backstagebaae: tino kiritani !
TINO TRIED HIS best not to question exactly what he’d just promised. The temptation to backtrack and reconsider was great, the very simple act of thinking “wait, what did I just say” equally hard to resist—but that would be unfair to Lee and would only end up hurting her even more (which was the exact opposite of what he was intending to do here). Hearing the bear repeat after him—responsibility, of all words—only solidified for Tino just what he’d done. He was taking this into his own hands, pledging to her something he wasn’t really sure he could do in the first place.
And then, before he could say or do anything else, Lee began to laugh. It was small and soft—like a sudden little giggle—but it rang across the empty room. Tino’s brow furrowed, and once again, before he could act, Lee—the giant bear—called him strange.
He tilted his head. He wouldn’t call himself taken aback, but her words did surprise him. A lot. “Wh-what…” he said, mostly to himself, under his breath. Lee only continued, and at her words, Tino felt his heart soften yet again. His heart rate slowed as he willed his panic to die down. Her tears, coupled with her smile—the strangest sight on an actual, live bear—only succeeded in turning his heart into mush. He inhaled, unaware that he was holding his breath as both he and Lee stayed silent for a time.
When the bear spoke again, he let go of his breath.
There was no turning back from this, that much was clear—but at the same time, Tino found he didn’t really want to take it back. Other than his intention to not hurt Lee all over again, that glimmer of hope on her furry face was hard to miss. Even if Tino had absolutely no idea what he was getting into, perhaps it would be worth it if he got to help. Simply saying sorry was putting a band-aid on the wound, but actually doing something to make sure she wasn’t hurt that way again…
Tino watched her bow. Her words weighed heavy on his shoulders, but her hope and silent enthusiasm moved him.
He bowed as well. “Let’s work together, Lee-san.”
Yerin felt Tino bow too as she remained folded over before him, the slight sweep of air brushing at her as he moved in her peripheral. Somehow that made it feel more official. Though it wasn’t even close to the reality of their situation, it almost felt as if she had just joined a CLUB. That rush of motivation … the excitement! Yerin wiped her eyes with the back of her paw one more last time before straightening with a loud ❝ Mm ! ❞ Happiness hummed in her throat as she faced him, amazed, bewildered, beatific. It was extraordinary how things could change within the span of a few minutes – to go from clinging to a shred of hope, grateful to finally end worry and just fall … to having someone reach out and steady her, even at risk to themselves. Her body had turned to air.
– but she quickly returned to the ground when she heard the chatter of students growing louder, accompanied by the patter of footsteps, Yerin remembered her duties and promise. She doubted everyone wanted to return to their classroom with stacked desks still looking like French barricade ( or actually, their class was so playful, maybe they’d think it was fun … ). Nonetheless she grabbed the leg of a chair hurriedly to get a move on. ❝ Ah – I think class will be starting soon! ❞ She was still ready with more thank you’s, gratitude well-blended in with her nervous scrambling now as she thought Tino might return to join his friends, but with two pairs of – well, one pair of hands, one pair of paws, they were able to make quick work of it together.
It felt like the whole lunch period had finished in a flash by the time Yerin was seated at her desk again, taking out her textbooks as the teacher entered. But with a moment of relative quiet as her fellow classmates simmered down, the weight of her new circumstances came crashing in. Still delighted and ever grateful, Yerin found another feeling slowly dipping into her consciousness — she was a little confused.
Come to think of it … what did Tino’s promise mean?
How did someone … fix this situation?
Was he going to find her an astronaut suit she could wear over her fur?
Yerin blinked at her desk, wonder surging in waves as she tried to imagine what would happen now. Yet still the uncertainty did nothing to wash away her hope even then. From the moment Tino had even showed her the message board, proudly showing off his club’s efforts – from the moment she had even been introduced to the club president, even – she knew he was someone to believe in.
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