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The ongoing situation in the Starlight Hall dorm had become recurring over the last few months, which was problematic in itself.
What was more disconcerting was the two individuals at the centre of the disturbance during breakfast.
Kaoruko and Maya.
The former was glaring up at Maya, "What did you say?".
"You heard me loud and clear, Hanayagi-san, I don't believe I have to repeat myself".
"You're so full of it".
Maya had her arms folded across her chest, expression of indifference, "All I did was offer some friendly advice in regards to your practice. If you took it personally, then the fault lies with you".
Junna and Mahiru interjected when Kaoruko stepped closer as Claudine sighed out, "Okay, both of you need to stop this".
"Tendou-han started it".
That wasn't a lie and the brunette knew it.
"I understand that these last few months here will be testing but you two really need to find a way to avoid conflict" Junna tried to reason.
"I am not looking for conflict" Maya insisted.
Nana had exited the kitchen, noting Mahiru's pensive glance while Karen, Hikari and Futaba were next to them.
"And yet it seems to follow you".
“Kaoruko-chan, let's get going, okay?" Mahiru offered and held the shorter girl's arm.
"I don't know what is going on but you two need to sort whatever this is and soon. We still have things to do before we leave" Claudine added and narrowed her gaze at Maya.
Maya didn't react to it, her head held high, "As I said, the problem is not mine. Hanayagi-san is no stranger to the truth of what lies ahead. I am merely preparing her".
"Maya-chan.." Nana spoke up, "You can't say it like that".
Kaoruko was done with the pompous girl in front of her and everyone around them could see how close she was to erupting so Futaba pulled her away, sending a warning look to Maya, denoting that she had been crossing too many lines.
"Come on, Kaoruko".
"It's fine, I'll walk today" Kaoruko insisted, a round of gasps following her declaration.
Even Futaba was stunned as she watched Kaoruko grab her bag, walking past them before she followed along with Karen and Hikari.
Maya avoided the gaze of the others as she thanked Nana for the food and went to collect her things before leaving the four remaining to figure out what was happening.
Junna was frantically scanning her brain for a way to amend the problem and Claudine could practically see the gears grinding together.
"Junna, you need to calm down".
"Not until those two resolve this. I can't see them working together with the way things are" she said, leaning into Claudine's side went the blonde wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Nana, do you know what is going on?".
Considering how everyone confided in Nana, Junna was hoping for at least an inkling into what the issue was.
However, the girl shook her head, "I haven't seen them arguing like this before".
"Kaoruko-chan and Maya-chan have always gotten along before, so what changed?".
Claudine was deliberating on Mahiru's question too.
The two had always had a sense of camaraderie between them given their similar backgrounds and Maya had even used that to guide Kaoruko.
But they all knew that the two girls were under an insurmountable level of pressure.
Kaoruko was wrung out, which was to be expected given how there were no more auditions, no more opportunities to alter her predetermined future.
Maya, while not as bound, was under a similar predicament in regards to her future and following a course plotted by others without any objections.
Perhaps taking it out on each other was the only way to get it out of their system.
If that was their method, then the ending to it would be catastrophic.
And it would be pushed further into a deleterious stage during practice once everyone had arrived for class.
"Tendou, Hanayagi, pair up".
"Oh, crap..".
The rest of the group shared Claudine and Futaba's exclamation whilst they watched the two girls in question eye each other up before walking to the centre of the room, neither one of them veiling their contempt.
This was not going to end well.
"Should we volunteer instead?" Mahiru whispered under her breath.
"I don't think we can" Nana said dejectedly.
All they could do was hope that the two would be able to reach a temporal cease fire while they danced.
Kaoruko placed a hand on Maya's shoulder while the other was held by Maya's hand, the brunette drawing her in closer with the arm behind Kaoruko's waist.
There it was again, that infuriating smirk from the girl who was otherwise taciturn, yet didn't need words to bury under one's skin.
"I will lead".
"Go ahead" Kaoruko countered, "If I accidentally step on your foot, don't blame me".
Maya flattened her palm over the curve of Kaoruko's spine, "Careful, that will be an issue for you".
"Are you threatening me?".
"Not at all, Hanayagi-san" Maya smiled down at the heiress, "I am merely making an observation".
The teacher clapped her hands, "And begin!".
As soon as the music commenced and a jaunty arrangement was blaring from the speakers, the two began their dance.
Maya did not hold back.
She was leading Kaoruko through the movements, pushing her to keep up while keeping her eyes solely on her partner. The dance was meant to be a loose number, where their limbs should give the illusion that they were operating on their own accord.
But rather than this, it became a one sided dance of control, like Maya was using the opportunity to sublimate the true feelings she harboured for Kaoruko, reminding her how she had the upper hand here.
"Hanayagi, you're out of synch. You are meant to match Tendou's steps, not push against them".
Kaoruko gritted her teeth, digging her fingers into Maya's shoulders, "I would if you weren't being such an asshole".
"Isn't that your type?".
The heiress almost snarled under her breath as she struggled to catch up with Maya's fluid movements because Maya was making it needlessly problematic, going off course and improvising too much.
Worse yet, she couldn't exactly refute Maya's retort.
And Maya was well aware of this as she rolled Kaoruko out to the side, and then pulled her in forward before dipping her.
Kaoruko's hand was on the nape of Maya's neck, the other still on her shoulder as she looked up into smug violet eyes.
She was fully supported by Maya's arms and hands to a point that if she were to let go, Maya wouldn't let her fall.
The notion aggravated Kaoruko more so.
"You can pull me back up now, Tendou-han".
Maya smirked, "No, I quite like the view".
Kaoruko glanced away, painfully aware of the hand on her hip and all the eyes on her.
"Interesting. You can provoke, but you cannot take it when the challenge is met" the brunette chuckled, "You are full of mysteries".
"And like I said, you're full of it".
Claudine could only shake her head, "I don't even know what she is saying but l know it's to piss Kaoruko off".
"Do you think Tendou-san is doing it on purpose?".
"Judging by that smirk on her face.." Nana answered Junna's query, "I think she might be".
If that was the case, then it was only a matter of time before Kaoruko did retaliate in her menacing ways.
***
After another strenuous day of walking around the eggshells that Maya and Kaoruko had scattered, everyone retired to their rooms once nightfall settled around the dorm.
It was a little past 1 Am when Maya's phone buzzed and she reached out to grab it.
Maya had been waiting so when she unlocked her phone and read the message, she smiled.
Futaba-han is asleep.
Perfect, then there was no need to delay this any further.
Maya texted back immediately.
I have left the door unlocked.
She then placed her phone back down and got up, awaiting for the arrival of the recipient of the message.
They had to be quiet, lest they alert everyone's presence.
Since Kaoruko was a natural at sneaking around, it made the journey from her room to Maya's somewhat simple.
However, the problem with having Claudine and Junna in the room opposite was an arduous hurdle to conquer given how the two had such superiority with their hearing.
But Kaoruko managed, quietly opening the door as her heart strummed in her chest; both out of the anticipation of seeing Maya, and getting caught.
She quickly entered the room and closed the door just as Maya had walked to her, pressing her back against the surface of it.
Kaoruko smirked as she threw her arms around Maya's shoulders, "Miss me?".
The brunette grinned, "Was that not obvious? All this sneaking around and pretending we are not together can be quite testing, Kaoruko".
"True, but it makes this worth it".
Kaoruko didn't let anymore words escape Maya's lips, kissing her when Maya lowered her head down and pulled Kaoruko up towards her.
After the facade they had to maintain, the fevered kiss was exactly like a reward for both.
The door behind Kaoruko was flush against her back as her hands went into Maya's hair, releasing the ribbon just as Maya's teeth had tugged her lower lip.
She was quickly silenced again by a full on kiss, Maya capturing the light moan before they could be heard.
The two parted after a few minutes of this, laughing quietly as they caught their breath and stared at each other, soaking up the feeling of being close.
Kaoruko's hands skimmed up Maya's back, the material of her nightdress not concealing the heat of her body before she placed her palms on Maya's face, pressing a kiss to her lips again.
The kiss this time was lighter, as if to convey the underlying scope of what they were feeling.
It was in some way inevitable for something to flourish between them, they just didn't expect it to be so irrefutable, addicting.
Maya smiled and took Kaoruko's hand in her own, leading her to her bed.
A journey which had been engrained into their minds for the last few months.
Kaoruko couldn't stay the night so they made the most of the hours they had, be it talking in hushed whispers, embracing each other, and when they were feeling particularly daring, something more.
But that couldn't be often due to the close proximity of the others, not that either minded.
Because just being in each other's arms was enough, much like now with how Maya was wrapped around Kaoruko, the heiress's back against her chest and their fingers touching whatever they could.
But Kaoruko could feel that Maya was more restless than usual, "What is it?" she asked as she turned her head slightly and felt Maya's lips beneath her jaw.
"Did I go too far today?".
"Kind of, you're too good at what you do" Kaoruko grinned.
"I didn't intend to go that far" Maya sighed, "We did agree on what could be brought up to cause the strain between us".
"Exactly, so don't feel guilty" the other girl insisted and faced Maya, placing her hands on her chest, "I agreed to it. Besides, hearing things like that would have bothered me before".
"And now?".
Maya ran her fingers through Kaoruko's hair while her other arm remained under her waist.
She felt dainty fingertips ghost over her clavicles while Kaoruko deliberated on it, her brown eyes focused on Maya's neck.
They would all be graduating soon.
Kaoruko had accomplished what she set had out to do, and had acquired far more whilst her once tumid personality had been reined back.
So those words of feeling useless and unworthy of her title had faded because there was no choice in the matter.
"It doesn't bother me, well, not as much" she repeated and glanced up at Maya whom was watching her, "At least I know that you're not going to another continent after we graduate".
Maya chuckled at that, "To think that I would have more than my original purpose to remaining here".
"Obviously" Kaoruko said, her bravado returning.
The two then devolved into more quiet conversation and kisses as Kaoruko leaned up till she could rest on Maya's chest, her lips refusing to part with Maya's.
It was a silver lining in itself, but they knew they'd have to tell their friends sooner or later.
***
With the weekend off to a calming start, most of the occupants of the dorm were lounging around in the living area, ready to watch a movie when evening rolled around.
They were all in the midst of selecting something but Kaoruko was distracted on her phone, while Maya was discreetly checking hers whilst seated on the armchair.
It was just another way to keep in close vicinity without being able to touch each other and it didn't lessen the effects of feeling enamoured.
Reading over Maya's current message, Kaoruko didn't see the impending cushion being thrown her way lightly by Futaba until it landed on her lap.
"Futaba-han!".
The girl was grinning, "Why are you smiling at your phone, huh? Got something to tell us?".
"Oh, does Kaoruko have a secret admirer?" Claudine added, "Why else would you be blushing like that?".
The blonde was sat on the other end of the couch while Junna was leaning on her under a blanket and her legs outstretched near Kaoruko.
Kaoruko rolled her eyes, "Don't be ridiculous".
Mahiru and Nana were seated on the floor with Mahiru resting back on Nana's chest and the blonde's arms around her.
"You have been on your phone a lot lately" Junna pointed out.
"And not to take pictures like me" Nana chimed in.
"You can tell us, Kaoruko-chan" Mahiru smiled.
"But there really isn't anything to tell!".
"Well, whoever Kaoruko is seeing secretly, I feel bad for her" Futaba teased, "What do you think, Tendou? Think some girl can put up with Kaoruko?".
Maya spared a glance at Kaoruko, appearing insouciant about the query, "That is for her to deal with. I myself could not".
"Bold of you to assume that I would want to date someone like you".
Claudine tried to diffuse the argument before it started, "She must be something else if she caught Kaoruko's interest".
"Well, if I was seeing someone, she would be emotionally available, unlike Tendou-han" Kaoruko stated.
The room went quiet.
It was one thing Kaoruko saying she wouldn't be interested in someone like Maya, but she might have gone overboard with that comment.
Maya's lips thinned, "Is that so, Hanayagi-san?".
The heiress met her gaze head on, "I'm just saying it like it is. I don't know why that is news to you".
Junna glanced at Claudine, asking her with her eyes to do something but the way Maya and Kaoruko were staring at each other was an indicant to how the conversation was far too gone and neither side would be mollified.
Even Futaba didn't know what to do.
Maya stood up, "Do excuse me, I have some work to catch up on" she said to everyone, "Enjoy the film".
With that, Maya left and headed back to her bedroom without sparing a look at Kaoruko but she could feel the girl's eyes on her.
Not wanting to sour the rest of the evening for the others, Kaoruko excused herself a moment later.
They tried to convince her to stay but she didn't want to be there.
When she arrived at her own room, Kaoruko quickly took her phone out and texted Maya.
Laundry room, later.
She followed it up with another message.
Please, Maya-han.
***
Later that night, Maya had met up with Kaoruko at the designated location.
They had discovered that it was one of the few places they could sneak away at certain hours, in the event that they wanted the complete privacy that Maya's room didn't offer.
The light was switched off but there was enough illumination coming in from the window for them to see each other.
Kaoruko had been lifted onto the storage unit at the end of the room the moment Maya had walked in, not waiting for any words, just kissing the girl.
She was already aware of how Kaoruko was feeling rueful about what had occured earlier so she wanted to ensure that it was okay, that she understood.
Though, Maya would be lying if she said it hadn't stung a fraction.
Kaoruko had her hands on Maya's face as they pulled back from the heated kiss, her legs curled around Maya's back, keeping her in close.
"I'm sorry" she muttered, "I definitely went too far, Maya-han".
The brunette tightened her arm around Kaoruko's waist, the other on the girl's thigh, "There is no need to apologise. However, may I ask you something?".
"What is it?".
"Do you really think I am emotionally unavailable?".
Kaoruko could hear the tinge of vulnerability in Maya's hushed voice and it only accrued the layer of guilt she was enmeshed in.
She wished she could take it back but the words had been said.
"3 years ago, yes. Now? Of course not" she replied, her thumb running over Maya's fringe, now free of the clips, "We have all changed since then..but I do regret saying it".
"We went for the most obvious attacks, remember" Maya reassured, curling both arms behind Kaoruko, "This way, our staged confrontation would appear realistic".
"It worked, even Kuro-han was worried about you" Kaoruko sighed.
Maya smiled at this, "Well, you are an actress, so the fact that it deceived our friends is a testament to your skills".
"Maybe, but I didn't mean it".
"It makes me happy to hear this".
Kaoruko skimmed her lips near Maya's ear, "Besides, the old Tendou Maya who actually was emotionally unavailable wouldn't be having her way with someone in a laundry room" she flirted.
The brunette bit back a low groan which melded with her laugh, "Having my way? Is that what I am doing to you, Kaoruko?".
Kaoruko grabbed Maya's arms, keeping them in place since Maya was moving her fingertips under her pyjama shirt painstakingly slowly and she really wanted the girl to hurry up.
"What do you think?".
"Let me check, so sit still for a moment".
Maya grinned over Kaoruko's lips as her nails scraped around the curve of Kaoruko's spine, dragging them up which made Kaoruko push into her, knowing full well that neither of them would be able to remain stationary.
"I didn't think you would get jealous when they were talking about this mystery girl I was texting" Kaoruko giggled, "Wait, I should have expected that".
"And rightfully so.." Maya hummed near Kaoruko's neck, "After all, you are mine, yes?".
With Maya's fingers going through Kaoruko's buttons at an impressive speed, Kaoruko's answer would be vocalised in other ways.
***
The conversation at lunch the following day would be..interesting.
With the group seated in the garden area, Karen ran up to them as Hikari followed behind her.
She slammed her hands on the table, wide eyed and out of breath.
"Karen, why were you running?" Junna asked.
Kaoruko and Maya were keeping their distance as the brunette sat on the next table over with Mahiru, Nana and Futaba.
"Listen to this, I went to get water last night and I heard something in the laundry room! It was scary!".
Both Kaoruko and Maya had to use their acting prowess to remain unperturbed by this detail.
"Seriously? You think that room is haunted?" Futaba laughed.
"You had to be there! I know I wasn't dreaming it but there was definitely something in there, Futaba-chan!".
"When you consider how these dorms are as old as the school, it makes sense that there would be some stories involving the supernatural" Junna reasoned.
"But this is the first I have heard of the laundry room being haunted" Mahiru mused, "What could be haunting such a place?".
"Ghosts don't wear clothes" Hikari pointed out.
Nana chuckled, "They wear what they died in, right?".
Kaoruko was wondering what was mortifying Maya more: the talk of ghosts, or the talk of them getting caught during their clandestine meeting.
"Karen, what kind of sounds did you hear exactly?" Claudine asked, "It could be the pipes".
"Pipes don't moan!".
"You heard moaning?".
Karen nodded and grabbed Hikari's arm, "It was kind of soft but the ghost-".
"If it was a ghost" Junna clarified.
"Jun-Jun, I'm telling you it was! Anyway, yeah, it sounded soft but like it was in pain maybe".
"What did you compare it to?" Hikari asked, "You said something to me about how it sounded like something else you heard".
"Hmm, oh, that's right!" Karen jumped on the spot, "It was similar to the noises that came from Tendou-san's room the other night".
Maya's timing to take a sip of her tea resulted in her almost choking while Futaba and Nana hit her on the back several times.
"M-my room, Aijou-san?".
"Yeah, I heard something".
Kaoruko wanted the ground to swallow her up as this conversation was going in the wrong direction. At least the spotlight was on Maya which meant that they hadn't deduced that Kaoruko had been there with her.
"Maya, your room isn't haunted" Claudine said with a shake of her head, "Anyway, it's probably the plumbing ".
"Should we tell someone about it?" Mahiru asked.
"Probably, we don't want Karen thinking it's another ghost".
Karen slumped onto the chair and pouted at Futaba as Hikari ruffled her hair, "I know it was something else. Banana-chan, we can set up a trap to catch the ghost! Jun-Jun, Hikari-chan and Tendou-san can help too".
"Wait, why those four?" Kaoruko finally spoke up.
Claudine smirked, "Because they sang the song about ghosts".
The brunette's gaze landed on Kaoruko, almost pleading for a way to get her out of this but considering how they were not technically on speaking terms, Kaoruko couldn't do it.
Instead, Kaoruko gave her a sympathetic glance whilst listening to their group hum out the melody of said song while Maya accepted her fate.
***
With the seeming escalation of Maya and Kaoruko's abrasive taunts at each other, their friends were trying to think of a solution to remedy the friction.
It was bordering concerning now and Claudine could tell that it was plaguing Junna's mind.
The girl had a textbook open but there was barely any focus on what she was reading so Claudine reached out and took the book which was resting on her bed.
Junna raised a brow, "Claudine?".
"Come on, your head isn't in it" the blonde smiled and placed the book aside.
She scooted back on the pillows and motioned for Junna to join her, not that she would have to wait long for the other girl to shuffle to her.
Junna plopped down onto Claudine's chest and felt an arm wrap around her back while the blonde's other hand caressed the nape of her neck. The motions of her fingertips over the soft skin worked wonders to uncoil some of the tension which was surrounding Junna's shoulders.
"What are we going to do about those two? The rest of the group have started to discuss it too openly. Rumours are starting to spread".
Claudine hummed in agreement, "They say there's nothing going on when I ask them, but that's a lie. I don't know, something feels odd about the situation".
"How so?".
"This is Kaoruko and Maya, if there was a problem between them, they would have been upfront about it, right? Kaoruko hasn't said anything to Futaba either which is even more strange".
Junna pondered on that as she played with the thick strands of Claudine's hair, "I wonder what could have happened between them to cause this much animosity".
"Whatever it is, we need to find out".
"It sounds like you have a plan?".
Junna had lifted herself up slightly so that she could see Claudine, her arms resting over the girl's chest.
That tell-tale smirk was an answer in itself, not to mention far too enticing and Junna had to keep her thoughts focused on the current discussion, not that Claudine was making it feasible given how her hands were moving up her back.
"It's a simple plan, but it might work" Claudine replied.
"Solving everyone else's problems once again?".
"Is that a nice way of saying I don't know how to mind my own business, Junna?".
Not giving Junna a chance to refute it, Claudine grinned and gripped Junna's waist before flipping them over.
"Claudine!".
Being caught off guard hadn't prepared Junna to be under Claudine and she squirmed whilst clinging onto the blonde's hoodie, frowning as she laughed.
"You're cute when you're angry"
"And you can be rather insufferable" Junna muttered, cheek ablaze.
Claudine chuckled as she could see Junna's mask cracking, that smile desperate to free itself, so she helped it along by kissing her lips.
The topic at hand slipped their minds immediately, as did anything else whilst they became lost to each other, hands wondering while lips followed.
If everything went accordingly, the collision between Kaoruko and Maya would be dealt with, without needing to organise a revue.
In the kitchen, a similar conversation was ongoing between Mahiru and Nana as the duo were in the midst of making dinner.
They could hear Karen, Hikari and Futaba immersed in a game and Nana checked to see if the two in question were present before continuing the discussion.
Neither Kaoruko nor Maya were there.
"Maybe we could find a way to get them to talk?" Mahiru mused, attention on the bowl she was stirring, "I'm sure they would listen to each other if they talked it out".
"I think so too, but the only problem is getting them together" Nana sighed, "It's like they don't want to be around each other at all".
For all intents and purposes, Maya and Kaoruko were currently outside the dorm and definitely being around each other.
But that is a secret.
Nana checked the oven, her frog oven mitts pulling the dish out to check before placing it back in.
The situation with Kaoruko and Maya was one she hadn't encountered in any of her loops, but it was a reminder that much had changed since then, and there were things that Nana would have to deal with in a new light, especially if they were ineluctable like this.
Mahiru had walked around to hand over another potato based dish, "Maybe we can find a way. Oh, when Hikari-chan and Karen-chan act like this, scolding them usually works".
There was something entirely amusing about envisioning Maya and Kaoruko kneeling down as Mahiru chided them in the least menacing yet threatening way.
Nana couldn't help her grin and Mahiru already knew why that was, "Banana-chan..".
"I'm sorry, it's funny to think about you doing that to Kaoruko-chan and Maya-chan" the blonde smiled.
Mahiru leaned back on the countertop, "I guess. But we really need to find a way to help them fix this. I wonder which of the two will avoid being with us for dinner".
"It was Maya-chan yesterday".
"So I will be Kaoruko-chan.." Mahiru said, "That's no good".
Even when one person was missing from the times they ate dinner together, it fell unusual.
Nana placed her oven gloves down and approached the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders, "Mahiru-chan, I know they will figure this out, okay?" she reassured, "If we give them a little push, that is".
"How will we do that?" Mahiru asked as her hands rested around Nana's waist.
"Well, I do have an idea" Nana revealed, "So don't worry!" she grinned.
Mahiru wondered about that but she trusted Nana, knowing that the girl would do what she could to help Maya and Kaoruko.
So she nodded and willed herself to relax, more so when Nana engulfed her in a hug. It was impossible to feel apprehensive when Nana held her like this, her taller form keeping her wrapped up and Mahiru tightened her arms around Nana too.
She felt the girl's chin rest on the top of her head as she spoke of what to make for dessert to distract Mahiru.
If everything went to plan, then the situation between Maya and Kaoruko would be resolved but till then, they were content in basking in the comfort of each other.
***
Another weekend had arrived and with it, the fissure between Kaoruko and Maya seemed to be increasing.
According to the group, Maya had gone out for a run that afternoon and Kaoruko had gone shopping.
The truth was that both had met up in a cafe.
It wasn't as if neither girl had noticed the effort their friends were exhausting in a bid to mend the supposed rift between them.
"Wouldn't it be better to tell them now, Kaoruko?" Maya said, sitting opposite from Kaoruko as they waited for their desserts to arrive, "I do feel rather guilty".
"Isn't it fun sneaking around?" Kaoruko teased, "Not knowing when and if we will be found out?".
Maya chuckled at this, "I have to admit I am surprised that nobody has figured it out. I was expecting at least Claudine, Daiba-san or Isurugi-san to suspect something".
"Maybe we are too skilled at pretending to hate each other if we managed to fool them".
"Indeed. They have be trying to amend the tension as much as they can".
Kaoruko tapped the table with her finger, brushing over Maya's that were close, "I don't even know why we kept it a secret from them in the beginning".
Rather, it wasn't intended to be a secret but Maya and Kaoruko simply didn't know how to broach the subject with the others, therefore, the opportunity to reveal the nature of their relationship had passed.
Maya thought on this as the waitress brought over their desserts and she resumed the discussion, "The timing didn't seem right, perhaps?".
"I guess we did have all that drama with the final revues going on".
Maya pushed her plate to the centre, offering Kaoruko her cake, "So, does this mean that you want to tell them about us?".
"It might be for the best. Unless we want a repeat of the laundry room incident" Kaoruko frowned, "We're running out of places to hide".
Maya cleared her throat, "Well, we did have to get creative".
"Maya-han" Kaoruko groaned, face flushed.
The brunette smirked as she took a spoonful of Kaoruko's ice-cream and ate it, eyes locked with the girl's.
"Hm, delicious".
"How are you saying that with a straight face?".
"I have a sweet tooth and can appreciate desserts. You of all should be aware of this".
Kaoruko shook her head and grabbed Maya's spoon, pointing it at her after taking a bite of the ice cream.
Really, Maya's brand of flirting never failed to both excite and embarrass Kaoruko
So she decided to move the conversation back to safer grounds, appearing pensive which worried Maya a tad.
"Then it's decided, we tell them?" Kaoruko asked.
Kaoruko reached out again and Maya met her halfway, their fingers nestled over each other's as the brunette gave Kaoruko a comforting smile, knowing that Kaoruko was quite nervous.
"We will tell them about us".
There was no point in drawing it out longer than they had and while there was a thrill in how they were seeing each other, both Kaoruko and Maya were done with sneaking around.
***
As it turned out, Claudine and Nana's grand plan to get Kaoruko and Maya to resolve the mess was indeed a classic.
And a little clichéd.
They were stood outside of the practice room after inviting Kaoruko and Maya there at separate times, waiting for the two to arrive.
Once they were in the room, Claudine grabbed the door, "You're not leaving until you sort this out! And if you don't, Nana is banning you from eating the desserts she is making tonight!".
And with that, she locked the door since Junna had the keys.
For good measure, Claudine used Mahiru's baton to place it over the lock and the edge of the door, making it almost impossible for the lock to be picked.
They had Kaoruko in that room and the girl could easily thrive as a criminal if she wanted to.
Junna could only watch, "I can't believe you both thought of this" she said, looking between Nana and Claudine.
"It's a classic" Claudine reasoned, "We were overthinking it".
"What if they kill each other?" Futaba enquired, not exactly joking.
"Even better".
"Kuro-chan!".
"Relax, Karen, I'm kidding" Claudine grinned, "Kind of".
Hikari looked at the lock, "What if they climb out of the window?".
The group exchanged a glance at each other when it became apparent that nobody had considered this to happen.
Not even the always prepared class president.
"They wouldn't do that, would they?" Mahiru said, worried about the possibility being too realistic, "They can't dislike each other that much to climb out of the window? I mean..they are really high so climbing up wouldn't be easy".
"It's fine, they've dropped from higher places in the underground theatre. I'm sure they will live".
"That isn't the point, Kagura-san" Junna stated, perplexed by what was being discussed.
"Think of it this way, Junna, if they want to escape through the windows, they will have to work together. If that happens, then at least they can resolve this thing between them".
Junna wanted to argue the logic of Claudine's reasoning but the simplicity of it was almost ingenious.
They had time but had agreed that if Kaoruko and Maya couldn't resolve this in less than an hour, they would let them out.
Unless it actually did seem that the two were in the midst of annihilating each other, then they would have no choice but to open the door.
Mahiru looked around, "So, what do we do now?".
"We get comfortable and hope that the floors aren't covered in blood in an hour. My bet is on Kaoruko taking down Tendou".
Karen started crying again at Futaba's incredibly not so helpful response.
"Hold on, Maya would win" Claudine said as Nana and Mahiru comforted Karen, "It goes without saying".
"Yeah, but have you been stuck in a room with Kaoruko when she has nothing to keep her occupied with? It can drive anyone insane".
"But-" Claudine paused, "You know what, you have a point".
Junna and Hikari looked at each other, wondering if their group would survive with all members present.
Meanwhile, in the room, Kaoruko and Maya peered at the door before the latter turned to Kaoruko.
"Did that just happen?".
"I think so?" Kaoruko answered, stifling a giggle, "I guess we're stuck here now, Maya-han".
The two made their way to the wall near the window, noticing the evening breaking through which meant that curfew couldn't be more than an hour away.
"They must have thought this through rather deeply".
"Oh, please, if that was the case, they would have come up with something more original than locking us up together".
"Perhaps, I hear it is simple but effective".
"If we were fighting".
Maya chuckled as she took a seat on the ground, looking up Kaoruko, "So, what do we do now to pass the time?".
"Want to make out for an hour?".
"Of course" Maya agreed happily and patted her legs.
Kaoruko gladly took her place, lowering herself down as she remained slighted elevated after sitting on Maya's thighs.
Since they were in their gym clothes, there wasn't an issue in ruining their uniforms.
With dust.
"It's sweet how worried they are" Kaoruko couldn't help but to laugh as she circled her arms around Maya's shoulders and neck since her hair was up in a ponytail.
"We will have to thank them for their efforts" Maya smiled, drawing Kaoruko in till she was fully against her, "After all, without their thinking, we would not have reached a reconciliation".
Her hands went to the zip on Kaoruko's jacket, slowly pulling it down while Kaoruko leaned down and kissed Maya, feeling the warmth of her lips meld over her own.
Her fingers moved up Maya's shoulders before curling her arms behind them, the kiss becoming far more frenetic than they had planned.
They knew that the others would most likely be waiting outside, and yet, it didn't dissuade Maya and Kaoruko from what they were doing.
If anything, they deemed it an apropos way to let their friends know that the situation between them was no longer volatile.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
By the time half an hour had passed, Claudine was getting concerned and she wondered if the two had either escaped, or actually killed each other.
Honestly, she wasn't sure which of those options was worse.
"Should I check?".
Everyone nodded unanimously so the blonde quietly removed the baton and handed it back to its owner before she unlocked the door.
On the off chance that their plan had been a success, Claudine didn't want to interrupt any peace talks so she opened the door just a crack, enough to get a glance in the room.
It only took 3 seconds to see and process what Maya and Kaoruko were doing before she closed it quickly and didn't lock it this time, keeping her back to the group.
Junna was concerned, "Claudine?".
The blonde turned, not quite meeting Junna's eyes but she couldn't conceal the smirk as everyone else waited with bated breath to know of what was going on in that room.
"Well, at least they're not fighting anymore, I can tell you that".