Three's A Comfortable Crowd (ch1)

Finally time for some MaHiKaren! I wrote these about a year ago. This is a little collection that consists of chapters of the three of them together, as well as each 2-person pairing between them!

This first little chapter is a bit of angst/drama and hurt/comfort. It was just an idea that came to me out of nowhere and I decided to do it, because I really wanted to give these three some proper attention!

I had no idea for a title haha In the Starira universe pretty much every ship trio works! Especially this one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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						Three's A Comfortable Crowd

								Chapter 1.


It's only natural that the dorm room shared by Karen, Hikari, and Mahiru is the liveliest of all, not just because there are three people living there, but because of which three people.

There's always something going on.

Sometimes Karen forgets to reset her alarm clock, so it goes off at some obscure hour of the night and wakes everyone up.

Sometimes Hikari neglects to put away her laundry to the point where a tower of clothes forms and eventually collapses and covers the floor.

Sometimes Karen sleeps in and makes them all tardy getting to class.

Sometimes Hikari eats too much dessert and gets a stomachache before bed.

All things that result with Mahiru taking charge, essentially. She's become an expert at predicting when Karen might've forgotten to reset her alarm, and at reminding Hikari to handle her laundry before it got out of control. She knows exactly which ring of Karen's alarm clock to rouse herself on in order to get her roommates moving on time, and she knows which sweets tend to get the better of Hikari's stomach and is on high alert in monitoring her on those dessert nights.

Overall, everyone knows it is Mahiru who keeps the other two from complete and total disaster on a daily basis, and Mahiru who somehow manages to keep them all moving at a somewhat efficient daily pace. Living with her has very gradually started to make both Karen and Hikari a bit more aware of themselves, their actions, and their surroundings - not by much, but it's something.

For Mahiru, it isn't terribly different from living at home and taking care of her younger siblings; it's just that, in this case, those siblings happen to be high school girls her own age.

Karen and Hikari do what they can to try and handle their chores and help one another in order to lessen the load on Mahiru, even though she never seems to mind cleaning up or doing the laundry.

And now that the three of them are very close and comfortable around one another, it's no surprise that they'd started to open up and share things with their roommates.

Karen and Hikari tell Mahiru about their shared childhood. And while a past version of Mahiru may have felt envious about that, she doesn't feel anything like that now. While she still very much loves and adores Karen, Mahiru has become her own person, and holds no animosity toward Hikari. Rather, she loves and adores her just as much by now.

Mahiru is always delighted to hear about their childhood stories together on the playground, or when they went to see plays together, or how they would act out roles and create stories in the middle of the park on a play date and attract a crowd of bemused onlookers.

In turn, Mahiru would sometimes share things about herself and her childhood as well. She told of her favorite baseball teams and players, and of her baton practices and achievements before she came to Seishou.

And of course, she told of her family.

For Mahiru, Karen and Hikari were essentially family to her now anyway, even more so than her other classmates, since these two were her roommates as well. She was always excited to be able to share something with the two of them - anything that helped bring her two 'families' closer together.

Mahiru often received calls or letters from home whenever anything noteworthy happened, and she would then share these events with Karen and Hikari to let them both in closer to her heart.

Whenever her parents sent boxes of vegetables to the dorm for her, Karen and Hikari would eagerly watch Mahiru open them as though it were Christmas morning. It always involved Karen twirling around and singing, "Mahiru-chan, Mahiru-chan! What's inside~? What could be inside? Open it, open it!" To which Hikari would always respond with, "Bakaren. It's vegetables again. But I wonder what kind…"

And by then Mahiru would have gotten most of her giggles out and ushered them both over to the box.

"Why don't you two help me, then? I'll use the scissors, and then you two each grab a flap of the box and open it up, all right?"

And so they would, and they would always be astounded by the humble assortment of potatoes and radishes and carrots, no matter how frequently such items were sent. Mahiru always loved getting packages from home. No matter how un-exciting most people might've thought such contents were, it was always a joy for her to open them together with her two closest friends.

Sometimes her mother would write her a letter to check in on Mahiru and ask about her friends. She would often enclose photos of the Tsuyuzaki family with them, and Mahiru would then show Karen and Hikari, reminding them of her siblings' names and all of her relatives. The two of them were always very eager to meet them some day, though Mahiru doesn't think she's emotionally prepared for that just yet.

Every now and then, Mahiru's mother or father would call her to chat, or to tell her about any updates back at home. Whenever one of her siblings lost a tooth, she would talk with them and ask how it had happened, and then relay the story back to Karen and Hikari. Or whenever one of them got a perfect score on a quiz, she would congratulate them and promise to make them something yummy the next time she came home.

All in all, whenever Mahiru received a call from home, she answered with a smile while her roommates would huddle behind her, waiting to hear the updates.

It's on a Saturday when a different kind of phone call comes...

. . .

Mahiru had let the two of them sleep in a little bit that morning, but once it was time for breakfast, she'd roused Hikari and then heaved Karen out of bed so they wouldn't miss their meal. After that, the three of them had taken all their laundry to get washed and dried.

Presently, they're all back in their room, sorting through the piles and tossing each other the correct items.

"Hikari-chan, was this your scarf? I can't remember…"

"Is it yours?"

"No…?"

"Is it Mahiru's?"

"Uhm, no?"

"Then it's mine, Bakaren."

"Ooh!" Mahiru claps. "Process of elimination! Good tactic, Hikari-chan!"

Hikari puffs her chest out proudly.

"I remember you tutored me on how to do that when taking a quiz."

"I'm glad!" Mahiru chirps. "Here, Karen-chan, this is your shirt."

"Thanks, Mahiru-chan! Ah, can you show me how to fold this caricature again?"

"I think you mean cardigan."

"Oh yeah, that!"

"Bakaren."

"Sure thing!" Mahiru giggles. "Actually, Hikari-chan you should come and watch, too. You always just bundle the sleeves up and then they get wrinkles!"

"Okay…"

Both Karen and Hikari join Mahiru on the floor amongst the piles of laundry for a folding lesson.

"First you fold it like this, and then you tuck the sleeves and… ta-da!"

"Wow! Mahiru-chan, you're so amazing!"

"Everything always looks so neat and perfect after Mamahiru touches it."

"Geez, you two…" Blushing faintly, Mahiru is just about to put the article aside when she hears her cell phone buzzing. "Ah! I bet that's Mom! Maybe my youngest brother has finally said his first word!"

"Ooh!" Karen perks up. "Maybe his first word was 'Karen'!"

"Why would it be 'Karen'? Bakaren. If anything, it should be 'Mahiru.'"

"Mahiru Onee-chan!"

"K-Karen-chan!" Mahiru turns bright pink and quickly turns away. "Hearing you two say that is a bit…"

She reaches for her phone on the bed, recognizing her mother's number instantly. Mahiru smiles and opens it up.

"Hello? Mom?"

Karen and Hikari are also waiting patiently with smiles on their faces, eager to hear whatever news is being shared. Mahiru continues thinking what it could possibly be.

/Maybe Dad finally got his promotion! Or my sister's first crush? Oh, maybe that book I ordered got sent home by accident…/

She hums merrily to herself as she thinks of the possibilities.

But when she hears her mother's voice, it isn't the same cheerful tone she always takes up with her.

"Mahiru-chan, please listen. Your grandmother has…"

All at once, the carefree world comes to a screeching halt.

"Eh…?"

Mahiru doesn't even hear the rest of her mother's sentence. Her heart suddenly seizes in her chest, and a painful panic grips her throat. She staggers, then sways, overcome with a sudden rush of nausea.

Karen and Hikari immediately realize something is wrong, and their smiles vanish.

"Mahiru-chan?"

"Mahiru-?"

Mahiru doesn't hear them. Her voice comes out thinly.

"Grandma…?"

"Eh?" Behind her, Karen and Hikari share a dismayed look. "Mahiru-chan-? What-?"

But before Karen can finish getting the words out, Mahiru's legs begin to tremble and her knees give out. Karen and Hikari dive forward to catch her.

"Mahiru-chan?"

"Are you okay?"

They both sit with her on the bed, worry festering inside their stomachs.

Mahiru can barely hear her mother's words. Her mind can only take her to the darkest of places. Her precious, beloved grandmother...

"Grandma… Grandma is…?"

"Mahiru-chan?" Her mother calls for her again. "Grandma is all right. She just had a minor tumble in the garden. She's in the hospital now, but everything is fine. She'll be let out tomorrow."

The intense panic that had clutched at Mahiru's heart suddenly relinquishes its claws all at once, as quickly as it had come. She lets out a shaking breath.

"She's okay…? Oh, thank goodness…"

"She's fine, dear," her mother assures her. "I just wanted to let you know. It was nothing major, so don't worry. She's already trying to have them release her early because she wants to get back to her flowers."

Mahiru sighs again, trying to push some of the dread away with it.

"I see… so that's all it was. Grandma's all right…"

Karen and Hikari listen in and also sigh with relief.

Mahiru talks a moment longer with her mother, who reassures her all is well back home and that her grandma will call Mahiru the moment she's released tomorrow. Mahiru says goodbye as cheerfully as possible before her mother hangs up. Karen nearly bursts outright.

"Mahiru-chan! Is everything okay?!"

"Karen, not so loud," Hikari scolds her. "Mahiru, what happened?"

Mahiru shakes her head, trying to plaster on a smile.

"My Grandma tripped in the garden, and they took her to the hospital just to be safe. She's completely fine. I just got a little scared for a second…"

"Of course you did!" Karen exclaims. "Who wouldn't?"

"I'm glad she's all right," Hikari says. "What about you, Mahiru?"

"Eh? Me...?" Mahiru puts her phone aside and looks at each of them in turn. "I-I'm fine! I'm not the one who fell. I just…" Suddenly, she can't finish what she'd wanted to say. She forgets the words altogether, and instead a hiccup comes out.

Karen and Hikari both gasp.

"Mahiru-chan!"

"Mahiru-"

"I-I'm fine…" Mahiru says as much, but the tears that suddenly jump into her eyes and start dripping down her face make the words all the more unconvincing. "I just got worried, that's all…"

"Mahiru-chan!"

"Mahiru-"

The two of them are at a loss. They've never seen Mahiru cry for anything like this before. Usually if she cried she was happy, or frustrated at the worst. But never scared - not in this way.

Karen and Hikari share a flustered look and scramble to try and help her.

"It's okay, Mahiru-chan!" Karen takes one of her hands and gently starts rubbing up and down her back. "That was a scary thing to think about, wasn't it?"

"It's okay to cry." Hikari takes her other hand and copies Karen in patting Mahiru's back for her. "We got scared, too."

Suddenly, Mahiru can't control herself. Having the two of them there with her, reassuring her and letting her know everything was all right… It somehow just makes her want to cry even harder.

"I'm sorry…"

"No way! Don't be sorry, Mahiru-chan!"

"You don't have to be sorry."

Mahiru sniffles again and again, until the tears are falling too quickly and too heavily for her to handle. Her voice breaks, rising up in a hiccuping little wail.

"Ah..."

"M-Mahiru-chan! It's okay! Come here, come here!" Karen pulls Mahiru into a big hug. And normally, Mahiru might've been flustered about such a thing. But right now, she just leans into Karen all the more, grabbing onto her with everything she has.

After all, she has always been the big sister since the moment she'd been born. She's always been the one to take care of others, to offer the shoulder to cry on. Now, after she'd been so scared, she can't help but crumble when someone who loves her hugs her like this.

Mahiru sobs into Karen's shoulder, shaking with her whole body. Hikari moves as close as she can and continues patting her back.

"Mahiru… it's okay…"

"M-Mahiru-chan…" Karen soon begins sniffling too. "I-If you cry, th-then I'm gonna… aaaah waaaah-!"

"Bakaren…"

"Hikari-chaaan!"

Now, Karen throws one of her arms around Hikari too, and Mahiru turns to her as well. Surprised to suddenly be the one responsible for the two of them, Hikari flails to get an arm around each of them.

"Th-There, there…"

Mahiru clings to her, and Hikari is filled with a burning desire to protect her. Karen slumps her weight dramatically against Hikari's chest as well, nearly bowling her over off the bed.

"Hikari-chaaan!"

"Bakaren. Why are you crying?"

"Because-! Because-! Mahiru-chan is!"

"Both of you crying… makes me want to cry…"

And within a minute, Hikari starts to cry softly as well. But through it all, both she and Karen are sure to hug Mahiru more than anything else.

For Mahiru, it's liberating. She hasn't cried this hard in a while, and especially not for such a reason. Even though she knows everything is all right now, she just can't seem to stop. Having Karen and Hikari with her like this, holding her and supporting her, trying to do whatever they can to make her feel better…

It isn't long before she actually starts to smile again, and little giggles pop up her throat in between the hiccups.

What had started out as an instance of genuine panic had long-since passed and is now nothing more than a harmless crying contest between herself and her roommates. Just the fact that they would be so entirely ready to give her their unwavering support in her time of need was enough to make her even more emotional and appreciative.

And, of course, unspeakably happy.

Now, her tears become laughter, and before she knows it she is the one pulling both of her roommates in to comfort them and hug them close.

"Hey, you two. It's all right... I'm okay now."

Naturally, Karen continues blubbering as she lifts her face.

"Mahiru-chaaan!" She throws her arms around her again, and Mahiru scrambles to catch her. Hikari, who is crying much more softly, blinks up at her too.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mahiru…?"

"Yeah!" Mahiru pulls her close, resting her head against Hikari's. "It was just a shock. My mom said right away 'Grandma has had a little accident, but she's fine,' but I didn't hear all the words right away. I just panicked…"

"That's understandable," Hikari sniffles. "I'm glad she's all right."

"Thank goodness!" Karen wails. "Mahiru-chan, can we go see her?"

"Eh? Well, she's getting released tomorrow. By the time we got to the hospital back home, she'd be discharged already. I'll definitely have to go buy some flowers to mail back home, though."

"Us too!" Karen cries. "Mahiru-chan, can Hikari-chan and I write a card to her, too?"

"Yeah. I wanna tell your Grandma how amazing she is."

"Eh?" Mahiru blinks, touched by their earnest feelings. "Of course you can! I'm sure she'll love to hear from you two! I'm always talking about you both, so this will be like the first time she's meeting you, even if it isn't in-person yet."

"Yet?" Karen gasps, and suddenly the tears have stopped. "Does that mean we can come back home with you sometime to meet your family, Mahiru-chan?!"

"Karen, you make it sound like she'll be introducing us as her wives or something."

"E-Eh-?!" Mahiru blushes bright pink. "Y-You two? My-"

"I mean, aren't we basically like her wives at this point?" Karen says. "After all, we all live together, we cook together and sleep in the same room, and sometimes in the same bed, and we bathe together-"

"N-Not in the same shower!" Mahiru squeaks. "Geez, you two-!"

"Ah, she's blushing."

"She is, she is!"

"Geeez!"

And just like that, the tears have turned right back to smiles and laughter, though Mahiru is still a little shaken by the incident, and she still can't manage to stand up just yet. Karen and Hikari understand, and they each take turns pulling her into another hug.

"Are you sure you're okay now, Mahiru-chan?" Karen murmurs against her shoulder. Mahiru gives her a firm squeeze back.

"I am. Thanks, Karen-chan."

Mahiru lingers in that hug for a long moment, savoring Karen's warmth that feels as though it could spread across the whole planet. When she eases back, Mahiru hugs Hikari next.

"Thank you, Hikari-chan. I feel much better."

"I'm glad."

Hikari has gotten much more used to hugs lately, and she gives Mahiru her best one now. Mahiru sighs, and the last few fearful beats in her heart flutter off against Hikari's gentle pulse.

Finally, Karen and Hikari both hug her at the same time, giving Mahiru a tight, loving squeeze. She giggles and hugs them back with all her might, ruffling their hair a little bit.

"Ahh… Mahiru-chan gives the best hugs…"

"It's because she's an older sister."

"Just when you think she couldn't have any more hidden talents!"

"Mamahiru is always full of surprises."

"Geez, you two…"

Mahiru giggles again, and lets out one more sigh.

At last, she gets to her feet with their help.

"All right, let's finish up this laundry."

"Right!" Karen claps. "And then we'll go buy flowers for Mahiru-chan's Grandma!"

"And parchment to write a letter," Hikari says.

Mahiru smiles brightly at the two of them, unable to resist throwing her arms around them both one more time.

"Karen-chan, Hikari-chan, I love you!"

"We love you too, Mahiru-chan!"

"See? We really are like wives…"

"Ahaha!"

And so, they finish their laundry, then head out together to by flowers and writing paper. They send them out the next day.

Mahiru's grandmother gives her a call and talks about everything, and Karen and Hikari even talk as well when Mahiru puts them on speaker-phone. A day later, Mahiru's grandmother calls again to thank them for the flowers and the letter she received.

"You three are awfully close," she muses. "I'm happy for you, Mahiru-chan."

"Yup!" Karen calls out. "We're basically her wives!"

"Oh my…"

"K-Karen-chan!"

"Bakaren."

And so, the little scare comes and goes, and leaves the three girls even closer than before.

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A/N: Just a little hurt and a lot of comfort! I really love these three and their dynamic when they're together. They're so domestic in such a chaotically cute way.