Chapter Text
It was during the short break between her second and third lessons that the routine Furina was used to was suddenly changed. The good thing was that she didn't have to face the questioning and confused looks of her friends when she was kindly ‘asked’ to go to the principal's office.
The bad thing was that she was going to the principal's office.
And why? Furina had no idea.
I mean... maybe she had slept through a lesson or two during the week. Or caused a little paper ball war before one of her teachers came in. Or even the day she and Venti accidentally got an ink bath for running where they weren't supposed to (That last one didn't count, they'd both already served their designated detention and cleaning times, she'd served her detention! )
Anyway, Furina couldn't think of anything that would take her straight to the principal's office, most of her actions were met with detention or a scolding for playing around too much. Nothing that would eventually lead to a face-to-face conversation with the man in charge.
That was... scary, certainly.
But Furina could handle it!
She just needed to keep calm and wait to find out what she was possibly - and perhaps truly - being accused of.
Of all the scenarios in her head, she certainly didn't expect to be called stupid .
"Miss Furina, don't put words in your principal's mouth. We're just letting you know how concerned we are about your grades.''
And now she was here, in the middle of the room, with her arms crossed and an indignant - and slightly offended - look on her face after listening to the monologue about her academic life from the -few- gray-haired man sitting across from her.
Okay, maybe they hadn't said that specific word, but life was all about between the lines and Furina understood that very well!
'‘If I may make a brief comment,’' she cleared her throat, polishing her voice and straightening up. ‘'I don't think a 'ratings crash’ is a very kind term. I mean, I admit that 4 is an open space for improvement, but eh.''
"Surely from a 7 to a 4 implies that something big must have happened.'' Your drama teacher says again. ''We're worried that your activities in the troupe are getting in the way of your studies.''
"What? No! Ahm, I mean... of course not. I've always managed to balance the two very well." The initial indignation in her sentence crumbles as a certain apprehension settles inside her.
She was right, wasn't she?
Furina had been dealing with this for years, carefully placing both sides of her world on a very neat and balanced platter. She wouldn't simply be letting herself be drawn more towards one than the other.....would she?
Well, on second thoughts, maybe she....
No!
She couldn't risk anything happening to her theater, no matter how many arguments she certainly had to counter the complaints of the academic men in front of her.
Before she could suggest a change of habits for herself, perhaps even committing to studying more, the director spoke in front of her.
“And of course, Miss Furina, we already have some solutions for that.” With a sing-song tone, the man pulled out a form and placed it on the table. It was her report card. Furina looked great in that photo, by the way. "After our meeting, your teacher and I have decided that you will make a study schedule for half the semester. As you have theater duties, we've left the times you choose to do this open. But remember, we want to see your results."
Well, that was... acceptable.
She could still concentrate on the theater as long as she studied a little here or there, she could certainly try an hour or two during the week for her studies. What she didn't understand was why they had two blank sheets with the days of the week written on them and her name and a number - which didn't belong to her - there.
“And one last thing, of course, the most important.” Her drama teacher claps her hands together, drawing her attention. "We know how difficult it can be to solve some things alone and since we want the physical and mental well-being of our students, we have decided that you will be tutored by one of our students. And who, by the way, are perfect for helping you with your subject."
Oh, that changed things.
Before she could open her mouth to protest, her principal added, interrupting her.
"We trust that this will be beneficial for both of us. So make good use of the opportunity we're giving you. And here..." The man offers her one of the cards. "Get in touch with your monitor to take the lessons and make sure you book the days you study together there. We'll check at the end that you've both stuck to your plans."
In other words, it was their way of making sure that Furina wouldn't run away from class and simply mark that she had come.
Aha, how audacious!
Furina wouldn't do such a thing obviously - maybe -
She doesn't even have a chance to retort or protest for a change, the paper is thrust into her hand and she is soon dismissed from the room.
With a sniff, Furina walks through the empty corridors, she also had a paper releasing her from the activities of that time and the next one was the break, everything perfectly planned so that she could look for her supposed monitor soon.
The day really couldn't get any worse, could it?
Furina had nothing against working with other people, but she knew she could be a bit... slow to learn compared to the others. Her attention wandered quickly and sometimes she soon got bored, the long list of tutors her mother had already hired was an example of this.
She knew that her problems were hers alone and she never liked the classes her mother had put her in before, she would rather sink into despair before an exam than call for help.
Perhaps it was an idiotic thought and one that would certainly get her a playful slap from her friends for not letting them help her. But well, old habits were hard to die from.
Grumbling one last time, she decided to put an end to it soon, not wanting to let any more such thoughts into her head.
Pulling out her cell phone, Furina prepares to send a message to the number written on the sheet, rolling her eyes when she sees that her principal hadn't even put a name there, she didn't know who this person was or what they would like to be called.
Furina
Hello!
I hope the number's right, you must be the person who's going to help me with some subjects with the tutoring.
Are you free for now, by any chance? I'd like to sort this out as soon as possible.
By the way, my name is Furina.
And it was done, Furina had already taken the first step. She stares at her phone for a few seconds until she realizes that the message hasn't been viewed yet.
Well, it wasn't the other person's fault. Maybe they were in class.
She walked to the courtyard, seeing that she still had half an hour before the end of class and the start of the break.
Throwing her backpack on the ground, she lay down on the wooden bench. Closing her eyes and trying to relax, her mind still didn't exactly have an opinion on how to categorize today.
It takes a few more minutes before she feels her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She perks up, jumping up and down in a hitherto surprising reaction - but she totally wasn't expecting a message from this person. -
Unknown contact
Oh.
Yes, I'm aware of the activities scheduled by the director.
I can't schedule anything today, I'm busy with some things.
See you.
Any trace of animation in Furina disappeared as quickly as when she had arrived.
What kind of answers were those? Apart from not even giving her name, this person hadn't even committed to trying to schedule something in the next few days.
Don't get her wrong, Furina didn't think the world revolved around her. But hey! She had extended a white flag in this total situation and was greeted by something... different than expected.
She honestly just wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible. Maybe even take a few classes before trying to ask this other person to simply mark that they had studied together on the damn paper.
Furina
Wait a minute.
I honestly just want to get a few things right.
Not today, I get it.
Can't we meet tomorrow, maybe?
She decides to still be friendly, after all, appointments were appointments. She pushed the slight, silly irritation to the back of her mind.
This time, the answer came quickly. The other person should have had their cell phone in their hand.
Unknown contact
I've been really busy this week.
But...
Okay.
I can find a free hour tomorrow. I'll send you the location, be here at five.
I have things to do in the dorm, so no delays.
Ignoring the still annoying tone of the messages, Furina ended up confirming. Deciding to just accept it and sending a short confirmation.
Oh, wait.
Dormitory?
Was this person one of the college transfers? That would certainly explain the lack of time this week. It was just strange that there were new students when the semester had already started.
Shrugging, Furina decided to let it go.
It was only then that she noticed how many people were scattered around the courtyard. Had so much time passed for them to be on break?
As if summoned by her thoughts, Furina notices her friends coming the other way. She waves to them, waiting for them to catch up.
Her cell phone vibrates once again; she picks it up more out of habit than a desire to see who was texting her.
Unknown contact
< location address >
And by the way, my name is Arlecchino.
She sighs, slightly surprised and a little pleased that... well, she's not sure. The slight trace of politeness lifts her spirits a little, but she decides not to reply or change the contact's name just yet.
She is startled slightly when a weight falls into her lap, dropping her cell phone unintentionally. Blonde curls and blue eyes are what she finds when she looks up.
"Hey, Rina. When did I ever let you skip class?" The blonde, well, Navia says above her, arms crossed and a look of - false - reprimand, which soon falls from her face as a playful expression takes over. “And you didn't even call me!”
Laughing, Furina makes her best effort to deflect the hands of the other girl who had apparently decided to start poking her cheeks.
Oh. She really had forgotten to tell her friends that she had been taken to the direction and everything that had happened afterwards.
Two shadows appeared in the corner of her vision as she dodged the antics of a Navia still on top of her.
"And you lost Hutao by falling in front of the teacher in one of your pranks. Again." Clorinde says seriously, but Furina could detect the slight hint of amusement in her eyes.
Next to her, Chiori picks up her backpack from the floor, grimacing at the fact that Furina has dropped it. She rubs her hands together to remove any dirt while looking at Furina with an amused look on her face.
"I wouldn't abandon you like that, I swear! The principal called me in for a chat."
This draws the attention of her friends, Clorinde moves to pull Navia off her lap while Chiori sits down a little behind where her head was lying, her backpack on her lap.
“You're not in trouble, are you?” Chiori asks cautiously. Furina could almost see her friends trying to think of something she could have done.
"No, of course not. We just talked about the play." Furina didn't know why she hadn't told them the reason why she'd gone there in the first place. She wasn't ashamed of needing help with her grades and she knew that her friends would make themselves available if she needed it.
Maybe she just didn't want to make it any bigger than it really was. Furina would eventually bring it up when her tutorial started.
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, her friends returned to the events of the last class, updating her on what she had missed - mostly gossip. -
Furina easily forgets the events of the day when she is surrounded by her friends. She hardly notices time passing.
XXX
It was Wednesday. A day of long, boring, interrupted hours of calculations and statistics in the morning.
Fortunately, their official theater meetings were also taking place. Obviously a play is rehearsed during the week, usually at times chosen by the students. On Wednesdays, their teacher joins them for checks and advice - and for big plays, like this one, but since they had just chosen the actors and the deadline was still long, it wasn't necessary. -
And also, today was the next day that she was due to meet Arlecchino for monitoring.
Perhaps Furina shouldn't have immediately agreed to the schedule yesterday, after all, it might have been fine for the other woman but Furina had momentarily forgotten about her rehearsal.
But with an incredibly rare act - if we take into account the shocked looks from the other members and the teacher. - Furina left a little early.
It was true that she wasn't the most athletic person in the world, but she had misjudged that fifteen minutes would be enough to get to the dormitories on the other side of campus.
In the end, she ended up running down the end of the path - nobody was looking anyway! Mostly in the dorms or in their clubs. - And even with all that, Furina gets there at two minutes past five.
Only two minutes late!
That certainly wasn't enough for her monitor not to attend to her, was it?
Damn, Furina worked hard to get here on time! If she hadn't stumbled up the stairs to the right floor at least four times, she might have been on time. But damn, it was only two minutes!
She's about to knock for the fifth time when unexpectedly the door in front of her opens and her hand goes flying through the air until it lands against the - also unexpected - softness instead of the hard, chipped wooden door.
Oh.
She lets out a slightly strangled noise as the realization hits her mind.
In front of her, a stoic-looking girl, much taller than her, stood in place of the characteristic wooden door. Her hair was a shade of white almost like her own, but unlike Furina, the other woman had strands of dark hair scattered among them as well.
Another thing that caught her eye about the other girl were her eyes, a tired look seemed to have broken out beneath them, and crosses of an almost scarlet shade of red stared back at her.
A few seconds passed before the other girl let out a sound as if she was clearing her throat, looking away to something on her body. Furina's memory snaps when the exchange of glances between them is finally broken and she follows where the other girl's eyes have turned.
Oh.
So that's where the strange soft tone came from...
In front of her, her closed fist rested - barely touching, really! - against the college symbol embroidered on the other girl's shirt. This symbol was exactly above the heart and this left her hand ironically almost on top of the...
''Argh. Sorry! Ah, I-I was going to knock on the door and.... well, I didn't mean to, I swear!'' Damn, this wasn't how she had imagined her first contact with her future, and probably the one she must spend a lot of time with, monitor.
She retracts her hand, scratching her head nervously. If a pin fell on the floor at that very moment, she could probably hear it.
An almost inaudible sigh cuts the silence between them. The other woman, Arlecchino, clears her throat, eyes blinking as if finally pulling herself together.
"You must be Furina, right?’’ Oh, yes! We're ignoring past embarrassment. She silently thanks her for it. ‘'Listen, I'm sorry, I ended up having a problem with my boxes of clothes and uniforms and the room is a mess, so I think we're going to have to reschedule our study session.’'
Eh.
That was... bad. But accidents happen, Furina was well aware of that having seen several during her time at the theater. This was the time when she would just agree understandingly and leave it for another time. Her stupid mouth apparently had other plans.
"Maybe I can help? I mean... I don't have anything to do at the moment so...''
That was a lie, Furina definitely had things to do later. Her friends would meet in the park a little after six, after which she had to have dinner with her mother and Neuvillette. She even had a script to revise before bed!
''Ah, although I appreciate the help, Furina. I can't just invite you in and put you to work. It's not a good first impression, is it?’’
You see, this was the perfect chance for her to grab it and get on with her day as she normally would. Furina wouldn't throw this chance away and... Hm, of course she totally would. Who was she kidding?!
Again, her mouth - which must surely be having trouble following her brain's commands - opened again.
''It's really no problem! Besides, it must be awful getting to the middle of the semester, right? A little help might break the tension a bit.''
Urgh. What was her problem?
Arlecchino raises an eyebrow in response, as if questioning her insistence, but seems to let it go, shrugging and moving to let her in.
"So I should accept, right?'' The other woman waves her arm as if signaling Furina to enter. As soon as Furina crosses the threshold and turns to Arlecchino, she immediately notices a new shade of red on the other woman's pale face, almost as if she were embarrassed. ''I suppose... you could help me hang up my uniform. I have to dry it soon if I want to attend the next classes this week.''
Furina quickly nodded, although she wondered if that was all she had to do. As if reading her mind, Arlecchino lets out a small cough - still looking embarrassed - and explains herself.
''I'm going to move these boxes and tidy up the room so we can talk more about our schedule. '' Finally leaving the doorway, Arlecchino gestures to the room around them. Only then does Furina notice the boxes scattered across the floor, the sofa and even some on a small workbench, she assumed the two of them would work there once it was... tidy.
"And you're already doing too much, I'll do the rest later, but I... I appreciate it.’’ As if anticipating - again - her complaint, Arlecchino quickly closed the topic of Furina's little help.
Not wanting to argue, Furina followed her into a small room with a tank. There were a few laundries dotted around the countryside, but the official washing day was usually on Saturdays. That would explain why Arlecchino must have washed them by hand.
Being left to do her part, strangely enough Furina doesn't want to disappoint, so she quickly begins the quick job of taking the clean clothes out of the tank and putting them in the basket left there.
Having finished the first part, she heads to the back of the small apartment, already used to the placement of the rooms since Navia and Clorinde also shared a place in the camps, it was basically a pattern for everyone. All said and done, she soon arrived in a small yard, only to discover that she had a new problem.
To tell the truth, she wasn't very proud of it, a stubborn part of her would say that it wasn't even a big deal, after all, it was all a matter of perspective! Another rational part would slowly admit that....
Well, she was, so to speak and in some respects: a short person.
Not really, of course! Which wouldn't be a problem either, but still, Furina would say that she was average - or nearly so - and it was just unfortunate that Arlecchino was considerably - from some points of view! - taller than her. And obviously, the clothesline arranged there would be at the height of the apartment dweller.
Even if she stretched out her arms, the wire was still out of her reach, she was sure it was a little higher than Arlecchino's own height, perhaps the other liked to stretch out her arms a bit. Which was a bad thing for her, since that “little bit” for the other woman was a big deal for her.
Slightly frustrated, Furina drops her hands back to her body. No, no, that just wouldn't work. She places a hand on her chin, pondering the problem. After shaking her head slightly, a light at the end of the tunnel finally seems to come into her vision.
There, in the corner of the balcony, was a small empty crate, she ran over to it, testing it to make sure it was sturdy enough, it wasn't perfect, but after balancing enough it seemed with both feet in the middle it looked like it would hold up for the job required.
Well, now was not the time to be cautious, after all, it would be more embarrassing to have to call Arlecchino back to do a job she had volunteered to do just to help the other out a bit.
Satisfied, Furina began to hang the clothes on the clothesline. They were basically some patterned shirts, pants and a few pairs of socks. It was an easy job so far, adding one or two extra fasteners to make sure everything was secure.
With a quick glance at the basket, Furina soon notices that it's getting emptier and emptier. Great, she was finishing her part of the job without any inconvenience.
Or not, as we shall now see.
And yes, maybe it's Furina's fault for not noticing her feet leaving the middle of the crate, going further and further sideways, maybe it was the rush to finish. The fact is, ironically, in the last outfit, a button-down school uniform, with her unconsciously stretching to put the last fastener on the other side of the garment, the universe seems to want to laugh at something, with obviously, Furina being the chosen one - as always.
She feels perfectly the moment her feet leave the not-so-firm crate, it sliding to one side as Furina tumbles to the other. Honestly, it was a miracle that she fell with only the blouse in her hands, trying to be optimistic, it would have been worse if the clothesline had fallen with her - fortunately that wasn't the case. -
Strangely, her contact with the ground didn't make much noise, but she still felt a slight pain in her right side.
"Well, it could have been worse.’’ She says to nothing with a snort, lightly massaging her sore side. After casting an unsightly glance at the crate on the other side, Furina soon notices the clothes lying next to her. One of Arlecchino's uniforms, the last outfit she was supposed to hang up, looked almost perfect if it weren't for the handprint pressed firmly onto one of the buttons at the top of the blouse
Shit.
Furina would remove her hand and everything would be fine, wouldn't it? At most there should be a dent here or there. Not wanting to prolong the moment, she pulled her hand back up, immediately noticing that a button was missing.
"Fuck.'' She let it go, looking around for the button. Had it come off in her hand? Well, of course it had, where else would it have fallen off like that?
Even with her best efforts, she couldn't find it. Furina had even looked out of the balcony window - a stupid idea, she admitted - and looking down the long descent to the ground, of course, she obviously found nothing.
With that blouse in her hands, Furina thought about what to do.
Surely it wouldn't be nice to go up to Arlecchino and say 'Hey, you know that job I offered to do for you? I ended up ruining one of your blouses, surprise!" No, that wouldn't be nice. She had to fix it.
She could ask the management for another one, but it would take a day or two due to bureaucratic issues and things like that. Maybe she could fix it?
Her friend, Clorinde, had lost a lot of buttons due to her... sudden puberty growth, so the two of them would often sneak between classes to the clothing exchange club, run by her friend Chiori, to get some thread and a few buttons.
Fortunately, blouse buttons were quite common around here, she was sure she'd managed to find one in her friend's stash, go back and sew it on while telling Arlecchino the truth - because, of course, she couldn't omit such an event to the other. -
With this idea in mind, she stuffs the blouse into her backpack and passes through the small apartment, letting out a relieved sigh when she notices the other woman missing and the door to her usual bedroom closed. A slight noise coming from the bedroom indicated that Arlecchino was occupied and with luck she would stay there until Furina returned from her quick trip in search of a button.
Even more fortunately for her, the building where her friend had set up her club was just one street away from the dormitories in this area, and with her hurried pace, she got there in record time.
Strangely for the time of day, the place was bustling with students. Furina slightly recognized a few people as she made her way to the main stand. She expected to see a Chiori irritated by the amount of work being done when there was only a little less than an hour until her club activities were due to end and she had to close up. Even more strangely, she is greeted with a restrained, calm smile. Strange!
'‘Hey, Rina,’' while cutting a yellow fabric, Chiori greets her. '‘What's up? Navia told me she heard from Yunjin that you left your club earlier today.’'
Uh.
Furina was about to answer her, she was just catching her breath from her brief run here.
And of course, her friend had interpreted her pause differently.
'‘If it has anything to do with your trip to the principal's office earlier, you can say-’'
"No!'' She ends up shouting unintentionally, cringing at the tone of her voice. Furina gave her friend an apologetic look. Clearing her throat with a brief cough, she continues. ''I mean, no, it has nothing to do with that. Actually, dear Chiori, I need your help with something. You wouldn't happen to have any extra buttons lying around?''
Her voice must adopt a certain urgency towards the end as Chiori raises her hands in a sign for her to calm down. Furina stops, or rather, tries to. Her friend gently touches her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.
''And what kind of button are we talking about?''
'‘Ah, something like...’' Furina pauses, her tongue between her teeth as she pulls the clothes out of her backpack. She grimaces when she realizes that it wasn't a good idea to put a wet blouse in her backpack. Opsie. "These!''
While comically holding the blouse above her head, she hears a low stunned sound coming from her friend.
"Well, lucky for you, I do.'' Chiori says with an expression that Furina can't decipher in her eyes. Not that she cared at the moment, too busy sighing in relief that one part of her plan had worked.
While Chiori rummaged through boxes and boxes in search of her pot of buttons, Furina took the opportunity to pull out a note from her wallet. Coincidentally, she holds out the money just as her friend places a single button on the counter.
Smiling, she stretches out her other hand to reach her small purchase left on the wooden surface, only to be stopped by a firm gloved hand.
Frowning in confusion, she looks at Chiori with a questioning expression.
"Oh, come on! Look, Chiori, my sweet friend, I love you. But I need that button urgently. If I don't fix this blouse in the next few minutes, Arle will be so mad at me and-''
In her hurried explanation, she doesn't even notice the form of the nickname that leaves her mouth, too fixated on convincing her friend to leave the questions for later.
She also doesn't notice the low heads and murmurs forming around her. New gossip around the school? Anyone would be very interested to know, especially coming from one of the stars of the drama club.
“I'm sure you can find some time for me.” With a serious look on her face, Chiori let her hand go. ''Now, what's this about a busted button?''
'‘It's a bit embarrassing really.’' Furina snorted, feeling her cheeks burn. It got worse every time she recalled the events in her mind.
''And this is news to you?'' Chiori teased her, easing the shorter girl's tension a little. ''You have my ear, dear. A saleswoman's promise.''
Well, since there was no other way...
It wouldn't hurt to tell your friend, right? Logically, it would be better to tell her at once when the group was together, but she would make an exception for Chiori.
"I went to study with a new girl today, I don't know if you know her, her name is Arlecchino.'' Distractedly, Furina drummed her fingers on the counter while trying to remain as neutral as possible. ''I offered to... help her with something and I must have accidentally undone the buttons on her blouse somehow. I didn't tell her and now I'm trying to fix it before she gets too angry."
Furina finished her speech with a deep sigh as she stared at the scratched wood of the counter, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face as she began to worry about her friend's lack of response. Looking up, she found Chiori staring back at her with a strange expression on her face, her mouth even looking as if it had dropped open in shock.
Strange.
She hadn't done anything that serious, right? I mean, it must be awful for Arlecchino to have a defective uniform, but hey! Furina had come all this way just to fix it.
Almost as if she'd recovered from her thoughts, her friend behind the counter finally pulled herself together, pulling her gloves over her hands as if she needed to find something to distract herself.
Hm.
Doubly strange.
'‘Well, that's certainly one way of tearing off buttons,’' Chiori mutters. ''This Arlecchino has already come here, even though she's just arrived to pick up a few things. Anyway, I don't think she'll be so mad about... that.''
''I hope not. I've only known her a short time too and I don't want her to think I'm rude.''
The sound of a box falling behind her comes at the same time as her friend lets out a small ‘'Oh’'. Furina turns to face the mess created behind her only to bump into some of the club's other helpers already collecting items from the floor. She couldn't help but notice how two of the girls' faces were tinged slightly red.
She was about to comment to Chiori about this when a hand on her shoulder made her turn to her friend again.
''I see. Anyway, Furina, although I appreciate your excitement at pleasing her, let's... let's keep this on the down low, okay?'' She squeezes her shoulder lightly before smiling tensely at Furina, her hand trailing down her arm until it reaches her palm, where she turns it over and places a button there.
Furina returns her smile while trying to hide her confusion. She could think about it later.
"Actually, that reminds me. You have thread lying around, right? Can you help me sew it on?''
Surely asking Chiori to help her would make for a much better final job than hers, given her friend's experience.
''You make the mess and I have to clean it up, huh? But I think I'll make an exception for you.’’ With a brief, strangely complicit smile, Chiori takes the button and the blouse back. She walks around to the small sewing area and gets to work.
Furina puts her hands together in front of her body in exaggerated gratitude, a theatrical flourish perfectly rehearsed because of the hundreds of plays and hours on stage or in the mirror at home.
"I am eternally in your debt, ma chère amie.’’ With a final, playful finish, Furina raises an imaginary hat to her friend.
''You say that every time I help you with something. We're going to have a very long list in a while, huh?’’ Chiori responded to her joke while casting a brief glance over her shoulder.
'‘ And I will solemnly fulfill each and every one of them.’' Furina promises with her best serious face. Her friend just laughed in response as she put her things away and turned to her with her blouse between her hands. ''Uh, you really are quick. Thanks’’
''It was just a button.’’ Chiori shrugged, she held out the blouse back to her along with the money note Furina had left there, before Furina could protest, Chiori interrupted her first. ''I said I'd make an exception for you, didn't I? In any case, I'll certainly be paid very well later."
Furina almost wanted to complain about this and ask what her friend meant by such a line, but she knew how firm Chiori could be when she wanted to and she didn't have time to fight a cryptic battle with the other right now.
Even so, she makes a disgruntled face as she picks up the note and prepares to leave. The answer she gets in return is an awkward smile on her friend's face, along with a brief nod.
She starts running again as soon as she leaves the club building, her blouse folded in her hand as Furina tries to break a possible school speed record.
After returning to the dormitory, Furina couldn't help but notice how the front door was open. Her memory might fail her sometimes, but she was sure she had left the door closed.
If anyone could say they felt their blood freeze, then Furina's had certainly frozen now. Trying to get it over with, Furina passed through the door to find an oddly still Arlecchino, the bucket of clothes Furina had hung up lying at her feet.
Clearly aware of her presence, Arlecchino turns to her, his hands in his coat pockets while his expression seems blank, so hard to tell what's going on in there.
There was a single glimmer of emotion on her face when the taller woman noticed the blouse under Furina's arms, now she could almost tell there was confusion on the other woman's face.
"You found my blouse.’’ Is there a little attempt at a joke? That was one, right? She couldn't tell for sure.
In any case, it seemed to go wrong because of the way Furina cringed and Arlecchino awkwardly put a hand to his head. Almost as if he wanted to get out of his own space-time because of the strange atmosphere.
After a brief awkward silence, Furina finally reduces the distance between them. She holds out her blouse to an Arlecchino with a posture now as awkward as her own.
"I ended up falling and ripping one of the buttons off your uniform.’’ She lets it go with a tug, not wanting to prolong the tension in the room any longer. ''I went to a friend and she helped me fix it.’’
Understanding dawned on Arlecchino's face as she looked at the uniform for a brief moment before folding it again and throwing it into the bucket. Furina's heart seemed to be running a marathon at that moment, but the words that came out of Arlecchino's mouth surprised her.
"And you got hurt?’’
Ah.
"What?'' Furina asks confusedly. Arlecchino stares at her as if she were a child.
''I mean, when you fell. I didn't hear the noise, but I would have gone to help you if I had."'
''Uhm, well, no, I guess. I mean, I'm fine!'' Furina grumbled, not expecting such concern. Arlecchino didn't seem angry. ''And sorry about the blouse.''
'‘It's all right, things like that happen.’' Arlecchino says calmly and visibly more relaxed. ''Now, your knee looks a bit red. Are you sure it doesn't hurt?''
"Oh, that? I honestly didn't even notice.’’ Looking down at her lower body, Furina finally noticed the red color on her right knee. To be honest, it didn't look like anything too serious. Perhaps the little rush of adrenaline between running into her friend and back as quickly as possible had masked the pain a little, but she didn't think she had done anything more than hurt the area minimally. Oh, right, minimally. "I'm fine. It's no big deal.''
Arlecchino made a little noise that Furina thought was disapproval with her mouth. A strong, but strangely gentle hand pushes her lightly towards the small sofa in the room. Furina can't even react, leaving Arlecchino to do what he apparently planned.
"Hold on, I'll get some ice.’’
Just as quickly as the moment before, Arlecchino leaves. Again, all Furina does is wait. Wiping absent-mindedly at the hem of her skirt, Furina can't think about how the day had gone very differently from what she had imagined.
Well, she certainly didn't imagine having to help her fellow student (not that she minded), falling off a bench while doing laundry and even having a little marathon in search of a button.
Arhg, what a mess, Furina thinks, her eyes closing in resignation. One of her hands went to her forehead, massaging the area as she lost herself in thought.
She would certainly have a lot to explain to her friends tomorrow, perhaps even later if she went to look at the shared group of messages. Chiori was sure to give her own embarrassing version of the facts.
She could already feel the headache forming.
A little embarrassment at having fallen.
A slight pain in her right knee.
An icy storm on a soft area.
Ahem.
Hold on.
Opening her eyes, she sees an Arlecchino kneeling in front of her, a small bag of ice carefully pressed against her reddened leg.
"Sorry, you looked tired so I didn't want to bother you.''
"I was resting my eyes.'' Furina decided with a hint of playfulness. ‘'But thank you for...that.’'
''And I think I owe you another apology, we ended up not resolving anything about our schedule.''
'‘You were busy, it was me who pushed it, it's fine.’' Furina's face turns red as she realizes that the events of the past few days were the result of her insistence.
'‘I can certainly refute that, but I think we'd just disagree endlessly.’' With one hand still pressing the cold bag to his knee, Arlecchino gets up to sit next to him on the sofa.
''Well, I guess sometimes I can be a bit stubborn when I want to be. You probably have a point.'' With a nod while letting out a brief giggle, Furina moves to pick up the bag on her knee and apply it herself, not wanting to abuse the taller woman's hospitality.
The room fell silent for a few seconds, minutes, Furina couldn't tell. She was about to get up, announce that she was fine to go home and reschedule for another day when Arlecchino snorted next to her.
''So... you want to do this now? I think you should wait a bit with this ice and we could... talk about the next dates."' As if to reinforce his point, Arlecchino leans back on the sofa, seemingly looking for a comfortable position. Something passes through his calm eyes and Furina could almost swear she saw a glimmer of red on his face. ''From studying. I mean, our study meetings. ''
Despite not wanting to bother him any longer - and the shame of having caused trouble and been helped in the end. - Furina agrees, letting the other woman's little slip at the end of her sentence pass. Perhaps her head had been hit too, as she hadn't even understood it. (She would certainly do it later in her bed the same day, which perhaps kept her awake while her brain refused to sleep).
She gets a small - and almost non-existent - smile from Arlecchino as soon as she verbalizes that she will stay. Suddenly, maybe a study partnership wasn't the end of the world as she thought.