"I'm very proud of all of you sitting before me today, working hard for the past three years to work towards the goal of becoming functional members of society. Now, whether you decide to continue your education, or go straight into the workforce, I encourage you all to keep striving to do your best even after you graduate from this school, to take initiative no matter the competition, and leave behind a lasting impact on the future generations of scholars to come."
A round of applause soon followed as the principal left the podium and a student of the graduating class went up to take her place.
The student's face was red and messy from crying, likewise the rest of her classmates sniffling as they awaited her words. "My fellow classmates… I have very little to say today but these few sentiments… we worked hard all these three years, and now we're finally here. It's unfortunate that one of our top students in our grade couldn't make it today, Toshinou Kyouko, but I'm sure she'll make it far just as we will too. After all, her doujins had the best girl on girl action, featuring ships ranging from Nico x Maki with Nico as the bottom to angsty four-page dramas with Akagi x Kaga. To our teachers, we express our gratitude, and from here on…"
Ayano, wiping the tears from her eyes, glanced at Yui to see that she was crying a little too. Guess even she can show some emotion at times.
"Thank you all for everything!" And with that, the entire graduating class cheered, the ceremony coming to its official close. As the students then started to disperse outside the gym, Ayano lost sight of Yui since it was difficult to distinguish anyone by the fact they were all wearing the same uniform. Her best friend Chitose came up behind her with a bright smile on her face.
"We did it, Ayano-chan!"
Ayano grinned back with equal fervor. "We did! It's finally all over."
"Your final student council speech was really inspiring, too."
"Ah, I'm pretty sure everyone one was falling asleep by that time though…"
"Nonsense, Ayano-chan. We were crying just as much as you were up there."
The purple-haired girl's cheeks warmed up, flattered. She was both exhilarated and grateful today, having accomplished this very important milestone in her life. But at the back of her head, she regretted the fact that Kyouko wasn't able to graduate alongside with them today. If not for the fact she had a child to take care of, the blonde would've surely been the one to be up there earlier, announcing the closing speech.
"Oi," a finger tapped her shoulder.
Ayano whipped around to see who it was, only to find Kyouko herself, standing beside her in casual wear. "Hey Ayano."
"K-K-Kyouko? W-why are you…?"
"I snuck in a few minutes into the ceremony. I didn't wanna miss your guys' graduation."
"What about your baby?"
"Ah, she's at home with my mom. No worries."
"Well ok but… isn't it a bit sad to see everyone else graduate without you?"
Kyouko smiled. "Not at all. I came here to celebrate your moment, not mine. After all, a graduation ceremony is meant to honour the third-years and I'm… just not one of them."
Ayano's eyes welled up with tears at the full realisation that Kyouko missed out on all the good times they could've had together this past year… but was still glad she was here now. "K-Kyouko… you should've… if only you…"
"There, there…" The blonde embraced the girl tightly, Chitose watching on in slightly perverted happiness.
"I'm happy you still made it though… it really wasn't the same without you up there…" Ayano withdrew and quickly composed herself, wiping her face.
"Even if I wasn't up there, I was still here. Your speech was great!" She gave a thumbs-up in approval.
"Thanks."
"By the way, where'd Yui go?"
The smile on Ayano's face disappeared at the mention of that girl's name. Though it may have been a bit selfish, she thought Kyouko came just for her. But of course, the reality was that she wasn't the only one the blonde cared about. "I have no idea."
Kyouko placed her hands on her hips. "Hmm…"
"She might be at our homeroom class. I should probably catch up with her too, to get our diplomas."
"True. When you guys are done, can you tell her to meet me at our old first-year class?"
Ayano did her best to ignore the subtle ache in her chest. "Sure."
…
As the third-year class' celebrations gradually died down and the chattering graduates began to leave, Yui was the only one remaining and stared at the chalkboard. It was caked with numerous scribblings which surrounded the big fat, 'CONGRATULATIONS ON GRADUATING!' written all across. Their last homeroom class lasted a fair amount of time, with plenty of final words expressed by both the teacher and the students, then the day commemorated with a class photo.
Despite the celebratory mood of pretty much everyone today, Yui found herself somewhat gloomy for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because of her fear of the future, or maybe it was just in her nature to not be as impressionable as everyone else over something like a high school graduation.
Yui sighed. 'Who am I kidding. It's just not the same graduating without Kyouko.'
The door to the classroom opened unexpectedly, startling her. Yui glanced over to see that it none other than Ayano, whom she thought to have gone home already.
"Hey."
"Oh… hey."
She entered the room without notice, approaching Yui's desk. "Kyouko wants to see you."
Yui perked up in surprise. "She's here?"
"Yeah. She's been here since the ceremony."
"Eh…" Without much thinking, Yui picked up her stuff and stood up to leave, only for a hand to catch her wrist.
"Wait."
Yui turned to look behind her, confused. "Ayano?"
"Can I have a word with you first?"
Yui remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "You're not pregnant too, are you?"
Ayano's immediate reaction was to turn tomato red followed by an indignant squeeze on her wrist. "No!"
"Right." Turning her body completely to face her, Yui waited for her to speak.
Resuming her serious attitude, Ayano released her hand and gazed back at her steadily. "I thought about what you said and… well, you're right."
"About what?"
"That… if I do care about Kyouko, then I would support her. And I do. I still do. Maybe we can't be together, but that's no reason to completely abandon her when she could use the help, having a kid and all."
"You would really do that for me?"
Ayano folded her arms. "I'm doing this for her. Not for you."
Yui felt a stab at her ego, but was nonetheless relieved to know someone would look after both her best friend and daughter.
"In exchange though, I only ask one thing."
"Which is…?"
Ayano walked up and leaned back against the teacher's desk. "When you go to see her, tell her how you really feel. Tell Kyouko how much she actually means to you."
Yui was surprised at the request. Weren't they rivals? "You seriously want me to do that? I thought you loved Kyouko, too."
"You're right that I do. And that's why I'm telling you to do it. You'll be going far away soon and won't be able to see her that often for a long time. Kyouko deserves to know."
"I…" She clutched at her bag strap, looking uncertain. "I don't know if I have the confidence to confess."
Ayano sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard. Take it from me, a classic tsundere case who couldn't even call Kyouko by her first name even after the first year of dating. But eventually I realised something—opportunities don't last forever. Spending more time worrying about how something might go in the future does nothing but lessen the time you could've had with that person."
Something clicked in Yui's brain at that moment. She was right. And of all people to hear advice from, Yui knew she could trust Ayano about this. "You're sure?"
"Absolutely. Even after you become honest with yourself, you still have to be honest with the other person, too."
Yui thought about it for a moment before nodding, feeling a rush of adrenaline strengthen her newfound resolve. "I'll do it then. I'll tell her."
"Good."
"But what about you though, aren't you going to college?"
"That won't be a problem. I'm studying at Toyama. I'll be a bit busy, but I'll have enough time to help her out."
Yui smiled. "Good luck with that."
"Speaking of which, what about you? You're seriously going for Tokyo University?"
"Yeah. If that doesn't work out, well, I've got my second-choice."
"I swear, if Kyouko didn't get expelled, I feel like she could've rivaled you with getting in. That damn genius…"
The dark-haired girl chuckled. "She did have a method to her madness."
"Oddly enough, yeah… what do you even plan on making out of yourself if you get in, anyway?"
"Hmm… prime minister, hopefully."
"E-ehh? You aren't serious, right?"
"Okay, maybe that's not my goal, but anyone that goes there is basically a candidate anyway."
"No way niagara," Ayano said jokingly.
At that, Yui struggled to contain her laughter at the sudden pun, she herself not knowing why it was so damned funny. Ayano giggled to herself at Yui's expense, enjoying her reaction. After finally calming down, Yui sighed. "I'll be heading to see Kyouko now. Where was it you said she was at again?"
"Ah, she said to meet at your guy's first-year classroom."
"Thanks. I hope someday you can forgive me for all that's happened lately, but if you don't then I understand."
"Heh. I'll think about it," she scoffed. "Just be sure to take care of Kyouko and Kazumi even after I'm done looking after them for you."
The dark-haired girl walked past Ayano and stopped at the door to say, "Yeah, I will." She left soon after.
Despite the yearning in her chest that ached for her to be with the dazzling blonde, there was a new feeling that emerged from the revelation that Kyouko was in good hands, even if they weren't hers.
She felt happy for them.
...
Finding their old classroom, Yui quickly slid the door open to see her blonde friend inside, just as Ayano had said. "Kyouko."
"Ah, Yui—"
Out of nowhere, Yui had rushed towards her and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Kyouko was caught off-guard, but couldn't help but burrow into Yui's warmth.
Yui withdrew slightly and brought up her hand to caress her cheek.
"Yui…?"
Her heart at a calm, steady rhythm, Yui felt as if the entire world faded away, leaving only her and Kyouko at this moment. She pushed away several strands of blonde hair from her friend's face and gazed back at her, a warm, nostalgic feeling overcoming her. It was only with her best friend that her mind could truly be at ease, and it was only with her that this never-ending flow of emotions could drown her in complete happiness.
"I love you, Kyouko." At that confession, the blonde's eyes were beginning to get shiny with tears.
"Y-Yui…" her voice cracked, the little droplets leaking down. Yui carefully wiped them away and stroked her hair affectionately.
"You always were a cry-baby, huh." She gave a gentle smile. Moving away Kyouko's bangs, she softly pressed her lips against her forehead. Yui allowed Kyouko to bury her face into her chest, smothering her uniform in tears. Just as when they were kids, Yui hugged her friend close as the feeble girl cried into her.
"Uu… I scraped my knee…"
The tomboy stopped in her tracks and sprinted back towards her. With care, she took a hold of Kyouko's knee and examined the wound. Seeing that it was just a simple scratch, she licked it in an effort to make her friend feel better.
"There! All better!" Yui stood back proudly, but Kyouko was still crying. "Eh? Did it hurt that bad? It was just a little scratch…"
"Y-Yui…" Thankfully she was already prepared to welcome Kyouko into her arms, being used to having to comfort the girl by now. She rubbed the blonde's back soothingly.
"Geez, you big crybaby. What are you gonna do when you get hurt from something more painful than scraping your knee?"
Kyouko pulled back slightly to wipe her face on her sleeve. "Uu… then I'll cry into you again… until it gets better..."
Kyouko had long since melted into the embrace. Despite her sniffling, she felt safe and sound in Yui's arms.
"Yui…" she mumbled into her chest.
"Mm?"
"Be with me forever…"
Yui exhaled contently. "Always."
The large, bustling crowd of anticipating examinees accompanied with relatives and friends alike was gathered around the numerous rows of bulletins displayed on Tokyo University's campus. A few vans from several different news stations were parked around the area with the bright faces of presumably successful examinees speaking excitedly in front of their cameras.
Yui, with her own examination ticket in hand, made her way through the sea of people to check if she made it onto the bulletins as well. She had fairly low expectations today, as did most, since after all it would be better to save oneself from disappointment.
To be clear, Yui did not strive to go to this school because of pressure or obligation to her parents or teachers. Really, she just wanted to go as far as she could and even though it was unlikely, perhaps if she studied hard enough she'd be able to get into the country's top university. So she took it upon herself the past three years to study her butt off on her own time, and since the Amusement Club wasn't technically official, she was also able to attend cram school at the expense of missing a few meetings.
Pushing her way to the front, she finally reached the bulletins which bore the ID numbers of the examinees who passed. This particular section of bulletins was for those who tested into the faculty of engineering. Yui glanced down at her own number then back to the bulletins, hoping hers was there but at the same time trying to tell herself not to expect it. Her heart was racing slightly as she worried that she didn't make it.
She moved on to the next bulletin and again checked her examination ticket again to see if her number was there. By now she was beginning to lose what little confidence she had that she passed. It seemed very likely that she would be going back home sullen with rejection, soon followed by the obligatory consoling from her friends and family.
Not finding her number on this bulletin either, Yui continued down, running into some overly-happy people along the way, and scoured through the next series of numbers. There weren't many bulletins left, making her feel uneasy.
While running her eyes through the endless strings of numbers, her eyes abruptly made a stop when she recognised one particular set. She did a double-take and looked to her exam ticket for confirmation, then, realising it matched exactly with the ID number on the bulletin, she stood still in utter disbelief before raising both her fists in the air and yelling,
"YOSSHAA!"
Several strangers joined in with her, proceeded by the marching band, football team, and cheer-leading squad that blatantly celebrated their success.
Yui hurriedly fumbled in her pocket to take out her phone, dialed a number, then impatiently waited for them to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Hey. You won't believe what I'm about to tell you."