So first things first: this is not part of the Saten Ruiko Day Countdown that also starts later today. No, this is for something completely different… and something far more important to me than all those oneshots combined…
I have been thinking for a while what I should be doing for today… and then it hit me, almost as if the answer had been there the entire time… it had been there the entire time!
I hope you enjoy this, everybody! And especially you, reiriniverse from Tumblr, who I am dedicating this oneshot to! Happy birthday!
Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream! I do, however, claim credit for the cover image.
It was a bright day like any other, at least that is what Hanazono Tae thought as she stepped outside to go on her regular morning jog. Stretching her arms as far as she could above her head, Tae began taking the time to do some simple activities to warm herself up and get ready.
Not long after she had gone outside, Tae had started to make her way through the streets at a comfortable pace. As she ran, one random thought popped up in her head after the other, but none of these ended up sticking long enough for Tae to remember much about it before the next one arrived.
Shaking these thoughts away in an effort to focus on her running, Tae decided to take a quick little break to regain her breathing. Much to her surprise, she found herself in a completely different neighborhood when she looked around her to see where she was. Her feet had brought her all the way to the business district of the city, and a part of the city that she did not recognize.
"Now where did I…?" Tae muttered softly to herself before trailing off, trying to see if she recognized any of the buildings. It didn't take Tae very long to come to the conclusion that she did not and, with this newfound knowledge, she was about to try and find someone to ask for directions.
That is, of course, had she not heard her name being called right when she was about to leave.
"Hanazono-san?"
Upon hearing her name being called, Tae looked around her to find who did. Her eyes scanned the whole area around her until they finally landed on a familiar figure not too far from her.
"Hikawa-senpai?" Tae asked as soon as she recognized the girl. Walking closer to the girl with the flowing, teal-colored hair, Tae couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing here?"
"I work here," Sayo said without any sign of hesitation, motioning towards the small store behind her. Almost as if she felt like that was not answer enough for the younger but physically taller guitarist, Sayo added, "Imai-san planned a training camp for the members of Roselia, but we would all need to pitch in and help financially. This just so happened to be the only place that was offering a part-time job that paid enough to cover my expenses for the training camp."
The store that Sayo was motioning towards was, much to Tae's surprise, a pet store. Tae was about to say something about this when she remembered what Sayo had just told her. Instead, Tae's attention was directed to the display of the store.
And Tae could not believe her eyes.
"Hikawa-senpai!" Tae cried out as she rushed over to the store, managing to narrowly avoid bumping into her senior when she passed her on the way there. Before Sayo knew what was happening, Tae was already by the store's front door looking through the glass window with an appalled expression on her face.
"W-What's wrong, Hanazono-san?" Sayo asked, partly in shock and partly in worry as she had no idea what caused Tae to act out so suddenly. When Sayo finally saw what Tae was looking at, Sayo understood, "Hanazono-san, are you perhaps considering getting a pet rabbit for yourself?"
Or, at the very least, thought that she understood.
"Am I… that's not the problem here, Hikawa-senpai!" Tae exclaimed as she jumped back on her feet and wanted to run inside. Unfortunately for her, the door was still locked and, almost sheepishly, Tae had to turn around to face Sayo again and ask, "Hikawa-senpai, could you please unlock the door for me?"
Sayo, at this point having grown very curious as to what Tae was trying to do, decided that doing what was asked of her would be the best course of action. Because of this, Sayo unlocked the door without a second thought and made sure to hold it open for Tae to enter before her.
With a grateful nod, Tae did exactly that. Once inside, she placed all of her belongings on a nearby shelf before she returned back to the entrance where a bewildered Sayo was waiting for her.
And that is when Sayo finally understood what Tae was trying to do all this time.
"Hanazono-san?" Sayo called out, mentally berating herself for allowing her voice to tremble as much as it did. Unfortunately for Sayo, it had already been too late. Tae was out of reach and did not show any signs of stopping.
Tae had already entered the room where the rabbits were being held before Sayo could stop her.
Before Sayo could say or do anything else, Tae walked up to the nearest cage and opened the door. As soon as Tae saw the first rabbit hop out of its confinement somewhat uneasily and hesitantly, she began to open the other cages as well. It was not long until the whole area was full of the small, fluffy herbivores scurrying about.
"They all look… so happy…" Sayo breathed out as she watched the rabbits, not knowing what exactly it was that made her say that; somehow, she just knew. In her daze, she had not realized that Tae had rejoined her and was standing by her side until after she heard Tae's muttered words of agreement. Looking over at the slightly taller girl, Sayo asked, "What did you do, Hanazono-san?"
"Nothing special, really," Tae admitted but knew from the look on Sayo's face that Sayo was not about to drop the conversation right then and there. Taking a couple of seconds to think of the right words to say, Tae turned back to Sayo and gave her senior a real answer, "Rabbits are social creatures, which means that they need a lot of company around them to be happy. If you keep them alone in their own cages, they will get depressed and can even get sick."
"I… see… I did not know that…" Sayo added that last bit in an almost whisper-like voice as she watched the rabbits playing with each other merrily and otherwise enjoying being out of their cramped confinements. Seeing this, Sayo felt a pang of hurt and pain in her heart.
"Hikawa-san?"
Sayo flinched upon hearing her name, not having realized that she wasn't hiding her actions very well until Tae had called out to her. With a deep breath to calm herself down and make sure that she could act out her role as the senior that she knew she had to be, Sayo turned to Tae with a shaky but determined look on her face.
"Hanazono-san, I need to ask a big favor from you," Sayo began, already feeling that her resolve was starting to weaken but knowing full well that she could not allow that to happen. Without wasting any time, Sayo continued, "Please teach me more about how to take care of these animals so I can do a better job at it. I have been very neglectful and ignorant, but if Hanazono-san would be willing to—"
"Of course I'll help, Hikawa-san," Tae's voice brought Sayo back to reality, though it was what Tae had actually said to her that really took Sayo by surprise. With a smile, Tae added, "We happen to have a lot of rabbits at home, so I'm already used to taking care of them."
'So that is why Hanazono-san…' Sayo thought with a small frown, remembering how easily her junior had eased the discomfort the animals were feeling in such a short period of time.
"Shall we start, Hikawa-san?" Tae asked, having already walked up to the fenced-off area that kept the rabbits within. As soon as Sayo had caught up to her, Tae opened the gate and held it open for Sayo to enter as well before quickly shutting it in time to prevent any rabbits from escaping.
As soon as the two girls were safely inside, Tae kneeled down on the floor and looked up at Sayo expectantly. With a sigh, Sayo followed Tae's lead and, much to her surprise, had two rabbits hop over to her curiously almost immediately when she plopped on the floor.
"They… came to me?" Sayo asked in shock and surprise, looking at the two in bewilderment before realizing that she didn't know what to do next. Turning to Tae in a panic, Sayo was about to ask what she should do when she saw that Tae was laughing.
"I'm sorry, Hikawa-san, it's just that it looks adorable," Tae said before she crawled over to where Sayo was. Before Sayo could say anything in response, Tae was already guiding Sayo's right hand on top of one of the rabbit's head, "If they come close to you, it means that you can pet them. Just make sure that you are gentle with them."
"Gentle…" Sayo repeated slowly as she lightly brushed the tips of her fingers on the rabbit's head. Much to her pleasant surprise, the rabbit closed its eyes and seemed to lean towards the touch, making it that much harder for Sayo to keep a smile from forming on her face.
"That's very good, Hikawa-san!" Tae's voice seemed to come from very far, but it somehow still managed to reach Sayo's ears. When Sayo turned to look at Tae, she was met with a bright and proud smile, "Do you want me to tell you more about them?"
"Yes, please, Hanazono-san," Sayo replied with a rare but still enthusiastic smile on her face.
Five hours came and went faster than either girl realized, but at the end of it all, neither of them could say that they were disappointed. Sayo managed to learn a lot about how she should be treating the rabbits from Tae in that time and, much to her surprise, found that she was enjoying spending time with the rabbits a whole lot more now.
Tae, in turn, just drew amusement from watching her normally stoic and serious senior surrounded by five rabbits hopping around her. She even had the feeling that she was the first person to ever have seen the Hikawa Sayo petting a horde of rabbits like that.
Unfortunately for both Sayo and Tae, the time had come for them to call it a day. Sayo's shift had already ended and Tae remembered in horror that she had an errand to run two hours ago.
"Well, I better get going," Tae said sheepishly as she exited the store first, going over all of her belongings to make sure that she had not missed anything. Confident that she had everything, Tae turned to Sayo one last time, "I hope you had fun today, Hikawa-san. And if there is anything else I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Ah, about that…" Sayo trailed off right when Tae had turned around to get going. Hearing Sayo's voice, Tae turned back in her direction curiously and waited for Sayo to say what was on her mind, "Hanazono-san has a lot of rabbits at home, right? Would it be all right for me to come over one time to see them?"
"Of course! Ah, but now might not be a good time for you to come with me…" Tae added that last bit quickly when she remembered she still had an errand to run. Taking a second to think things over, Tae turned back to Sayo and said, "How about Tuesday after school we go to my house together and I can show them to you then?"
"That sounds good," Sayo nodded with a smile. As time slowly ticked on by, Sayo quickly said, "Thank you for all your help today, Hanazono-san."
"It was my pleasure!" Tae smiled with a wave before she reluctantly turned around, "Well, I'm off!"
And with that, Tae jogged off to do what she had to do earlier that day, leaving an exhausted but still clearly satisfied Sayo behind. It was long after Tae had left the scene that Sayo, too, took note of the rapidly setting sun beyond the horizon, deciding then and there that she should probably be heading home as well.
Even though they were going their separate ways now, both Tae and Sayo knew that they would meet again soon. A friendship that was formed after an unlikely meeting was formed that day, and one that both girls would cherish until the end of their days. A friendship that they both knew would last for a very long time.
In hindsight, I think this oneshot may have been quite expected after all… either way, please go and wish reiriniverse on Tumblr a happy birthday everyone~
Reiriniverse, I hope that you enjoyed this, and once again: happy birthday~!