As promised to a certain group of people. This is a Saya/Yuu fic, but that's not to say Yuu won't be crushing on every girl along the way...
"Hey, Mato!" said Yuu brightly, popping up alongside her friend.
"Ah, Yuu!" Mato grinned. "You sure caught up fast."
The sun was just beginning its dip toward the horizon line as the two girls walked home along the hilly path. A pleasant breeze rustled the grass all around them, and even though the school year had just started, they felt as though they didn't have a care in the world.
"So, how was your day?" asked Mato.
"It was great!" enthused Yuu. "I'm a shoo-in for manager of the basketball team!" Her smiled faded somewhat. "It's too bad we aren't in the same class, though."
Mato nodded. "But, you're gonna get the manager position? That's great!" She looked thoughtfully in a vaguely upward direction. "I'm still not sure what club I should join."
"Club? You're gonna join the basketball club, right?" Yuu's expression rose hopefully. "I can see you all the time if you — I mean, come on! You're really good at basketball!"
The wind filled the silence as Mato appeared to think it over. "It's a lot of responsibility," she said finally. "I've never played on a team before."
"There's nothing to afraid of!" Yuu jabbed a thumb at her own chest. "I, your very own super manager, will make sure everything is perfect!" She let the hand drop. "Besides, I hear the captain is really something. She'll whip you into shape!"
"But that sounds haaard," groaned Mato, only half-joking.
"Eh? No, she's not really harsh or anything! I'm sure you'll have it easy since you're…"
"You'll say anything to get me to join!" Mato teased, and Yuu huffed. "It's just no fair we don't see each other during school, that's all."
"I know." Mato smiled at her. "I'll think about it, okay? Oh!" she exclaimed, and Yuu's smile at her agreement faltered. "What?"
"I almost forgot to tell you! I met someone today." Mato took on a very serious look, as if she was telling an important story and had to get every detail just right. "I was coming out of school, and I paused for a second, and wham! I'm on the ground. Then I look up, and right there is this bright red chain stitch, which she tells me is really easy to make, and I asked what Tiny Birds' Game was—"
Yuu stopped her with a palm raised flat. "Please speak to me in Japanese."
"She came over to ask if I was okay, I mean," said Mato. "Kotoriasobi—that's her name. I think."
"Oh." Yuu looked perplexed as to why this mattered.
"She's really interesting," Mato went on. "The chain stitch thing, she made it herself! Isn't that cool? The red looked so good on her; she's got this milky white skin…"
"So, you want to be friends with this Tiny Birds' Game person, is that it?" Yuu sighed.
"Well, you make it sound like… yes," Mato finished lamely. "She's in a few of my classes."
Yuu didn't say anything, not bothering to remind Mato that if the girl was in her class, they had every class together. Her silence prompted her friend to ask, "So, Yuu? What do you think?"
"I think you should probably talk to your Tiny Birds' Game if you want to be friends," said Yuu shortly. "And I'd better see you at the basketball club tomorrow!" Suddenly she ran forward.
"Ah, Yuu, wait!" Mato took a few strides to catch up, but Yuu swerved left past the row of houses they'd reached, heading on the path to her own home. She turned back to wave as she ran and flashed Mato a cheery smile. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Mato waved back uncertainly, her head turned to watch Yuu until she was out of sight as Mato had to take a different corner. She looked happy, so Mato must have just been imagining things. But hadn't there been something in her eyes?
Once Yuu couldn't see Mato anymore, she stopped running. Slowly her strides turned into a dejected shuffle, and she kicked at the pavement. "Stupid," she told herself. "Stupid." But they'd had classes together since kindergarten…were they going to grow apart now? Because of this… No, it had nothing to do with the girl Mato had met. Still…
It's no fair.
o – o – o
The next morning, she awoke to find a text message from Mato: I'm going to try out for the basketball club! What time's the meeting?
Yuu pumped her fist with a "Yes!" that stirred the rest of the sleepy household. She quickly composed and sent a reply with the time, then she was flying down the stairs to get ready to go.
o – o – o
"All right!" said Arata Kohata, the team captain. "Before we play any basketball, we're going to run laps until the weak ones start collapsing!" Without further ado, she motioned with a sweep of her arm and prepared to dash away. "Okay, follow me, kiddies!"
"Hey!" spoke up Yuu. "What about me? Since I'm the manager, I shouldn't run laps, right?"
"No?" Arata pointed to a bin resting against the wall. "Then go polish the basketballs!"
A minute later, Yuu was sitting among a pile of the orange spheres, rubbing them ineffectually with a towel while the girls and boys trailed agonizingly after Arata in an endless circuit of their partition of the gym floor. "So this is what the manager does at the prestigious junior high level, huh?" She muttered to herself.
She could hear Arata shouting vaguely motivational things as they all sprinted. Watching them, Yuu could pick out Mato as one of the few tryouts who was keeping pace with the captain without too much difficulty. She waved, and Mato flashed her a grin and a wave back before snapping to attention as Arata turned to face them, still jogging in place.
"Okay, now to Mt. Fuji and back!" she shouted. "Come on; you'll never make it if you can't keep up!" She started moving again, and the many gasping bodies followed her out the door of the gym.
Yuu stared as they all filed out, leaving her alone but for the volleyball club on the other side of the dividing net. She flopped back onto the floor with a groan, scattering the basketballs. Minutes were ticking by, and there really was no telling whether Arata would actually make good on her promise to have them run all the way to Mt. Fuji. "This is so boring," she moaned to no one.
It didn't take them too long to return, but they looked so exhausted and out of breath that Yuu thought they must have in fact summitted a mountain—or at least gone several rounds with the tall steps leading to the school. They collapsed at various intervals as Arata finally halted. "What are you lying around for?" she barked at them. "That's not how winners do it!"
They started a scrimmage after that, interspersed with drills. Yuu watched Mato's effortless talent with admiration, forgetting her task of polishing the equipment. Despite the tiring run, Mato was sharp and focused, and Yuu could tell Arata was impressed; despite her relentless criticism of everyone, when she spoke with two other upperclassmen girls standing by her, it was obvious she liked what she saw in Mato.
But was Mato focused? The more she watched, the more glances Yuu saw Mato throw…somewhere. She followed the line of Mato's gazes and found the other side of the gym, where the volleyball club was lining up for its tryouts. Then, she realized what Mato was looking at.
Currently up to try out was a tall girl with dark hair and glasses—and a red chain-stitched band around her wrist. So this was the Little Birds' Game person…and Mato couldn't keep her eyes off her. Every so often the girl would catch one of the glances, and smile back with a blush in her cheeks. And now Mato wasn't waving at Yuu anymore.
Suddenly Yuu felt sick. All of sudden, Mato couldn't even remember to look at her best friend?
"Hey, manager!" snapped Arata, causing her to jump. "I want to see my face reflected in those basketballs!"
o – o – o
After the tryouts ended, a flushed Mato ran up to Yuu with a big grin plastered on her sweaty face. "I'm on the team!" she said breathlessly. "Thanks for convincing me to join."
"That's great, Mato!" Yuu finally stood, a crick in her back from the posture she'd been in for such a long time. "On the way home, you've gotta tell me about what Kohata had you do out there."
"Ah?" Mato looked to her left, to the volleyball players, for a moment. "I'm going to walk home with Takanashi today. You can come, but it's a little out of your way… But, yeah, you say her name 'Takanashi!" She explained it to me, but I don't really get it; it's like…"
As Mato went on about names written Kotoriasobi and pronounced Takanashi, Yuu felt a pit forming in her stomach. Was Mato going to walk home a different way every day now? If that was true, they would only see each other during basketball club, and every day she knew the volleyball club practiced at the same time.
But she couldn't let Mato see her brooding. She put on a bright smile. "Okay, then! I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Mm-hmm!" Mato nodded and jogged off the other side of the gym, turning over her shoulder to wave good-bye.
Yuu felt like she was saying good-bye forever.
o – o – o
She walked through the empty halls back to her classroom, where she had unthinkingly left her things before heading to the gym. All the while, she tried to convince herself, it isn't so bad. She'd always spent most of her time with Mato at school, but that didn't mean they couldn't do other things together—studying, movies, even just going out to eat. It wasn't like she was never going to see her again. So why couldn't she shake this empty feeling?
She stopped walking as the door she'd just passed slid open. From the room there stepped out a woman with dark hair and warm brown eyes. She was dressed in casual red attire, and an armband printed with sunshine and smiling animals was wrapped around her upper arm. She raised the mug she held in one hand. "Hi there! Mind stopping in for a quick cup of coffee?"
"Um, I…" Yuu hesitated. She had planned on going home quickly, and texting Mato to see if she was free. Then the sign above the door caught her eye: Dawn Consultation.
The woman smiled at her. "It'll only take a minute."
In that case, Yuu couldn't think of any reason to say no. "Okay." She followed the counselor inside and took a seat on the comfortable couch while the woman moved to the coffee maker perched on a far table. "Sugar?"
"Huh?" Yuu looked up, surprised. "Oh, yes, thank you."
"How much?" The woman had a disarming way of speaking.
"Five—five spoonfuls."
"You got it." She added the sugar. "The name on my desk is Miss Irino, but you can call me Saya." Saya handed Yuu the mug and lowered herself opposite the girl, across the low coffee table. "I'm sitting down with all the new students so I can get to know everybody. What's your name?"
Nothing special about it, then. "Yuu Koutari," she replied. Then she smiled as she remembered she had a title to take pride in. "I am the number-one super manager of the basketball club!"
"Oh, really? That's a big achievement for a freshman." Saya nodded approvingly. "So, do you know Arata… I mean, Kohata, the captain?"
"Of course!" said Yuu, adding, "How could I miss her?"
Saya laughed. "That's true. She visits me from time to time. I think all students should, even if they don't feel they have any problems."
Yuu paused mid-sip. "Problems?"
"Well, you know, in middle school things can happen that cause a person pain. But at this time in your lives, you shouldn't have to deal with things that are painful." Saya looked serious for a moment, but her expression lightened as she said, "And that's why I'm here. I'll listen to your problems, and help you move past that pain."
"I see." Yuu swished her mug around and thoughtfully watched its contents swirl. "So problems are normal in middle school."
"I'm afraid so. Why?" Saya studied her face. "Do you already have one? A problem?"
"No, nothing like that," said Yuu with a chuckle. "I just didn't know middle school could be such a big deal…"
"Well, any time you have something you want to talk about, I'll be here." Saya gestured with one thumb. "My door is always open!"
Yuu bowed her head swiftly. "Thank you! And thanks for the coffee!" She set the still unemptied mug on the table.
"Oh, leaving already? Well, that's all right," said Saya. "Stop by again sometime!"
On her way back down the hallway, Yuu let out a sigh. "Well, that was a little weird." But she remembered the woman's kind face, and what she had said. "But she's a nice lady." She thought of Saya's words about her counseling, and sighed again. "So middle school comes with a lot of problems, huh? I guess not seeing Mato is one of those problems coming out of the woodwork."
Then she remembered something. "Ah, Mato's probably home by now!" She flipped open her cell phone and sent a text asking if Mato wanted to hang out for the evening. Her mood brightened by that prospect, she grabbed her things from the classroom and hurried on her way out of the building.
o – o – o
Sorry, Yuu! Takanashi invited me over to her house for today. Talk to me in club tomorrow and we'll figure something out.
o – o – o
Yuu watched as the ball soared in its shallow arc, passing right through the hoop without even touching the sides. Landing from the small leap she'd taken, Mato turned back up the court while the girls on the sidelines cheered and cast admiring looks. She flashed a grin in Yuu's direction, and for one instant Yuu half-rose to acknowledge it…but Mato's eyes looked past her, past the dividing net, to another.
o – o – o
After school that day, she walked home with Mato and her new friend, but she found herself trailing a few paces behind while they discussed things that happened in the classes they shared. Yuu's only company was the sunsoaked landscape. She realized that even if Mato was alone, what would they talk about?
With their days mostly filled up by completely differently schedules, what were they ever going to talk about?
o – o – o
That night, after sending another text message to try to set up a time they could go somewhere, she didn't get a response from Mato.