Chapter Text
It had been about a week or two since Reona had began her second year of middle school. She isn't keeping count, since every day seems to be the same thing, over and over. The same people, the same rules, the same expectations that had been put on her since she was born.
But now, things are different.
"My name is Tamade Chiyu. I'm looking forward to making your acquaintance." A small girl, with long, salmon pink hair that reaches her knees, along with a pair of cat-eared headphones upon her head, politely introduces herself to the class, who, by obligation, give a gentle clap to welcome her.
There's a glow in her brilliantly blue eyes that Reona sees that no one else can.
She bows, not giving anybody a glance when she makes her way to her assigned seat by the window, at the row in front of Reona. And after listening to the homeroom teacher speak, she stares out at the blue spring sky with her chin resting on her hand. However, it is at that moment that Reona catches herself staring, and she shakes her head. Now isn't the time to stare at girls - or, well, a singular girl, she tells herself, and so she gives her brain a gentle mental whack to get herself to focus on the drone of the teacher's voice. But she still can't help but glance at the pink-haired mystery who transferred into class not long after the school year had started.
Lunchtime arrives, and Reona takes out her lunchbox, holding it in her hands and rehearsing a line in her head.
"Hello, Tamade-san! I'm Nyubara Reona. Would you like to eat lunch together?"
Yeah, that sounded just fine. Reona nods to herself, wanting to take the first step in making a new friend and making a new person feel welcomed into the class (after all, she was the class representative yet again), and so she gets up and...
Oh. Her seat is empty. She's gone.
Reona feels her heart drop a little. She supposes she'll eat with her "friends" again today.
Afternoon classes begin, and Chiyu is back at her seat, still staring out of the window, leaving Reona to ponder what kind of person she is.
"Did you hear about that Tamade Chiyu...? Apparently she's a child prodigy..."
Reona hears whispers behind her.
"Yeah, I know. She's got parents who work overseas, probably lived with them for a while. So she's probably just a stuck-up rich kid, you know? With a lot of money."
"Probably. I mean, why's she always wearing headphones? I've never seen anyone do that before... Is that even allowed? What's her problem?"
"I'm telling you, she's just one of those kids..."
Reona blinks. What could they possibly know? Her blood starts to boil, and she desperately tries to stop listening, but it's so hard to drown out a quiet sound within a quiet room, and she hopes, she hopes that she has it in her to contain her feelings because to her, people who badmouth others without knowing a single thing about them are the worst kinds of people. But then, she begins to wonder - these rumours are most likely the reason why Chiyu seems to distance herself from everybody else.
Her heart drops even more. If her classmates ever found out that she wanted to be an idol or loved a certain idol group more than anything, would they talk like that about her too? Her perfect, serious, responsible honour student image would be dashed to pieces, and her whole life would be over and she'd spend the rest of her school days being scorned for living a lie...
Ah. The bell for the end of the day. After finishing class and saying his regards, the teacher dismisses the class, who all get up to get ready to leave.
"Nyubara-san, you have classroom duties today, right?" the classmate behind her says, her tone then lowering to be quiet. "With Tamade-san."
"That's right," Reona stands to look at them. She can't help but furrow her brow at the sight of them, but she has to keep up her act. "I'll be just fine. Take care with your clubs!"
"We will," the two smile, and take their leave. Reona's smile fades faster than it appeared.
Soon enough, the classroom begins to empty, leaving only two behind.
Chiyu stayed seated the whole time, and, with some hesitation, Reona walks to the front of the classroom, picking up a blackboard eraser and beginning to wipe away the notes on Japanese literature. It's silent for the most part, besides the soft brushing of the eraser against the board, and the gentle breeze that blows past the curtains. But Reona feels her heart pumping in her chest as she finishes wiping away the notes, and comes to the corner of the board where the two of their surnames are written under "classroom duty".
She doesn't touch that part of the board.
She turns to face Chiyu, who had been watching her, and averts her gaze once they make eye contact.
Reona walks to the window to pat the chalk dust out of the eraser. She pats it a few times with another eraser, then setting them back by the board. She pauses... before turning to the other girl in the classroom.
"Tamade-san..."
Chiyu swallows. That's the first time she's heard Nyubara Reona's real voice.
From what she had observed throughout the day, through the classes they've had together, it's awfully obvious that Reona is putting up an act. The way she carries herself with feigned confidence, the pain in her smile and the sigh as she finishes any sort of conversation, it's all so obvious. But now, even without the social experiences of a normal child her age, Chiyu could feel that Reona is letting her guard down around her.
There's a spark.
Her back straightens and suddenly all her focus is on the stark black-haired girl in front of her, with her hair tied into pigtails with black ribbons and with black-framed glasses in front of the prettiest red eyes that Chiyu has ever seen.
"I've been wanting to say hello to you," Reona starts, her heart beating into her throat. "Since I'm the class representative, I just-"
"Don't give me that," Chiyu interrupts, standing up out of her chair and placing a hand firmly on her desk, taking Reona by surprise.
Chiyu never cared about the rumours about her, because she knows that they only exist to fuel her classmates' uneventful lives. Maybe they don't think she can hear them. Maybe they're afraid of people not fitting into their mould. Maybe they're simply intimidated by her because of the rumours they made themselves. But she never heard or felt a single bad thing from Reona.
More than everything else, it hurts Chiyu to see someone like this. Having to hide away who she really is, just to fit in to people around her. It's not right.
"You're more than that, aren't you?" she says rigidly, her chest on fire. "I can tell. It's obvious. You don't want to put up the act anymore."
Astounded, Reona nearly loses her balance. How did she know?
"Greet me as yourself," Chiyu continues, her blue eyes shining in the sunrays. "Can you do that for me?"
The aspiring keyboardist and lover of Pastel*Palettes feels her entire world change with those words, her body lifting, her eyes sparkling and her heart being calmed within the storm inside her chest. For the first time in her life, she can reveal her true self.
"Y-yes," Reona takes a deep breath. "I'm Nyubara Reona. I'm very pleased to meet you."
Chiyu smiles, giving a nod of reassurance. "Tamade Chiyu. Likewise." She extends a hand, to which Reona gladly accepts, and they shake on it.
"Alright then, Reona. Let's get this place cleared up."
Startled by the sudden first-name address, Reona stops in her tracks. "Tamade-san...?"
"Yes?"
"W-would it be alright to call you Chiyu?"
The little producer's heart skips a beat, but she can't help but let out a small chuckle. "Of course."
And with that, the rest of the cherry blossoms began to fall.