A/N: I have been a fan of this pairing since the anime was released back in 2018 and I said to myself that one day I would write at least a piece about them. Today Aug 1st I finally did it to celebrate the birthday of my gay and European Saijou Claudine and her girlfriend Tendou Maya [come on, we all know they are together somehow if you don't believe me, just look at this year's in-game birthday cards, they simp each other so hard]. This is my first time trying on this fandom so please be gentle in your reviews.
This piece is dedicated to my friend and Troupe Revue member 'False Indigo', I hope you like it.
Expect more Mayakuro from me as I am in love with these two dorks. For the ones waiting for updates in my other fics, rest assured that this week you will have at least two new chapters.
Without further ado, here's ma Claudine's birthday present.
Enjoy!
Serendipity
Tendo Maya was born in a privileged and demanding family that only acknowledged her if she was successful. Whatever toy she wanted; she would get. Young Maya even had an allowance higher than most high school students when she was only in elementary school.
Her life was always surrounded by tutors and learning new things fact that fascinated her, but, at the same time, lead her to a lonely childhood surrounded by books and adults that ignored her opinions and feelings.
When young Maya was allowed to attend a regular elementary school, Maya quickly became the top of her class and, which caused the envy of her classmates. Soon, her books were torn and her shoes filled with thumbtacks that punctured her feet on more than one occasion. She didn't have any proof of who were the ones behind the pranks so she tried to ignore them as much as she could.
No one approached her either which led Maya to be a loner that preferred to do everything individually. Soon, she learned how to tune out all the noise of her surroundings and focus on one of her passions, reading.
By the time she turned ten, she was an accomplished ballet dancer and pianist that earned her several awards due to her elegance and talent. Several offers for her to appear in national television followed suit, but her parents rejected the proposals as they considered it a medium for ordinary people, and Maya was destined for greater things, so the private lessons increased, and the young brunette found herself under constant pressure that, sooner or later, would make her collapse.
Her only solace was the time she wasn't forced to learn things that she didn't like, and enjoy a piece of Baumkuchen in front of the television while watching her favorite anime. Yes, even the magnificent Tendo Maya enjoyed the occasional animated show between her afternoon lessons.
During one of those breaks, she watched what she would later call the turning point of her childhood. First, when she saw a commercial of an ointment that she normally used after her ballet lessons, but the cream per se was utterly irrelevant but the one starring the commercial.
Maya had traveled abroad before and had always found fascinating blonde hair in general as it was very rare in Japan. So, when she saw a girl singing the catchy tune of the ointment commercial with such determination, and gorgeous blonde hair that bounced adorably, the young brunette knew right there that she wanted to know more about the cute blonde girl with stunning magenta eyes.
From that moment on, Maya would religiously take her break at the same time every day with the hope of seeing the cute blonde girl of the commercial once more. The second and most life-altering moment of young Maya's life was also related to the same young blonde girl when right after singing along the tune of the ointment, a new commercial started and Maya's eyes widened when she saw the same girl being promoted as the lead role of Arrie, one of her favorite plays.
It didn't take long for young Maya to formally ask her parents to let her attend a function of the play, and for them to accept as it would widen the artistic horizons of their offspring. Maya couldn't contain her happiness that she forced herself to conceal behind a polite bow and small grin as her parents were very strict and frowned upon any kind of excessive expressiveness such as a wide smile or a hug.
The day finally came, and young Maya sat in the middle of the front row in awe at the talent and brilliance shown by the young lead. In that same moment, when the petite blonde was singing and performing, Tendo Maya fell in love with the stage and, decided to pursue her new dream to share a stage with Saijou Claudine, the rising star.
Born to a Japanese father and a French mother, Claudine started acting at the tender age of two as a part of a baby food commercial that followed one for diapers and another for toys for toddlers. When she was five years old, she got her first role in a tv series and, two years later, her first chance to appear in a movie.
After several commercials, series, and small appearances in movies, Claudine was considered an established star, but it was not until she got the main role in Arrie that the blonde girl captured the nation's heart. The play stayed in the theater for months and toured all over the country. Thanks to this, Claudine felt she was above most kids of her age as she considered that no one was as talented as she was.
But everything in life comes at a price, and Claudine paid hers greatly as she sacrificed freedom for fame. Now, it was almost impossible for her to go out and have fun without being recognized and surrounded by fans. At first, Claudine felt flattered and stopped to sign several autographs and even pose for some pictures with them, but the older she got, the more demanding fans became and her freedom dropped to suffocating levels where Claudine started feeling trapped and anxious.
It was not until one autograph signing that the young blonde realized that things needed to change or she would collapse under the pressure. Her agency decided that it would be good for business that Claudine celebrated her 10th birthday with her fans instead of her family, and the young actress begrudgingly accepted with the promise that she would spend quality time with her parents afterward.
Poor planning led to a messy meet-and-greet where Claudine ended up surrounded by overexcited fans that wanted a piece of her and even dared to tear her knitted sweater and pull her hair to get a lock of it. Most kids would panic and cry, but Claudine was different.
First, she tried to calm the fans down, but when she saw that the situation was out of control, and the security staff was outnumbered, she fought tooth and nail to escape as unscathed as possible; those were, possibly, the longest fifteen minutes of her life until her manager and one of the security staff members finally reached her and escorted her to safety.
A fuming Claudine escaped her agent's grasp and fired him on the spot before turning on her heel, grabbing her bag, and running out of the venue through the emergency exit. She ran ignoring all people calling her.
She kept on running until her arms and legs felt like burning but her anger was still present, that not even the rain that started pouring was able to tame. A sudden shiver made her realize that she was drenched, so the young blonde decided to wait for the rain to subside, and entered the first place she saw open; an arcade.
That same day in ballet camp, Maya was bullied by her classmates. Normally she would ignore them, but when she saw that one of the girls taking her bag and pouring all the contents on the floor to grab her Arrie program and tear it, that same program that she took everywhere as a lucky charm, something deep inside Maya snapped and, for the first time in her life, she fought back and hit the girl in the face and busted her lip.
Of course, Maya was blamed as all her classmates accused her of starting the fight, and even after showing how her notepad was torn and her extra pair of pointe shoes were full of thumbtacks, the teachers didn't believe her and the principal called her parents to let them know that she had been expelled of the camp.
A very disappointed yet surprised Tendo Ichika had to leave her newest play rehearsals to pick up her daughter that got in trouble in one of her lessons for the first time ever.
Maya was used to the silent treatment of her mother and how she was not able to satisfy her expectations, but the fact that Ichika actually told her how disappointed she was of her when they were alone in the car broke young Maya's heart that had tried so hard all her life to live up to her parents' expectations. Her mother's words hurt more than the thumbtacks in her shoes, and the harsh words her classmates used to insult her.
Suddenly, a desire to run away invaded her thoughts, and taking advantage of the fact that her mother's driver stopped due to a red light, Maya jumped out of the car and ran away with tears that mixed with the heavy rain falling in the city.
Maya ran for several blocks ignoring her surroundings with her schoolbag as her sole companion. It was not until she slipped and almost fell on the sidewalk that the brunette stopped and realized that she had been running aimlessly in the rain for the last fifteen minutes, and now she was soaked and lost in a city she was not familiar with as she was always driven to school.
Trying to find a place she recognized, Maya looked around frantically until the shiny sign of a place caught her attention and the young brunette decided to wait there until the rains stopped and then, contact her mother.
It was the first time Maya was in an arcade so the bright lights blinded her for a few seconds. When she reopened her purple eyes, she gasped surprised at the sight of so many different games she had never had the chance to play before.
Luckily, she brought her schoolbag and since she had PE at school that day, she carried a quick-dry cotton towel so she walked to the restrooms to dry herself as much as possible. With the help of the restroom's hand dryer, Maya was able to dry her hair and the top part of her uniform, her skirt was still a bit damp but it hardly bothered her.
When she reentered the arcade, the young brunette decided to check as many games as possible as she wouldn't have a second chance to do so due to how tight her schedule normally was. The rhythmic tune of a dancing game caught her attention first and Maya headed there but her lack of knowledge about trendy songs didn't sit well with her so she walked away slightly irritated.
I need to learn more.
She tried the fighting games and was able to muster some wins that lifted her spirits, but didn't give any kind of prize so she quickly discarded them and walked to the shooting ones with the same results.
This is fun, but I want more.
And then, she saw them. The area of claw machines that offered different prizes that she could take home if she was skillful enough to get at least one prize, or so she thought. After spending half of her allowance and getting nothing, an annoyed Maya retreated but never accepted defeat.
I need to clear my head.
Maya felt slightly annoyed at losing so much money for naught, so she decided on taking a break and get something to eat from the vending machines in the resting area. A sandwich and a canned juice later, Maya slapped her cheeks to motivate herself and headed to the crane machines again, she wouldn't accept defeat that easily.
It took her a while, and a lot of yens, but Tendo Maya succeeded and now was the proud owner of a light brown teddy bear and with renewed confidence, the young brunette aimed for the prize she really wanted, a white swan plushie.
"Look who we have here" a loud voice yelled from behind and Maya froze.
"I thought that princess Tendo wouldn't show up in places where the commoners hang out" a second girl added.
"Princess? Ha!" a third voice added sarcastically "she's just a spoiled brat"
"Nice to see you again, Yui-san" Maya stated while turning around slowly to face the three girls that bullied her the most at ballet camp "Makoto-san, Yumiko-san"
"Cut the formal crap, Tendo" the one called Yui added before taking a step forward "look what you did to my lip" the slightly taller girl grabbed Maya by the shirt and shook her.
"You were destroying my things, Yui-san" Maya added before escaping the girl's grasp and taking a step back "I couldn't allow that"
"Well, now we are not in the camp, princess-san" the redhead Makoto added and took a step forward before pushing Maya "and in here, nobody will help you"
"Yeah, you will pay for hitting my twin," stated Yumiko before pushing Maya that hit her back against the teddy bear claw machine.
"How do you like that, princess-san?" asked Makoto after pushing Maya once more while she was trying to run making her trip and fall on her hands and knees. A sudden sting coming from her right knee made the brunette realize that it was scrapped and starting to bleed which brought tears to her eyes.
"Such a weakling"
"Pathetic"
"Enough!" a loud voice boomed from behind the bullies that made them stop in their tracks. When they turned around, they found a blonde girl glaring at them with her magenta eyes before she took a few steps and placed herself between the bullies and Maya with spread arms "she has done nothing to you, so leave her alone"
"Why do you care?" Yui asked with a lopsided smile "you don't even know her"
"I do" Claudine stated firmly and took a step forward "she's my friend, and nobody messes with my friends" the blonde added before withdrawing a bouhan, a safety alarm buzzer that made a sound so loud that, in seconds, two staff members appeared to aid them.
"They were attacking my friend and wanted to hit me too" Claudine suddenly cried while wiping her tears.
"Thank you for letting us know, young lady" a supervisor added before ordering the other employee to escort the three girls out of the arcade.
"Are you okay?" Claudine asked before kneeling in front of a flabbergasted Maya that had some tears in her eyes and stared at the blonde with wide eyes.
"I-" Maya was not able to speak but started crying in a mix of relief and happiness that confused Claudine.
"Please, don't cry" the blonde panicked as she didn't know what to do so she looked around to see if the brunette was hurt, and she saw her scrapped knee. Opening her bag once more, Claudine withdrew a handkerchief and placed it on top of Maya's knee that looked up and observed how the blonde took care of her knee.
"It's a small scrap, see?" she lifted the handkerchief and Maya could see that there were just four thin red lines that were barely bleeding, but her tears didn't stop. Normally Claudine would just call someone to help her and ignore the crying girl, but this time she was by herself, and there was something about the brunette that made her want to protect her.
"Th-this is my friend, Ms. Swan" a blushing Claudine placed a white swan plushie on Maya's lap whose eyes widened and her tears stopped almost immediately, "she will protect you and be your friend if you stop crying"
"For me?" Maya asked with shiny eyes; Ms. Swan was her favorite animated character.
"Only if you stop crying" Claudine tried to take the swan plushie back but Maya held it by the neck.
"I will!" the brunette shouted and young Claudine giggled.
"Bien, you can have Ms. Swan" the blonde added with a shrug "the one I really want is Ms. Bear, anyway"
"Oh" Maya exclaimed before unzipping her bag really quickly and withdrawing the teddy bear, she got earlier "by any chance is this Ms. Bear?"
"Oui, she is!" Claudine tried to grab it but then balled her fists as it was not hers to take.
"I have a proposal" Maya quickly added when Claudine offered her hand so she stood up "how about you take Ms. Bear to take care of you and I keep Ms. Swan?"
"T-thank you," Claudine blushed deeply and accepted the bear and held it tight.
"You're welcome" a suddenly shy and blushing Maya replied softly "consider it a birthday present"
"Wait, how do you know th-"
"Here, you're Saijou-sama," a tall and bulky man said and Claudine sighed and rolled her eyes "everyone in the agency has been looking for you for hours"
"Don't be dramatic, Toshiro-kun" Claudine raised an eyebrow and flicked her hair "I was not away for long"
"It's almost seven in the evening, Saijou-sama" the man replied while showing the time to a surprised blonde "you only have half an hour to get to the dinner with your parents"
"Bien, give me a minute to say goodbye and I will join you," the half-French girl added before approaching Maya once more.
"I have to go" Claudine blurted "thank you for Ms. Bear"
"As I said, it's just a humble birthday present" Maya added teasingly and her smile widened when she witnessed Claudine's face turn redder "Saijou-san"
"You use my name so freely, but I don't even know your name" Claudine huffed and the brunette giggled.
"Tendo Maya"
"Then, again, thank you for the present, Tendo-san" the blonde stuck her tongue out and both girls giggled at their silliness.
"Thanks to you for saving me from those girls, I am indebted to you," Maya bowed slightly.
"So, you don't thank me for Ms. Swan?" the young blonde asked in fake anger.
"I will treasure it forever," Maya said sincerely and Claudine blushed up to the tips of her ears before mumbling something in French.
"I-"
"Saijou-sama, you are going to be late" the bodyguard added once more.
"Nice meeting you, Tendo Maya-san" Claudine offered her hand that Maya shook gently.
"Same here, Saijou-san" Claudine gave a sincere smile before turning on her heel to join her bodyguard when Maya spoke again "Saijou-san, wait"
"Oui?" Claudine turned around and gasped when she saw how close Maya was. The young brunette untied her deep-periwinkle-colored ribbon and wrapped it around Ms. Bear's neck and made a bow with it.
"With a bow around her neck, Ms. Bear actually looks like a birthday present, don't you think, Saijou-san?" Maya asked with a pleased smile.
"Oui, i-it do-does" Claudine stammered with a crimson face and quickly turned around "au revoir, Tendo-san"
"Enjoy your birthday, Saijou-san" Maya waved with a wide smile until Claudine was nowhere to be seen. Just then, the brunette dared to look away to find the blonde's handkerchief on the ground. She picked it up with a smile and placed it inside her schoolbag along with Ms. Swan before heading to the counter to ask for a phone to call her driver.
From the moment young Maya got home, she was not only scolded but grounded for the rest of the summer. She accepted the punishment without a complaint as it gave her the chance to have a break for once, but also to meet Claudine and even give her a birthday present.
I am glad I was finally able to meet you, Saijou-san.
Just before August ended, Maya got the news that would change her plans once more as her parents let her know that she won't continue studying in Japan but in a boarding school in England. What it was supposed to be for only two years in England, turned into five when right after finishing elementary school, Maya was enrolled to study middle school in France.
Now proficient in English, and French, and with a great talent that never stopped growing, Tendo Maya came back to Japan to audition to study in her mother's alma mater, Seisho Music Academy. She auditioned and passed with flying colors which made her parents proud.
Now wearing the gray with dark-gray trimming blazer, the button-up shirt, the gray skirt, and the red ribbon tie, Maya let her mind wander as she walked to the school building to check which dorm she would stay in and the position she ranked in the audition to enter the academy.
Several girls in similar uniforms walked past her as she decided to take her time as the building was just a couple of blocks away. When she finally arrived to the main building, several girls started whispering, but she paid no mind and focused on finding the board with the rank results first.
Ah, there it is.
It was easy to spot as a group of girls were there observing the mahogany board. Maya confidently approached and observed with satisfaction that she ranked first in the auditions. She was turning to look on the accommodation board when she bumped into someone.
"My apologies-" whatever Maya wanted to say next died when she saw the person, she had bumped into.
"Be more careful next time, oh" Claudine's eyes widened "Tendo Maya-san?"
"Saijou-san, fancy seeing you here," Maya's smile widened and time slowed down when purple locked with magenta.
"Of course, I am and ranked second in the auditions" Claudine crossed her arms and huffed "did you expect less from me?"
"Absolutely not" Maya smiled and the blonde girl felt her face burn "in all honesty, I was looking forward to seeing you today of all days, Saijou-san"
"Huh? Why?" Claudine asked confused with a tilt of her head.
"If I remember correctly, today is the 1st of August, am I right?" Maya asked with a grin while removing a sakura petal from the French girl's uniform that made her face burn, even more, when Maya took a step forward.
"Oui, it is" Claudine tried hard not to stammer. She had a reputation to hold, after all.
"Bon Anniversaire, Saijou-san" Maya withdrew a slightly worn and neatly folded handkerchief from her skirt's pocket and handed it to Claudine that stared at it with wide eyes as she remembered the reason why the brunette had it in the first place.
This is my handkerchief!
This girl has kept it all this time?
"Merci" when Claudine unfolded it, her heart skipped a beat when a phone strap of Ms. Bear stared back at her with its shiny purple eyes.
Just like hers.
"My, Saijou-san" Maya smiled amused "by your reaction I can tell that you liked my present, oui?"
"I-" Claudine glared at the brunette before pocketing the handkerchief, and raising the phone strap before giving the brunette a proud smile "it's not bad, but"
"But?"
"Aren't you going to put it on?" Claudine asked while taking her phone from her skirt's pocket and placing it on Maya's palm with the phone strap on top "such a lazy woman you are, take some responsibili-"
"There, Saijou-san" Maya handed the phone back to her owner that snatched it from her fingers.
"Merci" Claudine turned on her heel and left a smiling Maya behind. The former child actress rushed to her dorm and entered her room in a rush. She frantically looked for something in the boxes with her belongings and didn't rest until she found what she was looking for.
"Aha! There you are" a Ms. Swan pen she had bought so long ago with the hope of seeing that girl again and give it to her as a present, but not even in her wildest dreams she thought of running into her in Seisho of all places.
Now, when is that girl's birthday again?
A/N: It's so funny that Claudine already lost as Maya's birthday was exactly a week before, lol. I really wanted to write them as children as we know so little of both of them. I think that Maya had a personality boost after she met Claudine and it was just adorable. I enjoy writing angst but it's a birthday fic, so I decided to write fluff instead. Make my day brighter and let me know your thoughts in a review, and thanks again for reading.