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It had been Karen’s idea for a big, cross-school trip. As stage girls, there was a lot they could learn from each other. Koharu had agreed immediately. If Seiran wanted to come out on top, they needed to work for it. Just like Yakumo had said, they would take everything that was good and use it to further themselves. Rooms were divided up, and after a long day, they were all dismissed to go to bed.
Suzu stretched her arms above her head as they walked down the hall. "Phew! I'm beat."
Hisame yawned. "Agreed, but I think we learned a lot today."
"Oh, definitely! I had lots of fun, too!"
Their conversation devolved into reminiscing about everything that had happened. Koharu was content to listen to their chatter. Sometimes, she preferred to just listen to the two of them talk. Koharu led the way down the hall, key in hand. Her eyes scanned the signs next to each door, looking for their number. Of course, because it was Suzu and Hisame, they quickly started bickering about something Koharu couldn't keep up with. Suzu probably started it, as she often did.
"Here we are," Koharu said, stopping in front of the door.
As soon as the door opened, Koharu's heart almost stopped. They had bunk beds.
"No…" she whispered in disbelief, stepping forward.
"Oh, sweet!" Suzu kicked off her shoes and ran into the room. She clambered up the ladder and settled into the top bunk. "This is awesome!"
Koharu's hands started to tremble. She clasped them tightly in front of her. "This can't be happening."
Hisame set a hand on her shoulder. Her brow was furrowed in concern. "What's wrong?"
"They're trying to set us up for failure." She wasn't looking at Hisame while she spoke. Koharu looked down at her own hands. "They're trying to tear us apart."
Suzu poked her head back up from the top bunk. "What are you talking about?"
Koharu scowled. "Don't you see? There's three of us, but only two beds."
The three of them fell quiet. Then, Suzu burst into laughter. Hisame let out a little snort before joining in. Koharu was taken aback. Maybe she wasn't clear enough?
"Either one of us will have to sleep on the floor, or one of us will have to sleep alone while the other two share. No matter what, one of us will have to be singled out." Koharu clenched her fists at her sides. "I can't stand the thought of that."
"Well." Hisame led Koharu further into the room with a hand on her back. She and Suzu exchanged a glance.
Suzu climbed down the ladder and settled into the bottom bunk as closely to the wall as she could get.
"We'll just have to share the bottom bunk." Hisame gently pushed Koharu down into the bed.
Koharu said nothing as she was sandwiched between the two girls. There was barely enough room for the three of them. Even lying on their sides, it was cramped. From behind her, Suzu wrapped an arm around Koharu's middle. In front of her, Hisame clasped their hands together.
"See? This isn't so bad."
Koharu took a deep breath in. She could feel the warm bodies of her comrades against her. She cracked a smile. "Right."
"Let's get ready for bed," Suzu said, yawning.
"We've got another long day tomorrow," Koharu agreed.
They took turns showering, then they crowded around the small sink together to brush their teeth. Once everyone was ready for bed, the three girls piled back into the bed. Only one blanket covered them. Hisame was dangerously close to falling off the bed. Koharu shifted back to make more room, only to find Suzu flush against her.
"It's a bit of a tight fit," Koharu said.
Suzu laughed. "Yeah. It's warm, though."
Koharu wrapped her arms tight around Hisame. "I won't let you fall."
Hisame giggled. "Thanks."
They all fell silent for a moment. Then, Suzu spoke up.
"So who's going to turn the light off?"
Hisame gasped. She carefully disentangled herself and trotted across the room to click the switch. Then, she took her place back in the bed.
Hours later, Koharu woke up to a sharp elbow poking in her ribs. One of her arms was trapped underneath someone's torso. Truthfully, she wasn't sure whose. Koharu shifted to try to get more comfortable.
Suzu mumbled quietly near her ear. "No chocolate this time. It doesn't go with noodles."
Koharu smiled.
Hisame clung tightly to her front. Each of Koharu's comrades had their sleeping quirks. Hisame's was that she latched onto whoever was closest. Koharu liked the feeling of being squeezed. It was almost like having a weighted blanket. If there was enough room, she would have liked to roll onto her back to feel Hisame's weight on her. Alas.
"No," Suzu whined. "I already said no sprinkles."
Koharu closed her eyes and fell back asleep.
The next time she woke up, it was because Suzu was climbing over her and Hisame. She only shook them up a little as she fell into a heap on the floor.
Hisame groaned and snuggled into Koharu's chest.
"Suzu—-" Koharu started.
"Shh! You'll wake Hisame!"
" You already did that!" Hisame said, lifting her head to show a pout.
"I'll be back." Suzu pulled herself off the floor and started toward the bathroom.
With a little wiggle room now, Koharu rolled onto her back. She sighed contentedly. Hisame rested her head on Koharu's chest. She gave her a tight squeeze. Koharu leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
Koharu fell asleep again, breathing in time with Hisame.
It was a while later when she woke up in a tangled mess of limbs. Koharu's sleeping shirt had ridden up at some point, and she felt a chill against her back. Despite that, her skin was hot from the excess heat of three people crammed in such a small space. Koharu did not know where her limbs were at the moment.
Sleep clouded her mind as Koharu took stock of her situation. Sunlight was streaming through the window, illuminating the room. Koharu wiggled the fingers on her left hand. Pins and needles ran up her arm. It was stuck under a pillow. Koharu wiggled the fingers on her right hand. Something heavy was on top of her hand, likely someone's body.
Hisame and Suzu were still asleep. They looked so peaceful. Koharu felt a warm feeling in her chest. She was so thankful to have the two most important people in her life by her side.
Suzu's nose twitched. She had a piece of Hisame's hair in her face. When she woke up, it was with a loud sneeze that made both her and Hisame jolt up.
Suzu wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. I've got hair in my mouth." She stuck her tongue out and picked at her tongue.
“Don’t sleep with your mouth open next time,” Hisame said. She stuck her tongue out, evidently not feeling even a little sorry.
Koharu freed her left arm from its place under a pillow. Her right hand was trapped by Suzu's leg. She wiggled her fingers again.
Suzu lifted her leg. "My bad."
Now with full usage of her arms, Koharu wrapped the two girls in a hug. "I'm glad you're both here."
Suzu laughed, throwing an arm around her. "What's gotten into you?"
"You know Koharu. She's always sappy in the morning," Hisame said, returning her hug.
Silence fell over them as they basked in the peace of morning. Then, a phone alarm went off.
Suzu quickly pulled away. "We better get down before breakfast ends!" She jumped out of bed and started getting ready for the day.
Hisame groaned. "You're already this excited?"
Koharu nudged her with a smile. "She wouldn't be our Suzu if she wasn't."
"That's true."
And Koharu wouldn't have it any other way.