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“Haruka? Where’d you go?” Minori poked her head around the few corners that Sekai had, at least backstage. Every time she went back there, she was astounded by the green rooms, changing rooms, and storage rooms that seemed so vast, yet so compact. She wondered if Miku, Rin, and the others had seen the end of it, or if they’d ever even tried.
She followed the little she could hear, knowing the Virtual Singers were practicing on one of the stages further away from where she was looking. All she had to go off of was a single-word message from Haruka, directing her from Sekai. Practice was good earlier, and they didn’t have any schoolwork or idol work to prepare for, so she really had no clue what Haruka wanted.
Finally, she heard some shuffling sounds from one of the costume storage rooms, like the fabric was moving. It was the only room that already had the door open; it was a miracle she hadn’t seen that before. “Haruka? Are you in here?” She pushed the door open more, her eyes adjusting to the dark.
Minori was more than used to her own bouts of anxiety and panic, but she never truly believed she’d see Haruka, Airi, or Shizuku panic that way. Her breath caught when she saw Haruka half-hidden by dresses and stage outfits, her hands up by her throat.
She didn’t give herself the time to overthink and catastrophize. She got herself right to Haruka’s side.
Up close, Minori saw that Haruka’s hands weren’t just by her neck, but there were red streaks where her nails were raking. She was hyperventilating, too—a panic attack of some kind, if Minori ever saw one. And knowing the kind of things Haruka went through regarding someone’s voice…
“Haru-chan,” she said, using her special nickname to try to get Haruka’s attention. “Follow my breathing.” She breathed exaggeratedly, so it would be more obvious even if Haruka couldn’t fully pay attention. As she did, she reached out slowly, pulling Haruka’s hands away from her throat. Minori didn’t let herself think too much about what she was doing without knowing what happened, but she was relieved to see that there was no blood anywhere.
One step at a time. Haruka’s eyes were downcast still, fixed at some spot beyond Minori’s stomach, like she was looking right through her. “Haru-chan, can you hear me?” she asked, taking a short break from the breathing that Haruka wasn’t following. She frowned to herself when she didn’t get a response.
Logically, there were other steps that made more sense, like getting Miku or Kaito and seeing if they would know how to help.
But Minori’s mind wasn’t always a logical one. With Haruka’s hands still in hers, she started singing.
It was just the first song that came into her mind, a lullaby her mom used to sing her before going to bed to ward off nightmares. She swayed from side to side, hoping that if she performed the motion, Haruka would mirror her.
She needed Haruka to hear her, to ease out of whatever had her feeling so awful. Because if that didn’t work, she had no idea what to do next.
By the time she reached the end of the lullaby, Haruka had at least stopped hyperventilating, her fingers curling around Minori’s. Her eyes were tinged red, wet with unshed tears. Even though her breath was shaky, it was at least coming regularly. Minori had had enough episodes like that in her life to know that everything else could heal later, so long as the breath support was there.
She squeezed Haruka’s fingers gently. “Can you hear me now, Haru-chan?” Haruka nodded. “Good. Do you want water or anything?”
“No. Stay, please.” Her voice sounded almost raw. Her grip was weak, but she still held on tightly to Minori.
“As long as you need, Haru-chan.”