Chapter Text
✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧 ɴᴏᴅᴏᴋᴀ'ꜱ ᴍᴘ𝟥 ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ʜᴀꜱ ꜰᴜʟʟʏ ʙᴏᴏᴛᴇᴅ !
4.11 pm
“Tachibana-san, I heard from the guidance counsellor that you sent off your application for Ouran Academy, right?”
Their final year of junior high school crept in faster than either of the two girls could expect it to, let alone entrance exams, the biting cold of early January seeping in through the ever-so-slightly ajar window in the hallway (the window hadn't been fixed and was probably eternally fated not to close properly). Fujioka Haruhi was faced with the only other student in her grade applying to Ouran Private Academy, tapping her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention as she came out of class 3-B, her bag in tow and coat in her arm. The long-haired brunette pushed down the sleeves of her knitted cardigan over her sailor-fuku as she awaited a response with a kind and patient smile, as always, watching as the sleepy-eyed girl in front of her finally came to attention, her pale pink eyes blinking slowly.
The raven-haired girl turned after being tapped on the shoulder and was met with the it-girl of their grade, at least that’s how Tachibana Nodoka had perceived it. Her mind raced miles a minute as she internally fumbled for an answer.
“Hm…? Ah! Fujioka-san!” she started, her lips stretching slightly, attempting at a friendly smile as if she wasn't caught spacing out in the hallway by probably the most well-liked person of class 3-A, if not the entire grade. Her fingers curled around her sleeves as she crossed her arms over her chest for more warmth, her heart rate quickening slightly as she continued. Haruhi nodded with her ever-sweet smile, a soft hum escaping her lips.
"Yes! I'm going to Ouran Academy! I mean— I applied! And I will be taking the entrance exam for Ouran, along with Higashi High School..." Nodoka quickly corrected herself, her hand flying to tuck her dark hair behind her ear sheepishly. Haruhi chuckled slightly, her head tilting slightly and brown bangs falling over her eyes a little as she pushed them away.
"I see, we're the same, then. Well, good luck to us both!" Haruhi smiled before stepping closer, placing two soft hands on Nodoka's shoulders, likely for a friendly pat. She felt the stiff and sturdy fabric of her winter uniform, warmed by Haruhi’s hands. Nodoka stiffened slightly at the contact, all the air in her body being knocked out as she maintained eye contact as though her life depended on it, robotically nodding her head as alarms went off in her head. Definitely not because a cute girl was this close to her.
She could see each eyelash of her wide, dark brown eyes, creased slightly in the corners from her warm smile, looking right into her soul, the straight-cut chestnut brown bangs that reached just below her eyebrows, on the verge of needing a trim. Her porcelain skin was almost void of any blemishes, save for ever-faint whispers of what seemed like old acne scars... or freckles? She couldn't tell. Oh, right. Haruhi was speaking.
"I really hope Ouran works out for you, Tachibana-san. It’d be nice to be in the same class for once..."
Nodoka nodded her head vigorously once more, sputtering out something along the lines of a "Me too!" or "Good luck", or a "Thank you"... She couldn't tell you for the life of her, except that it wasn't as eloquent or nonchalant as she would have liked it to be. Girl, stand up.
She watched as the long-haired brunette walked past her, bidding her goodbye, which Nodoka returned with a small wave (and waved goodbye to any chance of Haruhi thinking Nodoka was cool) before making her way down the long, freezing hallway, probably going to the teacher's office to drop off forms or something. How diligent of her, as always.
Nodoka stood alone in the hallway, just outside her classroom. She turned around to close the neglected sliding doors behind her, before letting out an extended light groan, resting her head against the cold, hard plastic. Her cheeks heated up slightly despite the cold as she crouched down to the floor, setting down and quickly zipping open her bag, rummaging around before digging out her red scarf. After tying it around her neck with haste and a quick slap to the cheeks, she was ready to go home for the day.
'Ugh... Why did I act like that...?'
˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹˙
5.48 pm
A soaked, scowling black cat had arrived at the genkan of a warm home somewhere in Bunkyō-ku...
Or rather, a soaked, scowling Nodoka had arrived at the genkan. Her shiny black loafers were speckled with water droplets, rain still dripping down the sides as a small puddle formed beneath her. The front door clicked shut and locked behind her as she kicked off her shoes and plopped onto the raised step leading into the rest of the house with a loud huff and a mumbled: “I’m home.”
She peeled off her damp ankle socks that she wore over her black tights (mostly to avoid cold toes, partly as a conversation starter should any of her classmates point it out... which they didn't) and tugged off her soaked red scarf— it didn’t look nearly as bright as it had that morning, and her usual black duffle-style coat, now heavy with rain and mud. Her eyes drifted to the puddle in the entryway with a slight frown, the genkan now a mess: shoes and socks strewn about, her coat sopping wet in the center, her soaked school bag (she’d have to dry her notebooks later) now one with the cockroaches and spiders, and the floor far from the tidy state it had been in when she’d left that morning.
At the very least, her brand-new flip phone had survived (courtesy of her mother since she was starting high school soon), safely tucked in her pocket, spared from the worst of the downpour. Small mercies.
Mother was not going to be happy.
How had her luck turned sour so quickly, you may be wondering?
Well, after that encounter with Fujioka Haruhi, Nodoka had left her school building with a slight pep in her step...
₍^. .^₎⟆
The now-grinning Nodoka had just left the shoe lockers, pushing open the glass doors with slight effort— only to be immediately assaulted by the harsh, cold winds typical of winter. Her eyes squeezed shut on instinct, caught off guard by the sudden drop in temperature and the gust that smacked her straight in the face. But her mood had not dampened one bit, not by the gloomy weather that day, or the fact that she had struggled a bit changing her shoes into her shiny black loafers that were always slightly too tight on her, for she had gotten to speak with the pretty top student of the class 3-A!
Nodoka had honestly wanted to befriend the girl for a while. Still, it was unlikely since they were in different classes, had different extracurricular activities, and, well... Nodoka had the social skills of an NPC repeating the same few prompts in an RPG and the resting face of a rock. So, she had resigned herself to being just another passing face you'd occasionally see in the hallways, forever being star-crossed schoolmates, a wall’s distance between what could have been, her 'friend crush' if you will.
And Haruhi, despite not being too close with her, always treated her well, talking to her whenever they coincidentally stood behind each other in the lunch line, occasionally walking home together if they'd happen to run into each other after school, and complimenting Nodoka’s artwork she had been working on if she happened to catch a glimpse… wait, wait, were they already friends???
Nodoka didn't want to overstep, but the mere thought of it excited her even further as she exited the school grounds and almost broke out into a skip, but then remembered where she was and did her best to conceal her wide grin so that she didn't look like a smiling lunatic on the streets. As she reached the main streets, it grew busy as rush hour inched closer. She didn't mind getting squished on the bus ride home between borderline-depressed salarymen and office workers, having nowhere to sit for 40 achingly long minutes before being squished between even more people on the train home.
However, the universe had decided that, no, she could no longer be happy.
Because, right as she reached the intersection near her bus stop, the grey, gloomy skies that had seemed like they were on the verge of bursting with how much water they held, had finally broken out into a full-on downpour. Nodoka was soaked through in seconds. Without thinking, she broke into a run, now carrying her bag over her head in an attempt to keep her hair somewhat dry as she legged it down the street to the konbini by the bus station she frequented to buy her lunch before school.
Nodoka pushed through the glass doors, the bell attached to them ringing as she entered, leaving a trailing path of wet footprints behind. She gave a quick nod to the nice store clerk, who was typically on shift after school, as he greeted her with a polite smile and “Welcome!” and made a beeline for the umbrella rack with the cheap ¥500 ones that would break easily after a single storm... Just enough for her to get home dry.
She picked the plain, clear umbrella, the kind that always fogged up in the rain, and walked to the counter with frozen fingers tucked into her sleeves. Her coin purse—a tiny blue thing she’d had since the end of elementary school, a smiling picture of Doraemon printed on the front—felt colder than usual as she pulled it out and began counting, fingertips stiff from the chill. She placed the change onto the small tray on the counter as the clerk scanned the tag on the base of the umbrella and then counted the change.
Nodoka stood there patiently, occasionally fussing with her now string-like bangs that were now sticking to her forehead since she was drenched from head to toe. Her gaze wandered towards the large window facing the street she had just come from, where the drops of water from the dark clouds came down like bullets, a constant drumming of raindrops hitting the windows and reverberating around the konbini.
She perked back up as the clerk handed her the umbrella. With a quick thank you, she left the store, hurriedly unfurling the flimsy umbrella under the protection of the awning whilst silently regretting having dropped ¥500 on this. Still, our optimistic heroine pushed on. She would make sure this tawdry umbrella could have a chance to fulfil its one purpose.
With her gaze now glued to her target location, she booked it down the street to the bus station, her umbrella angled towards the direction she was running in as a shield of some sort. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however; a few stumbles here and there, nearly crashing into a lady—typical stuff when running.
Thankfully, Nodoka reached the bus station unscathed. Though running hadn’t done her umbrella much good, considering it was now inside out and the plastic had started to come off the thin metal skeleton. ‘Good job, cadet. Thank you for your service.’ she mourned, ditching it in the nearest rubbish bin before hopping onto the bus right as it was about to depart. With a sigh, she took a number ticket before moving further into the bus.
As Nodoka had expected, rush hour did not look kindly upon her. There were no vacant seats, let alone much room to stand comfortably. She gripped the handrail for dear life whilst squished between a group of high schoolers from a nearby school she had forgotten the name of, and drained office workers on their way home. Thankfully, she manages to pass the time by escaping into her fantasies. Pretty on-brand for a 15-year-old girl such as Nodoka.
As confident as she was in her current artistic abilities, Nodoka was deeply worried about getting accepted into Ouran Private Academy. Not only would she have to complete the entrance exam, but she would also have to create a portfolio worthy of a full-ride scholarship. And, on top of that, an interview.
She sighed, only to be jostled forward straight into someone’s backpack as the bus went over a speed bump. She’s been working hard on her portfolio for the last few months, but she was mainly concerned about the exam. She was typically a B student, and with some hard work, she could probably pass, but such academic motivation didn’t come easily to her as it did to someone like Haruhi, especially since the scholarship exam was rumoured to be difficult. Nodoka would have to work hard if she wanted to be classmates with her next year.
Of the three years that Nodoka has been aware of Fujioka Haruhi’s existence, she has never once been in the same class as her. She has gotten to know her mostly through fleeting comments and murmurs overheard from her classmates over the years, like “I guess Fujioka ranked first place for midterms again”, or “Fujioka is getting confessed to again in the courtyard. Let’s go watch!”
So, she had gathered over time that Haruhi definitely outranked her socially and would never hang out with a socially inept blob like herself.
It was only in the later months of their third year of middle school when they finally had the chance to speak properly. Since they were both applying to Ouran Academy, they often had meetings together with the guidance counsellor. And, after their sessions, they would engage in some friendly small talk.
Sort of…
Nodoka would try her best to answer whatever questions Haruhi had or respond to whatever she said. But, she would mentally check out on impulse out of a mix of fear of saying the wrong thing and ruining any chance of a potential friendship with Fujioka Haruhi, and general anxiety that came from talking with others. Both left her with an intense urge to throw up and run away to England. Somehow, she manages to get through it and is now somewhat friends with the ever-popular Fujioka Haruhi.
Nodoka couldn’t help but grin, her internal spiral going in a more positive direction when her bus stop name was called. Thankfully, most of the crowd had dispersed by the time the bus had reached her stop, so she was easily able to make her way out after paying for her journey.
She, however, was met with the same rain from earlier, and it showed no sign of stopping. Severely regretting throwing away her cheap umbrella, she covered her head with her school bag and made a run for it once more.
It was a known fact amongst her peers that Tachibana Nodoka was the furthest thing from athletic as one could possibly be.
During gym class, she was typically picked last for teams since she would drag her teammates down, and in games like dodgeball, she would always be one of the first people out. Months earlier, whilst researching Ouran Private Academy, she had found, after scouring various online forums with alleged current and former students, that one could opt out of certain classes, the only one of importance to Nodoka being physical education. The thought of no longer having to lag behind her classmates and of being exhausted out of her mind after running only a couple of meters for the next three years was a major factor Nodoka considered when deciding which high schools to apply to.
To put it simply, there was a reason why she gravitated towards hobbies like art as a child.
Evidently, Nodoka’s attempt to escape the rain on foot was rather futile because of this fact. Her legs grew heavy as she lugged them across the pavement, one after the other. Her running speed didn’t help with getting out of the rain as quickly as possible, either.
What was it she had often heard in gym class again? Breathe in through the nose and out from the mouth?
Whatever it was wasn’t working at all; her breathing was even more laboured than it was before.
Nodoka eventually stumbled to a stop in the middle of the street, lungs burning and muscles stiff. She honestly didn’t care about the rain anymore. She was already soaked through. She let her bag fall back to her side.
Through her exhausted haze, Nodoka began to wonder why she was even trying so hard to escape the rain. Out of all the different weathers, she actually quite liked the rain as opposed to the sticky heat that came with the sun, or the frost that came with the snow. Nodoka found comfort in the gloom of the cloudy skies and the pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting the windows. And during the summer, the rain hit even better after periods of humid heat that she so despised.
Nodoka’s train of thought was cut short by a faint sound in the distance behind her. It sounded like a voice?
She turned around to see what it was–
A kid on a bicycle was practically at point-blank range, screaming for her to move out of the way.
With a yelp, Nodoka lunged out of the way. Things started to feel as though they were slowing down, like in those overly dramatic movies she liked to watch. The concrete inched closer and closer.
She supposed this was the day that her mother had always warned her of.
“You should really get your head out of the clouds, dear. You’ll get hurt one of these days if you’re not careful~!” She would often tell Nodoka in that sweet, easygoing tone of hers.
Over the years, Nodoka’s lack of attentiveness didn’t really amount to many issues, and they mostly tended to sort themselves out.
Nodoka slammed shoulder-first onto the concrete. Her coin purse flew out of her pocket and landed a couple of feet away from her, and her bag fell in front of her. Thankfully, it was already secured properly, and nothing of importance had spilled out.
The same couldn’t be said for her coin purse, though.
Most of the remaining money she had planned to use for lunch this week had scattered everywhere across the concrete, a good amount rolling into the drain pipe leading to the sewers on the left side of the pavement near where she had fallen. The usually comforting smile of Doraemon seemed to mock her now-lack of coin.
Nodoka let out a heavy sigh. She supposed she’d have to make bento lunches for the rest of the week. What a hassle.
She peeled herself off the floor, drenched to the brim from the puddle she was in, picked up what she could find of her coins and other scattered belongings, and trudged on home, not bothering to run.
₍^. .^₎⟆
5.50 pm
“Nee-chan, you look like hell.”
And here is where we left off with our lovely protagonist, sopping wet in the entrance of her home, met with the kind of greeting only a younger brother could so lovingly give.
Nodoka turned around, craning her neck up as far as she could from where she was seated to give him her most displeased glare. Now was not the time for such comments.
She got up and walked past him, giving a small, dignified ‘hmph’ of pique. Honestly!
Tachibana Tobio.
Currently standing at 178cm and not planning on stopping anytime soon, with jet-black hair and a permanent scowl, this second-year middle schooler was what some would call a genius…
At volleyball.
Academically, he’s rather hopeless. He seemingly can’t get anything other than volleyball through his head. It’s a miracle he hasn’t been held back yet.
“My, my! Nodoka-chan, is that you~?”
The ever-sweet tone of her mother’s voice called from the kitchen, the sound of slippers shuffling through the hallways. Nodoka was met with her mother’s perpetual smile and kind, pink eyes. The only person she could face eye-to-eye with in this family of giants came before her with a white fluffy towel in her hands, immediately reaching to begin drying her hair. Her mid-length brown hair was tied back into a low ponytail over her shoulder as always, and she still had her work clothes on from her job at the local police station.
“Oh goodness, you’re all drenched! What on earth happened?!”
The towel came down over Nodoka’s head like a warm, fluffy trap, and suddenly the world around her was reduced to the borderline aggressive rhythm of her mother’s hands rubbing at her scalp as if she were trying to start a fire.
“Mmph–!” Nodoka tried to respond, but as Miyuki began to pat her face dry, her voice came out all wrong, compressed by the ocean of fabric and maternal love she seemed to be drowning in.
“Mmmf llm fmmmr.”
The alleged drying paused. The now-damp towel parted just enough to reveal Miyuki’s sweetly concerned face, slightly blocked out by Nodoka’s wet bangs, trying to obscure her vision.
“You fell over?” Miyuki cooed, enveloping Nodoka into her arms, the towel twisting to form a cocoon around her head, blinding her once more. “Aww, my poor baby!”
Nodoka tried to form a response, but once again, her mother’s power of love and affection (though mostly the towel) kept her from speaking coherently. Miyuki rocked her daughter in her arms as if she were a newborn again. Getting doted on by her mother could be pretty nice. If only she could get a single word out…
From somewhere behind her, likely still loitering around from a few minutes before, Tobio called out, flat and unimpressed.
“Was that even Japanese? That sounded like–”
“Tobio-kun.”
Tobio’s posture straightened. Miyuki’s kind tone didn’t change in the slightest, but Tobio knew not to play with his mother. While Miyuki was nurturing, seemingly harmless, and kind almost to a fault, he had heard things. Occasionally, Miyuki would invite coworkers over for dinners at their house, and Tobio would overhear how his mother could break down even the roughest-looking perps that her colleagues would have trouble getting a confession out of.
Needless to say, that alone was enough for him not to wish to get on her bad side.
So he backed down, tail between his legs, and skulked off to find a mop.
Of course, to Nodoka, this whole interaction filled her with a smugness that couldn’t be matched. Finally, her status as the older sister meant something here! (even though Miyuki did the heavy lifting here).
Now, as much as Nodoka loved her mother, she was growing not too fond of being wrapped and cradled like a child. She began to suspect that her mother was secretly enjoying her struggle.
“Mmm mmph mm.”
“I know, sweetie,” Miyuki said warmly, still petting her head. “The rain was very mean to you today.”
₍^. .^₎⟆
6.34 pm
Steam billowed out of the shower room, and out emerged Nodoka, having washed the chill from the rainstorm out of her body. She let out a sigh of relief as she walked down the hallway to her room, the soft fabric of her lounge wear warming her body. Her skin was lightly flushed from the hot water of her shower.
Padding into the living room, she collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the cushions. Of course, she wasn’t alone. Alone time was quite hard to come by in this household. Sitting on the other end was the ever-elusive, nonchalant eldest son: Tachibana Jotaro.
Simply looking at him, this 195cm man built like a fridge and a mug that would give even grown adults nightmares, you’d think he would be up to trouble. In fact, most people did. He often got profiled by patrolling neighbourhood watch or local officers if he happened to be out and about after dark, thinking he was a criminal scoping out the next neighbourhood he wanted to rob. Not that he ever did such a thing. His mother was a cop, after all.
His appearance tended to cause him to end up in rather exhausting predicaments. Back in his high school days, all of the delinquents at his school practically worshipped the ground he walked on, believing he was one of them (Jotaro thought he made his stance clear that he wanted to be left alone, but his sheer coolness caused them to misunderstand, and he ended up with more followers).
Needless to say, that crowd was instantly dropped once graduation came around.
Currently, Jotaro sat with a small, but thick, textbook in his hand, aura-farming as he flipped through the pages– marine biology by the looks of the cover, which had some sort of crab. He didn’t look up from his book when Nodoka entered, not when she plopped down next to him. He was almost like an immovable piece of furniture that happened to breathe.
Nodoka had reached for the remote sitting on the small table in front of the couch and began flipping through the channels, not really sure what she was searching for. A nature documentary, the news, the music channel, a variety show, boring.
She landed on a channel programme featuring a popular idol reviewing a famous dessert place in Shibuya. Nodoka didn’t follow idols particularly, but there was something undeniably pleasant about watching someone so effortlessly cute enjoy something so earnestly. The idol’s eyes sparkled as the waiter set down a towering strawberry parfait, and her little gasps of delight as she examined it from every angle were almost as sweet as the dessert itself.
The parfait, for its part, needed no help looking appealing. Glistening red berries perched on clouds of cream, ruby syrup dripping slowly down the sides of the glass. The idol took her first bite with a theatrical "mm!" that seemed entirely genuine, and Nodoka found herself smiling at the screen without meaning to.
She was half thinking of grabbing a notebook to write down the cafe's name when Tobio slouched into the room, a bag of potato chips in hand.
“Move,” he grunted, flopping down directly between Nodoka and Jotaro, squishing her further into the cushions.
“There’s a whole other couch,” Nodoka deadpanned, her eye beginning to twitch.
“This one’s closer to the TV.”
“You’re closer to getting hit–”
Jotaro turned a page of his book (rather loudly, might I add), muttering a “Good grief,” under his breath. Both younger siblings went quiet for a beat.
Tobio recovered first, crunching a chip obnoxiously. “So, Nee-chan, did you cry when you fell?”
“I did not fall. I was pushed–”
“By a kid on a bicycle.”
“The bicycle was moving at an alarming velocity and–”
“Imagine getting taken out by some toddler on a bike, couldn’t be me.” Tobio taunted whilst mid-shovelling more chips into his mouth, his expression resembling a smirk. But honestly, it looked like someone discovering facial expressions for the first time, with how inflexible his facial muscles were. Regardless, Nodoka looked, for a moment, as if she might lunge across Tobio and strangle him.
“I’m gonna take you out right now if you don’t–”
Then, mid retort, Jotaro wordlessly reached over and took the bag of chips out of Tobio's hand.
Tobio blinked. “Hey–”
The eldest son, without breaking intense eye contact that said, “Give it a rest,” and placed the back on the far side of the couch, well out of Tobio’s reach, before returning to his book. Tobio stared at the empty space where the bag used to be, glancing at Jotaro, then Nodoka, who wasn’t trying to hide the smug look on her face. The younger boy grumbled under his breath.
“...Whatever,” Tobio muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back into the sofa with a scowl. “Wasn’t that hungry anyway.”
Tobio lightly kicked Nodoka’s foot in retaliation. He had to come out on top somehow. Of course, Nodoka wasn’t going to have that and kicked him back harder. Honestly, Nodoka wasn't a violent person, but her dear little brother just knew how to make her throw away all her pacifist ideals just to get her lick back. How dare he?! This continued to escalate, hits getting harder until Jotaro had to intervene again, sighing heavily with a muttered “Good grief,” as he put his book down and grabbed the pair by the collars to scold them. The fishies would have to wait.
As you could probably tell, this was a common scene between the Tachibana siblings. Due to the close age gap between Tobio and Nodoka, they tended to be at each other’s throats, and Jotaro or Miyuki would have to separate them. Though it wasn’t that they hated each other's guts or anything. If anything happened to the other, they would come to each other’s aid at the drop of a hat. But putting two stubborn teenagers so close in age, with difficulties expressing how they honestly feel, is a recipe for disaster. At this point in time, it was near-impossible for the two to get along in their day-to-day.
With upcoming entrance exams, stress levels were at an all-time high, and throughout the remaining weeks of the winter season, the Tachibana household became relatively quiet. The two adults of the house could finally breathe and not worry about Thing One and Thing Two tearing each other’s hair out.
Of course, this time of respite for them was short-lived, following the moment an enclosed envelope with high-quality paper that decided Nodoka’s fate for the next three years…
˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹˙—
The delicate pink sakura petals that came with early April littered the path before her, leading to where Nodoka would be spending the next three years of her life.
Ouran Private Academy.
Months ago, when visiting their school grounds whilst deciding on schools, she never thought once that she’d actually make it into such a good school. Her exam scores were typically pretty average, but locking in over the winter really did wonders, and her art portfolio was a hit with the high-ups at Ouran Academy, their pleasant chairman having a fondness for the arts. But most of all, Nodoka could finally stand on the same stage as Fujioka Haruhi. Her dreams of befriending the long-haired brunette were no longer seeming so out of reach.
Speaking of which, a familiar voice called out from a few ways behind her. Various expensive cars drove past her along the entrance road to the top of the gates, where the campus grounds were. Nodoka was glad for a reason to take a break from walking as she slowly felt herself growing tired from this uphill trek.
When Nodoka turned around, all she could spot in the distance was some guy with choppy brown hair, oversized glasses, and dark, shabby-looking academic wear. Huh, perhaps there were more commoner students other than herself and Haruhi. Similar to this stranger, Nodoka could not afford the ¥300,000 uniform. So, she opted to wear neutral clothing suitable for an academic setting: a white-collared shirt with a black tie, a black button-up cardigan, a black knee-length pleated skirt with dark stockings, and brown shiny loafers. Though Nodoka took much more care in grooming herself than this guy did.
She looked around, craning her neck, looking for Haruhi. Perhaps all that studying to get here had finally made her go insane. Is this what smart people had to go through? On second thought, the notion of Haruhi being one of the voices didn't sound too bad at all...
"Tachibana! Over here!"
There it was again! This time, closer.
She turned around once more. That shabby guy was waving at her!
On closer inspection, his face wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. He had wide, dark brown eyes shining from under his glasses, creased slightly in the corners from his warm smile, looking right into her soul. His hair was a chestnut brown, short, nearly fluffy in texture, and hastily cut with bangs that reached just below his eyebrows, definitely due for a trim. His porcelain skin was almost void of any blemishes... Wait, we had this monologue already! Was this déjà vu?
No way...
"F-Fujioka-san?!"
Haruhi had never seen her usually straight-faced friend this shocked. She let out a sheepish laugh, walking to meet the frozen Nodoka where she stood. Nodoka's features were stuck in a partially scared, gobsmacked state, her mouth agape and her typically sleepy eyes wide open, along with a flaming scarlet tint on her skin she'd never seen before that surprisingly suited her.
"You....Y-Your hair...."
Nodoka's brain had officially stopped working rationally; her words refused to come out like someone who was good with social interactions. Of course, Fujioka could pull off short hair! That's just the type of gal she was; effortlessly beautiful, cute in anything you put her in. That was a simple fact of life. And Nodoka was blessed that she could see this sight before all her previous classmates in middle school. Take that!
"Ah, this?" she chuckled. "Yesterday, a little kid in my neighbourhood got some gum in my hair. It was a pain to deal with, so I just cut it all off." Haruhi shrugged. The two started walking together. Haruhi, like the saint she was, waited patiently for Nodoka's response as she rebooted.
Finally, Nodoka snapped back to reality. They had made it a decent way up the path, the entrance now clearly in sight. She turned to look at Haruhi, whose gaze was focused ahead on the pastel pink building. Nodoka noticed she could just about see over the top of Haruhi's head. Petals danced around, fluttering in and out of her view, one making its way to rest between Haruhi's brown locks. She couldn't believe it; she and Haruhi were walking side by side!
Hesitantly, she reached out to pick the petal from the top of her head. The wind picked up slightly, causing Haruhi's soft brown strands to brush over Nodoka's fingers. She pulled away as if zapped by lightning.
"I think it suits you well, Fujioka-san..." Ah! She finally said it!
"Thank you," She smiled, for both the compliment and help with the petal. "Also, no need to be so formal with me, since we're gonna be in the same class. Just 'Haruhi' is alright."
Nodoka's brain, which had only just rebooted, promptly crashed again.
Her steps faltered slightly. "H-Haruhi." She said it before she could psych herself out, and it came out steadier than expected. "Okay. Then... you should call me by my first name, too." Oh god, oh god, OH GOD!
Haruhi blinked, then smiled that warm, easy smile that made Nodoka feel like perhaps there wouldn't be a sudden calamity that would befall Japan due to her perceived brazenness.
"Alright, Nodoka." She nodded.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Nodoka returned her gaze towards the path they both walked on. They fell into a comfortable silence the rest of the way. Nearing the building, young ladies in their bright yellow uniforms and gentlemen in their sky blue blazers piled out of their expensive cars and limousines, spilling onto the campus grounds. The pair of commoners stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the colours of the summer skies. Yet, they continued to march on. They had earned their place here, and nobody could take that from them. Despite her heart beating out of her chest and her social battery already beginning to decline, Nodoka was glad she wouldn't be facing this alone. She was glad that she had busted her ass to make it here.
And, she was glad that it was none other than Fujioka Haruhi.
Tachibana Nodoka is finally making her high school debut!
𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 !
✩°｡ ⋆
ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴘᴇᴇᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅꜱ...
ᵇᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵖꜝ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴛᴇʟʟɪᴛᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴡ
ᴘɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ʙʀᴀɪɴᴡᴀᴠᴇꜱ !
.𖥔 ݁ ˖
橘 平和 | 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐍𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐤𝐚 | Age: 15 | Birthday: 3rd October | Height: 163cm | Likes: Chocolate Gâteau | Current concern: “Should I have brought a fan…?”
It seems that Nodoka is under the impression that the fair, upper-class ladies of Ouran Private Academy use their fans to express their different moods and have spent the last few weeks reading up on the dead culture, with the hopes of getting along with, or even befriending her classmates, if she can read them correctly… That’s enough shoujo manga for her.
藤岡 ハルヒ | 𝐅𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐡𝐢 | Age: 15 | Birthday: 4th February | Height: 155cm | Likes: Fancy tuna | Current concern: “Why is the entrance so big…?”
Looks like Haruhi isn’t really partial to physical movement either. The entrance to Ouran Private Academy’s main building is quite the trek on foot. Typically, this is not an issue for the regular students as they arrive in expensive cars and limousines. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our two scholarship students. Perhaps the extra movement will do them some good.
Our sensors have picked up that Fujioka Haruhi has also opted out of physical education!
橘 飛雄 | 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐨 | Age: 14 | Birthday: 22nd December | Height: 178cm | Likes: Pork curry with a soft-boiled egg | Current concern: “The cat near the konbini keeps running away from me…”
He gets the feeling that most animals dislike him. Whenever dog owners walk past him, they're being dragged by the leash of their barking dogs, sensing a threat (a 14-year-old boy). Cats hiss and run away, birds poop on his shoulder, the whole shabang. Perhaps if he fixed that scowl of his…
橘 承太郎 | 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐉𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐨 | Age: 19 | Birthday: 3rd February | Height: 195cm | Likes: His mother’s cooking | Current concern: “...”
He is most elusive. Unfortunately, our satellites are unable to pick up his thoughts at this time.
ᵇᵉᵉᵉᵉᵉᵖꜝ
ꜱᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ !