Hi! I know... It's been a very long time. My apologies... T_T And also, I'm sorry for the extreme weirdness and the extreme amount of typos. I hope you'll still be able to understand the sentences despite them... ^_^"
Have fun reading! :)
Reiji's POV
"Hey Ruka-chan, you excited for the big competition? Or the... Kinda big competition?" I asked, turning my head to where I knew Ruka-chan was. I was expecting to see a cute, little girl either smiling shyly or widening her eyes in surprise but... I was wrong. Yes, the cute, little girl I was referring to was still cute and little, although she wasn't smiling nor was she eyeing me with surprise. She was covering her ears as she slowly started to collapse onto the floor.
"Ruka-chan? Ruka-chan!" I screamed as I rushed to her side, hoping I would be able to save her from hitting her body on the hard floor.
Luckily, I was able to catch her before she collided with the hard surface of the ground. I cradled her in my arms as I tried to ask if she was okay, but once I found out that she couldn't answer me no matter what she did, I immediately told her to remain quiet. Her breathing was uneven as I lifted her up and carried her bridal-style. This wasn't the first time she fainted, but this scenario was different. Suddenly, I felt panick rush over to me as I asked for help.
"Ai-Ai, Ai-Ai!" I called, pleading for him to help her.
"Reiji, calm down. I need to take a look at her while she's perfectly steady so hurry up. We're heading for her dorm." he said, taking a quick look at Ruka-chan's face in the process. Honestly, I wanted to calm down, but after seeing Ai-Ai's reaction, I lost hope of ever being able to calm down.
"But! Will she be okay?! Does she need to be taken to the hospital?! Look at her! She looks so pale and-!"
"Reiji! Shut up and start walking! She... Might not last all night." Ran-Ran said, cutting me off, his voice slowly fading with every word. And at that very second, I began increasing my pace which soon got me into brisk walking. Although I wasn't expecting anything like that from Ran-Ran, I was happy with the fact that he was starting to show more concern for Ruka-chan. But I had no time for stuff like that, so I instead concentrated on getting to Ruka-chan's dorm as fast as possible. A few moments later, another surprising thing happened. As Myu-chan caught up to me, he asked me a very non-Myu-chan-ish question. He was never one to care for people, which was why this little gesture of his surprised me... In a good way.
"Does she have fever? Or any other sickness for that matter?"
"No... I don't think that's it. Honestly, I can't tell whether she's sick or if she's just really exhausted." I replied while trying my best to hide my surprise. He looked at her for a few more moments before sighing as he continued walking without saying a word. Each and every one of them was showing concern for our wonderful composer, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Why in the world are you smiling?! You shouldn't be smiling during situation like this!" Ran-Ran exclaimed out of the blue, causing my thoughts of Ruka-chan to be disrupted. I simply smirked as I said,"You wouldn't want to know that..." Narrowing his eyes, he replied with the utmost annoyance. But, of course, I meant to annoy him.
"You're right. I wouldn't want to know that. So shut up."
I chuckled, deciding that this wasn't the time to joke around. So as told, I did shut up as the rush to her room became quiet. The air started to tense up as time past with Ruka-chan showing no signs of waking up. Subconsciously increasing my pace, I walked ahead of the others and soon ended up running as I felt the coldness of her skin. Arriving at the staircase leading to the men's dorms, Ai-Ai turned and walked towards his dorm instead of following me and the rest of my companions to Ruka-chan's dorm. I immediately stopped in my tracks and looked back to see what he was planning to do, but continued my trip to her dorm that very same moment as I thought of him having good enough reason for doing so.
Passing another flight of stairs, we took a left turn and soon caught sight of Ruka-chan's dorm. Both of my hands were full because of her in my arms so I looked back for a second and silently asked Ran-Ran and Myu-chan if any of them could open the door for me. Ran-Ran was the one who did so, as he stepped aside to let me in. Spotting Ruka-chan's bed, I swiftly but gently placed her on top of it as I checked on her again to see if there were any signs of sickness. And to my relief, there was none. But what did not relieve me was the fact that the cause of her going unconscious was unknown. Trying to calm myself down, I sat on the floor beside the bed as I couldn't do anything else but look at her cute and pale face. I was just about to close my eyes a bit while waiting for Ai-Ai to arrive when a sharp and sudden pain filled a small portion of my head. Looking up, I caught sight of Myu-chan as he directed his scepter at the place of where I felt pain. I pouted, demanding an explanation on why he suddenly bonked his scepter onto my head.
"Myu-chan! What was that for?!"
He narrowed his eyes even more while he grunted in irritation. "Move you fool. I'm going to cool her head a bit. Seems like the woman has not only tired out her body but her mind as well. Now move or I'll really hit your head." he threatened, making me twitch after glaring at me one last time, he slowly placed his hand on top of Ruka-chan's forehead. A faint light blue-colored glow then appeared a moment after his hand and her forehead touched. I was so distracted by the light Myu-chan was creating that I didn't notice the door creak open. I was only able to find out Ai-Ai had arrived when he spoke.
"Camus, put this on her head. The pain will most probably ease by tomorrow morning. But, just to be sure, whoever comes back from their work tomorrow first will be the one who checks on her. So in my data, that's either Ranmaru or Camus. And if ever she still feels weak, use this medicine and replace the towel on her head. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" I replied with a close-eyed grin as he placed the medicine pack on Ruka-chan's side table. Ran-Ran merely grunted as Ai-Ai sighed, eyeing Ruka-chan in the process. Well ,actually, in the end, we all started eyeing on Ruka-chan before Ran-Ran broke the silence.
"I'm going now. We can't stay ere all night just watching her anyway." he said as he headed for the door. Ai-Ai and Myu-chan then nodded in response before following suite. I was about to go too after sneaking one last glance at the sleeping Ruka-chan when I just remembered that I had to make a note. This was so that she wouldn't freak out about why she suddenly ends up in her room. With the finished note in hand, I placed it on the table beside her bed together with the medicine Ai-Ai gave her. Heading for the door, I looked back and whispered a small 'good night', hoping Ruka-chan would have a good night's sleep.
Catching up with the others, I tried striking up a conversation. "Hey... You really think she'll be okay? I mean... What if she still feels pain even until tomorrow?" I said, not being able to get over Ruka-chan's pale-looking image. All three of them stopped dead in their tracks as they turned to look at me with their typical irritated expressions. They all just sighed without saying anything in response. But, even though showed no signs of concern, I knew and could tell from how they reacted to the situation, that they were starting to develope soft spots for Ruka-chan. I chuckled at the thought as we continued our trip back to the men's dorms in silence. It was going to be another big day tomorrow, and I figured they were pretty tired. I was no different. Which was why I decided not to tease them anymore and just bring it up again some other time.
Arriving at the designated floor, we all went into our separate rooms without saying a word. And when I got inside, my two juniors were still awake, seemingly talking about the competition and their new composer. I for one wanted to join them, but I was too tired to do so. That's why, after taking a shower, changing my clothes, and brushing my teeth, I went straight for my bed and plopped myself down on the comfy mattress. And all the while, only one person was in my mind. And that was Ruka-chan.
Camus' POV
Walking into the dorm I shared with my junior, I was met with nothing but silence. Sighing, I felt a sort of relief get into me. I was just about to sit down on my workplace when a voice suddenly resounded all around the room. I became irritated, especially at the owner of that voice. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I decided to simply ignore what the voice was saying and concentrated on what I was doing. But, it was persistent (and extremely annoying) as usual. Having had enough of the blurted out nonsense, I turned to the direction of the voice and glared at it's owner.
"Will you keep quiet, Aijima!" I ordered, becoming even more annoyed by the minute. My junior was a prince, and I of course, knew that. But, I had no intentions of giving him special treatment. Especially because he was a very rude, irritating, and irresponsible fool who doesn't even look worthy of being a prince.
"Geez... I was just asking you what happened to your composer. You're such a hot head. I can't believe you sometimes..." he replied, not looking the least bit tired. This was obviously one of those days where he was in the mood to continue an argument with me. In my case though, I was in no mood to argue or to even speak a word. But this peasant just wouldn't shut up. So I had no choice but to answer back, or I would look like a fool who didn't care about his dignity. And with a grunt, I said what I wanted to, not bothering to listen to whatever he had to say next. Well... At least, I tried to.
"That is none of your business. You don't need to know every single thing in this world. So why don't you just stop being a nuisance and hold that tongue of yours."
It was silent a few moments after. So I was thinking that he finally gave up. But no... He was far from done.
"You didn't even notice that she was starting to weaken during the time we were in Saotome's office! What kind of senior are you supposed to be?"
"And? She's not your group's composer, she's my group's. You don't need to know what happens to her, and I don't even care whether you think you need to or you just want to. And if you have so much concern for the woman, then why don't you just approach her yourself? Don't ask me about whatever happened to her because I clearly have no intention of telling you." I replied back, assuming that he had no more to say. Although, again, I was wrong.
"So what... You don't even know what happened to your own composer? Heh... You really do make me laugh. Bragging about the fact that you're a count and all when your image is nothing close to one." he said as his lips slowly started to form a smirk. I was getting even more exhausted by just looking at him. He had no idea who he was talking to. As I knitted my eyebrows and tightened the grip around my scepter, a vein popped up the side of my forehead. This argument was useless, and we were going no where. But that last sentence was crossing the line.
Being a count developed each of my senses, even the sixth one. I'm able to notice many things, and that time wasn't an exception. What I knew was the exact opposite of what Aijima assumed. I knew everything that was going on with her at that time, during Saotome's discussion. I noticed and knew perfectly well that there was something wrong with her. I just had no intention of confronting her. She was trying to hide the fact that she was tired, and I was just trying to help her. Mikaze did the same, having noticed her unstable condition before I did. And as we were simply paying attention to whatever she had plans of doing, we waited for her to excuse herself. When she did, we knew she had reached her limit, and that she wouldn't be able to make it to the dorms. Predicting that she would collapse sooner or later, Mikaze silently told me what to do once she was in her dorm already and also for tomorrow, when I arrive from my duties. Come the time she fainted, we weren't surprised anymore. She has fainted more than once, with the cause being not only physical exhaustion, but also mental exhaustion. She was weak, body and mind, or in other words, she was sensitive. That was exactly why she became nervous easily, which resulted to pressure or stress, then fatigue. I knew everything that was happening to that woman, and this fool right here before me should have thought about his standing in the situation first before blurting out such words.
"WHAT?! How dare you speak to the count like that! You have no right to comment about me like that when you don't even know what's going on inside my brain! You don't know what I know, and therefore, you can never assume anything like that about me! Although, being the fool that you are, I understand now that your persistence can never be held back for long. Which is why you should just SHUT THAT MOUTH OF YOURS AND STOP BOTHERING ME!"
After having exclaimed that, I started heading for the bathroom, assuring myself that that knocked some sense into him. But, as I said so myself, his persistence can never be held back for long. And for the third time around, he answered back to me. I successfully ignored him at first, but later on couldn't hold it in anymore the moment something hit my back. It was a pillow, and that fool just had to throw it at my direction. I was tired, my mind having a lot of thoughts. I was starting to get angry with the large amount of delays I was receiving. And because of that, I threw the pillow back at him, took my scepter, and surrounded him with cold wind together with frost. Resounding a loud 'hmph' that was loud enough for him to hear, I continued my previous doing which was going to the bathroom. Entering the said room, I took a shower and later brushed my teeth after getting dressed and brushing my hair. A few minutes later, I got out of the bathroom and went straight for my bed in order to rest my head and sleep. But, not before checking to see if Aijima. Contented with the fact that he was, I climbed up my bed and laid down, closing my eyes in the process. And before I knew it, I fell asleep.
Next day
Waking up with a tiny bit of exhaustion still circulating all throughout my body, I pushed my upper body up and away from the mattress as I switched my position in order to let my feet feel the touch of the warm carpet. After finding my slippers and putting them on, I went straight for the kitchen, not bothering to see if Aijima was already awake or not. But, of course, I did my daily morning routine first. As I finished preparing my breakfast, I thought of the woman for a bit. Knowing her condition, she should be awake by now but still unable to move. Although, it wouldn't surprise me either if she wasn't awake yet. I then realized that I was thinking of her too much and immediately tried to block all thoughts about her. I wasn't that successful though. I soon wondered on why that woman affected me so much. She was just an ordinary woman with nothing but clumsiness. I couldn't even think of anything special about her, not even her composition skills were special. And yet... For once, I was showing a bit of concern for her... Someone else other than the queen. And I wasn't really liking the idea. But, either way, I wasn't really all that negative with the idea. Sighing, I put the plates and utensils I used on the sink and decided to wake up that useless, good-for-nothing peasant.
"Aijima. Aijima... AIJIMA!" I called out as I started getting irritated all over again. I then realized that he wasn't going to wake up with simply just calling out to him, so I instead hit his head with my scepter. I knew I hit him harder than I should have, but it was for the sake of waking him up instantly. And I really did expect him to wake up instantly like he was now.
"Ack! Camus you uncountly-like weirdo! What'd you do that for?!" he exclaimed as he shot up from his previous lying position. I grunted back, making my irritation as obvious as possible without having to blurt out anything else. I was much too annoyed to speak a word to this fool. He simply pouted as he stroked his head in order to ease the pain. Planning to turn to the direction of the door in content, I let out a soft 'hmph'. I was just about to start walking away from the unworthy prince's bed when I noticed his figure slowly disappearing from the side of my eye. I switched my position back to his direction again as what he as doing processed into my brain. And in a blink of an eye, I screamed at the top of my lungs as ice-blue smoke started to surround me.
"AAIJIMAAAA! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY MY ORDERS!"
Right after, I smacked his head once again, using twice as much force before walking towards the door with my scepter still in hand. And with all of my strength put into my arm and hand I shut the door. A loud 'bang' was then resounded all around the hallway. But despite the loudness of that bang, I was still able to hear my junior's loud complaints from outside the dorm.
'Ugh... He really is the biggest fool I have ever met.' I thought in aggravation. As I passed the hallway of the rest of the dorms, I came across the staircase leading to the woman's dorm. A thought then caught my mind. It was foolish for me at first, but, considering my current situation, which was the fact that I was much too early to go to work, I decided to check on her for a while to see if her condition has improved. I wasn't one to serve anyone else but the queen, although this was an exception. I did not care much for the woman, though since I am her senior, I will also be the one responsible for her for the time being.
'This woman better be thankful...' I thought to myself as I climbed the stairs and past the hallway. And after arriving at the door with the woman's name on top of it, I turned the knob of that door and opened it without knocking. It wasn't necessary anyway, seeing as she wasn't in the condition to mind her surroundings at the moment. I even guessed that she would still be asleep, but I thought wrong. The woman was awake, but did not look like in the best of conditions. With a piece of paper in hand, which I assumed was Kotobuki's note to her, she turned her head at my direction the moment she noticed my presence. She had eyes that were slightly widened, but not as widened as it was usually when she was surprised. I sighed as I walked towards her, taking the seat from her working area and placing it beside her bed in the process. She simply stared at me as she tilted her head to her side. Arching an eyebrow, I silently asked her what she wanted. Her eyes grew a little more before she switched them to another direction then back to me. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but closed it after, seemingly hesitant to say whatever she had to. Again, I sighed as I asked her a question with narrowed eyes.
"Do you want to say something?"
She nodded a nod which was almost unnoticeable before saying what she wanted to. And to my surprise, it was nothing important. Although, what followed that was the more important one.
"G-good... Morning." she greeted, stammering as she did so. I did not reply to that, but simply let out a soft 'hm' as an answer. It then became silent again before the woman broke it by asking me if I needed anything from her. She started mustering up enough energy first before asking me. Then, she was able to let out her voice. Fortunately, it was loud and clear enough for me to hear and understand.
"Camus-senpai... Do you... Need something?"
I shook my head as I answered, "No. But you need something from me." She tilted her head as a soft 'huh?' came out of her mouth. Her eyes looked up as her finger made it's way to the side of her lips, as if she was trying to recall a certain event. Seemingly not able to remember anything, she replied, "I do?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, before stating the obvious. "Yes. I'm here to give you your medicine and tell you what to do if ever certain events happen. Do you even know what happened to you last night?" I asked, guessing that she was simply going to answer that she fainted. And, of course, I was right.
"Um... I fainted a little after we left the president's office. And then... That's all I remember."
"Yes, you fainted, for the second time." I said with my arms and legs crossed as her facial expression immediately switched to an ashamed one. A few moments after, she mumbled a small 'sorry' before I continued what I was saying. "And I suggest you take better care of yourself. Also, I'd like to know what you think made you faint exactly?"
The room then grew silent for a while as the woman was thinking of what to reply to my recently asked question. As she was recalling any even or cause of her fainting, I took this chance to observe her and look for any signs of pain. She seemed to be fine, and was just weak at the moment because of the recent cause of fatigue. All in all though, she seemed fine. I was just about to disregard that thought for the time being when I suddenly noticed her wince for a reason that was yet to be revealed to me. And so, without thinking twice, I asked if she had any bruises or wounds, where she got them. Not bothering whether she had already an answer to my other question or not.
"Woman..." I started, startling her a bit in the process. I then opened my mouth to continue when she decided to speak first. But, being the person I was, I cut her off as to not waste time.
"Oh! S-sorry... Wait... I think I know now. I'm so sorry. I'm just not sure if-"
I sighed, knowing she had assumed wrongly of me calling her attention. "No fool, I wasn't talking about that. I was just going to ask you if you had any wounds or bruises." I explained, making her confused in the process. Well, actually, I was sure she knew what I was talking about. She was just trying to hide whatever current condition she's in.
"H-huh? No... I don't think I have any." she replied as she looked down, uncertainty evident in her tone. Even her gestures were telling me that she wasn't speaking the truth. I doubted her reply, and immediately demanded for her to tell me the truth. I was never one to give mercy to liars, especially ones who seemingly lie for an unreasonable excuse or none at all.
"Hmph. Don't lie to me woman. Tell me the truth." I blurted, somehow surprising her with my sudden judgment. She tried convincing me into believing that she was telling the truth, but I bought none of them. And finally, after some time, she gave up and told me er real condition. I wasn't really surprised with the fact that she was wounded, it was the cause.
"I... Okay. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry... For lying. Yes, I do... Have a wound. I got it because I fell on the floor when I was trying to walk to the bathroom. I thought I was okay but... Seems like I wasn't." she admitted, her voice close to inaudible.
"When did this happen?" I asked, wondering why she was even able to wake up earlier than predicted.
"I'm not really sure... I think it was midnight." she replied, switching her eyes from the ceiling to me. I still wanted to ask her other questions, but decided to save them for later, considering the fact that it was almost time for me to go. So, instead of beating around the bush, I at once ordered her to show me where it was in order for me to know if she treated it properly or if she treated it at all. I also wanted to know whether or not it was severe.
"Hm... I see. Where is it?"
"H-huh? Oh... Uh... It's on my left knee." she answered, not showing any signs of movement. I narrowed m eyes at her once again as I knew she didn't get my point.
"Well? Show it to me." I demanded in slight irritation.
"E-eh? Show you what?" she asked, seemingly faking the fact that she didn't know what I was talking about. Getting even more irritated, I answered her question as I stated the obvious.
"Your wound."
"Oh my wound! Hehe... Uh... Okay then." she replied, laughing awkwardly in the process as she soon got intimidated by the look I was giving her. She grew stiff the moments her eyes met mine, and soon enough mumbled an apology that was almost as soft as a whisper. She became hesitant and embarrassed at first, but in time showed it to me after a few glares were thrown at her. She struggled with switching her position, so I helped her by holding on to her ankle and arm as I slowly twisted her as to make her body's position directed to mine. I was about to lift the ankle hole of her pajamas' left portion to the point above the knee when she instantly stopped me from doing so by holding my hand and placing it below her's. I grunted in annoyance, asking why she stopped me afterwards. Her face had a faint touch of pink, so I assumed she was embarrassed. Of course, I questioned this at first, but decided to let her be after she said that she would be the one to do it. She was just about to lift my hand off her ankle when she suddenly realized what she was doing. Promptly letting go, the faint touch of pink on her face darkened into a bright shade of red as she looked away, whispering yet another apology.
Upon seeing the wound, I felt a slight sense of relief as it wasn't that deep. I was then puzzled on why I felt such emotions towards the woman, but immediately shrugged the thought off and asked her if she had something to treat this, seeing as she hasn't treated it yet.
"Do you have any medicine for this?"
She thought for a while, before replying with a nod and some guidelines as to where I could find it. "I have a first aid kit. It's in my closet, just below my hanged clothes."
Standing up in order to get the said first aid kit, I nodded and headed for the closet. And as I glanced at her from time to time, all the while, she was just looking at her feet a she hugged and brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. When I found the first aid kit, I walked back to her and started to treat her wound. Letting go of both knees, she intertwined both of her hands together as she simply watched me work on healing her wound. I saw her looking a bit weaker than she was a while ago, and asked her if she felt any more pain.
"Is there any other bruise you want to show me?"
She shook her head without saying anything. I sighed, not feeling contented with just that. "Do you feel alright?" I asked, not minding the fact that I was starting to show my little concern for the woman. This particular question though, caught her off guard, judging from the fact that she was surprised. But her surprised expression soon turned into a calmed one as she narrowed her eyes a little to match with her soft smile, nodding in the process.
"I'm alright Camus-senpai. Thank you for asking."
"Hmph. Well, you should be thankful." I said, simply accepting her answer as I continued treating her wound. I was just about to put the ointment back when I noticed a few other small bruises and scars on her leg. Out of curiosity, I asked her where she got those bruises and scars. I was assuming it was because of her clumsiness at first, but concluded that the other scars were much to deep to be caused from simply tripping or falling. Unless she really was... Extremely clumsy.
"Where did you get these bruises?" I said, startling her in the process.
"Oh... Hehe... I tend to bump things sometimes when I walk since I can't see everything around me. And... Uh... I'm also very clumsy." she responded, looking a bit ashamed as I sighed at that last remark.
"And the scars?" I continued, finishing the last dabs of medicine on her knee. She grew silent for a few moments as she hesitated on telling the cause of those scars. She looked sad, as if she remembered a painful memory, wich I assumed, was the cause of those scars. Although I knew this was a seemingly sensitive topic, I waited for her answer which came after a few more moments with her in silence. As she looked at me without making eye contact, she smiled an obviously forced smile before telling me a little about her past and the origin of her scars.
"You see... Well... I did tell you about the time I experienced being in a school for people without disabilities, right? And... I also recall telling you... The reason why I left that school. I left there because I was being bullied by some of the kids there, and some of them even hurt me physically, which then resulted to these scars. It was really scary back then... I really was extremely sensitive, and had exactly no chance of being able to fight back. Even until now, I have to bear the weight of being useless and unworthy of anything. I can't even do a single thing right. I always cause trouble for you and the rest of my seniors, I'm always unreliable and irresponsible, I'm probably even delaying you from going to work by just saying these things."
I became surprised with the woman's words, and immediately reflected on what I've said to her back then. And for some reason, I regretted not apologizing to her sooner. But, being the man with much dignity and confidence, I did not apologize to her, but instead let her be. Whatever she said, I made sure I listened to them. We just sat there in silence before I remembered that I had to check the time. I usually would have left by now, though, I decided to spare a bit more time for her. I was then about to break the silence when she broke it first. And her words had surprised me, yet again.
"Camus-senpai... I'm sorry for the trouble I've been causing you. Thank you so much for the things you have done for me up to this moment where you are just here, listening to the unnecessary things said by me. Although, I am good for nothing, there is one thing I wouldn't want to do, and that is to let you and the rest of my seniors down. I know that I haven't been the very likable type, and I know that I'm the last person you'd want for a composer, but... I'm afraid I just can't let the four of you go. I care for the four of you very much, for you guys were the only ones who acknowledged me since my grandmother and adviser, Tsukimiya-sensei. I want all of you to be happy, which is why I will promise to do my very best in order for the four of you to become successful idols, and so that you guys will win the competition. Now, this seems very unbelievable, but, I'm telling the truth. And I will also tell the rest of them my feelings when I have the chance. Please believe me when I say I'll never want to let you down... Please... I... I just want to make the four of you happy. I... Also want to prove that I can do something right, that I can be a good enough composer. Can I... Do that?"
I stared down at her for a moment as I tried to think of what to say while hiding the surprise I was feeling. I had no answer to her question, and I wasn't sure on what reply I would give her. So I instead simply replied the most honest answer I could think of.
"Hm... I don't know. I haven't seen the capacity of your potential yet." I said in a voice that said I didn't care much for what she was currently talking about. She narrowed her eyes as she looked down for a bit before looking up and straight into my eyes for the first time. Her eyes held persistence, and as well as the bravery she used in asking me one last question before I had to leave. They weren't as weak as they were before, and for some reason, this made me learn to respect her a little bit more.
"But... What do you think, Camus-senpai? Based from what you've seen me do..." This question, in particular, was ale to catch me off guard, as I widened my eyes subconsciously. She was also able to notice this and looked away, a bit embarrassed with how she was currently acting. If I didn't think about my answer thoroughly, I would have said that majority of my opinion would be that she wouldn't be able to do that. But, that wasn't my answer. I tried to think of some basis I'd be able to use for my answer and immediately remembered the sheet music I saw on her table from the side of my eye. And without any second thoughts, I stood up, went to the table, and got the piece of paper which I assumed was the one with the song she was composing for QUARTET NIGHT's next song. I was just about to face the woman when my eye caught the notes on the sheet music. I examined the composition for a bit and admitted that it really was an impressive piece. It was quite unusual for me to say so, but I didn't bother myself with it.
'Seems like I have underestimated this woman...' I thought, smiling to myself at the fact that this woman really had the capabilities of a professional composer. I then turned to her, not bothering the small smile I had.
"Well... It looks like you are a professional composer. I don't even understand why you cower in front of people when you have such capabilities." I said to the woman with awe displayed on her face. I knew she was going to be surprised, and so I just shook my head as I approached her.
"Wha... What?" she mumbled as I got closer to her.
"Seems like I've thought too lowly of you. Your composing really does impress me." I started, pausing for a while before continuing. "Although there is a possibility that you could have asked somebody else to make this, I will assume that you didn't because if you really were to do so, I would find out."
She just stared at me, opening her mouth then closing it when nothing came out. She wasn't able to say anything until moments later. And when she was finally able to speak, her words were not much, but were simply words of appreciation and thanks.
"R-really? Um... Thank you... For saying so. I really... appreciate it." she uttered, smiling together with closed eyes and pink cheeks. I thought of replying back to her recent statement, but soon forgot about it when she spoke again.
"I've... Never seen you smile like that before... It looks good on you." she commented, looking down as she continued to smile in the process.
"Well, I wouldn't really consider it a smile, but smirk would be a better choice of words. And plus, you saw me have that kind of smirk last night, during the time we were in Saotome's office." I answered, making her chuckle a bit in the process. Wondering why she reacted that way, I asked her, "Is there anything funny about what I said?". She shook her head, explaining the reason for her sudden chuckles.
"No... It's just that, your smile at that time was different, and I just thought that seeing a different side of you was a good thing. I just ended up chuckling because of how happy I am."
I narrowed my eyes at her, thinking that it was quite foolish to be happy over someone else's smile. I was going to comment on what she said when she, again, spoke before I did.
"Camus-senpai... Is that song... Good enough for your group? For... The rest of my seniors?" she asked, switching the topic back to the previous one we were in. I was quite surprised with her extreme consciousness, but did not question it nonetheless.
"I suppose this is good enough. It really is an impressive composition though. So... Judging from our standards, this song is good enough to reach them." I answered, resulting to her sudden change in facial expression. She was surprised at first, but soon smiled again as she thanked me for my said complement.
"That's a relief... I was worried none of you would like the song. I was also worried that it wouldn't stand a chance against Hoshikage-san's song. But, thanks to you, I feel a bit more relaxed now. Thank you... Again."
I nodded, having gotten used to her many expressions of gratitude. Never have I encountered such a person before, which was why it was easy for me to assume that she wasn't one of the people who'll be able to survive in the world of professionals. But now, I have come to realize that my assumptions were all wrong. This, in itself was enough for her to earn an apology from me, but I wanted to continue testing her a bit more. She still had much prove with Mikaze and Kurosaki if she wanted apologies from them as well. Which was why I have decided to make her wait until she has shown and done all she could possibly do.
"Well, you should thank me, because I'm not really one to complement others, so consider this as one of the rare occasions you'll be having with me. But, I hope you know that I'm not easy to impress." I warned, once again smirking at the orange-haired woman in front of me. She blinked, not once, but twice, seemingly confused and surprised at the same time. Showing a bit of nervousness, her eyes traveled down to her feet but soon found it's way up again as she smiled, following a simple word of thanks after. I was honestly amused with how she could smile so much despite what she's been through. And even though I was and still am being quite harsh to her, she still manages to put up an earnest enough smile before me. I have never met such a woman like this before, one who doesn't simply smile at people who are pleasing to the eyes. Although I knew almost nothing about who this woman truly is, and I have no intention or interest in finding out... Yet, I have seen with my own eyes that she was without doubt not that type of human being. This woman really was getting awfully interesting, I even decided to give her a bit of respect mainly because of that.
And because of fussing about her a little too much, I suddenly remembered the first question I asked her about. I was going to bring that topic up again when I noticed the time and realized that it was past the usual time I leave for work. Planning to just save that for later this afternoon, I finally announced to her that it was time for me to go.
"I must be going now, seems like I've stayed here longer than I planned thanks to that wound of yours. You should be grateful for what I've done." I said, sounding quite irritated due to being reminded of the extra help I had to give her. I wasn't angry with it though. It was just natural for me to complain about serving someone other than the queen, even if it was just for now.
"I'm sorry Camus-senpai. Don't worry, I am grateful, very. Thank you again for coming by in order to... Check on me. Oh and, please have a safe trip to work." she answered, apparently trying to stand up from her sitting position but failed. I arched an eyebrow at her, puzzled over why she was doing so. Having known that her condition wasn't completely well yet, I stopped her from making any more movements.
"What are you doing, you fool? You are not in the proper state to stand up yet. Do you want to get another wound?" I asked as I slowly fixated her body back to it's original position. She then let out an awkward laugh, remembering only now of her physical condition. "Hehe... Sorry Camus-senpai. I guess I forgot about that. But, my body doesn't really hurt anymore so I thought that... I..." she replied, her voice growing softer and softer as I started to narrowed my eyes at the foolish woman before me. And after a few more moments of simply staring at her with minimal annoyance, I let go of her two ankles and shoulder, pivoting and heading for the door in the process, ignoring the questioning face she had. Getting ahold of the doorknob and twisting it, I was about to push open the door when I heard my name being called by the owner of the dorm I was exiting. Turning to look at the woman yet again, I raised my right eyebrow in question. She smiled an apologetic smile in return as she said what she had planned to in an uncomfortable-sounding voice.
"Um... Thank you, again, gor helping me. And uh... Please also say thank you to the rest for me... If you want to, that is. I mean, if you really don't want to, it's fine. You really don't have to if..." she stopped, seeing as I, for I don't know how many times, narrowed my eyes at her. She then looked away, her face having a light shade of red in the process. I sighed, deciding to just do what she has asked me to.
"Hm... I'll think about it. Now, will you let me leave?" I asked in sarcasm. Her eyes instantly widened together with her smile, looking a bit more embarrassed than she was after, saying, "Really? Thank you so much! Oh uh... Yes, yes, of course. Er... Good bye then."
I let out an audible enough 'hm' in reply as I walked to the door, halting as I reached for the knob. I was intending to say something to her, but decided not to, seeing that it was no longer necessary. And with that, I exited without uttering a word, suddenly remembering that there were many things that I have yet to accomplish.
Haruka's POV
I watched as Camus-senpai left the room, leaving me pondering on the words he previously said to me. Honestly, there were a lot of emotions flooding within me, that time when he told me the song I made was good enough. Surprise, embarrassment, happiness, gratitude, all of these feelings, I felt during that time, that small amount of time I spent together with him. And while I was simply listening to whatever he had to tell me, I have come to realize that he wasn't as scary as I thought he was. He was still scary, but... Not as much as I pictured. I really felt a sense of relief, having discovered how he really acts like when you don't disappoint him too much.
'Seems like I've learned something new about my seniors... And of all people, I wasn't expecting Camus-senpai to drop by. But then, because of that, I was able to find out a bit about how he is when he's all calm and... Not that infuriated. And right now, I'm happy, because of that. I've learned a bit about Mikaze-senpai and Kotobuki-senpai, and it seems like today, I was able to get to know Camus-senpai a little. Now all I haven't really talked to is...'
"... Kurosaki-senpai." I whispered, finishing my thoughts softly uttering his name. I wasn't really expecting him to visit me in my dorm or so much as talk to me, so I was just going to wait for the right opportunity and start a conversation with him myself. Promising myself that I would do as stated, I decided to lay down for a while and recruit some of my lost energy. And, as I closed my eyes, I thought about all the things that happened a while ago and suddenly remembered the long speech I said in front of Camus-senpai. My eyes then shot up as the thought came to mind as I felt embarrassment rush through me. I felt my face heat up and immediately buried my face in my blanket, silently scolding myself in the process.
"Oh... Why did I have to say that? No wait... I didn't have to. I just did."
Okay... I hope that was enough for the so many days I made you guys go through in order to wait for this chapter. Well, I know it isn't but... I just felt like I had to cut the chapter there. ;) Hope you enjoyed the CamHaru moments. (but then again... It really wasn't much... But anyway... Hehe) Bye-bye! ^_^