It's not like a part of this conversation is based on a conversation I had with my friends or something.
Hazuki had been watching her dear friend Kumiko carefully these past weeks.
Not because she was worried—
Well, maybe a bit.
It was just that Kumiko had been looking kind of upset for a while now and Hazuki didn't understand why.
There it was again, that tired sigh Kumiko had just let out before resting her head in her hand!
That was it. Hazuki had decided she would have a hard talk with her friend.
Hazuki got up and carefully put her Tuba down. She walked over at Kumiko and pinched the girl's cheek. Kumiko frowned angrily while looking at her friend. " What was that for?"
Midori had watched the two and smiled. This was going to be interesting. She got up and sat down next to Hazuki.
" That wasn't really for anything," Hazuki answered while shrugging. " I just wanted your attention." she finished while smiling at Kumiko. The girl stared at Hazuki before she rolled her eyes and sighed again.
Hazuki let out a small scream that startled the two other girl's. " There it is! That irritated, tired sigh. Explain your reason for it." Hazuki said, pointing her finger in Kumiko's cheek.
Kumiko frowned. Had she really been sighing that much? " Have I been sighing?"
Midori nodded zealously. " You have! An awful lot too! Ever since our second year started I noticed you look tired a lot!" The answer made Kumiko frown more.
Okay, maybe she had been having a hard time since Asuka graduated. The band was really empty too, not really but it felt empty to her. The first years were really nice, that wasn't the issue. It just felt… different from when their old seniors.
The hand that hit flat against the table Kumiko and her friends had been sitting at startled them. Natsuki bent down, meeting Kumiko's eyes. " Sup shrimp?"
Kumiko groaned. " Natsuki-senpai, please don't call me shrimp. I'm taller than you."
Natsuki's laugh echoed through the classroom. " Whatever nerd." Kumiko gave up. It turned out Natsuki loved giving everyone she liked horrible nicknames. Midori was Metalfinger, Hazuki I-will-run-for-my-senpai's or just Tuba-girl.
The snap of Natsuki's fingers called Kumiko back to reality. " Right, Ribbon-chan wanted me to tell y'all about the rehearsal we're going to do soon." she said while ruffling through Kumiko's curls. Kumiko grabbed Natsuki's hand to make her stop.
Natsuki noticed the tense expression Hazuki had. " Don't look so serious Tuba-girl, that expression doesn't really suit you. Doing a rehearsal doesn't mean you'll die. Well, maybe." she said, already starting to turn around.
It was like their senpai could smell drama.
" What were the three of you talking about?" she asked innocently. " Nothing important, Natsuki-senpai. Just go." Kumiko replied, trying to get the girl to leave. It only helped Natsuki decide she was interested in this conversation.
She grabbed a chair and sat down by the girls. " I'm listening." she said, looking like she had just won a battle. That wasn't all wrong.
" So, Kumiko. Explain yourself. Why have you been so tired lately or at least looked like you are?" Midori then eagerly asked. Kumiko tapped her chin in sign of her thinking. " Uh, I think slightly because of the stress from the band and schoolwork?"
Hazuki sighed. " That's answering a question with a question, we aren't getting closer to an answer if you do it like now." Kumiko groaned. " I don't know okay?"
Of course she knew.
Now the problem actually wasn't Asuka-senpai or the other senpai's or the band. The problem started with a 'R' and ended with 'eina'.
The girl was just so frustrating. Kumiko didn't understand her at all and these past weeks the girl had started to act cold and it was freaking her out. And that caused her to lose her concentration.
Why did Kumiko have to be so stupid and accidently confess to Reina yesterday? Maybe the girl would just shrug it off as payback. Nothing serious.
At that moment Reina decided to walk by. Kumiko stared at the girl who slowly disappeared from sight. Of course her friends –and Natsuki, maybe Natsuki was a friend, not like Kumiko was going to admit that- noticed it.
" So Kousaka is the problem?" Natsuki asked. Hazuki gave the ginger-haired a silent thumbs up. Kumiko's cheeks turned red. " N-not at all, what makes you think that?" Midori tuned in. " Now that you say it, Reina hasn't been walking home with us."
Kumiko hated the three girl's around her right now. " Okay, so what if it's Reina?" An audible gasp escaped from the other girls mouths. " So it is her!" Hazuki said excitedly. Midori nodded satisfied. Natsuki smirked. " You love her or something?"
The expression on Kumiko's face was absolutely priceless. And red.
" W-what? No I-I don't!" Kumiko stuttered. Hazuki and Natsuki laughed for a moment. Midori stared at her friend. Natsuki sighed. " Okay so you do love her." Kumiko looked away, muttering a, " maybe."
Now Hazuki looked confused. " Love like the friendship way?" she innocently asked. Natsuki laughed even harder than before. " The gay way." Natsuki then answered for Kumiko who almost not noticeably nodded.
" The happy way?" Hazuki continued to ask. Kumiko now rolled her eyes, preparing herself to answer when Natsuki ruined it with saying, " No, probably the 'I wouldn't mind hugging your legs with my own legs' way."
Or Hazuki was a totally clueless heterosexual or she was really innocent. " Who would want to hug someone else's legs with their own?" Kumiko groaned and so did Midori. Kumiko was done. She couldn't keep it inside anymore.
" I want to sit on her face okay?!" Kumiko yelled. Riko and Gotou looked up with a confused look but decided just to ignore it. " Why would you want—" Hazuki's question was interrupted.
" Who wants to sit on who's face?"
Kumiko wouldn't mind if she'd die right there. Why did Reina have to walk in on this conversation? She slowly turned around. The girl's had gone dead silent. " R-Reina, fancy seeing you here! Actually, what are you doing here?"
Reina stroke a strand of hair behind her ear. " I wanted to talk to you." she said as an explanation. Kumiko gulped. " Now?" she asked. Reina nodded before answering with, " Now."
Kumiko just stood up in a daze and followed Reina through the hallway. She knew where the girl was leading her and walked in silence, trying to calm her heart.
The view was stunning from this high up here, at the top of the school. Kumiko played with a curl and shifted from one foot to the other, turning the weight pressure around. " So, what do you want to talk about?"
Reina leaned against a wall. " About yesterday." she simply explained. Kumiko figured that part out already and nodded in answer. " Okay." She said as she walked over to Reina.
They were pretty close, shoulders almost touching, just slightly brushing.
Their eyes met for a second. Reina stared into Kumiko's eyes, giving off that piercing feeling like only she could. " Why did you confess to me all of the sudden?" she whispered. Kumiko wasn't sure why she was whispering but decided to keep this tone.
" I felt like it was the right time at that moment," she started to whisper back. " but now I'm not too sure to be honest." A nervous laugh escaped after that. Reina rested the back of her head against the brick wall.
" Did you mean what you said? The love part?" she then whispered. Kumiko was silent before answering with a, " Yes I was." Reina nodded. " Thought so."
Kumiko sighed.
" Were you also serious about that part of wanting to sit on my face? At least I assume you want that." Reina then asked, causing Kumiko to burst out in coughing.
They just chit-chatted after that. Reina ending it off with a request for some time to think about the things they discussed. Kumiko was happy to say yes to it.