Riko's life changed the day she transferred to Uranohoshi.
Unlike the bustling halls of Otonokizaka, Uranohoshi was a quiet school, with nothing to disturb the quiet peace other than the occasional waves breaking against the shoreline.
That's what she thought, until she joined the school's disciplinary committee with a teacher's recommendation. The only other person in the committee, Dia, seemed grateful when Riko introduced herself as a new member, but from her cold demeanor and sharp, intimidating gaze, Riko's sure she would be able to keep things running even by her lonesome. She was surprised that the school even had delinquents with a person like her in charge.
That was the second thing she noticed about Uranohoshi. Their delinquents very rarely caused trouble on school grounds, which she assumed was partially because of Dia herself. When Riko asked her where they went to cause trouble, Dia shook her head with an exasperated expression.
"Almost everywhere else, really," Dia replied bitterly. "We usually get reports from people around town if there's anyone causing trouble, and if it turns out to be someone from Uranohoshi, we deal with them the next day."
"Oh." Riko nodded, satisfied with Dia's answer. It sounded simple enough, but nothing could've prepared her for what came next.
That day, as Riko walks into the committee room, she finds Dia in the middle of scolding some delinquents. There are three of them, kneeling on the floor with a small stack of textbooks balanced precariously on each of their heads. It almost looks comedic if not for the grave stares they share and a certain Dia shouting at them, who's beyond pissed.
"-and now you're picking fights with other schools, too?! Just what do you all think you're doing?"
"They started it...," The tallest one, with navy-colored hair and bruises covering her face, mutters. Unfortunately, her excuse wasn't good enough for Dia.
"That doesn't make it any better! Do you know how many students are at that school? If they were serious about fighting you, all three of you might be in the hospital by now!"
As Dia continues her rant, Riko observes the three delinquents. Other than the one with navy hair, there's one with orange-colored hair, and another with ashen hair. The last one seems familiar…
As if noticing Riko's gaze on her, she turns her face to meet hers, slightly disturbing the books that rest on her head. Similar to the other two, her face is littered with bruises and bandages, but she looks nonchalant about her condition.
"Watanabe-san!"
"Y-yes?" Her gaze snaps back to Dia quickly, causing the books to fall to the ground. Dia gives her an unamused glare.
"Keep your eyes on me." She orders, before continuing her rant. "As the teachers believe that you three are lost causes and trying to stop you from delinquent activities is pointless, we've devised a countermeasure that will be beneficial to all of us. Especially considering your…lackluster grades."
She frowns, watching as the three of them sit silently, waiting her to pass judgement on them. "Two hours after school, three times a week, you will be studying with a teacher or another student. You can pick whichever you prefer. With this, hopefully you'll have less time to cause trouble. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am," The trio say with differing levels of displeasure.
Satisfied with their responses, Dia says, "Please inform me of who you would like to tutor you, so we can ensure that they are competent if they're a student. That is all. You may go home now."
The three scramble to stand up, the sound of books crashing against the floor in rapid succession causes Riko to wince. "Ahh, I can't feel my legs…." The orange-haired one mutters, shoving her books back into her bag. Riko watches as they hurry to leave the room before Dia changes her mind and makes their punishment more serious.
That was only the beginning, Riko would realize later.
The next day, as Riko goes over her notes, a student walks up to her desk to speak with her. It's only then that Riko realized why the Watanabe girl from yesterday seemed so familiar. It's because she is her classmate .
Embarrassed at the fact that she couldn't remember her classmate's face, she almost doesn't hear what Watanabe says.
"Hey, Sakurauchi-san? You're in the committee with Kurosawa-san, right?" Riko nods, petrified. "I knew it! No wonder I recognized you yesterday." She smiles brightly. "Watanabe You, at your service!"
"S-Sakurauchi Riko..." Riko mumbles, but You had already moved on to the next topic.
"So, I was wondering if you can tutor me?" She asks, completely casually. "I'd rather do it with someone in my class, and you have good grades. We can even do homework together! Please?"
The way You is looking at her with big, pleading eyes makes it difficult for her to decline. You's only a part of the swimming club, so deciding on which days Riko would tutor her is easy. With one final thanks, You returns to her seat, just in time for the teacher to come in.
When she informs Dia of this, she seems happier than Riko expected. "I hope you'll be a good influence on her, Riko," she says, patting her on the back.
Days continue to pass. In preparation for the first tutoring session, Riko had gathered material for a few subjects she noticed You struggled with.
The pair agree to study in the library, and during the walk there You continues to thank Riko for helping her with this and apologizes for wasting her time, all of which she brushes off quickly, insisting that it's nothing.
As soon as they arrive in the library and find a comfortable place to sit, they begin to study. Riko is quick to find out, much to her surprise, that You isn't a bad student by any means. Certainly better than what she expected from a delinquent.
Another thing that Riko didn't expect is how nice You is. She's completely unlike the rough, violent delinquents she has usually read of in her novels. In fact, if not for her bruised face, Riko would think that You was just another ordinary student. In less than an hour, You has already shattered all of Riko's expectations in a good way.
Two hours come and go. Riko feels a deep sense of satisfaction as she sees all of the work they've done. As they get ready to go home, Riko tells You, "Remember, we're doing this again in two days. If you want to ask me about any homework make sure to bring it."
You nods excitedly. "I'm looking forward to it!" You exclaims, and Riko can't help but agree with that sentiment.
During the next session, Riko decides to ask You a question.
"You?"
The other girl hums in response while continuing to scribble something down. "Yeah?"
"Why are your grades so bad?" She asks, before immediately adding, "You're pretty smart, and you're quick to understand everything I tell you. So why?"
You gives the question some thought before answering. "Well, it's kinda hard for me to understand it when the teachers talk. They just keep talking and it's really boring, so I eventually just fall asleep. But you're a lot more interesting to listen to. I like hearing you talk, it's nice."
"I-I see." Riko can feel warmth spreading to her cheeks, but attempts to suppress it as best she could for the sake of professionality. "Thanks."
"You're welcome!" You answers, still grinning brightly. "I bet you would be a great teacher if you wanted to."
"I suppose." Riko shrugs. "I've never thought of that possibility before. I've always wanted to be a concert pianist."
You's eyes widen, her lips forming an 'o' shape as she processes that new information. "That's neat! It fits you. I always thought you gave off an elegant vibe."
"T-thanks." Riko replies. "What are you planning to be, You?"
"I want to be a ship captain! Or a professional diver. Both are fine!" Her eyes seem to sparkle as she talks about that, something Riko finds cute and amusing.
"Those things are hard to do, right? You need to be physically fit for both."
"Yeah, but I can totally manage it." As if to emphasize, You flexes her right arm, showing off a fair bit of muscle. "Not bad, right?"
"N-not bad…." Riko agrees, her cheeks beginning to burn from embarrassment. She averts her gaze back to the sheets of homework in front of her. "L-let's continue, shall we?"
Oblivious to Riko's embarrassment, You nods before continuing to study, focused on the paper in front of her.
This girl is going to be the end of me.
It's in the middle of their sixth session that Riko begins noticing odd changes within her. The fluttering feeling in her chest whenever You asks her a question, or whenever You tries to talk to her, or whenever You hums a popular song underneath her breath when she thinks Riko isn't listening.
Whenever Riko hears You's sweet voice, it becomes harder to ignore the bubbling feeling in her chest, making her feel as if she was walking on air.
At the start of their sessions, she had wondered if the two of them, who are so different, would be able to become friends. Now, Riko finds herself wishing they could become more.
One day in class, You walks up to her table and wordlessly shows her a sheet of paper.
"Ta-da!" She grins proudly. On the top right corner of the paper, Riko can see the number '100' written with red ink. "I got full marks for the last math exam!"
"That's great, You." Riko smiles as well, happy for her friend's success.
"Yep! All of my grades are improving, and it's all because of you!" You leans forward and, without warning, wraps her arms around Riko's in a tight hug. Riko's breath catches in her throat, her face becoming scarlet as You continues to hug her with their classmates staring at them. With the distance between them being nonexistent, the scent of You's shampoo, like blooming flowers in Spring, fills her nostrils. And her body is so warm, enveloping her entire body like the Sun.
God, please save her gay heart from You Watanabe.
Three months have passed since Riko began tutoring You, and she's found out many things about her in that period of time. How You is childhood friends with Kanan and Chika, the other two delinquents she saw getting chewed out by Dia, with the latter also being Riko's neighbour which she only realized a few weeks ago. Or how You's father is the captain of his ship, which made You want to become a sailor as well. How You only became a delinquent because of her friends, but even then they're rarely the ones to initiate a conflict.
How her brow scrunches up and the way she gnaws on her lower lip as she tries to solve a difficult math question, and how her eyes light up with pure, childlike joy whenever she finds the answer.
What had begun as a small list of things have grown out of control, and with it, Riko realizes that her feelings for the other girl have grown as well. Her eyes would occasionally leave whatever assignment she's doing, just for a short glance at You, sitting across from her, before then returning to the paper when she realizes what she was doing. The sadness she feels whenever she remembers that she won't be studying with You that day.
You has made her life so much more interesting that now she finds it hard to imagine spending a day without even seeing her in class or talking to her. Unfortunately for Riko, that's exactly what happened.
You's table is empty. Riko has never seen You skip class before, so to say this is shocking would be an understatement. According to someone from the other second-year class, Chika didn't come to school either. Her text, asking if You was okay, remains unanswered by the time school ends.
With worry clouding her expression, she can only hope that You is okay.
The next morning, Riko sees You sitting at her desk. What she didn't expect is You's current state.
"You!" Riko rushes over to her table, not caring that she's attracting attention.
You manages a pained smile as she sees her approach. "Hey Riko...sorry I missed our study session yesterday. And for not answering your text. As you can see I'm a bit..."
"I don't care about that!" Riko says, pointing towards both of You's arms, bandaged and in casts. "What happened to your arms?!"
You grimaces. "Well...me, Chika, and Kanan kinda got into a fight with another school and...I broke my arms. Honestly we were supposed to let it rest for a few days, but we decided to go to school anyway. It doesn't hurt much, don't worry," she says, trying to ease Riko's worry. "It's really not a big deal! Like I said, I never take notes anyway, so I don't even need my arms!" She giggles, as if there was some humour to be found in her current condition.
"You…" Riko sighs. You can be persistent when she wants to, and Riko doubts she'll listen to her, no matter what she says. "Fine, but don't force yourself, okay?"
"Aye aye!" You tries to go for a salute, but immediately winces when she moves her arm too much. Shaking her head, Riko can only give her a smile before going back to her seat.
Break arrives soon after. As their classmates leave the classroom and towards the cafeteria, You remains in her seat, staring at her arms dejectedly. Rather than joining the others, Riko instead seats herself across from You, much to the delinquent's surprise. "You obviously can't eat by yourself, can you?"
"Well, no…" You trails off. "But I can ask the nurses for help."
"Well...I want to help," Riko says, pushing through her embarrassment for the sake of her friend. "Is there a problem with that?"
"It's a bit embarrassing..." You mutters.
Riko can't help but roll her eyes at You's words. "If this is about you having to look tough because you're a delinquent I swear-"
"No!" You interrupts before Riko can say anything more. "It's not that. It's because...uhm, because it's you…"
Oh . Color blossoms across Riko's face, and she hopes that it's the same for You. "W-what do you mean by that?"
"N-nothing!" You responded quickly, avoiding eye contact with Riko by staring at the wooden table.
"You…"
"Please forget you heard that…" You begs, clearly refusing to say anything more about her little slip up.
Riko nods, looking around the class awkwardly as You focuses on every little detail the table has. "...do you still want me to help you eat?"
"...if you don't mind." You admits, looking back up to face Riko.
"O-of course I don't mind." You motions towards her bag, and Riko opens it, revealing a wrapped lunchbox within it.
Slowly, Riko starts feeding You, giving her small bites of rice and chicken. In between bites, You attempts to strike a conversation to make things less awkward.
"You're a lot more confident nowadays." Riko seems confused by You's statement, silently asking her to explain. "A few months ago you were always so shy and quiet whenever we're in class. But I feel like you speak out a lot more now. It's really nice."
The pair become silent once again, before You, realizing what she said, adds, "I wasn't watching you in a weird way. But you're so much more interesting to look at than the teacher talking."
"I got it, please don't worry so much." You blushes, continuing to let Riko feed her. She doesn't think she's ever seen You blush or stutter so much. Frankly, it's quite adorable. Not that she'd ever tell You that.
A few hours later, it's time for them to go home. After Riko helped You with her bag, she quickly excuses herself, saying that she has to hurry to catch the bus to Numazu. Riko had smiled and let her off, but after that she immediately felt lonely.
She won't have to be lonely for much sooner, though. As she's waiting for her bus, she notices Chika nearby. She seems to have noticed her as well, bounding up to her, eager to strike a conversation.
"Riko!" Chika yells out. She seems to be less injured than You, with only one of her arms in a cast. And with how she acts, you'd think she's completely normal right now. "It's been a while. How are you?"
"It's been two days at most." Riko states factually, but smiles nonetheless. "I'm fine. How are you, Chika?"
"I'm all right!" Chika grins mischievously, waving around her uninjured right arm. "What about You? Was she all sulky in class?"
Riko shakes her head, much to Chika's relief. The bus to their houses stop in front of them, and Riko is the first to step in. Despite being fully capable of getting on herself, Chika pauses at the door, and looks at Riko. "Can you give me a hand?"
"Seriously Chika?" Riko giggles, offering a hand to help her get on the bus. The two sit down near the back of the bus, so it would be easier for them to exit when it was their stop.
Riko would've been fine with silence on their trip home, but only a few minutes in Chika's phone rings. Fumbling to get her phone, Chika barely answers it in time. "Hello?"
"CHIKA!" Chika flinches from the sheer volume of the voice, but despite its grainy quality Riko can identify that it's You. "You? What's the matter?" Chika asks, concerned for her friend's behaviour.
"I MESSED UP!"
"What happened?"
"I was being weird in class today and I think Riko thinks I'm crazy. What do I do? I can't just tell her I like her now, she'll definitely hate me."
Riko's jaw drops when she hears the words You just said. Chika tries to stifle her giggles. "Okay, You...how are you calling me? Both your arms are broken, right?"
"Yoshiko's helping me out."
"Oh, okay then." Chika doesn't seem surprised at the answer, even though Riko hasn't even heard of this 'Yoshiko' person. "You should calm down. I don't think Riko thinks you're crazy." To make sure, Chika glances at Riko, who shakes her head.
"R-really?"
"Definitely. You should just ask her tomorrow. You'll study together tomorrow, right? I'm sure it'll go on juuuust fine."
"I guess...thanks Chika."
"You're welcome." The call ends, and it takes Riko everything she has not to ask Chika what in the world just happened. Luckily, she doesn't even have to ask.
"You do like her, don't you?" Chika's question is more of a statement than a question, and she doesn't need Riko to confirm something she already knows. "I kinda figured it out after the third time you asked me if she was gay."
Yeah, in hindsight that wasn't subtle at all.
"Don't you worry!" Chika puts her hand on Riko's shoulder supportingly. "I fully support your relationship. Just tell her how you feel."
Riko nods, thanking Chika for her help. She's right-everything will be okay.
(She has a gay meltdown the moment she arrives home, screaming into a pillow and reading doujins as she imagines how tomorrow will play out)
The next day, Riko couldn't look at You without blushing, and it appears that You is suffering from a similar dilemma. Eventually, You does walk up to her table, but only to ask if they are going to study together later. After Riko answers yes, You returns to her seat, not saying another word.
"You, are you ready to go to the library?" Riko asks when their classmates begin to leave the class. You nods, letting Riko help her put on her bag. The long walk to the library is filled with awkward silence with You seeming like she wants to say something before changing her mind seconds later. Even as they reach the library and Riko pulls out the material for today, You seems distracted. Of course, Riko knows why that's the case, but she can't resist teasing her a bit.
"You, are you okay?" Riko asks worriedly. At the question, You tries to think of an appropriate response, biting her lower lip as she does.
Eventually, she does answer. "R-Riko, I want to tell you something," she says, "but you have to promise me something. Promise you won't hate me after I say this."
Riko feels like she knows where this is headed, but she still wants to see it with her own eyes. "I promise."
You takes a deep breath, before blurting out, "I like you a lot! I love you!" Those three final words, said in such a direct manner and with so little embarrassment behind them, makes RIko feel incredibly giddy inside.
Saving You from the anticipation of waiting longer, Riko smiles at her. "And I love you, too."
You blinks at her, her confused expression making it seem like she didn't expect Riko to return her feelings. "C-can you say that again?"
"I love you, too."
You still seems to be in disbelief even after the second time, so Riko decides to do something more... daring . Leaning forward, she gives You a small peck on the lips, shocking her out of her stupor. "Is there something you don't understand?" Riko asks, watching as You's face turns completely red. Oh dear, she might've teased her a bit too much. "Anyway, let's study. I still have my responsibilities."
Riko giggles, finding You's completely flushed face to be the cutest thing she's ever seen. She wants to see this side of You more often, and she's sure that she'll have more chances in the future.
Suffice to say, with You unable to focus, that day's session was the least productive one they've ever had.
Riko, on the other hand, considers it a complete success.