Chapter Text
Sayo was anxious. She was anxious not because of anything profound per se, but as a creature of habit and routine, having her schedule derailed left her restless and fidgety. She tried to hide it by quietly sipping on her iced black coffee while Lisa chatters endlessly next to her about local events, accessories, and what would be cute for Roselia’s new costumes. Across the table, Rinko would share her opinions though there were times when she was so difficult to understand that Sayo had given up straining her ears to get even just fractions of the words she said. Besides, Ako was sitting next to the keyboardist and Sayo was not about to risk her eardrums just in case the young Udagawa decided to exclaim something ridiculous very very loudly.
Roselia (Lisa and Ako mostly) had decided to spend an afternoon at Hazawa Coffee due to an emergency cancellation of their practice session. The staff mentioned that there were some urgent repairs being done in the usual room they rented and that the other studios were booked, leaving the band with nothing to do. Ever the damage control expert, Lisa immediately took point and somehow convinced an aggravated Yukina to let the situation go and take advantage. “After all, when life give you lemons…” the bassist had chirped, insisting that they could still be productive despite being unable to play music.
And this was how they ended up talking about miscellaneous affairs in a coffee shop.
Interestingly, Yukina was actually absorbed by all this planning, her eyes bouncing from Lisa to Rinko to Ako and back again whenever someone spoke. From time to time, she seemed to want to say something but the topic moved so quickly that she could not really get in the conversation on time. Unless of course Lisa suddenly drags her in, asking for her opinion like a puppy waiting for a ball to be tossed for fetching.
“Well?” Yukina looked at a concept sketch Rinko had presented her, with Lisa excitedly waiting for her response.
The quiet vocalist, who must feel a little trapped with the burden of making a decision over something not musical, only nodded. “It works. Lace has always been part of Roselia’s style and the dark burgundy sash would be eye-catching.”
“Haha~ I knew it! So Rinko--”
Sayo sighed, irritable and bored out of her mind. She knew almost nothing about needlework, cute accessories and ribbons, and she would rather play her guitar right now. In fact, a certain phrase from their newest song still haunted her and she had been eager to tackle the challenge today. She really wanted to go home and start practicing, so much so that she began making the chord shapes with her hand under the table, her mind filled with the echoes of a potentially great new riff.
“Sayo-san?”
Sayo frowned, debating whether to use the third or the fifth chord in the progression, or if a simple walk down the scale would be enough to express the overall tone of the song.
“Sayo-san?” The voice repeated, “Um…is this a bad--?”
“What?” Sayo shook her head when she finally realized that she was being called. Looking up, she immediately questioned if she had sounded too harsh being caught zoning off. “Hazawa-san?”
Tsugumi smiled at her and bowed a little. She was the picture of the perfect waitress, clad in an apron and clutching a menu. “I just wanted to see how everything is for you and the rest of Roselia. Is the food alright? Would you like refills or extra orders?”
“Tsugu-chin!” Ako greeted in her usual boisterous tone. “I want another phantom dark smoothie and make it extra dark, as dark as the calling in my soul—and um… ”
The waitress only giggled, seemingly used to the drummer’s absurd tirades. “Alright, Ako-chan. I’ll make it um… extra dark for you.”
Wasn’t it just a blueberry smoothie though?
“Mwahaha! But Tsugu-chin, what are you doing here? Onee-chan told me you guys have practice today.”
Tsugumi paused writing on her notepad, “Our reservation was cancelled today. Something about repairs, I think.” She then chuckled sheepishly, “I was kind of running a little late when Tomoe-chan informed me about it so I just went straight home.”
“Huh… school council again?”
Tsugumi nodded in response, smiling. “What about you?”
Ako pouted, “Same thing. We’re so excited to play together too as this is the first time that we’ll be playing this new song together after individual practice all week!”
Sayo watched the two converse with a bit of fascination. She had completely forgotten that Ako’s sister was the drummer of Afterglow. After all, they did not interact with the other band all that often given the unspoken rivalry between their vocalists. This meant that Ako probably knew Tsugumi for a long time, did it not?
She stared at the melting ice in her half-consumed iced coffee as the two talked a bit more about school, about onee-chan and Hi-chan and inside jokes. The rest of Roselia have returned to their planning after greeting and placing additional orders to Tsugumi, leaving her with no choice but to keep on watching ice melt or actually look up at the brunette chatting with their drummer.
Sayo bit her lower lip. A part of her just wanted to continue eavesdropping because Ako’s conversation with Tsugumi was filled to the brim with little things about the keyboardist that Sayo did not know or simply failed to notice, while another part knew that doing so was not polite. She learned that Tsugumi was such a hardworker because not only was she playing for Afterglow and a helper in her family’s café, but she was also a part of her school’s student council. She also picked up how Tsugumi still seemed unsure about her ability to play her instrument just from the way her voice faltered when Ako asked about Afterglow’s new song. Most importantly, she was able to confirm to herself that the brunette’s giggle was the most adorable sound she had ever heard.
What is wrong with you, Hikawa?
Sayo’s green eyes eventually found their way up to Tsugumi’s face as her curiosity got the better of her, only to be met with an equally inquisitive pair of browns in that very same moment. Immediately, she felt her ears warm up for no reason. Why was she being so weird? She had only gone out with Tsugumi once and now she’s acting all creepy like this, all quiet and at a loss for words. If she remembered correctly, she was able to maintain a decent conversation with the keyboardist during the baking class and the shopping trip afterwards so what gives?
“Um, it’s really nice to see you again, Sayo-san.”
Sayo picked up on the fondness in the waitress’ voice, but she played it cool and sipped her drink before offering a reaction. Still, she could not help but smile back at the gentle brunette. “It is nice to see you again too.”
“Heh heh…”
Her smile immediately turned into an indignant frown when Ako chuckled with conspiracy in her voice. “What?”
“Nothing~” Sayo scowled now, shoulders tensing minutely because the middle-schooler was acting like she knew something that Sayo did not. “I’m just not surprised that Tsugu-chin managed to calm the black beast inside of you~ the black wings of the underworld! Earlier you were enveloped in such a dark energy that it was overwhelming! As if… um… as if…uh…”
Tsugumi chuckled next to them, “I wouldn’t call Sayo-san a ‘black beast’ though. She’s incredibly nice.”
“Only because you’re Tsugurific as Moca-chan would say, Tsugu-chin!” Ako then stood and whispered rather loudly into Tsugumi’s ear that Sayo could still hear it, “You should see her during practice.”
Strangely enough, Afterglow’s keyboardist flushed a pretty shade of pink and her hand flew up to her face to hide it as inconspicuously as possible. “I-I have… um…”
What was that…?
Tsugumi’s eyes found hers again and the younger girl nearly jumped out of her skin like a critter caught in the headlights. She blushed even more intensely now, making Sayo feel exceedingly warm despite the iced beverage she had been consuming the past hour. Forget the heat, her stomach was doing flips that have nothing to do with her coffee’s acidity. Did Tsugumi see her all stressed and overbearing while she struggled to herd her band through a practice session that would actually benefit them? Had she seen her snap and get angry out of frustration? Sayo hoped not. Those were parts of her that she was not proud of, parts that she was working on getting better at.
“I-I think Sayo-san is amazing when she’s playing guitar actually.”
Sayo swallowed, her chest suddenly unbearably tight. She immediately berated herself that she was not a stranger to compliments. Her bandmates have always been very supportive and they were generous when it came to praising her whenever it was earned. Her sister constantly showers her with admiration as well, even when it was not entirely appropriate. The honesty in Tsugumi’s voice, however, made her feel like earning her praise was an accomplishment somehow just like when she successfully baked those cookies with her.
“I wish I can be more like her,” Tsugumi told Ako, lost in thought. “To have that really intense passion when playing. Like nothing else exists but the guitar and the music and I… find that really… cool and wonderful. And when she plays with her eyes closed… Sayo-san is really… pretty.”
Sayo felt like exploding in her seat, her feeling ridiculously hot and embarrassed.
“I-I’m sorry,” Tsugumi bowed stiffly a second later after having snapped out of her reverie, “I didn’t meant to say those aloud! I sh-hould take these orders now. I…I will come back with everything as soon as possible!”
Before Sayo could even lift a hand to stop her, to clarify what she had just heard, Tsugumi was already behind the café counter.
“Ara~” Lisa leaned forward on the table, resting a cheek on her palm and smiling like a cheshire. “Looks like our Sayo has an admirer~” She giggled and nudged the steaming guitarist next to her. “A very cute and unsuspecting admirer. Sayo~ just what did you do when you were in baking class together hmm?”
“I did not do anything!” Sayo adamantly retorted and sipped her iced coffee to retain her composure. She then glanced at Yukina, pleading the vocalist to change the subject and insist that this conversation had nothing to do with Roselia and thus must be terminated immediately, but her traitorous leader only smiled softly as if she was happy for her… for something.
“Ahaha! Don’t be too embarrassed.” Lisa took a sip of her juice before continuing, “You’re easy to admire. Once one gets past your austerity anyway.”
“That is true,” Yukina supplied her own opinion, ever ready to back up her best friend during the worst possible times, “although I also appreciate her sternness for it is necessary in the band. Regardless, I must say I agree with everything Hazawa-san said.”
The vocalist smiled with rare tenderness again, although this time it was paired with Ako’s grin and Rinko’s own expression of fondness. Sayo could hardly bear her band being so open with their affections like this and stifled a groan of embarrassment with a curt huff.
Her eyes trailed back to where Tsugumi disappeared off to, wondering what response she could give to such a heartfelt compliment. She did not even know how to feel about it. Giddy? Happy perhaps? Those honest words frightened her too though, so much so that she wanted to bolt from her seat. Sayo was goal-driven, and when she felt unable to reach those goals, she crumbles. It was doubly worse when it was accomplishing the expectations of others, especially the ones she cared about. Roselia had built her up though, patched and plastered her fragile porcelain pride until it was able to retain its structure and integrity. She knew what Roselia expected of her and she thrived on achieving those expectations alongside her closest friends.
Someone from the outside, however, she did not know how to deal with, especially from someone as earnest as Hazawa Tsugumi.
Lisa nudged her again, “At least say something to her, Sayo.”
Tsugumi returned before she could even ask the bassist what exactly to say. Red-faced and awkward, the keyboardist of Afterglow served them quietly, conversing only out of courtesy. It was so bad that the cups she held were shaking, so Sayo instinctively reached out to stabilize them. This action caused their hands to touch, however, and that startled Tsugumi.
“I-I’m sorry about that,” she stammered as she finished serving and then forced smile. “Um… everyone enjoy! If you need anything just let me know.” The brunette then hurriedly bowed and turned to leave them to their food and drinks.
“Hazawa-san, wait.” Sayo stood and followed Tsugumi before grasping the latter’s hand. Wide brown eyes flitted their gaze towards her and she immediately found her words getting clogged in her throat. All of the sudden, Sayo was hyperaware of Tsugumi’s presence so near and how her smaller hand was moist due to anxiety. They were warm though and that helped her summon the simplest words she could muster.
“Thank you,” She murmured so softly because she did not want anyone else to hear. “Thank you for everything you said. I appreciate that…”
She noticed Tsugumi tighten the grip around the tray she had hugged against her chest as she averted her eyes and how the tips of her ears burned pink. This seemed to serve as a catalyst of a chain reaction though, as Sayo soon felt her own face getting warm for some reason.
“I only said the truth,” Tsugumi chuckled as she tentatively looked up at her with the warmest and fondest gaze that Sayo had ever seen. “I didn’t mean to make it embarrassing or anything like that. My band would have teased me by now—I don’t know if Roselia is like that but I shouldn’t have just come out and said things so carelessly.”
Sayo instinctively glanced over her shoulder towards her band and found four sets of expectant eyes. Lisa’s were especially mischievous. “Well… they haven’t teased me. Yet.”
Tsugumi giggled, her cheeks so pink and her smile so full of life that Sayo forgot that she was still holding her hand. She just forgot about everything else, truth be told, until the bell on the door chimed.
“Tsugu~ We’re here~ Eh? What’s going on here~? Tomo-chin, we leave Tsugu alone for an hour and there’s already a big bad wolf after her~ We should go to the rescue~”
Blanching and letting go of Tsugumi’s hand faster the most agile guitar solo she had done, Sayo turned around and faced Afterglow’s entire line-up. Himari and Ran looked confused enough and would probably be open to any explanation that she and Tsugumi might come up with, but Moca and Tomoe were completely different stories. The silver-haired guitarist wore the smuggest smirk on her face while the tall drummer gawked at the development, wearing an expression not unlike the one Sayo remembered her father wore when a male fan was getting too friendly with Hina during an autograph session.
Sayo coughed, “I don’t know what you are talking about. Hazawa-san and I were just…”
Just what exactly? For a second, she actually did not know and the presentation of a possibility that it was more than just a casual chat made her heartbeat flutter.
Thankfully, Tsugumi stepped forward towards her friends, “everyone, don’t be like that. That’s rude. But I’m glad all of you are finally here. I was waiting for you. You can just go sit at the usual table and I’ll be right there.”
Uncomfortable with the many sets of gazes on her, Sayo told Tsugumi, “I will go ahead and return to my seat.”
“O-okay, Sayo-san.”
That was a bad idea because that allowed the other band to locate her own.
“Eh~ Lisa-san~ Helloooo~!”
“Moca! Come on here and join us!”
Oh no…
“Onee-chan, over here!”
“Ah, Ako, didn’t expect to see you here!”
Before she or Tsugumi could do anything, Afterglow was already going towards the table were Roselia was sitting.
“Minato-san…”
“Mitake-san…”
Sayo threw a pleading glance at Tsugumi then, unwilling to deal with the inevitable demonstrations of superiority between the two vocalists of their bands, but Tsugumi looked as helpless as she was.
“M-maybe they’ll get along today…”
“Maybe…” but that was not what Sayo was worried about. She could still feel eyes on her and Tsugumi as they stood in the middle of the café, eyes that came from both bands’ members. Their expectant gazes were what made her uncomfortable. She inhaled deeply and sighed. “Well, I suppose that you’ll be getting drinks for everyone. Let me help.”
For a moment it seemed like Tsugumi would politely refuse her offer, but to Sayo’s surprise and pleasure, the brunette only shyly nodded. “I would… appreciate that.” She then turned away, her ears still pink and so very cute.
That was then that Sayo decided that perhaps a little teasing afterwards was worth it.