Chapter Text
There’s a rumor.
Have you heard? In Yokohama’s most prestigious high school, there’s a rumor.
It goes like this:
There’s more to the well known Higuchi and Gin duo than it seems.
Crazy right? They were always talking in the hallways. Always friendly, always close. But what if I were to tell you, that for one of them, the fondness they feel for the other is more than just friendship? Oh, unrequited love! How tragic. Watch them closely, because this school always seems to provide lots of entertainment.
I sure hope you enjoy your stay here, and keep your eyes peeled, for there’s always more than meets the eye.
Act I
“Did you hear that?” Gin whipped their head behind her, shivering as if she heard their name mentioned somewhere in the distance.
“Hear what?” responded Higuchi, who had been ranting about some drama in one of her classes. According to her, some kids in her math class had made the teacher storm out after arguing over a textbook they had to share. It might’ve been funny if it weren’t for the fact that Higuchi was left clueless on what she was supposed to do with the worksheet left in front of her.
“I thought I heard my name,” Gin turned their head back, jogging to catch up with Higuchi, who had unknowingly walked ahead.
“Probably Kajii, he’s always gossiping with the newcomers,” Higuchi shrugged.
“Right..”
They continued to walk through the hallway, passing by posters hung up on the walls promoting clubs and different sports. Gin and Higuchi had tried joining one once. Neither of them had much experience with sports, but Gin had taken fencing classes for a few years before they entered high school. They quit, saying the money going into her classes would be more useful going into their brother’s medication.
Higuchi frowned slightly at the memory, seeing Gin give up something she loved so much hurt, but she admired them for her selflessness.
The two walked next to each other in silence, their only company being their own breath and the distant voices of people in class.
Around other people, it wasn’t odd for conversations with Gin to be pretty one sided— verbally , at least. She was always quiet, and it was almost unusual for her to offer a response to something.
But that was around other people. Never with Higuchi. The silence from the girl next to her picked at Higuchi’s brain until she built up the courage to ask just what was causing the awkwardness between them.
“…You’re being awfully quiet,” Higuchi said, leaning closer to Gin who had jumped, slightly startled.
“You’re the one being quiet,” She bit back, looking somewhat offended.
Higuchi smiled, tugging at Gin’s arm. She saw Gin try and bite back her smile as they entered their last class of the day, Theatre.
“We should go to my house later,” Higuchi said as they took their seats at the desks in the back.
“You need help studying?” Gin raised an eyebrow. Whenever hanging out with each other, it’s almost always at Gin’s house. That is, unless Higuchi needs help studying. She said it was because she can’t focus unless she’s in her room, but Gin knows it’s most likely because of her obvious crush on her brother, Ryunosuke, something she didn’t like to be reminded of often.
“Yeah, I do. How’d you know?”
“Intuition.”
The conversation ended when their teacher entered the room.
Ms. Ozaki was an… interesting character, to say the least. It wasn’t that she was mean or strict, she was just incredibly intimidating. Talking to her was scary, and although she never said anything harsh almost anyone who approached her walked away barely holding in tears.
As soon as she entered the room, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Heads turned to watch her as close as possible as she stalked towards the front of the classroom. No one ever messed around or got caught not paying attention in her class, because no one wanted to find out what would happen.
When she opens her mouth, the words she says are harmless, but it sounds like she’s spitting poison.
“If everyone could please take out their scripts from yesterday, I’d like for everyone to review their lines before we move on to a different activity. Don’t forget that your performance is next week and so are auditions for the school play. I hope to see at least one of you there,” Ms. Ozaki said, throwing a small glance at Higuchi. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything.
The class continued on. For most people, the hands on the clock seemed to move as slow as honey. For others, specifically Higuchi, who always enjoyed this class more than others, it passed by at the speed of light.
When the bell rang, Higuchi threw a glance at the clock on the wall as the rest of her classmates threw themselves out of the room. Surprised at how quickly the time passed, she turned towards Gin to leave.
“Higuchi, could I please speak with you for a moment?”
She froze in place.
She had read her lines correctly, right? She never lost focus, she didn’t do anything wrong.
So just why did Ms. Ozaki need to speak to her? Her of all people? Why?
A look of alarm passed Gin’s face before she signaled to Higuchi that they’d be waiting outside the door.
Higuchi nodded stiffely before reluctantly turning towards her teacher, praying she wouldn’t notice that she was practically shaking.
“Are you alright? You’re shaking.”
There goes that.
“Oh, just cold! No worries,” Higuchi said before sitting in one of the chairs in front of her teacher’s desk.
“Alright then, I’ll have to ask the custodian to turn the heat up…”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that! I’m just colder than usual today…for some reason.”
Higuchi smiled, hoping it’d be enough to convince Ms. Ozaki, who looked at her curiously. Higuchi face palmed internally, what was wrong with her?
“Well, I apologize for holding you back here. I had a few questions for you regarding the play,” Ms. Ozaki said. Higuchi shot her a questioning glance.
“Romeo and Juliet, right?”
“Correct, have you thought about auditioning?”
If Higuchi’s eyes weren’t already wide open out of fear, they would be now. Because seriously, her? Audition?
Sure, she loved this class. She loved acting. She loved playing a character. But the thought of getting up on stage in front of people and doing that was terrifying.
Ms. Ozaki laughed before setting a piece of paper in front of Higuchi.
Higuchi’s first thought was: Wow, this woman is capable of laughing? I didn’t even know if she knew what a smile was!
Her second thought was just a jumble of words of her trying to piece together what was on the piece of paper she was given.
“I’m guessing you haven’t really thought about it?” Miss Ozaki asked, noticing Higuchi’s obvious confusion. Higuchi nodded.
“I’ve noticed your participation in this class. You act out the characters well and I think you’re honestly extremely talented in this field. I think participating in something like this play would be really great for you.”
It must’ve been obvious from the way Higuchi’s eyes were bugging out of her head, but she didn’t understand a thing, so Ms. Ozaki continued without waiting for a response.
“And contrary to what most people think, finding someone to play Juliet is extremely difficult. Lucky for me, I think I've found someone amazing to play her.”
Ms. Ozaki smiled, “I think you would be perfect for the role.”
—
“Me? Juliet? No way.”
The sky in front of them had turned a peachy pink color as the sun began to set. After the meeting between Ms. Ozaki and Higuchi ended Gin had watched as Higuchi walked out of the drama room looking like her soul had left her body.
Apparently, she was going to be Juliet.
Well—not exactly.
Take your time to just think about it, Miss Ozaki had said, pushing the paper in front of her more towards Higuchi. That paper has more information regarding the role, including some of the lines I’m having students audition with.
Higuchi held that paper now, unfolding it every few minutes to peek at the lines and then close it immediately after.
“I think you should do it,” Gin said, grabbing onto Higuchi’s arm and pulling her to their side.
“Are you crazy?” Higuchi asked, face mere centimeters away from Gin’s.
“Do you remember that time in middle school when we had a sleepover after the first week of school?”
“When you chased me around your kitchen with a knife—oh, nevermind, I shouldn’t have asked that,” Higuchi sighed.
“I think Ms. Ozaki was right. You’re a talented actor, putting that talent into something bigger would be useful.”
“Does that have to be in Romeo and Juliet? As Juliet? ” Higuchi kicked at a rock in front of her, averting her eyes from Gin’s gaze. “It’s a big role. Plus, I’ll have to kiss someone! ”
Oh.
That hit Gin hard.
Of course she’d always wanted to be Higuchi’s first kiss. But after years and years of being by her side she came to terms with the fact that her feelings would never be returned, and that was okay. They were okay with being with Higuchi as a friend. As a partner. As anything but a lover. She just wanted to be with Higuchi, no matter what kind of role they played in her life.
But still, it’s not like they had completely let go of that tiny string of hope that maybe one day, Higuchi would look at them in a different light.
So, when Gin comes to realize that something she’s been longing for for ages is going to be taken by some dude playing Romeo, it hurts.
It hurts, but she still wants Higuchi to succeed. So it doesn’t matter. She will just push those feelings to the side.
Again.
“Congrats, you’ll have your first kiss,” Gin joked, shoving Higuchi’s shoulder.
“With somebody I don’t even know ,” Higuchi turned her head to see Gin beginning to trail behind her. “What’s wrong?”
Gin looked up, lips slightly parted with her cheeks flushed. It was at times like these Higuchi was stunned by Gin and how beautiful they were. It was like she was glowing, and there was no way they could be real.
But she would never tell her that.
Higuchi watched as Gin slowly pressed her lips together (not noticing how much she was paying attention to their lips in the first place) and sped up her pace to catch up with Higuchi.
“Gin?” The name passed through her lips in a whisper, like a secret told in the dead of night.
“It’s nothing.”
Had she done something wrong? Why was Gin being so distant, so silent? She wasn’t like this earlier, so what had caused Gin to act as if Higuchi was someone other than her best friend?
Was it because of earlier, when she had dismissed Gin after they told her she thought they heard something? Or maybe it was before that, when Gin had slipped in a puddle of water near the water fountain and Higuchi hadn’t reacted fast enough to help before she landed on the floor? Or—
“I’ll do it,” Higuchi turned around, grabbing onto Gin’s shoulders and pressing them together. Their faces mere centimeters apart.
Noticing how Gin’s face had gone a bright red, Higuchi pushed them away. She must’ve made it worse…
“I’ll do it,” She repeated. “I’ll take the role of Juliet.”
That’s why Gin was upset, right? Because Gin had wanted her to take the chance she was offered and Higuchi had shut it down?
For the most stupid reason too.
Higuchi waited for a response from Gin, but earned nothing but a blank stare.
“Okay, say something? Why are you being so quiet?”
Noticing the worry in Higuchi’s voice, Gin immediately started talking, “I’m sorry, I’m just really out of it today, it has nothing to do with you and I didn’t mean to make you upset,” She grabbed ahold of Higuchi’s hand and they continued walking at a regular pace towards her house. “I'm glad you’re taking that role, though,” Gin said.
Higuchi smiled, swinging their arms, “You know you can talk to me whenever, right? I’ll always be here for you.”
“I know,” Gin said, returning the smile.
And so they walked all the way to Higuchi’s house, and the hands of the clock on the wall spun until hours they’d meant to spend studying faded into hours of chatting and gossiping and eventually falling asleep only as the sky turned to a pale pink and the sun chased away the stars and greeted the morning birds.