Chapter 2: Consolation

Yukari was still wiping at her eyes as a figure stepped out onto the roof. She quickly rose to her feet again, sniffling and blinking as she tried to force her vision into focus. After a few seconds, she was finally able to see normally, and her eyes widened.

"R-Ryoji-kun?!"

"Yukari-san! What happened?!" Ryoji's eyes widened also as he turned to look at Yukari, and he had a genuinely concerned expression sweep over his face. He noticed that her eyes were red, and that she seemed extremely downhearted. "Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't cr..." Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted.

"You... w-weren't crying because of my behavior earlier... were you?"

"I... I..."

"Gomenasai! I never meant to hurt you... it's just that..."

"N-no! I'm not crying because of you. It was because... because of... n-nothing." Yukari turned her head away from Ryoji and closed her eyes, trying desperately to hold back more of her tears.

"It obviously isn't just 'nothing'... or you wouldn't be acting this way. Please, just tell me what's wrong. I want to help if I can."

"Forget it."

"Yukari-san..." Risking a harsh beating, Ryoji slowly reached out and grabbed onto Yukari's chin softly. Then, he carefully turned her head to face him once more. "...I don't want to see you in pain... just tell me what's bothering you. I'll do anything I can to assist you."

Yukari's eyes quickly opened again, and she just stood there in utter shock and silence. She did not attempt to react violently to his actions, nor did she even seem upset about her current situation in the slightest. She merely focused her eyes right on Ryoji's gorgeous blue ones, and she finally spoke up in a soft tone.

"Ryoji-kun..."

Ryoji's facial expression was extremely soft and affectionate as he locked his eyes right with Yukari's. She was oddly relaxed, and she could feel the tears returning. Taking a deep breath, she finally opened her mouth and started to speak in a slightly trembling voice.

"It's... it's about Arisato-kun..."

"I see. What about him?"

"He's just... been talking with a lot of other girls lately."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Well..."

"All the girls I've seen him with seem to have problems that need to be worked out, and they need a friend. He listens to them and gives them advice. I don't see what's wrong with it."

"It's just that... Arisato-kun did the same thing for me a few months earlier. He listened to me and stayed with me when I needed him. I thought I was special to him, and I thought we were getting close. However, I can see now that I was wrong. He does the same thing for a lot of girls he meets. I know I probably sound selfish for saying that, but I... I..."

"You love him?"

"H-hai." Yukari slowly nodded and closed her eyes once more, causing another tear to slide down her right cheek. "I love him so much, but it's obvious that the feeling isn't mutual. It hurts... it h-hurts so much. I really thought he did care for me in that way... b-but all that time we spent together... it meant n-nothing to him." The tears finally started to flow down Yukari's cheeks in tiny, rapid streams again.

Ryoji looked as though his heart were being ripped in two as Yukari started to sob hysterically. Reaching out, he wrapped both arms around her figure gently and pulled her close to him. Surprisingly, Yukari didn't try to pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms back around Ryoji in return and buried her face in his chest while she continued to shed her tears. After a few moments, Ryoji rested his chin atop Yukari's head lightly and started to rub her back. Even though this was the first time he was able to hold someone he loved, he wasn't able to enjoy it.

The two were locked in that embrace for over five minutes. Once Yukari finally started to calm herself down, she lifted her head up to look at Ryoji.

"I-I'm sorry to p-put you th-through this, Ryoji-kun. I d-don't usually act like th-this... but it's b-been so hard to keep all of this b-bottled up inside lately. Arisato-kun helped me wh-when I was faltering. H-he renewed my hope. B-but then... do you know h-how it feels to love someone who w-will never love you back the same way? Now I'm f-faltering all over again..."

Ryoji remained silent at first, but he finally spoke in a quiet voice while he held Yukari close still.

"I do know what it feels like. It's one of the most painful things in the world aside from watching the one you love suffer."

"Wow, y-you really do understand..." Yukari could tell for certain that Ryoji was being sincere just from his tone of voice and the look in his eyes. "Are you s-sure you're the same perverted g-guy who peeked at me and th-the other girls in the hot springs at K-Kyoto a few days ago?"

Ryoji's muscles tensed up slightly when Yukari said this, and he closed his eyes a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry, Yukari-san. I'm sorry for doing such a stupid thing and making you upset back then. I didn't completely understand my true feelings at that time..."

"Your true feelings about what?"

"Uh... nandemonai."

"It's okay, you can tell me. You were kind enough to listen to my problems, and I want to do the same for you. If there's any way I can help, I wanna try." Yukari's tears had completely stopped for the time being, and she slowly started to unwrap her arms from around his body. "Thank-you, by the way."

Ryoji nodded, hesitating to speak while reluctantly releasing Yukari from his embrace at last.

"I... well... the truth is... I lo..."

"There you are, Ryoji!" Junpei stepped out onto the rooftop, sporting his usual grin. "I thought I might have said somethin' to upset ya, so I came lookin' for ya."

"No, you didn't upset me. I just... needed some fresh air." Ryoji once again sighed in disappointment as he slowly turned around to face his best friend.

"I see. Wait... you were just makin' up with Yuka-tan, weren't ya?"

"Uhh... n-not really. She just happened to be up here crying, and I wanted to make sure that she was okay."

"Whatever you say, man." Junpei used a sarcastic tone as he spoke, and a cocky smirk appeared on his lips.

"It's true. Tonikaku, we should probably be returning to class. Lunch break's nearly over, and I don't need to get into trouble with the teachers again." Ryoji glanced over at Yukari briefly before speaking again, and that hint of sadness in his eyes was visible once more. "Perhaps we can continue this conversation later, Yukari-san." Once this was said, he began walking toward the door with his head hanging down slightly.

"O-okay... Ryoji-kun..." Yukari spoke in a soft voice, and her facial features shifted into an expression of concern while she watched Ryoji make his way inside. This marked the first moment when she actually showed signs of truly caring for him.

"Wonder what's botherin' him. He's been actin' really strange lately." Junpei stated to Yukari as Ryoji started to descend the steps, and his grin had finally faded away.

"I know. I never thought I'd see him so depressed. I hope he'll be all right..."

"Same here. I miss my ol' buddy." Junpei began to walk toward the stairway next, letting out a short sigh of his own. "He's right though. We really should be gettin' back inside for now."

Yukari slowly nodded in agreement as she followed suit. She focused her vision on the ground, knowing that Ryoji's declining emotional state would be on her mind for the rest of the day.