A/N: I'm so bad lol. Starting another multi-chaptered piece of writing. I hope I can stick to finishing this within 2-3 parts and I hope it won't take me a whole year to do so. Exams are coming up soon, so I hope I can get this all out of my system by then!
Standard disclaimer applies. I hope you enjoy this and please review if you would like to see another chapter!
Current music: The sound of typing as I sit in silence in my room
Practicality and Love
Reina hurried down the stairs, trying to balance all the things she had in her hands. She had her schoolbag hoisted up on one shoulder, her trumpet case in her left hand, and her cellphone clutched clumsily in her right as she struggled to type out a reply to the text message she got nearly an hour ago.
Amidst the scramble, Kousaka Reina only had one thought in mind. She desperately hoped that Kumiko was still waiting for her. Today was a rare half day for classes and band ended shortly after lunch. Reina promised Kumiko that they'd walk home together today.
It would just be the two of them.
Finally reaching the first year classrooms, Reina paused to catch her breath at the bottom of the stairs. She wiped away the light layer of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. Taking a deep breath, Reina straightened out her uniform and smoothed out her usually perfect hair. She continued down the hall, an contemplative look on her face as she rehearsed how she would apologize for the mix-up. There was a sudden vibration in Reina's hand and she looked down at the screen of her phone.
'You're a little more than 10 minutes late, but I'll forgive you…just this once!'
Reina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, glad that Kumiko wasn't too annoyed with her. Even through SMS, the trumpeter knew the other girl's mannerisms well enough to tell when she was in a good mood.
Apparently, today was one of those days.
Reina tapped out a quick reply, picking up her pace slightly as she sent it. Kumiko's classroom was just up ahead. As the trumpet player approached the room, she paused, hearing laughter and voices drifting through the open door.
"Ooh…are you texting your boyfriend, Kumiko-chan? You're looking awfully happy there."
Reina's ears perked up at this. It was a voice she didn't know, but she presumed it was one of Kumiko's classmates. Sidling up against the wall just beside the door, Reina stood there, listening intently as she stayed out of sight.
"Haha…no way! Kumiko? She's too busy with band practice to date…and practically the only boy she knows is…Tsukamoto-kun."
This time, Reina recognized the voice. It was Katou Hazuki, the girl who definitely just let some of her jealousy slip out in that sentence…
"Geh…It's not like that with us. Shuuichi's just…Shuuichi, you know? And I don't have a boyfriend."
A strange relief washed through Reina and she stood there, blinking in surprise. In all the time she had known Kumiko, she had never asked the girl if she was dating someone. It was…just something she knew without asking.
"Hmmmm? Really? Tsukamoto-kun seems like a nice guy though, doesn't he? He's tall and well-built. His face isn't bad to look at either."
"Ugh…no way. C'mon, let's drop it. He's not really my type…"
Reina could hear the annoyance in Kumiko's voice and at that moment, her phone buzzed. She looked down to read the message.
'Reina…didn't you say you were almost here?'
A smirk tugged at Reina's lips as she read the text. She knew Kumiko was getting uncomfortable with the line of questioning, but there was no way she would jump in and save her just yet. She was interested in what Kumiko's tastes were after all.
"Ahhh, but no matter what you say, wouldn't it be nice to have a boyfriend? Miki-chan in class 3 is dating this guy from Rikka and she keep bragging about him all the time. I get pretty jealous hearing about their lovey dovey adventures…"
"You could have someone walk you home every day, someone to go to the movies with, or spend Christmas eve with...or in your case, someone to practice songs with."
"Haha…If you put it that way, I guess it would be nice to have a boyfriend…"
Reina swallowed hard at that, wondering why Kumiko's voice sounded so wistful at that moment.
It bothered her.
It bothered the trumpeter so much that…
"Kumiko! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Reina made her entrance without another second to spare, feeling awkward after standing there for so long.
The three girls turned at the new voice. Kumiko was seated at her desk by the window, with Hazuki leaning on the windowsill and unknown classmate A seated at the desk in front of both of them.
"Reina!" Kumiko's face lit up as Reina entered.
"Oh! Kousaka-san." Hazuki greeting Reina enthusiastically, waving. "Did your section practice run late today?"
"Mhm. It took longer than I expected and I lost track of time." Reina flicked her hair casually, trying to keep her calm ice queen composure even though she wanted to throw herself onto the floor and beg for Kumiko's forgiveness for being so late. She walked a few steps forward, bridging the distance between her and the girls.
"Hmm…I bet you did, Reina. You're always so focused during practice. I bet you went up to the roof alone, didn't you? Is that why you lost track of time?" Kumiko arched an eyebrow as she grinned. She stood from her seat, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. She knew Reina was sorry, but she wanted to tease the girl a little bit. She couldn't pass up this opportunity.
Reina fought the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks. Kumiko was right on the dot. Averting her gaze slightly, Reina pouted. She felt beyond guilty. "Sorry."
The euphonium player had a mischievous smile on her face, a strange excitement buzzing in her chest. Walking over to Reina, Kumiko raised her arm, bringing her hand down in a karate chop motion. Reina closed her eyes, anticipating the blow, but willing to accept it for her tardiness.
Reina waited and waited, but felt nothing but a soft pressure on the top of her head. The brunette's hand barely made any impact, coming down softly as she laid the edge of her palm onto Reina's head. Kumiko flattened her hand out, patting the trumpeter's head as she would a little kid.
"There, there. I'm not mad, but you definitely owe me a yakisoba bun tomorrow."
Reina looked up, staring blankly into Kumiko's face, surprised that the brunette was in such a good mood. Kumiko cocked her head slightly as she beamed with a giddy sort of smile. She waited for Reina's reply, her hand lingering on the girl's silky black hair.
"Okay."
Reina returned a half-smile, Kumiko's affect definitely contagious. She hoped it wasn't the conversation topic that brought this about. Honestly, the timing bothered her.
"Well, let's get going! Hazuki-chan, Aya-chan, have fun at the movies. I'll see you two tomorrow!" Kumiko turned to wave goodbye to her two friends before she exited the room, Reina in tow.
As the two girls left the classroom, Aya and Hazuki stared after them, catching bits of the animated conversation that sparked once they were out of sight. They could hear Kumiko's laughter and Reina being unusually talkative. Hazuki knew that Reina was never like that around other people.
"They're…dating, aren't they?"
Hazuki turned her head abruptly to look at Aya, her jaw dropping in shock. "What!? What makes you say that? You've never even met Kousaka-san until today."
Still staring at the door, Aya thought to herself. "Hmm…it's just a feeling I got. That atmosphere just now was a little too much for me…"
Hazuki burst out into laughter at this, bending over as she tried to contain herself. "Haha! Kumiko and Kousaka-san? That's just how they always are. I'm pretty sure they aren't going out!" The tuba player recovered quickly, a smile still on her face. "They're just really close friends."
In the back of her mind, she wondered if Kumiko would ever date Reina. If that happened, Tsukamoto-kun would definitely be up for the taking.
But that was probably just wishful thinking.
"…and then, my sister just comes into my room without knocking and without a word, she takes my cactus! Can you believe the nerve she has to do that! Really…some people!" Kumiko fumed as she recounted her story of the week to Reina, annoyed that her sister came back from college last night just to torment her.
"Mmmmh…that's horrible." Reina trailed slightly behind Kumiko, her head in the clouds as she stared after the taller girl's back.
Kumiko stopped abruptly, turning around. She had a concerned look on her face. "Reina, what's bothering you?" Her eyebrows were knitted in concern, her voice suddenly losing its bubbly character.
Reina jogged a bit to catch up with the brunette, a genuine smile spreading across her lips. She knew Kumiko was worried about her and it made Reina's heart swell with delight. "I'm fine. I'm just glad that I can walk home with you, Kumiko."
"Hey, hey…smooth talking isn't going to get you out of this, Reina…" Kumiko sighed, but couldn't help but grin at the trumpeter's strange way of showing her affection. "You owe me at least this much for being over an hour late." She knew that Reina had her mind on something else.
Reina suddenly linked arms with Kumiko, interlacing her fingers with the euphonium player's as they walked.
Kumiko tensed slightly at the sudden contact, but relaxed almost immediately. She was always wary of how clingy Reina could be sometimes, usually when her emotions were running high.
"So, you're not mad at me?" Reina's voice was barely above a whisper.
"For what?" Kumiko looked over, expecting anything and everything but that question.
"Hmm…I guess I expected you to be more annoyed with me since I made you wait. It caught me a little off guard that you were so happy after school."
Kumiko laughed sheepishly. "Haha…well, I guess I was just excited to see you, Reina. I really was mad, but only for a few minutes. After all, it's not often now that we get to go home together with just the two of us."
Reina's heart thudded in her chest, her pulse racing suddenly at Kumiko's words. It was getting a little too warm for comfort, the trumpeter fighting her emotions.
"There was this new café, you see…I wanted to go there with you, but I'd feel bad if I left Hazuki-chan and Midori-chan out. So, today's the perfect day...since they're both busy…or something like that." Kumiko said this in her Kumiko-like way, trying to find the right words. She ran a hand through her brown locks nervously, embarrassed that she was so excited to carry out her elaborate secret plan.
"Oh." Reina's heart refused to calm down, even with the awkwardly worded explanation. It was normal for friends to go to cafés together, right? It was normal for them to ditch everyone else and go by themselves, right?
"Uhm…so, is that alright with you, Reina? I know it's a bit out of the blue, but I'm sure you'll love the cakes there. It's really-"
"I'll go. I'll definitely go." Reina interjected. She knew Kumiko had a bad habit of overthinking things.
"Really!? I'm so glad. It's just a few blocks after the station. You won't regret it, Reina!" Kumiko grinned from ear to ear, working a slight skip in her step as she started thinking about which cake Reina would like best. With their hands still clasped together, Kumiko pulled Reina along.
"I just wish you would have told me beforehand so I'd having something to look forward to today." Reina smiled softly as she let Kumiko lead the way, the brunette's hand tightly holding hers.
"Ah. Well, I wasn't sure if you would be okay with going right after school, so I planned on cornering you so you wouldn't have the choice to refuse." Kumiko said matter-of-factly, with her usual blatant honesty. It was Reina after all. There wasn't any need to dress up her words.
"Pfft…" Reina tried to stifle her laughter at the brunette's admission. "That's so like you, Kumiko…It's really cute."
The brunette paused in stride, wondering if she heard Reina correctly.
"Eh…cute? None of that 'your personality sucks' this time?" Kumiko raised an eyebrow, trying to recall the last time anyone called her cute. It must have been in elementary school…
Reina chuckled as she shook her head. "That still holds true, but you can be cute sometimes. It's definitely a compliment, you know?"
Kumiko scoffed, unable to control the strange fluttering of her heart at Reina's words. "Well, thank you very much, Ko-u-sa-ka-san." The brunette enunciated every syllable in Reina's name, her sarcasm evident even if she didn't address the other girl so formally.
Reina laughed again, her emotions fluctuating wildly. She felt at ease, but at the same time, the tightness in her chest made her feel sick.
"It's true! Sometimes I think that you're cute even with your bad personality. I wonder if other people can see it too or if they only like your good girl façade." Reina paused, her eyes softening, but her smile giving off a more distant sentiment. "When you start dating, I hope you can find someone who loves that part of you like I do."
There was a sudden heaviness in the atmosphere at Reina's words. Kumiko's cheeks were burning a bright red now, feeling that this confession of love was different from their usual ones. There was a darker and almost bitter seriousness to it.
Kumiko let the tension hang in the air for a second more before she broke it. She laughed weakly, trying to dispel the sudden awkwardness. "Not you too, Reina…Did you hear what we were talking about in the classroom? I don't have any interest in that sort of thing really."
"Hm? I thought I heard a certain someone saying that it would be nice to have a boyfriend." Reina smirked, knowing that Kumiko was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. At the same time, Reina knew she was a true masochist, feeling something heavy snake around her heart, squeezing it until she felt a tightness in her chest. There was a sickening feeling sinking in her stomach as she delved into the topic. Despite the answer, she wanted to know. She needed to know. She had been interested in Kumiko from the start and she couldn't believe that they hadn't breached this subject before.
Maybe because they knew there was something taboo about the subject for them.
Reina wasn't sure. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.
"I-I just said that to get Aya-chan to stop bugging me about it…Honestly, it was getting annoying with all the Shuuichi this and Shuuichi that. I wish they'd get a clue that I'm not interested in someone like him." Kumiko sulked, wondering why all her friends had to gang up on her today. All she wanted was to enjoy cake with Reina. Was that so much to ask for?
"Then what kind of person are you interested in?" Reina asked, trying to mask her curiosity, working in her typical indifference.
"Hmm…if I had a type, I'd say…someone attractive, smart, hard-working…" Kumiko paused, directing her eyes upwards to think about the question seriously. "And I guess it'd be nice if they were wealthy."
Reina laughed, letting Kumiko's words sink in. "Seriously? How practical! That's so you, Kumiko…this is definitely where I would comment on your bad personality."
"R-Reina! C'mon, I'm just being realistic." Kumiko blushed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. She turned away slightly from Reina, but kept their hands intertwined.
The trumpeter felt her heart ache at the sight of her friend, so radiantly beautiful in her eyes. Reina reveled in the sight of Kumiko's embarrassment, her sheepish smile, the way she tossed her brown curls so adorably with a flick of her hand. It was a nervous tic the brunette had, one that Reina had noticed just recently. It was a secret that Reina only knew and she wanted to keep it that way.
Reina knew almost everything about Kumiko, but she was still afraid of rejection.
It was just on a whim, but Reina felt daring today. If all else failed, she could play it off as a joke. It could be another one of their confessions of love.
Pulling Kumiko's hand gently, Reina stood to face her. The trumpeter stepped closer to the brunette, invading her personal space. Their faces were only inches apart, their noses almost touching. Kumiko swallowed hard and an audible gulp was heard between them. Reina leaned closer to the taller girl, standing on her tiptoes as she brought her lips next to Kumiko's ear.
She whispered.
"Then how about you go out with me?"