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The ending of an early spring school day only marked the beginning of Misaki Okusawa’s day. Band practice was where the real work started. She slung her bag onto her shoulder and met with Kokoro immediately. Or rather, Kokoro showed up and followed Misaki to her locker, bouncing excitedly on her toes while she chatted idly about what she expected to get done in the studio that day.
“But it’d be totally cool if we added a little bass line like ‘brummm!’ right before the chorus, right?!” Kokoro grinned in Misaki’s direction, cheeks red with excitement.
Misaki answered with a small smile, eyebrows furrowed, “We should… talk it over with Hagumi, Kanon and Kaoru first, right?”
“And Michelle! I wonder where she’s been lately for practice… She’s missing a lot! I hope you’re passing everything on to her…!”
“Ah… O-Of course, Kokoro…” Misaki punctuated her sentence with the soft slam of her locker once she saw Hagumi and Kanon approaching over Kokoro’s shoulder, “Our other bandmates are here.”
Kokoro’s eyes sparkled as she turned to face the other two, “Then let’s go to CiRCLE!”
CiRCLE’s door opened with the familiar jingle of a bell, and the four girls immediately piled into the studio. They were greeted by Kaoru Seta, idly plucking at her guitar’s strings in an attempt to tune it. She tilted her head to let the girls know she’d acknowledged their presence.
“My four princesses have finally arrived,” Kaoru’s low voice rung out suddenly, “I was beginning to worry I’d be left all alone.”
Misaki rolled her eyes at this sentence, “You know better.”
Kaoru began to object before Kokoro leapt forward, her microphone in hand, “We’re all here now! So let’s get going!”
And with that, practice started as normal. At this point the songs were finished, though tweaks were made here and there. But Misaki’s movements stayed the same. It was like clockwork, turning dials and pushing sliders. Her tracks faded from one to another along with the rhythm of Kanon’s drums and Hagumi’s bass. It was almost therapeutic for her.
During their break in practice Misaki found Kaoru lounging back in the chair they’d originally found her in, now calloused fingers plucking at the guitar’s strings once again. She seemed uncharacteristically focused today.
“Misaki,” Kaoru started, “Would you mind if we met after practice? In the cafeteria. I’d like to speak with you, if it isn’t an issue.”
Her voice was smaller than normal, something was uneasy about it. Misaki couldn’t turn her down, “Sure. It’s not a problem.” Misaki found herself soften at the proposal.
It wasn’t every day her and Kaoru got to talk one on one. Kaoru had so many fans, after all. This prevented anyone from having much personal time with her, especially her real admirers. Misaki found this troublesome.
Over her course of time in the Hello, Happy World! she’d become fond of her fellow bandmates, but more so one in particular. Something about Kaoru drew Misaki to her. It wasn’t long before the brunette had come face to face with her feelings for the guitarist. For the longest time she’d denied them, but it was fruitless. There was no tiptoeing around it. Not when a mere look shot in her direction would cause Misaki’s heart to flutter uncontrollably.
She couldn’t wait for practice to end.
In one smooth motion, Kaoru pulled Misaki’s chair out for her to sit in before sitting in her own chair and crossing one leg over the other in a fashion only she could make look charming.
She then leaned forward, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she placed her elbow on the table separating the two, normal smirk on her face.
Misaki looked down at her hands in her lap.
“I have something for you.”
This caused Misaki’s gaze to meet Kaoru’s.
“You… Huh? You couldn’t give it to me during practice?”
“Of course not,” Kaoru sat back into her chair this time, “I can’t be making my other little kittens jealous by giving you special treatment, now can I?”
Misaki felt her eyebrows furrow as she cracked a smile. She really was something, wasn’t she? “I suppose not, no…”
“Which is why I asked for this rendezvous. Thank you for agreeing.”
“What… Ah, I mean…” Misaki stuttered, face growing warm.
“Right,” Kaoru reached into her blazer pocket, “A gift. From me to you.”
Kaoru motioned for Misaki to hold her hand out and carefully placed a small box into her palm.
Misaki stared at the object blankly. She knew what would be inside, but she also wasn’t sure why Kaoru’d give her something like this of all things. This was something she’d never experienced. She left light.
“Why..?” Was all Misaki could seem to force herself to say, blue eyes looking to meet crimson ones.
“Open it. When I saw it you immediately came to my mind. Such a fleeting moment… Why not cease the chance to gift something to you? As the great bard once said: There’s no time better than the present!” She punctuated her sentence with a singular laugh.
With a laugh at Kaoru’s last statement, Misaki gently ran a finger over the velvety box before prying it open. Her eyes then widened once she saw the object inside. It was a small thing, not too much adornment. Simple, yet still in Kaoru’s taste. A pendant with a silver chain. A pink gem with a delicate silver trim, it sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight.
“This… Reminded you of me?” Misaki was taken aback and she pursed her lips as she watched Kaoru rise from her seat.
“Bright and beautiful? Of course,” Kaoru started before she leaned over Misaki’s shoulder, “May I?”
Misaki gave a slight nod before handing the box to the taller girl. She handled the chain with care as she removed it from its container.
Carefully, Kaoru brushed Misaki’s hair from her neck. Her fingertips felt rough against Misaki’s skin and she couldn’t help but blush at the contact. She felt her heart speed as Kaoru latched the chain around her neck and ask her to turn to look at her.
Misaki turned in Kaoru’s direction, expression bashful as she looked to the other girl. Kaoru then reached forward to fix her hair, sweeping it from the style she’d put it in while she clipped the necklace. She then smiled.
“I was right.”
“Ah-About what?” Misaki tilted her head in a questioning manner.
“You look beautiful.”