There are not enough fics for this anime, so I'm adding one. I hope you like it.
The Fukui accent was strangely calming. Despite her deep love of karuta, classical literature had never been a class that particularly interested Chihaya. Maybe listening to beautiful poetry recited by a shaky old man who broke down in a hacking cough every few words had something to do with it, but Fukasaku-sensei could never quite hold her attention.
And then, two weeks ago, a new teacher arrived. Usui-sensei was a university student, studying education, and was spending a month at Mizuzawa to complete his student teaching. He was tall, with thick hair and glasses. And a rich, deep, musical voice complete with a strong Fukui accent. The rest of the class had a hard time holding their laughter at bay most of the time, when Usui used a strange word or phrase, but Chihaya found herself entranced. She hung on to his every word with a focus that she usually could only muster during an important match. Everything he said seemed to be magical. Sometimes, when Usui was reading a passage, she would close her eyes and let his voice wash over her. It didn't matter what he was saying. Just the sound was enough to melt all her worries and doubts and leave her feeling refreshed and alive.
"Ayase, since when do you like classical literature so much?" Nishida asked her one day as they were leaving class. "I don't think you've fallen asleep in class all week. Are your terrible test scores finally bothering you?" he teased, nudging her in the arm.
"Huh?" she replied. "Not particularly." Nishida scratched his chin.
"Ahhh!" he cried, then flashed Chihaya a huge grin. "I got it! You've got a crush on Usui-sensei!"
"Uh," Chihaya balked. "I…uh…I don't think that's it." She stopped and thought about it for a moment. She actually didn't care all that much for Usui as a person. He spent a lot of time flirting with the girls in their class and assigned them excessive quantities of homework. But she liked his glasses. And his voice. Especially his voice.
"I think he'd be a good karuta reader," Chihaya said. "He has a strong voice. It's clear and easy to listen to." Nishida hit his forehead.
"Everything goes back to kartua with you, doesn't it?" he groaned. "But I disagree. I find him hard to understand. He has such a thick accent. I think his reading would be confusing. What is it you like about it?"
What was it? Chihaya wasn't sure she knew herself. All she knew was that when she heard that Fukui accent, she felt like everything was right with the world. She felt relaxed and energized at the same time. Like nothing could stop her. Suddenly, a thought struck her.
"Sorry Nikuman-kun!" she said, completely forgetting to answer his question. "I'll see you in the club room." Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and ran to the roof, the only place in school where students were allowed to use their phones. Running through her list of numbers, she paused only briefly before placing her phone call.
The phone rang several times before someone picked up.
"Hello," said a voice with a thick Fukui accent. Chihaya's eyes filled with tears. This was it. Usui was a fine substitute, but this was the original. This was the Fukui accent she wanted to hear. This was the voice that gave her more comfort than anything in the world. The voice of the man she loved.
"Sorry Arata," Chihaya said. "I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm off to karuta practice. Bye." She hung up quickly and held the phone to her heart, savoring the moment, the sound of that simple "hello" still ringing in her ears.
I know it's short, but it was a brief moment of inspiration. I hope you enjoyed it!
Fukui-Ben is Japanese for Fukui accent, but I thought Fukui-Ben made for a better title :)