Yui: Our Complicated Lives

Akarin!

Chinatsu: Hey! Yuru Yuri: Amusement Club Forever is about to start!

Haruka: All set for today's chapter, Chinatsu?

Chinatsu: You bet! It features Yui-senpai, the greatest character in this entire story.

Haruka: Yes, she's a lot of fun.

Chinatsu: And you get to see her all the time. Why is that?

Haruka: Well, we're in high school together.

Chinatsu: Humph. Just wait until I'm in high school. Then she and I will be together again at last!

Chinatsu clasps her hands together.

Chinatsu: And we'll do all the things that high schoolers do together, like jump-flip across balconies or find weird ways to cure the hiccups, and after school, we'll….oh….

Haruka: Zzz…zzz…zzz…

Chinatsu: What…hey! Are you asleep? Wake up!

Chinatsu reaches over and shakes Haruka.

Haruka: Gah-what?! I wasn't asleep!

Chinatsu: You were, senpai. Let's just start the chapter before you fall asleep again.


BANG!

The team captain fired the starting pistol, and Yui sped off down the track. It was another practice run, of course, and Yui gave it her all. The team Captain was still trying to decide if Yui would stick to long-distance events or shorter ones. Yui had done well at both types during practice so far, and she wasn't sure where she would finally end up.

After practice was done, she milled about with the other first year girls on the team. But Yui couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She wasn't sure if it was because she was new or because the words Ayano had said to her the other day wouldn't leave her mind.

So much of what Ayano said was right, but I don't know. This is all so confusing, so complicated. Does it have to be? Am I just making things difficult for myself by overthinking everything?

Looking up from her reverie, she noticed Takaya, the team's Vice-Captain, walking over to her.

"Funami-san," Takaya said. "Excellent work today."

"Thank you."

"However, we still don't have your club form. Please take care of that if you really intend to join."

"Understood."

"I know it's just one form, but it is required, and I'd rather not have anyone from the Student Council breathing down my neck about this sort of thing. Rise-chan would be very disappointed in me, and the Captain, well, you see how she is. Personally speaking, I also want to make sure everyone on the team is really committed to it. While having the club form completed might not necessarily mean one is completely devoted, not having it might make some question that girl's dedication. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. I'll take care of it."

"Good!" Takaya smiled brightly at her. "See you next practice."

As Yui watched Takaya walk off the athletic field, the sense of something being out of order wouldn't go away.

I'm doing well. My teammates are friendly. The club leaders are two girls I can really look up to, especially the Vice-Captain. So why does it feel like this is off, like it's the wrong place for me to be?

With practice over, Yui headed back into the main school building. Without thinking, she found herself walking past her classroom and down the far corridor on the first floor. She came to a corner in the hallway and stood in front of a door she had become very familiar with in her first six months of high school. A little placard that '1-42' hung on the wall right next to it. She wasn't sure why she had suddenly found the resolve to come to this place.

What am I doing? What will I say if they're actually there?

She knocked on the door. No answer. She tried the door and found it was locked. She realized that she should have expected all three of them to have gone home by this time of the day. She took a key from her pocket and turned it over in her hand. She unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Nothing had changed in the club room. She hadn't expected anything would have. There were a few board games neatly stacked on the shelf, and Yui knew there were a few more in the metal cabinet. On the shelf stood a pretty vase made of green-colored glass that had some silk flowers in it. Haruka had brought that in back when they had been working on Funmusement for the Cultural Festival. She had thought it would liven up the room. There was a manga volume lying next to the vase. Yui picked it up. There was Mirakurun on the cover, pointing her finger upward and twirling her wand. Yui flipped through it a bit, and recognized the art style and writing immediately. It was one of Kyouko's creations. She sighed and put it back down on the shelf.

She stepped out of the room then turned to look back into it once more. Here was where she and Kyouko had argued, and here was maybe where she could put things right, if that was still possible. She had decided now that she wanted to at least try. She closed the club room door and locked it back up. It was time for her to leave the school for the day and go home; there would be no opportunity for reconciliation until tomorrow. There was nothing to hear as she walked down the empty hallway expect her own footsteps.


The next day, Yui found that whatever had strengthened her resolve the previous day hadn't gone away. If anything, it felt stronger.

It's because of that persistent feeling of wrongness, she thought as walked to school, that I'm not doing what I should be doing.

She didn't try to talk to Kyouko, Chizuru, or Haruka during their class break or during lunch. And the three of them had apparently given up on talking to her. She ate her lunch on the school roof as usual, trying to figure out how exactly she'd go about doing what she wanted to do.

Now I'm on the other side of this, I guess. Will they forgive me? I brushed off and ignored Chizuru and Haruka. I snapped at Ayano. They were all just trying to help. I could have responded more friendly to Kyouko when she tried to approach me, but I guess wasn't ready to yet. I feel like I am now, but is it too late?

After school, Yui waited until the three Amusement Club members left the classroom. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself down the hallway to the club room. She stopped in front of the room and took one more deep breath. She reached out to knock on the club room door, and suddenly the resolve that had been so strong since the previous afternoon faltered.

No, I can't do this.

She turned and walked quickly down the hallway, away from the Amusement Club room door. She wasn't sure what had suddenly made her so hesitant. She had experienced nerves before, but never had they gotten the better of her like this.

If you don't say anything to her, then nothing will change.

Ayano had been right, of course. But getting to the point of saying something or anything was more difficult than Yui would have anticipated. She racked her brain for a way to take the final step that she needed to take.

Maybe I could bring something to help me out. There's a convenience store near the school. They should have what I need. If I hurry, I can get something there and make it back to the Amusement Club room while there's still plenty of time in the day.

She took off down the hall, running like she did in track practice. Being fast, she found, was definitely useful.

"Hey, no running in the halls!" someone yelled behind her. "Can nobody in this school follow the rules?!"


For the third time, she approached the club room door. She was certain this time. She knew that the others were in there and that she was ready. She felt nervous but wasn't going to run away. Steeling herself, Yui knocked on the club room door.

The door opened, and a familiar brunette girl with large brown eyes looked back at her in surprise. It was Haruka.

"Yui?" she said.

"Please excuse me," Yui said, bowing some. "May I come in?"

"Sure…"

Yui followed her into the club room. She saw Chizuru sitting on one side of the table, a game of chess in front of her. The seat across from her was empty; Yui assumed Haruka had been sitting there. At the table next to Chizuru, with a textbook and notebook in front of her sat Kyouko. Yui was a bit bemused to see that Kyouko was actually doing her homework. Chizuru's face was inscrutable as ever as she greeted Yui. Kyouko looked up from her homework, but said nothing. Whether she looked sad or hopeful, Yui couldn't quite tell.

"I came to apologize," Yui said, bowing. "To all three of you and to talk some, if that's okay."

"It's absolutely okay!" Haruka said. "Right?"

Chizuru didn't reply, but leaned forward and nodded her head slightly. Kyouko neither moved nor said anything.

"I brought some ice-cream," Yui said, holding up the bag. "I got the kinds each of you like too." She thought maybe Kyouko perked up a little after she said that and hoped she actually saw that and that it wasn't just wishful thinking. Yui took the ice-cream cups from the bag. She handed the cherry-vanilla to Chizuru, the green tea to Haruka, and the rum raisin to Kyouko.

"Thank you, Yui," Chizuru said.

"Thanks, Yui," Kyouko said in barely more than a whisper.

"Please, sit down," Haruka said, gesturing to the empty seat next to her.

"And thank you," Yui said, taking the chair next Haruka. "I guess-"

"Wait." Chizuru held up her hand.

"Yes?"

"Haruka," Chizuru said. "Let's go eat this on the roof, so that these two can talk. Okay?"

"Ah…okay!" Haruka answered.

Both of them got up and headed for the door.

"We'll see you later, Yui," Chizuru said as she walked out the door. "And I hope to see you around much more once again."

"It would be really good to talk with you again, Yui!" Haruka called as she followed Chizuru. She closed the club room door behind her.

For a moment, neither Yui nor Kyouko said anything as they sat across from each other at table. Kyouko hadn't even opened the ice cream Yui had brought her. Yui wondered if that was good or bad.

It's like a staring contest. Who will blink first?

Yui decided she would. "Kyouko…"

"Yui, I'm sorry!" Kyouko suddenly wailed. There were tears streaming down her face.

"Wait, Kyouko-"

"I am sorry! I screwed up, and then you were angry, and then things got even worse," she sobbed.

"Please, calm down. We're here to talk."

"I know, and I'm sorry!"

"Do you know what you're apologizing for, Kyouko?"

"For all of it! I didn't do what I said I'd do, I skipped out on my work, and I followed you around and annoyed you."

Okay, that's weird. Did you somehow hear what I said to Ayano the other day? Or did she tell you? Oh well.

Yui smiled. "Much of that's just part of who you are. No, it was something else in particular."

"What do you mean, Yui?" she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"It's…that you and…" Okay, no, I can't say it exactly. There's got to be a better way to tell her. "It's related to the first thing you mentioned. Remember when we agreed that you and I would go together and see what the other clubs had done for the Cultural Festival?"

"Oh…and then we didn't."

"Yeah. And because we didn't, I guess I used you not filling out the Cultural Festival form as an excuse to lash out at you."

"I…see."

"And I was wrong to do that. And for that, I'm sorry."

"No, you don't have anything to apologize for, Yui. It was…all me. I messed up."

"I messed up too, Kyouko. And I handled it badly."

"But I started it all by just running off…"

"And I could have responded better." Ayano was right. Who's at fault is beside the point, because we're both at fault.

"Well, I forgive you for that, Yui."

"So easily?"

"Yes. I want things to go back to the way they were. I want you around again. I want this sick feeling that's been in my stomach ever since we argued to go away."

And I want this feeling of wrongness to go away.

Yui looked down at table, uncertain what to say next. Then it came to her.

"Kyouko," she said. "We really do complicate each other's lives sometimes, don't we? But…"

Yui looked back up at her.

"Yes?" Kyouko asked.

"I also want us to be friends again."

"You…you do?" Kyouko said, sniffing.

"I guess everything that's happened has made me realize that I need that complication in my life. That I need you around, your spontaneity, your humor, your…everything."

"You mean that?"

"I do. And we still might have arguments going forward-"

"No, I don't want to ever argue with you again, Yui!"

"That's a tall order. We might still have quarrels, but in the future let's try to work them out as two friends who care about each other."

"I'll try if you will, but I still think it's better if we didn't argue at all."

"Fair enough."

"And…Yui…I…." Kyouko started crying again.

Every now and then, you remind me of what you were like as a little kid, Kyouko. Yui got up, walked around the table and hugged her friend. Kyouko squeezed her back.

"Now , now, us making up doesn't make you that upset, does it?" Yui asked.

Kyouko laughed a little through her sobs. "Very funny, Yui. Please don't leave again."

"I'm not going anywhere. I couldn't even if I wanted to, given how tightly you're holding me here."

Kyouko laughed again. "This is how things should be, right?"

"Yes, this is how they should be."

"Hey, Yui?"

"Yes?"

"If you really want to ensure that our friendship is ironclad again, well, there's that really long math homework assignment that we got today…"

Yui laughed. "Don't push your luck, Kyouko."

"I had to try." She had stopped crying now.

"Do it yourself, and if you're still working on it tomorrow, I'll help you."

"Really? You'll let me copy yours?"

"I said I'd help you. I didn't say anything about copying."

"Copying would be super-helpful though!"

Yui pulled away from Kyouko's embrace, still smiling at her friend. "Kyouko, you're hopeless."

"So people like to tell me." Kyouko wiped at her face again, and suddenly her blue eyes were dancing with merriment. "Say, Yui, there is one thing we could do."

"What's that?"

Kyouko pointed at the chess board Chizuru and Haruka had been playing on. All the pieces were still in the positions they had left them in.

"You want to play…oh." Yui saw what her friend had in mind. "If we're going to do that, let's at least arrange the chess pieces so that Haruka's winning and give that poor girl a break. I don't think she's ever beaten Chizuru, unless that's happened since I've been away from the club."

"I like that idea. But don't forget, you're the one who suggested it out loud."

"Right, right."

"So, what are you going to do about the Track Team?" Kyouko asked as they moved the pieces around on the chess board.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet. But, if I'm going to be remaining in the Amusement Club and if you'll have me back as a member-"

"Ooh, have you back?" Kyouko grinned at her. "Well, we probably ought to have some sort of penalty for you abandoning the club in the first place."

"We have club penalties? Since when?"

"Since now. Funami Yui, for briefly forsaking your membership in the Amusement Club, you have to buy me more ice cream. You know what flavor."

Yui chuckled. "I can do that."

"Oh, and you have to make that sausage curry for me."

"Okay. We'll have it the next time you sleep over, then."

"And you have to let me copy your math homework! No, not just that, you have let me copy all your homework for the rest of the term. No, the rest of our first year of high school!"

POW! Yui reached over and bonked Kyouko. A small bump rose on her head.

"Owie…but you know, I really missed that," Kyouko said, rubbing her head. "And I think the running made your stronger, Yui."

"And here I was worried I'd be out of practice," Yui replied. "Also, I didn't answer your question. I never turned in the Track Team form, so I'm still not officially a member. And I don't think I'm going to join."

"I see…you won't get in any trouble, will you?"

"I shouldn't." She smiled at Kyouko again. "But if I do, my club president will come and help me, right?"

"You bet, Yui! Now help me finish setting this up before Chizuru and Haruka come back."