Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kitano remembered her first year days; everything had been the same for ages. Touma would sit beside her, laughing as he discussed whatever new poem struck his fancy, and Kitano would smile and beam right back at him as she listened to his speech. The low timbre of his voice slowly deepening as he aged and puberty caught up to him, the steady way he held himself, and the way his hands held the poetry collection steady all captivated her attention. For a while, it was easy to ignore the rest of the world and enjoy her time with Touma. Even though they had all just begun to discover themselves, he wasn't like everyone in their class. Unlike their loud, silly classmates, Touma was much kinder, gentler, and overall more attentive to his studies as opposed to the adventures his friends would take him on. It was nice. It was calm. Calm Kitano could do, there were no expectations, no discussions of college or future careers, nothing. 

Calm meant she could exist and be in the moment here with Touma. 

That made it easy. 

That made the year fly by with nothing notable occurring to either of them. They were flying under the radar just by existing and being themselves. Kitano could sit back and observe how her classmates interact and exist, all the while Touma sat beside her, enjoying his time doing nothing but existing in the same space. It was relaxing being seen in such a way, calming and soothing Kitano so much that she'd force herself to remember that slouching against Touma would be improper - too close for so-called friends, and doing that would draw attention to them and ruin their bubble of peace. She could imagine it with ease, how her classmates would see them, jostle one another, and snicker as they questioned the two if there was anything they'd like to announce. Touma would fluster easily and begin to stutter, and Kitano would do the same. She could vividly feel the way her face would burn and her eyes would squeeze themselves shut as her entire being shifted left and right as she denied the rumors. She could see herself shyly peeking up towards Touma, seeing the way his face matched hers in shade, and how he'd shyly scratch his ear as he'd look away and encourage everyone to shift their attention elsewhere. It'd be embarrassing to experience, but part of Kitano thinks she'd be delighted in the fact that Touma would simply encourage them to move on and not outright deny the rumors. Not like she would. He would be braver than she in that sense. 

Not as cowardly. 

At least that's what Kitano liked to believe. Because the very next year would prove her wrong in a way she never expected from Touma. He'd gone and gotten a few piercings, ditched the glasses, made new friends, and most of all, his personality had done a complete shift. He was no longer reserved or gentle in the ways Kitano had known ever since they were children. Now it was as if they were strangers; the personality and Touma she had known were gone. If she had understood the situation sooner, she would've corrected herself and stated that he had just repressed certain aspects of his personality, but Kitano was never quick on the uptake. 

They were in the same class, but Touma had different interests, new friends, and he wasn't the same. Kitano could see it from the first time they had stepped onto the courtyard and began changing their outdoor shoes into indoor shoes. Touma was missing the overcoat from their school uniform, and his piercings would catch the lights overhead as he walked. He was loud. Boisterous even. As he spoke with his 2 new friends, laughing as they ran through the halls after one shoved the other, only slowing after teachers and students alike voiced their dissent at being shoved so roughly in the morning. Kitano lagged behind them, excusing herself as she bumped into the occasional classmate, content to reach her classroom and just sit in silence. Usually, she would have Touma to chat with as they waited for others to pour in, but she was alone for today. Or maybe the entire year. She had glanced at her school roster, taking in each name and wondering if any of them would get along like she had with Touma before. 

The classroom was being loitered by a handful of students, each of them glancing briefly at Kitano and either mumbling or nodding their good mornings. As was polite. Not friendly. Not familiar, like they were friends. As was polite and proper. Kitano reciprocated and wondered if they could hear the slight longing in her voice as she did. There on the chalkboard was written a simple message. "Students, please sit in alphabetical order." It was that sort of class and teacher then. The strict, orderly kind that thought order first began in the seating chart and would translate over into the rest of the year. Kitano roughly estimated her seat and went to move accordingly. Muttering to herself various surnames as she progressed, slowly setting her things down and surveying how everyone else had settled. There were 2 groups idly chatting around desks, eating bread and drinking juice as they discussed, and there was a group of female students chatting animatedly, even as their faces were buried deep into their own phones. It was nice to see her classmates getting along so calmly, yet Kitano couldn't tamp down the longing and isolation she felt. She felt restless, sitting there with the rest of her classmates all in their own groups, while she sat alone with no snacks to enjoy, and her phone sat steadily in her pocket. She took it out mechanically, going through the motions to appear less lonely and less out of place to soothe her own nerves. 

She was seated near a window, and she realized a tad bit late. It would've been more natural to peer out the said window and act as though she was watching the outside world. Would a bird pass by? After sensing her discomfort, would nature take pity and send interesting creatures to captivate her attention? No. No, it wouldn't, Kitano decided. Because nature had a mind of its own, and it would not bend itself over to accommodate a second year. The seat directly next to the window was still empty. Even as the bell drew closer to ringing and more students poured into the seats, it was still empty. Had she miscounted? Accounting for a student who was absent or one who did not exist in the class, all because she was too considerate to claim such a seat for herself? It was nice to sit next to a window, especially during summer, when the sunlight would warm the glass and the ambient heat would envelop you. It felt good. Kitano shifted uneasily. Should she move over and wait for someone to tell her she was in the wrong seat, or remain as she was and hope she wouldn't be told anything? She frowned as she shifted once more, slowly beginning to stand, before everyone's attention shifted elsewhere. 

"Don't make us sit up front! Hey! Hey! Go for the back, you hear!" A shout erupted from the hallways, ruining the perfect ambient environment. Loud thunderous stomps drew closer to the room as the girls began rolling their eyes, and the others shook their heads in disbelief. 

"Safe!" A boy shouted as he skidded into the classroom, cheering and patting himself on the back as if he were a true star player on a baseball team. "Not for long! Make way here!!" Another screamed as he shot forward and pushed the other forward in a motion Kitabo found too rough to be friendly. "Yah! Be careful! You hear!? I don't wanna deal with apologizing to more people!" Touma yelled before he entered the classroom at last. Kitano's breath caught in her chest, unused to hearing him be so loud and brazen; he had been soft spoken in the past. "Ah man, all the good seats got taken...yah yah! Who are we gonna sit next to now? No one here takes good notes!" One of them began to bemoan their fate as Kitano made eye contact with Touma, who was slowly surveying the classroom. Was it relief that flooded his eyes, or was it a different emotion? He began to move confidently across the room to sit next to her, sitting so self-assured as he turned to their other classmate and began chatting. "Hey, do you mind moving a couple of seats down? Just 2 please for my friends, you know, we wanna sit together," he grinned as he leaned forward, the other two following behind him and smiling charmingly at their classmate, who reluctantly began to move after a little protest. "Good morning, Kitano-san," Touma said casually before turning towards his newfound friends. "Ah, oh, good morning," Kitano said quietly, trailing off as she listened to their ongoing conversation. "Yah, don't worry about it, Kitano takes good notes! I ask her for help all the time when I'm confused, don't worry. It'll be a good year."

"Ugh, but we're straight down the middle of the entire class! Talk about being in the spotlight. Yah. Do you think it'll be easy to cheat sitting where we are right now?" One of them laughed. Kitano wasn't too concerned with learning their names, as they nudged Touma and the other loudmouth. "Hey... don't get us in trouble so early. I don't cheat!" Touma uneasily laughed, though to someone like Kitano, she could spot his discomfort easily. His fingers twitched from where he had them clasped together, and he rolled his neck as if he had a cramp or knot in his muscles. She blinked, watching the way the two loudmouths looked towards each other and snickered again, nudging each other in a way Kitano thought was too rough to be friendly. The buzz cut one [loudmouth #1 kitano had begun to label him] leaned forward conspiratorily and said, "Ah, don't worry, Touma-kun~ we wouldn't dare get you in trouble. You'd prolly snitch on us first to curry favor with some girl, huh?" Loudmouth #1 began grinning soon after as number 2 made a kissy face and crammed his face up in increasingly more pinched expressions. Touma merely grimaced and shakily laughed in response. 

What was the appeal of hanging out with these two? Was it boys being boys? Or was their protection in being with others who were so unlike you? It was strange. Too strange. Too out of character for the Touma she had grown up knowing. She shifted slightly and tried to focus on scrolling on whatever app she could open quickly to act as if she had been doing something better than staring at those 3 so brazenly. She must've looked foolish, she thought with a grimace, sitting there, eyes wide with her phone blank, watching as they interacted with one another. She wondered if she should try to strike up a conversation with Touma now that the 3 had begun to relax and slowly settle down. She opened her mouth, ready to ask Touma how his summer had been, until-

The bell had rung. A loud chiming sound signified the official start of school. She leaned back into her seat and, with a frown, peered downwards towards her lap as she lamented her lack of awareness. "Good morning, yes, hello, I expect all of you to be in your proper seats. Thank you all for fulfilling your duties as students and coming to class on time. Now let me set my books down, and we can get started on my introduction and roll call attendance since we have not voted on class president quite yet." Their teacher, an old middle-aged man, began as he crossed through the room towards his designated desk. He hadn't even looked up once from his destination, Kitano noted. Too focused on one thing to notice how loudmouth #1 and #2 were still scrolling on their phones, snickering at whatever was on their screens currently. Those 2 were as cunning as they were loud, quickly straightening in their seats and acting prim and proper as their teacher turned and surveyed the class.

 "Let's see," He sighed as he idly ran his hand across his brow, "there's supposed to be about 17 of you. I count 16 of you here presently... Alright, running through the list beginning with our A's, Azuma!" He said, beginning roll call with no seconds to spare. 'Yes?" Touma spoke up idly, raising his hand. "Are you questioning if you're present or are you present?" Their teacher dryly said as he looked up from his list, his eyes predictably landing on the front row where Touma should've been sitting had he looked at the blackboard. "You're not in the right seat, Azuma. Neither are your classmates beside you." He frowned before surveying the rest of the class and where they all sat. "Fantastic. Only a handful of you listen and obey my classroom rule. An orderly classroom begins with an orderly seating chart. I'll give you all the opportunity to strive for success and sit yourselves properly as should any second-year student." He stated firmly before turning to his blackboard and beginning to prepare it for a lengthy list of announcements. 

Kitano truly did not know what he expected of them; did he expect them to obey right off the bat? This class wasn't anything of that sort. As a matter of fact, they had all shifted to be seated closer to their respective friends, not at all seating themselves as proper second years ought to. Kitano idly ran her hands across her pants and sighed as he continued writing, oblivious to the fact that his students weren't keen on obeying his every word and instead were interpreting them as they pleased. Touma shifted beside her, leaning down slightly to listen to whatever loudmouth #2 was inevitably going to comment.

"Did he expect that to work? Do you think he's gonna give us all detention if we stay this way?" He snickered, face splitting into a wide grin as the others nodded their assent. "Shhh, shush, let him think we're good second-year students who would never think of defying him." Loudmouth #1 laughed, slouching forward onto his desk in a messy fashion. Was it supposed to be a cool indifference? Or just a casual motion, Kitano was overanalyzing? She shook her head softly before facing the front once more. Their teacher had finally turned around and, upon seeing the state of his seating chart, simply shook his head and slammed a hand down against his podium. "This is how you all view your path to success? A messy seating chart with no sense or rhyme? I hope you all at least put more thought into voting for a class president. It's early enough in the year, you all can shift your class reputation from something less...minute to a grander, more refined reputation." He sneered with the attitude of a teacher who couldn't care less what became of his students. Kitano supposed such biting comments were fair; their class did not have a reputation for being the absolute #1 in academics, nor was their school particularly reputable. Compared to others, they fell low on the rankings in terms of prestige, but such were the perks of being a normal school. They didn't have large, rich families to receive donations from, nor did they have government aid to help cushion the curriculum. It meant classes such as hers were painfully average with a trend towards delinquent behaviors. It didn't mean everyone didn't mean well; they did, but they often picked and chose their battles at will, and bullying was often commonplace in high school. Kitank hoped the year would progress as usual, where she could simply exist and fly under the radar without notice. Or with little notice and zero bullying. Kitano would be content with either, as much as she longed to make more friends and grow closer with others, she knew what was realistic. She could go unnoticed and without bullies or be noticed and potentially draw the attention of bullies. 

"With that out of the way, you all will be welcoming a new transfer student into your class. I expect you all will be at least welcoming and aid your classmates in settling down comfortably at this school." Their teacher spoke decisively before walking over to the door and waving someone in. Kitano took the chance to glance at the blackboard and read all that he had written now that he was preoccupied and out of the way.

"Class president voting will occur at the end of the second week of courses." 

"Reminder: please remain in your lunch groups unless advised otherwise."

The biology and English courses will be held in a different classroom. Please ensure you are on time and in the correct location at these times."

"How quaint." Kitano thought that this year's announcements seemed particularly simple compared to previous years. Previously, announcements had been full of information on which wings would be closed for renovation, maintenance, and accident cleanup. The exact details of which Kitano wasn't too clear on, as their school was notorious for sweeping things under the rug and ignoring said issue for as long as possible. Her thoughts were interrupted by her teacher sighing before he stepped outside the classroom fully. That was quite the strange occurrence. Usually, any transfer students would remain directly outside the classroom door or in the hallways where they could easily see their teacher beckon them inside. Kitano watched the windows of the classroom as he gathered their transfer students from past their classroom and guided them back towards the room. They were saying something inaudible that Kitano couldn't hear, even if she strained her hearing. 

"...sorry. I got distracted, teacher." A low, feminine voice said, sounding monotone and out of place, as their teacher responded. "Don't make it a habit. It's bad enough I've had to go collect you." They both stepped into the classroom, and their teacher stalked back over to his desk, nodding at the blackboard as he passed. "Please introduce yourself, then sit down." He started adjusting his cuffs from where he stood. The transfer student didn't immediately do as he instructed, though, Kitano noted. Oddly enough, they chose to survey the class as if attempting to discern who was a danger to them. She could hear Touma shift in his seat as their gaze swept past him completely, and she could hear the loudmouths whisper to each other conspiratorially.

"Dude, she totally hates us already."

"I know, right? Talk about strange... he just said introduce yourself, not stare everyone down."

Kitano froze when that gaze met hers and felt as though she was being pinned to her seat. They were tall, taller than Kitano at least, with neatly braided hair and dark eyes hidden behind glasses. Unlike Touma, the glasses had done nothing to soften her looks; no, her eyes were too dark and intense for the glasses to have any effect. She had deep eye bags as if she hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages. After a few painful moments of her entire being being stripped and dissected down to its smallest parts, the transfer student finally turned towards the board and picked up the piece of chalk that had been awaiting them the whole time. 

"Hasumi Ena"

Written in simple Kanji as its writer set the chalk down heavily and stepped to the side in a single fluid motion. "Nice to meet you all, my name is Hasumi Ena. Please take care of me." It was said as they bowed mechanically, lowering more than Kitano thought was necessary, before rising with their eyes firmly pointed downwards. "Yes, thank you, please take a seat next to your fellow student Kitano. Kitano, raise your hand, yes, thank you." Their teacher spoke without looking up from his books in one breath before Kitano could even register what he had truly said. It had taken Touma nudging her gently before she shook herself from her stupor and slowly raised her hand. Hasumi had slowly stalked over to the seat next to Kitano, muttering a quiet good morning before slowly lowering themself into their seat and beginning to press themself against the window as if they wanted as much distance between themself and Kitano as possible. "Oh...yeah. Good morning," Kitano shakily said, late with a slight bow of her head as she lowered her hand and tried her best not to stare at the new student. Hasumi merely blinked robotically before nodding once more, shifting their attention towards the front. 

Hasumi was a little strange, but for the most part, normal Kitano had deduced after a week of class and sitting beside each other. She would study their classmates as if they were specimens under a microscope, always seemed angry at everything and nothing at all, answered questions as fast as a true genius, and avoided any meaningful interaction with their peers. Any attempt at conversation was met with curt answers, and when their classmates would grow frustrated and cut the conversation short, she would frown as if she didn't understand what she had done wrong. She was a bit odd on that front, but Kitano wouldn't fault her too much on that. She, herself, was shy and could barely hold a conversation without a little bit of coaxing. But she wasn't the only one picking up on the strange behaviors; she had seen Touma peering over at Hasumi, his brows knitted together in confusion as he watched Hasumi disregard their surroundings and get distracted with their own thoughts. 

Even in the midst of lectures, they would shift their attention outside towards the window and stare at seemingly nothing. Sometimes their facial expression would twitch and their eyes would squint down as if there was something in the distance they were trying to see, but every time Touma tried to gaze past Kitano and out the window, there would be nothing. The outside world would be calm and undisturbed by anyone and anything, and Touma would be left confused. And if Touma was confused, then it meant everyone would inevitably look over to see what had captivated his attention so...

"She's a bit strange..."

"Do you think she's from the countryside?"

"Maybe they do things differently there...."

"She's weird as hell. Shit creeps me out like who just watches people like that? It's super weird." 

Kitano's shoulders drew themselves inwards as she heard her classmates whisper during one of their break periods. Hasumi was sitting nearby, peering outside the window like normal, except this time their entire face was darkened by an intense glare. Kitano had peeked at her, then at the window, confused at the sight of her glare, and found she was glaring at seemingly nothing yet again. She leaned towards the side and tried to focus her vision to catch any little disturbance that could exist. 

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Kitano found nothing out of the ordinary outside. 

"There. A little off center from the fountain." A voice rang out from above Kitano, who, with a jolt, discovered she had leaned so far she was invading Hasumi's personal bubble. "Ah...um... I-I don't know what to look for, Hasumi san...." Kitano shakily stated, leaning back slowly to not disturb Hasumi any further than she already had. "Look right there. Try to really focus." Hasumi stated once more, pointing at the fountain without even glancing at Kitano. Why would she? If she had done so, she would've seen Kitano's uncomfortable and uneasy expression as she realized everyone was now staring at her and Hasumi. Kitano, after a moment of uncertainty, leaned forward once more and tried to focus like Hasumi had said once. "I think.... you're just seeing a mirage, Hasumi-san..." 

That intense gaze snapped towards her, and it took all of Kitano's willpower not to recoil and instead remain as she was. "A mirage? You think it's a trick of the light, then?" Those eyes were pinning her down once again as Hasumi's brows tightened. The longer she stared outside, the longer Hasumi's gaze remained on her. "I....I think so." Kitano shakily sighed, leaning back into her seat properly and trying to ignore the burning feeling of 15 or so students staring at them. "Ah." Hasumi had merely huffed before shifting their attention away from the window, their faces easing as they did so. "I...I think you should focus on your studies instead of the outside," Kitano breathed after a moment of gathering her courage. 

"My studies?" Hasumi had breathed, their eyes glimmering with mirth as if Kitano had said something particularly funny. "Yeah," Kitano muttered, pulling out her phone for the sake of having something tangible to hide in. Hasumi exhaled as if this too was funny before they eventually settled back into their seats and began tapping a slow rhythm against their desk, waiting out the rest of their break. Kitano swallowed thickly as the class slowly shifted their attention away from them both, and finally, the volume in the room increased as they began chatting. Kitano exhaled shakily, fisting her skirt in her hands, wiping away any anxious sweat that had accumulated. Touma wasn't even paying attention to her apparent discomfort, instead messing around with his friends, laughing at something the others had said.

The rest of class progressed as normal, with Hasumi even paying more attention than usual, their attention remaining on their teacher without any deviation towards the window. Kitano felt slightly bad upon noticing this, feeling as though she may have been too harsh on Hasumi, but it was quickly forgotten upon hearing the classroom chores being assigned. She hadn't even noticed that the day had ended and stood up quickly upon hearing her name being called. "Kitano, please help the others mop the classroom." Someone instructed, and Kitano quickly responded to her affirmation. She moved towards the classroom closet where all of the cleaning products were held and, with growing dread, noted that everything she would need was held on the highest shelf just slightly out of reach for her. She turned and tried to find where Touma was, desperately trying to remember what chore he was assigned before someone approached from behind her.

 "Kitano-san," Kitano couldn't help but flinch and yelp as she peeked behind herself in fear. Hasumi was standing behind her, holding a bucket and rag, a small smile crossing their face as they peered down at Kitano from above their glasses. "Here. Let's switch. I'll mop instead." Hasumi started handing Kitano the bucket and rag without waiting for a single response. "I, uh, yeah, ok...that's ok..." Kitano mumbled as her arms were dragged down by an admittedly heavy bucket full of cleaning solution, while Hasumi reached above her head and pulled down the mop bucket with ease. Hasumi watched her stand in place before nodding down at Kitano once and mechanically moving to go fill the mop bucket as Kitano gaped. "Oh...right." Kitano said softly before she began to move towards the desks as Hasumi's figure drew farther away. She began to wipe down each desk carefully and listened to whatever idle chat was going on around her. Everyone seemed to have a consensus to go to a nearby café to 'study'. But Kitano knew what they truly meant. They would go to the café, order drinks and sweets, and spend their time gossiping instead of studying. She didn't bother walking over and asking if she could join them; instead, she chose to sigh softly and focus her efforts back on cleaning. Hasumi had returned after a short while and began mopping a far corner of the classroom in quick, precise strokes. Kitano couldn't help but watch Hasumi's back and shoulders, noting how carefully precise every motion was, as if it were physically detrimental to them to make any unnecessary motions. Hasumi was strangely robotic, Kitano noted once more as she wiped down the desks. 

November 19th, 20XX

"Kitano-san," It was Hasumi again, peering at Kitano through their glasses instead of over them, waiting for Kitano's attention to fully settle on them before speaking. "The library is free to students," Hasumi stated, their brow shooting upwards as they angled themself towards Kitano. "Yes...?" Kitano hesitantly responded after a moment of thought, uncertain why Hasumi was telling her something so obvious. "Does it have poetry collections?" Hasumi followed up, and belatedly Kitano realized the first statement wasn't a statement at all but instead a question. It was a strange way to ask a question, but Hasumi was a strange person. Kitano shrugged. "Ah, yes, do you know where the room is?" Kitano asked, shifting to face Hasumi fully, her expression carefully open and welcoming. Hasumi didn't bother responding verbally, instead shaking their head. "Ah....I could show you. If you...If you want." Kitano responded, her voice shaking before hardening as she gathered her courage and belongings alike. Hasumi grunted before standing, herding Kitano towards the door as if they were afraid she would change her mind after 5 seconds. Kitano lengthened her strides, trying to match Hasumi's natural walking pace as they made their way towards the library. The halls were quiet for once. Everyone else was enjoying the sunlight outside and making plans while she and Hasumi stood inside. 

"It's right here," Kitano softly said, opening the door and trying to stand to the side out of Hasumi's way so they could enter without issue. Yet Hasumi was quicker than her still, reaching over her head with ease and holding the door open while ushering Kitano inside. "...are you looking for something in particular? A series or a certain author-" Hasumi quickly took off after a moment of surveilling the shelves, without waiting for Kitano to finish. After a moment of gaping, Kitano hurried after her and caught up after a brisk walk. Hasumi was already focused on the shelves moving down the walls with an increased narrow focus on the spines of each and every book. "Are you... Do you need help?" Kitano asked quickly, gripping her arm tightly before loosening her grip and letting her hands fall towards her sides. "Kitano-san, do you know poetry from the 1970s? Most people think it was an awful era for Japanese poetry." Hasumi stated with a slight nostalgic grin as if this was an era they personally experienced. "I wonder why." Kitano frowned, uncomfortable with Hasumi's expression, shifting as a new ugly light was unleashed.  "Despite the bad and the evil, the 1970s were rich in their vocabulary and the way it intertwined Western literacy with our own. It was unprecedented for the time. It made everything feel so new, so innovative, and everyone was more scholarly. Conversations were arisingfore. The women's movement was especially notable." Hasumi frowned before their expression eased as they continued to speak even further. "Well...yes, but why that era in particular..." Kitano frowned. She adored poetry herself, enjoyed writing and reading as a pastime, but this was truly leaving a sour taste in her mouth. "You can't ignore the bad and the evil in the world, Kitano. That's how you end with narrow horizons." Hasumi chided as if they were upset, and Kitano was uncomfortable. "I-"

"All kinds of poetry tackle dark subjects, taboo ones others would shy away from and act as if it wasn't based in reality." Hasumi sighed before drawing their attention back to the spines of the books. Kitano shifted her weight before leaning down and following Hasumi's gaze. Their fingers were lightly brushing against the shelves, gathering a disgusting amount of dust along their fingertips without the slightest bit of care. After a while of following Hasumi's move down the aisles with careful precision, they finally selected a poetry collection. Kitano leaned over Hasumi's shoulder and frowned at the dated year. '1970-1989' poetry collection, they held in their hands. "I'm curious. How has everything progressed, and how has it changed? Is it a grand discussion of ideals or is something more bleak?" Hasumi grinned as if sharing a discovery with Kitano. She shifted back and looked away, too uneasy by the entire conversation to even bother trying to continue it. Hasumi's grin slightly faltered before dropping completely as they stuffed said book underneath their arm and moved decisively towards the far wall. "The check out desk is over here, Hasumi-san." Kitano quietly urged, drawing Hasumi's attention back towards her. Hasumi peered back towards her and, with a frown, leaned downwards. "Is there a sheet of paper I ought to fill out? I thought all-" Hasumi began uncertainly before Kitano stopped them. "No, we do things by student ID here. You have a specialized student number that traces things back to you. They scan the barcode underneath your ID to quickly access said info," Kitano patiently explained, albeit a little bewildered at having to explain a concept they had been taught since they were young. Hasumi frowned before reaching into their pocket and fishing out their ID, presenting it towards Kitano as if that answered everything. They even looked angry in their ID photo, she thought to herself. "Yeah." Kitano breathed before trying to encourage Hasumi towards the kiosk, but Hasumi did not move. They instead remained in place, their gaze shifting and jumping quickly from the kiosk to the clerk with an odd emotion in their eyes. "Were they anxious...? To speak to a clerk?" Kitano thought, and after a few painful moments of watching Hasumi frown and tremble in place, she took the book and Hasumi's ID and, in one motion, approached the desk. "Hello," Kitano murmured before risking a quick peek towards Hasumi, who was still standing behind her motionless.

"Ok, please return this within 2 weeks, the date is printed on your receipt. Any late returns may result in late fees. Please be sure to be aware of the date. Kitano tore her attention away from Hasumi and back towards the clerk, accepting the receipt with a nod and a muted thank you. Walking back towards Hasumi, she couldn't help but notice the way everything seemed so novel to Hasumi. Even the way they shakily took the receipt and examined it as if it were something more than a piece of paper.  Kitano watched them for a bit before pulling her phone out to check the time. It was late, she realized with a start, looking back up. Hasumi was still reading the paper receipt and slowly cracking open their book to peer inside, staring at the names stamped inside the cover with wonder. Their lips parted as they silently read the names and years as they were stamped. "Hasumi-san.... It's late, we should head home," Kitano suggested quickly after working up her courage. That drew their attention away from the book and towards Kitano, finally. Their brow lightly knitted itself before their expression relaxed, and a soft smile erupted. "Yeah. Have fun. Don't let a wolf bite you." Hasumi said dryly as if that wasn't the strangest expression Kitano had ever heard. "I- what? That's...really morbid. And strange..." Kitano stuttered, her brain sputtering to a complete stop upon hearing Hasumi's strange words. "It's the time of dogs and wolves," Hasumi stated matter-of-factly as if that explained everything. "It's going to get dark soon... does the city not get dark?" Hasumi slowly continued their head, tilted to the side as they stared. 

"....have a good night, Hasumi," Kitano muttered, turning away and trying her best not to speed away. Hasumi was truly a strange person.

March 3rd, 20XX

"Everyone, we should go see the cherry blossoms after this! If we're early enough, we can beat the crowds to get some good Issta photos!" Matsuno exclaimed excitedly during their end-of-day cleaning. Kitano was sure she didn't actually mean everyone, even looking across the room to where Touma stood, his expression reflected exactly what she was thinking. Reluctant acceptance tinged with a small bit of anxiety, as if he was worried someone was going to pull the rug from beneath his feet the second he dropped his guard. "Eh? Everyone? Matsuno, you sly fox~ you wanna get confessed to huh~" Miyu teased, leaning onto one of the desks she was tasked with cleaning. She had, metaphorically, drawn the better straw and was given the kinder task of wiping down desks as opposed to Hasumi, who was stuck cleaning bathrooms. "No! I just wanna see the cherry blossoms today." Mastuno rebuked before a grin split across her face. "The confession is simply a bonus ~"

There it was. It seemed as though she was hoping to announce to her entire class that she wished to see the cherry blossoms today; they'd spread word to her potential admirer(s) and she'd get her picturesque confession scene. Kitano couldn't fault her for thinking that way; in the poetry she had read, there was always a grand scene meant to match the moment of connection and intimacy. It was romantic in that sense, but Kitano wondered if the authors themselves grew tired of describing grand fields filled with flowers and cherry blossoms to match. Did they ever wish to describe a more somber or ordinary scene but found they had dug themselves into an early grave? It was poetry; they should be able to describe a multitude of environments, at least in Kitano's opinion. Hasumi...would be more blunt and tell her it was their fault for not expanding their horizons, and usually went off on a tangent that publication companies were the bane of any good poet due to restrictive policies. Kitano wasn't sure what publication companies Hasumi was criticizing or if they even truly knew what modern publication companies did, but she didn't bother arguing. Arguing with Hasumi was an Olympic sport that left you pinned in every corner imaginable because they were too quick-witted for most people to keep up with and beat almost anyone in a battle of logic. 

Now that she thought about it, she actually hadn't seen Hasumi in a while. A while would be what most people took to do the bathrooms, but for whatever reason, Hasumi had seemingly made it their personal goal to speedrun finishing their assigned chore as fast as possible without sacrificing any attention to detail. Staring down at her meager pile of dust and the broom she held, Kitano resolved to go check on them once she finished sweeping the classroom. Everyone was still in the middle of their own tasks, so taking a little bit longer to finish her own wouldn't hurt or hold anyone back.

She took back her original way of thinking. It absolutely would hurt someone. More specifically, her. 

In her distracted walk to find Hasumi, she ended up walking full force into her target. Hasumi barely flinched and instead curiously peered down at Kitano, who had stumbled backwards. "Ouch." Hasumi had said deadpan once Kitano got her bearings and peered up at their faces. "I'm sorry, Hasumi-san, it's just I- you were taking so long to clean the bathrooms and I-" 

"I wasn't taking too long. I finished. It's you guys who are slow. I was standing here for 5 minutes." Hasumi shook their head, cutting off Kitano, before raising their hand to show off their watch. "You'd better pick up the slack if you wanna see the cherry blossoms before dark. Otherwise, your pictures are gonna be pure black." They noted, gesturing to how everyone was still cleaning the classroom. "I'm sure if we have to take photos with the flash, they'll still turn out well..." Kitano protested, thumbing the hem of her school uniform nervously as she settled in place beside Hasumi. "You'd rather willingly flashbang each other than hurry and finish cleaning..." Hasumi shook their head, reaching up to adjust their glasses as if that idea gave them a headache just thinking about it. "Flash isn't that intense... It's only bad for the first 5 seconds, then you can blink it out." Kitano pointed out that Hasumi was still shaking their head disapprovingly. "So it's a particularly awful flashbang as well. Your enemies will have an exceedingly easy time subduing you all." Hasumi's lip ticked upwards, and a laugh almost escaped them. It was a strange little attempt at a joke, but Kitano giggled nonetheless. "Ah...hopefully a hero or police will be nearby then." 

"Kitano, we should go get our outdoor shoes on! Everyone is almost finished with their chores, so let's not make them wait!" Touma called out to her, out of nowhere, interrupting any continuation of their conversation. Kitano jolted as her name was called, and she couldn't help the way her face pulled itself into a frown. She had been talking with Hasumi this entire time, yet Touma only chose to talk to her right now? After a few weeks of them not talking to each other? "Tell him something," Hasumi said, staring down at Kitano expectantly, who had been too caught up in her own thoughts to even notice how Touma was beginning to frown and look anxiously between her and Hasumi. "Ah- yeah! We can get a little head start, Touma-kun!" Kitano stumbled, then finally managed to squeak out, feeling her ears start to burn as she stepped away from Hasumi. 

She quickly wiped her hands along her school shirt before raising them upwards to adjust her bangs. She smiled bashfully as she joined Touma's side, and she couldn't help but see how Touma stiffened inexplicably as they walked past Hasumi, who had taken a step to the side to give them space to pass. It looked as though it pained him to have to walk so close to Hasumi... 

Hasumi, who had given a small nod goodbye to Kitano and was still actively standing by the door. It wasn't as if they had given Touma a dirty look for interrupting them, even though it was clearly one of Hasumi's pet peeves.

Touma didn't speak another word to her until they were halfway to their destination, pausing abruptly in the middle of the hallway. "Kitano, I- look you should- augh..." He stumbled over his words, chewing his lip as he contemplated his next words, a look of anxious concern crossing his face. "I don't think you should be so close with Hasumi-san. You've heard the rumors, ever since their first day here, they've been nothing but strange, short-tempered, and they just don't fit in here. Hanging out with someone like that, being the kind of girl you are...I don't think it's smart." He said in an uncharacteristically quiet and subdued tone. 

Almost as if something else was compelling him to say all this.

"...what?" Kitano breathlessly asked, feeling stricken with shock. Touma wasn't the type of guy to dictate who she should and shouldn't be friendly with. "It's just come on....pay attention to how everyone talks about them..." He shuddered, his eyes squeezing shut as his head shook rapidly. "I'd just hate to see you two get hurt..." He soothed, finally realizing what effect his words were having on Kitano.

Kitano couldn't help the way she mutely stood there. That was all she could do- stand there mutely nodding and fisting her backpack strap in one hand. "Just...keep that in mind, you know?" Touma added, digging himself into a deeper grave before taking a quick breath and forcing a shaky smile towards her. "But...let's go see those cherry blossoms." 

Maybe she was wrong to expect something better from the boy she had known for her entire childhood. But hearing those words and the way Touma was trying so hard to be apologetic even as he spoke of Hasumi so harshly was making Kitano nauseous. 

The entire walk to their chosen destination was filled with uncomfortable silence on both ends, and they had both chosen to sit in a nearby park and wait for the arrival of their classmates. Usually, these silences would be more comfortable, or they'd be discussing whatever poem had caught their attention. She could hear it in the way Touma was shifting and sighing occasionally that he was trying to figure out a way to ease this uncomfortable silence, but he ultimately [and thankfully] chose to remain silent. At least up until the rest of their classmates ultimately caught up to them. 

Hasumi was getting dragged by someone, [another one of their classmates, something supplied in Kitano's mind], and judging by how they were hanging off Hasumi's frame, it seemed as though they were friends. Hasumi had exchanged their school shirt for a knitted sweater, and their friend next to them had a green tracksuit that was slipping off their shoulder, showing off the plain white undershirt and a sparkly pair of hoop earrings. They were grinning, peering up at Hasumi with an arm slung across their shoulders as they walked.  ...They made a strange duo of those two, but something inside Kitano felt as if it was a completely normal scene.

As if they were just a pair of old friends catching up, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even though deep down Kitano knew Hasumi was a withdrawn, serious person. The thought of them hanging out with someone so... eccentric and trendy was off-putting, but still, she felt completely at ease despite these truths. "Hey, everyone's here at last," Touma laughed quietly, not standing or making a move, despite his words. "Yeah....you can go join them if you want," Kitano offered, content to sit and watch everyone enjoy the blossom season. "Nah. I need some quiet time for my day after today's class." He shrugged, leaning backwards into the bench and falling into a more casual posture as opposed to his rigid stance from before.

 "Ah....yeah." She couldn't help but hum, distractedly watching as Hasumi and their friend stood underneath a cherry blossom tree. They were stiff, and the way they stood with their shoulders weighed down by an invisible weight felt uncomfortable. It felt wrong to see Hasumi seemingly stressed out, their backs to her and Touma, as they watched something in the distance that they could only see. Glancing to the other side, she could see Miyu and Matsuno gathering up the fallen blossoms into small piles as they got ready to take their prized photos for Issta. The guys in their class were lingering nearby, some standing awkwardly while the others quickly set out to help pick out good lighting areas and gather more fallen blossoms. She could see one of Touma's friends grinning stupidly as he held his sweater inside out, filled with cherry blossoms, and began his determined journey to where Miyu was crouched. His eyes were sparkling as he marched, and his friend was right behind him, though his sights were set on Matsuno instead. "Miyu/Matsuno!" They both called out as they drew closer, their grins widening as both girls looked up from their place on the ground. "Look, look! We went out and picked up the pretty petals for you two~ Hehe, so you girls don't have to dirty your hands, we went ahead and did the dirty work for you two!" One of them boasted as the other lowered his sweater to show off their collection. It was sweet in that foolish, hardy way boys had to them, and Kitano couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face.

 At least they were having fun and enjoying themselves... 

The same couldn't be said about Hasumi, she noted as she snuck another glance at them. Their posture had grown more rigid in the minutes she had spent watching Miyu and Matsuno, and a sense of unease began to creep down Kitano's neck. Did they need help? Should she go interfere? What if she was bothering them? What if she was overreacting and they were just being friendly? Her mind raced as she watched Hasumi jerk their entire body away from their friend, whirling to look behind themselves as their face contorted into something Kitano couldn't properly word. Was it terror? Or panic? Terror-stricken panic? If that was even a word. Kitano froze as they made eye contact from across the park, and Hasumi began to take hurried strides towards them as their friend laughed and slowly trailed behind Hasumi. Their glasses were reflecting the light in a way that made it impossible for Kitano to properly see their eyes. "What's wrong with them?" Touma leaned down to murmur in her ear, his gaze flickering between her and Hasumi worriedly. Kitano couldn't respond; instead, she swallowed down the lump inside her throat with increasing difficulty. She couldn't help but shoot up and grab Touma's hand as she did as Hasumi came to an abrupt stop in front of them. "Let's go. It's getting late. I'll make sure you two get home safe. Let's go." Hasumi said urgently, their hand reaching forward to brush against Kitano's shoulder, gentle yet firm. Their breathing was stuttered and rushed, and their body were faintly trembling; she couldn't tell if it was from the strain or something else. "Hey, hey!" Touma started before growing firmer as he stood, tightening his hold around Kitano's hand. "Seriously, you can't come up to us demanding we leave and act all strange. If you've got somewhere to be, say that instead, don't drag Kitano in with it." He protested, jerking Kitano's hand as if to drag her behind himself. She couldn't help but squeak as she tried to stand her ground, looking up at Touma in shock. His eyes seemed slightly glazed over, but that could have just been the light playing tricks on her....

Still, she couldn't shak...f the dread that was creeping on her, and something deep inside of her was screaming that this felt off. Something was wrong, and she wasn't the only one feeling it, judging from Hasumi's deepening frown and the way their hand was trembling. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Hasumi's friend since Touma had begun to speak up, and she realized with a frown. She took the chance to try and peek around Hasumi's frame and-

There she was, standing just a few meters away from them, smiling charmingly at Kitano as they made eye contact. "Yah, Hasumi-chan! You left me wayyy back there! What if I got attacked, hah?" She pouted, striding forward to smack a frozen Hasumi's shoulder. "I-is this your friend?" Kitano stuttered weakly as they stood in front of them. Hasumi's friend was still smiling and looking directly at her, and she couldn't help but shudder as goosebumps erupted down her arms. Everything about them was strange; it felt eerie comparing Hasumi and her, they were too different. Hasumi was valiantly trying to maintain order between them all despite how focused this stranger was on Kitano. Except....

Kitano shouldn't have known that. 

Hasumi's expression was indiscernible to the naked eye, and their body language seemed calm enough. But something else was screaming that this was wrong. She chose to study the newcomer more carefully, racking her brain to think way back to the first day of class. Had she been present even back then, and Kitano had brushed past her? Or was she a late transfer? Her head was starting to pound and ache painfully the more she thought about the potential discrepancy. Hasumi's pants shifted and moved as if there was a draft, except there had been none. She and Touma would've felt it if there had been. 

Before she could think on it any harder, a sensation akin to cold water being poured over her overtook her. 

Suddenly, everything felt as if it were perfectly fine and normal, and any previous concerns dropped. Her shoulders relaxed, and Touma's grip on her hand eased. "Yah, Hasumi-chan~ tell your friends about our conversation! Yeah, you two! Did you see those 2 college students over on the bench over there?" The girl grinned, leaning forward with her hand sliding down and off Hasumi's back in a casual motion. "They're so cute~ it was as if they were struck by a cupid! A hand on the thigh, a passing glance, then bam!" Her hand contorted into a gun briefly before she mimed pulling a bow drawstring back. "Cupid shot right through the head...ah no... that's not how the saying goes...Ah! Through the heart! The heart!! They were so cute, all bashful!" She giggled, correcting her verbal misstep, crossing her arms as she leaned back to watch all of their reactions. 

Kitano and Touma both smiled lightly, doing their best to be friendly as Hasumi stood frozen, peering in between them. Their head was carefully angled away from the girl standing beside them. Kitano couldn't understand why, though, she had been nothing but friendly and a bit excitable as they spoke, yet Hasumi was treating her as if she were a dangerous being. Should she join Hasumi's side? Would they let her? Would they mind if she did? As if he knew what she was thinking, Touma squeezed her hand tightly before lightly swinging it in between them both. "Ah, well, you should ask Hasumi-san to show you some other good confession spots, it's the season of love, haha...." Touma awkwardly trailed off, shifting his weight from one foot to another, his face growing redder by the second. Hasumi's friend was staring at their joined hands with an intrigued look, and it was a few seconds of silence until they finally said something. "Oh! Ah~ okay!" She grinned, her hand making an ok gesture, "I understand!" She followed up, slinging her arm over Hasumi's shoulder once more as she turned to walk away from them. 

At least that seemed to be her intent until Hasumi roughly pulled themselves away and put a few meters of distance between them. "I'm gonna go home. Have to focus on my studies." They stated, adjusting their sweater and pulling at their sleeve as if it had done something to offend them. "You're welcome to join me. Touma and Kitano look like they want to be alone." They said, their gaze flickering towards Kitano's meaningful look, and her face burned. She tried to hide her face, unable to mute the shy sputtering that erupted from her briefly, as Touma did the same. His protests and rushed explanations did little to ease the blood rushing through Kitano's ears as the burning in her face intensified. Their combined efforts went ignored and were ultimately useless at convincing the other two otherwise. Kitano felt as though it was nearly impossible to look any of them in the eyes in her current state; instead, she resorted to shyly peeking through her eyelashes. Hasumi was frozen, blinking in a slow, trying to get their bearings, and their friends' constant grin was finally beginning to slip. Their lips had pressed themselves into a thin line, and their gaze grew more rigid as it flickered between the two blushing students. 

Students who had yet to let go of each other's hands...

As if realizing this just now, Kitano quickly let go of Touma's hand and went to wipe her hand on her shirt before stuffing it into her pocket quickly. In her rush, she missed the way Touma's face and hand twitched as if fighting the impulse to grab her hand once more. Hasumi's friend blinked once, twice, then another more languid blink before their face softened and the tension in the air eased. Hasumi was still frozen with the only motion coming from their right hand, clenching and unclenching it at their side uselessly. "Have fun, you two~" She said gently and kindly, ?making Kitano blink with wonder and confusion. "Make sure you come back with a good story to tell! And you, sir, make sure you always protect this little lady! You don't know how stressful high school can be. I wouldn't want any mean students targeting her." She smiled, clapping both her hands around one of Touma's and holding it gently as she spoke. "Well, I'm sure if I make Hasumi-chan wait any longer, they'll burst a blood vessel!" She giggled, walking over to join Hasumi's side once again, though this time she maintained a careful, polite distance between them both. "Bye~ it was nice meeting you two!" She called over her shoulder, waving at them both without a second glance.

Kitano held her hand up in a half wave as both figures retreated from their view. It felt nice, but after a few moments, she dropped her hand slowly, and a frown began to make its way onto her face. 

"Touma-kun? Did you ever catch her name?"

May 2nd, 20XX.

Bullying was commonplace at their school, which was all due to the competitive nature and structure of the courses. Kitano wasn't sure why or how it had begun, but soon enough, everyone had their sights set on Hasumi. What may have been more hidden once in the past was now intensifying itself quickly to more severe actions. And all of it was focused directly on Hasumi, who was seated at their desk reading through yet another poetry collection, this one more modern compared to the rest, with a focused intensity. Ignoring the rest of the room and all the conversations surrounding them with ease. At first, it had been quips, sharp jabs aimed at Hasumi in the morning, then it steamrolled into more physical actions as the afternoon and early evening arrived. It was early May, meaning it was quickly warming up, and soon getting trash as an after-school chore was the worst thing in the world. It would stink in the heat, the plastic would cling to your sweat-riddled skin, and no one wanted to be outside for long. This time, it had been Touma and his friends' turn to take out the trash, and Kitano was lingering in the halls waiting for Touma to return in hopes of being able to catch up as friends once more. Touma and his friends had returned to the halls, but those 2 were snickering and laughing amongst themselves as Touma stared at the ground, ignoring the rest of them. As if he wanted the floor to open up and bury him in one go. There was a slight commotion at the end of the hall, growing louder and louder until Kitano finally paid attention. Hasumi was walking unsteadily, glaring down the hall with their glasses in hand, and their entire uniform was drenched. Kitano wanted to step forward, to question what exactly Hasumi had done to get themself in such a state, before the smell struck her. It was a heated trash smell, and it was radiating off Hasumi in a toxic bubble. She grimaced at the smell, and before she could take a good look at Hasumi's expression, shouts rang out.

"Hey, hey! We told you to take the trash out and not go dumpster diving!"

"Hey! What is wrong with you? Go shower, are you not embarrassed?"

"Yah! Are you serious?! Are you fucking crazy?! Go home! Go shower!! Stop walking through the halls, you're dirtying the whole building walking like that!" A girl shrieked, and she could see Hasumi's jaw clench tightly before they angrily stalked towards the bathroom, slamming the door open with more force than necessary. The shrieks didn't stop despite Hasumi leaving the hall. A duo of female students quickly rushed out, with another bemoaning that Hasumi had slammed into them and dirtied their entire uniform. "Oh shit! She slammed into you?!" One of Touma's friends guffawed, his jaw falling open as he lifted his hand to cover his nose. "Yes! And it's the absolute worst! I can't wash this! The stench will still linger!" She cried, upset beyond belief, after Hasumi had bumped into her in her journey towards the bathroom. Kitano swallowed thickly, too scared to say anything in defense of Hasumi, and shifted her gaze towards Touma...who wasn't looking at anyone at all. Even as his friends clung to him and leaned into him, he didn't face them. 

It was at that moment Hasumi chose to exit the bathroom, shaking their glasses to rid them of all the water drops before placing them back neatly on their face. Their glare lessened slightly as the glasses regained their place on their face and they surveyed the hallways quickly before ducking their head and making their quick exit. Everyone had parted and made a clear path for Hasumi, but it wasn't without sneers and sharp jeers. Beating them while they were already down. Kitano froze, watching as Hasumi quickly retreated, and the jeers increased in volume. Touma still wasn't facing anyone. Kitano quickly did the same, dropping her gaze and hoping no one noticed her pinched expression. It was awful. This class was awful. 

May 28th 20XX

Someone had stuffed trash in Hasumi's locker today. Kitano could only watch from a distance as Hasumi stood in front of their locker, watching numbly as trash spilled onto the floor. She couldn't see their expression, just how their other arm was limp against their side, and their entire body was stiff. They were still staring down at the ground. They still were when Kitano fled. Pretending she hadn't seen anything, so she wouldn't have to say anything in defense of Hasumi. Sweeping it under the rug just as their school would've and did do. It was strange just how cowardly Kitano could be. It was pathetic. 

June 18th 20XX

"Kitano-san~" someone had called during a break, interrupting her stupor, 

"Take our picture for issta~" they requested as Kitano slowly stood up, reaching for her phone in her pocket. It was a group of girls- Miyu and Matsuno among them- who had requested Kitano to take a photo. She held up her phone after standing in front of them, and immediately, each of them gathered, posing and making odd expressions for their sister's photo. Hasumi was in the background of one said photo, peeking up from their poetry collection with a curious frown, Kitano noted before she turned her phone towards the girls. "Ah, that's so cute!" One of them gushed, excitedly pulling Kitano's phone closer to themself as they began to scroll through each photo Kitano took.

 "Kitano-san, you're seriously too good at this, these are all so cute~" Another praised their eyes, glimmering as they continued their scroll. "...this one is ruined." Miyu quietly murmured, her brows drawn together in a frown, and Kitano realized they had seen the photo with Hasumi in the background. Her heart sank as she waited for the horrid comments to begin. Matsuno hissed a breath through her teeth before tightly smiling towards Kitano, "Kitano-san, send us all of them except for that one. OK? Let's not ruin everyone's day immediately." 

That...was strangely tame, Kitano thought as she quietly nodded and began to mechanically do what they had asked her to. She moved towards her seat slowly, focusing on the latter photo, zooming in on Hasumi's expression. It was strangely charming...Kitano thought as she slowly sat down, distracted by her phone. The hasumi in the photo was strangely charming despite the way they were frowning and peering over their glasses at the photographer. Kitano peeked up and over at Hasumi, who had returned to their poetry collection. They weren't paying attention to her anymore- wholly focused on their book once more and ignorant of the rest of the world. 

 Kitano shifted slightly before she let her gaze drop, leaving Hasumi alone as she had ultimately asked. Kitano didn't think Hasumi even realized how they asked the world to leave them be. Asked the world to let them exist without concern or any further attention. It was explained by the way they were curled in on themselves, their shoulders drawn in subtly despite how otherwise straight their posture appeared. It was precisely in character for Hasumi to seem so stoic yet be so insecure in their body language. "H-" Kitano opened and closed her mouth a few times before mustering up her courage once more. "Hasumi-san." 

Hasumi's gaze shot up in curiosity, and a slight bit of frustration glimmered in those eyes. "Don't forget to turn in your money and field trip permission slip before the 24th, ok?" She smiled gently despite gaining Hasumi's ire. Hasumi blinked once, twice, before bobbing their head and shoving a hand into their pocket. Kitano blinked as she watched Hasumi pull out a few neatly folded bills and pass them over in a motion that was too casual to be normal.

"I-" Kitano swallowed shakily, staring at the money that had been placed on her desk. "I don't know what you want me to do with this." She finished meeting Hasumi's steady gaze with her own uncertain one. "I already turned in my money and slipped. You're only reminding me because you need money, don't you?" Hasumi stated matter-of-factly as if she knew everything. Kitano froze, dread filling her body as her thoughts began to race, wondering what sort of horrible things had occurred to make Hasumi think a gentle reminder was a demand for money.

"Right, you need an envelope. One moment," Hasumi retracted back into their seat, pulling out a piece of paper from god knows where and folding it in quick, precise motions. Mistaking her silence for something else and easily turning a piece of paper into a neat envelope within seconds, before turning towards Kitano once more. Kitano swallowed thickly as she watched Hasumi open the envelope they had just folded and insert their money, closing the envelope firmly with a nod. They had begun to lean towards Kitano's desk once more, and Kitano's heart began to pound in her ears. Her blood was beginning to rush as her thoughts sped past at unfathomable speeds, and Kitano couldn't stop herself quickly enough. She slapped her hand into hasumis and said a tad bit too loudly, "I don't want your money hasumi!" 

That was an absent, horrid mistake. Hasumi had blinked, confused beyond belief, before slowly retracting their hand and getting up to retrieve their envelope from where it landed. Kitano's face burned, and tears gathered in her eyes as everyone stared and began to whisper anew. Her blood was rushing too loudly in her ears for her to properly hear them. Touma was peering at her with pity and a different emotion Kitano couldn't place, and it only made her feel worse. Her gaze flickered between Hasumi and their classmates, quickly noting how Hasumi had already tucked the envelope away and buried themself in their book once more. Their classmates, however, had already begun to circulate rumors, new and old alike. Kitano quickly turned them out, feeling awful at how she had treated Hasumi just a few seconds ago. 

July 3rd.

It was time for the school field trip, a time when they would be forced to camp outside to learn how to be self-sufficient, hike, and learn about history. Kitano couldn't help but shiver as they stood outside in the early morning, all waiting to pile into a singular bus. Touma was lingering nearby, trying to pretend he wasn't shivering just as hard as she was and trying his best to seem casual. Hasumi was on the outside of their little group, uninterested in everything around them and instead focused on the clouds above them. It was slightly cloudy, but nothing to warrant any strong concerns for rain. "Alright, buses will be arriving in 5 minutes. All of you will enter in an orderly fashion and leave in an orderly fashion. What does orderly fashion mean? It means a single file line, no arguments, no congestion, just a smooth transition. None of you will leave trash on the bus, on the ground here, or at our destination. We will not disrespect our school with disorderly conduct whilst on this trip." Their teacher spoke, trying his best to be firm and wrangle his students into submission of words alone. Kitano swore that his words fell on deaf ears for everyone but her and Touma. Hasumi was the type to listen for the first half, then assume the other half was useless information they already knew and was thus ok to ignore. Kitano snuck a peek and found they were still frowning upwards at the sky, their faces growing increasingly dark. Soon enough, their heads dropped back down, and they were stalking across the sidewalk to reach Kitano's side with quiet footfalls. "Yes?" Kitano quietly murmured, trying not to draw attention to them both as Touma flinched and frowned at Hasumi's presence. "What happens in the event of an emergency on top of a mountain?" They asked their gaze intensely as their brow furrowed even more, as impossible as it sounded. "The school gathers everyone up at a designated evacuation center, depending on the type of emergency. If it's land-based, then we were either told to shelter in place, find a ditch, or again go to an evacuation center," Kitano muttered, turning away, feeling uneasy at the prodding. After a short, intense staring contest with an unwilling Kitano Hasumi huffed out a breath. "Stay away from any trees that are tilting." They started before moving away once more. 

Kitano nodded slightly, sighing and drying her hands against her legs as Touma frowned and leaned in closer. "What is their deal?" He spoke under his breath, trying to ensure Hasumi didn't overhear them. "They're just being cautious, we're going up on a mountain, Touma-kun," Kitano said softly as if that would explain everything. And in a way, it did; anyone would and should be aware of the risks that came with living on a mountain. But it was strange to see someone like Hasumi be so paranoid and uneasy by a few clouds in the sky. Maybe there was some warrant behind that unease... 

Kitano shook her head quickly to disperse such thoughts. There was no reason to draw bad energy before the trip had even officially begun.  Instead, she shifted her attention towards the bus that was beginning to stop in front of them, and she watched as everyone quickly piled on. Touma remained close to her side, walking right behind and easily taking the spot on the bus as if it were some competition. Hasumi had gone ahead and claimed an entire bench in the front of the bus and had curled into themself, picking at their fingers in a rare show of unease. It was unsettling to see Hasumi be so concerned before their field trip had even officially begun, but soon enough, they had begun moving, beginning the long drive to their destination, and Kitano let her head fall backwards as she sighed and trbackwardTouma was sitting next to her; she was pressed against the window, and absolutely nothing was going to go wrong. She repeated all 3 of these facts like a mantra until she unintentionally fell asleep, slumping against Touma barely 30 minutes into their drive. 

"Kitano. Kitano-san." Someone was jostling her shoulder gently, and she blearily opened her eyes to see one of Touma's friends waking her up, his hands outstretched and ready to help her carefully step over Touma's sleeping form. He was slumped forward as opposed to Kitano being slumped against the bus window, his forehead resting against the seat in front of him in a way that had Kitano's neck aching in sympathy. As soon as she reached the aisle and looked around the bus, she managed to catch Hasumi's curious yet deadpan look with a shaky smile. Touma's friends were already reaching for Touma's shoulders before roughly jostling and yelling his name to wake him. And even though the means felt rougher than what was necessary, it was highly effective, with Touma jolting awake quickly. His entire expression was bleary with confusion and the slightest bit of fear. "Dude. What is wrong with you..." he groaned, rubbing at his face with one hand and trying to shove his friends with the other as they laughed "good-naturedly". Kitano could only step back and blink as she watched the entire interaction. She didn't understand any of them. How could this constitute friendship between boys? How could they be so rough with each other and still get along perfectly? It was confusing and strange. They were a strange little group, Kitano decided, before being jolted out of her thoughts as someone brushed their hand against her shoulder lightly. She turned as best as she could without drawing too much attention, opening her mouth before shutting it and instead choosing to send Hasumi a curious look. "We need to get off the bus. The driver has been giving us dirty looks this entire time." Hasumi started bluntly, motioning their head towards the door. Kitano nodded after a slight pause and glanced at the bus driver through the mirror that was affixed just above his head. He had a slightly concerned expression, but nothing gave him away as being particularly frustrated or impatient... 

Hasumi had misunderstood her decision. Hasumi had gotten the wrong idea and simply assumed incorrectly, which was fine. It was a small enough misunderstanding. She turned back towards Touma and his friends and found them all watching Hasumi, who was blankly glancing at all 4 of them. It went on for a painfully long moment before Hasumi finally turned around and walked out of the bus without another word or glance at Kitano. The others slowly began to follow with Touma's friends hissing a breath, throwing their teeth, and muttering a quiet "man...she's weird as hell..." 

Kitano clenched her jaw but ultimately didn't say anything to defend Hasumi. She instead continued walking forward towards the first meeting spot that their class was assigned. It didn't take long for all of them to catch up to the rest of their class and listen to the class announcements.  "Students, you will gather your things and settle into your rooms and beds. We will all meet for lunch, then we will go on a hike up the mountain." Their teacher announced as they all gathered around, and Kitano could see Hasumi shifting their weight from one leg to another at the edge of the group. They were still watching the sky and mountains with even more growing unease. But everything had progressed as normal with no apparent issue until they were actively hiking on that mountain. 

They were a few hours into the hike, and the sky had darkened considerably, yet nobody had called them down and away from the mountain on account of the weather. Kitano had been placed at the far back of the group while Hasumi stood up front, frowning as they moved up the mountain. They had paused for a break when a rumble erupted from way above their heads, and soon enough, one of their classmates rushed downwards, yelling and screaming for them to run and get off the mountain. Kitano wasn't able to stick around and see if the rest of her classmates joined her downwards; she had been ushered towards the shelter with a renewed urgency. 

Their designated shelter was a few kilometers away from the mountain, and it was clear the locals were well-equipped to manage mountain-related emergencies. The students had been met with trucks the second they erupted from the tree line and were ushered to sit as many students as they could fit onto the truck beds, and soon enough, they were being raced towards farther out emergency shelters. The shelters were spacious enough with temporary beds set up to accommodate each and every student, but many were too panicked to even settle down properly. Matsuno and Miyu were noticeably pressed against the doors, trying to peer through the small windows and catch a glimpse of the arriving trucks to see which of their classmates were found safe. 

Kitano sat heavily on her designated desk and jostled her knee as anxiety gripped her heart. Where were Touma and Hasumi? Had they been rescued safely, or were they stuck on that mountain? She could hear the yells and the shouts of roll call attendance taking place as their teacher and workers worked hard to pinpoint accounts for students and the lost ones. "Touma-kun and his friends are still on that mountain," Matsuno worried, stating not at all concerned about her volume, but to be fair, none of them were. They were all too panicked and freaked out over the landslide to even think rationally. Touma, Hasumi, and Touma's 2 friends were missing. Kitano kept repeating in her head as a mantra as seconds turned into dreadfully long minutes. Everything felt as though it was going too slow in her fear-stricken panic. It was an awful, awful feeling. Kitano couldn't stop herself from trembling as the rumble of one more truck approached. 

Her heart leapt into her throat, and she began to rise onto her feet before her knees buckled and she fell back down onto her bed. Her legs were shaking too much, and she felt too weak to properly support her weight. She sucked in a shaky breath and tried her best not to rub her arms raw from all of her anxieties. It was an awful, awful feeling Kitano wouldn't wish upon anyone. 

Soon enough, the doors erupted open and Touma came running in, his hair plastered against his head as sweat dripped down his face, those normally calm eyes now frenzied and panicked as he scanned the room. "Hasumi! Hasumi!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes crazed and his chest rising and falling quickly. "Hey, hey Touma! Don't do that! You'll panic your Classmates. Sit down and relax. The evacuation workers need all of you here and calm. You can't stir up any more panic and scare your classmates even more than they already are!" Their teacher quickly surged forward, gripping Touma tightly and urging him towards an open bed. Kitano felt as though cold water had been poured over her entire being as she quickly looked around the rest of the room. She could see everyone all unscathed, panicked but unscathed, but she couldn't see Hasumi among the class at all. 

"All of you are to stay here overnight until we get the all clear for us to continue our trip." Their teacher announced, pacing up and down and for once they all listened. Kit,ano couldn't sleep at all that night. As exhausted as her body felt, her mind was still active and whirling at the possibility of Hasumi being out there still on that mountain. Had the debris trapped her? Had they been confused and gone to the wrong evacuation location by mistake? She couldn't sleep, not after a day like this. It felt awful trying to sleep while Hasumi's status was still unknown. Over the sound of rhythmic breathing and the soft sniffle, she could hear someone shifting in a pattern that indicated they were in the same boat as Hasumi. Unable to sleep after such a worrying day. It was awful, Kitano decided, shuddering as more worrying thoughts flooded her mind. How anyone could sleep was beyond her, and she tried her best not to disturb any of her classmates around her.

July 4th 

 It felt like an eternity had passed before the sun finally began to rise once more and illuminated the still cloudy sky. It hurt having to stand and join the rest of her classmates, pretending as if everything was normal, and she slept perfectly fine. 

Touma looked worse for wear, too; at least that was her small bit of solace. His eyes were sunken, and his body trembled from where he was standing, yet despite herself, Kitano couldn't help but feel validated at the sight of him. She wanted to walk over and ask if he too was suffering while their clas,smat,es slept peacefully but those loudmouths beat her to i,t. "Touma dude, you took so long getting back, someone was nearly in tears just waiting," one of them had cried out, shooting forward to cling onto Touma's arm. "I- Uh, yeah sorry. I had to guide everyone down, you know." Touma said, a few beats too late to be natural; instead, he sounded unsteady as opposed to the false confidence he had spoken with before. She watched as he tried to chuckle and act as if he were some cool, unaffected hero around his friends and their classmates. It left a sour note in her mouth, and she was left feeling even more shaken than before. Touma had been acting strangely ever since they had entered high school. This fake confidence, gruff and tough behavior, and the piercings was too unlike the Touma she had grown up knowing. The Touma who was gentle, kind, and adored spending time reading poetry with her. 

With her.

Ever since high school, they had been growing more distant, and the chances that they spoke to each other had been steadily dropping despite the fact they sat next to each other in class. It was awful watching someone be physically close to you daily, yet still begin to drift further and further away.  Kitano swallowed thickly clenching her fists tightly and staring down at her feet in anger and disgust. Their classmate was still unaccounted for, and here she was brooding over the fact her childhood friend had gone outhat t and made new friends. She bit her lip and, in her hurry to walk away from Touma, she slammed into someone. It hurt walking into someone at near full speed, especially when that someone was on the scrawnier side, Kitano thought to herself in a daze, stepping back unsteadily. Immediately, there was a hand catching her elbow to help keep her on her feet. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt are you?" A monotone voice rang out, it sounded as if this was their first time expressing concern over someone else and for a moment Kitano was reminded of Hasumi's own strange way of speaking. She couldn't help the way hope and fear swelled in her stomach, her eyes widening as her head shot up fast enough to make her neck ache.

It wasn't Hasumi.

It looked like them, but it wasn't, and that made Kitano feel awful. Shame rushed through her as she scolded herself for thinking some stranger could've been Hasumi. Next she was going to begin wit,h any one taller than her with braided hair was Hasumi even though th,is stranger, clearly wasn't. They were wearing novelty heart glasses that looked silly every time they caught the light, and it made Kitano's heart ache slightly. Hasumi's glasses caught the light all the time but their frames were a traditional rectangular frame and they were made to match Hasumi's more serious disposition. Heart-shaped glasses were a novelty and a ruse to make others laugh. It was too unlike what Hasumi Kitano had known. She couldn't help the shuddering sigh that escaped her, and she was dragged from her thoughts as that hand squeezed her arm once more. 

"Miss..." Again. It was the same monotone manner of speaking Hasumi had, but the voice was off. As much as they sounded alike, something in Kitano's brain was screaming that it wasn't Hasumi and they were 2 strangers. "I- yeah...I'm, uh, alright. Thank you." She stumbled, trying not to snatch her arm from out of this stranger's grip as she drew back. She bowed twice quickly before drawing back to her full height and chose to look at this stranger in their eyes properly. 

Their apparel was different from the tracksuits Kitano and her class wore; instead , it was clothing made from thicker materials obviously made to withstand the weather elements without issue. 2 pockets on the front, a folded down collar, long pants that covered the ankle properly, and the protective gear on the major joints, all of it screamed they were a part of an evacuation crew. It was a common style shared among outdoor trades. Kitano had seen the same material and apparel worn by construction workers, factory staff, and all sorts of trades workers. It wasn't apparel normally worn for its casual vibe, nor would someone like Hasumi wear it on a whim. Hasumi, as much as they adored their button-up shirts and knitted materials, would not wear something so heavy and thick. Not even for the aesthetics. 

Kitano couldn't help the way her face twitched, her displeasure revealing itself the longer she stood in front of the evacuation staff who was watching her carefully from behind those glasses. "Are you..." she took a quick breath to steady herself and to ease her nerves before carefully choosing her next words. "Are you here to state last night's landslide?" 

"Statement? Ah...sure." She couldn't help but frown at that awkward response. It screamed of unprofessionalism, and it held little regard for the severity of the situation they found themselves in. They quietly cleared their throat before slowly making their way in front of the class, seamlessly blending in with the other arriving staff members. 

"Everyone, it's nice to see all of you are safe and unharmed from yesterday's landslide that occurred last night. The landslide was caused by the sudden onset of rain, causing a mud slide which then began to disturb old rock formations, causing the situation to escalate into a landslide occurrence." A senior staff member started nodding to each student individually before continuing. "I'd like to formally apologize for the stress and emotional distress yesterday's events caused." He finished before bowing deeply. The rest of his team, a humble 10 or so, bowed alongside him, but Kitano noted that the staff member she had mistaken for Hasumi bowed a beat later than the rest. As if they were watching to ensure everyone was on the same page before taking action. Again with the actions and mannerisms that were so reminiscent of Hasumi's own...

Hasumi would do the same thing, always watching to see what others did and mimicking whatever they did if it proved successful. They would only move after someone else did as if everything they were seeing was a brand new experience. It was strangely charming, were it not for Hasumi's awful habit of blurting whatever came to mind, more often than not, critiques on a better course of action or idle irritation escaped. They had quite a short temper for being someone who was known for how serious they were. Sometimes it would make Kitano laugh, a shocked breathless sort of sound, when she didn't know what else to do other times she would remain silent and listen as Hasumi was berated over and over again. Listen as it went from rational to complete degradation and bullying within seconds. 

She shook her head quickly to disperse her recollection of such awful memories. It would benefit Hasumi more if she were to think of more Positive memories and hope the positive energy would, in turn, reflect a more positive announcement on their condition.

"Now, one of your classmates was unfortunately caught in the midst of the landslide; however, we have been able to confirm with a nearby hospital that they are currently recovering with little injury." Another staff member stepped forward to explain, spreading his hands placatingly as if he was expecting an uproar from the crowd of silent students. "...That being said, it is forbidden that any of you go visit your fellow student as they recover in the hospital." He continued after an awkward moment of studying everyone's expressions. Kitano felt her knees go weak as her entire body deflated with relief. They were ok. There was no need to worry if they were still stuck on that mountain or if they were still outside. They were safe, injured, but safe within a hospital her entire body quaked.

With that out of the way, their teacher stepped forward and began to instruct them on something, but Kitano wasn't paying attention. She spent the rest of the day in a slight stupor, dazed and exhausted from the emotional roller-coaster she had just experienced, going through the motions of the day without second thought. Nothing noteworthy had happened until around lunch time, when she had been assigned to cut up vegetables for the class lunch, when another student slid beside her and nearly scared her soul out of her body. 

Her head jolted upwards as she quickly twisted herself to face the newcomer. "If you do the carrots I'll take care of the potatoes!" Someone offered, smiling gently at her in a way that completely disarmed Kitano and had her slowly agreeing. Koharu, she had said her name was, she was a transfer student who was new to the class, and something in Kitano's brain soothed itself upon hearing those words. She accepted it all without second thought and even introduced herself and their classmates in kind. 

"Itd be best if you don't get too involved with the others." Kitano found the warning spilling from her lips easily and without resistance. "Are you close to anyone in our class, Kitano-san?" Koharu readily agreed and questioned in turn, easily maintaining a casual air despite her probing. Kitano's brows tugged themselves downwards as she stared down at the cutting board beneath her hands. "There's Hasumi-san....but she's in the hospital currently." She offered quietly, her shoulders tensing as she took a deep breath before continuing. "There's also Touma-kun," she added quickly, feeling her face warm at the mention of his name. "He doesn't look like it, but he's actually really sensitive..." She couldn't help but explain to Koharu, going in-depth about their previous school year experiences. The rest of the vegetable passed quickly as she explained her feelings to Koharu, and soon enough she was walking to the bus stop with conviction.

She had told Koharu she would confess her feelings today, despite the rain. The heavy rain...that would definitely soak her bag and note that she had been careless enough to forget to put it inside a bag before she departed. But as it stood, the only thing she forgot was to bring her umbrella, and her note sat neatly protected from the rain inside her bag. Her mind supplied her helpfully that she could explain it was poetry, linking that Hasumi had been reading a poetry collection before their hike yesterday, and she could connect it back to her and Touma's shared love for poetry. Everything seemed to go along pretty well until she brought up that earlier fact. 

Touma had gotten up abruptly and snapped that they couldn't just do as they pleased and hang out with someone like Hasumi, as it would put a target on their backs, and he brought up the fact that she had seen what happened to her. Which he wasn't wrong. She had seen the bullying Hasumi suffered from, but she had mistakenly believed that she could make it all better if she kept treating Hasumi kindly... 

Still, she couldn't help but blink and flinch as her heart began to beat incessantly loud in her ears. It hurt to be on the receiving side of Touma's anger and scorn as he scolded her yet again for attempting to be Hasumi's friend. It felt awful, she couldn't help the way she trembled and the tears immediately began to gather in her eyes as she watched Touma stalk off angrily somewhere. She couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment. Instead, she clutched her bag strap tightly and willed her tears not to fall before she did what she did best. Run and hide. Escaping from hard and emotional scenarios was the only way she knew. Her chest ached painfully, but she ignored it as she continued walking. She really didn't want to face anyone else today...maybe not for a few days at least...

But they were on a field trip outside of the school grounds, so of course, she would eventually have to face the source of her conflict head-on at some point. And they had all been placed on curfew ever since yesterday...

July 5th

Sitting at the fireworks workshop, Kitano did her best to focus on building the replica fireworks despite the chatter around her. And for a while it worked, the world left her alone and no one had disturbed her in a while. There was a festival happening tonight, but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to attend...

How easy would it be to convince their teacher that she felt unwell and wished to recover at their lodging instead of attending the festival, she wondered. Would they even let her after what happened to Hasumi? 

"Are you guys stupid? I said Cut it out!" Touma's yell cut through the air, silencing every other conversation as they turned to face him. Her mind was whirling with questions as she tried to puzzle out why he yelled when yet another interruption occured. "Hey teach, something blew up over here!" Someone had called out, following the loud bang as smoke began to rise from the ground. "Hey! You better not have broken something!" He had immediately spat out as he crossed the workshop area to get a close look, the workshop leader trailing behind him closely. "What?! There shouldn't have been any real gunpowder set outside!" He confusedly exclaimed as the students gathered around the scene, some beginning to squeal at how cute the burn mark on the ground was. Kitano frowned from her place on the benches as she watched them, completely missing the moment when Touma ran away from the commotion. 

She was brought back to the scene when Koharu took the chance to sit next to her, and soon they were talking once more. "I ran into Azuma-san earlier...how did yesterday go?" She had asked idly chewing on her lip as she worriedly gazed at Kitano. Oh...of course she'd want to know, Kitano uncomfortably accepted. "I didn't give him the letter..." She muttered, staring tightly at the imitation powder in her hand, "And it ended up becoming an argument." 

Koharu deflated at that and immediately an apology poured out from past their lips. "No. I actually wanted to thank you Koharu-san" she decisively said, her head lowered and her posture withdrawn. "I want to talk to him again, properly, this time." She explained, pouring herself out to Koharu and explaining just what kind of people she and Touma were. "I...had an idea but-" she shook her head quickly, shuddering as if that would help dispel her previous train of thought. "Tell me more! I'll help where I can!" Koharu immediately jumped in and offered, leaning against the table determinedly in a way that defused Kitano's anxious defense.  "Well, it involves Hasumi-san, we all know she was admitted to a hospital, but she might've been transferred or sent home already..." She mused, a slow frown making its way across her face, the more she thought on it. "That's no problem!" Koharu immediately soothed, "My relative works at the hospital, I could ask them about Hasumi-san!"

Kitano's head shot up expectantly and overjoyed, an excited "Really?" Escaping her lips as she met Koharu's gaze. "I can ask the hospital-i mean my relatives about the visiting rules and all that! But I would have to know a little more about Hasumi-san, so it's easier to explain the whole situation to them." Koharu explained, giving Kitano space to pull her phone out as they contemplated their proposed plan. "Yeah! If there's a way to contact them...Ah, I think I have a photo of Hasumi-san!" Kitano excitedly started scrolling through her gallery to pull up said photo. It was a few seconds of waiting on Koharu's side as Kitano zoomed in on a photo and finally tilted her phone to show Koharu properly. "Their full name is Hasumi Ena." She told Koharu who stiffened upon hearing that, their gaze frozen on Kitano's screen. "This is her," she gestured, watching as Koharu stared at the screen, eyes wide as if to drink in as much information as possible. 

It was a few moments of Koharu mutely staring at her phone, analyzing the photo as if trying to look for clues, before Kitano awkwardly cleared her throat. "....koharu-san? Is everything ok? Do you...possibly recognize them? I mean...they were kind of withdrawn, but they did have a pretty friend to hang out with once..." She questioned, wondering if they had met once before; something in her begged for reassurance that whatever Koharu was thinking about was innocent in nature. "I-uh yeah. Sorry. They remind me of someone I know, but I don't think we've met." Koharu finally responded shakily, a small smile being aimed at Kitano as she began to rise slightly. "Excuse me, I'll go contact my relatives right away!" Koharu excused herself, making a quick retreat as Kitano nodded, feeling elated once more. Soon, they would be getting answers on Hasumi's conditions, and she and Touma could reconcile once again. She would understand Touma as a person and fully acknowledge his struggles and pain, and he would do the very same to her. With the help of Koharu and Hasumi, she couldn't help but beam at the thought.

——————————————————————————————————————

Koharu shed her disguise once she was reasonably hidden from Kitano's line of sight, and she pressed herself against the wall of the nearest building. Her mind was whirling, and she didn't even know where to start with all the new information that had been unveiled to her. The Hasumi Ena in Kitano's class and the Ena Chiyo supposedly came to help looked too similar to be a coincidence, and Koharu was beginning to believe they were the same person. Which only raised a whole lot more questions because then that would mean in terms of seniority of being cupids Ena, or Hasumi, had to be younger than her but the Ena they had met prior operated like a seasoned pro. Their battle prowess, their movements, the way they used their rifle to pin both Kanna and Koharu to the wall without harm, the way they knew how to fly and use their wings in a fight, it was all too seasoned and experienced for a cupid who seemingly died just a few days prior...

She couldn't help but shudder as her head pulsed just trying to wrap itself around the situation. Kanna would help, she decided after a few more painful moments trying to think. Kanna had been there for her since day one. Surely she would be able to help Koharu figure this out and help Kitano on the way. Yeah, Kanna was reliable like that, Koharu resolutely decided as she began to search for her senpai [And Chiyo and Ena by extension]. 

Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to find them; they were all huddled in a wide semi-circle, discussing amongst each other as something haphazardly shaped as a heart sat on the ground near them. Predictably Chiyo noticed her approach first and as Koharu smiled shakily towards them all, Ena took notice one second after Chiyo. Koharu did her best not to flinch as their head craned downwards and their eyes narrowed dangerously from behind those glasses, watching Koharu nervously approach their little circle. Kanna was watching Ena just as closely, her entire body relaxed but Koharu couldn't help but tremble as she noticed Kanna's hand drift dangerously close to their pocket. "What do ya think, newbie?" Chiyo greeted, grinning in that feral manner she always did. "I-uh about what, Chiyo-san?" She questioned sliding closer to Kanna and trying to ignore how much Ena screamed danger and left her on edge all from one glance. She could still vividly remember her and Chiyo's fight and the way they easily snapped Chiyo's arm in a singular motion. Who knows what else could've happened had Koharu not interfered in defense of one of her seniors? "Think it'll blow?" Chiyo's eyebrows and fingers wiggled mischievously as their entire body trembled with unbridled excitement. Before Koharu could answer a hesitant yes, Ena interrupted. 

"What she means is, do you think it'll be effective in a real-life mission situation. The question isn't if it'll blow; it's Jerry rigged with enough gunpowder that improper handling will result in injury to both the handler and the surroundings. It's a childish waste of karma." Chiyo's face dropped and twitched irritably as they listened to Ena. "Hey, don't go knocking it before it's even tested. You were just saying it could work at about 10 meters away or so!" Chiyo complained as she crossed her arms, staring up at Ena, who merely adjusted their glasses. "I remember exactly what I said. I also said it was a jerry-rigged bomb that could explode from improper handling." 

"So!?" Chiyo stomped, full on stomped as if they were children arguing on a playground, knocking a couple of rocks around. "Chiyo-san, your foot," Ena stated, glaring down at Chiyo as their arms crossed impatiently. "I'm so sick of you, you-!" Chiyo didn't finish, instead choosing to launch herself full speed towards a shocked Ena. They were on the ground with Chiyo fisting an entire chunk of Ena's tracksuit in one hand while the other balled itself into a fist, simultaneously forcing Ena against the ground further. "Theyre doing that again!" Kanna complained, slouching exhaustedly as Koharu squeaked and hid behind her senior. "Again?!" She couldn't help but exclaim, watching as those 2 scuffled. Somehow, in the few seconds it had taken for Koharu to speak with Kanna, Chiyo had managed to pin and even twist Ena's arm behind their back. "Say uncle! Hurry up, and Chiyo-Senpai might pity you!" Chiyo taunted, grinning viciously as Ena grunted painfully and their hand scrambled against the ground. Koharu squeezed her eyes tightly and clung to Kanna's shoulder as the sounds of chiyo and Ena's scuffle increased. "Don't worry, I won't let those two hurt you. They can't even hurt each other in any meaningful way." Kanna soothed reaching behind herself to pat Koharu's head as best she could while bouncing a grenade in the other. Koharu shakily opened her eyes and tried to ignore Chiyo's crazed laugh as Ena managed to fling her away from themself. "Kanna-s" Kanna's wings dropped and they adopted a kick puppy expression. "Kanna-chan," Koharu said, correctly watching as Kanna immediately brightened up and smiled widely. "Can we talk? Uh, just between us both." She whispered, not wanting to draw the other 2 Cupids attention. Kanna stared at her for a short while before her gaze grew gentle, and she was led farther away from the fighting seniors. 

"I-I talked with Kitano-san...she says she might understand what caused Touma to change so drastically from middle school and high school. He used to be all kind and gentle, and now he's-" she gestured wildly as Kanna nodded understanding exactly what she meant. "And, she thinks it might have to do with Hasumi-san." Koharu took a quick breath to steady herself, smiling as Kanna reached a hand out and rested it reassuringly against Koharu's own. "I told her I could contact the hospital Hasumi-san was staying at, and she showed me a picture, but Kanna-chan...the Hasumi in the picture and," She stared meaningfully at Ena, who was still fighting with Chiyo, and to her relief, Kanna immediately followed it, understanding exactly what Koharu was implying. "Look so alike..." she weakly finished and Kanna slowly frowned as their mind whirled. "You think they're the same person." She finished as Koharu nodded. "But Chiyo-san seems so comfortable and familiar with Ena-san, and they're so experienced compared to someone like me....they can't be the same. Hasumi was presumably injured on the 3rd... isn't that impossible? To come back so quickly?" She questioned as Kanna's frown deepened even further. "You're right. This all seems so unlikely huh? But chiyo’s kinda old for a cupid. She's older than me and you...Yet they treat each other as if they've known each other for years." Kanna mused idly patting Koharu's head still as Koharu leaned down and melted at the easy affection. 

"Why don't you focus on your current lead, and Senpai will focus on helping you?" Kanna smiled as Koharu blinked. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not breaking Ena-san's rule explicitly, but won't they be angry?" Koharu whispered, scratching at her neck anxiously. "Leave that to your senpai to worry about. I won't leave you out for the wolves to snap you up." Kanna was reassured as a cry resounded in front of them. "Do not break those!" Ena had snapped as they squinted and glared at Chiyo, who grinned back easily. There beside her foot was Ena's heart shaped glasses and Chiyo leaned forward incessantly. "Those don't break, dummy! Or did you forget that?" She teased, grinning as Ena's glare grew more severe and their entire body tensed. "Oh ho! You for real wanna get serious?! Alright let's go! I'll have fun pummeling you! Come on!" Chiyo hooted excitedly as they fell into a stance of their own. 

Koharu turned to leave, not wanting to be around for when those two got close to kill each other [in normal human circumstances], and as Kanna met her anxious gaze with her own steady one and followed it with a reassuring grin, Koharu felt her anxieties ease slightly. Hopefully, Ena wouldn't be too angry with her roundabout loophole Koharu had discovered in the rule they had established. And more importantly, hopefully nothing bad would come out of this mission either.