Nagi, Yuuko, and Tooru are sitting together after school.
"It looks like Run isn't here today." Yuuko says.
Nagi says, "Yeah, I heard she broke up with Hideki. She must be taking it pretty hard. Though you know what they say, First love always ends in tragedy." she picks up romance novel, "Though sometimes they pick it up in the 3rd act."
"I just hope she's doing okay."
With a smug smile Tooru says, "Now-now, I'm sure whatever happened, it was for the best." Nagi raises an eyebrow. Tooru grabs her things and says, "Well anyway I got to go." and leaves.
Yuuko says, "I wonder where she's going."
"I think we both know the answer to that."
Tooru arrives at Run's and knocks on the door. Her mom answers, "Sorry but Run can't come out today, she's not feeling well." and gives a small polite bow. Tooru returns it and goes back home.
The next day the same thing happens. No Run at school, Tooru turned away at the door.
On the third day, finally Run is back at school, though Tooru doesn't get to see her during the day sense they have separate classes and she came in late. After school the usual 4 come together but Run says,
"Sorry but I'm still not feeling well so I think I'll just head home."
Tooru sighs and says to the others, "Well I guess it's just us thr-"
"Actually!" Nagi says, "I'm helping Yuuko sort her stuffed animals today."
"Eh, really!?" Yuuko says.
Nagi grabs her hand, "Well we better hurry if we're going to finish it all today. See you later!"
Nagi pulls Yuuko away, then Yuuko full enthusiasm Yuuko says,
"I never knew you were into things like this. So how do you want to do this? I'm ready!"
Nagi sweats, "I just said that to get us alone... Look -snaps fingers- It's only a hunch but I think somehow Tooru is responsible for breaking Run and Hideki up."
"Nagi!" Yuuko exclaims, "You shouldn't say things like that so carelessly, Tooru is our friend."
"Come on, don't you think she's been acting odd lately?"
"That's true but..."
"So it shouldn't hurt to look around a little right?"
While they discuss that Tooru now finds herself alone and her smile slowly fades as she sits down, "This isn't what I wanted at all... I just wanted things to go back to normal but now I can't even see Run. Why do things have to keep changing." She thinks back to her first day of high school meeting Run's friends who slowly became her friends, making her watery eye'd.
The next day during break, Tooru says to herself "A little gift should help break the ice again." as she carries two drinks to Run.
"Here I got you some juice."
"No thanks, I'll just get a coffee." looking down and away she says, "Hideki showed it to me." before chirping up, "It helps me stay awake in class."
She goes into the hall.
"That's not the Run I know and love!" She says looking like lighting struck just before her foot, "This is more serious than I thought."
Tooru grabs her chest, "Ugh, what's this awful thing, I'm feeling. Could it be I did something wrong... No! I'm her friend and it's my duty to cheer her up. That's all there is to it. The past is the past."
In a sudden turn she starts fawning with hands on her cheeks,
"I'll meet Run alone in her room, and then I'll tell her everything is okay, put a hand on her shoulder, console her, and then..." her face goes red, "Well I'll save that for later."
Peering in from the doorway, Nagi says to Yuuko, "See, she's totally trying to take advantage of the situation!"
"I still don't know, maybe she's just trying to be nice. "
"Ah, she's coming!" Nagi shakes Yuuko, "Quick hide!".
"Eh, where!?" she looks all around, "The hallway's completely empty!"
Tooru exits the classroom, and starts walking when she hears...
"click"
"Huh? I didn't remember that door self closing. Oh well I have more important things to worry about."
Meanwhile behind her, Nagi and Yuuko both take a sigh of relief.
Rubbing her chest Yuuko says, "Next time we hide behind a door stand in the. It bounced right off me.
"I don't think it was because you standing in the inside." Nagi looks away, "It was more a matter of size than distance."
"Huh?"
"Come on, we need to think of a way to keep Run busy, but I don't think she wants to see anyone right now..."
"I know!" Yuuko says, "Let's invite her to my house to cook."
"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before." Nagi slaps herself "Meat!"
"Actually I was thinking if we tried approaching Run directly she'd be focused on herself and how sad she is, but if we ask her to help us, then she'll be focused on that."
Nagi shakes her head side to side smiling , "Normally I'd say, only your mind works like that, but given it's Run, I think I'll have to follow your odd words."
Yuuko balls her fist and cries, "It's normal to want to help others right!?"
That day after school, Tooru calls Run's house from home. Her mom says, "Sorry with the way things are right now, Run can't see you." and hangs up.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tooru sends some messages to the others.
"They aren't responding either... What's happening!?"
Her eye's water, "Run must be feeling terrible now, and everyone is broken up, and it's all my fault!" she sobs for a while before looking up, "I can't handle this alone... I need some help."
Meanwhile at Yuuko's, she and Nagi are welcoming Run inside.
"It's good to see you, how are you doing?"
"I haven't been feeling well lately but my mom said it's good to get out."
"Well you know how family is they can't help but worry."
Nagi says "Tell me about it."
Yuuko clears the door for her, "I already got the meal started, feel free to join me in the kitchen whenever you want, or you can watch the TV until everything's done."
She goes on her way, and as Run and Nagi come into the living room, Nagi sharply turns her head, "Hold on, that's my dad on the news!" She jumps on the coach and turns up the TV volume.
Run meanwhile is carried of into the kitchen by the smell of the cooking.
"So what are you making?".
"I thought, I'd keep it simple with Curry Rice, with Miso soup on the side. Also a salad and cookies so we'd have something sweet."
"What kind?"
"I haven't decided yet." Yuuko turns her cooking sppon on Run, "What do you like?"
Run starts wondering around the kitchen, opening things without care, "Hmm, let me see what there is." Yuuko holds her hands together, and gets slight butterflies, "I wonder what she'll pick."
One minute later...
Yuuko slides into the living room, falling and getting up.
"Nagi quick, I need you in the kitchen!"
"Hold on." she says brandishing the remote "I need to see this!"
"But if you don't come now, we'll be eating Fish and Marshmallow cookies."
"Your making cookies?" she asks, "All the more reason for me to not get within the vicinity of the kitchen."
"You think your very presence, will burn them!?", Yuuko Gasps.
Nagi finally turns down the TV, her eyebrow twitches, "I meant, being tempted to eat them..."
One way or another they eventually work it all out. They sit down together to eat with the food in the middle, and Run's mouth watering at the meat.
"I didn't realize you had friends over." Keiko says entering the room.
Yuuko extends a hand, "Why don't you sit down and join us?"
"No thanks, I have student council work I need to attend to, I'll be back soon." she says, leaving in a business like shuffle. She stops in the doorway turning to Nagi, "Wait didn't I hear about you on the-" "Yes." Nagi stops her, "Please, I already know and don't want to hear any more about it."
Run nonchalantly wiggles her hand towards Nagi's plate as she says, "So your dad's a movie star?"
Nagi chops down on the table in front of Run's hand in dramatic fashion, "What do you think your doing so casually?"
Resting her hand and self back she says, "Nope, he was just on the news. That's all."
Grabbing a cookie, Yuuko asks, "But what for? Did he save a kitten from a tree?"
Crossing her arms Nagi says, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Come on, Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"You're working together now! Fine."
She rests her head on the table.
Yuuko asks, "What are you doing?"
"Maybe she feels tired after eating?"
"That's not it!" Nagi sits up, " I was making my peace with this world before I die of embarrassment. You see..."
Keiko finds the answer for herself, when she see's the hot new Gachapon set. It's the schoolgirl set, and has one looking exactly like and named Nagi!
"What why aren't you laughing?" Nagi cleans her glasses and looks again
Hearts fly around Yuuko, "I think it's sweet, he must have spent a long time designing them."
"Well of course you'd say that."
Run says, "Chear up Nagi. You might get a Manga next. Then after enough those you might appear on TV too. And even get featured on A-channel."
Nagi says, "I don't think you understand the problem but... I guess it's not so bad. It might be something cool to hold on too..."
"Aww see, you do care about your dad." Yuuko says.
"Enough of that!" Nagi swats all the hearts out of the room."Also are you really going to eat those?" She points at the cookies.
"Of course." Yuuko says, "I think they're perfect, because I there's no way I could have made something like them bymyself, so their a sign of the fun we had today."
"So why is your hand trembling the closer it gets to your mouth?" Nagi questions.
"Uhmm, well... That is..." Yuuko shakes
Suddenly it's pulled from her hand!
"Huh?"
Run takes it and two differently flavored ones, putting them under bowls, and spins them around.
"Choose one!"
"A test of courage!?" Nagi and Yuuko say in Unison.
The three finish eating, and have a full evening of fun, before Yuuko sends them both home. Taking a sigh of relief, her sister comes in, "You've sure been spending a lot of time with Run lately."
"Of course, she's my friend. She always finds a way to get me to smile and great to talk to when you find something she's interested in."
"If you say so."