in which minami kotori, a fashion student at otonokizaka university, develops a strange fondness for sonoda umi, the girl who sits in the row in front of hers.
[this book is based on a comic strip of kotoumi that inspired me to transform it into an...
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the carnation: the flower of pride and beauty.
— in which kotori realises that the girl who sat in the row in front of hers struggles with something heavier than a shinai sword.
~
yet another week passes, and kotori finds herself in the dōjō, standing just by the area where members of the kendo club where gathered, practicing their swings (or something kotori would probably never know the name of). she searches for umi, hoping to find her soon. she didn't quite like the idea of staying here with the scary-looking students eyeing her.
"sorry," she apologises to a student when they bump into her, feeling her stomach sink when she hears their scoff. she really wants to get out of here, but she had promised umi she'd come.
"watch it."
kotori spins at the sound of that deep, intimidating, yet soothing voice. in front of her stood umi in full-dress, a shinai sword in hand, and a small irritated scowl on her face. the student bows immediately, and disappears as quickly as he could, fear scrawled all over his face.
"i–it was perfectly fine, umi-chan," kotori says, as umi turns to look down at her. "it was my fault. i wasn't really looking where i was going."
umi nods curtly, the displeasure on her face vanishing, but kotori knew that she didn't really agree with her logic. the taller girl had been oddly quiet this past week, and kotori was beginning to worry about her. usually, she'd have a little more of a reaction when she saw kotori, but now, she had been avoiding eye contact entirely.
umi turns, and kotori notices the sneaky glint of her deep blue earrings again. it was the only thing about umi that didn't change; her attitude, eyes, body language and everything else about her did. it was like the real umi was never really there, and honestly, it frustrated kotori a little. was the girl who took care of her a month ago just another version of her? was she just an illusion?
the sparkle of her earrings was the only thing consistent about her.
kotori follows umi deeper into the dōjō, feeling a little small. the swish of dark-blue hair was the only thing she could concentrate on, the shine of an earring peeping out every once in a while. the atmosphere was suffocating, and with every section of the dōjō they passed, kotori could feel it becoming even more stifling, if possible.
"in here." umi finally says, breaking the stone-cold silence, sliding bamboo doors open to reveal a relatively wide area. its wooden floors slightly worn, and the smell of sweat hung in the air, making kotori scrunch her nose in slight disgust, but she didn't want to seem rude, so she shook it off as quickly as she could.
"wow." kotori says softly, her bare feet relishing the warmth that enveloped her skin as soon as her toes touched the wooden floor.
umi barely glances her way, tight-lipped, only moving to take her position, shinai gracefully raised up, its tip glistening in the faint light that streamed in through the bamboo doors.
