#franchium

Oh god, that one hurt me. Like, the way they did it, you kinda knew it was coming…but then it happens and it just destroys you. AND you think you’re done, but NOOO…there’s also that short epilogue.

Is this “she and her cat,” by any chance?

Yeah! Although a workaround I found that seems to still be okay is that you don't share it when you're posting the pic, but click the share option afterward when the post already exists.

Yuuko as Reina’s wingman. :))

(sorry if this isn’t very long, heh)

“oh, crap.” reina blinked. 

“what is it?” 

“i forgot that the trains are down. i have to carry this thing all the way home, too.” kumiko craned her neck to look at the euphonium on her back. 

“i can help, if you want.” 

“it’s fine.” kumiko pushed up her sleeves, the winter uniform as stifling as it always was. she didn’t notice reina’s somewhat flustered expression. 

“you’ve been working out,” reina bluntly pointed out. kumiko looked at her arms. 

“oh. yeah, i guess. i mean, carrying the euph everywhere kinda helps with that.” 

(h e c k  y e a h) 

kumiko didn’t have any reason to suspect that something suspicious might be in the air, not at first. after all, it was perfectly typical for her to trip over an oddly well-placed string of christmas lights.

(less typical to fall into reina’s arms, but she wasn’t thinking about how it was a weird coincidence as much as she was thinking about how many times she needed to say sorry before reina forgave her)   

“they really need to clean up after themselves,” reina sighed, picking up the lights with a resigned expression on her face. 

“who?” 

“the third-years. it was asuka-senpai’s idea to set these up.” 

“of course it was,” kumiko muttered. “oh, right! she told me that she’d left a book in here, i came back to grab it.” reina handed her a frayed notebook in response. 

“kaori-senpai sent me to get this, actually. she said it’s important.” 

“weird.” 

***

kumiko had slightly more reason to be suspicious when haruka suddenly started selling flowers in the hallway (”to buy more equipment,” she had said, but kumiko didn’t believe her for a moment) and had rather timidly suggested that she buy a small bouquet for reina. 

(kumiko was rather annoyed at herself for giving in so easily) 

she was soon brought face-to-face with an equally confused reina holding an identical bouquet. 

“was it the-” 

“yes.” 

“i dunno what they want,” kumiko muttered. “i mean, they have some kind of plan, right? what is it?” 

“it’s fairly obvious,” reina replied. “they see something in us, and so they’re living out their past dreams through two first-years.” kumiko handed reina her bouquet and turned around, straightening her shoulders. “where are you going?” 

“i’m going to talk to asuka-senpai.” 

***

“oh?” asuka looked up to see kumiko, displeased, standing in her homeroom. “kumiko? why are you here?” 

“can we talk?” 

“of course, of course, anything for the little euph.” 

“please don’t call me that.” 

“alright.” asuka pushed herself up from her chair, letting out a long sigh. “what seems to be the problem, then?” kumiko idly noticed that everyone had left the classroom. 

she’s just as intimidating to her classmates, huh? “are you and haruka-senpai and kaori-senpai trying to set up me and reina?” 

“yep.” kumiko blinked. 

“oh.” 

“what, were you expecting an answer other than that?” 

“i figured you’d be less … blunt.” 

“have you met me, kumiko? i’m nothing if not blunt.” 

“right.” kumiko paused. “why?” asuka looked up at the ceiling. 

“i’ve never gotten that sort of thing. romance, you know, devoting yourself so wholeheartedly to someone else. still, what you and kousaka have … it’s admirable. it’s something real, it’s something that makes your playing sound better. what kind of vice president would i be if i didn’t try to help you two with that?” kumiko remained silent for a moment. 

“thanks,” she mumbled. 

“don’t mention it.” asuka patted kumiko on the head. “now, i think there’s a conveniently timed couples’ special at that diner run by kaori’s folks downtown, why don’t you go ask her to go with you?” asuka winked. 

“you’re weird,” kumiko chuckled. 

“no weirder than you, dear oumae!” asuka called after her.