𝕂𝕆𝕀 ℕ𝕆 𝕐𝕆𝕂𝔸ℕ {Tadano Hitohito}

『𝕂𝔸𝔾𝔸𝕄𝕀'𝕊 𝔽𝕀ℝ𝕊𝕋 𝔻𝔸ℕℂ𝔼!』

⟦ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟙𝟛⟧

Kagami had just barely gotten her face back to a semi-acceptable color when Otori- no, Kaede- popped her head through the doorway. "Kaaagaaamiiiii? Are youuuu in heeereee???"

Nene and Kaede had stayed well into the night with Kagami, helping her where they could. Before they left, Kaede had asked to call the two by their first names, and they collectively decided to do so. Nene had gotten good enough at signing to carry a half decent conversation, and Kaede spoke so slowly and drawn out that it was easy for Kagami to read her lips.

"Neeenee asked meee to come fiiiind yooou. There's a baand playying in the centraaal plaaaza." Kagami nodded with a small smile on her face. Kaede was a truly kind soul, and was much more perceptive than most people gave her credit for.

Kagami started towards Kaede, taking her hand before opening the door to the bathroom. She and Nene had long since learned that if they didn't do so, Kaede would mysteriously disappear, and it was always difficult to find her again. She had a knack for getting into strange places.

They came up behind the trio who were watching the band through the window. At first, Kagami thought this would be something she could only view, but as she got closer, she could feel the vibration reverberate through the floor and walls, even the large window could be seen shaking slightly when she watched closely enough.

She took her place next to Tadano, all while keeping her hand intertwined with Kaedes'. She pressed her free hand to the glass window, feeling the movement against it. It had a nice beat to it, and she began to sway slightly in place to the rhythm.

"Um, so... you like heavy metal music Ishioka-san?" Tadano smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

Kagami turned her body towards him, allowing his hand to slip from the glass. "It's one of the few genres that I can feel the vibrations from without cranking the music to the max. It usually has good rhythms to them too." She gave a small, unsure smile. She knew that it was unusual for a girl to enjoy heavy metal music, but it was still the truth, and she never wanted to lie to Tadano.

Liar. You're keeping a bunch of things from him. Like your parents. Your crush- possible crush. She quickly corrected her own thoughts. Omitting details or never mentioning something isn't lying. She tried to reassure herself, but she knew she was only lying to herself.

"The band's pretty cool, right?" It was Tadano's turn to sport an unsure smile, but it became more confident when Kagami nodded eagerly and gave him a bright grin.

The vibrations faded slowly into nothingness before she knew it, and she was swept away by her friends towards the gym where everyone was gathering. The crowd was clearly loud, despite Kagami's lack of hearing, and she was being shoved in every direction by her peers.

Finally, a man took the stage, rendering the gym completely still. She kept an eye on Tadano's hands as the man began to speak. "Announcing the prize for most outstanding event! Class 1-1! The Maid Cafe!" Her class began jostling themselves around cheering. Kagami let a smile spread across her face as she turned to face Shouko and threw her arms around her friends shoulders.

They hugged tightly for only a moment before Kagami felt Shouko sag beneath her. She pulled back with a frown, taking in everyone's downhearted appearances. "What happened?"

"The prize was revoked because of Najimi." Kagami slowly turned her head to Osana, who was trying to spin the situation in their favor, having twirled in a circle and gave a bright grin with what she could only assume was a cheesy line about how it was the journey that mattered, not the prize at the end.