Chapter Text
As the sweltering sun set over Kitauji High, 2nd-year Oumae Kumiko sat at her usual practice corner, just outside the rear exit of the school. She’d been shouldering extra pressure, now that her euphonist senior, Asuka-senpai, graduated last winter. Because of this, she was now the best euphonist in the Kitauji Wind Ensemble. Kumiko found herself staying til dark more often, just in time to constantly walk home with her best friend and classmate, Kousaka Reina. On one particular hot evening, just as Kumiko was walking back to the music room with her chair around her arm, holding her music stand and instrument, she ran into Reina, also wrapping up her practice.
“Ah, Reina.”
“Kumiko.”
“Are you also finishing up for the day?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you wanna walk home together again?”
“Sure. Let’s also go return the room keys to Taki-sensei.”
“Okay.”
This conversation dynamic had been baked into their relationship from the start. The night when Reina acknowledged Kumiko’s nasty personality and made a “confession of love” was also the night when the pair’s relationship underwent an irreversible shift. From that day on, the two went from acquaintances to very close friends, perhaps because of the intimate moment shared atop Mount Daikichi.
“Kumiko, are you ready?”
“Yeah,” Kumiko said as she slid her euphonium into its designated slot. “Let’s go.”
Upon reaching the faculty room, Reina gently knocked on the door, and the two pardoned themselves in.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Reina made her way past layers of papers and folders scattered across the absent tables towards Taki-sensei, the only teacher who remained in the faculty room this late, at a steadfast pace. Kumiko followed not far behind, showing signs of exhaustion from her recent increase in practice.
“Kousaka-san, Oumae-san. Good work today.” Taki-sensei said as he took out his earbuds and looked up from his scattered workspace filled with full scores of sheet music.
“Good work today too, Taki-sensei,” Reina said, noticeably tensing up, at least from Kumiko’s perspective. Kumiko stopped behind Reina without saying a word.
Taki-sensei reached out his hand, allowing Reina to drop the room keys into them. Without another word, the two girls walked back towards the entrance they had just come in through not a minute ago, and excused themselves again.
“You know, Reina, it’s really obvious to me that you get nervous whenever you talk to Taki-sensei,” Kumiko said.
“Well, I can’t help it! And besides, I think you’re the only one who’s noticed it so far, Kumiko. Also, maybe because I told you I like him last year.”
“Hmmm,” Kumiko said in amusement.
“... It also could be that you’re the closest person to me, so you know me the best,” Reina added.
“Reina…” Kumiko admired. “Pfft. I’m surprised you would say that.”
“Kumiko!” Reina nudged Kumiko with her whole body as the two made their way out of the school premises. What then ensued was what could best be called a “nudge battle” between the two.
“Actually, I’ve been wondering something about you, Reina,” Kumiko said as they sat in an empty train cart.
“What is it?”
“Last year, why did you suddenly want to get close to me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, at the beginning, it felt like it was just me trying to talk to you… and it didn’t really work back then.” Kumiko let out a disappointed expression.
“Haha! That’s what you called ‘trying’ to talk to me?” Reina laughed. “I can’t believe you, Kumiko!”
“Oh, shut up!” Kumiko rebutted in embarrassment.
“So? What then?”
“Well, after my failed attempts and stuff, you suddenly started talking to me a lot and showing me sides of you that I never saw before.”
“Well, that’s because you were the one who invited me to the Agata Festival, remember?”
“I guess, but there was one time before that, though. It was one of the first days you started riding the train. Remember that?”
Reina thought for a moment. “Oh, when I said ‘that’s such a Kumiko thing for you to say’ or something like that?”
“Yeah, yeah! That! Why did you do that all of a sudden?” Kumiko asked.
“Hmmm…” Reina thought for even longer. It seemed to Kumiko that even Reina didn’t know what caused her actions last year. Just then, the train they’d been riding on for the last 10 minutes arrived at their station.
“I think…” Reina began as they scanned their passes through the turnstiles. “I think that time, you were overthinking it, Kumiko.”
“Really?” Kumiko replied, unamused. “After all that thinking, you’re just gonna tell me that I was overthinking?”
Reina stayed silent before replying. “... Yeah. We’d known each other throughout junior high before that, so it wasn’t like we were complete strangers. I had a good enough image of you to be able to say what I said then.”
“Fine, but what about at the top of Mount Daikichi?”
“That was a confession of love.”
“And what does that exactly mean?”
“I told you how I was intrigued by your nasty personality, and how I was gonna be special. Oh, and your nasty personality has been showing a lot since we left school.”
Kumiko went red, embarrassed and flustered by what Reina said about her personality. “F-Fine! We don’t have enough time to finish discussing this tonight, but don’t think I’ll forget! I’ll get to the bottom of this, okay?”
Reina giggled. “And here I am just answering truthfully. Besides, you were the one to invite me to the Agata Festival that time.”
Kumiko and Reina made their way to the spot where they broke off for the night, coincidentally the same place where their encounter they had just been talking about had taken place.
“Good night, Reina.”
“Good night, Kumiko.”
“See you here in 10 hours.”
The next morning, before the sun had fully come up, Kumiko and Reina were already together on the train on their way to school.
“Another day, huh…” Kumiko said.
“We have some time before rehearsal today, Kumiko. Do you want to practice together?”
“Sure, I could really use a change of pace from all my monotonous practicing.”
“Good. Well, I’ll go meet you at your practice spot then.”
“Huh? Why can’t I go to your spot on the bridge?”
“Your place has shade.”
“Oh, that’s true…” Kumiko said, defeated.
As their train arrived at the station, the two got off and met up with Midori.
“Good morning, you two!!” Midori said with her usual energy.
“Good morning, Midori-chan!”
“Good morning, Kawashima-san.”
“Too bad Hazuki-chan is sick today…” Midori said.
The trio walked past the gates into an empty schoolyard and proceeded with their normal mornings. That is, straight to Taki-sensei to pick up the music room keys, and then getting in some morning warm-ups.
That same afternoon, Kumiko unpacked her warm golden euphonium and made her way to her usual spot without seeing another wind ensemble member. Sitting down, she began as usual: tuning, then scales.
“Phew, I guess I got to the music room earlier than everyone else today…” Kumiko thought aloud.
“That’s just how eager you are to play, Kumiko,” Reina said, appearing out of nowhere.
“Whoa! Reina! You scared me…”
“Sorry. Anyways, are you finished warming up?”
“Yeah, what about you?”
“I don’t need it.”
“Huuuh? Are you saying you’re that much better than I am?”
“No, I just never warm down.”
“Pfft! What the heck is that!?” Kumiko burst out laughing.
“It’s true! I play so much I never need to warm up!”
“Yeah, yeah, I just never heard you say something like that!” Kumiko said, calming down. “That’s what I love about you.”
Reina, taken aback, immediately cued to play. “E-Enough! Let’s just play. The start of Liz and the Blue Bird, Second Movement.”
Without exchanging another word, Reina cued, and Kumiko followed. The duet between a trumpet and a euphonium was an all-too-familiar sound to Kumiko and Reina, and to the members of the wind ensemble. The same went for their relationship; everyone in the wind ensemble knew the two were very close.
Once Kumiko and Reina got to the end of the second movement, without missing a beat, each took on the soli, originally meant for oboe and flute. While Reina never practiced the oboe soli, and neither did Kumiko practice the flute soli, their duet continued smoothly.
“Wow, that was impressive how we managed to transition like that,” Kumiko said as she reached for a drink.
“That look we exchanged said everything. That’s just how it is in music sometimes.” Reina said, staring at the bright blue sky.
“Kumiko… what would you do if you were Liz?”
“You mean would I let the blue bird go or not?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm… I don’t think the blue bird would have ever shown itself to me.”
“That’s pretty Kumiko of you to think that.”
“You think?”
“Okay, what if the blue bird did show itself, like in the fairytale?”
“Then, I’d turn into a bird so I could be with it forever.”
“Hahaha! So weird!” Reina laughed.
“Whatever… We should start going back to the music room for rehearsal.” Kumiko said, brushing off Reina’s reaction.
“So you wouldn’t want either side losing, would you? You would try to find a solution that’s the best for both sides.”
“I guess… I think I’m used to dealing with that kind of stuff in the wind ensemble here…”
“That’s more Kumiko of you than your earlier response.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course, you’re so involved in these kinds of relationships.”
That same evening, after rehearsals and sectionals, Kumiko and Reina found themselves alone, locking eyes in the music room yet again.
“We’ve been seeing each other a lot recently, huh,” Kumiko said.
“I’ve always gone back around this time. You just started practicing more this year.”
“That’s true.”
“Hey, Kumiko. Do you want to hike Mount Daikichi right now?”
“Eh? Why so sudden?”
“It’s fine if you don’t want to; I understand.”
“Eh!? No no! It’s fine! I can go!”
“Are you sure? I can tell you’ve been more tired recently, so if you truly don’t feel up for it, you don’t have to. I wouldn’t want to be overly selfish.”
“It’s fine. If it's for you, Reina.”
Reina slightly blushed, quickly turning around and walking out of the music room. “Thanks. Let’s hurry then.”
Kumiko quickly stored her euphonium and followed suit. “If we’re going to Mount Daikichi, Reina probably has something important to tell me.”
Walking at a steady pace this evening, it became a race to beat the sun before it set. Each red crosswalk dwindled the remaining daylight for the hike.
“Uhm, Reina, why did you want to go to Mount Daikichi on a random school day?” Kumiko asked as they began the 20-minute hike.
“I’ve been thinking about the things you asked me yesterday. I need your help with it.”
“Help?”
“Yeah.”
Without responding, Kumiko understood what she had to do. After all, helping was part of Kumiko’s character ever since attending Kitauji High. It was safe to say Oumae Counseling was closing late tonight.
“We made ittt!” Kumiko said in relief.
The two made their way to the pavilion at the outlook area.
“Phew! What a nice breeze!” Kumiko said as she plopped on the bench.
Reina instead walked to the railing, looking far out into the distance. She hadn’t said a word since Kumiko asked her why she wanted to come here today of all days.
“Kumiko…”
“Yeah?” Kumiko responded, immediately sensing to walk up next to Reina.
As Kumiko got up from the bench and down the steps, she approached Reina’s left.
“Kumiko… You asked me yesterday why I suddenly got so close to you.”
“... Yeah.”
“I initially thought you were overthinking it. I really did. But last night, it looked like karma bit back, because I couldn’t sleep a wink.”
“Mm.” Kumiko nodded.
“I… took your accidental invite to the Agata Festival too seriously, because I thought it was a good opportunity for me.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Reina. I’m really glad you did that. You also looked really cute in that dress.”
“I know. But it must’ve been a strange thing for me to do, especially with how I was to you then.”
“All that matters is how you are to me now, right?”
“Kumiko…” Reina averted her gaze from the distant clouds towards Kumiko’s eyes.
“Kumiko… I… I…”
“Hm?” Kumiko tilted her head slightly.
“Argh!! I can’t say it!” Reina burst out suddenly, startling Kumiko, who tumbled back a few steps.
“R-Reina!? You scared me!”
“Why is this so hard to say!?” Reina continued.
“I shouldn’t have any problem! Especially because I’m telling you!”
“Rei-”
“I just can’t for some reason! Arghhh!”
“Look, Reina. Let’s just calm down.” Kumiko said as she patted Reina’s back, who was now slouched over.
Reina sighed. “Sorry, Kumiko. I didn’t mean to be so loud and scare you.”
“It’s alright. More importantly, you don’t need to force yourself.”
“I know, I’m just frustrated with myself that I can’t do what I want to.”
“I understand that feeling. It’s really hard to tell someone something when it's about them. Kind of like a confession.”
“Wha-?”
“Like at the start of our first year, I remember struggling a lot trying to walk up and talk with you. Same with when I talked with Asuka-senpai, trying to get her back in the ensemble. It took a lot of courage.”
“Sorry, Kumiko.”
“Don’t be.”
Reina stood straight up again and looked at Kumiko.
“Should we head back?” Kumiko asked.
“Yeah,” Reina responded.
As Kumiko led the way past the pavilion, Reina suddenly embraced her from behind.
“R-Reina!?”
“Sorry, Kumiko.” Reina muffled through Kumiko’s back uniform. Her arms wrapped around Kumiko’s waist, creating a tight hold on Kumiko, not allowing her to keep walking.
“I’m really sorry this whole hike was wasted because of me.”
“I-It’s okay, Reina.”
“I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
The proceeding few days went on without mention of that night. Kumiko just assumed Reina needed more time to sort out her thoughts. At each rehearsal, whenever Kumiko looked over at the trumpets, she saw Reina’s downward gaze, seemingly lost in thought. Her playing had also taken a dip, as she was getting called out by Taki-sensei more often. Worried for her, Kumiko wanted to take matters into her own hands as she always had with previous turmoils, but this time felt wrong of her to do so. With no other solution she could think of, she decided to believe in Reina and continue with her own practice.
Strangely enough, she would still run into Reina every evening after practice in the music room, and they talked like usual as if nothing ever happened.
“Reina’s doing a good job hiding it, but only from me. She still lets it show in rehearsals, though.” Kumiko smiled at that thought.
“Kumiko? What’s wrong?” Reina asked as they made their way out of the school gates.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about some things.”
“... I see…” Reina replied as if she took offense.
“Ah- it’s not like I said that to rush you or anything! Sorry, please don’t take it that way!” Kumiko said frantically.
Reina giggled. “I know. I can tell what you mean after so many other times you say things like that. It’s just what comes with being you, Kumiko.”
“I said I’m sorry…” Kumiko said, now fighting for her image.
“You don’t have to change that, you know. I never said I didn’t like it.”
“You’re too nice, Reina…”
“Say, let’s go to a restaurant,” Reina said, suddenly stopping on the bridge they had been crossing.
“Right now? Sure, let me just tell my parents…”
“Kumiko, what if I said I don’t want to go anymore now?”
“What? You just said you wanted to.”
“What if I don’t want to now?”
“Then I guess we’d just walk home as usual?”
“That’s the problem, Kumiko!”
“Problem? What?”
“Kumiko, you’re too considerate! You need to stand firmer on things! You can’t just let other people sway you this easily!”
“Wha- Where’s this coming from, Reina? Are you angry at me…?”
“I am!”
“Uhh… Well, you know that I’m someone without many motives, so I’m really fine with anything you want to do. Besides, it’s because it’s you, Reina.”
Reina’s throat tightened in that moment as she couldn’t stand the feeling inside her anymore.
“N- Never mind!” Reina said as she swiftly turned around and continued trotting forward.
“Wait! Reina!” Kumiko called out as she caught up to Reina’s side.
“So are we still going to a restaurant?”
“Another day… Sorry.” Reina said quietly.
“Ahh, I feel like I did something to anger her…” Kumiko thought to herself. “Maybe it’s what she’s been wanting to tell me. It’s probably weighing her down a lot.”
“Okay, I understand,” Kumiko replied.
That night, when Kumiko arrived back home, she collapsed on her bed, inhaling the comforting scent of her blankets before dinner was ready. With her best friend struggling with something she couldn’t tell anyone else, it began to weigh on Kumiko, too. She flipped over on her back, now staring at the singular light bulb illuminating her room.
Kumiko got up from her bed and sat down at her low table.
“It’s not like this problem has anything to do with me! Reina just can’t tell anyone else for some reason, so she just needs to figure it out! All I have to do is wait! Yeah!”
Kumiko was talking to her comfort cactus in a high, baby-pitched voice, venting her thoughts to something that would always listen to what she had to say.
“I shouldn’t let her struggles affect me! But I should be there to help her in some way… But what can I even do? I can’t just-”
Just then, someone knocked on her door. Before Kumiko could respond to the knock, the door was already opening. To Kumiko’s surprise, her older sister, Mamiko, had come back.
“Dinner’s ready.”
“Nee-chan? When did you come back?”
“Earlier today, I was just outside when you got home.”
“Oh…” Kumiko paused for a moment. “Also, knock before you come in!”
“I did!?”
“Well, you didn’t even wait for me to say if it’s fine for you to come in!”
“Oh, come on. Just come out to eat, okay?” Mamiko said as she walked away from the door, leaving it wide open.
“Ugghhh… She never closes the door. I swear it’s just to spite me.” Kumiko said as she walked out of her room to join her family at dinner.
Each time her older sister visited, Kumiko always remembered some of the last words her sister told her before she moved out.
“Just make sure you don’t have any regrets either.”
Those words pushed Kumiko into getting through to Asuka-senpai, something she was grateful to her sister for, yet she never actually told Mamiko. Little did Kumiko know, those words would help her once more in the following days.
The next weekend morning, Kumiko met up with Reina as usual. Today, they had rehearsal at the ROHM Theater Kyoto stage, the place they reserve every year around this time. All wind ensemble members had to meet at the school music room before departing on charter buses. After boarding, Kumiko found herself sitting next to Reina for the 30-minute drive. Almost immediately, there was a felt awkwardness between the two.
“R-Reina…! Are you excited for today…?” Kumiko asked, trying to make conversation like normal.
“Yeah.”
“Uugh- Not much of a response from her today…” Kumiko thought.
Having given up, Kumiko decided to let Reina stare out the window for the rest of the ride. However, as they neared their destination, Reina spoke up.
“Kumiko.”
“Haeh?” Kumiko said in surprise.
“I think I’m ready. I want you to help me now.”
“Oh, with what you wanted to tell me, right? Okay, when do you think will be a good time to meet up?”
“During our break in a couple of hours. Does that sound okay?”
“Fine by me.” Kumiko was glad and relieved Reina was finally willing to speak up about her worries.
Once both charter buses arrived at the theater and all the instruments were unpacked, the students began warming up on the acoustic-heavy stage. Rehearsal went on more strictly than usual, as the prefectural competition was coming up soon. As soon as Taki-sensei called for break time, both Kumiko and Reina rushed out of the hall to find each other.
“Kumiko!” Reina called out.
“Reina!” Kumiko responded.
The two began walking towards a secluded area.
“So? Are you ready to tell me?” Kumiko asked.
“Yeah…” Reina took a deep breath.
“Actually, Kumiko, remember when I had my trumpet solo audition last year?”
“Yeah, why?”
“This is where I was sitting, and where you came up to me,” Reina said, pointing at the row of seats she had sat at last year, before she went up on stage for the re-audition.
“Oh yeah, it was here.”
“This was the place you returned my confession of love, remember?” Reina said as she stopped and stared at those seats in front of her.
“Yeah.” Kumiko stood next to Reina.
“Kumiko… do you know what my confession of love really was about?”
“Hm? You said it how you said my personality intrigued you, and you vowed to me that you were going to be special.”
“That's true, but there was more to it.”
“How so?”
“Back when I made that confession of love, I chalked it up to me being interested in your nasty personality. But now, I realize I was wrong about my feelings for you, even back then.”
“Reina?”
Reina turned to look Kumiko in the eye. She walked up close to her so that their faces were inches apart.
“Kumiko, I like you.”
Kumiko and Reina stood in silence for a second.
“Eh? I- I mean, I think I know that already, right?”
Reina closed her eyes. “No, not that kind of like. I like, like, you.”
As Kumiko realized what Reina meant, she immediately stumbled back.
“Huoaeh!?!?” Kumiko covered her mouth as she feared that noise was too loud. Reina stayed still, with her cheeks pink.
“B- But what about Taki-sensei?”
“That’s the thing… I’ve been so conflicted because of it…” Reina looked downwards.
“Wha-?”
“What do I do, Kumiko? You’re the only one I can rely on for this! I like you, but I also like Taki-sensei!” Tears began swelling in Reina’s eyes.
“Uh- Uhm…!” Kumiko found herself in a situation she never could’ve imagined. Her best friend, who had liked their music teacher, just confessed her feelings to her as well. Was there any manual for how to deal with this?
“R-Reina, listen.” Kumiko took a deep breath. Just then, she checked her pink wristwatch for the time.
“Shoot! Reina, break time’s over in 2 minutes!” Kumiko grabbed Reina’s hand and began rushing back on stage.
“I’m sorry, Kumiko,” Reina said as they were running.
“No, I should be sorry. I wouldn’t want to resolve this after another long rehearsal, but we have to. Hang in there for the afternoon rehearsal.” Kumiko said.
As if it was fated to go like this, Kumiko and Reina were forced to endure another grueling rehearsal with what had happened weighing on their minds. Throughout the entire 2 and a half hours of rehearsing, neither of their minds was present in the moment. Yet perhaps it was because of their long practice sessions that they managed not to get called out by Taki-sensei any more than usual. And as another stub to the toe, the entire ensemble was required to clean up and put away the chairs and stands as soon as the rehearsal ended, further delaying their resolution.
Once packed up and ready to go, Kumiko ran up to Reina, wanting to get a word in.
“Reina! We finally can talk to each other!” She said, completely exhausted from the day.
“... Not yet. We have to board the buses and go home now. And we probably shouldn’t talk about it on the bus either.” Reina replied.
“You’ve gotta be kidding meee…” Kumiko said as she sighed.
With another unavoidable obstacle in their way, there was nothing to do but wait. The unease of the 30-minute drive was made even worse by the rush-hour traffic, pushing their arrival at the school back by another 15 minutes. While students chattered on the bus, Kumiko and Reina, who sat together again, stayed silent for the most part.
As the school gate came into view, the sun slowly left it. Everyone got off the buses, exhausted from a full day of constantly playing. Kumiko, like everybody else, just wanted to go home and sleep, but she suppressed those desires because she had the whole Reina situation to deal with first.
“Kumiko.” Reina appeared behind Kumiko.
“Reina.” She turned around to meet Reina’s eyes.
“Can we talk now?”
“Let’s go to the top of Mount Daikichi,” Kumiko said.
Reina was surprised that Kumiko would be the one to ask, but she was glad.
“Sure. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay, I’ll be leaving soon, too.”
Reina turned around and walked off first, leaving Kumiko and the rest of the bass section to deal with their bulky instruments.
“Good work today! I’ll leave the rest to you two, Natsuki-senpai and Kanade-chan!” Kumiko said as she dashed out of the music room and onto the streets, gunning for that city view atop Mount Daikichi. With a hand on her bag strap, she ran with all her remaining strength, not wanting to keep Reina waiting any more than they already had to. Despite all the vigor, it still took her 20 minutes to reach the top, fully spent.
“Rei- Reina-” Kumiko said, struggling to catch her breath.
“Kumiko? How did you get here so fast? I only just got here.”
“O-Oh. I uh, walked pretty fast to get here, I guess.” Kumiko stammered.
Kumiko composed herself and walked up next to Reina, who had been standing by the railing, looking off into the distance.
“So you like both Taki-sensei and me, huh…” Kumiko leaned on the railing with her forearms.
“You didn’t have to say it again…” Reina said, resting her hands on the same railing.
“Ah- sorry,” Kumiko responded. This was her first time dealing with this kind of problem, unlike all previous quarrels.
“What do I do… It’s so awkward…” Kumiko thought.
“So, Kumiko.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any ideas? I told you because I thought you could help me out.”
“Jeez, Reina, so selfish…” Kumiko teased.
“W-What’s so wrong about being selfish from time to time!?” Reina defensively countered.
“Kidding, kidding.” Kumiko laughed. “I’d be glad to help you, Reina, but it’s just a little weird because I’m accidentally part of this problem.”
“Not accidentally. You made me like you.”
Kumiko was stunned for a second as her cheeks went pink. “Ah, thanks.”
Neither of them had maintained eye contact for more than a second the entire time they’d been up here. Instead, both decided to stare out into the dying dusk, catching the exact moment street and building lights turned on. With each thing they say to each other, the longer the silence is in between.
“Reina… what exactly do you feel when you see Taki-sensei or me?”
“When I go to the music room to return the keys, I get nervous… and my heart rate speeds up a bit.”
“... And me?”
“... I see you so much, so I don’t really get nervous, nor does my heart rate speed up… but sometimes when you do or say something, I get a really tight feeling in my chest, and my throat tightens. It makes me want to be closer to you.”
“... Uhhhh… You see, I don’t have any dating experience, so I don’t really know what’s what…”
Kumiko paused to think. Just then, her sister's words came back to her.
“Just make sure you don’t have any regrets either.”
Perhaps she had been ignoring the feeling inside her the entire time, with Reina’s thoughts taking precedence. She had a bad habit of worrying about others before herself, always conforming to others’ ideas and plans, and she would always play it off as her just being that “type” of person. But in reality, Kumiko had wants and wishes. She had things she enjoyed, things she didn’t, things she loved, things she didn’t. Kumiko loves the euphonium. She loves the wind ensemble. And, most importantly, she loves Kousaka Reina.
“Reina, I love you,” Kumiko said. It was so sudden, even she was a little shocked at what came out.
“Wha-?” Reina stepped back in shock.
Kumiko stood up and looked Reina in the eyes. This time felt different from the other times they locked eyes, as their dynamic underwent another irreversible shift, another point of no return.
Tears in Reina’s eyes began to form. She was starting to get overwhelmed with everything that happened today. She confessed to her best friend, then waited for hours before finding a resolution. Just as she thought she could find a solution, her best friend confessed back.
“Kumiko…” Tears rolled down Reina’s burning cheeks. Were these tears of happiness?
“I don’t know… what to do anymore…” Reina said, fighting back more tears.
“I won’t tell you what to think about all this, Reina. That would be wrong. I just wanted to tell you I felt the same way, that’s all.” Kumiko stood firm in her speech, not breaking.
“Kumiko… you love me. How can I tell the difference?”
“Difference of what?”
“Between like and love.”
“Hmmm…” Kumiko leaned over the railing once again, looking out into the now-night skyline.
“When you first made your ‘confession of love’ here, Reina, why did you use ‘love’ and not ‘like’?”
“... I- I don’t know…” Reina responded.
“Well, when I returned your confession of love with my own, I deliberately chose to use ‘love’.”
“You did?” Tears had slowed down.
“Yeah. I loved you since then.” Kumiko said reassuringly.
Reina felt a tight, gripping sensation in her chest. Her throat closed, and her breathing grew heavier. She was experiencing her occasional reaction towards Kumiko, only this time far more intense. Reina wanted so desperately to embrace the girl standing in front of her. No, she wanted to kiss her.
“I don’t really know why I can so confidently say I love you, bu-”
Reina’s quivering lips calmed the moment they touched Kumiko’s soft ones in mid-speech. Her arms wrapped around Kumiko’s damp neck, resting as her hands hugged Kumiko’s warm back. In the emptiness of both their visions, all they could sense were each other. As Reina pulled away, she wiped her mouth, panting. Kumiko was still too much in shock to do anything except stare into Reina’s eyes.
“That’s what I meant when I said some things you do make me want to be closer to you.”
Kumiko touched her lips with her hand, realizing everything that just happened was reality. She went up in red, at a loss for words.
“R-Rei…na…”
“I think I know the difference now. Between ‘like’ and ‘love’.”
“W-What is it?”
“I like Taki-sensei. I love you, Kumiko.”
Kumiko sniffed as a tear rolled down her bright red cheek.
“I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Kumiko.”
“Yeah.”
“Kumiko. Kumiko. Oumae Kumiko.”
“Kousaka Reina.”
“I thought something would feel different when I called your name.”
“...”
“I guess not much has changed, has it?” Reina gently smiled.
Kumiko had never seen such a radiating smile from Reina. It was as if her world became day for a moment, with Reina as her sun.
“You took my first kiss, Reina.”
“It was my first too.”
Kumiko smiled back. She had an unexplainable sensation in her heart, a feeling of ecstasy and unease. She was glad Reina reciprocated fully, but how would other things change? Her nasty personality came back to bite her once again.
Just then, Reina grabbed Kumiko’s hands and held them up to her chest.
“Do you feel it? My heartbeat.”
“Yeah, I do. It’s still pretty fast.”
Reina directed Kumiko’s hands to meet with her own.
“Kumiko, I hope we can get along well now.”
“I hope so too.”
Reina leaned in close for another kiss. Kumiko instinctively closed her eyes, but as their lips met, she opened them, only to be met by Reina’s eyes. In that moment, Kumiko’s worries and doubts were washed away, lost in the glistening lavender pearls of Reina. She learned to let herself go, let her future self worry about these problems that only existed in her own mind. No matter what came her way, as long as Reina was there, she felt she could do anything.
Of all her time in high school, tonight was the first time Kumiko felt she could truly rest. Thoughts of school, homework, tests, music, the wind ensemble, the competition, and even classmates left her mind. It was just her and Reina on Mount Daikichi, their special space. She didn’t want this moment to end.
“Reina…”
“Kumiko, what do I do…”
“What now?”
“I don’t want this moment to end…”
“... Me too.”
The two found themselves sitting on the steps leading up to the bench under the pavilion, simply looking out into the nighscapes together. Kumiko’s head was resting on Reina’s head, which was on Kumiko’s shoulder.
“Reina, you do know we have to go home eventually, right?”
“I know. Just a little longer. Tomorrow’s Sunday anyway.”
“Okay.”
The words they exchanged were so soft; each soothing sentence they said could put people to sleep.
After slowly coming back to earth, they acknowledged that they each have their own lives to take care of, and that their special moment together was unfortunately finite. They got up and slowly hiked down, hands interlocked the entire time. Once they reached their break-off point, they couldn’t bring themselves to fully let go of each other just yet.
“Kumiko, I don’t want to go yet.”
“Me neither.”
“...”
“Well, this is a problem.”
“Haha.” Reina laughed.
“How about this, Reina? Since tomorrow is still a weekend, let's go to that restaurant that you mentioned!”
Reina had a look of surprise before answering.
“Sure. I’m glad you’re finally speaking up about what you want to do.”
“Technically, it was the restaurant you mentioned.”
“That was more of a test for you. And I’m sorry for getting angry at you for that.”
“No, it’s fine. I know it’s a part of me that I should work on.”
Reina smiled. “Then let’s meet up here at 9:00 tomorrow. I want to see you as soon as possible again.”
“We could meet up earlier if you want?”
“No, 9:00 is fine. I still want you to get a good sleep. I don’t want to be overly selfish.”
Kumiko giggled at Reina. “Okay. 9:00 AM here tomorrow it is.”
Reina had a habit of being selfish, yet saying “I wouldn’t want to be overly selfish,” which Kumiko absolutely adored. And, as Kumiko said herself, she genuinely does not care, because it’s Reina.
“Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kumiko projected as she started walking the other direction.
“Yeah!”
“Good night!”
“Good night!"