Kindergarten Bully [Oikawa Tooru] | ✔

Pictures and Memories

Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

— Theodor Seuss Geisel

xXx

Mizushima jumped backward as if she had been stung, still holding onto her beloved camera. She looked almost exactly the same as when Naoko had last seen her at the Sendai Standoff—her cheeks were not as chubby as before and she seemed to have lost some weight around her arms and breasts as well.

Despite the somewhat noticeable physical change, Mizushima still seemed to be the same person as she was on the inside. She was blushing deeply as she regarded the group of nine, muttering something about beautiful people under her breath.

At last, she looked up and answered Naoko's question with a wary smile, "Y-yep, it's me. And you're Makoshima...!" She squealed softly. "You look as beautiful as always! And all your friends are beautiful too!" Then she gasped. "Oh no! I'm sorry for taking that picture of you guys without your permission! Do you mind? Because if you do, I'll delete it for sure."

No one really objected so Mizushima simply stood there awkwardly, until Oikawa decided to bail the girl out.

"Tsu-chan," he addressed her with a smile, "do you still have the photo that you took of us at the Standoff?" Mizushima had promised to pass it on to him but she had never gotten around to doing so.

Mizushima's face turned even redder when Oikawa called her by her new nickname (as of a few seconds ago). "Sorry about that. I've been very busy. I tried to come to your Culture Festival but I couldn't make it." She took off her backpack and unzipped it, setting it on the floor and kneeling. "I think I have it in here somewhere, so I can give it to you now!"

"Thanks, Tsu-chan!" He winked at her as she handed him the developed photo. "You look a bit different. Care to join us and catch up? I'd love to know what happened after the competition."

"Yeah," Sumire piped up, her eyes lighting up before darkening. "What happened between you and Ryouta?"

"Ah." Mizushima took Oikawa's advice and sat down in an empty seat next to Hinata, who scooted over a bit to accomodate her.

Before she even began her tale of what had happened after the Standoff, she had already garnered their attention. Even Makki and Mattsun, who hadn't been at the competition, were giving her their time of day.

"After the competition," Mizushima started, adjusting the strap around her neck—the one that connected with the camera—as she spoke. "Everything was normal. We went back home and everything but... Ryouta was gone on Monday. Apparently, according to Sora-chan, she transferred to another school in Tokyo."

"Coward," Oikawa commented, his voice sounding uncharacteristically cold. By now, the terrifying painting had all but been forgotten by the four who had encountered it. Instead, they were all curious about Mizushima's experiences—and, by extension, Ryouta's as well.

"O-oh, please don't say that," Mizushima mumbled. "Rin-chan—I mean, Ryouta—was..."

"Please don't even try to defend her," Sumire said with a scowl. "I know you thought she was your friend but... just don't."

Mizushima sighed. "I know." She proceeded to tell them about what she had heard from the other girls in the orchestra. Now that Ryouta was no longer there to be domineering over everyone, most—but not all—of her band mates had warmed up to her significantly, no longer teasing her about her weight or her quirks. Apparently, according to the talk, Ryouta had transferred over to Nekoma High in Tokyo. There were also rumours about her family members—the ones who she was staying with, her aunt and her cousin—had actually died in a car crash and left Ryouta to look after her other cousin, who was still only a baby, by herself.