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Sometimes Haruka wondered what Kaori really thought of her.
Ever since she became president the pair had spent less and less time together. Just the year before they'd been inseparable. Of course, they also had to deal with the crisis of first years quitting. Perhaps that's what drove the wedge between them. Whatever the divider was, it was slowly driving Kaori away. First she'd stopped walking home with Haruka, then she avoided starting conversations with her.
Haruka wasn't sure what was causing it, and she didn't have the courage to ask. She couldn't bring herself to bring up the topic. All she did was keep going on as if nothing had changed.
She wondered if Kaori could see the strain in her smile.
Asuka saw it, and even asked about it one day.
"What's going on with you, Haruka?" Asuka cornered her after a disastrous section leader meeting, arms crossed in displeasure. She trapped Haruka in the corner, using her superior height to keep the other girl in place.
"It's nothing." Haruka tried to walk past her, but Asuka stood firmly in the way. Neither of them noticed a shadow lurking near the door.
"It's not nothing." The two girls stared at each other, fighting to see who was more determined. Asuka won the impromptu staring contest. As usual, Haruka thought to herself.
"Kaori's been distant lately, I'm not sure what to do." The saxophone player shifted her gaze down to the floor. She didn't really like to open herself up to Asuka, the other teen often said strange things.
"Hmmm." Asuka scratched her chin. "Try talking to her, it might help." She smiled reassuringly while actually dispensing useful advice for once.
"What if she doesn't want to be friends anymore?" Haruka's true concern, the main reason she hadn't brought this up until now, spilled out of her mouth rapidly. "I-I don't know what I'd do."
Asuka shrugged. "Then you'll make different friends." That was more along the lines of what Haruka expected from Asuka. "But I don't think that's it." Her face suddenly lit up. "I bet she's still at school, you could go talk to her now!" Asuka grabbed the shorter teen by the arm and started dragging her towards the shoe lockers.
"B-but I…" No amount of protesting would save Haruka from Asuka's tugging grasp. She gave up and walked along; the struggle wasn't worth falling down the stairs. The pair soon made it to the front of the school. Kaori was still there, shuffling around things in her shoe locker. They hid around the corner, just out of sight.
"Now go get her!" Asuka whispered enthusiastically. "And don't let it bother the section leader meeting again!"
She shoved Haruka forward, and Kaori startled at the sound of footsteps. She recovered from her surprise quickly when she saw who it was.
"Hey Haruka." Kaori waved with one hand. "You leaving?" She'd already put most of her stuff away and was preparing to put on her shoes.
"Yeah." Haruka nodded, walking towards Kaori. "I've gotta get home soon."
'"Not too soon, I guess." Kaori scoffed, leaning down to put her shoes on. "I saw you with Asuka." Oops, she didn't mean to say that. She'd told herself after she saw them that she wasn't going to mention it.
"W-what!?" Crap, Haruka almost panicked, did she hear our conversation? She flailed both of her arms frantically. "W-what did you see?"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the President and Vice-President making out in the band room." Kaori smiled at her friend, but it didn't reach her eyes. She stood up and picked up her bag while getting ready to leave the school. "But you might want to pick a better hiding spot."
"N-no you're wrong." Haruka shook her head in denial. "We definitely weren't doing that no, no, no." Her cheeks flushed bright red at the very thought. There was no way she'd ever get together with Asuka of all people.
"Oh." Kaori tilted her head in confusion, but didn't question it. "Well then, see you." Since she already had her bag, she attempted to scurry away. Anything to escape this mortifying situation.
"Wait." Haruka said quietly. Even though her voice lacked force, Kaori stopped dead in her tracks. "Why've you been avoiding me?"
Kaori spun on her heel, giving a hollow fake chuckle. "I haven't been doing th…"
"Don't lie to me!" Two clenched fists trembled by Haruka's sides. "If you don't want to be my friend, then just tell me! I… I can't." Tears sprung up in the corner of her eyes.
Kaori took a deep breath and stepped closer to Haruka. She stopped at arm's length. "It's just." She looked away and almost thought she could see Asuka lurking around the corner. "You've been spending so much time with Asuka lately, I just thought you'd be happier with her."
Haruka blinked once in surprise, one tear escaping down her cheek. "You idiot." She sniffled. "I'm happiest when I'm with you." It took her a moment to realize what she said. "I-I mean, I would never replace you. Even with Asuka."
"Good to hear." Kaori smiled softly. "I'm sorry I've been distant." She ran one hand through her hair.
"I should've brought it up sooner." Haruka sighed. "I was just afraid that you'd reject me just like everybody else." A nagging voice in Haruka's mind said that Kaori still could, but it was silenced by the trumpet player's response.
"Everybody else is stupid!" Kaori waved one fist in the air. "You're amazing! Smart, great at saxophone, beautiful…" Her cheeks darkened a few shades.
"Thanks." Haruka moved in for a hug, wrapping her arms around her friend. "And I'm sorry as well."
Kaori returned the hug, cherishing the warmth Haruka provided. "It's alright." An automatic bell in the school dinged, alerting them that five o'clock had come. They ignored it, just for a bit.
The pair stayed there for a minute before letting go, brushing off their uniforms and leaving the school together. An observer, one Asuka, watched them vanish into the sunset.
She wondered if that's what having real friends was like, but dismissed that dreary thought for another day. She still had a couple hours to practice euphonium before she needed to get home, and now there weren't any other pesky students to bother her.