Love is a strong word.

 

As much as the others sees Luoluo as the girl who flirts around a lot, the word love doesn't slip out of easily so she knows that she ed up when she accidentally blurts out the fact that she loves Daimeng when her mind was at a hazy state, when she and Daimeng went out for a drink. 

 

The day that follows after did not end up as awkward as she expected it to be however for the two of them.

 

Luoluo is quick-witted and even if she truly meant the words that she said, nobody will ever take her words for it and so the moment Daimeng brings up the subject again, she quickly brushed it off as a joke. Which is kind of sad, nevertheless. 

 

It all started with a little adoration for the team captain, which eventually turned into a small crush and evolved into something more than just a simple sense of affection for the older girl.

 

Perhaps it's the way Daimeng cares for her members dearly, or perhaps Luoluo likes the way Daimeng pays attention to her and stayed with her through the hard times or perhaps she likes the way Daimeng felt like someone whom she could rely on. 

 

She never knew, really.

 

The reason why she ends up liking Daimeng a lot, to the point where she would consider it as love but what Luoluo definitely knows is that Daimeng will never return her feelings, for the latter has something unsettled for another one of their members whose identity she would rather not disclose. 

 

Luoluo sighs into the empty space as she sits alone on the couch near the training room.

 

She needs to get her mind out of the gutter and finding a way to pass your feelings onto something else-- or rather someone, is a difficult task. 

 

Luoluo feels sorry for the person in which she would end up using as a rebound for her to get back on her feet after the terrible heartbreak. 

 

It reminded her of the time where she had to deal for her unrequited feelings for Nana - her first love and it , because neither of them worked out.

 

Luoluo still did manage to stay friends with the latter until now and if she was capable of doing such thing, surely she would be able to let this pass by again and not affect whatever relationship she currently has with Daimeng. 

 

"It's okay Xiaoyin-jie."

 

Luoluo's ear quickly perked up at the sound of the familiar voice outside of the training room and if she weren't mistaken, the voice had to belong to Tako. 

 

"Sorry Tako, Xiao Qian wanted me to--"

 

"It's okay. You can go, don't worry about me, hm?" 

 

"Ah... okay then." 

 

Moments after, Tako steps into the training room alone and that's when Luoluo knows that Kong Xiaoyin had left. Luoluo wanted to greet her the way she normally does really, but stopped when she realizes that it was not the right time for her to do so. 

 

Tako immediately locked the doors from inside, not even realizing Luoluo's presence in the room as she leaned against the wooden surface, eventually collapsing to sit on the floor with her back against the door, hugging her knees against her chest. 

 

That's when Luoluo knows that something is wrong. 

 

Luoluo quietly makes her way towards the slightly older girl, slightly hesitant at first on what she was about to do but she manages to pick up her courage nevertheless. 

 

Truth to be told, she was never as close with Tako as she is with the rest. The only interactions she had ever had with the latter was during mcs or stage performances, along with rehearsals. Luoluo was never one to hang out with Tako on a daily basis, not close enough to go on those lunch or dinner dates but even so, she had always had a soft spot for her. 

 

Tako always looks out for them in her own way, and Luoluo is grateful for that. 

 

The sobs coming from Tako gets louder as Luoluo approaches her and that's when Luoluo decides to turn the lights off in the practice room, startling Tako at first. 

 

"W-Who's there?"

 

"It's me," Luoluo softly calls out to her as she squats in front of Tako, fiddling with her fingers as she contemplates on what to do next to comfort the latter. "Luoluo."

 

"Oh, Luoluo..." 

 

In the midst of the dark, Luoluo could see Tako hurriedly tried to wipe her tears off her cheek in which Luoluo immediately reaches out to her hand to stop Tako, as a gesture from her that it's okay for Tako to cry. 

 

"It's okay. You can cry, that's why I turned off the lights, you wouldn't want to mess up your make up in front of me right? Or else I would've teased you," Luoluo jokingly says, in which Tako replied with a weak smile. 

 

"Please don't do that, I'm ugly without make up."

 

"You're kind of pretty though. With or without make up," Luoluo then settled down to sit on front of Tako with her legs crossed. "Like, for real."

 

"You and your smooth ways to compliment a damsel in distress, how charming."

 

"Am I really charming? You don't seem to be hooked enough to me though," Luoluo laughs dryly at her own words and silence follows after. The younger out of the true tries her best to make out the frame in front of her in the dark and Tako seems to be pulling herself against her knees once again, burying her face against it. 

 

Her heart breaks a little upon seeing the girl in such sight really.

 

It always hurts her to see a fellow member in the team cry and Tako, who had matured through the years did not cry as much thesedays and this would actually be the first time in a while where Luoluo actually sees her breaking down. 

 

"Tako," Luoluo calls out to her softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

"It's fine," Luoluo could hear Tako's muffled reply, in which Luoluo nodded her head understandingly. 

 

"Okay," Luoluo says and shuffled onto her feet. She then took one final look at the figure in the dark before taking off the hoodie that she was wearing, wrapping it securely around Tako's curled up frame without a word and quietly leaving the training room.

 

A heavy sigh escapes from her lips as soon as she steps her foot out into the hallway, though her head immediately perks up the moment she hears footsteps and chatters coming onto her way. 

 

It was some of the kids from HII and she recognizes Fei Qinyuan among the bunch, in which she immediately calls out to her. 

 

"Hey."

 

"Oh, Luoluo."

 

"Where are you guys heading to?"

 

"Oh, is anyone using the training room? We were just plannin-"

 

"Ah, a cockroach is on the loose right now. It's not safe for you guys to enter," Luoluo quickly intercepts with a lie, standing in front of the door with her arms crossed. 

 

"Cockroach? I can kill them--"

 

"It's a huge cockroach. I don't think you'd want to."

 

"I don't mind-"

 

"Fei Qinyuan, your beautiful gorgeous hands does not deserve that kind of abomination," Luoluo wittingly says as she reaches out to Fei Qinyuan's hand, in which the younger girl immediately retracts with a disgusted look on her face. 

 

"Ew no. You're not my type Luoluo, off."

 

"Thy shall stand charge in front of the door to protect all of you ladies. Worry not," Luoluo replies with a laugh, in which some of them laughed along to her act. "Anyway, the other practice room is free you guys can use the other room."

 

"... Whatever, let's leave this loser," Fei Qinyuan snorts in return and Luoluo inwardly fist bumps herself at her successful attempt of warding off the girls from using the room that Tako is currently in as of the moment. 

 

Luoluo takes a quick glimpse at the now empty hallway and grabs the nearest chair that she could find, dragging it across the floor and taking a seat immediately right next to the practice room. 

 

Sometimes Luoluo wonders whether she is too nice for her own good. 

 

She could just leave Tako behind all alone because one, it's none of her business and two, she's not even that close with Tako. 

 

But then again, who on their right mind would leave a damsel in distress on her own? 

 

Not Luoluo, at least. 

 

 

Luoluo almost jumps out of her seat the moment she opens her eyes because , she just fell asleep when she's supposed to guard the door but that is not the main reason on why she's reacting in such way. It was the fact that a pair of familiar brown eyes were staring right back at her, the owner of those oh so familiar eyes squatting down to her eye level, wearing the hoodie that Luoluo gave away earlier. 

 

"What are you doing out here?" 

 

"Nothing," Luoluo clears with a shrug and Tako only stares at her silently, though the corner of the latter's lips eventually tug into somewhat a smile. 

 

"Luoluo, you're bad at lying." 

 

Luoluo could feel her cheeks heating up at Tako pointing out to what seems to be the truth and sheepishly rubbed the back of her nape. "Am I?" 

 

"Yeah."

 

"Okay. Sorry," Luoluo says abashedly and Tako had to tilt her head to the side questioningly. 

 

"Why are you sorry?" 

 

"Well... I'm not sure as well." 

 

"That's so dumb," Tako finally laughs and Luoluo couldn't help but to follow her laughter as well. She's relieved of the fact that Tako seems to be feeling better by now. At least all of her efforts earlier were not for nothing. 

 

"Yeah, I am. Eighty percent of the time." 

 

"Mhm, but the good kind of dumb," Tako flashes her one last smile before straightening her knees to stand properly. "Say, wanna grab dinner together?"