Funami Yui stood in the waning light of the late autumn evening, on the corridor of top floor of Nanamori Junior High. Her face was blank and expressionless, but the knuckles of her hands, which gripped the corridor railings, were very white, and she stared down at the school courtyard with an unusually intense look in her eyes.

"My, my, so you are here too, Funami-san."

Though Nanamori was normally completely deserted at this hour, Yui was not at all surprised to hear the gentle, careless, cheerful voice with its Kansai accent. After all, wherever Ayano went, Chitose was never far behind.

"Good evening, Ikeda-san." Yui turned around and smiled politely. Chitose smiled back, and Yui could not help envying how effortlessly she did so.

"Looks like Ayano-chan has been waiting for a while," Chitose said as she moved to stand beside Yui by the railing. Together they watched the President of the Student Council stalk to and fro the courtyard below, fuming and muttering under her breath. She clutched a letter in her hands, which she paused every now and then to read, only to put away and resume her pacing, more irritable than ever.

Yui nodded. "Kyouko's late." She cast a glance around the school, blinked, and continued, "Although, I think, she's just arrived."

At the corner the courtyard, Kyouko, Yui's closest and childhood friend, also caught sight of the two girls. She grinned, waved, put a forefinger to her lip, and started creeping on tiptoes towards the unsuspecting Ayano.

"What is she doing at a time like this?" Yui asked, exasperated. Chitose gave a helpless laugh in reply.

With remarkable speed and stealth Kyouko crept near Ayano and pounced, cupping her hands over the girl's eyes. All at once Ayano's face turned bright scarlet. She whirled around furiously and began shouting at Kyouko, who tried to compose her features into what she probably thought was shamefaced contrivance, but looked more like triumphant mischief.

"If Ayano continues like this much longer her letter will become too crumpled to be read," Yui observed. Ayano had balled her hands into fists over the course of her harangue, with predictably deleterious results on the letter.

"Ayano-chan isn't very honest with her feelings," Chitose agreed.

"Neither are we," Yui said softly

At last Ayano ceased her tirade and drew a deep breath. With an abrupt motion she thrust the letter at Kyouko, who, startled, took a step back. Tentatively, Kyouko accepted the letter and began to read. Yui sighed.

"Ikeda-san, the way things are…do you have any regrets?"

"When we love someone," Chitose said, "we want them to be happy, right? Ayano-chan is most happy if she can be with the person she likes; and if Ayano-chan is happy, so am I."

"But don't you wish the person Ayano likes is you, instead?"

"Of course I do. But that's not the way it is." A wistful note entered Chitose's voice for the first time. "Since this is how things turned out, the only thing for us to do is to wish for the people we love to be happy. Isn't that how you feel about Toshinou-san too, Funami-san?" There was a long pause. "Um…Funami-san?"

"The only other time I ever cried was also when I thought Kyouko was going to be taken away from me."

Chitose turned to look at Yui and her eyebrows shot up. Yui wiped angrily at the hot, wet tears on her face, but more rolled down, and more.

"Here." Chitose held a handkerchief in her outstretched hands. Yui stared. "I thought it might be useful for the nosebleeds but….it looks like I didn't need it after all."

Yui turned away and rubbed her face on her sleeve until she was certain her eyes and face were absolutely dry. Chitose stuffed her handkerchief back into her pocket, and patted Yui gently on the back.

"Sometimes it is all right to cry, Funami-san," Chitose said quietly.

"But I never cry," Yui whispered, half to herself. "When we were younger Kyouko was such a crybaby, she always got picked on and bullied. I had to protect her, so I had to be strong, so I never cry." She traced the fringe of her short black hair. "I thought that, if I were always there, by her side, looking after her, protecting her, then…maybe…"

She looked out at the courtyard again. The two girls were in deep, earnest conversation now, and both were smiling, Kyouko shyly, Ayano exuberantly. Something sharp and exquisitely painful twisted inside Yui's chest, and she was almost grateful for the tears that once again blotted out her sight.

"But it seems I was too late."

The sun was setting by the time Kyouko and Yui started on their way home, and its last dying rays stained the pair in deep, bloody crimson.

"Wow, so it really was a confession after all, huh?" Kyouko walked with her customary light, skipping steps. Yui strolled alongside, trying not to let her feelings show. She did not find it difficult; she was, she supposed, something of an expert at hiding her feelings from Kyouko.

"What else could it have been?" Yui asked. She had meant the question to be rhetorical, but Kyouko immediately replied:

"I thought she was going to ask me for the handout I didn't submit today!"

"At six o'clock in the evening?" Yui paused. "And don't sound so proud about not submitting your handout!"

"Ahaha," Kyouko laughed, then turned suddenly and grinned at Yui, who with an effort stopped herself from looking away. "Say, Yui! Can I stay over at your place tonight?"

"Um…why?"

Kyouko patted her bag importantly. "Because I already brought my change of clothes and it's a waste to just carry them straight back home. Also, I'm hungry and I want to eat your delicious omurice!"

"Yeah, yeah." Yui fought to keep her voice steady. "I guess now that you're going out with Ayano," she paused, swallowed, "you won't be able to hang out at my place as much as before, huh?"

"I guess that's so…"

Yui looked away. "I suppose I might get a little lonely on my own from now on," she said before she could stop herself.

"Huh?" Kyouko looked surprised. "Why would you be lonely? There's still the Amusement Club, right? And, besides, you're really popular with the girls in class, you know."

"I am?" Yui asked doubtfully.

Kyouko rolled her eyes. "You're reliable, you're serious, you act boyish, you work hard, your grades are good and you're so good at sports the track team even sent their club advisor to steal you away! Of course you'd be popular. You'd realize it too, but you're only ever looking at me." Kyouko regretted her choice of words as soon as they left her mouth.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair as they walked the rest of the way to Yui's house.

"Ah! Home, sweet home!" Kyouko stomped noisily into the empty apartment, glad for the chance to break the silence.

Yui was happy to play along. "Don't say it like it's your home." She switched on the lights. "I'm going to make dinner now, so you can have the bath first."

Kyouko pouted. "Boo. Bathing's not fun without Chinatsu-chan around to harass."

"Then maybe bathing isn't supposed to be fun." Yui walked into the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients and utensils, mentally drawing up the menu for dinner.

She was very surprised when she suddenly felt arms clinging tightly around her waist, and a weight settle on her back and shoulder. She wondered if her face was as red as Ayano's had been when Kyouko had snuck up on her.

"Quit bothering me, unless you want to starve," Yui warned.

"How ungrateful! And here was I, selflessly offering my services to help out Yui's great dinner-making enterprise!"

Kyouko's stomach loudly seconded her declaration. "I'm not really sure you understand what 'selfless' means," Yui grumbled. "And since when did you start wanting to cook, anyway?"

"I thought," Kyouko mumbled into Yui's shirt, her face pressed tightly against her friend's back, "since this might be our last dinner together for…quite a long time…I want it to be something you can…remember me by."

Yui started slightly. "Then you'd better start preparing the carrots," she said, hoping to distract Kyouko from realizing what impact the words had on her composure. "Dinner isn't going to cook by itself."

"Yes, Lord Yui!" Kyouko snapped into her most military salute. "It shall be as you desire, Most Noble Resplendence!"

"Then why don't you start working?" Yui suggested, after Kyouko remained in that position for a while. In response, Kyouko grabbed the vegetable knife and immediately set about cutting up the unwashed carrots, with a commendable vigour that nevertheless did not quite manage to wholly offset her lack of technique.

"Thank you for the meal!"

The events of the afternoon had worn out the pair, and both eagerly dug into their dinner. While Yui showed the necessary proprietary regards for table manners, Kyouko attacked her food with a ravenous abandon that at last compelled Yui to ask, "Um…Kyouko, are you really that hungry?"

Kyouko looked up and mumbled something indignantly.

"Swallow before you speak."

With a tremendous effort Kyouko forced down the food in one gulp. "But tonight's dinner is extra delicious! Don't you think so too?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tonight's dinner," Kyouko proclaimed proudly, "has been imbued with the essence of Kyouko-chan's love! Can't you taste it, Yui?"

"Aaahhh." Yui chewed thoughtfully. "So Kyouko-chan's love tastes like half-broiled carrots and improperly blended eggs. I really must warn Ayano about this."

"So mean!" Kyouko leaned back on her chair. "I helped to prepare the food, so you're doing the washing-up!"

"Oh, all right."

Dinner was finished in short order, and Kyouko was in such good spirits that she even, against all expectations, elected to help Yui with the washing. Afterwards, they bathed and changed into their pajamas. Though Yui would rather die than admit it, she had grown rather fond of her panda outfit, and thought that Kyouko's tomato pajamas, all things considered, looked remarkably good on her.

"Am I really so sexy?" Kyouko teased, and struck a pose. Yui flushed and glanced away.

"Don't be an idiot. Say, what do you think about turning in early for the night?"

Kyouko collapsed onto her futon with a muffled oof. "Not even a round of Namori Quest?"

"I'm…just not in the mood. And you always get killed by the fifth boss anyway."

Kyouko flipped over and sighed. "Good night then, Yui."

Yui switched off the lights. "Good night."

Despite the tiring day she had, Yui found herself unable to fall asleep. She listened to the quiet whistling of Kyouko's breaths as she stared up at the cold, brittle stars shivering in the sky. So this is the last time I will be the person closest to Kyouko, huh? The thought made her feel melancholic. "Hey, Kyouko," she said, after a while. "In the future…you'll still come and hang out at my place, right?"

There was no reply. Yui turned around. "She's already asleep." She turned away, paused, turned back again, and silently stared at Kyouko's slumbering face. "Cute," Yui murmured, almost involuntarily.

Balling her hands tightly into fists, Yui pushed herself up over Kyouko, leaned down, and kissed her friend softly on the lips.

Kyouko did not respond. Is this relief that I feel, or disappointment? Yui's shoulders slumped. She clambered back into her futon and rolled on her side to face the wall. Sleep claimed her soon after.

Beside her, Kyouko opened her eyes. She slowly brought up her hand and gently, lightly touched the tips of her fingers to her lips.