Chapter Text
1am. It's already that time again.
Mizuki lets herself fall on her chair and stare at the empty screen of her pc for a while. She reaches her hand out to boot up the pc and her reflection vanishes. Taking her headset from the table like she does everyday, Mizuki quickly opens Nightcord. A few people are missing, huh? Well, it doesn't matter. She still joins the call.
"Hello, Enanan~ Where are Yuki and K?"
"Ah, hi. I don't know. They should be here soon though."
Mizuki tilts her head. It's unusual for Kanade and Mafuyu. She doesnt pay it any mind though. Happily, Mizuki looks around some files the group has sent her. Ena keeps quiet for a while before speaking out of the blue, catching Mizuki by suprise.
"Hey, Amia, how about we hang out tomorrow? I still have a bit to discuss and it would be nice to spend the day like that."
"Ah, sure. I think I could go tomorrow after school. Are you sure you wont be tired by then? Haha~"
"I can do that. I could even come pick you up from school."
"Ohh~ Im counting on it then!"
Mizuki smiles to herself. She didnt belive Ena would actually come pick her up but its a nice thought. After all, they didnt hang out in a while.
Later on in the night Mafuyu and Kanade came too and they did their usual, mostly muted and working on their upcoming songs. However Mizuki couldnt get the fact that Ena would really come looking for her out of her mind. At least last time they were at their school together it went a bit... unexpected to say the least. Ending up telling lies was not on Mizukis list that day. This day ended with this last thought; Maybe one day she could finally stop lying to everyone around her.
The next day Mizuki got up a little bit more earlier than usual, no real reason for it. Would Ena actually show up? Does she even know where Mizuki's classroom is? Mizuki doubts it. She spends the entire day in school thinking about the new project of Nightcord and how she could improve her video a bit. The school day ends faster than she could've looked. Mizuki doesnt even realize it until she can see the first colors of orange touching the sky. "Ah, the day is long over! Ena isnt here yet though..." Mizuki thinks about calling her and takes out her phone. She hesitates just a bit but just when she's about to press the green button, a certain someone walks up in front of her. "Hey, Mizuki! Smiling all day long, what happend?" Of course its Rui, and of course he always has an eye out for everything.
"Ah, uhm... Im just waiting on someone. Ena. You should know her, I think?"
Rui puts a hand to his chin. Mizuki can visibly tell when he gets an idea, it's like a light bulb is forming over his head.
"Ahh, you mean the one who was stuck down at the mountian that one time? I remember her."
Mizuki doesnt know if she should be relieved or nodding akwardly. Instead she puts on a smirk, stemming her hands on her hip.
"Yeah, she was a handful, haha." She then proceeds to lose her smirk. "Well, she still didnt show up though. We wanted to meet to discuss a bit about our work..."
Rui crosses his arms and tilts his head.
"Maybe she just doesnt know where to find you."
"It could be... but maybe she didnt come at all."
"Why would she not come? You're friends, right? She must've accepted you and be happy with hanging out with you."
"Uhm..."
At that response, Rui raises his eyebrows.
"Dont tell me you didnt tell her yet."
Mizuki looks to the side, folding her hands behind her back. Her silence was more than a clear answer for Rui. Instead of being suprised by it and keeping silent however, Rui crosses his arms further and throws Mizuki a disagreeing look.
"I dont think you need to be afraid of telling her, Mizuki. From all I've seen that day we saved her and her friend, she seemed very fond of you."
Rui puts a hand to his chin yet again, trying to remember as much as he can from that day.
"And by the way she looked at you... It seemed she really just generally liked you. She didnt look like she would ever come to reject you because of such thing."
Mizuki keeps silent a bit further before staring into the amlost empty hallway, a few students still roaming around at the very back. In that moment, she just looked like she lost that spark in her eye.
"You think I could tell her Im... trans? You know that I know that telling her would only end up in her leaving me... like the rest of them."
Rui's eyes widen for a second before he grits his teeth. He cuts through the air with his hand as if trying to destroy the invisible wall Mizuki built around herself.
"You're wrong! I didnt leave you, I accepted you for who you are. You cant always be afraid of everybody! Not everyone you know are as horrible people, leaving you as soon as you just want to be yourself."
The spark in Mizuki's eyes return for a split second before she turns her gaze, along with her body back to Rui, clenching her fists tightly.
"You wouldnt know! I just dont want her to leave me... I dont want them to leave me or call me wierd for it... Saying but anything further would make it all come tumbling down!"
Even Rui now raises his voice higher than he should've. He just really wants to make his point to his old friend.
"It doesnt matter if you're a transgender woman, Mizuki! You're whatever you want to be and nobody can change that or do anything about it! I mean look at yourself, you are a woman, regardless of what some idiots said in the past, right?!"
Mizuki stares back at him, not even knowing what to say. She knows she's right, it only brings it all to an end if she says anything of that sort to her group. They could never accept her, right? Before she even gets the chance to speak up and give her piece of mind, a third party is suddenly heard from around the corner.
"Mizuki..."
And around it steps Ena. Of course. Mizuki turns around, her eyes wide, pupils thin and breathing heavy and hurting. She feels like taking out her heart and ripping it into pieces, thats how hard it beats at the moment. She heard all of it. Every. Single. Detail. Its over. Mizuki could never talk her way out of this.
Rui looks over at Ena suprised too, thinking that he messed up too by being too loud. He lost his temper, but only to help out a friend. Still, the only thing he did was make it worse. He amlost looks down, deep in thought about what he has done before his head shoots back up at the sound of Mizuki's voice. Her voice trembles, like she's about to tear up.
"E-Ena... You... did not just hear all that, did you?"
Ena lifts both of her hands to her chest. In her hand: her phone. She looks over at the both of Mizuki and Rui, switching her gaze between them.
"I... tried to call you to ask where you went. When I looked around, I heard some voice shouting at someone. I wanted to hide around the corner to wait it out and not interrupt, but... I looked and it was you."
At that, Mizuki's heart sinks low. Is this the end, really? Ena will leave her, just when she grew so close to her heart. Mizuki never wanted to tell Ena about her secret, it was all a lie to comfort her. Even when Ena said they're friends, they're close, Mizuki could ever only bring herself to convince herself only part of it could be true. But in the end it really ends the same as it did back then.
She begins to tear up. Shaking her head very, very slowly, Mizuki takes a step back before rushing forward, bumping into Ena's shoulder and running away along the hall. Ena and Rui both look after her in a panic, Ena clenching her phone tightly.
"Mizuki, wait!"
Before just looking into their doom, Rui raises his first before him, determined.
"What are you doing?! Run after her!"
Ena looks at him a bit puzzled, still in shock.
"Me? But..."
"No buts! You need to talk sense into her now, you're the only one who can do it now or she will totally break herself!"
Ena keeps silent but doesnt take long to make a partially confident nod. She begins rushing off after Mizuki in the hallway, looking around fast when she comes to a crossing and spotting her instantly. Ena takes all the breath she has and runs after her, reaching her hand out in hopes to get quicker to her.
"Mizuki! Mizuki!!!"