Disclaimer: I don't own La Corda D'oro and the invented name for Kahoko's mother.
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Chapter 4
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"Thank you for coming," Misa smiled as she approached the group of youth surrounding the scarlet-haired violinist. She tried to hide a smile as she thought of the potential competition her son will have to face.
Everyone became nervous upon seeing the world famous pianist right in front of their eyes and is actually talking to them. All except one kept his composure. "It was an honor to watch you perform, Hamai-san," Yunoki said politely— proof of his fine breeding.
Misa smiled back at him and gave a short laugh. "Well, since all of you came," She looked at the two upperclassmen and then at Kahoko's two female best friends, "Would you like to join us for dinner?" She offered.
"Oh no!" Hihara was the first to turn down the offer in a flustered manner, "Azuma and I have somewhere else to go after here. Thank you very much for the offer Hamai-san. We just wanted to congratulate Hino-chan for a wonderful performance. And of course! You were amazing, Hamai-san! Tsuchiura and Tsukimori too!" He rambled.
Yunoki smiled a small smile at his best friend's obvious nervousness, but nonetheless he nodded and gave a small bow to the older woman, "Thank you very much for the offer. Indeed, it was a spectacular performance."
"That's too bad, and thank you." Misa said warmly, and then she looked at Kahoko's two other friends.
"I'm afraid we have to leave too," Nao answered composedly, she looked at Kahoko and smiled, "We'll see you in school Kaho."
Mio couldn't help but squeal as she squeezed the scarlet haired girl's arm, "Good luck with your two boys," She whispered to her.
Kahoko blushed as her amber eyes widen at her obviously excited best friend. "What on earth are you talking about?" She murmured, but in return she only got a teasing smile.
"We'll be leaving now," Mio said as she gave a small bow to Len and Misa, "We'll see you at school too Tsuchiura-kun!" She waved.
Misa giggled upon seeing the small group of guests leaving the backstage, "They're a lively bunch, your friends I mean." She said to Kahoko. "That would be Mio and Nao, I presume."
Kahoko laughed, "Misa-san, you and mother gossip too much,"
Len rolled his eyes at Kahoko's comment and added, "What else do they have to do?"
Misa laughed seeing that she might as well have been caught red handed. At this sight, Ryoutarou didn't know what to do. He knew that Kahoko and the cold Tsukimori Len are childhood friends and what they are talking about is something that doesn't concern him at all. He felt uncomfortable yet at the same time there was a tinge of jealousy burning within him.
Kahoko stopped mid-laugh upon sensing her pianist of a best friend's discomfort, she turned to him and lightly nudged his arm. "You're joining us for dinner right?"
Ryoutarou was about to decline when Misa immediately interrupted, "Of course he will dear." She said to Kahoko, then she looked at Ryoutarou who was about to protest, "It's my way of saying thank you. You've done a great job opening the concert."
"Thank you, for this opportunity." Ryoutarou immediately looked down at his feet, feeling embarrassed at being praised by the person he idolize.
Kahoko held back a laughter at the sight.
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"So," Misa began as she leaned forward, her chin resting at the back of her clasped hands as she placed her elbows on top of the table. She glanced at Ryoutarou and Kahoko who sat across her and then at her son who sat beside her at the table. Dinner had just ended with a few small talks here and there. Misa smiled. Now she was ready for some gossip.
Len, instantly seeing the gleam in his mother's eyes, shook his head in dismay. There was no stopping this older woman anymore.
"I'm assuming that one of those upperclassmen that came to the backstage a while ago is the famous Hihara Kazuki that I keep hearing about." Misa spoke directly to the point with a wide smile across her face.
Kahoko, who was sipping a glass of water, began to choke at Misa's words and her face was suddenly engulfed in fire. Ryoutarou wanted to chuckle at his best friend's reaction, but he was speechless as he stared at the person he idolized. He didn't expect that she could act like... someone their age or much more be a part of those gossiping mothers club.
At the same time, Len looked at his mother, wondering where she was getting at with that statement. And he also wondered how his mother knew the name. With that, he glanced at Kahoko. What's with her reaction? He frowned at his childhood friend.
"M—Misa-san," Kahoko coughed a bit more. She looked at Len who had curiosity written so bluntly in his expression along with the words 'I demand an explanation from you', and then she looked back at the older woman. "I'm sure mother was just exaggerating whatever it is she's been telling you."
Misa giggled seeing the shift of Kahoko's eyes to her son. It looks like her son isn't quite aware of the other competitions out there. But just to give him a bit more of a hint... "That may be so," Misa easily let go. She hid a smile seeing the scarlet haired violinist heave a sigh of relief. But she was far from over. "How about that other gentleman? Who gave you a bouquet of flowers after your performance."
It was less than a second, but the older pianist could instantly tell that she had stepped on a landmine. She felt it the second her son suddenly stiffened beside her and Kahoko had immediately averted her eyes downward. She also didn't miss the younger pianist's concerned glance towards his best friend.
"He..." Kahoko mumbled.
"He's courting her." Len answered for her, his tone was obviously cold upon stating that fact.
Kahoko flinched at Len's emotionless tone, realizing the fact that he also knew about it. She frowned slightly. Her childhood friend, who she thought had no interest in mundane school gossips, knew about the rumors circulating around campus that she and her best friend were already an item. And now, he also knew about the fact that an upperclassman of his is courting her. Could she have been wrong about her childhood friend all these years?
Misa looked at her son curiously. She wanted to know the reason behind the tense atmosphere, but she knew better than to press the subject at hand. In an attempt to lift the mood once again, Misa decided to blurt out the first thing that came into her mind. "Ara, Len, I forgot to mention that the Mori's eldest daughter is getting engaged and that she wants you and Kahoko to play your violins during the engagement party."
Kahoko obviously relaxed at the sudden change of subject, plus the topic had piqued her interest. The blue-haired violinist, who wasn't usually quick to show his emotion, instantly reacted with wide eyes at his mother's words.
"You mean Manami-chan!?" The scarlet-haired Kahoko had been the first one to speak up.
Misa laughed gently as she nodded, "Indeed."
"Isn't she just around our age?" Len asked, his brows furrowing as he sank into a deep thought. Mori Manami had been his childhood friend along with Kahoko. She had been studying in Seiyo Academy's Music Department before she had decided to transfer to a more prestigious music academy. After she transferred, that was when their communications had been cut.
"She's two years older than us!" Kahoko interjected, looking at her childhood friend. Her tone had implied that it was just normal for their other childhood friend to get engaged.
"So you plan to get engaged after two years?" Len shot back.
The older woman shook her head as she tried to hide a smile knowing that the usual pattern was about to begin. The two will be bickering over nothing important for quite a while, failing to remember the people around them as they do so. She turned to look at the person beside Kahoko, suddenly realizing that he had remained silent during the whole exchange.
Tsuchiura Ryoutarou had a complex expression on his face as he watched the two talk back at each other. It seemed like he was trying to hide his irritation and trying to look polite at the same time.
He knew that it was inevitable that there would be something that the two would talk about which he cannot catch up with nor understand, but it didn't sit well with him— the fact that his very own best friend seem to have had forgotten his existence beside her. At the same time, it was his first time to see the well-known Ice Prince of the Music Department reacting like a child as he talked back to his childhood friend. And that, Ryoutarou knew, was a side that he will only show in front of Kahoko.
Ryoutarou chose to look away from the two in hopes of trying to block out their voices and shoving down his growing irritation, but instead of staring at a blank area just as he intended, his eyes met with a pair of familiar amber ones. Hamai Misa gave him an apologetic look, knowing that he felt left out while the two childhood friends were still bickering.
"Manami-chan is a childhood friend of theirs," Misa said softly, glancing at the two. "The news of her engagement was a surprise, but maybe that was proof that Manami-chan is serious about her decision."
"Thank you, Hamai-san." Ryoutarou said gratefully, knowing that she was trying to include him. But despite the polite smile he showed the older woman, the pain he felt squeezing his chest just became worse.
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"Are you sure you didn't want to ride with them?" After dinner, Hamai Misa offered the two teens a ride home, but the green-haired pianist politely refused knowing that his home was out of the way. With that, his best friend had also insisted to walk with him while saying that they still had some things to talk about. While her claim had confused Ryoutarou for a moment, he just went along with it.
Kahoko shrugged lightly at her best friend's question as she walked beside him on the streetlamp lit sidewalk. "I'd feel bad having you walk home while we ride the car with ease."
Ryoutarou chuckled softly, "I can take care of myself." He glanced at Kahoko and saw that she had a small smile on her face while seemingly thinking of something. He guessed that she was basking in the moments where she stood on stage a while ago. "I'm proud of you," He murmured gently.
"Hmn?" The scarlet haired violinist turned to look at him in curiosity, obviously not hearing what he had just said.
Ryoutarou shook his head, "On the other hand, now that you've decided to walk with me, I have to take a longer route because I have to get you home first." He continued his earlier words.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, although her expression clearly said that she wasn't the least bit sorry having her best friend walk an extra mile. "It's just that," Kahoko looked ahead and took in the quiet street, "It's nice to walk when it's this peaceful. It feels like you can take everything easy."
"I know what you mean." Ryoutarou took a deep breath as he listened to the quiet sounds of the crickets and cicadas nearby. After a moment of comfortable silence has passed, he decided to speak up. "What was it? That we have to talk about?" He asked in a soft voice, "That wasn't just an excuse to turn down Hamai-san's offer, right?"
Kahoko looked at him and gave a complicated smile. "Nothing goes past you after all, Ryou."
"Give me some credit,"
"It's about Yunoki-senpai," Kahoko said in a small voice, stopping on the spot. She carefully wrapped her arms around herself while a cold breeze blew by. As she said those words, she chose to look down at her feet, not wanting to see the expression Ryoutarou might make.
"You're not considering a positive answer, are you?"
Kahoko's head shot up as she look at him with wide eyes, "Of course not! We've talked about this already. It's just that—" She bit her lip when she saw his hard expression. He had also stopped walking and while she was looking at her feet, he chose to move closer and stand in front of her.
"If you were paying any attention tonight, you would realize that even Tsukimori wants you to stay away from him." He said in a low voice. He didn't miss the fact that Tsukimori Len knew something about the flutist when the older Tsukimori had mentioned him.
"Len just mentioned a fact."
Ryoutarou sighed. It was frustrating how he knew that Kahoko's instinct was telling her to stay away from the upperclassman, but she still refuses to do so and try to see the good instead. He couldn't understand why she was doing this to herself.
Kahoko shivered once again as she left her best friend to mull over his thoughts. At this, Ryoutarou seemed to finally have noticed Kahoko's arms wrapped tightly around herself. He shook his head seeing as the clothes she wore during the concert were too light for the chilly air. His expression softened as he shrugged out of his coat and placed it over Kahoko's shoulders. He held onto the lapel of his coat as he studied her expression.
"You're in love with Hihara Kazuki, don't forget that." Ryoutarou decided to say, ignoring the small sting those words brought to his chest. But if his best friend is hesitating to turn down the other upperclassman's confession because she's considering it, he'd rather hand her over to the cheerful and eccentric senpai.
Kahoko made a face, somehow knowing what Ryoutarou was thinking. "I'm not considering his confession, alright?"
"Then why are you still hesitating?"
"I'll turn him down when I get the chance." Kahoko said determinedly, trying to ease her best friend's mind. "You've been acting weird, Ryou." She looked into his eyes as she said so. There seemed to be something off about him since earlier before the concert began. She thought it was only the nerves from performing for his favorite pianist, but it would've worn down by now. During dinner, he had been awfully quiet and right now, he had been unusually persistent in getting her to turn down the upperclassman's confession.
Kahoko carefully reached up both of her hands in a way that the coat over her shoulder wouldn't slip off, and gently touched both sides of Ryoutarou's face. "Is something bothering you?" She murmured, looking at him with concern.
Still having his hold on the lapels of his coat, Ryoutarou couldn't help but pull them towards him and as a result Kahoko stumbled onto his chest in surprise. "Ryou—" She gasped when she felt his arms around her in a vice-like grip.
"It wasn't fair for me." Ryoutarou said in low voice, half hoping that his best friend wouldn't hear his confession, "Having you and Tsukimori talk about something I can't relate with." He tightened his arms around her further as he recalled the dinner they just had. "Having you forget about my existence, even for those few moments."
"Ryou..." She felt a stab in her heart upon feeling guilt. She had ignored him... but it wasn't on purpose. It was just that she hadn't heard about Manami Mori in such a long time that she couldn't help but talk about her. "I'm sorry." She slowly brought her arms around him and squeezed gently.
"Do you even understand what you're apologizing for?" Ryoutarou pulled away and levelled his eyes with hers.
Their face was so close that Kahoko could feel his warm breath as he spoke to her. It was her first time to see his golden eyes up close and she realized that they had a speck of emerald in them. For some reason, Kahoko could feel her heart beating faster by the second and her face growing warm as they kept their eye contact in silence. Ryoutarou's question remained dangling in the air, and she has no idea whether she could even answer at this point. When her ears began ringing because of her pounding heart, Kahoko pulled away and looked down once again.
Ryoutarou's coat had fallen off as a result.
Kahoko was about to reach down when her best friend beat her to it. She could see that he was handing the coat to her once again, but she couldn't look up to meet his eyes.
Ryoutarou could clearly see the tips of Kahoko's ears which have gone red and he couldn't help but chuckle. His earlier mood and anxiety have all but disappear. "What this?" His tone taking a teasing turn, "Are you finally aware of me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kahoko said begrudgingly hearing the laughter in his voice. She began walking ahead to her house, silently thankful that they weren't that far away.
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Kahoko silently groaned to herself as her eyes glued onto the floor while she was walking towards her classroom. Why is it that the atmosphere is clearly worse than before? She was sure that the rumors were already dying down and so were the stares she's been receiving, but why did she suddenly feel a great impact of stares and whispers once again today? In this early Monday morning?
She was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as she entered the classroom and instantly saw her best friend standing by her desk. For a moment, she could feel her face warming up again as last night's event flashed into her mind, but she didn't escape from reality for long when she saw his annoyed expression.
"Ryoutarou," Kahoko said in an unsure tone as she walked to her desk and dropped her bag.
Ryoutarou sighed deeply as he shook his head. "Guess what," He started.
"New sets of rumors?" Kahoko looked at him with an expression hoping that it wasn't the case even though she knew that it was far from impossible.
"Seems like you already have a new official boyfriend." He folded his arms as he sat on the edge of the desk beside Kahoko's.
"You?" She answered without skipping a beat.
Ryoutarou couldn't help but chuckle at that, glad that she was still able to joke despite his control lapse last night. Half of him was grateful that she didn't think much about it, but half of him wasn't as it somehow stabbed his pride. But his good humor died just as quickly when his face turned serious again. "I wish. That would be better than who you're paired up with right now."
"Who—"
"Kaho-chan!" Kahoko's other best friend, Mio, opened the door to their classroom with Nao in tow. She didn't pause until she reached the scarlet haired girl, her eyes wide.
"Yes?" Kahoko answered weakly. Already thinking of a way to explain herself with whatever rumors are spreading around campus this time around.
"You're dating Yunoki-senpai!?"
"Actually, that's— I'm what!?" Kahoko looked at Ryoutarou with wide eyes as Mio's words sunk in.
In turn Ryoutarou shrugged at her, "Ask your boyfriend."
Kahoko didn't miss the sarcasm and venom in his voice. She knew that this wasn't looking good. She was waiting for his expression to tell her "I told you so", but he didn't. His expression didn't say much except that he had both of his hands balled into fists by his side. Kahoko's two female best friends looked at each other upon realizing that something wasn't adding up.
"I told you it wasn't true," Nao decided to break the silence as she murmured to Mio, "You should know that Kaho wouldn't have left us in the dark if that were the case."
"But I saw the two of them after Misa-san's concert, and they seemed to get along!" Mio squeaked, "and in the first place, why would Yunoki-senpai lie about it?"
Ryoutarou and Kahoko immediately exchanged glances at Mio's last statement. "Hang on Takato," Ryoutarou addressed the emerald-eyed girl. "What do you mean he would lie about it?"
Mio bit her lower lip as she looked at Nao, silently asking for help. She knew that she just revealed something that she shouldn't have, knowing the fact that Tsuchiura Ryoutarou had been obvious about his dislike for the Music Department student.
Nao sighed as she shook her head. She looked at their soccer team's most valuable player and answered on her friend's behalf, "Mio heard a bunch of Music Department students talking about it. It seems that his fan club heard it directly from him. About the fact that he and Kaho are already dating."
Kahoko suddenly paled at this revelation while Ryoutarou's jaw visibly tensed.
"Senpai wouldn't." Despite the fact that Kahoko knew the upperclassman was capable of doing such, she felt the need to defend him seeing as her male best friend was about ready to barge into the Music Department and seek him out.
Her said best friend glared at her without a trace of humor in his expression. The words Are you kidding me was clearly written on his face. Kahoko could only shake her head as she touched his arm.
"Sorry Kaho," Nao said, seeing the charged exchange between the two, "but maybe you should talk to Yunoki-senpai to confirm things with him. It may be just a misunderstanding. You know that rumors can't be exactly trusted until you hear it from the source. Mio might have heard wrong too for all you know."
"I did—" Mio was about to protest when she caught Nao's sharp look.
Kahoko shook her head, "It's alright." She said, trying to alleviate the atmosphere around her friends. She didn't like the fact that things were becoming tense just because of a bunch of rumors. "I'm getting used to being talked about anyway, I'll be fine."
"The hell you are." Ryoutarou said under his breath, which earned a jab to his rib from Kahoko.
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"Don't you have practice?"
Kahoko folded her arms in front of her chest as she looked at her best friend suspiciously. She didn't think it weird when he walked with her towards the shoe lockers by the entrance of the building without a word, but now she had to have a double-take when he took out his shoes and stood beside her.
"They'll survive without me for the day." Ryoutarou said nonchalantly.
Kahoko rolled her eyes, knowing what this was all about. "Should I be thankful that I don't have an older brother right now?"
"An older brother would be worse."
"Exactly." Kahoko shook her head as she bent down to open her shoe locker. As she did so, a note flew out and landed in front of Ryoutarou's feet. Her reflexes were still not as fast as the first-rate athlete as he picked it up without missing a beat. Kahoko looked up anxiously trying to gauge her best friend's expression. She jumped to her feet when he suddenly crumpled the note in front of her.
"What did it say!?"
"Nothing important." Ryoutarou turned around and began to walk when he felt Kahoko tug his arm.
"That's from senpai, isn't it?" Kahoko felt the muscles on Ryoutarou's arm tense as soon as those words were said, which was all the confirmation she needed to know that she was right on mark. "Did he ask me to meet him?" She said in a low voice.
"I don't like this, Kahoko."
"You don't have to." Kahoko said softly, letting go of his arm and stepping in front of him. She held his hand which had the crumpled note and slowly pried his fingers open. "You've been hovering around me the whole day, and know it's because you're worried that senpai's fan club would come and get me. Yes, we've both heard how scary they can be. So, I want to say thank you for that. That's also the reason why you're skipping practice and decided to walk me home, right?" All the while, as she spoke and loosened his fingers, she kept a steady gaze on his face.
Ryoutarou sighed, knowing that whatever he has to say to her will be heard by deaf ears. He let go of the note and Kahoko slowly spread it open on her palm.
I'm sorry for the trouble and inconvenience.
Please meet me in room 308 at the Music Department.
We need to set things clear.
Yunoki Azuma
"Everything will be alright." Kahoko looked up from the note to look at her best friend.
"Nothing is ever alright when he's involved." Ryoutarou turned his face away, not wanting Kahoko to see his expression. He, himself, didn't know what kind of face he was making, but his emotions were getting harder to control every time she chooses that senpai.
"Ryou..." She gently called his name, seeing as he wouldn't look at her. "If you're really worried, I'll meet you under the cheery blossoms where we usually hang out." Kahoko took his hand and gave it a squeeze. When Ryoutarou still didn't look at her, she knew that there's nothing she could do at the moment. She had to meet up with Yunoki Azuma and clear things up before the situation got more out of hand. With that thought in mind, she let go of her best friend's hand and turned to walk to the Music Department.
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Being quite familiar with the Music Department after having used their music rooms often, the scarlet-haired violinist found the indicated room in no time at all. She could hear the pounding of her heart as she stood in front of the room. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that this was a big mistake and that she should just listen to her best friend's advice, but she knew that avoiding it wouldn't make it go away.
If there was something she learned upon getting to know her upperclassman, it's that it wasn't easy to say "no" to him. Yet she has to. Kahoko strengthened her resolve and opened the door to the music room.
As soon as she did so, she found the bishounen of an upperclassman leaning against the far window with his flute on his hand. He had been looking outside at nothing in particular when he turned to look at the opened door.
"Hino-san," He smiled pleasantly as Kahoko closed the door behind her.
She gave a small bow at the upperclassman in return. "Yunoki-senpai."
"It's a surprise that Tsuchiura-kun didn't come with you today." Azuma observed, he was half-expecting the green-haired jock to come along with Kahoko. He carefully set his flute down into its case before he made his way near Kahoko.
"Ryou is not part of this," Kahoko didn't miss the hint of sarcasm in the upperclassman's tone at the mention of her best friend's name as he moved closer to her.
"I doubt it." Azuma answered sweetly, stopping only when he was just a step away from her. He reached forward and held a lock of Kahoko's scarlet hair. Kahoko froze visibly on the spot. "He has everything to do with this," Without breaking eye contact with Kahoko, Azuma gently kissed the locks on his fingers before letting it slide off.
"Is that why you spread those rumors?" Kahoko asked, for some reason she felt breathless. There was something different in her senpai's eyes which sent her instincts on red alert.
Azuma smiled, not at all denying the accusation that Kahoko sent his way. "He's in the way." He took that one step which brought him closer to the scarlet-haired girl and brought one hand on the door just behind her. He leaned down so that their faces were on the same level. "You never gave me an answer to my confession. I'm assuming that it's because he's around you all the time."
Kahoko could feel the unmistakable chill running down her spine as her senpai's voice suddenly dropped to an ice cold tone. This was different from the image of a perfect prince which he carried around campus. For some reason, Kahoko finally understood the nagging feeling she's had ever since he confessed to her. She couldn't answer him as she felt trapped in his gaze. Like a prey caught by a snake.
"Or is it because of your feelings for Kazuki that's holding you back?"
The name of her brother-figure and crush coming from his lips sent a jolt deep within Kahoko's stomach as her eyes widen in surprise. How did he know? The only people that knew about her feelings for him were her three best friends. Even her childhood friend didn't know about it.
Immediately understanding her expression, Azuma brought his hand under Kahoko's chin and pulled it closer to his face. Kahoko could only swallow hard as shock paralyzed her in place. "I see the way you look at Kazuki." Azuma murmured, his eyes narrowing.
"He's your best friend!" Kahoko managed to gasp out the words that suddenly formed in her head.
"So you think it's okay for you to fall for him and ignore my confession?" He leaned further down until his lips were close to hers. "What would you do if I tell him about your feelings?"
At that, Kahoko pushed him away from her with all the strength she could muster. Her eyes suddenly began to water as she felt her heart being squeezed inside her chest when she looked at the person in front of her. She had been trying to bury the nagging feeling in her chest in hopes of getting to know him instead of judging him, but she was right all along to choose to turn him down. "Sorry senpai," She tried to keep her voice steady, "but I cannot return your feelings." She turned around to leave, when he spoke again.
"So trying to drive a wedge between you and Tsuchiura didn't work with those rumors, should I try the same method with Kazuki this time?"
Kahoko didn't miss the fact that he had dropped the honorific with her best friend's name, but what caught her attention the most was about the rumors. She turned around with disbelief written clearly on her expression. "Senpai...it was you?" She suddenly remembered the stares, the judgements, and the hard time she'd been having ever since the rumors first began. "Why?" This time she couldn't hold the tears in her eyes as her vision began to blur.
Azuma gave a short laugh as if the answer had been obvious the whole time. "It's to get what I want."
"You're so cruel." Kahoko said under her breath and she quickly turned around and finally left the room without a second glance.
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Ryoutarou sighed as he glanced at his watch. After ten minutes had passed while he waited under the usual spot, he decided to walk towards the Music Department and wait outside the building. He knew that Kahoko is capable of taking care of herself, but there was something telling him that he should be closer to her. After another ten minutes had passed, he began to regret his decision of letting her go by herself.
Remembering the room number in the note he crumpled, Ryoutarou was about to make his way inside the building when he saw a familiar scarlet-haired girl running towards his direction with her head bowed down. She was more noticeable because of her General Education uniform amongst the Music Department's white ones.
"Kaho!" He couldn't help but call out her name, sensing that something was definitely wrong.
Kahoko looked up at the sound of Ryoutarou's voice and relief washed over her in an instant, but as a result the tears she tried to keep at bay began trickling down her cheeks. She pushed her legs to run towards him and collapsed into his open arms. She didn't care if anyone saw them like this, she didn't care if the rumors around the both of them began surfacing again, because right now she felt safer than ever.
"Did he do anything to you?" Ryoutarou had wrapped his arms around her shaking form and thought of the possible ways he could beat up the aristocratic upperclassman. He didn't care whether he'd get in trouble for it, but if someone had laid a single finger on Kahoko...
His thoughts trailed off as he felt Kahoko shake her head against his shirt. "I want to go home." She said in a muffled voice.
Right now, his priority was her. He tightened his hold around her waist and gently coaxed her to walk back towards their building so that they could get their things. Ryoutarou was acutely aware of the several eyes piercing the both of them, but there was one stare that had made him turn around to look.
Further down the hall, the famous violin prodigy stood with his eyes narrowed as he watched the both of them. Ryoutarou met his half-glare with unwavering eyes and discreetly shook his head before he turned ahead again towards their building. He would understand.
He looked at his best friend who was somewhat walking beside him, with her face still buried in his chest and her arms around his waist. His questions will have to wait. She's his priority.
Always has been.
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