"Are you sure we need all of this?" I ask, feeling the muscles in my right arm straining from carrying the massive bag I'm graciously carrying for Nemo. This on top of my own bag of newly purchased stuff I'm carrying on my left.

"W-well…" Nemo flushes. I'm not sure if it's because we're going up the stairs right now or if it's for another reason. "When you called me here...I just assumed..."

"What do you mean? What's in this bag?" I ask.

"N-nothing!" Nemo stammers, yanking her bag out of my hand. "I'll carry it by myself!"

I pull back my sore hand. "Sheesh. Alright. Just trying to be nice."

We continue to ascend until we reach the second floor, where I can see the circular windows of the UFO-like building.

"I can't believe they made another one. Are they trying to make a franchise or something?" I say absent-mindedly.

"I wouldn't know…"

I shrug, continuing on my way. I stop my steps, however, when I see familiar layers of yellow and brown.

"Ah, it's the pudding head."

"K-Kuro!"

Nemo tries to warn me, but it is unnecessary. The moment I see Yoshida's fist rises, I jump back slightly and point my forehead forward, negating the momentum of her punch into the strongest part of my skull.

"Are-are you alright?" Nemo asks worriedly.

"It's alright. At this point I'm a very well trained punching bag." I say nonchalantly, stretching my neck.

"Why are you here, though?" I ask the delinquent.

"Mako said I should come." Yoshida crosses her arms, looking slightly irritated.

"Mako?" I tilt my head. "I'm pretty sure I invited Yuri."

"Well, Yuri said she's going to meet your friend. Mako got curious and invited herself. I just got dragged along, I guess." the pudding shrugs

"Oh, really?"

I can't really see that crazy lesbo being one to take such initiative. She usually just follow others like a newly hatched chick. Then again, she once cornered me in a bathroom stall, so i guess that girl can be pretty surprising.

"Uh, actually, it's all probably because of me." the schoolgirl-shaped battering ram scratches her head, looking uncharacteristically ashamed. "She wants me to have more…"normal" friends."

"That sounds like her." says Nemo.

"So, have you met Yuu yet?" I ask.

"Is that the name of your friend? No. When we arrived a blonde girl said that we should wait outside the room until 'she' calms down, whatever that means."

"Ah."

Asuka Katou was the first person I called for help. She seems like the kind of person that has the best grasp about the emotions of normal girls among the people I know.

"What happened though? I pretty sure I saw a crying girl before the door got shut on my face."

"Yuri didn't tell you?"

"I don't think it was in my place to say." a familiar voice calls up, and I turn around to see the plain face of Yuri Tamura.

"This...this isn't just a get-together, is it?" Mako walks out from behind Yuri. "I'm sorry. Yuri tried to stop me but I insisted…"

Yuri says nothing, but from her looks I think she's trying to apologize to me.

"It's...okay, I guess. You guys are already here. Might as well use you."

"What happened, though?" Yuri asks. "You never told me clearly on the phone. You just said it's emergency and to bring some money."

"Umm...it's kind of complicated." i say, giving an awkward smile.

"Couldn't you have picked a less shady meeting place, Either way?" says the pudding, looking around the building while looking irritated.

"Well, my friend picked this because it's cheap…" I say as I turn around, leading my ragtag bunch of weirdos to the room where I have left my crying princess. "Let's go."

I can barely remember the room number because of all the things running through my mind in such a short amount of time. Yuri has to remind me when I accidentally passes the room. Shrugging my embarrassment away, I knock on the door.

I can hear the sound of the door being unlocked before the beautiful face of Asuka Katou greets me.

"Afternoon, Mokocchi." the girl smiles jokingly, and I can feel my heart melts. "You bring a lot more people than I've expected."

"Stuff happened."

"Sorry..." Mako said guiltily.

"Did you tell them about what happened?" Asuka gets out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Kind of."

"Can you irritants please stop acting so mysterious and tell us what happened?" Yoshida says, looking impatient.

"Well, long story short...a friend of Kuroki is going through some traumatic experience right now, one which left the two of them stranded and without money."

"Ah." A look of understanding flashes on Yuri's face. Nemo, meanwhile, is looking concerned.

"This friend of Kuro...she's fine, right? Nothing happened to her?" Nemo asks, which confuses me for a bit. Asuka just said about a traumatic experience, how could she be fine?

Asuka smiles knowingly. "Other than losing her wallet, she's physically fine. I checked."

"Did you check behind her ears?" Nemo asks again.

"For signs of having been choked? Yes I did."

I have no idea what these two girls are saying.

"What's she doing right now?"

"She's just finished her bath and is now sleeping. Do you have her clothes?"

"I do" I raise my bag. "Apparently they don't sell female underwears at the convenience store, so she has to go commando for a while."

"I see, thank you." Asuka says, taking the bag from my hand.

"So...what now?" asks Yoshida.

"Well, first, I have to get her dressed. Then…"

Asuka bit her lip, and for a moment I can see a glint of sadness that I have never seen on her face before.

"She's in a very vulnerable state right now, and I honestly don't know what exactly to do. In situations like this, for some people, it's best to leave them alone, but for others it's better to surround them with friends that they can trust. Kuroki seems to think her friend is of the latter type." Asuka says, scanning all my friends.

"Honestly I just kind of panicked and called everyone I know…" I say guiltily.

"As you've said, we're already here." Yoshida snarks. "What do you want us to do? We can just leave if you'd like."

I put a hand on my head.

This, quite obviously, not a kind of situation that I'm used to.

My brain kind of hurts.

Sending them back after I called them all the way out here on weekends, that'd be kind of rude, isn't it? Actually, it's worse than rude. That'd just make me a scumbag.

Let's just go with it and hope for the best.

xxx

18 hours later...

xxx

"Can we have a selfie together? My parents don't quite trust me so I need proof."

I wake up to the sound of Nemo. My brain needs a moment to remember where I am.

"what the…"

"Morning, Mokocchi." says Yuu. The greeting would be nothing unusual, if the person herself was not mere inches from my face.

The two of us are taking the main bed of the hotel room. None of the other girls seem to have realized that we're awake yet, judging by the volume of their conversation.

"I actually spent an entire weekend night in a love hotel...you guys really are a bad influence." I can hear the pudding whispering.

Yuu subtly pull on the blanket, concealing us further without anyone noticing.

"Thanks for yesterday. That was nice."

Although my head is still hurt, the memory of what happened yesterday immediately floods back.

It started with me introducing my friends to Yuu, and then…

At first, Yuu was confused, as you'd expect her to be. She tried to put on her popular kid facade, pretending to be as cheerful as she usually is. She failed miserably, of course, breaking into tears in the middle of a cheerful greeting.

For a moment I though I have made a grave mistake, but someone unexpected saved me from a lifetime of guilt.

At first, it looked like Yoshida was ignoring Yuu, going straight for the sofa and TV while the rest of us tried futilely to calm Yuu down.

But then, she started talking.

It was inconspicuous at first. Inane questions like where's her school, her hobby, her past with me...then they started talking about Disney.

It was quite a magical sight, really. Not sure how to describe it. It's like Yoshida suddenly awakened the motherly instinct in all of us.

I've heard that certain members of the yakuza would brush up their social skill in order to recruit, but that was the first time I saw it in action..

Then Yuri started talking about my school life, inviting stilted laughters from everyone.

Then Nemo ordered pizza.

I...I'm not quite sure what happened. Somehow near midnight we all ended up covered in cheese.

The bath of the hotel room was made for two people, so it was kind of tight with seven people.

"You know what?" Yuu speaks up, waking me from my flashback. "I've always thought that I'd be the one to save you one day."

"What."

"From commiting suicide or the like."

"What." I repeat, not even bothering to change my tone.

"I mean, you were so full of pent up misery and loneliness that I just…"

Is that how she thinks of me all this time?

"I guess that's kind of arrogant of me, huh?"

"I always think of you as an idiot, so we're even."

Yuu chuckles. "I guess that's true."

For a moment, Yuu stay silent, only looking at me with her inquisitive eyes.

"You've made so many wonderful friends…" Yuu says, sounding oddly melancholic. "I guess you don't need me anymore."

"Nonsense. You'll always be my first, oldest, and dearest."

I can't believe I just said that.

Yuu gives me a weird smile before breaking into smiles.

"Thanks." she quietly says.

"Hey! You two are awake!" I hear Nemo shouting.

I yawn, flipping the blanket off me and realizing that the shirt I'm wearing isn't my own.

"Fortunately we're about the same size." Nemo says. "You can return that shirt whenever you want, no need to wash it."

"Huh." I shrug. I've honestly gave up on understanding Nemo's mind a long time ago.

"Now, listen, everyone. We need to get out of the room together so no one's going to have the wrong idea." I can hear Asuka giving advice. Near the door, Mako is stopping Yoshida from getting out early.

"Come on! Let's take a picture!" Nemo shouts, putting herself on the bed next to me and pressing her cheek against my hair. She holds her gaudily decorated phone in one hand while her other hand sits on my shoulder. It takes me a while to recognize my own bed-face on its screen and Yuu's smiling, worry-free face next to it.

"Hey!" Yuri, sounding uncharacteristically aggressive, places her head on my stomach over the blanket. She nearly pushes nemo off the bed.

Asuka is the next to join up, placing herself on the far side of the bed, behind Yuu, raising herself just enough to be visible on screen.

Last to join this pile is Yoshida, dragged by Mako between me and Yuu.

"Alright everyone! Pose!"

Just as Nemo says that, I take a good look at the phone screen.

In the frame, there is me, surrounded by smiling friends.

I wonder if my old self would even be able to recognize me now

"Hm? What is it, Kuro?"

I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?

"Nothing." I say to Nemo. "I'm just happy, I guess."

And with that thought in mind, I give the biggest smile I've ever given.