rabbit fever
There was never a dull moment at Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy. With its wide range of academic focus and extracurricular activities, both the middle and high school divisions were always packed from morning to evening, six days a week.
Always the introvert, however, Rinko made sure to always keep two pairs of headphones and a portable battery packed in her backpack every day. It made socialization and long walks to and from school go a lot smoother. Recently she wasn't worried about being overequipped, too, ever since she started hanging out with Ako and the other members of Roselia in person more often.
Hanging out with Ako and the other members of Roselia also meant mingling with other bands' band members as well. A small smile was on her face as she trailed behind Saaya and Rimi after school, her music only on at a comfortable twenty-five percent volume. Ever since the members of Poppin' Party entered the academy this past year, things were a lot livelier in a good way; their two band often collaborated. Rinko was also grateful that though they were friendly and bubbly, they didn't push her to be any more social than she already was. She enjoyed listening to her underclassmen talk about music and everyday activities.
Her listening was soon startled by two students running across the hallway, and she bristled as she bumped into Rimi's back. The fellow bassist gently pulled her to the front and rubbed her arm, a concerned expression on her motherly face. Saaya stood next to her, smiling softly as she put her hands on her hips. "Are they still having trouble finding all of those rabbits? OTae seems to always find the most fun out of all of us."
Rinko cocked her head to the side, curiosity getting the better of her. "Rabbits?"
"Ahaha, yeah, one of the clubs' pet rabbits escaped from their cages. OTae and Arisa volunteered to lead the search, but there's still a few stragglers here and there."
"OTae's an expert in rabbit handling, and Arisa-chan acts tough sometime, but she also loves helping out," Rimi added, sticking out her tongue. "Do you like rabbits, Rinko-san?"
"O-Oh, no. I'm not much of an animal person myself," Rinko replied, rubbing her arm up and down. "Lisa-san likes cats a lot, and I-I think Yukina-san likes cats. Cats are pretty different from rabbits, though, aren't they?"
Saaya and Rimi looked at each other, fingers on their chins in thoughtful sync. It was like Poppin' Party had one brain at times. Finally Saaya put a finger up in the air, grinning. "Yes! Although…OTae insists both of them purr. I think Kasumi's the only other one who can confirm or deny that, though. OTae doesn't have a lot of visitors."
Rimi smiled gently, walking forward. "Maybe we'll get to hear it for ourselves today. We might find some rabbits on our way."
"Y-yeah."
She turned down her music slightly, that unusual curiosity getting the better of her. Truth be told, she was almost excited at the possibility of seeing stray rabbits at school. Ako and Lisa aside, Roselia was the most disciplined band and the area, and they did not venture outside much of music-related activities. Rinko was fine with that, considering she didn't do much besides read and online game, but maybe…maybe if she caught one rabbit, it would help with her confidence.
Keeping her cool on the inside, her eyes darted back and forth as they continued walking. She couldn't help but feel like someone was watching them as they kept moving forward, small shadows lingering from the corner of her eyes from time to time. Her brain was probably getting too involved in this search; she could just hear Sayo scolding her in her mind if she ever found out about this-
There was a small thump, followed by a rather loud shushing noise.
Rinko swiftly turned around just to see someone dive under the stairs.
Saaya and Rimi kept walking, which meant it was confidence-boosting time. She really hated approaching strangers, but if it was someone detracting the rabbit search, that meant that she couldn't raise her confidence by finding any rabbits. But if she stopped the stranger who was detracting the rabbit search, wouldn't that help her reach the same end-goal anyway? Or…or…
Her cheeks flushed as she tip-toed towards the stairs.
The culprit was someone from their school, wearing one of the girl's uniforms. In disguise, too, wearing pitch-black sunglasses and a matching headscarf. In their arms was a medium-sized, white, round shape, with long ears and a twitching, pink nose. Upon a closer inspection, however, it didn't seem like the rabbit was in any danger; on the contrary, it appeared that it was enjoying a pleasant petting, judging from its soft thumps. "There, there," the culprit was murmuring. "Hanazono-san's bound to find you soon."
"H-H-Hikawa-san?"
Rinko's knees buckled, and she fell backward as Sayo abruptly stood up to full height, her pale cheeks turning a bright red. The guitarist didn't even make her top twenty suspects. What would Saaya and Rimi think when they caught on that she wasn't behind them? Was this criminal discovery good or bad for Roselia's image? Probably bad, oh, no. Usually it was Ako who was the one who got in trouble…
She felt her feet move on their own as Sayo shoved them both into a janitor's closet. Before she could splutter out something, a hand went over her mouth, and a dim light flickered on. Sayo looked a single percentage less threatening with a twitchy, purring (it was purring oh my it was purring-) rabbit, but she was still as intimidating as ever as her shades dropped just a centimeter, revealing two exasperated green eyes. "WhatareyoudoinghereShirokanesan?" her voice came out in a hissing whisper.
"Um…um…Hikawa-san? I think Hanazono-san and Ichigaya-san are looking for him…"
"I KNOW! I know! I…know…" The final 'I know' sounded defeated as Sayo's grip on the rabbit loosened, and she let out a sigh. Rinko did her best to keep a straight face and not look taken aback at such a rare moment of vulnerability. Sayo and Yukina were always the levelheaded members of the group, so she had to have a good reason for this. "I'm gonna let this one go after I finish…uh….examining him. He seems rather calm in the face of such unfamiliar surroundings."
"Really? How can you tell, Hikawa-san?"
"Well, look at him. He's not making a fuss and he's making those happy…noises…"
"You mean purring?"
"A-Are you a musician or a pedestrian?!" Sayo snapped, lifting the rabbit close to Rinko's face. "Look at this domesticated, furry beast! He can snap at any moment! Do you really think he would let his guard down by doing something as relaxed as purring?"
RInko couldn't help but lean forward and timidly place a hand in front of the rabbit's face. He picked up on the cue and sniffed her hand before nudging it with his nose, making more excited noises. The girl's eyes twinkled with a newfound passion. So, this was what a positive interaction with a pet felt like. It felt very cozy and stress-free.
Sayo also seemed satisfied with her response as she pulled the rabbit away, stepping back with a slight grimace on her face. "Now that you understand, you can refrain from indulging yourself with your wild rabbit hunt and leave me to finish conducting this examination. Once I'm finished Hanazono-san and I will be able to exchange information as well."
"Oh, I didn't know Hanazono-san was conducting this investigation, too."
"She's not."
They stared at each other silently for five seconds. Rinko was hesitant to engage with that deadpan expression in front of her. The rabbit continued to twitch his nose, and she was tempted to pet him again. No, she had to be a confident, responsible young adult. "Well, I'll leave you alone, Hikawa-san. Should I tell the others where to find y-"
"No!"
"B-But Hikawa-san-"
"If you tell anybody what I'm doing, especially Hanazono-san, I'm gonna make you do extra piano practice for three weeks!"
"Uh…uhm…."
"GET OUT!"
Rinko caught herself on her hands before she fell all the way to the floor. When Saaya and Rimi turned around to help her up, she was still speechless, shaking her head while the girls readjusted her backpack straps. She was the only one who noticed when Sayo stealthily popped out of the janitor's closet, gently leaving the rabbit in her path as she raced up the stairs. The animal and she stared at each other until Saaya woke her out of her daze with, "Something's stuck to you, Rinko-san!"
As soon as she said that, a small, dark blue charm dropped to the floor. When Rimi picked it up, she noticed it was molded in the shape of a glittery rabbit. As Rimi handed it to her, she squeezed it with both hands and let out a long sigh. Somehow, she knew that if Sayo realized she had this in her possession, she'd be doing a lot more than three weeks' worth of piano practice...
It was a fair trade for more confidence.