a/n: Hello, my lovely readers, and welcome back to this madness. It just so happened that I was able to finish this chapter on the same day that it was announced that Kumiko's 3rd year will be receiving an anime adaptation! It hasn't been confirmed yet if it will be a full series or a movie, but I'm hoping for a series—like I wish it could've been for Finale Oath. The news is exciting, but also nerve-wracking, as who knows how the novels will conclude. Let's all hope for the best.

Of course, I recommend checking out Team Oumae on twitter if you want to read the full story of Kumiko's 2nd year. It's got some great stuff in it. Oh, but before you do, please make sure to tell me what you thought of this chapter! It'd be greatly appreciated.

As always, I hope you enjoy. Happy pride month!

"Why so glum, chum?"

Yuuko startled at Natsuki's sudden appearance, now standing next to her at the sink as she rinsed off her mouthpiece. She had indeed been in deep thought and dread as to how practice might go this afternoon.

Not that Yuuko was going to immediately admit that. "Who says I'm feeling glum?" she replied.

Natsuki raised an incredulous eyebrow, giving her girlfriend's demeanor a once-over. "For starters, you didn't notice that I walked in here, did my business, and me standing next to you 'til I said something." She started washing her hands. "You were too busy staring off into space and sighing dramatically."

Ah. Too obvious. "It wasn't dramatically," Yuuko tried to defend.

"Something on your mind?"

"The usual, I suppose. Worried about my section and their drama."

Natsuki nodded, clearly sympathetic. "Sounds like you've got your plate full. Why don't we bounce outta here? I mean, it's Friday and all," she suggested, flicking water droplets off her fingers and moving towards the air dryer.

"So that's why you're without your euphonium," Yuuko zeroed in on Natsuki's lack of instrument in her now-dry hands. Only her backpack was lazily slung over one shoulder.

"Not that I don't like to practice…" Natsuki nervously chuckled, making her way back to Yuuko's side, wrapping an arm around the girl's back. "But it's like I told ya, Asuka's letting us do whatever."

"That's no excuse for laziness."

"Au contraire. I think it's the perfect excuse to get an early start on the weekend."

"Go ahead, then."

Natsuki paused, stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Well, y'see, I kinda need you to go along with the plan. You're my ride home. I don't know where Kumiko's at."

"Oh, I see! I'm only good for if you need something," Yuuko teased.

"There's my spitfire," Natsuki playfully said, briefly sticking her tongue out. "Come on," she said, leading Yuuko out of the bathroom. "A break from worrying about the trumpet kids would do you some good."

"Maybe you should take a break from worrying about me."

"That's impossible. You're too much of a hard-working little bunny."

Yuuko flushed in embarrassment at the pet name and attempted affection. "What did I tell you about that," she quietly hissed in warning, nervous eyes darting back and forth down the hallway. "We're at school!"

"Oops, my bad." Natsuki hesitantly reached to hold Yuuko's hand. "Is this okay?"

Yuuko's flustered state didn't disappear. "…I'll allow it," she relented, nervously rolling her mouthpiece around in her other hand. The cool metal of it was heating up.

Natsuki triumphantly smirked, directing Yuuko down the hall. "Oh, I wanted to update you on the situation with Hazuki. I let her down easy. She seemed to take it well. So you don't have to worry."

Hazuki's name was an instant mood killer, but Natsuki seemed confidently unperturbed by the glare of death Yuuko threw her way at the mention. "Somehow I get the feeling that you enjoyed being crushed on a little too much."

"What? It makes a girl feel good, doesn't it? And, I mean, look at me. I can't guarantee I won't have other ladies falling for me in the future—aaaaaugh!" Natsuki started yelping as Yuuko slowly crushed her hand in a vice grip. "Owowow!"

"Do you want to die?"

"No, ma'am! Please! Have mercy!"

"Okay, okay, stop shouting!" Yuuko let go of Natsuki's hand at the sight of other students in the hallway, most of them fellow band members filtering towards their usual classrooms. "Practice hasn't even started and I'm already exhausted. Whose fault do you think that is, hmm?"

Natsuki didn't answer the question. "All the more reason to skip. I'll treat you to a cupcake from Yuki's?"

The offer of a pastry from Yuuko's favorite bakery was the finishing blow. "…Alright. Let me grab my things, and we'll get going."

"Awesome!"

On their way out of the building, Yuuko decided to indulge Natsuki with some sweetness.

"Thanks for worrying about me," she said, grabbing Natsuki's hand again.

Natsuki gulped, suddenly overcome with shyness, not expecting her technique to be turned back around on her. "O-oh, well, y'know… It's cause I l… l…" The words died in her dry throat.

"You what?"

Something clearly wanted to escape, but Natsuki held back. "Like I want to deal with a cranky Yuuko!" was what she said. Then ran off towards Yuuko's car.

"Hey! Get back here!"

To Kumiko's surprise, even if she wanted to convince Reina to skip practice on that fine Friday, she didn't have to.

Unfortunately, as much as this extra time together was appreciated, Kumiko didn't know what to make of Reina's strange and dour mood. From the moment she picked her up for school in the morning, to class, to lunch, then the ride back home, Reina was oddly quiet.

Kumiko hoped it wasn't anything she did wrong, or if her sickness got transferred back to her girlfriend. Whatever it was, it wasn't a good feeling.

The Kousaka household was currently empty, except for the two of them. Instead of her bedroom, Reina led the way back to the den—a spot infamously known for their almost-first-kiss and the 'champagne incident.' What new shenanigans could possibly occur here, Kumiko couldn't help but wonder.

"Ah, thanks," Kumiko said as Reina handed her a glass of water from the kitchen. Trying to make Reina smile, she said with a dopey grin, "Hey, Reina, I dunno if you wanna kiss me again or not, but if you really wanted to, I guess I could oblige…"

Sadly, a smile did not show up. "Aren't you still feeling under the weather?" Reina asked.

Kumiko cleared her throat, indeed a bit stuffed up. "Maybe." She took a sip of water, then placed it on the table. "So what did you want to do?"

Reina seemed to be staring off at nothing in particular in the distance. With a sigh, she tucked her legs underneath herself, scooting closer to Kumiko. "Can we just sit here a while?" she quietly asked, resting her head on Kumiko's shoulder.

"Of course…" Kumiko said, trailing off, not knowing what to make of the situation. Reina fit nicely against her, so she settled into a comfortable position, letting her fingers run through Reina's obsidian locks. "Is something on your mind?"

Reina didn't answer, burying her face further into the crook of Kumiko's neck.

Kumiko took one of Reina's hands, stopping her from fiddling with one of the drawstrings on her hoodie. "I've missed you," Kumiko continued talking. "I've needed a Reina recharge." The reply she got to that was Reina placing their palms together, interlacing their fingers.

It was strange for silence between them to be uncomfortable.

With a long exhale, Kumiko gave up on conversation for the time being, resting her cheek on top of Reina's head and closing her eyes.

A low tick-tick-ticking from an antique clock in the hallway hung in the air.

"People really piss me off."

"Hrm?" Kumiko opened her eyes again, blinking. The quiet nearly knocked her out.

Reina didn't move, continuing to mutter against Kumiko's collarbone, "I said people really piss me off sometimes. I'm tired of dealing with them."

"Except me, I hope?" Kumiko squeaked, trying to offer some levity. She had a feeling where this was going, though.

"Yes, except you," Reina sighed again. "Yesterday that… that…" She seemed to be searching for the right descriptor, but came up with none, too frazzled, "Mina said she talked to you about my solo. I don't know where she gets off, and I don't trust anything she says, but…"

"But?"

"It keeps bothering me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Can you tell me your side of the story?"

Kumiko braced herself like a solider venturing into a mine field. "Well, it is true that she talked to me. She said, her words, that I should tell you to 'stop acting high and mighty.'"

Reina's expression remained unchanged from stoic. "I see."

"Not that I agree with her!"

"So, you agree that I was fine to play the solo, and that it was fine?"

"Of course. I told you already, right?"

"Did you tell her that?"

Kumiko gulped. "I… I think. I'm pretty sure I said it was a good solo."

That cracked Reina's visage. Her purple eyes moistened more with each blink. "You're pretty sure?"

"I, I mean, I'm pretty sure that's what I said," Kumiko frantically clarified, wildly flailing her hands around. "It was a good solo. You're better than her. You deserved it."

Reina slowly nodded, as if she wanted to believe her, but wasn't quite sure. She crumbled into Kumiko's embrace. "I… I'm just tired of being the villain."

Holding her close like this, Kumiko could feel Reina's shaking frame. One thing that had drawn her to Reina to begin with was the strength and confidence she exuded, but at moments like this, it was clear how fragile the girl really was.

"You're not a villain," Kumiko insisted, not sure what else to say.

"Women are complicated."

"They sure are, kid," Natsuki agreed with Kumiko.

"I hear that, bro!" Shuuichi chimed in, not looking up from the Nintendo Switch screen.

"Shut up, Shuu," Natsuki, the owner of the system, said. "Based on my knowledge, I can guarantee you that Hazuki is one of the lowest maintenance girls you could ever meet."

"Oh, yeah… Guess I lucked out," he agreed, having no clue to the inner turmoils of his tiny girlfriend. "Wait, then what am I doing over here? I could be spending time with Hazuki."

"I dunno, you tell me. You were all hyped up to come over and hang out."

It had been some time since the 'bros' (Kumiko, Natsuki, and Shuuichi) spent time together, besides when Natsuki coerced the other two into helping clean and fix up her car.

Kumiko was pitifully sprawled out on her stomach on Natsuki's futon, so Natsuki made herself comfortable in her well-loved beanbag chair as she strummed no particular tune on her acoustic guitar. Shuuichi took root in the computer chair, trying to add to the conversation at times, but had become too entranced with playing Monster Hunter.

"Bro time is important," Shuuichi decided.

Natsuki sagely nodded, strumming more notes. Inevitably, the chords turned into a meme as she sang, "Somebody once told me the world was gonna roll me—"

Kumiko buried her head under the pillow she was holding to escape the song, also muffling her screams.

"Do you take requests?" Shuuichi asked.

"Sure," Natsuki replied.

"Please stop."

Natsuki stopped playing for a moment to flip him off. "I've been thinking of starting my own YouTube channel for covers. Y'think that'd make me a bigger hit with the ladies?"

"Oh, yeah, Smash Mouth is sure to get all the girls wanting you."

"Yeah, well, your idea of a romantic ballad is Never Gonna Give You Up."

"You can't deny it's a good song, dawg."

"Is it?"

"Better than All Star," Kumiko offered, coming out of hiding. "This is a dumb conversation."

"Fine," Natsuki sighed, starting up the chords for what sounded like Karma Chameleon, "go on and continue telling us all about your troubles in paradise."

"That's the thing, I dunno if I am in 'trouble' or not," Kumiko muttered about the events from yesterday. "I don't think I did anything wrong, and Reina seemed to understand where I was coming from, but… I dunno. Things felt… weird between us."

For some reason, Shuuichi chose that moment to ask, "Have you slammed with Kousaka yet?"

Natsuki abruptly stopped playing, looking at Shuuichi as if he had two heads. Kumiko regarded him the same way.

"Have I what?"

"Y'know, bro…" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, sticking his tongue out, and making weird finger movements—greatly disturbing the girls with every passing second.

Natsuki translated, "I think he's asking if you've been bumper-to-bumper with your babe."

"What kind of euphemism is that?!" Kumiko yelped. She pointed accusingly at Shuuichi. "And why do you wanna know, you pervert?!"

"I'm curious," he not-so-innocently answered. "How do two girls do it anyway…?"

"Dude! You're just as uneducated as your girlfriend!" Natsuki howled.

"What?" Shuuichi blinked owlishly in confusion.

"Err—never mind," Natsuki quickly reversed course. This was not a road that needed to be gone down. "Anyway, Kumiko, I think you're overthinking and getting worried over nothin', like usual."

"You're probably right," Kumiko calmed back down, propping herself up on her elbows to rest her chin in her hands. "Another thing I can't stop worrying about is my parents… I've been considering telling them that I'm gay and about Reina… but it's scary as hell."

"Here's an idea, dude," Shuuichi unwelcomely spoke up again, a proverbial light bulb coming on over his head. "If you don't want to come out to your folks, but want them off your back when they ask about you guys, you can tell 'em that I'm your boyfriend."

Kumiko winced. Even if it was the biggest lie in the universe, it felt just plain wrong to say or even imagine. Her mother would no doubt simply leave it at that. Over the years she had become way too invested in the narrative of pairing off her daughter with her long-time friend's son, like some old-timey tradition, wanting to marry her off one day.

"I appreciate it, but…" she started.

Natsuki buried her face in her palms. "That is a ridiculously stupid idea," she not-so-gently shot down the suggestion. "How would that help at all? How about Reina's feelings in that? And what about Hazuki, huh? How would she feel about it?" Despite her best efforts, the subject of Hazuki had to be brought up again.

"What?" Shuuichi asked, actually innocent. "It's not like I'd be cheating on her. It's a lie for Kumiko's sake. I'm sure she'd get it."

Natsuki drummed her fingers on the body of her spruce guitar. "I guess your heart is in the right place, but your brain… I don't even know where it's at."

"I thought it was a pretty good idea…"

"Listen, dude, we appreciate it, but anything to do with the ultimate struggle of lesbian, you can back off. You don't know what you're talking about."

Shuuichi frowned, unable to argue that point, but, "I just wanna help."

"Guys, it's fine," Kumiko tried to interrupt.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Nat."

"Say what?" Natsuki responded. "What're you talking about?"

"I'm talkin' about that punch to the gut! You got me all scared to get close to Hazuki! Did she talk to you about it?"

Kumiko incredulously looked back and forth between her friends. "What happened now?"

"She did," Natsuki answered. "What I wanna know, though, is why you even told her I punched you in the first place?"

Shuuichi had since put down the Switch. "Why wouldn't I?" he argued. "It was about her, wasn't it? Am I not allowed to tell my girl when I get punched by someone?"

"I punched you 'cause it was about her and you blab anyway?"

"Well… I didn't mention the why."

"Well, I did. I told her I don't trust guys much, even if they're my bros. No offense."

"Why would you do that to me, dude?" Shuuichi wailed, face paling at the thought of what else Natsuki divulged. "Total cockblocking! Damn!"

"Total WHAT?!" Natsuki practically yelled. "You don't even know what else I said, which was nothin'!"

Kumiko had a lot of questions, but knew they would not be answered anytime soon. "Umm…"

Shuuichi stood up forcefully. "So you can smash your girl after a month, but I'm not allowed to get some?"

Natsuki put her guitar back on its stand and stood on her tiptoes to try and get up in Shuuichi's face (but failed, alas, she was too short). With forceful pokes in his chest, she said again, "I told you that's none of your business!"

"My relationship ain't none of your business either!"

"You made it my business, dawg!" Natsuki spread her arms out in a 'come at me' pose. "You wanna fight? You wanna throw down? You piece of shit!"

"I don't fight girls," he crossed his arms.

"I thought I was your bro, bro!"

Kumiko quickly put herself between the riled up pair, the natural mediator in her saving the day. "Guys, guys!" she pleaded. "I don't entirely get what the heck's going on, but let's not fight, okay?"

That seemed to quell the bubbling rage in both Natsuki and Shuuichi, neither of them immune to Kumiko's charms. "Sorry, bro," Natsuki relented first, holding out her hand for a fist bump as a gesture of peace.

He returned the gesture. "S'all good."

Kumiko loudly exhaled, glad that things had calmed down. "I know. Why don't we take out our frustrations in a, er… friendly game of Smash Bros?"

Shuuichi wailed again. "But I wanna smash, bro!"

Natsuki punched him in the stomach again. He really was asking for it.

Natsuki heard a pitiful meow at her door, drawn out like a whine. With a grunt, she got up from her chair to open it. This always happened when she kept the door closed, whether it was her dog Yuta or her cat Rikka, sooner or later one needy animal would find her to get some attention.

"Hi, baby Rikka," Natsuki cooed at the fussing feline. "Did you decide to come out now that the two weirdos are gone?" Things had certainly gotten quieter since Kumiko and Shuuichi left. She got an answer in the form of purrs as Rikka rubbed up against her legs. Natsuki sat down on her bed, leaning against the wall, the cat close behind. Rikka wasn't known for being a lap cat, usually content to simply be near Natsuki, but she had her occasional moods where she wanted some extra TLC. It reminded Natsuki of a certain someone.

Rikka crawled into Natsuki's lap, still purring. Natsuki kissed the cat on top of her head, scritching between her shoulder blades. "You're so cute," she baby-talked. "How can one kitty possibly be this cute." One bright yellow eye contently looked up at her. "Even if your face is a little uneven."

They say that a cat's purrs had healing powers. "Yuuko thinks you're cute too," Natsuki continued talking, as she often did to her pets, finding comfort in sharing her thoughts with a nonjudgmental audience. "Which surprises me. I thought she would think you're freaky, but she says she loves you."

Rikka's eyes slowly blinked closed and Natsuki's followed suit, but in thought. "I really wanna tell her that I love her… but I'm scared. …But we've had sex! Isn't that stupid? Feels like we got the order mixed up. Stupid Shuu making me feel self-conscious about it," she grumbled. "What does he know? Friggin' creep."

Yuta apparently had heard his master's voice filtering out the open door. He sauntered in as well, making himself comfortable on the bed next to Natsuki, wanting scratches behind the ears as well.

"How should I do this, guys?" Natsuki asked her pets. "How do I tell Yuuko I love her? I mean, she already said it, but I don't think she remembers, so is she expecting me to say it?"

Rikka continued purring. Yuta tilted his head curiously. The water filter in Ton-chan's tank bubbled.

"This is dumb. I'm no Dr. Doolittle here."

Yuta licked Natsuki's hand.

"Yeah, I guess I could give her a kiss, then tell her. It's no big deal, right? It ain't like I'm proposing… Augh, why are feelings so hard?"

No one had an answer for that question either.

Natsuki's gaze wandered over to her guitar that had been abandoned earlier due to the altercation.

"Wait. I think I do have an idea…"

Another week went by. It felt like April was taking its sweet time passing through as it left layers of pollen on practically every surface outside. It was almost spring break, and everyone was eager for the long-awaited 5-day break from school work and extracurricular activities.

As far as things went with the North Kite High School concert band, the advisor Ms. Yamanaka had backpedaled on her decision to allow the sections to do as they wanted, assuming incorrectly that the senior year section leaders would direct accordingly. She had heard from a few more motivated students—who wished to not be named—that practice had become more of a leisurely hangout or invitation to skip.

Of course, choosing to devote extra energy into ensembles was met with its own challenges, as the infighting between some sections caused a fair share of disharmony.

So, that currently left two members of a more content section waiting outside the band room for their respective girlfriends. It was a meeting with the trumpets and their teacher. It was one of the many meetings that were to occur to get the full picture of where to redirect the 83-member club, like a captain trying to get an unwieldy ship gone off-course back on track.

Kumiko and Natsuki lazily leaned up against the wall, their euphoniums already put away in the storage room. Kumiko fiddled with her cuticles and Natsuki tapped her foot with impatient energy. "Y'think Yamanaka's giving 'em all an earful?" the latter asked, leaning towards the closed door as if she wanted to overhear.

"Probably," Kumiko said distractedly. "She seemed pretty fed up with a lot of stuff."

One by one, a few minutes apart each, the members called aside that afternoon left. A haggard-looking Kaori soon appeared, glancing up and down the hallway. "Have you seen Asuka?" she asked the euphonists.

"I think she left a little while ago," Natsuki answered, pointing a thumb back in the direction of the parking lot. "Pretty sure she mentioned having something important to do, but I dunno what."

If possible, Kaori's spirit deflated further. "Oh," she simply said. "Thank you. Well… I hope you have a good weekend."

The two wished their polite senior the same farewell.

Once Kaori was out of earshot, Natsuki commented, "Imagine being Asuka, having two girls after your ass," obviously referring to Kaori and most likely Haruka. They were a well-known trio. "What a player."

"Two girlfriends, huh?" Kumiko asked rhetorically. An array of mental images and fantasies briefly flashed through her head. "Two Reinas… that would be…"

"High-maintenance?"

"Hey," Kumiko pouted, but couldn't argue. "You said it, not me."

Natsuki continued along those lines, "Just one Yuuko drives me crazy enough, I wouldn't need two in my life." A wicked grin. "Even if it could get… fun."

"I don't want to know what's going through your mind," Kumiko commented at her perverted friend's odd expression.

"C'mon, don't be such a prude," Natsuki laughed, giving a playful shrug. "Man, what is taking them so long?" she asked, getting impatient again.

"I dunno," Kumiko nervously looked at the door. "Maybe Ms. Yamanaka's really on the warpath."

"I don't see why Yuuko and Reina have to get so held up, when it seems like it's that Mina chick always starting shit. At least, that's what Yuuko told me lately. What's her deal, anyway? Do you know?"

"She's got a problem with Reina," Kumiko summed up. "She won't let it go that Reina got to perform the solo at the competition. She thinks it's her fault we got bronze."

"Well, that's pretty stupid—" Natsuki retorted, but interrupted herself at the sound of the heavy classroom door opening again. "Hey, pipsqueak!" she greeted Yuuko, but her mirth was cut short at the expressions of everyone exiting the classroom.

The group of 5 dispersed to their designated sides. Yuuko and Reina joined Natsuki and Kumiko, while Mina and her two usual companions Naoka and Miki stared them down.

"So, you heard Ms. Yamanaka, right?" Mina spoke up, addressing Reina, brown eyes burning with challenge and fire. "You need to work on your 'attitude.'"

"I could say the same for you," Reina retorted, chin held high. "But, like she also said, you should work on your playing."

"What was that?" Mina stepped forward with a growl.

Anxiety immediately swirled in the pit of Kumiko's stomach. Now that she had the complete wherewithal to take in the situation, she knew this wasn't good.

She looked towards Reina, wondering what her next move would be, and saw the girl's hands slightly shaking. Whether it was from anger or fear, Kumiko didn't know, but seeing how Mina clearly affected her girlfriend was more than enough to rile her up too.

Nobody messed with her Reina, she had said. Kumiko recalled that promise she made, but had she done enough to keep it?

Enough was enough, she decided. Mina and her personal problems were not going to create more rifts in their relationship.

"Alright, that's it," Kumiko found the courage to step forward between Mina and Reina, hoping that her 5'6" frame would be put to good use in being intimidating. "You need to leave Reina alone."

"Oh?" Mina scoffed, ever the instigator, and curled her lips in a sneer. "And what are you going to do about it, dyke?"

The moment that sentence left her mouth, everything went quiet.

No one said a word. The only thing Kumiko could hear was her heartbeat in her ears.

Kumiko never considered herself a violent person. Not even short-tempered. Anyone that knew her would agree that she didn't seem capable of hurting a fly.

So it was a surprise to everyone present when Kumiko reeled back her arm and proceeded to deck Mina right across her smug face.

Even the strongest person had a breaking point, like a rubber band that had finally snapped.

The force of Kumiko's punch sent Mina to the floor. Her trumpet case was knocked from her hand, the metal of it loudly clattering as it skidded across the linoleum. Mina's two friends reflexively jumped back.

"Holy shit!" was the first shout, courtesy of Natsuki. "Get the fuck back!" she ordered, pushing Yuuko and Reina back, leaving her friend plenty of room to take care of business. Kumiko clearly wasn't done with the other girl, as she had dropped her own backpack to follow in angry pursuit.

"Get off me, you crazy bitch!" Mina screeched at her. She was much smaller than Kumiko in stature, but her wild, crazed eyes showed no unwillingness to fight, similar to a cornered animal.

"Shut up, shut up!" Kumiko shouted back, not sounding like herself. She crouched down to grab Mina by the front of her blouse with her left hand, the other balled up into a fist if another strike was necessary. "You're the bitch!"

"Fuck you!"

Mina spit at Kumiko's face, hitting her in the eye. Kumiko quickly wiped her eye with her free hand out of instinct, but it left her wide open for a retaliation. Mina reached up to grab a handful of Kumiko's hair to immobilize her. She missed, but during the process she left some deep, nasty scratches along Kumiko's cheek.

"Kumiko!" Reina cried out in concern.

All the yelling and commotion from the tussle finally got the attention of their teacher, who barreled out of the classroom like a typhoon.

"What the hell is going on out here?!"

In shock, Kumiko let go of Mina and staggered backward, caught by her friends behind her. Legs giving out, she folded in on herself and onto the ground, eyes wide and breathing shallow from the adrenaline rush.

Mina wasn't done, as it was her turn to pursue her prey, but Yamanaka forcibly stopped her. Strands of hair escaped the neat ponytail she usually wore, and her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose as she battled against the enraged girl.

"All of you," Yamanaka loudly ordered, incredulous, flabbergasted, and angry, "to the principal's office – right now!"

As quickly as the fight started, it stopped. The heightened emotions settled like dust on a battlefield. Kumiko reflexively cupped where her face was bleeding.