Epilogue: Closed Position
It was a beautiful day at Fuuka Academy, with the sun brightly shining, and many high-flying wispy clouds keeping the sunlight from being too strong. It was the perfect day, in fact, for a graduation. The Director, Fumi Himeno, gave a nice opening speech, and led everyone through the ceremony. Towards the end, the Council President, and graduating student, Yukino Kikukawa gave an inspiring speech, looking forward to the challenge of life outside the gates, and mock-warning, with an adorable Cupid Bow of a smile, for the remaining underclassmen to behave, lest their sempai need to return. One of the underclassmen stood up and asked what they would do if they wanted advice, and the President answered that the sempai would be pleased to offer it. Another student stood and asked a question, and Kikukawa-kaichou answered.
Then, a second-year with bright red hair asked when the sempai would leave, so "her class could take over already". The Vice-President, Natsuki Kuga jumped up, leaned in front of the President, and shouted, "Shut up, Yuuki!" Laughing, the second-year sat back down, but not before calling out, "We love you too, Kuga-sempai!" Then maybe a tenth of the high school body also shouted out, "We love you, Kuga-sempai!" Natsuki turned beet-red, very visible above her dark blue blazer, grabbed the microphone and screamed, "NAO!" The redhead kept her seat, but was laughing so hard, that a fellow classman had to escort her to the back of the audience. Faintly, in between laughs, one could hear her say, "SO worth it," before she started another round of hysterical laughter.
Natsuki almost lost it, though, when after restoring order, just before giving the mike back to the President, one of the special guests called out, "I love you, too, Na-tsu-ki," in a distinctive Kyoto accent. "Shi-Shizuru!" boomed out of the speakers, as Natsuki clutched the microphone back, jamming right in her face. Then, if anything, she turned even redder, bowed to Yukino, and going to sit down, pushed the microphone into the President's hands…the suspiciously not-very-disappointed-looking President's hands.
After the ceremony, Natsuki came down to greet her special guest, as did Yukino. Shizuru Fujino was accompanied by another special guest: Haruka Suzushiro, who of course, did not participate in any of the disruptive events in the ceremony. Haruka gave Yukino a big hug, then stepped aside, as Chie Harada came up to give the President a respectful bow...and a non-respectful wink, and quick peck on the cheek, before she pointed Yukino towards Director Himeno, patiently waiting to conclude some last-minute concerns. While this went on, Haruka went on to give a most informal hug to the Executive Director, Aoi Senoh.
After the hug, Aoi held her special guest - and girlfriend - out at arms' length, for a better look at her ensemble. Haruka was wearing a long light green skirt, and a sky blue blouse, which showed off Haruka's looks to good effect. Aoi greatly appreciated that Haruka's outfit was of their favorite colors, and really liked how the two went together so gorgeously...again, the colors. "You look beautiful, Haruka," she sighed, as she intertwined their fingers, and turned to walk to the building with the Council room. Haruka, a slight blush making her look even prettier, replied, "Thank you; you make the uniform look good, yourself." Aoi smiled and gave Haruka's fingers an extra squeeze, responding non-verbally, as their arms swung a little bit faster, and higher.
As they were going past one of the school building "wings," Aoi heard something that caught her attention. She squeezed Haruka's hand, and put her other hand on her shoulder, while listening longer to the argumentative voices coming from the other side of the building."What is it, Aoi?" The girl in question looked back, a mixture of love, sadness and anger swirling in her eyes. "A bunch of idiots that ought to know better. I'm sorry, Haruka, but…as corny as it sounds, duty calls." She then pulled a cell phone from her pocket, picked a name and began talking, while walking determinedly past the first corner. "Uh-huh," she said into the cell, "sounds like Code 22, meet me between Building 4 and 6." She put the phone to her ear, nodded, opened-and-closed it, and put t back in her coat pocket. She then went across the relatively narrow gap to the next building over, and went farther down to its end, but paused before she got there. Haruka had mentioned before how Aoi had looked nice, but seeing her in action, rich brown hair hanging down her back, making a nice contrast with the light blue jacket, and its tan trimming. Suddenly, there was someone next to her, a…long-haired boy in a blouse? No, a girl, in pants, instead of the skirt; of course, it was Okuzaki, Akira being her given name. They talked for a bit, listened a bit more, then Aoi went around the far corner, while Akira-san came back towards Haruka.
"Good morning, Former Director Suzushiro," Akira-san greeted her. "Hello, Okuzaki-san," Haruka replied. "If you would care to see your girlfriend in action, she has invited you to observe," Akira said, with a small bow and arm sweep of invitation. "Sure, that sounds in– wait, what do you mean, 'girlfriend'? Hey, where did you go?" Haruka looked around the empty section of school grounds, in the end, catching Akira's arm waving from beyond the other building Aoi had already gone around. Haruka quickly followed, hoping to get more information about just what Akira knew about her relationship with Aoi, but was distracted by the sight of…her girlfriend – she might as well say it out loud – handling four large but young-looking middle-school roughians with a confident ease, while also smiling and reassuring a young blond girl in an elementary school uniform. Tossing off the hoodlums to Akira, she picked up the young girl, reassuring her that "no one was going to be bothering such a cute school girl as her, anymore, no they wouldn't!" Haruka giggled, knowing full well how Aoi could get completely silly, when she saw something – or someone – that she thought was especially cute, including, for some mysterious, blessed reason, Haruka herself. "Eight will do," Akira said into her phone, which gave the typical chirp of a push-to-talk-enabled set. Soon enough, a squad of Committee members came by and took the trouble-makers away.
Aoi asked the student, named Sara, if she were sure she wanted to just go back to class, to which the young girl nodded. Aoi then suggested she return to her class room, and that if more was needed from her, a Committee member would contact her. Sara thanked Aoi, and hurried to go inside, only pausing to stare at Haruka with huge-looking green eyes, then smiling and running off. Aoi came up behind Haruka and looped her arm around the woman's waist, resting her head on Haruka's shoulder. Haruka absently reached up and patted Aoi's far shoulder, then Aoi pulled away and reclaimed Haruka's fingers again, swinging their arms in an exaggerated arc, then letting them settle down while they finished their trek to the Council room. Not, however, without Aoi whispering in Haruka's ear about what the graduate expected for a proper celebration of both her high school graduation and her eighteenth birthday, which had been yesterday, but was more fun to celebrate on a weekend. Especially with the elaborate scenes Aoi was describing, some of which Haruka was almost positive weren't even possible without being double-jointed, and all of which were making the woman blush redder than the bubuzuke's eyes.
Speaking of which, Haruka was surprised to see the self-same eyes – and the rest of the frustrating woman – standing outside the Council room. What was more interesting, though, was seeing who was there with here, staring daggers at her fellow college student: Nao. Aoi kissed Haruka on the cheek, untwined her hands, and whispered, "Council business, you know – I'd invite you in, both of you, as emerita members, but rules are rules, and you–" Aoi lightly tapped Haruka's nose, though her smile showed no bad feelings in the statement, "would never let me live it down, not even as a graduation present for me. Nao," she finished, dropping her smile, and turning to her incoming colleague, "quit staring holes in Fujino-kaichou-sensha's head; these ruffians should know better, especially with so many honored guests on campus today." Nao grunted, and slid open the door, showing Akira standing to the side of the President's desk, and Natsuki behind it. Aoi took a deep breath, waiting while Nao hopped up onto the corner of the desk, before exhaling, softly closing the door.
Both college ladies jumped, startled, as presumably, Aoi began a loud, long rant, hearable not only through the door, but possibly outside the building. After a minute-and-a-half without any let up in words, and if anything, an increase in volume, Shizuru turned to Haruka, and with one of her patented closed-eye smiles said, "Ara, it sounds like Senoh-san is learning many habits from Haruka-san, ne?" Haruka paused for a bit, listening as the berating continued for nearing two full minutes, non-stop, her eyes shining, and the smile on her face getting bigger and bigger. "Yeah, isn't it great? I'm definitely going to parry that girl!" Hiding her mouth behind her hand, but not the accompanying smile in her eyes, Shizuru giggled and, leaning closer to speak more softly, replied, "Ara, I hope you meant 'marry,' Haruka. That way, Aoi-san does not have to be satisfied only getting…"
"Bu-bubuzuke!"
