2026-02-24: Fair-weather Friend
- Cutscene: Fair-weather Friend
- Cast: Wakana Oosaka, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Rhythmic Gymnastics Club Room, Shujin Academy, Aoyama-Itchome, Tokyo
- OOC Date: February 24, 2026
- IC Date: Thursday, September 27, 2012 (After School)
- Summary: Having left something at school, Wakana heads back to retrieve it, and spends a moment trying to reconcile the complicated situation she's in concerning her best friend Kazusa Motojima. Unfortunately, said best friend('s Homunculus) shows up a moment later to make things more complicated. (Takes place the day after 2026-02-15: Masks Off IC.)
Wakana let out a quiet sigh as she opened her locker and saw her flower hair clip sitting there on the bottom, where it must have fallen out earlier. How had she almost left without this? She picked it up and closed the door, leaning her forehead against it after and closing her eyes for a moment.
It wasn't that this particular one was important—it wasn't—but more it was a physical manifestation of how scattered her thoughts had been lately.
When Kazusa had come to her on the first day back from break, Wakana had been so relieved to see her friend, and so relieved by her friend's reassurances that things would be different, she hadn't stopped to question it. And for a few days, things seemed great. Kazusa was nicer, gentler, she hadn't been snapping at her, or forcing her to 'make nice' with others on her behalf...
But slowly but surely new problems had emerged. Kazusa had become almost forgetful sometimes, or took things a bit too literally, and the... shallower way she seemed to approach everything meant that Wakana had suddenly been 'managing' her friend in entirely new ways from before. And she might have managed that, except...
Kazusa had seemingly given up on her art and her games. Everything they had shared, albeit in secret, she had seemingly wanted to just... discard. And with a cheerful smile and a 'Oh, Waka-chan, we have to grow up sometime, right?' And the way she seemed to suddenly idolize her father...
And yet... what could she do but try to support her friend, the same way she always had? Even if it hurt...
And then Hazuki had asked to talk to her. And Kazuhiro had been there, too. And what they had said... a parasite, they had claimed, but that there was a way to free her from it. To put her back to her old self.
Wakana had hesitated, even when Kazuhiro had seemed certain.
She had been replaying that moment in her mind. Didn't she want Kazusa to be herself? To have her own happiness? Didn't... didn't she want her friend back?
Wakana knew what the 'right' answer was, and yet, the thought of things going back to how they were before...
She squeezed her eyes shut tight, something in her stomach twisting into a knot of apprehension. Something vast and tumultuous threatened to well up within her, like a dam about to burst.
... why... why do things have to be so hard...?
"Waka-chan?"
The soft voice shattered the silence, and Wakaka bolted upright, her heart lurching into her throat. She whirled around, clutching her chest and trying to still her pounding heart.
It was only Kazusa in the doorway, looking at her with a wide, concerned expression. Wakana let out a shaky breath, unaware she'd been holding it. "O-oh— Kazu-chan. You— y-you startled me. Wh-what are you... doing here?"
Kazusa walked in, opening the locker next to Wakana's and pulling out a small pencil box. "Oh, I just realized I'd left something in my locker. Clumsy me," she said with a light laugh that showed very little sign of self-awareness. "I'd lose my head if it wasn't bolted on tight!" she said far too cheerfully, as if she was stating a fun fact and not a character flaw about herself.
But the cheer broke a moment later as she watched how Wakana's breathing was still a bit fast, and Wakana was still clutching her chest. She tilted her head a little. "Hey, Waka-chan..." She reached out a hand to place it on the other girl's elbow. "... are you okay...?"
Kazusa's tone was quiet and sorrowful, and to Wakana's ears full of genuine concern. She had to resist the urge to yank herself away from Kazusa's touch, and the realization that it had been a concern at all made the knot in her stomach tighten. "Y-yeah, I... I guess I'm just tired. I was just... lost in my own thoughts and you startled me, that's all." She tried to take a deep breath to steady the pounding in her chest.
"Well, I hope you can get some rest tonight," said Kazusa softly, pulling her hand back before her expression perked up. "Oh! My mother has some nice calming herbal teas. Why don't I bring you some later? Maybe it'll help you relax. I hate seeing you so jumpy..."
Wakana knew that Kazusa—at least the Kazusa of before—abhorred anything to do with her mother's tea. But she nodded and forced a smile onto her face, because she knew it's what Kazusa—this Kazusa—would want. "Oh, sure, that... that sounds really nice, Kazu-chan. Thank you."
"Welcome!" Kazusa said, instantly all bright smiles again. "But... what are you doing here, anyway?"
"Oh, right." Wakana nodded to her locker. "I left something behind, too. So I was just... getting it."
"Oh, wow!" Kazusa chirped. "So we both left something here? That's kinda funny, huh?" It wasn't that funny. "But you know..." The Motojima heiress tapped her chin for a moment. "... this kinda works out, don't you think? I've been wanting to talk to you."
"M-me?" said Wakana, hating the way she instantly felt wary about her friend, forcing herself not to read anything into it. "Um, sure. What's... wh-what's up?"
Kazusa stepped a little closer, and Wakana had to fight the urge to step back. "Waka-chan," said the first girl warmly. "You know you're my best friend, right? And that means I want you to be happy, right?"
Wakana swallowed and nodded. "Of... of course."
"And you want me to be happy too, right? Because...?" Kazusa leaned in, as if she were eagerly awaiting an answer she already knew.
The hairs on the back of Wakana's neck bristled, but she couldn't be sure why. Hesitantly, she said, "... because you're my best friend too, Kazu-chan."
"That's right!" Kazusa let out a cheerful hum as she beamed at the other girl. "We're best friends, and that means we look out for each other, right? And protect each other's secrets?"
Wakana paled, the color draining from her face. She thought back to a couple of days ago, when Kazuhiro had let them into Kazusa's studio. Where she had given up the old games Kazusa had made, the ones Hazuki had declared would help them save the old Kazusa.
The ones that she had promised Kazusa that she would keep secret. The ones she'd only been allowed to keep as a memento of their friendship.
A lump formed in her throat, and Wakana nodded, her voice shakier than she wanted it to be. "Of... o-of course."
Kazusa was looking at her with such wide, earnest eyes, and yet, somehow, despite that expression barely changing, Wakana was suddenly aware of a new intensity to her gaze that somehow made her want to flinch.
The thing pretending to be Kazusa stared at Wakana in silence for a good long few moments... and then she sighed, shaking her head as if she'd just watched a clumsy puppy knock over an antique vase. "Don't worry, Waka-chan... I'm not upset. I suppose it's my fault for putting all this pressure on you to begin with."
She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Wakana in a hug that was perfectly warm and friendly and yet still sent a shiver running down Wakana's spine. "This will all be over soon," she whispered into Wakana's ear in a voice that was somehow both warm and soothing and ice cold all at once. "And then we'll just forget about all this unpleasantness. Won't that be nice?" She pulled back, holding Wakana by the shoulders and giving her a wide smile. "After all, I told you things would be better, right? And a good friend always keeps her promises. And forgives her friends when they make mistakes."
Kazusa finally stepped back, half-turning for the door. "I'll bring the tea by later, okay? Don't forget!" Her voice was chipper as she headed for the door, leaving Wakana alone with her thoughts once more.
Wakana clutched her chest again, and then grabbed her mouth. She slumped against the lockers and then slid down to the floor, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating.
The sound of quiet sobs was the only thing that perturbed the silence of the room.