A/N: This is really the final chapter! I've dragged this story on for a bit and it lacked a bit of substance which was made up for in pointless drama...but oh well.
I really want to thank everyone who's stayed with me to the end and thank you all for reviewing and reading!
I'm probably going to be writing more things (despite my declared hiatus) since I have recently been subject to quite a lot of stress. I find that writing helps distract me from IRL things.
but yah. enough of me. Hope you enjoy the rushed ending OTL.
Practicality and Love - Epilogue Part 2
As Reina predicted, Tsukamoto Shuuichi didn't say a word of what he saw to anyone. However, things were even more awkward between him and Kumiko…and Reina and this incited a new wave of rumors to start up. Thankfully, today was an ensemble practice, not leaving any idle time for the chitchat they had during sectionals.
Practice went on as usual, filled with Taki-sensei's to-the-point criticism and insistence that every note be nothing but perfection. By the end of the two hours, most of the students were nearly out of breath, regretting not voting for a break.
"Alright. With the competition coming up, I can see that you're all very diligent in practicing and I can hear the improvement. But to reach Nationals, you have to be prepared to work even harder than you are now."
"Yes!"
The band collectively answered, bringing a smile to the wiry man's face. He adjusted his glasses.
"I'm glad to hear your enthusiasm. Before we dismiss for the day, Ogasawara-san has a few announcements to make."
A chair scraped against the floor as Haruka stood. She made her way to the front of the room, her saxophone still in hand, supported by the characteristic strap around her neck. She nodded to Taki-sensei briefly, saying a soft thank you.
"Okay, everyone. As Taki-sensei said, we're getting closer to the competition, but we also have some other performances coming up as well. We'll need all the instrument logs sorted out and the setup crew to meet on Friday before we pack up for Saturday's recital."
"Understood!"
Again, it was a collective reply, full of enthusiasm even though the students were about ready to collapse.
Haruka smiled, glad that all their club members were so diligent this year.
"Alright, then that's that. If there's nothing else-" Haruka paused, noticing a hand raised. "Ah, yes, Kousaka-san?"
Kumiko perked up at the sound of Reina's name and she looked over at the trumpet section. Sure enough, the petite girl stood in front of her seat, her trumpet clutched loosely in her hand. She had a determined look on her face.
And at the same time, Kumiko felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It couldn't be…She couldn't be thinking… Trying to swallow her anxiety, Kumiko's eyes darted around the room. Unfortunately, she caught glimpses of snickers and excited squeals. Eyes were directed at her, studying her reaction. Undoubtedly, people were settling in for a show.
"I just wanted to say something to my fellow classmates and band members."
Haruka looked puzzled, but she was too nice to question it, especially not when she was face with Reina's unwavering confidence. "Go ahead, Kousaka-san. The floor is yours."
Taking a deep breath, Reina steeled her nerves.
"I know that there have been rumors circulating the club, mainly about me, Kumiko, and Tsukamoto." Reina paused, knowing that she had everyone's undivided attention. "It's unsightly to be fabricating so many baseless lies and I do not appreciate the slanderous nature of what some of you have been saying, especially about Kumiko."
A few ears perked up at this, Hazuki, Midori, Asuka, and even Natsuki seemed to be paying more attention to the trumpeter.
Reina's tone was icy cold, laced with venom as she fixed an especially hard glare at one of the girls she overheard badmouthing Kumiko for being pathetic. She continued, adamant on getting her point across.
"For the record, you're all wrong. No one is in love with Tsukamoto."
Shuuichi cringed at this, shrinking in his seat as a blush crept to his face.
"And Kumiko wasn't the one who was rejected after a confession."
Oh geez.
Kumiko's eyes widened, her heart thudding against her chest in a terribly uncomfortable way. She loved this straightforward side of Reina, but part of her was still embarrassed to have her love life paraded on stage like this. She could feel the stares boring into her from every side, but she kept her gaze on Reina, transfixed on the trumpeter.
"It was me. I was the one who confessed to Kumiko."
After a pause, whispers rippled through the ensemble, a mix of shock, incredulity, and a few groans of disappointment from a few upperclassmen who thought they had a chance with Reina.
"Just so you know, Kumiko's amazing and more hardworking than any of you. She doesn't deserve to be put under scrutiny and subject to all your gossip and lies. I won't let anyone say bad things about her!"
Kumiko's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, that very line sounding so nostalgic to her.
"I love Oumae Kumiko, so if anyone's got a problem with her, you're going to have to deal with me."
At this, there were gasps from all the sections of the band, the bass section in particular as Kumiko felt her soul leap out of her mouth at Reina's very public confession of love.
Reina took a seat, flipping her hair as she sat up straight. She was a proud person and unafraid to voice her demands. However, she gripped her trumpet just a little tighter, trying to hide the shaking of her hands.
The crowd was really riled up now and the band room was in sudden disarray. The room was abuzz with chatter and Haruka was still standing at the front of the classroom, an awkward smile on her face. She wasn't well equipped to dealing with situations like that. Taki-sensei stood beside her, strangely content as he took Reina's words in. He knew that she was the same hard-headed girl he knew as a young man.
"Right, right! Kousaka-san, I think everyone's got the gist of it. Let's just quiet down now." Asuka stood, clapping her hands together as she brought order to the room of excited teenagers. The third year looked to Haruka. "Haruka, anything to add?"
The club president shook her head vigorously, her pigtails flying every which way.
"Great. Okay, everyone. There's nothing to see here. Practice is dismissed!" Asuka's voice boomed, scattering the students as a collective groan echoed out. Chairs started moving and instruments were being packed up. "You'd all better be out of here in five minutes. If I catch you lingering, well... Let's just save everyone the trouble and clear out quickly." The third year continued to shepherd people out, flashing Kumiko a thumbs up.
Kumiko sat rooted to her chair, a mixture of feelings coursing through her that ranged from wanting to die from embarrassment to wanting to tackle Reina right then and there so she could kiss her senseless. Out of all their confessions, this one was definitely the most memorable. Hugging her euphonium to her chest, Kumiko jumped when a hand grasped her shoulder.
She looked up to see Asuka grinning down at her from behind her red glasses. There was a lecherous grin on her face. "Nice job, Oumae-chan. I never would have thought you were such a ladykiller. I think it's somewhat of an achievement to make that Kousaka Reina so crazy about you."
"Uh…thanks, I guess." Kumiko was still in shock, unsure of how to react. She glanced past her upperclassman, her eyes looking for Reina.
Reina was standing with the trumpet section, getting bombarded by a clearly irate Yuuko. Natsuki had appeared from somewhere and was trying to calm the blonde down. Even from where she was sitting, Kumiko could make out that Yuuko was yelling at Reina, asking her if she could be anymore embarrassing.
Kumiko chuckled to herself. That really was Reina for you…The girl was headstrong and opinionated and unafraid of what anyone thought of her. It was a stark contrast to the euphonium player, who was a constant worrywart with a penchant for overthinking everything.
"Kumiko-chan! Congratulations!" Kumiko turned to see Midori bouncing over to her with Hazuki in tow.
"Yeah, geez. I totally didn't see that coming! I guess I am kinda dense…I still thought you were into Tsukamoto-kun or something." Hazuki laughed sheepishly as she scratched her head.
Asuka, Midori and Kumiko shot the girl an incredulous look, but chalked up the girl's obstinacy to her obvious unrequited feelings.
"Haha…" Kumiko fidgeted with her instrument as her friends stood around her.
"Uh…Kumiko."
Kumiko looked up, surprised to see Shuuichi of all people.
"I know how happy you are with Kousaka, so uh…good luck." Shuuichi had an awkward hand to the back of his head and he had trouble meeting Kumiko's eyes. Part of it had to do with the compromising position he caught his childhood friend in earlier, but part of it was the fact that he knew he had lost. He had lost to Kousaka Reina, but strangely enough, it was okay.
"Thanks, Shuichi." Kumiko smiled, waving a goodbye as the blonde trombonist turned to leave.
"I really can't believe you two…what a waste of time!"
Kumiko turned at the sound of Yuuko's voice, which seemed to convey her constant annoyance with something or other.
Natuski was right behind her, along with Kaori and…Reina.
Kumiko flashed Reina a shy smile and the trumpeter returned it warmly.
"Geez…enough with the PDA. It's not like it wasn't bad enough before. I can't wait to see how it is since you're both actually dating now…" Natsuki sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Natsuki-senpai…that wasn't PDA…and w-who told you we were dating?" Kumiko was a bit flustered, feeling awkward being surrounded by such a large group. She stood, placing her euphonium on the chair as she joined the circle.
"As if it wasn't obvious after what Kousaka said there…but she just told us that you've been going out for weeks now. Is that true?" Yuuko chimed in, raising her eyebrow at Kumiko now. Her ribbon was perched atop her head, making her seem taller than she really was.
"Oh uhm…well, yeah." Kumiko fidgeted as she squirmed under Yuuko's stare.
A collective sound of understanding echoed through the group, things finally falling into place.
"That really does explain everything. I did think it was suspicious that you would disappear at random times and come back all breathless and red and sweaty with your uniform all out of place." Midori mused aloud to herself as she thought back to all those times when she encountered Kumiko after lunch or after a free study period.
Everyone in the circle turned to stare at the petite contrabassist, their mouths open at the tidbit of information they didn't need to know.
"M-Midori-chan!" Kumiko tried to shush the girl, but there was no point now.
Reina was quiet, an uncharacteristically shy expression on her face.
Asuka had a knowing smile on her lips as she grinned smugly. She raised her eyebrows suggestively at Kumiko, who looked away in embarrassment.
Kaori simply smiled, unfazed.
Yuuko, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, disgusted with the mental image that just popped into her head. Beside her, Natsuki chuckled, glad that Kumiko's gross stares weren't just the brunette being sad and pathetic.
Hazuki was the last one to react, staring blankly. "Oh."
"L-let's just leave it at that…It sure is getting late, isn't it? Shouldn't we pack up and go home?" Kumiko laughed sheepishly, eager to get out of the spotlight.
"Fine, fine…" Asuka let out a long drawn out sigh. "We'll interrogate you another day, but if you need any advice, be sure to come to your beloved Asuka-senpai, okay?" The tall girl flashed Kumiko an overeager smile. The younger euphonium player could only nod awkwardly.
Asuka sent the group a backhanded wave, heading to the door with her instrument.
Kaori motioned to follow after her, but she paused, looking back at Kumiko. "I'm really happy for you, Oumae-san. Now, it'd be great if I could be as lucky." With a slightly forlorn smile, the older trumpeter said her goodbyes, trailing after Asuka.
Kumiko sighed as she stared after Kaori for a few seconds, wondering if she and Asuka were going to settle whatever was going on between them before graduation.
Turning back to the group, she found everyone staring at her expectantly.
Reina had silently moved next to her, bumping arms as they stood side by side.
Yuuko caught the small gesture, her eye twitching in annoyance.
"Whatever. I'm just glad that all this drama is over. All that stupid chatter got on my nerves." Yuuko turned to Reina, narrowing her eyes. "Especially when the gossip is about someone like you... Kousaka, I know you don't care, but it wouldn't hurt you to make some friends."
Reina blinked, looking at Yuuko like she had grown two heads.
Natsuki chuckled good-naturedly, coming in between the two trumpeters. "This kid isn't good with telling others how she really feels, but what she's trying to say is that high-school girls can be vicious. Yuuko's just trying to be a good Senpai for once."
Yuuko shot Natsuki a nasty glare, but didn't offer her usual retort.
Again, Reina blinked in confusion, unused to people being so considerate.
Kumiko nudged the girl, prompting her to reply.
"T-Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to remember that."
Kumiko stifled a smirk. It was just so Reina-like, so polite but standoff-ish and stiff at the same time.
Rolling her eyes, Yuuko motioned to leave. She fixed both Kumiko and Reina with a serious stare. "I'm happy for you two, but don't let my kindness go to your head. If I see you two being all gross and lovey-dovey in public, we won't be friends anymore."
Kumiko chuckled nervously, wincing under the blonde's gaze. Reina simply nodded.
With a final huff, Yuuko left, with Natsuki on her heels. The older euphonium player flashed the group of first years a cheeky grin as she waved.
"Haha... I guess we should be going too, right, Hazuki-Chan?" Midori glanced around the now empty music room. The students had filtered out quite quickly after the spectacle, not wanting to get on Asuka's bad side.
"What? Go where? I thought we-" Hazuki stopped midsentence, catching the look in Midori's eyes that told her to save the questions for later. "O-Oh Yeah! I forgot I had something to do... Haha... Yeah, I'll see you two tomorrow! Congrats again!"
Both girls took their leave hastily, not waiting for a reply.
Kumiko stared after her friends, feeling like their big reveal was a bit anti-climactic.
"Kumiko."
Kumiko looked over to Reina, still reeling for the incredulity of the whole afternoon.
"Yes, Reina?"
Reina laced their fingers together, smiling gently at Kumiko.
"I told you I'd do something about it."
"I know." Kumiko scoffed, shaking her head. "I should have expected something over-the-top and flashy, but I was still surprised."
Reina arched an eyebrow. "Flashy?"
"Yeah. It's just so like you to do that. I wouldn't expect anything less." Kumiko smiled as she turned to face the shorter girl, bringing her in close. "Thank you."
Reina tightened her hold on the brunette, standing on her tiptoes as she kissed Kumiko slowly and softly.
There was a suspicious sound at the door, but the two girls ignored it this time. After all, if there was anything they learned from their ordeal, it was that love made you do impractical things. That and the fact that Kumiko really did overthink things too much.
This is why the euphonium player vowed to be a little more like Reina with her boundless self-confidence. Kumiko promised herself that she wasn't going to dwell anymore on pointless overthinking. For one, she was going to start today, ignoring the group of her friends clustered outside the music room as she continued to kiss Kousaka Reina.