We've Got To Have Happiness, No Less, No Less

by Windrises

Natsuki's a young woman, who's failed to fit in at several colleges. Natsuki gets sent to a much looser college, where she meets the Student Council President, Shizuru Fujino and the well-meaning, but immature Yuuichi Tate. Will Natsuki be successful at her new college and at her new life?

Note: Mai-Hime is an anime that was done by the studio Sunrise. This story takes place in a different continuity than the anime, manga, and my other stories.

Natsuki Kuga was a young woman. She was a kind, caring person, but she had a lot of flaws. She was often late for class, forgot to turn assignments in, and she had quite a few arguments with her teachers. Because of that, most colleges would reject her or they'd let her join and give her a chance, before kicking her out.

Natsuki didn't make these types of mistakes for fun or to drive her superiors crazy. Her mind was often in the clouds and she often felt like something was missing in her life. She tried to be optimistic, but overall, she wasn't a very cheerful person. She often looked gloomy and she didn't really know how to loosen up and enjoy herself.

One morning, Natsuki was laying down on her bed. She didn't have much going, so she just stared at her cellphone and looked at random things.

Suddenly, Natsuki's parents came into the room. Natsuki put her phone and got off of her bed. She faced her parents and asked, "What's up?"

Both of Natsuki's parents looked happy, while the mom said, "We have good news. We found a new college for you to attend."

Natsuki shyly replied, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. After all, I wasn't exactly beloved, at the other colleges I tried out. Both the teachers and the students didn't like me."

Natsuki's mom tried to make Natsuki feel better, by saying, "Don't worry about that, Natsuki. This college is very nice and open-minded. They know nobody's perfect, so they don't unrealistically high expectations of people."

Natsuki's dad replied, "In other words, they think all people are mediocre, so you have nothing to worry about."

Natsuki's mom angrily nudged the dad and responded, "That wasn't the best way of wording things."

Natsuki thought about it. Although her experiences at the other colleges, didn't work out, she wanted to be open-minded and to give this college a fair shot. However, that didn't mean she was thrilled about taking this offer. She casually said, "I guess I can go to this new college."

Natsuki's mom replied, "That's the spirit."

Natsuki's dad said, "No offense, but that's not the spirit I was hoping for. I was wanting a more passionate, excited spirit."

Natsuki replied, "I'm sorry I'm not dancing around my bedroom or anything, but considering how many colleges have rejected me, it's hard to get excited about going to do another one."

Natsuki's dad responded, "Actually, you should be excited. Would you like to know why?" Natsuki nodded. The dad said, "This college charges far less than the other colleges, which means I get to save money!" The dad was so thrilled about saving money, that he started dancing around Natsuki's bedroom.

Natsuki's mom was amused by her husband's dancing, but she had more important things to focus on. She faced her daughter and said, "The college is only ten miles away from our house, so we'll be able to drop you off and pick you up. At the other colleges, you had to stay at a dorm, so this gives a chance to see you more. That should be why your dad's excited, but he's more interested in saving me."

Natsuki's dad defensively replied, "Hey, I'm glad we'll get to see our daughter more. However, the big thing to be excited about is saving money! Woo-hoo!" He started jumping around the room, while being filled with excitement. The mom rolled her eyes, while Natsuki facepalmed.

A week later, it was time for Natsuki's first day, at the new college. At the other colleges, she was required to wear a school uniform, but this college didn't have that rule, so she wore a purple shirt and pink pants. Her hair was neatly combed and she had a tiny bit of makeup on.

Natsuki's parents gave her a ride to the college. Natsuki felt bad about her previous failures and she wanted to avoid making the same mistakes. She faced her parents and said, "I know I've been a bit of a punk in the past and I'm sorry about that. I don't really know why I acted like that. I just felt lost and lonely. I know you guys love me and want the best for me, so I'm going to work hard and try to succeed."

Natsuki's parents looked concerned about her. The mom whispered, "I think she could use some advice or encouraging words."

The dad calmly whispered back, "I'll handle it." He faced Natsuki and said, "Before you go to this new college, there's an important thing I should remind you about. I know I bring this subject up a lot, but it's essential that I do so, so you don't forget this important life-lesson."

Natsuki tried to take her dad seriously, while asking, "What is it?"

The dad said, "At the school, they'll probably be students who seem friendly and good intentions. However, they buy really expensive things, like the newest type of cellphone or perfume. It's important that you don't become a part of their chaotic, dangerously-expensive shopping sprees."

Natsuki replied, "Dad, you acted like you were going to give me some kind of life-lesson, but you're just giving me another speech about money."

The dad responded, "Money is a top-level of importance, if I do say so myself. Although family and friends are important, it's seriously debatable if they're more important than money."

The mom frowned at the dad and asked, "Are you done, with giving our daughter crummy advice?"

The dad nervously smiled and answered, "More or less."

The mom looked back at Natsuki and said, "I hope that you have a wonderful day. Stay safe and have lots of fun."

Natsuki replied, "School's not exactly a playground, but I'll try to enjoy myself."

The dad paused and said, "By the way, if the vending machine charges a dollar for a soda, go ahead. However, if they charge more than that, don't bother. We need to protest overpriced items."

Natsuki sighed and replied, "Whatever." She waved goodbye to her parents and started heading into the college.

Natsuki's mom noticed that the car barely had any gas left, so she said, "There's a gas station across the street. Should we go there?"

The dad replied, "It depends on how much they charge for gas." The mom angrily sighed.

Natsuki looked around the school and saw that the students looked happier and seemed to be having more fun, than the students at her previous colleges. However, that didn't mean everything was better. She saw several students running around the hallways, while bumping into people and walls. She even saw a few students dancing on the lockers, which was a very surprising sight.

Haruka Suzushiro took a long look at Natsuki. After examining her, she folded her arms and said, "You have a lot to work on."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow and said, "Excuse me?"

Haruka had a serious look on her face, while saying, "Your outfit's bland and not fancy enough, your hair could use a few more minutes of combing, and you tons of makeup."

Reito Kanzaki overheard Haruka, so he walked by and said, "Sheesh, how about giving the new girl a proper greeting?"

Haruka folded her arms and asked, "A proper greeting? How could I give her that honor, if she's going to look so plain and give off such mediocre vibes?" She pushed some students out of her way, while walking away.

Reito looked at Natsuki. He tried to make things a bit more peaceful, by saying, "I'm sorry about Haruka. Believe it or not, she means well, but she gets stressed-out. Frankly, I think she takes the school and the Student Council too seriously." He stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Reito."

Natsuki shook hands with him, while replying, "I'm Natsuki."

Reito said, "It's nice to meet you."

Natsuki replied, "Likewise, Reito. So, are you also a member of the Student Council?"

Reito had a smug smile on his face, while saying, "Indeed I am. In fact, I'm the Vice-President. Despite that, I'm basically the one in charge."

Shizuru Fujino walked up to them and said, "You can keep thinking that, but it sure isn't true."

Reito replied, "Fair enough. This is Shizuru Fujino, the President of the Student Council." He jokingly whispered, "I'm planning on taking the leadership position from her."

Shizuru nudged him and jokingly responded back, "Don't make me vote you out of office."

Natsuki shook hands with Shizuru, while saying, "I'm Natsuki. It's nice to meet you."

Shizuru smiled and replied, "Indeed it is. Is it just me or do my classmates keep getting cuter and cuter?" Natsuki wasn't sure how to answer that.

Reito looked back at Natsuki and said, "Don't take Shizuru seriously. She teases everybody. She's even jokingly flirted with me. Can't say I blame her, since every girl's fighting over me."

Natsuki said, "Wow, you sure love yourself, don't you?" Reito blushed with embarrassment, because Natsuki had exposed his self-obsessed behavior.

Shizuru said, "It's about time somebody pointed out his ego."

Reito proudly replied, "I have an amazing ego."

Natsuki responded, "If you say so."

Shizuru jokingly pushed Reito away and said, "Natsuki, you are going to love this college."

Natsuki replied, "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be successful here."

Shizuru looked concerned about Natsuki, while asking, "Why do you think that?"

Natsuki played with her hair, while saying, "I haven't been successful at my other colleges. I often failed to assignments correctly or argued with my teachers. To be honest, I'm surprised my parents sent me to another college. I thought I had become a hopeless case."

Shizuru put her arm around Natsuki and replied, "Nobody's a hopeless case, unless they've completely given up. Have you given up?"

Natsuki casually answered, "I guess not."

Shizuru replied, "Natsuki, when I look at you, I see a pretty girl. However, I see something more important than just looks."

Natsuki looked confused, while asking, "What do you see in me?"

Shizuru answered, "Potential." She paused before saying, "It's hard to explain, but I have this feeling in my heart, that you're going to do great things and be something special. You can call me overly-sentimental, but I think you're going to really shine here. I may of just met you, but I believe in you."

Natsuki was pleasantly surprised by Shizuru's compliments. She said, "Thank you, Ms. Fujino."

Shizuru asked, "Ms. Fujino? Come on, Natsuki. I'm your friend, not your teacher."

Natsuki asked, "Friend? We just met each other."

Shizuru replied, "Despite that, we're already friends. It's probably because you're amazing."

Natsuki smiled and responded, "Nah, all credit goes to you." Natsuki and Shizuru high-fived each other. Natsuki said, "I better get to my first class. I'll see you around."

Shizuru smiled and replied, "Have a terrific first-day. I look forward to seeing you again."

Natsuki responded, "You too." Natsuki started walking to class, while already being in a better mood.

Natsuki arrived at her first class, which was math. Although it was Natsuki's first day at the college, it wasn't the first day for the other students. Because of that, Natsuki wasn't given an easy assignment. She looked down at her assignment and saw that she had to finish twenty math problems, before class was over. She angrily sighed and started getting to work.

Natsuki's presence caught the attention of Yuuichi Tate. Yuuichi was a well-intentioned, but gullible and immature guy, who often got poor grades and accidentally angered a lot of people. He was impressed by how pretty Natsuki was and he was hoping he could get her attention. He noticed that Natsuki was sitting next to the pencil sharpener, so he got up and started sharpening his pencil. He looked at her and said, "Hi, I'm Yuuichi."

Natsuki whispered, "I'm Natsuki." Natsuki didn't pay much attention to Yuuichi, because she was busy on her assignment.

Yuuichi wasn't paying attention to his pencil, while looking at Natsuki and said, "I heard you're the new girl. I've gone to this college for a few months, maybe longer. I struggle to remember stuff like that. Anyways, I might be able to give you a tour of the college. That way, you'd know this place better than I ever could. I don't even know this teacher's name."

The teacher looked at Yuuichi and said, "You need to sit down, Mr. Tate."

Yuuichi replied, "But I was sharpening my pencil."

The teacher folded his arms and responded, "Take a closer look at it." Yuuichi looked down and saw that he had accidentally destroyed the pencil, because of how long he had the pencil in the pencil sharpener for. He nervously laughed and walked back to his desk.

A few classes later, it was lunchtime. Natsuki spent a few minutes trying to find the cafeteria. After finding it, she went to an empty table and sat down. Her parents had packed her a lunch, so she opened up her lunchbox and started eating it. She purposely sat at the empty table, because she was worried about fitting in. She thought it would be better to avoid people, so she wouldn't have to worry about not fitting in and getting rejected.

Yuuichi went into the cafeteria. He saw that Natsuki was sitting by herself. He was excited about that, because he thought this would be a great time to talk to her. He considered sitting close to her, but he was worried about making her feel uncomfortable, so he sat on the other end of the table. He took a close at Natsuki. She was looking at her cellphone, while eating her lunch. Yuuichi was hoping he could strike-up a nice conversation. He said, "Cellphones are pretty cool, aren't they?"

Natsuki answered, "I guess so."

Yuuichi replied, "I accidentally threw my phone away, a few weeks ago. I was trying to throw my can of soda away, which I did. However, my cellphone was in the can, so I accidentally threw it in the garbage can." Yuuichi thought about what he was saying and he ashamed of himself. He was hanging out with the prettiest girl in the college and his attempt to impress her, was talking about the garbage can. He facepalmed, while walking to a different table.

Reito noticed that Natsuki was eating by herself, so he said, "Hi, Ms. Kuga. You look quite nice. In order to make things even nicer, how about joining me and my friends for lunch?"

Natsuki answered, "No, thank you."

Reito walked back to his table. He looked at Shizuru and said, "I tried to invite the new girl here, but she rejected my offer."

Shizuru nudged Reito and said, "You probably worded yourself poorly, didn't you?"

Reito smiled and replied, "No way. I have a very eloquent way of speaking."

Shizuru said, "I'll talk to her and have lunch with her."

Reito replied, "No offense, but I don't think it's going to work."

Shizuru asked, "Why not?"

Reito answered, "Natsuki seems very distant and seems like somebody that doesn't want friends."

Shizuru replied, "Yeah right, Reito. Everybody wants friends."

Reito said, "Not Haruka." He looked at Haruka and asked, "Do you want friends?"

Haruka frowned and said, "Friendship sucks."

Reito had a smug smile on his face, while saying, "I was right and you were wrong."

Shizuru looked amused, while saying, "You may be clever, but you're wrong about Natsuki not wanting friends."

Shizuru walked to Natsuki's table and sat table. Natsuki was paying so little attention, to the things going on around her, that she didn't even notice Shizuru was there. There was a strong amount of silence, for a few awkward minutes, before Shizuru made her presence known. She gently said, "Hi Natsuki."

Natsuki briefly felt a feeling of fear, because she didn't know anybody was there. After realizing it was Shizuru, she started calming down. In fact, she was glad to see Shizuru again. So far, she was the only classmate that Natsuki felt comfortable around. Natsuki said, "Hi Shizuru. I'm sorry for not realizing you were there."

Shizuru calmly replied, "It's alright. How are you doing?"

Natsuki casually answered, "I'm okay."

Shizuru asked, "Have you been enjoying the school?"

Natsuki answered, "Well, I've only been here for a few hours. Because of that, it's hard to have a definitive answer on the subject."

Shizuru was amused, by Natsuki's overly-fancy way of speaking. She said, "You have quite the eloquent vocabulary, don't you? I find it very charming. You seem like a very charming person, in general."

Natsuki replied, "I don't know why you would say such a peculiar thing, but it's a compelling compliment. You have a prim and proper way of addressing me and I'm in great appreciation, over the significance of your compliments." After finishing speaking, Natsuki thought about what she just said and was surprised by how she was speaking. She was used to speaking in such a casual way, but around Shizuru, she was using more complex words than usual. Natsuki wondered why she was doing that? Was she trying to impress Shizuru, without realizing it?

Shizuru said, "So, how old are you?"

Natsuki answered, "I recently turned twenty."

Shizuru smiled and said, "I turned twenty, less than a month ago." She started sitting closer to Natsuki, while saying, "We were born so close to each other. Perhaps it was destiny."

Natsuki had a confused look on her face, while asking, "Destiny?"

Shizuru answered, "We were born so close to each other, because we were destined to cross-paths and meet up with each other."

Natsuki felt weirded-out, while saying, "I don't think that's the case."

Shizuru nervously laughed and replied, "You'll have to forgive me. I have a habit of saying absurd things. I'm probably making you want to be less social, aren't I?"

Natsuki said, "I wouldn't say that. You are the first person here, that I've had a real conversation with. I don't know why, but I don't feel uncomfortable or weird when I'm around you."

Shizuru replied, "Maybe it's because I'm so weird, that you get to feel like the normal one."

Natsuki shook her head and said, "I don't think you're weird. If anything, I think you're charming."

Shizuru felt incredibly flattered, while asking, "Really?" Natsuki nodded. Shizuru said, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Natsuki replied, "That's what friends are for."

Shizuru said, "Aww, you called me your friend."

Natsuki replied, "Well, you already said we were."

Shizuru responded, "True, but you seemed quick to reject any other friends."

Natsuki felt a bit of guilt, while saying, "Yeah, I probably should of been more friendly."

Shizuru put her arm around Natsuki and replied, "It's okay. You'll have plenty of chances, to charm the others and make new friends. I see lots of potential in you."

Natsuki responded, "Thank you."

Shizuru asked, "Where do you live?"

Natsuki answered, "About ten miles from here. What about you?"

Shizuru said, "I live at one of the dorms. My roommate is very chill, so if you ever wanted to have a sleepover, we could have one."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow and asked, "A sleepover? We just met. You're really rushing our friendship, aren't you?"

Shizuru grinned and answered, "I'm known for rushing into things. I often try to make fast-friends, which leads to people trying to avoid you."

Natsuki said, "Wow, we really are opposites, aren't we? I try to avoid people, in fear of getting rejected and you try to make friendships with you, which leads to people avoiding you."

Shizuru replied, "That's fair. However, I believe that's why we were destined to meet."

Natsuki looked confused, while asking, "What do you mean?"

Shizuru answered, "Think about it. You're a shy girl, who needs friends and I'm an overly-friendly girl, who wants more friends. I believe the universe wants us to be near each other."

Natsuki said, "I don't mind being near you."

Shizuru smiled and replied, "I'm glad to hear that."

After lunch was over, Shizuru walked back to Reito. Reito was surprised that Shizuru was able to have lunch with Natsuki, without Natsuki ever asking her to leave. He asked, "What's up with Natsuki?"

Shizuru answered, "She and I already good friends and I couldn't be happier about that."

An hour later, Natsuki was in study-hall. Yuuichi was in the same class, so he was hoping he'd get to spend time with her. He figured he should rush through his homework, so he'd have plenty of time for Natsuki. He quickly wrote down answers, on his math assignment. Several of his answers were wrong and didn't make sense, but he didn't care much about that.

After finishing his assignment, Yuuichi walked up to Natsuki and sat at the desk, that was next to hers. He saw that she was working on the math assignment, so he asked, "Do you want some help with that?"

Natsuki said, "I'm almost done, but there's one problem I don't know how to solve."

Yuuichi tried to look like he knew what he was talking about, while saying, "I already finished my assignment, so if you have any questions, you can ask me about them." Yuuichi was hoping that Natsuki wouldn't ask for math-related advice, but his dream didn't come true.

Natsuki showed an overly-complicated math problem to him and said, "I wasn't sure what the answer was, so I guessed."

Yuuichi replied, "The answer's probably between eight-hundred and nine-hundred-thousand."

Natsuki said, "My guess was seven-thousand."

Yuuichi felt about embarrassed about his ridiculously inaccurate answer, while saying, "That seems like a solid guess."

Natsuki lightly smiled and replied, "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you don't know much about math, do you know?"

Yuuichi responded, "Not really. To be honest, I'm barely passing the class."

Natsuki asked, "Really?"

Yuuichi answered, "Last year, I got sixty-two percent, so I barely passed. This quarter, my current grade is forty-eight percent, so I'm not doing so great. If I don't figure something out, I might fail the class."

Natsuki replied, "I can help you with that. I've never been an expert at math, but a few bits of tutoring might help you."

Yuuichi smiled and responded, "That sounds great." He was excited about getting to spend more time with Natsuki. He asked, "Are you free today, after-school?"

Natsuki answered, "I'm sorry, but my parents are picking me up. However, I can have them pick me up later, sometime in the future."

Yuuichi smiled and replied, "That sounds great." After class was over, Yuuichi went into the hallway and did a victory dance.

After school was over, Natsuki was about to leave, but Shizuru ran up to her and asked, "Were you going to leave, without saying goodbye to me?"

Natsuki answered, "I'm sorry. It wasn't something I thought of."

Shizuru asked, "How was your first day, at this college?"

Natsuki said, "Better than my first days, at other colleges?"

Shizuru smiled and asked, "Was there anything specific, that made this first day better than the others?"

Natsuki answered, "This day was better, mostly because of you." Shizuru felt her heart warming-up. Natsuki said, "Getting to meet you was a real treat."

Shizuru hugged Natsuki and replied, "I'm so glad to hear that. I'm excited, to see you tomorrow and spend more time with you."

Natsuki smiled and responded, "That does sound nice." She waved goodbye, went outside, and went into her parents' car.

Natsuki's mom asked, "How was your first day?"

Natsuki said, "Better than I thought it would ever be."

The mom asked, "Why is that?"

Natsuki smiled and said, "Because of a special friend."

The dad said, "That's nice and all, but did your friend pressure you into buying any expensive stuff?" Natsuki was usually annoyed when her dad obsessed over money, but this time, she was in too good of a mood.

The next morning, Natsuki got another lift from her parents. She walked into the school, while feeling somewhat excited about getting to see Shizuru again. She walked to her locker and started grabbing her textbooks.

Shizuru walked up to her and gently tapped her shoulder. Natsuki turned and was glad to see Shizuru. She gave her a hug, which pleasant surprised Shizuru. Even Natsuki was surprised she did that. She wasn't used to hugging people, other than members of her family. Natsuki said, "I'm sorry. Was that an awkward way of greeting you?"

Shizuru smiled and replied, "Not all. It was a wonderful surprise. I have something for you." She handed Natsuki a bouquet of flowers.

Natsuki was honored, but she felt like she didn't deserve it. She said, "It's a very sweet gift, but you shouldn't give it to me. You should give it to a friend, who you know better and is nicer to people." She had her head down.

Shizuru lifted Natsuki's chin and said, "Right now, there's nobody I'd rather give flowers to. Please accept them."

Natsuki replied, "Okay." She sniffed the flowers and took a closer look at them. She said, "They smell lovely and look colorful. Thank you."

Shizuru replied, "You're welcome." Shizuru looked at her friend and noticed she wearing more make-up, than she did yesterday. She asked, "Did you put on extra-makeup, this morning."

Natsuki shyly answered, "I guess so." The truth was that Natsuki put on more makeup, so she'd look more presentable, when she was around Shizuru. However, she thought it was an embarrassing thing to admit, so she didn't tell Shizuru the reason. Natsuki said, "We better be getting to class."

Shizuru had a disappointed look on her face, while saying, "I wanted to spend more time with you. Well, we'll chat during lunch."

Natsuki thought of something, so she said, "I'll be late for lunch, but I will be there."

Shizuru asked, "What do you have to do?"

Natsuki answered, "Something important."

When lunchtime came, Shizuru went into the cafeteria and sat by Reito, while waiting for Natsuki to come. Shizuru looked concerned, while saying, "I wonder why Natsuki said she'll be late. Is she trying to avoid me?"

Reito replied, "Considering how long you two chatted for, that doesn't seem likely."

Shizuru sighed and responded, "Maybe I scared her away. I always rush through things. I'm starting to run out of friends."

A few minutes later, Natsuki walked in, while holding something behind her back. She gently tapped Shizuru's shoulder and asked, "Do you want to have lunch with me?"

Shizuru looked extremely happy, while saying, "I sure do."

Natsuki and Shizuru sat down at the empty table. Natsuki said, "I think it's time I explain my lateness. Before I got here, I ran to a nearby shop and got something for you." Natsuki handed Shizuru a bouquet of pink flowers. Natsuki said, "When you got a bouquet for me, I felt I owed you a favor."

Shizuru replied, "This is a wonderful surprise. Thank you."

Natsuki responded, "You're welcome."

Shizuru stood-up and asked, "May I sit closer to you?"

Natsuki answered, "Of course." Shizuru smiled and sat close to Natsuki. While eating their lunches, Natsuki and Shizuru's hands accidentally touched each other. Shizuru took advantage of this moment, by affectionately holding Natsuki's hand. She was worried Natsuki would mind, but she didn't. They held hands, for the rest of lunch.

After lunch was over, Shizuru said, "Thank you for the wonderful flowers."

Natsuki shyly replied, "Thank you for holding my hand."

Shizuru said, "We should hold hands again, tomorrow." Natsuki nodded and the two friends started heading to their next class. Both of them were blushing.

An hour later, Natsuki went to study hall. She sat down and started working on her homework. A part of her was still thinking about Shizuru. She wasn't used to having friends, so she was surprised about how quickly she was bonding with her. She still felt embarrassed about holding hands with Shizuru, but deep down, she knew she enjoyed it. She tried to not think about it, so she could get to work. She was working hard on her latest math assignment. Things were mostly quiet, around the classroom. A few students chatted with each other, instead of doing their work, but for the most part, things were nice and quiet.

A few minutes later, Yuuichi arrived. He was late for class, which was something he had done before. The teacher gave him a disapproving look. Yuuichi nervously smiled and said, "I'm sorry about being late. I accidentally took a nap, while in the restroom." The teacher rolled his eyes. Yuuichi could sense the awkwardness he was causing, so he said, "I better just sit down." The teacher nodded. Yuuichi accidentally tripped over a textbook and fell to the ground. He bumped into an empty desk, which landed on the floor. He tried to get the desk up, but he tripped over another textbook and crashed into a bookcase. Yuuichi fell to the ground and dozens of books landed on him. The teacher facepalmed.

Natsuki saw what happened, so she ran up to Yuuichi and started getting books off of him. She carefully put the books away and helped Yuuichi get up. She had a concerned look on her face, while asking, "Are you okay?"

Yuuichi answered, "Yeah, I'm sorry for causing a bit of trouble. I'm not known for being careful."

Natsuki replied, "No offense, but that's something you need to work on. If you keep acting like this, you'll probably cause a lot of property damage."

Yuuichi responded, "I've already done that and you're right. I really need to work on my carefulness." Yuuichi was very thankful, for how Natsuki treated him. When he messed up, people usually screamed at him and punched him in the stomach. However, Natsuki didn't do that. Instead of giving him a hard time, Natsuki tried to give him helpful advice.

Natsuki asked, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Yuuichi casually answered, "I'm going to be okay." He paused and said, "By the way, will we be able to study, after school?"

Natsuki said, "Yeah, I told my parents to pick me up an hour later, so I'd have time to tutor you." Yuuichi was so excited, that he was tempted into doing another victory dance. However, he knew that'd probably lead to more slapstick and he didn't want to anger Natsuki, so he skipped the dance and sat down.

After school was over, Natsuki went to her locker and started packing-up her stuff. Yuuichi ran up to her and asked, "Do you want to study in the library?"

Natsuki answered, "Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes." Yuuichi felt excited, while dancing to the library.

Shizuru looked around the hallways, for Natsuki. After finding her, she gently hugged her, and asked, "Are you leaving?"

Natsuki answered, "Actually, not yet. I'm helping a friend study, so I'll be here another hour."

Shizuru was glad that Natsuki wasn't about to leave. She smiled and said, "That means we have more time together."

Natsuki replied, "I'm afraid not. I need to focus on the studying. I hope you understand."

Shizuru responded, "Very well then. Who are you studying with?"

Natsuki said, "Yuuichi Tate."

Shizuru was surprised to hear that, because most students rejected Yuuichi and cringed at the thought of spending time with him. Deep down, Shizuru felt sorry for Yuuichi and thought it was sweet of Natsuki, to give him a fair chance. Shizuru said, "I hope you have fun studying."

Natsuki replied, "Well, studying's not exactly a playground of fun, but I'll try to have a nice time. By the way, do you know where the library is?"

Shizuru answered, "I can lead you there." She stuck her hand out and said, "Hold my hand."

Natsuki asked, "You want us to hold hands, so we don't get lost?"

Shizuru smiled and said, "Just because I like holding hands with you."

Natsuki felt very shy, but she replied, "Okay then." She and Shizuru held hands, while Shizuru led Natsuki to the library.

After they arrived at the library, Shizuru said, "I'm going to be in the Student Council room, but you better say goodbye to me, before you leave the school."

Natsuki replied, "Okay, I'll see you in a hour." She stopped holding Shizuru's hand and went into the library.

After Natsuki walked around the library, she saw that Yuuichi was laying on the floor, which covered in dozens of books. She nervously asked, "What's going on?"

Yuuichi started pushing books off of him, while saying, "Some students left a banana peel in here and I actually fell over-it and crashed into some books. It's a classic joke, but it was a rough experience."

Natsuki helped Yuuichi get up and said, "I'm sorry that happened, but I warned you about being careful."

Yuuichi felt guilty, while saying, "I'm sorry about that." He and Natsuki started putting the books away.

A few minutes later, Natsuki and Yuuichi sat down. Natsuki looked at him and asked, "So, you're problems with math?"

Yuuichi tried to resist looking amused, while answering, "I'm having problems with various different classes. I'm doing really good at P.E., okay at science, and I'm struggling with the others."

Natsuki tried to make Yuuichi feel better, by saying, "Don't worry, Yuuichi. I think you have potential. You need to believe in yourself and try harder. If you do that, I think you can improve."

Yuuichi felt comfort from Natsuki's supportive words. He said, "I used to not have much of a reason, for wanting to put effort into my work. However, after I met you, I felt the sudden urge to try harder."

Natsuki asked, "Really?" Yuuichi nodded. Natsuki asked, "Why is that?"

Yuuichi wasn't sure if this was the right time to admit his feelings for Natsuki, but he got caught up in the moment. He said, "I like you, so I want to impress you."

Natsuki smiled and replied, "Thank you. I like you too."

Yuuichi had a passionately-excited look on his face, while asking, "Really?"

Natsuki calmly answered, "Yeah, you're a nice friend."

Yuuichi felt a ton of disappointment, from being called a friend. He was worried about ending up in the friend-zone, rather than becoming Natsuki's boyfriend. However, Yuuichi quickly got over his disappointment, because Natsuki did care about him. She didn't have romantic feelings for him, but she did want to help him and be there for him, which Yuuichi appreciated. He figured he's just be Natsuki's friend, for a while, before trying to win her heart.

Natsuki asked, "How much, of today's math assignment, did you get done?"

Yuuichi looked at his paper and said, "I got the first five answers done."

Considering that the assignment had thirty-five problems, Natsuki thought she better hurry and help Yuuichi. She and Yuuichi had less than an hour left, so they'd only have two minutes per problem, maybe even less. Although Natsuki wasn't the best at math, she did know what she was talking about. She gave Yuuichi plenty of tips and pieces of advice. Yuuichi barely paid attention to his previous tutors, but Natsuki's support and charm motivated him to listen to her advice.

At the end of the hour, Natsuki looked down at Yuuichi's paper and saw that he still had ten problems left. She felt a little guilty, while saying, "I'm sorry you didn't get to finish."

Yuuichi replied, "It's cool. I'll finish the rest, when I get home. I usually either don't finish my assignments or get most of the answers wrong, so this a lot better than usual, by my standards."

Natsuki stood up and responded, "Keep trying harder and harder. If you do that, I think you'll start getting good grades."

Yuuichi smiled and replied, "Thank you, Natsuki. That means a lot to me."

Natsuki said, "I need to get going."

Yuuichi replied, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Yuuichi considered giving Natsuki a hug, but he didn't want to push his limits. He stood around, while waiting to see what Natsuki would do to him. She stuck her hand out, to offer a handshake. Yuuichi was a little disappointed, but he shook hands with Natsuki. The two of them grabbed their things and started walking out of the library.

Natsuki walked to the Student Council room and stepped inside. She saw that Haruka was working hard, Shizuru was working a little bit, and Reito was slacking-off, while having a smug smile on his face. Natsuki walked closer to Shizuru and said, "I'm going to get going."

Shizuru replied, "Okay, I'll walk you out."

Haruka didn't bother saying goodbye to Natsuki, because she didn't care. However, Reito cared, so he looked at Natsuki. He tried to look and sound cool, while saying, "Have a good one."

Natsuki replied, "You too."

Natsuki and Shizuru started walking out of the Student Council, while holding each other's hands. They tried to avoid bumping into the dozens of students, who were roaming around the hallways, but the two friends were distracted by each other. They felt a special type of comfort around each other. The type of feeling that no matter how hard things got in life, they'd be happy, because they were by each other's side. Shizuru asked, "How was your second day, at this college?"

Natsuki said, "Pretty good. In fact, I think it was better than my first day."

Shizuru replied, "I'm really glad to hear that. Is there anything special, that made this day better?"

Natsuki said, "Well, helping Yuuichi was nice. However, the real highlight of this day was getting to know you better."

Shizuru replied, "Aww, you're precious."

Natsuki said, "I'm honored to be friends with you."

Shizuru asked, "Honored? Your compliments are too much, but I love hearing them."

Natsuki looked at her and asked, "How was your day?"

Shizuru smiled and said, "Very good, thanks to a darling friend of mine, that friend being you." Natsuki smiled back.

A moment later, Shizuru finished walking Natsuki out of the school. Natsuki let go of Shizuru's hand and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Shizuru replied, "I'm already excited about getting to see you again."

Natsuki responded, "Me too." Shizuru stuck her arms out, in order to offer Natsuki a hug. Natsuki accepted the offer and the two of them hugged, for a very long moment. The two of them felt their hearts warming up, in the best possible way. Natsuki was planning on the hug only lasting ten-seconds, but it ended up being over a minute. Natsuki felt safe and happy, when Shizuru's arms were around her own. It was a special feeling, that she didn't know why she liked it so much, but her heart appreciated it.

After the hug was over, Natsuki said, "I better get going."

Shizuru gently tapped Natsuki's shoulder and replied, "Please wait." Natsuki turned around, while Shizuru asked, "Can I have your cellphone number? It'd be nice if we got to call and text each-other, don't you think?"

Natsuki nodded and asked, "Do you have anything, for me to write my number on?" Shizuru opened her purse and found a container of sticky-notes. Natsuki and Shizuru wrote down their phone numbers and traded sticky-notes.

Shizuru smiled and said, "I'll call you."

Natsuki smiled back and replied, "I look forward to that. I hope you have a wonderful evening."

Shizuru responded, "You too."

Natsuki walked to her parents' car and went inside. Natsuki's mom noticed that Natsuki looked a lot happier than usual, so she said, "I'm getting a feeling, that this new college is working out."

Natsuki replied, "I think it is."

The mom asked, "So, did you have a good day?"

Natsuki answered, "Yeah, it was pretty good."

Natsuki's dad was still at work, so the mom gave him a call, while still parked in the parking lot. The dad grabbed his phone and said, "Yo, what's up?"

The mom replied, "Natsuki had a nice day. I think things are going really well for her, at her new college."

The dad said, "That's great and all, but there's an important I need to discuss with her."

The mom raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure it's an important matter?"

The dad confidently said, "Indeed I am. It's one of the most important matters, that this family has ever dealt with."

The mom handed the phone to Natsuki. Natsuki said, "Hi Dad. What's going on?"

The dad talked in an overdramatic voice, while saying, "Natsuki, did you waste any money today?"

Natsuki sighed and asked, "That's the important matter, that you wanted to talk about?"

The dad said, "Hey, money is one of the most essential matters. It's something we've all got to have."

Natsuki replied, "Maybe so, but there are more important things." One of those things was happiness and thanks to Shizuru, Natsuki got a lot of it.

A few hours later, Natsuki was at home and was relaxing on her bed. Her cellphone rang. Shizuru was calling her, for the first time. Natsuki answered the phone and the two of them chatted for almost an hour. They talked about their past and various bits of info. When the call was reaching its' end, Natsuki said, "I can't believe how easy it is, to talk to you. I'm usually awkward and uncomfortable around others, but when I'm with you, everything feels right."

Shizuru replied, "Indeed it does." She paused, before saying, "You hold a special place in my heart."

Natsuki blushed and replied, "And you hold one in mine. I better get going. I hope you have a wonderful night."

Shizuru responded, "I wish the same for you." Shizuru considered telling Natsuki she loves her. In order to not make things awkward, she tried to say it in a casual way. She said, "Love ya."

Natsuki casually responded back, "Love ya too." They got off the phone. They were confused about what type of feelings they had for each other, but they knew they loved each other.

Natsuki had a cold. In the past, Natsuki considered colds to be a guilty pleasure, because it meant that she didn't have to go to school. However, she wanted to go to school, because she wanted to see Shizuru. Even though she wasn't feeling well, Natsuki hoped she could could go to school, this time. She climbed out of bed and started changing into her day-clothes, while coughing.

Several minutes later, Natsuki went into the living room. She used a handkerchief, for her coughing and running nose. She tried to look as well as she could, but she clearly wasn't feeling well. She went into the kitchen and started eating her cereal. She accidentally coughed on a piece of her toast.

Natsuki's dad saw that, so he threw his newspaper into the blender, and said, "I'm expecting you to eat that toast. After all, it cost money."

Natsuki replied, "But I coughed on it. I don't mean to be a clean-freak, but I don't want to eat food, that's been coughed on."

The dad responded, "But you're the one who coughed on it, so it's no big deal."

Natsuki said, "I'm not very hungry."

The dad replied, "Then I'll eat that toast."

The mom walked by. She took the toast away from her husband and sternly said, "We don't eat coughed-on food."

The dad replied, "But that bread cost money. It seems like I'm the only member of the family, who values the saving of money."

The mom calmly said, "The bread only cost two dollars. It's not a big deal." She looked at the blender and asked, "Why is your newspaper in there?"

The dad answered, "Because I was done reading it."

The mom asked, "Are you kidding me?"

The dad stood-up and said, "Hey, I'm a very serious person."

Natsuki tried to hold in a cough, while asking, "Then how come you put on a clown suit and danced around the street, last month?"

The dad straightened his tie, while answering, "The clown suit was on sale, so I had to take advantage of the good price." The dad grabbed the ads and started reading them.

Natsuki replied, "No offense, but that doesn't make sense." Natsuki coughed a few times, in a row. She accidentally dropped her handkerchief, which revealed her runny nose.

The dad put threw the ads into the toaster and asked, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki tried to look and sound healthier than she actually was, while answering, "Yeah, I feel okay."

The mom took a closer look at her daughter and could tell that she wasn't okay. She said, "Natsuki's sick."

The dad replied, "Gross."

The mom said, "I think she has a cold."

Natsuki couldn't stand the thought of lying to her parents and she didn't know how to make herself look healthy, so she sighed and said, "I am sick."

The dad replied, "Disgusting."

Natsuki responded, "But it's just a cold. It's nothing to worry about. I think I can still go to school."

The mom shook her head and said, "I'm afraid not. You have to stay here and get better."

Natsuki tried to think of an excuse, to convince her mom, to let her go to school. After a brief moment of thinking about the situation, a thought popped into her head. She said, "This is only my third day at the college. If I miss this day, I'll get lost."

The mom tried to make Natsuki feel better, by saying, "Don't worry about that. I'll pick-up today's classwork, during my lunch break, so you don't have to worry about catch-up work."

Natsuki sighed and replied, "Okay then." She coughed.

The dad responded, "Ew."

The mom looked at Natsuki and said, "Please go back into your bedroom and get your pajamas back on. You need to rest and relax. Everything's going to be okay."

Natsuki replied, "Okay."

The mom hugged Natsuki and said, "I hope you feel better, as soon as possible."

The dad looked at Natsuki. He got a little more sentimental and less-obsessed with money, when one of his family members got sick. He said, "Listen, if you want to buy something at the dollar store, that's across the street, you have my permission."

Natsuki sarcastically replied, "Thank you, for that amazing offer."

The dad smiled and responded, "You're welcome." He paused and said, "You know what? During the past few days, you've been doing really good. Because of that, you can get two things at the dollar store. Next month, I might let you get a third thing." He hugged Natsuki and walked out. Natsuki's parents started heading to work.

Natsuki went into her bedroom. She removed her day clothes and changed into her pajamas. She laid on her bed. Not having to do classwork, for the morning, was a reliving feeling. However, Natsuki was disappointed about missing a day with Shizuru. If she had spent months or years with Shizuru, it wouldn't be as big of a deal. However, Natsuki had only spent two days with her, so she was dying to hangout with her more. Shizuru had quickly become Natsuki's best friend and she held a special place in Natsuki's heart.

After a few minutes of laying heart, Natsuki looked at her clock. It was getting close to eight a.m. Natsuki grabbed her cellphone and started writing a text to Shizuru, so she could explain her absence.

Shizuru arrived at the college. Before she walked inside, she looked at her cellphone and saw Natsuki's text. She was sad about Natsuki being sick and she sent Natsuki a text back.

Natsuki saw Shizuru's text and noticed how concerned her friend seemed to be. She sent another text, which let Shizuru know her sickness was just a cough and a runny nose. She assured Shizuru, that she was going to be okay, which Shizuru was relieved about.

After Natsuki finished texting Shizuru, she went into her bed and put the covers over her. She started taking a nap. For the next few hours, Natsuki didn't do anything, other than sleeping.

A few hours later, Natsuki opened her eyes. She looked at her clock and saw that it was eleven-thirty. She climbed out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. Although she wasn't feeling completely healthy, the nap helped her. She had a few coughs, but not as much as she did earlier. Her nose was still running, which was annoying for her, but it wasn't a huge problem. In order to feel cleaner, Natsuki went into the bathroom and started taking a shower. As she was finishing her shower, she heard the house's front-door opening up.

The mom walked into the house, carrying a bunch of papers, a couple of textbooks, and a fast-food bag. She said, "Natsuki, it's me. I picked-up today's classwork and got you lunch."

Natsuki replied, "I'm in the shower."

The mom stood outside the bathroom door, while saying, "Okay, I'll leave your stuff on the table. Don't worry about having to do all of your homework. Just do as much, as you feel you can. How are you feeling?"

Natsuki replied, "Better. Not all the way healthy, but the nap helped improve things. In fact, I think I'll be able to go to school tomorrow."

The mom responded, "That's great to hear. I need to get back to work, but I'll be home later and take care of you. I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too." Natsuki got out of the shower, slipped on a bathrobe, and went to the living room. She looked at her schoolwork, while eating her lunch.

A few minutes later, Natsuki's cellphone started ringing. Shizuru was calling her. Natsuki smiled and answered the phone. She said, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru spoke in a concerned-sounding tone, while asking, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki tried to make her feel better, while saying, "You have nothing to worry about. Like I said before, it's just a little cold. In fact, I'm already feeling better and I'm going to start working on today's classwork, so I don't get left behind."

Shizuru replied, "That's great to her. I plan on coming to your house, after school, and checking on you."

Natsuki responded, "I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Shizuru had a confused look on her face, while asking, "Why not?"

Natsuki answered, "One of the main reasons, for not going to school while I'm sick, is to avoid getting my fellow classmates sick. If I get my favorite classmate sick, which is you, I'd feel terrible. Besides, you've never been to my house before. I don't want your first visit, to be while I'm sick. I want it to be something more special."

Shizuru replied, "Aww, you really do care about me."

Natsuki said, "Of course I do and I'm assuming you really care about me."

Shizuru replied, "Even when you're sick, you still guess the truest of things." She sighed and said, "I wish I could visit you and brighten up your day, but I'm going to respect your wishes."

Natsuki responded, "Thank you and just getting to talk to you brightened up my day."

Shizuru smiled and said, "Aww, I feel the same way. I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too."

A few hours later, Natsuki's mom got home. She walked inside and started heading to Natsuki's bedroom. By then, Natsuki had changed into a blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The mom walked up to her and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Natsuki calmly answered, "I'm not feeling too bad. In fact, I'm feeling better."

The mom smiled and said, "That's wonderful news. Were you able to eat your lunch?"

Natsuki replied, "Yes, it was good. I accidentally coughed on a few fries. I threw them away, even though Dad would want me to eat them."

The mom responded, "Good call. Your dad's a great and brilliant person, but he thinks that wasting five-cents is worse than missing five days of school."

By the time, Natsuki's dad got home, Natsuki and her mom were in the kitchen and were having dinner. The dad danced to the table and asked, "What are you guys eating?"

Natsuki answered, "Chicken."

The dad had a disappointed look on his face, while saying, "You were supposed to eat the leftover pizza, from yesterday."

The mom said, "We don't always have to eat every leftover."

The dad replied, "I strongly disagree with that. That darn pizza cost twenty-dollars, so I'm expecting every slice to be gobbled up. In fact, I'm going to go eat all of the leftover slices."

The mom sounded concerned, while saying, "If you do that, you might get a stomach-ache."

The dad replied, "That would be better than wasting money."

After the dad ate a bunch of pizza, he looked at Natsuki and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Natsuki answered, "Better than before. I think I'm getting closer, to being healthy. I'll probably be able to go to school, tomorrow."

The dad replied, "That's great and all, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to work."

Natsuki asked, "Why not?"

The dad said, "The pizza gave me a stomach-ache." Natsuki and her mom facepalmed.

The next morning, Natsuki got out of bed and checked her appearance in the mirror. She didn't look sick, at all. She wasn't coughing and her nose stopped running, for the most part. She started changing into her day-clothes.

A few minutes later, Natsuki went into the kitchen and faced her parents. She calmly said, "I'm feeling better and I'm thinking I can go to school."

The mom asked, "Are you sure? If you wanted to take another day off, just to be sure, I wouldn't mind."

Natsuki shook her head and replied, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm perfectly fine."

The mom responded, "Okay then. I'll take you to school. Your dad's going to stay home and recover, from eating so much pizza." She looked around and saw that the dad was eating chicken. She said, "You're not supposed to be eating that stuff. Are you trying to get sicker?"

The dad replied, "I have to eat last night's leftovers, before it goes bad. I have a policy: If a food is purchased, it must be eaten. Nothing can be wasted." Natsuki and her mom rolled their eyes.

Twenty-minutes later, Natsuki's mom gave her a ride to the college. After saying her goodbyes, Natsuki was going to walk into the school. However, she saw that Shizuru was standing outside. It seemed like she had been waiting for Natsuki. Natsuki walked up to her and said, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru replied, "Hi Natsuki. How are you feeling?"

Natsuki calmly responded, "No need to worry. My cold went away. I feel healthy."

Shizuru asked, "Was yesterday a rough day?"

Natsuki answered, "It kind of was. However, the hardest part wasn't the illness. Missing a day with you, is what brought me down. After we had such a nice time, the day before, I was excited to see you again. That's why yesterday was a disappointment."

Shizuru was honored that Natsuki missed her. She said, "I missed you, as much as you missed me."

Natsuki smiled and replied, "I'm glad I got better, so quickly, because I get to spend more time with you." She and Shizuru started holding hands with each other, while blushing at each other.

One of the bells rang. Natsuki, Shizuru, and the other students only had five-minutes, before class started. Natsuki said, "We better get to class. Do you want a goodbye hug?"

Shizuru shook her head and replied, "I want something greater." She started reaching-in, for a kiss. She kissed Natsuki, on the lips. Natsuki was surprised, but after a brief moment of confusion, everything felt right. Natsuki thought she and Shizuru loved each other, as best friends, but in that moment, she felt their love was stronger than friendship.

Natsuki walked into the school, while hardly believing what had happened. Shizuru had kissed her! As surprising and awkward as it felt, Natsuki had enjoyed it. Natsuki had never been kissed by someone, that she wasn't related to. She avoided eye-contact with Shizuru while heading to her next class. It wasn't because she was mad. It was because she still felt embarrassed and awkward, because of the kiss.

A while later, Natsuki was in math class, with Yuuichi. Yuuichi didn't see Natsuki the previous day, because she was sick. He missed her a lot and was relieved she returned to school. During the class, Yuuichi sat in the desk that was next to Natsuki's desk. He looked at her and said, "Hi."

Natsuki replied, "Hi Yuuichi. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tutor you, yesterday."

Yuuichi responded, "No big deal. I actually finished yesterday's assignment."

Natsuki said, "I'm glad to hear that. How did you do that?"

Yuuichi replied, "I haven't gotten the assignment back yet." He had a proud look on his face, while saying, "I don't want to seem like a bragger or anything, but I think I did pretty good. I've been feeling great vibes."

Natsuki patted Yuuichi's shoulder and responded, "I'm glad to hear that."

The teacher walked up to Yuuichi. He had finished grading Yuuichi's assignment, so he gave it back to him. Yuuichi asked, "How did I do?"

The teacher answered, "You got a D."

Yuuichi chuckled and said, "It seems like I didn't do as good, as I thought I had."

Natsuki was concerned about Yuuichi's spirit being broken. She had a concerned look on her face, while saying, "I know your grades aren't the best, but if you keep putting effort into studying, I'm sure your grades will keep improving."

Yuuichi grinned and said, "My grades are already improving."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"

Yuuichi said, "Yeah, I'm used to failing my assignments, so this is an upgrade. Your lessons and tutoring are helping me." He hugged her. The teacher didn't allow hugging, but he was busy, so he didn't notice Natsuki and Yuuichi's hug.

Being hugged by Yuuichi felt different for Natsuki, than being by Shizuru. Shizuru's hugs had a comforting, heartwarming, if somewhat awkward, type of feeling. Yuuichi's hug felt nice, but casual, which Natsuki was okay with. In her heart, she knew Yuuichi was a friend and someone she cared about, but not in a romantic way. She just hoped Yuuichi felt the same way.

A few hours later, it was lunchtime. Natsuki sat at one of the tables and looked at her cellphone. She still felt awkward, so she hoped Shizuru wouldn't visit her, until she had her feelings sorted-out.

Reito saw that Shizuru was sitting by him and his other friends. He looked a bit confused, while asking, "How come you're not sitting with Natsuki? Hasn't she become one of your closest friends?"

Shizuru nervously smiled and said, "You have no idea."

Reito could tell something was up, but he didn't know what it was. He asked, "What's going on?"

Shizuru answered, "Natsuki and I had a bit of an awkward morning."

Reito knew Shizuru well, so he said, "I'm guessing you're the one, who made things awkward."

Shizuru replied, "More or less."

Reito said, "Well, why don't you go and talk to her about it?"

Shizuru replied, "I would, but even I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable."

Reito looked surprised, while asking, "Really? You're like the least-shy person I know. If you have a feeling, you usually scream it in my ear."

Shizuru said, "You know what? I am going to talk to her." She got up and walked to Natsuki's table. She sat by Natsuki, with a friendly smile on her face, while saying, "Hi Natsuki."

Natsuki put her phone down and shyly replied, "Hi Shizuru."

Shizuru said, "It's good to see you."

Natsuki replied, "I feel the same." She took a pause, before asking, "What's up?"

Shizuru said, "I think you know what's going on. I'm assuming you remember the way I said goodbye to you, this morning."

Natsuki replied, "Yes, you kissed me."

Shizuru blushed and responded, "I sure did." She took a long pause, before saying, "I'm hoping you're not mad at me."

Although Natsuki had a lot of confused emotions in her head, she knew she wasn't mad at Shizuru. She shook her head and said, "I'm not mad. However, I'm sure you can understand why that moment weirded me out."

Shizuru replied, "Yes. In fact, it also weird for me, but it was something I knew I wanted to do."

Natsuki asked, "Why?"

Shizuru tried to think about a delicate way of wording it. After an awkward moment of silence, she decided to give Natsuki an honest and straightforward answer. She said, "I love you."

Natsuki replied, "I love you too. We've already said that, to each other."

Shizuru responded, "Yes, but I'm not talking about a friendship type of love. Natsuki, I'm in love with you."

Natsuki had a shocked look on her face, although she secretly had assumed that. She asked, "In love?"

Shizuru answered, "Yes, a romantic type of love. I know this may be a surprising turn of events. Also, I've had several failed relationships, so I'm probably not the best person to date. However, I had to tell you my real feelings."

A strong blush came upon Natsuki's face. She felt so much anxiety, she could hardly breathe. She said, "This is quite the news. There's a lot I have to think about."

Shizuru had a concerned look on her face, while asking, "Are you okay?"

Natsuki got up and said, "I'm sorry, but I need to be alone, for a while. I'm going to go and do some thinking. I'll see you, after-school and Yuuichi's tutoring session." She left the cafeteria. Shizuru respected Natsuki's privacy, so she didn't follow her, but she was deeply concerned about her.

Natsuki went into the restroom. She went into one of the stalls and stood around, while feeling lost in thought. After a few minutes, she remembered that her mom was on her lunch-break. Natsuki was allowed to call her during that time, so she got out her cellphone and gave her a call.

Natsuki's mom said, "Hi Natsuki. What's going on?"

Natsuki had an anxious tone of voice, while saying, "I'm sorry for calling, but there's an important problem, that's making me feel uneasy."

The mom was very worried about her daughter, while asking, "What's going on?"

Natsuki trusted her mom, so she decided to be honest with her. She gulped and said, "There's a friend, who I've had a close relationship with. She's been really helpful and has brightened up my days. I feel special feelings of happiness, when I'm around her. On the day I was sick, the roughest part of the day was not being with her."

The mom replied, "Aww, it sounds like you two have a wonderful friendship. If anything, this sounds like a good thing, rather than a problem."

Natsuki responded, "I know, but this morning, she kissed me."

The mom casually said, "That was sweet of her."

Natsuki's mom didn't seem to understand the kiss, so Natsuki explained, "It wasn't a kiss on the cheek. She kissed me, on the lips. She has a crush on me."

The mom was surprised to hear that, but she didn't seem to have a problem with that. She said, "I see. May I ask how you feel about her?"

Natsuki took a long pause, before saying, "That's the reason I feel so nervous. I don't know how to feel. I've never been in that kind of relationship. I'm not used to this kind of stuff. At the risk of sounding clueless, I don't know what to do."

Natsuki's mom could tell Natsuki was really scared, so she tried to be very understanding and calm. She said, "Natsuki, this might seem like a confusing situation, but it has an easy resolution."

Natsuki felt surprised, while asking, "Really? What is it?"

The mom said, "I have an important question and I need you to be honest."

Natsuki replied, "Okay."

The mom said, "Do you love your friend?"

Natsuki answered, "Yes."

The mom asked, "What kind of love?"

Natsuki answered, "It's a special type of love. She gives me happy feelings, that I've never felt before and her love is an irreplaceable treasure, for my heart."

The mom smiled and said, "Natsuki, I think you're in love."

Natsuki replied, "Yes, I think the same thing." Natsuki was thankful for her mother's help. She couldn't deny the truth. She loved Shizuru.

After school, Natsuki and Yuuichi went to the library, so Natsuki could tutor him. As usual, Yuuichi wasn't the best of listeners and he got a few problems wrong. However, he was making progress, thanks to Natsuki's teachings and advice.

After Yuuichi finished another math assignment, he handed it to Natsuki, so she could grade it. Yuuichi asked, "How did I do?" He started looking proud of himself, while saying, "I think I did a good job."

After grading the assignment, Natsuki said, "You got fourteen, out of twenty, problems right." Yuuichi was so happy, that he started dancing around the library. The librarian shook her fist at him and was prepared to throw books at him.

In order to keep things from getting chaotic, Natsuki gently said, "Yuuichi, please stop dancing."

Yuuichi calmed down and replied, "Okay then. I'm sorry, if I was acting like a dumb bragger. I'm infamous, for not acting that mature."

Natsuki responded, "It's okay. You still have some stuff to work on, but you've been making lot of improvements. I'm really proud of you."

Yuuichi replied, "Thank you, but you deserve a lot of the credit. You've been a tremendous mentor."

Natsuki responded, "Thank you. That means a lot to me." Natsuki and Yuuichi started packing-up their stuff.

Yuuichi looked at Natsuki and said, "You've been so nice to me, that you deserve a reward. I should take you to dinner or something."

Natsuki nervously asked, "Are you trying to ask me out?"

Yuuichi also started getting nervous, while saying, "I might be. You're really pretty, so it's been hard to not flirt with you."

Natsuki replied, "Yuuichi, I really appreciate the offer. You're a nice, cool guy, but I'm afraid we can't date. I've gotten a crush on somebody else."

Yuuichi responded, "Okay then. This is disappointing news, but I understand."

Natsuki said, "But we can still be friends and I can still tutor you."

Yuuichi smiled and replied, "Sounds good."

Natsuki walked outstide and saw that Shizuru had been waiting for her. Natsuki started walking to her. She had a guilty look on her face, while saying, "I'm sorry about trying to avoid you. I had a lot of uncomfortable, scary feelings and I needed to think things through."

Shizuru calmly responded, "I understand. Things have been changing and a lot of new feelings have been rising."

Natsuki decided to not hide her true feelings. She was ready to share how she felt. She said, "Shizuru, the last few days have been the best school-days, that I've ever had and that's because of you. I used to dread school, but you made it exciting, for me."

Shizuru grinned and replied, "I'm glad to hear that."

Natsuki and Shizuru started holding hands, while staring into each other's eyes. Natsuki said, "Shizuru, I'm not mad you kissed me. I was scared about it, but not anymore. In fact, I'm glad you did it."

Shizuru asked, "Really?"

Natsuki said, "Yes and that's because I love you. In fact, I'm in love with you."

Shizuru felt like the happiest girl in the world, while asking, "Are you sure about that?"

Natsuki asked, "Do you doubt me?"

Shizuru smirked and answered, "Maybe a little."

Natsuki smirked back and replied, "Then allow me to prove it." She kissed Shizuru, on the lips.

After the kiss was over, Shzuru said, "Seems like you proved it. You really do love me. I can hardly believe it."

Natsuki replied, "I've had crushes on other people, but I never asked them out or kissed them."

Shizuru asked, "Why not?"

Natsuki answered, "I was too scared and filled with shyness. However, when I met you, I was so happy, that I couldn't care less about my fears. I was too busy being happy. Everybody's got to have happiness and you've given me more heartwarming feelings, than I could of ever imagined."

Shizuru replied, "You do the same for me." She kissed Natsuki.

Natsuki smiled. She didn't have to be afraid anymore, because she knew her true feelings. She was happier than ever before. She started heading home, while feeling the most passionate type of happiness, in her heart.