bands were being hailed as some sort of lesbian icons. No one had any trouble understanding how gay Kasumi and her four girlfriends (possibly wives) were, or how much of a men-hater Chisato Shirasagi was, and everybody had gotten the message when Hello, Happy World! Had renamed to Hello, Gay World! No, Roselia was the only exception. For some reason, no matter how many sapphic songs she wrote, everyone believed Yukina was heterosexual.
Even her other members had escaped this curse. Okay, maybe Lisa tweeting about how hot she found various female k-pop idols daily and Ako and Rinko picking the sexiest outfits for the female characters they played as on their Twitch streams had kind of been a dead giveaway but even so. Yukina had never been a public figure, but was this what happened when she stayed out of the general spotlight?
“Rinko.” she said, and the other woman snapped to attention. “Is there anything I can do to get these ridiculous articles to stop?”
“Are you sure, Yukina-san?” Rinko asked. “You know how some people are… and you are the face of our band, after all.”
“‘Our band’ is gay as fuck. If I’m the face of it, I must publicly represent that too. And besides, no one objected when you, Ako or Lisa made your preferences clear, did they?” Yukina replied.
“Well, n-no. Except some of our very dedicated fans… who got mad when Imai-san started dating Wakana-san…” Rinko pointed out. Lisa had revealed herself as dating her fellow bassist, Rei, from their rival band RAS last year and it had caused quite a stir amongst those who believed Lisa was inappropriately consorting with their rivals. Things cleared up when they couldn’t say no to Lisa’s (supposedly) adorable pictures of them as a couple on social media, or the crazy Roselia-RAS collab concert that had happened as a result, however, so all was well.
“But I’m not dating any of our rivals. Sayo is in our band, is she not? Things will be fine. I only want to know how I can more publicly convey the message of my sexuality. I believed I was clear enough already, but obviously that is not the case.” Yukina said.
“Well… perhaps being open about your relationship with Hikawa-san would be a good idea?” Rinko suggested.
Yukina sighed. It had been something she’d contemplated too, especially considering Rinko and Ako were dating, but while they weren’t hiding anything, her and Sayo had both agreed they weren’t keen on making their relationship a big thing. People might get needlessly invested about all the small details of their love life, and that would distract them from what was important - Roselia’s music.
“I’ll think about it. But are you sure there’s nothing else I can do?”
Rinko seemed to be deep in thought for another moment. Then she asked: “When was the last time you logged into your Twitter account?”
Yukina had been the last Roselia member to make a Twitter, even after Ako. She had previously been the admin of the Official Roselia Account but after some irresponsible 4am tweeting about Afterglow that had led to both her and Ran getting suspended from Haneoka for three days for attempting to fist fight each other, her rights to the account had been taken away by Sayo and Lisa. In response, she had created her own account, but she very rarely went on it these days, not after she had asked her followers if they liked cats and over half had replied they preferred dogs. That was unacceptable! Only Sayo and occasionally Chisato were allowed to like such creatures.
But today she was logging back on to ask her followers another question. She was a little unsure about it but Rinko had assured her its implications were Very Homosexual Indeed.
So in the comfort of her own little apartment she shared with Sayo, she composed a new message to all of her thousands of followers.
Yukina Minato (@TheRealYUKINAMINATO):
Does anyone here listen to Girl In Red? She is an exemplary artist, and I’ve been enjoying her songs greatly recently. I’d like to know the opinion of my followers.
There. Done. According to Rinko, that one tweet would be enough to convince all Roselia fans across Japan and beyond that she was 100% interested in women and women only.
Just as she was putting her phone down on the bedside, Sayo entered the room, hair still slightly damp from her shower. “Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Of course. I just got off Twitter.” Yukina replied, as Sayo moved to cuddle next her. At those words, Sayo shot her a concerned look. “It’s fine. Just appreciating other music artists.”
“...As long as you’re just ‘appreciating’ them.” Sayo sighed. Honestly, who did she think Yukina was? Her days of brawling were beyond her, and besides, she was fairly sure this lady in red was Norwegian. If she was offended by Yukina’s comment it would be very expensive for her to fly to Japan to tell Yukina that.
“There’s no need to worry. Rinko told me to make the tweet, and I trust her with these things.”
“Shirokane-san?” Sayo asked, placing her hand on top of Yukina’s. “What does she have to do with it?”
“I was frustrated again recently over… you know. The issue.” Yukina said. Sayo nodded in recognition. “She suggested I give a shoutout to an influential lesbian artist overseas. She said it would be enough to get everyone to be aware of my sexuality.”
Of course, the one most well-acquaintanced with her feelings towards Roselia’s fanbase would be her girlfriend, Sayo. They had gotten together in their third year of high school, when, admittedly with a lot of help from others, Yukina had realised that it wasn’t just a normal girl thing to feel an incredible surge of warmth and happiness whenever you were around another person. Yukina had assumed it was her and Sayo’s bond of music but as it turned out she was just Really Fucking Gay. Equipped with this knowledge, she had asked a very flustered Sayo out, who had been hiding her crush on her since Roselia’s formation. After that, their relationship had been mostly smooth, and despite her incredibly stupid teenage years, Yukina had at least one good thing to look back on and still experience to this day: being with Sayo was truly wonderful.
Not many people knew Sayo was a lesbian either. Sayo’s twin, Hina, and Lisa always made plenty of offhand jokes about how Sayo was the dictionary definition of a disaster lesbian but that couldn’t be true. Because none of their fans seemed to be aware of this.
“I see. Do you think the tweet will work?” Sayo asked.
Yukina shrugged. “I hope so. I am tired of this nonsense.”
Sayo cared significantly less about what the public thought of her. All her life, she’d only really been out to a few close friends and family, so she was hardly about to divulge such details to the entirety of Roselia’s fanbase. She had overcome a lot of obstacles to be proud of herself and her sexuality, but she was still a private person. Yukina understood; she would have the same view as Sayo, was it not for her being shipped with mediocre men every two seconds. Sayo did not have this problem. In fact, she had a whole army of female fans salivating over her long fingers for… playing guitar, and her gorgeous face, and her dorky attitude. Those were supposed to be Yukina’s things to freak out over!
But Sayo supported Yukina’s endeavours to establish herself a lesbian nonetheless. That was one of the things being a girlfriend was about, Yukina supposed.
“I'm sure things will work out eventually. And if worst comes to the worse, you could always just publicly announce it in a way that leaves no room for doubt.” Sayo added.
“Of course. But hopefully, all the idiots writing the articles should get the message soon enough.” Yukina said, before properly snuggling into Sayo’s warmth. However, before she could get too comfortable-
Buzz.
Her phone rattled angrily against their bedside table’s hard surface. Yukina groaned. She dearly wished she could turn the vibrate function off, but she didn’t know how. She could ask Sayo or someone, but that was embarrassing because Reasons. It was terribly inconvenient at times like these, though. Why did someone always need her when she just wanted to cuddle with her girlfriend?
“Should I get it for you?” Sayo asked, sensing her distress.
“No.” Yukina mumbled into the fabric of Sayo’s shirt. “Probably just Lisa. Pick it up if it buzzes again.”
Sayo gave a small noise of affirmation and wrapped her arms around Yukina again. Perfect. But Yukina couldn’t enjoy it because-
Buzz. Buzz.
“Whoever that is, they are quite insistent.” Sayo said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get your phone for you?”
“Hmmm… go on then.” Yukina said, feeling too lazy to be polite or even lift her head. “If it’s Lisa tell her to fuck off and that her cookie tasting sessions can wait, and also she should consider baking something new one day. If it’s a different thing, pass it to me I guess.”
Sayo would never dream of being so directly rude to Lisa, but she reached over and picked up the cool piece of metal regardless. There was a moment of silence, and then Yukina heard a soft ‘oh’ above her.
“What is it, Sayo?” Yukina asked.
“W-Well, it is Imai-san… but she is not texting you about cookies.”
“Huh?” Yukina said, sitting up. “Give it here.”
Sayo placed the phone into her hands, and Yukina peered at the screen. She probably needed glasses, but that was a matter for another day. Because all she could see right now - other than Lisa’s texts - was a lightning flash of blue, pouring across the screen.
First, the texts from Lisa.
Lisa Imai ❤️: YUKINA WHAT HAVE U DONE OMG
Lisa Imai ❤️: WHO IS THIS GIRL IN RED AND WHY IS SHE PISSING OFF SO MANY PEOPLE OMG??( THE AMERICAN STANS FOUND US AGAIN YOU BETTER RUN
Lisa Imai ❤️: IDIOT
Sayo looked over her shoulder. “What… What exactly did you tweet, Yukina?”
“Exactly what I told you.” Yukina frowned. She couldn’t work out what was going on. Had the musician Rinko had told her to reference been caught up in a scandal recently? Were her songs awful? Although, knowing the sensitive Roselia fanbase, it could be anything.
With a heavy sigh, Yukina opened Twitter. Her notifications were already well beyond 20+, and full of replies to her tweet. From what she could tell, there were two types of negative response:
Type 1: The Americans.
DNIEJENEBEISNRKE NOT ROSELIA AGAIN EVERY TIME THEY APPEAR ON MY ARIANATOR TL THEY’RE ALWAYS BEING SO ANNOYING… IT’s ‘girl in red’ NO CAPITALS GET IT RIGHT
Type 2: The Average Cishet Dude
No way… I thought Yukina-san listened to better artists than this… you can barely hear her voice in her songs! And when you can make out the lyrics, all she talks about is girls! What about muh precious metal bands I thought Roselia took inspiration from? No wonder Roselia has been garbage recently.
There was a third type, of people actually being positive and applauding her music taste, and while they were somewhat in the majority, none of them seemed to be making the assumption Rinko was sure they would. God.
Many even thanked her for ‘being such a good ally’. What a joke!
Her mission a complete and utter failure, Yukina threw her phone down somewhere on the carpet floor. Well, if anything, this served as further proof that she wasn’t to be blamed for anything that had happened in her teen years. If she couldn’t even get a good response when she tweeted out nice things could she really be blamed for starting a fight or two in the past? Of course not.
“Is everything alright?” Sayo asked. “You seem stressed. Would you like a shoulder massage, or-“
“Sayo.”
Yukina lifted Sayo’s chin with one finger, until Sayo was forced to meet her eyes.
“You are going to make out with me. Right now. Understood?”
Sayo gulped, and slowly nodded.
Even if no one in the world could believe it, knowing that she had a beautiful girlfriend in her arms to cherish was more than Yukina had ever expected to have. And it was amazing. Despite whatever happened, Yukina would never get tired of this.
But the problem was not over yet. Yukina still wanted to prove that she was a lesbian. The article about her and the male singer was gaining traction, many people commenting that they could ‘totally see it’. What was there to see? They had never interacted. Not once! The band held concerts miles away! Yukina was tired, and she’d decided it was time for more direct action.
Yukina hated interviews. She hated bringing attention to herself over her music. She’d only done one, when she was fresh out of high school, and while on paper, it was a success, Yukina had suffered the whole way through.
She’d agreed to do it just after a concert, an awful idea - she was too sweaty, the noise around her from people leaving the show was too much, and she felt uneasy not having Sayo or her bandmates around her after a performance. As well as that, the man asking her the questions was some irritating fanboy who kept trying to touch her hand. Gross. She’d sworn to never repeat the experience.
But that was all going to change now, because for the first time in her life she did want to bring attention to herself. And an interview seemed to be the second best way to do things, short of straight up making out with Sayo on stage.
And thank god for Sayo and Lisa deciding to befriend a certain pianist in high school, because now Yukina had one acceptable person to give her an interview.
The Afterglow girls seemed to be more or less flourishing in college now, but Tsugumi Hazawa most of all. She was involved in a wide range of club activities and extra-curricular nonsense, just as she had in highschool, and that included her college’s newspaper. She reported on a variety of musical things, and given that Yukina also trusted her, she was the perfect candidate to help her with her problem.
It was a little weird that a small college paper was covering a story on a band like Roselia, which had plans to go abroad next year once Ako was done with high school, but Yukina would accept nobody else.
Technically, it was an interview with all of Roselia, but everyone knew of Yukina’s plans. They’d answer a couple of questions about their upcoming song, before delving into more personal territory, mostly in regards to Yukina. She wasn’t going to outright say she was a lesbian, but she would drop so many hints only a fool wouldn’t realise the truth.
And so that was how she found herself in a small room on Tsugumi’s college campus, the rest of Roselia piled around her on a little sofa. Tsugumi sat opposite them on a chair, notepad ready in her eager hands. On the table between them sat Tsugumi’s phone, voice listening app recording every sound.
“So, um…” Tsugumi began. “Roselia! It’s been a very successful year already, hasn’t it? Your latest song is selling like crazy, and you have a concert booked at your biggest venue since Budokan in a week, right?”
“We sure do!” Lisa replied. Yukina had agreed to let her do the talking at first, personally wanting to save her throat from unnecessary questions. Any fan of theirs would already know what their sales were like, what was the need to go over it again in such a ‘rare’ interview? But then and again, it was Tsugumi, and Yukina trusted her.
“This next concert is sure to be fire!” Lisa continued. “We’ve got an awesome setlist prepared, and there’s still a few seats left, so remember to book up fast if you wanna be there!”
Tsugumi nodded, furiously taking notes. “Word always spreads fast about Roselia concerts, huh? I guess that’s in part to your unique ways of promo, though.”
‘Unique ways of promo’ referring to Ako and Rinko’s habit of accidentally spilling details that weren’t supposed to be known to the public yet in their Twitch streams.They rarely did too much harm, however, so Yukina had been long content to just let them do their own thing. It wasn’t as if she was much good at advertising herself.
Ako continued to chatter on and on about video games, in a way that was hardly related to Roselia, for so long (powered on by Rinko’s enthusiastic nods) it took up most of the time that had been allotted for their interview. Once the ever-polite Tsugumi and the less so Sayo had managed to get Ako to shut up, every eye in the room fell on her.
“Yukina-san,” Tsugumi began quickly, discarding a few pages worth of questions that Yukina could vaguely see Sayo and Lisa’s names on to the floor. “Since the beginning of Roselia, you have largely rejected interviews and publicity events. But I understand that for today, you have agreed to a few more personal questions?”
This was it. Yukina sat up a little straighter and nodded. “Indeed.”
Not the smoothest intro, but it could probably be refined in the printed version. However, Yukina had ordered Tsugumi to keep her answers to the questions she was about to be asked strictly unedited.
“Well, as you may be aware, Roselia has received a big boom of support from male fans recently. Do you think anything in particular caused that?”
That wasn’t what Yukina had been expecting to be asked first, or at all, but she could use it to help her with her mission nonetheless. “I don’t care, really. They are free to enjoy our music, but the only man I respect is my father.”
Yukina thought she felt Sayo giggle a little beside her, but she kept her eyes on Tsugumi, focusing on her.
“I… I see!” Tsugumi replied. “Well, is there a reason for that?”
“Every man I have ever met has disappointed me in some capacity, except my father.” Yukina said simply. “And also, men aren’t pretty. Women are.”
Lisa was giving her a slightly concerned stare. Had that been too much? Well, who cared? It was the truth, and telling the truth was the only way to get anyone to believe she was a lesbian. Well, she had sort of lied about the whole girl in red thing. Yukina still hadn’t listened to any of her songs… maybe that was why her tweet had so epically failed. A direct dose of karma straight from the universe.
But now she was being honest! She still kept looking at a fairly bewildered Tsugumi, ignoring her band members off to her side. Even if Tsugumi seemed a little confused, she breathed in and continued the interview going anyway. Yukina nodded to herself, knowing she had made the right decision in asking Tsugumi. She was so reliable. No wonder her bandmates had all managed to befriend her.
“So, Yukina-san, another thing about you fans have picked up is that you seem to love cats?” Tsugumi asked, and Yukina felt a familiar blush creep onto her cheeks. Oh no, even now?! She was an adult! Thank god this was only being audio recorded. “Did you have one when you were younger, or perhaps even now?”
This was a major part of the plan. Lesbians loved cats - it was a stereotype, but… well, it was true for Yukina, was it not? She would confirm to all the world today that she adored cats in all their forms, and coupled with her men hating from earlier, hopefully the entire Roselia fanbase would finally get the message that she was only interested in women.
“I did have a cat when I was a little girl, yes,” Yukina began. “But not when I was a teen. However, since moving into my current residence, I have enjoyed the company of not one, but three cats, and a dog on top of that too.”
Yukina felt the confusion from everyone all around her. Technically, she didn’t have a dog. But in her heart, she knew she did. Saying as such wasn’t part of the plan, but who was going to stop her?
“Really? A dog? Not many people would have guessed that… what’s its name?” Oh, sweet Tsugumi. She didn’t even know it, but she was actually enabling her.
And so with all the pride in the world, Yukina lifted her head high, and answered: “Sayo.”
The reaction was instantaneous.
Tsugumi’s eyes widened, and the notepad comically slipped out of her hands to join the torn pages on the floor. Lisa let out a thunderous wheeze before her body was ravaged by laughter. Ako blinked confusedly, asking: “Huh? Sayo-san is Yukina-san’s dog? I don’t get it!” before Rinko slapped a hand over her mouth.
And then there was Sayo. Sitting next to her, hands folded in her lap, perfectly rigid. A blush was creeping up all the way from her neck, and her mouth was flapping open and closed like she was a fish. Oh, please. Yukina had just made a little joke! She could have told Tsugumi how much Sayo liked being a dog, especially in the bedroom. That would have really given Sayo something to blush about.
Once the commotion died down, and Lisa stopped choking, Tsugumi cleared her throat. “I… see! Well, other than… your dog-“ Sayo let out a squeak beside her- “it would be fair to say you have quite the penchant for cats, right?”
“Of course.” Yukina answered confidently. “I only hope to have even more when I am older.” Lesbian aunt, crazy cat lady - Yukina was buying into around ten different stereotypes here. They were all probably true, but still. The things one had to do to prove their homosexuality in this day and age!
From that moment on, the interview was largely a success. Everyone was asked another personal question, to which they answered happily. Yukina was only disappointed that Tsugumi asked Lisa about why she kept her nails short, and not her. Because Lisa’s answer - “for my adorable girlfriend, of course! Aaaand because I play fingerstyle, yeah” - was very similar to what she would have said, if Tsugumi had asked her the same question.
But then and again, perhaps she had embarrassed Sayo quite enough. Not that Sayo tended to mind - but these things were best left in private, she supposed.
Five days later, and the interview was in print. Full and unedited - every word Yukina and the rest of them had spoken were there. Yukina could physically hold all her comments in her hands, trace a finger across what she had said about cats, about Sayo - truly, it was amazing. A miracle brought about by the modern age.
So why, had NOBODY GOTTEN THE MESSAGE?
Lack of exposure was not the issue. Despite the size, or rather, lack of, of the college paper, word spread like wildfire that the elusive Yukina Minato had finally agreed to another interview. And what an interview it was! Exclusive details of Roselia’s next plans, personal truths - it was a must-read for any fan.
Tsugumi reported they’d ran out of copies in the first twenty four hours. While they were printing more, the interview had been put online, which had promptly crashed the college’s website.
The issue was not that no one had seen the article. No, it simply that despite her efforts, everyone was still convinced she was heterosexual.
They had gotten the memo that she hated men loud and clear, though. But it had had an effect Yukina wasn’t intending. Their booming male fanbase was incredibly offended. All the weak little cishet men were crying over their egos being crushed by their favourite singer in the world. Yukina couldn’t give a shit about what they thought, but it was sort of impacting their sales. Many of the pathetic little creatures were threatening to cancel their seats for their upcoming big concert. And money was kind of important, she supposed.
As for the women, they were even worse. Somehow this had just further solidified for them she was straight! ‘Haha, Yukina-san is so relatable, all men are garbage! She must have had a bunch of shitty experiences with them in the past. Idiots. I hope she finds the right one someday! Hey, maybe that boyband singer they’re talking about-’ And as all the men of Roselia’s fanbase got unnecessarily offended, all the straight women who had had little more than a casual interest in Roselia before snapped up all their seats, feeling a new kinship with Heterosexual Icon Yukina Minato™.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was now imperative Yukina solved this problem before it caused any more damage. Their concert seats were still mostly intact thanks to all the women, and all the men now ‘boycotting’ their songs had barely put a dent in their streaming numbers, but things were still dire. The article about her and the stupid singer was still gaining traction, even more than the one with her interview, and all the garbage clickbait sites were rushing to copy it. And worst of all, the aforementioned singer had even DM’d her on Twitter, suggesting they meet up for real!
This was too much. Yukina had to set the record straight (set the record gay?) once and for all. No more subtle hints. No more assuming the Roselia fanbase had more than one brain cell between them. Yukina would prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was well and truly a lesbian.
The day before the concert, in their familiar studio at CiRCLE, a plan was devised. It was simple really, but Yukina needed to check it through with all the members multiple times to ensure nothing would go wrong, and that they wouldn’t mess things up.
Especially Sayo.
“M-Minato-san…” Sayo said, covering her face with her arm. She only used Yukina’s last name nowadays when she was deeply embarrassed, or very angry, or when Yukina said she liked it.
Today was definitely the first option. To appear so uncool in front of the rest of the band… Yukina must have really shaken Sayo.
“Is it…” Sayo took a deep breath in. “Is it really necessary to… to kiss me on stage? It seems a… a little dramatic.”
Yukina let out a heavy sigh. “Sayo, when have we ever not been dramatic?”
It was a fair point, and Sayo’s mouth fell closed. Ako gasped, dancing across the studio to pick up the piece of paper Sayo had been staring at. Yukina had written out her plan in striking black ink, complete with an illustration at the bottom of her and Sayo kissing. She was quite proud of it. “Yukina-san, you’re gonna kiss Sayo-san at the concert???”
“That’s the plan,” Yukina replied. The whole time, she had been careful to keep her and Sayo’s relationship private (the dog comment had slipped out, but it wasn’t as if she regretted it) but now they were past that stage. Yukina would have to use her girlfriend to prove that just like the rest of the band, they were lesbians.
“I’m just…” Sayo took deep breaths. “I’m not saying no, I just… need to prepare myself.”
“It will only be light, Sayo.” Yukina replied, gesturing to the drawing. It was going to be on the lips - nothing else would cut it, if she kissed Sayo on the cheek or forehead her fans would twist it to somehow be the power of friendship - but she didn’t intend to kiss her that hard at all. Just the brief press of lips. Just enough to prove to her fans she was in love with Sayo, A WOMAN. Once they got home, Yukina would be able to kiss Sayo as much as she wanted.
“It’ll be fine, Sayo,” Lisa said happily. “Me and Rei basically made out after our joint concert that one time in front of like, two thousand people, and she was embarrassed but it all turned out good!”
“B-But…” Sayo looked like she wanted to protest more, but she had run out of arguments.
Yukina placed her hand gently on Sayo’s. “Sayo. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Yukina had no intention of making Sayo actually uncomfortable. If she had to put up with this ridiculous speculation for the rest of life then she would. Her girlfriend mattered far more than a bunch of people she’d never met.
Sayo smiled at her, just a little, but a smile nonetheless. “It is alright. I… I think I can. We know our fanbase is tolerant, because of Imai-san’s previous… actions, and I know how frustrated you’ve been over this. I want to help you.” Sayo said.
Yukina returned her smile, giving Sayo’s hand a gentle squeeze.
However, time marched on, leaving her little time to dwell on her and Sayo's future kiss. Rehearsal continued into the late hours, then her and Sayo did some joint practice at home, before other regular couple stuff. Yukina almost forgot about her mission until she woke up the next morning, and made the foolish mistake of checking her phone.
Well, it wasn’t necessarily a mistake. She always tweeted out a message on the day of concerts, wishing their fans well. But seeing as on her way, she’d caught a glance at the wretched article, now at 500k+ views, she wasn’t feeling in such a generous mood. She groaned, wrote out a message that was probably very terse, (but when had she ever not been terse?) pressed send, and chucked her phone somewhere far away.
It wasn’t until after eating breakfast made for her by Sayo and drinking a steaming cup of coffee with a dozen cubes of sugar inside that she started to cheer up a little. She was still in a sour mood, however, as they drove to the concert venue.
At least concert prep went well. Yukina got to let out a little of her aggression by bossing around the stage technicians (she’d have to apologise later), and she always enjoyed watching everything fall into place before a live. The only hiccup was Lisa randomly disappearing for an hour to ‘go pick something up’, but she returned as peppy as ever, so who was Yukina to complain?
Soon enough, seats were filling up, and every member was in their costume, and the concert was finally about to begin.
It would certainly be one nobody would ever forget.
The last notes of Neo Aspect rang around the hall, to resounding cheers, ones Yukina normally relished, but today she was just annoyed. She couldn’t get the stupid rumours out of her mind, and they’d been having an impact on her performance, and that was unacceptable. She had to act now.
Hand gripped tightly around the mic, Yukina cleared her throat. Her band turned to her curiously.
“Greetings, everyone. Thank you for attending the concert today.” Despite her kind words, frustration boiled through Yukina’s veins as ten thousand people fell silent.
“I am, of course, forever grateful for all of your support. And I understand that, as Roselia grows as a band, we are brought into the public eye. Although, as our vocalist, I have tried to avoid it, it has come to my attention that many of you believe I am having a secret affair with a man from another band.”
A low hum rippled throughout the venue. Yukina breathed in the feeling of every eye in the hall on her - her bandmates behind her, the world in front her. Finally, she was in a place where not a single word of hers would go ignored.
She breathed out.
And in.
“HOW DARE YOU!”
Silence descended once more. The only thing Yukina could hear was her own heart pounding, and she felt the presence of her girlfriend by her side, completely still.
“You think I am heterosexual??? You are wrong! Every one of you! I love cats! I play in an all girls band! I love women! I write songs about them, for god's sake! And most of all-”
Yukina turned to Sayo.
"I LOVE MY GIRLFRIEND!"
And in three short steps, Yukina had reached Sayo.
It was supposed to be a chaste kiss. But Yukina could feel all the frustration pouring out of her like lava, amongst the desire to show off to everyone how much of a lesbian she was, and how much she really loved her girlfriend.
And so her lips positively crashed against Sayo, sending her stumbling ever so slightly backwards. But Yukina was there to catch her, fingers digging into Roselia’s elaborate fabric. Sayo made a loud noise that was lost in their fiery kiss.
‘Minato Dating Famous Boy Band Vocalist Since Last Year???’ - Yukina pried Sayo’s mouth open with her tongue.
All the ignorance, all the disbelief that she could enjoy songs written by a woman about women - Yukina’s free hand found its way to Sayo’s cheek, tilting her head backwards.
The sheer idea of her being some sort of Heterosexual Icon - as Yukina dragged her tongue along the roof of Sayo’s mouth, Sayo began to clumsily reciprocate. Even now, it was bliss.
The whole world was watching. But did that matter? Just this once, Yukina wanted them to.
Yukina kept pressing into Sayo, Sayo tipped so far back her hair was brushing the stage. Her guitar was digging into Yukina’s ribs and it was slightly uncomfortable but Yukina ignored it to keep going.
After almost half a minute, they separated with a loud ‘pop’ amplified all around the hall by their microphones. Yukina eased Sayo upwards, keeping her hand on her back. Sayo’s face was painted deep red, and Yukina felt a little bad for robbing her of her breath and in front of so many people, but…
Before she could regret it, a lone voice rang out from the audience. One that sounded suspiciously like… Moca Aoba?
“WOOOOOOO!!!!! GET IT, MINATO-SAN!!!!!!!”
Silence, again.
But then-
“YEAH!”
“KISS HER!”
“GET IT, YUKINA-SAMA!”
“I UNDERSTAND NOW! THAT WAS THE GAYEST THING I’VE SEEN IN MY LIFE!”
Ten thousand rose up, declaring their… support? It was…
It was unbelievable. Yukina felt the inferno within her roar with joy as she listened to their fan’s declarations of acceptance. Finally, finally, she had gotten what she wanted.
She pulled Sayo even closer to her in a tight hug Sayo swiftly returned. Despite the thunder around them, for just a moment Sayo was the only person in the world.
“Sayo, I-“ Yukina whispered, low enough not to be picked up, wanting to apologise for kissing Sayo so roughly when that wasn’t on the cards at all.
“It’s alright,” Sayo replied. “I didn’t mind. I even...”
“Liked it?” Yukina suggested with raised eyebrows.
Sayo became even more flushed. “I-I never said that.”
Before Yukina could reply a warm weight was pushed into her, and another, and another. When she smelt Lisa’s shampoo stuffed in her face she realised what was happening.
A Roselia group hug, on stage in front of the world. What a sight it must have been.
At least, it must have looked spectacular from the outside. Yukina was too busy being pressed into all her bandmates at once to notice.
Eventually, they separated, but Sayo didn’t leave Yukina’s side. It was… a pleasant feeling. Being close to Sayo during a live concert wasn't a foreign feeling to her, but that was just fanservice to rile up the crowd. Now, with Sayo right by her, hand brushing against hers… it was out of genuine love. And it made all the difference.
Meanwhile, Lisa was… Lisa was reaching into her bra?!
“Lisa,” Yukina tried to hiss quietly without their fans noticing (although they definitely had). “I know I just made out with Sayo on stage, so I maybe I'm not one to talk, but take your hand out of your bra immediately.”
Lisa shot her a glare. “Shut up! I’m just trying to get something out. I wouldn’t have to stuff anything into my bra if you just let us have the tiniest pockets on our stage costumes!”
“Why would I do that?!” Yukina responded.
“Just - shh. Don’t judge me.” Lisa said. Sayo, Ako and Rinko all watched on in horror, undoubtedly along with the entire crowd, as Lisa triumphantly pulled out a small piece of fabric.
...Which was quickly becoming not so small as Lisa shook it out. Its striped colours were revealed, and recognition registered in Yukina’s mind.
“Lisa, why did you have the lesbian flag in your bra?” Yukina half-shouted, definitely being picked up by her mic.
“Imai-san, why did you have our lesbian flag in your bra?” Sayo asked, more quietly, shifting in place.
Yukina’s head whipped round to face Sayo. “Is it really our one? How do you know?”
“Well, um…” Sayo swallowed. “The small tear in the corner of it? That’s there because… ah, one time when we were… you know… it got a little intense…”
“I see.” Yukina said shortly, before turning back to Lisa. “In that case, Lisa, for whatever purpose did you steal the lesbian flag from our apartment?”
“Because - look!” Lisa said, striding over and draping it over their shoulders. “See? There is no way that anyone seeing a picture of you two holding hands while wrapped in the lesbian flag could still think you’re straight.”
“B-B-But Imai-san, phones and photography are banned at our concerts!?” Sayo replied, the colour draining from her face.
“Most of the time, yeah, but I let someone in with the finest camera available in the market. Now just smile in like - that direction-” Lisa said, gesturing vaguely at the area the initial shout from someone who was probably Moca had come from - “and you’ll be good.”
Despite her exasperation with the situation, Yukina did so, curling up her lips a tiny bit to try and show she was a little happy. Sayo did the same, and before long a giant flash appeared in the audience.
“See? That wasn’t so bad!” Lisa said. “Now all Moca’s gotta do is just send that pic along to Tsugumi again and your lesbianism will be in print for the world to see.”
Yukina sighed. “But someone will surely find a way to twist it, I’m sure. Just look at my luck I’ve had in trying to prove it so far!”
Lisa laughed, a booming chuckle that rippled throughout the entire concert hall.
“Oh, do not worry. She got plenty of shots of you two making out as well.”
At that statement, Sayo staggered and fell into Yukina’s arms.
Much of the rest of Yukina’s memory of that night was clouded by adrenaline. She remembered being able to hold Sayo for roughly three seconds before her arm muscles gave out, and Lisa having to swoop in to catch her. She sort of recalled getting backstage, Sayo groggily holding onto her, and seeing a series of congratulatory texts from her father.
And she was pretty sure that she and Sayo had made it back to their apartment, lesbian flag tucked in Sayo’s bag ready for a thorough wash, and that they had both ended up collapsing into bed eventually.
The whole affair had felt like a dream. Had any of it even happened? Had she actually kissed Sayo in front of so many people?
She got her answer when she woke up the next morning to discover she was #1 trending in Japan, and the picture of her sticking her tongue down Sayo’s throat had appeared not only on the front of Tsugumi’s small paper, but also on the first page of multiple nationwide, highly respected news outlets.
After discovering this, Yukina had crawled back into bed and laid there for a very, very long time, only lured out by Sayo’s magnificent homemade brownies, with the promise that a ‘secret ingredient’ from Moca had been baked into them.
But as shocking as it all was, it certainly wasn’t negative. Because finally, after so many years of mistaken assumptions, Yukina’s plan had worked.
Because from that moment on, no one ever believed for another second Yukina Minato was anything but a raging lesbian, dearly in love with her girlfriend, Sayo Hikawa.
And they both lived gayly ever after.