Work Text:
On the train station stayed some girl who expectantly looked at her phone to check the time. The girl had shoulder-length pinkish-red hair that has blunt bangs and pinkish-red eyes. Her name was Arima Kana.
After finishing her work, she waited for the train to finally come back home. So when it arrived, she impatiently went inside to look for a free seat.
She spotted one next to some beautiful girl, with blonde hair tied up at the left side of her head with a blue scrunchie and blue-eyes. She was wearing a high school uniform, which looked slightly similar according to Kana but she wasn't sure what school's it was, and a sweater wrapped around her waist. Her hands holded and tapped something on a phone.
Their gazes met suddenly so Kana decided to ask. "Excuse me... Is this seat taken?"
The blonde looked at her with a wide smile. "No, of course not! You can sit here!"
She did as she was told, hoping she could read her book in silence. Then Arima noticed the girl next to her continued to look at her with a smile.
When she turned her head at her, the blonde finally spoke. "You look kinda familiar... Aren't you, by any chance, an actress? ...No, I know! An idol, am I right?"
"Actually, you aren't wrong on both sides..."
"Oh! So bingo for me x2!" She answered doing some sort of a victory pose.
If Kana were to describe her first impression of a newly met girl, she would say she was undoubtedly false. Her smile, behavior, mannerism, it all were utterly and painfully fake. It looked like she was an actress and her scene, considering circumstances, was probably the entire world. That made her sick, even if acting was her job, that was only for the sake of acting.
"Ughhh... Can you please stop?" She didn’t want to be rude, but her words came through her mouth and her face twisted unconsciously.
The blue-eyed girl blinked at her, looking surprised. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
"Not exactly... I mean... Your behavior, it really seems far from natural." Kana spoke, while regretting in her head why she'd even preach to some stranger.
"I don't know what are you talking about. I guess you are a pretty weird girl yourself."
The more often that girl opened her mouth, the more Kana's annoyance was increasing.
"You can't make a fool of me easily. I have been an actress from the youngest days, it's no problem for me to recognize some crappy acting." She said trying to sound proud and confident, and moreover successfully.
These words seemed to agitate a newly met girl, as her left eye twitched a bit. "Crappy acting?"
"Yeah, it's painfully obvious. Just a single look at you speak how much of a liar you are."
"Tssk. You use some strong words, you..."
"Kana Arima."
"I'm Ai Hayasaka. Pleased to meet you!" After these happy-tone words, she shook her head. "Actually, no. It's no a pleasure at all. Who would ever be chuffed after meeting a rude and insufferable person like you!?"
"Oh? Finally a genuine reaction? I'm starting to like you. Only a tiny bit." Kana grinned mischievously at her. Although, this girl's name sounded too familiar to her due to the certain talented idol, she chose to drop it.
"And it says a girl who started to lose her jobs and popularity before she even turned into a teenager. Talk about a crappy acting!"
"So, you pretended to barely recognize me, but, in fact, you know all of my biography? We have a really big liar of a fan here." Arima most likely didn’t see as Hayasaka searched information about her on her phone.
Kana's and Ai's arguing predictably got a lot of attention. Some people around them started whispering and moved their attention to their fight.
...It didn't seem like they are going to stop soon though.
"Not a fan, maybe lying, but I can at least do my job properly, unlike some prodigious child actress."
"Oh, please. You probably don't even know how hard acting can really be. ...Wait, don't tell me you are an actress as well?"
"Not at all, well, but it's required of me to take different roles. I'm a maid of the famous Shinomiya house."
Then there was a big silence, as Kana slowly and carefully studied every word.
Different. Roles. Maid. Famous. Shinomiya. House.
The heck was Shinomiya house?! How is it famous? I have never heard about it! And why would it be neccessary for a maid to take different roles?
Seeing Arima's confused face, Hayasaka spoke, reckoning what her answer would be. "I know what you are thinking. Being maid isn’t hard at all. You just have to do cleaning tasks, listen to the commands and be polite." Ai gently flied her fingers through her hair before looking directly at Kana. "...But you could not be more wrong! I overwork myself every day and my lady doesn't even appreciate me! For example, yesterday... "
As Hayasaka kept talking about her work, Kana started to feel a bit guilty. Maybe she went a little too far after all.
"Well, look, I'm sorry if I sounded condescending, I have always had a sharp tongue... What I mean is I completely understand how you feel! Sometimes it seems like no matter how hard you try, nobody really appreciates you." Arima reassuringly put her hand on Ai's arm.
How come I must comfort some stranger?I am absolutely the worst person to do that... Kana thought, even though she could relate to her new acquaintance, it was still hard to find the right words.
"I'm really sorry, I got overwhelmed by emotions... Thanks for trying to cheer me up anyway."
"Sure, you are welcome."
There was a long, awkward moment of silence between them. Hayasaka was tapping something on her phone while Arima looked blankly through the window.
"So? Is there something about you, worth of sharing about?" Then Ai broke the ice suddenly, what made Kana to look back at her.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You know, I would hate it if I were the only one complaining all the time. Popular actress and idol like you definitely has some weight on your shoulders. Plus you said it yourself, how you empathize with my story." She put her chin on her hand while speaking and smirked, even if just a tiny bit.
"Ughhh... that’s a little too sudden, but I will let it pass. Normally, I wouldn't trust you at all, but someone who complains so earnestly about their problems can't have bad intentions."
"Believe me, it doesn't happen often. Actually, it might be the first time."
"I'm the lucky one then, hmm? What an irony... Alright, where should I start..."
Kana slowly and gradually poured her heart out to Hayasaka, even though she was still reluctant. The actress had to admit though, her new friend made a good listener.
Maybe she wants to repay me for what happened before... There is no way my babbling actually interests her.
Just when Arima finished her talking, she turned her gaze on Hayasaka.
"Huh?"
There were tears dwelled in Ai's eyes.
After about an hour of travelling, Kana had stretched her arms and yawned. She nearly reached her destination, so she had to prepare herself to exit.
"I see now. You are not only a public noisance, but a crybaby as well." She spoke to Hayasaka and deeply sighed afterwards.
"You are the one to talk, you snarky complainer."
That response was enough to make Arima grin. She put the hat on her head and took the bag in hands. Meanwhile, Ai didn’t even avert her gaze from her phone and continued tapping, pretending not to pay attention.
"I'd like to remind you that you’re the one who asked for my personal life." In that moment, she stood up from her seat. "...Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it?"
The train slowed down. They both knew it's time for Arima to go. And then, they will probably never meet again.
It's also safe to say, they will never have a meeting like this once again. Getting in a fight, and then having a breakdown near a stranger, it sounds ridiculous after all.
Yet, their back and forth seemed more natural now. Reminding more of a banter between old friends. It sounded even more ludicrous.
"So, goodbye. We didn’t spend too much time together, but it was a nice meeting nevertheless."
"Yeah, take care. It was a pleasure to meet you... To a degree at least."
They exchanged gazes and smiles for the last time, before Kana turned to get out of this crowded train.
Not like she was going to admit it, but she kind of regrets they would never meet again. Both of them shared their deepest feelings with each other, after all. That’s not something you casually do even with your closest friends. On the contrary, maybe that's why it was so easy. Additionaly, she really thought they started to get along.
So that simply wouldn't do...
When she came home, Kana checked her twitter account.
Ai Hayasaka followed you.
Oh. Maybe our acquaintance isn’t completely over after all...