Chapter Text
Her first lecture since starting university… Asuka made sure to get in early to make sure she secured a good seat. Anticipating it might be busy, she arrived 10 minutes before her lecture began. Luckily, the classroom was unused, so she entered a somewhat empty lecture hall. There were some people who were more eager and arrived earlier than her, but she was one of the first to arrive. She sat there reflecting on the path that got her here. From leaving Kitauji and the band behind, moving to Tokyo and the start of her new studies. She thought back to her final year as vice president for the concert band, how she almost gave up, thought about Oumae-chan who provided support even though she probably didn’t realise. Asuka reflected on her move and despite the fact that she “gave up” on concert band, she still brough along her beautiful silver euphonium. She wasn’t sure why because in her tiny dorm, there’s no way she’d be able to play, nor did she intend on joining any concert bands. Her mind then drifted to her closest friends, Kaori, and Haruka. Though the trio all went to Tokyo to further their education, Haruka and Kaori ended up at the other campus. Asuka did have to admit, she felt sad at the prospect of being unable to see her best friends every day.
Lost in thought, she didn’t realise when a boy with black scraggly hair walked up to her. He was sporting a plain black t-shirt and dark blue jeans.
The boy turned to her and said, “This seat taken?” and gestured to the seat beside her.
The sudden interaction jolted Asuka out of her train of thought, she immediately snapped out of her internal thoughts, put on a gracious smile, and replied, “Nope, in fact this seat is open for the taking, if you so dare” Asuka beamed at him taking time to carefully analyze and try to decipher what kind of person this stranger is. She continued “In fact, since you asked so nicely, I’ll even offer you a piece of candy!”
A trick Asuka was all too familiar with, in fact one she pulled on her kouhai Katou-chan back when she first joined Kitauji concert band. The boy looked at her with his piercing grey eyes.
“Thank you very much” he replied, as he reached towards the fake hand Asuka was keeping neatly tucked into her sleeve, he suddenly grabbed the wrist of the fake hand yanking it out of Asuka’s sleeve.
“Ha, nice try. Good trick. I’ll still be keeping the candy and the seat” the boy said with a charming smile.
Asuka looked stunned that he so quickly saw through the trick. As the boy sat down, he introduced himself “By the way, I’m Hanagawa Rika. Nice to meet you…”
Asuka knew where he was leading and continued with “Tanaka Asuka, nice to meet you too Hanagawa-san.”
It was then when the professor walked in. An elderly fat man with a head of grey hair, he spoke with a clear voice as he introduced himself to the class. Clearly much of the class was also first year students attending their first ever University lecture. After brief pleasantries and introductions, the professor began going through course expectations and began his lecture.
In what seemed like ages, the professor finally finished and dismissed class. As everyone began to pack up, Rika turned to Asuka and said, “Hey Tanaka-san, when’s your next class?” Asuka checked her schedule again simply to give her time before responding, where in reality, she already knew her schedule like the back of her hand.
“Not until the afternoon, what about you?” she replied.
A smile spread across Rika’s face “I don’t have class for a few hours either, I was going to check out the club fair. Would you like to join me?” Asuka hadn’t given much thought about joining any clubs in university, after spending so much time in the concert band in high school, she wasn’t sure if she had it in her to do anything else. Though, its not like she had anything else do to, and this person seemed rather interesting.
“Sure, I’d be interested to see what types of clubs they offer here.” The pair set off towards the club fare, making small talk and comparing schedules to see if they had any other classes in common.
When they arrived at the club fair, they were both taken aback by the sheer number of little booths set up. One dedicated for each club available at the school, it ranged from typical sports and intermural teams to much more obscure things such as the yakimikan appreciation club. Rika first broke the silence with a simple “wow, I knew they had a lot of clubs here, but seeing this is a whole other level.” Asuka silently nodded in agreement. Rika continued “I did check the school website for a list of clubs, it was quite a long list. Is there anything that you wanted to check out Tanaka-san?”
Asuka thought about it for a moment before replying “Not really, was there anything you were looking at?”
In all honesty, Asuka just wanted to wander around, and see what was offered. Immediately her eyes drew towards the section of the club fair which displayed most of the music ensembles. As if reading her mind, Rika spoke up “Yeah, actually, I kinda want to check out the school’s concert band. I used to play in high school.”
Asuka turned to him with a hint of surprise on her face “Oh really? I did as well” she said enthusiastically.
“What did you play?” asked Asuka “Was it the best instrument in all of the concert band?” she added as she pushed up her bright red glasses.
Rika returned with a big grin on his face “Of course, I get the feeling we played the same instrument. On three. Three, two, one…” “Euphonium” they both shouted out in unison, resulting in a small laughing fit.
Rika smiled “Guess I was right, must be destiny huh.”
Asuka smiled gently “be careful what you get yourself into.” The two walked towards the booth set up for the concert band.
As the pair approach the concert band booth, they are greeted by a short girl with black hair sporting two braids down each side of her head. She greets them with a warm smile, with her soft voice she introduces herself, “Nice to meet you, are you interested in joining the concert band?”
The two first years nod their heads in silence. The girl continued “My name is Hidaka Yuka, and I’m the assistant director. I’ve been a TA under Iwate-sensei for a few years, he’s the director of the band. You two are both first years I take it? What instruments do you play?”
Asuka was the first to respond with “Eupho, I’ve been playing since I was very young.”
Rika followed up with “I play eupho as well, not for as long though.”
Yuka’s eyes light up with excitement “Really?!? TWO eupho players? That’s great. We just had our most senior euphonium player graduate, so we are in need for some fresh blood in euphonium.” She pulled out a clipboard and a pen “What are your names? If you’re interested, I can help get you registered.”
Rika responded first “Rika Hanagawa.”
“Asuka Tanaka” Asuka followed with a small cheer.
Yuka wrote some notes on her clipboard and handed them both a sheet of paper “Please fill this out with some personal details, and hand them back to me. Also, I just want to let you know that for those not majoring in music, you will have to undergo an audition process to see if you will be allowed into the band. Is that alright with you both?” The two first years nodded their heads. “Great, I should have some spare copies of the euphonium audition music. Also, if you need a room to practice in, because I know euphonium is too loud for the dorms, here’s directions to practice rooms.”
She hands them both a map of the campus with the music building circled, and a note written down on where various practice rooms could be found. She then reaches for her bag underneath the table, and pulls out two sets of sheet music, and hands one to each. “Best of luck in your auditions, you should receive an email shortly with details regarding your audition.”
The pair thanked Yuka and went on their way. As they departed, Rika checked his phone for the time “Oh shit, I gotta meet up with someone for lunch before my class. I gotta run or else I’m gonna be late. Tanaka-san, do you want to meet up later today to check out the practice rooms?”
“Sure! I’d be happy to go along, it’ll be nice to have some company” Asuka replied with a friendly grin.
“Awesome, I’ll see you at 5 in front of the music building then” Rika said before taking off. Asuka sighed to herself, that boy had a lot of energy, truly something else. She checked her watch noticing she had a bit more time to kill before heading to class. Maybe it’s best to familiarize herself with campus and her surroundings. Off she went to do a little bit of exploring, and perhaps a little bit of people watching too.
“I of course play the greatest instrument in the band, that being euphonium. Same as Rika.” Itsuki laughed a little.
“Funny to see that you are just as passionate about the euphonium as Ri-kun. I’m sure the three of us will get along great. If it’s practice rooms you’re looking for, those two have so far been unoccupied.” She pointed towards the two rooms across from the one the trumpet player occupied.
“Thanks sis. I’ll be sure to stake my claim on the territory right away” replied Rika as he hurried to occupy the empty practice room.
This left Asuka and Itsuki by themselves, Asuka simply observed Itsuki, noting the physical similarities between her and her twin. The similarities between the two were striking, even up to their postures. Though something about the sister made her slightly easier to read than the twin brother, Asuka felt that she had an easier time understanding and reading the thoughts of Itsuki than Rika. Itsuki was the first to break the silence “By the way Asuka-san, do you mind me calling you Asuka-san? Do be careful around Rika. I know he’s my twin and all, but he has this strange ability to read people. It’s honestly a little uncanny… Just a fair warning to you. I’m sure you’ll ace the audition and I’ll see you in concert band.”
Asuka stewed on the warning (or was it a warning?) given by Itsuki before replying in earnest “Thanks for the heads up Itsuki-san, but I’m sure it will be fine. Plus, I’ll have you with me, right? I’m sure the three of us will make great friends.” At the mention of a trio, Asuka immediately thought about Haruka, Kaori, and herself. How were the other two doing at the other campus? Asuka was going to video call them later today, and I’m sure they would have lots to tell her about their first day of university. She couldn’t wait to hear from them again. She looked at the room across the hall to see Rika-san admiring the inside of the room, stretching about, and making himself at home. She then turned towards Itsuki-san and excused herself before heading upstairs and going back to her dorm. The walk back was plagued by comparisons between her old and new friend trio. Thoughts of how she would balance these new relationships and friendship groups fleeted across her mind. She was sure she could handle it though, nothing that Tanaka Asuka couldn’t handle.