It's been over a year since I've updated this story. To be honest, some things happened in the middle of me writing this chapter, and I'd lost all motivation to continue. Someone left a review the other day asking me to continue, and that made me feel motivated once more after so long. So, thank you :) I apologize if my writing style seems to be dull or lacking, but it has been a long time since the last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. Have a great day!
Monday came much more quickly than Yuzu anticipated. Exams were happening this week and although she studied as much as she could, she still felt anxious.
After getting ready and going over her notes once more, she headed out of the apartment, meeting up with Harumi halfway.
"You looked drained Yuzzuchi," Harumi said as she draped her arm over the blonde's shoulder.
"I pulled an all nighter to study, so I feel like it too," Yuzu said.
"Aw, I bet you're going to do great though so it'll be worth it," the chestnut-haired girl squeezed Yuzu.
Yuzu shot a smile towards her best friend, "Thanks Harumin! I bet you'll do well too."
"I better. My sister has been on my ass about studying and she'll be pretty angry if I don't score well..." Harumi frowned.
"Don't worry, you always score pretty high when it comes to tests, so you've got this!" Yuzu spoke cheerfully.
"What would I do without you?" Harumi gave off a warm smile, "You're always so positive about everything."
Yuzu shrugged her shoulders, wishing she could be positive for herself, as she is for her friends.
The bell rang, signaling that class was about to begin. As students began heading off to class Yuzu noticed Mei was ahead of her.
"Hey Mei!" Yuzu shouted. A few students directed their eyes towards the blonde as she caught up to the Student Council President. As Yuzu caught up, she heard a sigh from the younger girl.
"I've told you not to call me by my first name around others," Mei said in a monotone voice.
"Sorry, sorry!" Yuzu responded as they walked into their classroom. "I just wanted to say good luck is all."
Mei nodded. "Good luck to you as well," she said then sat down at her desk.
'Okay, I've studied non-stop for these exams. I can't screw this up. I don't think Mei would forgive me for it. Not only that, if I don't pass I could get expelled.'
The thought of that began to weigh into Yuzu heavily. She hadn't actually thought that far into it until this very moment. If it weren't for Mei, she wouldn't even be here right now.
Yuzu took a deep breath then sat down at her desk right as the bell rang. Harumi turned around quickly to give the blonde a thumbs up.
Tests were given out shortly after. Yuzu read the first question and was surprised she knew the answer right away. As the time passed by, Yuzu flew through the exam and was finished early. Looking up, she noticed Mei was finished with hers as well and had pulled out a book to read.
'That's no surprise. She was probably the first one done' Yuzu thought to herself as she mindlessly stared at Mei while smiling. 'She looks so peaceful when she's reading...'
Mei must've felt eyes on her, as suddenly she looked back at Yuzu. Quickly averting her eyes, the blonde pulled out a book to cover her blushing face.
A few seconds passed by, Yuzu lowered the book to peek at Mei once again. Noticing Mei wasn't looking back anymore, Yuzu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'That was awkward. She probably thinks I'm a weirdo for staring at her!'
The bell rang and students were asked to bring their tests up front. Although Yuzu was sure she did well, she couldn't wait to see her results.
"That test was a lot more difficult than last year," Harumi groaned.
"Was it? Maybe we should go reward ourselves for getting through it after school!" Yuzu suggested.
Harumi smirked, "You seem awfully confident Yuzzuchi, but that'll have to wait. I promised my sister I'd be home after school today."
Yuzu pouted, "Aw, but it's been so long since you and I have hung out just the two of us!"
Patting the blonde's head, Harumi gave her an apologetic smile, "I know, I know, but, it'll just have to wait. Once we get the exam results in, I'll be able to hang more."
Yuzu sighed, but nodded her head. "I just hope I get a decent score..."
The bell rang abruptly and the two headed off to finish the rest of the school day.
...
The remainder of the school week went by fairly quickly. It was already Friday and exam results were going to be posted by next Monday.
Yuzu was impatiently tapping her nails on her desk. Harumi couldn't help but notice and turned around to look at the blonde.
"Are you still that anxious Yuzucchi?" Harumi looked to her friend with a nervous expression.
"Of course I am. Why are they making us wait until next week? This is driving me crazy," Yuzu whined as she gently lay her head on her desk.
"Look, you've got to calm down. I bet you did grea-"
Suddenly Mei walked over to the two, causing Harumi to stop mid-sentence.
"Uh, hey Prez," Harumi gave a small wave towards Mei.
Mei nodded her head, making eye contact with Yuzu for a moment before looking away and then back to the blonde again. "My Grandfather would like you to meet for dinner Saturday evening. I will also be attending."
Yuzu gave Mei a confused look, "Dinner? Why?"
"I was not given details, I was only asked to pass the message onto you," Mei averted her eyes again while responding.
'Why does she keep looking away...?' Yuzu wondered. She's barely talked to Mei since the exams, so she couldn't have done something wrong, right?
"Are you sure you weren't given details?" Yuzu seemed skeptical by the way Mei was acting.
Nodding her head once again, Mei picked up her belongings and began heading out the door.
"Hey wait!" Quickly picking up her bag, she followed Mei out the door. "Mei, wait up will ya?!" Yuzu sped up her pace to catch up with the raven-haired girl.
Abruptly stopping, Yuzu ran into Mei causing her to fall backwards. A quiet sigh could be heard from the younger girl.
"Must you always be so clumsy?" Mei rolled her eyes as she put out her hand to help Yuzu up.
After being pulled up, Yuzu brushed herself off and began searching into Mei's violets for an answer to why she was acting so strange.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Mei asked. Yuzu noticed the girl's ears had gone a dark shade of pink.
Yuzu shook her head, "Sorry, I've just been really nervous about the exam results and dinner with the chairman kind of worries me. Did I fail the exams or something?!"
A slight chuckle could be heard coming from the taller girl. "You'll just have to wait and see won't you?" Mei then turned to walk away, but before departing she spoke once more. "Ah, and Okogi-San, you were reading your book upside down again."
Yuzu crossed her arms and tried to hide her deep blush by looking away, not knowing what to say in response. Before she knew it, Mei was already out of sight.
'I'm such an idiot for getting caught staring!' Yuzu rolled her eyes, knowing she should've been more careful.
...
Yuzu was getting ready for the evening dinner she was having with Mei and her grandfather. Feeling extremely nervous, she couldn't help but wonder if she did something wrong. Surely Mei would've told her though, rather than waiting out.
"Mei acted like she doesn't know what this dinner meet up is about, but the way she responded seemed like she knew more," Yuzu spoke out loud to herself. "And being around her makes me nervous as is, but now I'll have to hang out with the old man too."
Giving out a deep sigh, the worried girl decided she would just hope for the best in whatever situation she was about to be put in.
'Looks like it's about time for me to head over,' Yuzu thought nervously as she finished the final touches for her makeup and hair.
Before heading out, Yuzu gave her mother a hug and let her know she'd text her when she arrives at her destination.
"Have a good night sweetheart! And don't forget to be nice," Ume warned her daughter, knowing she'd been a lot better the past few weeks, but still had a short temper when it came to authorities.
Yuzu rolled her eyes when she turned away from her mother and waved goodbye.
Shortly after arriving at the chairman's mansion, Yuzu thought about just turning back around and going home. Her throat felt dry and her heart was beating rapidly. She hadn't been this nervous in a while, and hated not knowing what to expect. Before she could actually go through with that plan, she noticed Mei walking outside towards the gate.
Yuzu couldn't help but stare in awe at just how beautiful Mei always looked. It's almost as if the way Mei casually walked towards her was happening in slow motion.
"Yuzu?" Mei spoke, taking the older girl out of her daze.
The blonde shook her head, finally noticing Mei was standing right in front of her. "Hi, uh sorry, I'm here!"
Mei gave Yuzu a deadpan look, "Obviously. Dinner should be ready soon, follow me."
Perking up, Yuzu followed behind the raven-haired girl. Her brain seemed to short circuit as she almost thought about reaching out for the girls hand. Luckily, she stopped herself before her fingertips reached Mei's hand.
'What the heck is wrong with me? I can't just go out and grab Mei's hand in front of the chairman's house,' Yuzu mentally scolded herself.
"My grandfather will be here shortly. I apologize for the delay," Mei said before taking a seat at an overly sized dining table.
Yuzu smiled in an attempt to hide her nervousness, "No worries Mei, you don't have to apologize!"
Instead of Mei responding to that, she said something that threw Yuzu off guard.
"You seem nervous. You shouldn't be," Mei looked away from a moment before giving off the slightest smile. "Although, I do find it amusing."
Yuzu furrowed her eyebrows at that remark, "Hey, that's not very nice, Mei! What's to find amusing? Of course I'd be nervous meeting up for dinner with your gramps and also-" Suddenly, Yuzu stopped herself. "Wait, did you said I shouldn't be nervous?"
Mei only nodded her head in return. By now she didn't seem surprised by the blondes little outbursts before actually taking in all the information.
Yuzu sat for a moment waiting for a reply, but when she didn't get one, she decided to speak up again. "Alright, so why shouldn't I be?"
Before Mei could answer, her grandfather walked into the dining room. "I apologize for being so late. A meeting had me held up longer than I had anticipated," the man spoke in his usual serious tone. "Thank you for being here Okogi-San."
Yuzu didn't speak until she felt a small kick at her shin from under the table, "Ow, uh I mean, thanks for having me." Yuzu squinted her eyes quickly towards the girl next to her, before looking back towards the old man, hoping he didn't notice.
The three were sitting down at the table in silence before food was brought out to them. Luckily, it didn't take too long because Yuzu wasn't sure if she could handle the awkward tension for much longer.
The older man cleared his throat, looking over to Yuzu. "I know this may come as a surprise to you, considering the faults in your past, but your accomplishments have been noticed."
Yuzu's eyes widened, as it did come to a surprise to her that the chairman, of all people, would say that to her. She grinned shyly, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's all thanks to Mei, honestly! She's kind of made me a better person." Yuzu hoped she wasn't embarrassing the younger girl, but it was true. She did get into a little trouble every now and then, but at least her grades were better than ever.
"I know the results aren't officially to be announced until Monday, but I wanted to be the first to let you know Okogi-San..."
The blonde suddenly felt nervous again, as it felt like it was taking forever to hear what he was about to say.
"You placed 97th on the exams. You will not be expelled," he finally spoke and for a moment it almost looked like a glimpse of a smile appeared on his face.
Yuzu couldn't help but jump up in her seat, letting out a breath she'd been holding in unknowingly. The man grunted quietly, but seemingly let the girl have a moment to celebrate.
"I do expect you will continue to succeed though of course," he said before taking a bite of his food.
Yuzu eventually sat down to compose herself and smiled toward the older man, "I've done this well so far, so I'll just keep trying to get better, especially if I have Mei around to help me." Looking over to the raven-haired girl who'd been quiet the whole time, Yuzu secretly grabbed a hold of the girl's hand underneath the table. "Thank you for giving me that second chance. I won't let you down," she said giving Mei's hand a slight squeeze. Mei's eyes widened, as a blush crept upon her cheeks.
Anyone else would think what Yuzu said was directed towards the chairman, except Mei knew Yuzu meant something else entirely. Instead of pulling back, as Yuzu expected, Mei held the girl's hand in return and gave a small squeeze back causing Yuzu to blush as well.
After dinner, Mei's grandfather had to leave for a late meeting, leaving the two girls alone once more. Mei decided to spend her time working on a few papers for student council, while the blonde idly looked through her phone, every so often sneaking a few glances toward the younger girl.
Usually they'd part ways, but things felt different today.
"Hey Mei?" Yuzu looked up from her phone, "You knew I passed before he told me today, didn't you?"
Mei sat her pen down and turned around from her desk. "It's possible that I did know. Of course, if I told you then, you'd have no reason to be here right now."
'Woah,' Yuzu's eyes widened in shock, 'What exactly is she getting at here...?'
Yuzu set her phone to the side, sitting up more in the bed. "So, you do like spending time with me then?" Smirking toward the younger girl, Yuzu wondered what kind of answer she'd get.
"You're not so bad, I guess," Mei responded while shrugging her shoulders.
Yuzu pondered for a moment, not sure if she should ask Mei what she wanted to, but it seemed that the signals were apparent at the moment. Sliding off the bed, Yuzu began walking towards Mei. Mei peered up to the blonde, giving her a questioning look.
"Can you be honest with me for a moment?" Yuzu asked, feeling confident for the time being.
Mei nodded in response, as if she knew what Yuzu was about to ask.
Slowly leaning down towards Mei, Yuzu spoke in a quieter tone, "If I kissed you right now, would you hate me for it?"
Once again, it felt as if time stood still and all Yuzu could hear was her own erratic heartbeat. She wasn't sure exactly what pulled her into where she was right now, asking such a question to the girl who denied her twice before. From the first time their lips touched, Yuzu could've swore she was falling in love. It felt like it right now especially. She just couldn't keep her heart rate steady and she sure as hell had trouble keeping her eyes away from the raven-haired girl. What felt like an eternity to the older girl, finally came to a faster pace as Mei began to stand up from her chair. A thick wall of tension that had been between the two since Yuzu got here earlier collapsed, as the younger girl leaned her face towards Yuzu's.
Understanding what was happening, Yuzu closed her eyes and filled the space between the two. Yuzu pressed hard against Mei's lips, feeling all the nervousness and excitement come out at once. It seemed Mei might've felt the same way, as she pressed harder against the blondes lips as well, slyly swiping her tongue across Yuzu's bottom lip. Opening her eyes in surprise for a moment, Yuzu smiled into the kiss, closing her eyes once more, as she decided to let Mei have her way.
Mei slipped her tongue into Yuzu's mouth, pushing the blonde back bit by bit until they fell back onto the bed. Pulling back for a moment, Mei looked down to Yuzu, "Does this answer your question?" Looking up to Mei, Yuzu was in disbelief at what was happening. Before she could even say anything though, Mei leaned back down to kiss the blonde's neck, leading slowly back up to lightly bite Yuzu's bottom lip. A small whimper came from Yuzu and a dark shade of red covered her face.
'This is insane! I don't know what's going on but I think Mei is finally being honest with me about her feelings.'
Yuzu couldn't stay in her own thoughts for much longer as the kisses started to become more heated and passionate, but before she could truly grasp what was happening, it ended. "I hope that suffices for now," Mei said as she pulled back again, staring into Yuzu's emerald eyes.
"For now? Is this you telling me how you feel?" Yuzu hoped asking this wouldn't push the younger girl away.
Mei rose up and moved to sit next to the Yuzu. Yuzu sat up from her position and waited patiently for Mei to speak.
Sighing quietly, Mei closed her eyes and leaned her head onto Yuzu's shoulder. "I'll admit I haven't been entirely honest. I can also admit though, that I wasn't sure about anything until recently," Mei paused for a moment and took a hold of Yuzu's hand. "I do have to be held to high standards and I'm expected to be perfect at whatever I do. It becomes exhausting, but I feel...good when I'm with you."
Finally opening her eyes and looking back at Yuzu, Mei noticed a small tear falling from the girl's cheek.
"Did I say something wrong?" Mei sounded worried, as she pulled away for a moment. Yuzu pulled her back and wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl and held her tightly.
"You didn't say anything wrong, Mei. It just makes me really happy to know that I make you feel that way." Giving off a huge smile, Yuzu pushed a few loose strands of hair away from Mei's face. "You make me feel that way too. I know I don't have to deal with the same things you do, but with all your help, you've made me feel like I can actually accomplish something for once."
Smiling in return, Mei leaned her head back on Yuzu's shoulder. "Could we stay like this for a little while?"
"We can..." Yuzu responded, feeling excitement fill her again. This whole evening felt like a dream and she really didn't want it to end. Just the other day, Mei was pushing her away, telling her there wasn't anything between them. Looking onto her shoulder now, the girl she's been hopelessly falling for had admitted there actually was something after all.
But how long could it last, Yuzu wondered.
'I hope we can stay like this...' was her final thought before leaning her head onto Mei's and dozing off.