One

"No, you don't!" I cried, vexed with her for laughing and making light of my feelings, which took me months to process and digest. Clenching my fists tighter, I blurted out, "Because now, I love you!" If I had not raised my gaze up at her as I shouted those words, I wouldn't catch that unfamiliar yet raw expression fleeting across her face, which made my heart flutter for a second. Seeing her reddened cheeks and how she stared at me with wide, glistening eyes made me realize later on that what I said might have sounded like a confession. I didn't mean it to sound amorous or in a romantic way, but at that deciding moment, I couldn't care less. Because I did love her and I wanted her to know that without a doubt in her mind.

I was stupid enough to hope that telling her my feelings would make us closer, even when we wouldn't see each other in school anymore. But if her silence was any indication, I would think that my unwonted boldness might have backfired on me. It had been over a year, exactly eighteen months, since her graduation and in six months' time it would be my turn to graduate. Not once did I hear a word from her. Not once did she try to reach out. Day after day, I sent her emails and texts, telling her how the day was in the club, how much I missed her playing her euphonium . . . and how much I missed seeing her face as she sat next to me. I affirmed my feelings for her every single day only to be snubbed pitilessly. It was heartbreaking to think that I was the only one who remembered, that I was the only one who cared.

It's not like I was expecting a relationship with her after my confession. It's never like that. Yes, maybe, she was avoiding me because she was afraid that I would ask her out and she didn't know how to reject me. Be that as it may, she could have at least message me once and tell me to stop. Her sudden estrangement was the hardest pill to swallow until now.

"Kumiko,"

I unclosed my eyes, hearing the gentle, fruity voice that I recognized anywhere yet I groaned internally. It's Sunday—the only day that I was allowed to be alone and mope around in my room without a care in the world and anyone judging me for it. "Reina," I said and waggled my arm, feeling my hand numb from clutching my phone too tight as I fell asleep. The screen flashed and I caught a glimpse of the last message I sent to Asuka-sempai in my inbox, which was only a few hours ago. I sometimes found myself rereading the past conversations I had with her, secretly hoping that, in some miraculous way, she'd contact me. I locked my phone then regarded my unexpected visitor with veiled displeasure. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you forget about today?" Reina said as she placed her backpack and trumpet case carefully at the foot of my bed. "Didn't you ask me to come to go over your Math with you?"

"Crap. I totally forgot," I said out loud as I rubbed my eyes. I straightened on my seat with a fake yawn.

"You really are horrible, Kumiko," she said, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. She arched her back down to level her face with mine. "What's wrong?" She was so close that I could smell her minty breath. If this was two years ago, or even a year ago, her sudden closeness would scare and embarrass me so much that I would shriek and blush.

"Sorry, sorry," I said with a guilty smile. "I got . . . sidetracked."

"Sidetracked?" Reina said in a low voice, which sounded dangerous in my ears. "Are you not excited about seeing me today?"

I laughed nervously. "I—I am happy to see you." I averted my gaze, afraid that her bright, discerning eyes would find the lie in my face.

"Tsukamoto?" she said without missing a beat.

A grumble of disbelief escaped my lips. I looked at her pointedly. "Reina, you should know by now that the whole Tsukamoto-thing is old and fake news. It never happened. And it never will! And besides, Hazuki and Tsukamoto are dating now. I'm just thinking about . . . things."

"Oh?" Reina said, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. "You can't be possibly thinking about your Math, or anything about school since you hate it. It must be a person of note. So, who is distracting you, Kumiko?"

What I liked and hated about being with Reina was I couldn't pull up my mask for too long. She always managed to snap it off my face and demand to see the real me. And I, almost always, just let her.

However, not this time. She had no idea about Azuka-sempai. No one did. And I wanted to keep it that way.

She swiveled my chair toward her, propping her hands on the armrests. "You should only be thinking about me." She lifted my chin up before resting her forehead against mine. "They're not worth your time, Kumiko."

"And you are . . . worth my time?" I breathed out, locking my gaze on her fiery, violaceous orbs. She drew closer that the tip of our noses brushed up against each other, wiping out what little space we had left. I closed my eyes, thinking that I might be entranced by her spell again.

There was silence for a moment before I felt her breath against my mouth.

"I believe I am." A pause. It was lengthy and deafening that I became more restless in my chair. "Do you love me?" Her words that were devoid of emotion prompted me to open my eyes. I couldn't tell if this was her teasing or being serious.

"Do you want a serious answer?" was my unfiltered reply.

"Yes," she said. "I'm being serious right now."

I pulled my head back a little, enough to have a good look at her beautiful, flushed face. She opened her eyes fully and laid them on me steadily. There was a glint in them that I recognized and spotted every time she talked about Taki-sensei. If I hadn't known better, I would think Reina had feelings for me, even for a little. It's my awareness of her intense, unwavering love and devotion to our teacher that pulverized that thought right away. No one could ever beat him in her heart. I had been watching Reina for so long that I could confidently attest to that.

There's no harm in neither of her question nor my answer, I thought, so I said, "Yes," without giving her any more detail.

"Then, do you love me like how I love Taki-sensei?" she said in a calm, controlled voice, like she was asking me about the weather or band practice.

My mouth hung open as I stared at her. She was unsmiling while she waited for my reply. As I grew a bit self-conscious under her probing gaze, I pressed my lips and moistened them with my tongue, which she didn't miss to witness. I held my breath, steeling myself as she inched nearer and nearer toward my lips . . .

"Kumiko! Reina! Dinner is ready!"

Our lips were almost touching when my mom called from the kitchen. I could feel Reina's growing anxiety as she lingered above me. Her shaky breath clued me in about her predicament.

"Both of you, in the kitchen!" my mom called again, which made me get to my feet and Reina to straighten up.

"My mom sure is excited to cook when you're here," I said with a timid laugh while unlocking my bedroom door.

Reina only hummed in response and went out the door after me. We walked quietly down the hall until we reached the dining area. The strain between us must be too obvious because it didn't take long for my mom, who could be a little slow on the uptake, to notice that we weren't talking to each other like we're supposed to.

"Is everything all right?" my mom said as she sat on the seat in front of us. She glanced between me and Reina for an answer. But neither of us gave her a reply.

Stealing a quick glance at Reina—who was chewing her food in silence and ignoring the awkwardness around us like I didn't exist—I considered cracking a joke or two to help elevate the mood somehow, but I weaseled out the last minute. The ominous aura about her made me cower in my seat. There's no way I could talk to her and not die.

"Kumiko," Reina said all of a sudden, making me yelp and jump.

"Ye—yes?" I stammered horribly. My mom shot me a concerned look.

Instead of answering, she flipped her hair, deliberately brushing me off, and regarded my mom with a winning smile. "The food is delightful as always, auntie. If my mother was as skilled and confident as you in the kitchen, we wouldn't be dining at restaurants on every family occasion."

My mom beamed at the compliment she's deprived of from her own family, forgetting the tense atmosphere between us mere seconds ago. She chatted happily with Reina throughout dinner, with the latter leaving me out in every topic. I wouldn't care if it wasn't Kousaka Reina sitting at our dining table. But it was and it made me very much uncomfortable.

Dinner was stifling, if I must say so. I couldn't remember an instance when I felt this way when Reina's around. I had always enjoyed her company and used to find comfort and contentment in her presence. When we got in my room, she went directly to the bathroom without a word. I paced back and forth, apprehensive of what's to come, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard her call for me. I stood still in front of the bathroom door, staring hard at it like it would somehow magically open with my eyes.

"Kumiko, didn't you hear me?" Reina called again. Before I could go nearer to the door, I heard her say, "Get inside."

I was cautious when I entered the bathroom, careful not to let my gaze wander around. I stood at the sink, my eyes on my feet. "Err, do you need anything?"

There was a swashing sound in the tub, which put a rather graphic image in my head of what she was doing . . . and I could have sworn her voice was laced with mischief when she said, "Care to join me?"

When I breathed and attempted to speak at the same time, I chocked, embarrassingly, on my own saliva.

"Are you okay?" I heard Reina say as I coughed to clear the saliva out my breathing passage.

"I—I'm fine! I'm fine," I said, coughing and clearing my throat. I turned my head toward the tub on reflex when I heard a splash of water hitting the floor. "Gaah—!" I shut my eyes and crouched down like a scalded cat after seeing the gorgeous Reina in her birthday suit, as luck would have it. "I'm sorry! Didn't mean to—" Her hearty laughter stopped me from making a fool out of myself even more.

"It's not like you haven't seen me naked before." I could imagine the coquettish smile on her face when she added, "You know, you're always welcome to admire my body all you want, Kumiko."

The strange heat I didn't know where it came from sprouted up to my face and then rushed down into my stomach like a rollercoaster. When I opened my eyes, she's back in the water, in the middle of the tub, watching me so intensely that my heart just skipped a beat.

"Come here," she said, flashing a sweet yet mischievous smile.

Bewitched by her naughty, deliberate seduction, I let Reina pull the strings as I ambled toward the tub. The old me would have been frightfully embarrassed to act like a perv, I thought as I stripped my clothes off one by one. She never turned her gaze away. The look she was giving me as I stood before her, nude and helpless, was too ambiguous to decipher.

"You're so beautiful, Kumiko," she said, her lips moving invitingly.

I perched on the edge of the tub and brushed Reina's hair back over her shoulder. My hand remained at the side of her neck, unconsciously stroking the corner of her lips. "I think you're more beautiful, Reina."

"I don't believe you," she said, a pink blush on her cheeks. "Well, unless you hurry up and join me in here." She scooted toward the back and made space for me. She reached for my hand and helped me get into the tub. I turned around, my back toward Reina. I was afraid I would not stop blushing like a lobster in a boiling pan if we sat face to face. I shivered when my back slid along her smooth, slender legs. Rather my buttocks hitting the glassy bottom, her feet cupped my butt cheeks. I yelped in surprise and nearly leaped out of the water when she grabbed my hips and held me down with her arms around me. I couldn't tell if it was her heartbeat or mine that went frantic as her breasts were pressed against my back.

"Where are you going?" Reina said. "Stay with me." Her hot breath tickling my neck sent shivers down my spine.

"Okay," I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

Another silence hovered between us, but this one wasn't as uncomfortable. It was actually felt pretty nice.

"I'm sorry if I was late," she began slowly. "I know I promised to be here early, but I had practice with Taki-sensei—"

"You went to his house?" I cut her off, not intending to sound like a jerk. But if I were to be honest, I was kind of annoyed by the idea.

"I need to perfect my solo for the Nationals. He's the only one who can help me."

"Right," I said, my voice bleak, "for the nationals."

Silence lingered longer this time. I buried my face against my knees and thought it unbearable.

"Do you care about me, Kumiko?" she said and swept her lips in between my shoulder blades, which made me shudder once more.

"I do," I replied without hesitation then glanced over my shoulder. "I care about you." That's why I wasn't so happy with you going to our male teacher's house alone, I wanted to add, but stopped myself before I could.

She grazed her teeth along the tip of my neck that it sparked off something in me, which I failed to process when she whispered in my ear, "I care about you, too, a lot."

Shifting my body sideways so I could look at her, I smiled teasingly at her. "Reina, it's been a while since I heard your confession—"

"I like you, Kumiko," Reina declared suddenly, catching me off guard. She lowered her head, her face burning up. "In the same way as I like Taki-sensei."

I was at a loss for words. But for a different reason.

She chewed at her bottom lip. Her solemn gaze became more restrained when she demanded, "Now, I'm asking you again. Do you like me the same way?"

Swallowing hard then taking a deep breath, I just nodded.

A/N:

Hello!

I just finished watching Hibike! Euphonium season 1 and 2 for the third time and I thought I needed more. Since the start of the pandemic, I got severely depressed that I was forced to talk to a therapist. During one of our sessions, my therapist told me to do to the things that I loved and enjoyed doing before the pandemic. I started watching anime and read manga again, going back to my favorites. I forgot that these things gave me so much joy when I was younger that I could just sit in the house whole day and be oblivious to everything but my own world. I'm kinda sad that there aren't many Asuka x Kumiko fanfics, so just like that, I thought I'd give this a shot.

Do you like Kumiko to be with Reina or her Asuka-sempai? Tell me your thoughts!

And please give this chapter a review. I'd love to read your comments about the story. I'd highly appreciate it if you'd talk to me. I'm not a crazy person, believe me. :D

I will definitely try my best to update every week, or twice, if I have the time. ^^

Until then!