Part 2
The next day at school, Chie and Yu each apologized to Yukiko again for what happened.
"Yukiko...I should have seen the signs more clearly and gently let you down...but I let my doubts let things go further than they should have and caused you pain and humiliation...But that's my fault, not yours. I'm sorry," Yu said.
"Yukiko...we've been friends for years...but I was afraid that if I said I had feelings for Yu-kun...you would have been more aggressive...and for once...I wanted to be happy...but it was selfish of me to do that. Guess the jealousy thing hasn't completely gone away," Chie said.
"Both of you...while your actions were hurtful and humiliating...you weren't acting out of any true malice. I can understand you not being sure how deep my feelings were, Yu-kun...but I wasn't exactly subtle either. However, since you didn't mean to hurt me...I'll forgive you."
Yu just nodded. He didn't need to say anything else.
Yukiko then took a breath. "Chie, we're not in competition with each other...I know you've felt jealous and wished men longed for you as much as they have longed for me, but believe me when I say, that if you HAD told me you had liked Yu-kun...I would have stepped away and let you have your chance to make it work. I'm not someone who would risk a friendship over a boy. So while you weren't being mean it still hurt that you didn't trust me... But I forgive you, too."
"I'm sorry, Yukiko," Chie said, trying not to cry.
"Look, to the both of you...what's done is done and I just want to move on because I don't want this to prevent us from passing finals OR catching the killer," Yukiko said.
Both Yu and Chie nodded and then they all sat down to start the day. Yukiko was impressed that Yosuke kept his counsel the entire time. It was almost as if he knew that saying something would make things worse.
Classes proceeded quickly, though Yukiko helped Yosuke out with an answer in the morning. Yosuke returned the favor in the afternoon.
Chie noticed with interest and wondered, 'What is going on?'
As the week before Finals continued, Chie noticed that Yosuke and Yukiko were hanging out a lot together when it came to studying. In the school library, on the roof for lunch, at Junes. In fact, she swore him riding by on his scooter, coming from the Amagi Inn.
"She just promised to help him out...Didn't she? After all, he IS under a lot of pressure..." She murmured. But even though she shrugged...there was a part of her that was nagging at her.
However, when she would talk to Yukiko...Yukiko would look quite distant when it was in person at School or Junes or the inn. Or she would sound distant on a phone call. But when Chie tried to get Yukiko to repeat what she said, Yukiko not only was able to do that, but also give a carefully measured response.
"It's like her spacing out has changed...like she can now multi-task!" Chie said to Yu one day.
"Yosuke has seemed the same way...but when he's responded...there's never been any doubt that he paid attention."
Then after Yu said that, he asked Chie, "You don't suppose...?"
"NO!" Chie said. "It's not possible...it would be sick and wrong and immoral...whatever you're thinking get it out of your head..."
"Get what out of my head?" Yu was confused. He knew what she was talking in a general sense...but she sounded more specific than what he was suggesting.
"The two of them DATING! It defies all logic... I mean, he is...objectively speaking, cute. No offense Yu-chan..."
"None taken... Chie-chan..." Yu said...not knowing how ELSE to respond.
"But in terms of being compatible personality-wise... She's a cultured lady...and he's a goofy, creepy perv!" Chie continued.
"But even you've admitted he has a sensitive side...and Yukiko, from what we've seen from her Shadow has an earthy side..." Yu replied.
"Yes...but those sides are only existent 5% of the time. The rest of the time...SHE's Henry Higgins and HE's Eliza Doolittle..."
"I don't remember in Pygmalion Eliza being as earthy as Yosuke is..." Yu replied
Chie was still bothered by what was going on between Yosuke and Yukiko. They seemed to have little…flirty moments. It was definitely something Chie could not fathom.
"Why are the two of them hanging out together so much?" She asked herself.
Even when they had lunch on the roof of Yasogami, Yukiko was sitting next to Yosuke. 'Did Yukiko just laugh at one of his pervy jokes?' Chie thought after Yosuke had said something about "The Fertile Crescent."
"That wasn't that funny!" Chie said. But while she intended it to be a jab at Yosuke, it came off as a right cross to Yukiko.
Yukiko looked hurt and said, "Come on, Yosuke. Let's go to the other end of the roof."
"Yukiko, I didn't…" Chie said, but gave up when Yukiko and Yosuke, who actually looked apologetic to Yu and Chie, left.
'What the hell was that about?' Yosuke thought.
"Chie…that wasn't very nice," Yu said. Anyone else would have meant it as a lecture, but Yu sounded concerned.
"I know…but I wasn't directing it at her. I said it to Yosuke, not her," She groaned. "Maybe despite the apologies she's still feeling raw over the whole thing with us."
"I do think that she is still tender about that subject, but you seem to be agitated for some reason," Yu said.
"Do you know if Yosuke's dating her?" Chie asked.
"Dating her?" Yu said confused.
"Yukiko?" She said as if he didn't know who they had been talking about.
"No…but we haven't talked much recently. I think he's still a little raw too about the subject. I never mentioned anything to him about you and I dating, so he's probably feeling a little down about that."
"But then…No…It's not possible. I'm just driving myself crazy thinking things that aren't there," She said, trying to convince herself of what she was saying.
"What?" Yu asked.
"There's no way they could be a couple. She's so cultured and refined and he's so…watches women's mud wrestling."
"I think that people who watch women's mud wrestling can be cultured and refined," Yu said.
Chie looked at him and then laughed. "Well, I think with you maybe, even though people don't expect it. It makes sense."
"Anyway, Chie, I don't think the possibility of them dating is far afield."
They could hear Yukiko on the other end in a laughing fit.
"C'mon, I think it's going to rain again," Yu said, as they went downstairs.
Once they reached the second floor, they heard voices from the first floor. "Could the scores have been posted?" Chie asked.
"One way to find out…" Yu replied.
They went downstairs and saw the scores.
Yu Narukami: 100
Yukiko Amagi: 99
Aika Nakamura: 98
Kou Ichijo: 97
Daisuke Nagase: 97
Yosuke Hanamura: 96
"YOSUKE GOT 96?!" Chie said. She knew Yosuke was smart…but Upper 80's/Lower 90's smart. Not above 95-smart. One would have to apply themselves.
"Yukiko must have helped Yosuke a lot," Yu said.
"That Foreign Exchange student from New Zealand always gets high scores…" One of the girls wistfully said.
Yosuke and Yukiko came down and saw their scores. "Yosuke! 96! I'm so proud of you!" Yukiko said with delight.
And then she hugged Yosuke.
Chie just stood there gaping.
"It's all thanks to your excellent tutoring skills…" He said.
'No…It's just a platonic hug. It has to be. IT HAS TO BE!' Chie thought.
As she was sitting down next to Yu, she heard Yukiko whisper something.
Chie's eyes bugged out.
'Did Yukiko just whisper to Yosuke that she was hot for him?!'
