A/N: TPS's going to be updating a little more frequently these days! Until Chapter 13, that is.

Enjoy!

[Chapter 10]: Summer Ahead

Never before did Ayato think he would be grateful for summer exams approaching. In past years, it meant tests and his summer job looming on the horizon. This time around, it meant that Ami, Kurimu, and Hejjiguchi would be extremely irresponsible to think about romance instead of their studies. Yuri had lost count of how many times Ayato had breathed a sigh of relief to see the three of them eating lunch in their homeroom and having a study session together.

However, there were those who still brought infatuation into the exam period. He'd had to swallow his snickering in History class lately as at least five girls – and two boys – had come up to Masuda to bat their lashes and ask for tutoring. It appeared their term-long snoozing had come back to bite them in the ass. And Masuda clearly didn't know what to do with all this attention. He acted cool, but he was more of a chameleon in class who didn't like being discovered. The joke was still on the students though, because from what Ayato heard, Masuda was a strict mentor.

When refused, some of them turned their eyes on Ayato – for maybe two seconds, before sweating the thought and looking away. He elected not to blame them in this case – who would want a Naoi as a tutor? Besides, being invisible or avoided was preferable during exam season. It wasn't like he could help them after hours, or that he even wanted to. He would rather die than heap on that responsibility.

Even between him and Yuri, the mood shifted to studying. It was the oddest thing – he had never seen her wearing glasses before. But she had a pair of them – deep red – for reading, and she adjusted them a lot. Like a nervous tick. Sometimes she restlessly fanned through the textbook pages. In the heat of the day, he didn't mind that one at all.

He didn't mind any of them, really. Particularly when he took into account that these were some of his last days at school with Yuri, and then he'd be left with forty-something days of uncertainty and Kimito. God help him.

Instead, he found her study quirks endearing, though he tried to disguise his observations by stealthy looks and hiding behind his pages. She drank her coffee slower; though he imagined she'd need it more, she would most blasphemously forget about it. Grades were a higher tier for her. Less coffee meant less lip-licking and more frustrated lip-biting. He worried for her mouth by the end of the term. The lip-biting was usually followed by a growl, a raspier version of her thoughtful hum.

At times, when it got to hair-pulling, he would decide to step in. He was sure she spent more time going over this stuff at home than he did, but he still wanted to help if he could. She would bounce irritations and ideas off of him.

His favorite thing was when she was in the middle of explaining the problem aloud to him, and her eyes would suddenly light up in realization. Just hearing it out loud cleared things up for her. He didn't have to do a damn thing and he'd be a help to her. It was very self-satisfying for both parties involved.

In turn, she was an excellent partner herself. Her persuasion skills leaked into her mentoring: she had a way of being matter-of-fact and having everything make sense, having all the pieces fit together. Though it was no news to him that she was clever, something told him that with her charms she could direct an entire army if she wanted.

He had more study time at home, but of course that didn't mean Kimito was entirely happy about it. Ayato stretched once in the club room and his sleeves fell long enough for Yuri to notice. Commence more lip-biting.

"Those look like they hurt," she said.

Ayato rotated his arm, as if modeling it. Really he was inspecting the bruises himself. They were as normal to him as arm hair.

"He probably thinks human flesh is like clay," he said, after a minute or two. "If you apply the right amount of pressure, you can make it do whatever you want."

She quirked her mouth, unamused. Lowered her eyes. Returned to studying.

Ayato was, in his personal opinion, especially good at dissuading Yuri from bringing it up.

Another plus – even when they did run into Ami or Hejjiguchi outside of class, Yuri used that charisma of hers to wheedle them out of a lingering confrontation. It was her way of apologizing for the little trick she played on that fateful Friday.

"Sorry, we'd love to talk but we have studying to do," she'd say. Or, even, "Oops, now that you mention it, I left my book in the classroom. Ayato, would you please come help me find it?"

Hejjiguchi was surprisingly more persistent than Ami. "Need any extra help?"

"Sorry!" Yuri chirped. "Three's a crowd!"

This made Hejjiguchi hesitate at first, but then he recovered with a grin. "True. But what about a golden trio?"

"I think you've already got one of those," she said, then clutched the fabric of Ayato's uniform. "Sorry, but we really have to duck out now."

Hejjiguchi just chuckled merrily. "Alright. I'll catch you later, Yuri!"

"I bet you will!" Yuri threw over her shoulder with a laugh, and she and Ayato escaped around a corner.

Once they were halfway down the hallway, out of earshot, Ayato squinted at her. "He called you Yuri. You're on a first name basis with him?"

Yuri shrugged it off like it was nothing. "I told you we live close to each other."

"But he used to call you Nakamura."

"So he's been talking to me more these days," she replied. "Don't worry, I don't tell him anything he wants to know about you. Mostly he just wants to talk with me."

"I'll bet." Ayato folded his arms across his chest.

They kept walking, past Yuri's classroom. She had all the books she really needed. The stone border was their destination this time; even if today was breezy, they had agreed they weren't feeling the club room today.

"When he's not irritating you, he's not doing anything wrong. And he can actually be pretty funny."

"Traitor," he spat – good-naturedly of course.

Yuri scoffed at him, holding her lunch close to her chest. "No. Not a traitor. Just open-minded. I'm on your side, alright? What, you think I'm going to start having lunch with him?"

He gave a small shrug before he opened the door for her. She leaned against it to prop it open for him in return, and he watched over his shoulder as he headed out into the July heat.

"I don't know, Nakamura. Isn't that what you do when you and Hejjiguchi grow to be best pals?"

The door swung shut behind her. "I want you to be clear with me right now," she said tersely. "Are you actually mad about this? About me being friends with someone else? Or, rather, me even talking to someone else?"

She was staring at him with a sharp, digging look, one that forced him to do some digging himself. Her look and her phrasing gave something inside him a nervous twinge.

His mother didn't have other friends. When she talked to another man (or hell, even a woman) for too long, on the phone or in public, his dad got the same look on his face as he did when she made the "brainpower" comment.

Kimito thought he was all she would need for company, but in truth, she was very isolated.

"No," Ayato admitted. "I'm not mad about that."

They started walking towards the stone border, in sync with each other. "What then?"

"I'm not mad at you at all. The guy just irritates me." He kicked some gravel out of the way, into the grass. "The comment about my dad, the corny winks and thumbs up…" He frowned. "Even his blue hair."

"His hair annoys you?" Yuri was biting back a grin.

He scratched his own head. "There's just something about it, I don't know what."

"I think you're in love."

He spun his head around so fast he might have needed an exorcist, only for his wide eyes to meet teasing ones, and he realized she meant Hejjiguchi.

"Oh, please," said Ayato, snorting. "First Kurimu, now Hejjiguchi? What am I doing, building some kind of harem?"

Yuri nodded cheerily. "Yep, and Ami's next!"

Ayato made it to the stone border and sat down first. "I'm glad you don't have jealousy issues." He grinned at her and patted her usual place on the rock bench next to him.

Smirking, she took the invitation, sat down, and opened the lunch in her lap. "Only when it comes to Kimito."

Only a handful of times did Yuri have to get them out of a conversation with Hejjiguchi. Ami might have been just as hard to shake off, but they didn't run into her as much. And Kurimu? That girl was not a problem. Not yet, at least. It was extremely rare that she crossed their path alone, and when she did, she passed him without incident. The most she gave him was a bright, cheerful hello once or twice.

That girl. So polite, so petite, so pure. He knew there were plenty of boys who liked her kind of doe-eyed, ribbon-haired look. Personally, it unnerved him. Kimito could squash that kind of girl with his pinkie finger. Ayato preferred not to mess with little angels; they were the girls of tragic love stories.

Or the girls who ended up like his mother.

Or both.

As it was, Kurimu and crew often kept their noses in their books until exams rolled around (as enforced by the little princess herself). During exam week, if Hejjiguchi or Ami tried to get his attention, the teacher would stifle it then and there with a, "Pipe down, you." Ayato had never loved teachers more.

One plus of him not being invisible in class anymore, one he would admit to, was that he could no longer tune anything out. He was focusing more on the board than the clock or the window. He'd learned that if he was daydreaming in class, then obviously he must be lost in love. If his eyes were on the teacher, any distractions from the troublesome trio would be them getting in the way of his classwork. Sweet, bookish, school-abiding Kurimu couldn't have that!

Oh, bless her dear little heart. He had to admit, she was the lesser of two or three evils.

Thanks to her, albeit indirectly, he knew what he was doing on the exams. Some credit would have to go to Yuri for their study sessions, but he was just glad at least some good had come out of this stupid conspiracy.

It was not much of a relief when the testing period came to an end. Kimito knew about it and was less lenient when it came to study time, he had two more weeks guaranteed with Yuri, and classes became more lighthearted. Now, instead of the blissful silence of study time, he had to hear people prattle on about their vacation plans. He tried to put his own shields up with a book, but it didn't save him every day.

"Hi, Naoi!" The rosy-haired demon of the troublesome trio stood at his desk, beaming. He had no choice but to lower his shields. "Do you have any plans for the break?"

He did his best to give her a blank, unwelcoming look. It was none of her business and he wouldn't put stalking past this girl.

Ami was undeterred by his silence. Or she hadn't expected an answer.

"Because Kurimu and I were thinking of going to the beach as much as we can, to build up our tans and stuff." She brightened even more, starry-eyed and clasping her hands together. "If you and Hejjiguchi came along, it could be like a double-date!"

Hejjiguchi and Ayato cringed simultaneously, and Ayato almost wanted to laugh. He forgot that they actually agreed on something.

"Ami, you're gonna have to count me out on that one." Hejjiguchi gave a great shudder, like a dog shaking off the remnants of a fall in the pool. "I've told you I'm not going anywhere near water."

Ayato perked up. Well, if Hejjiguchi wasn't going…

"And I told you that it's just water!" Ami said, putting her hands on her hips. She seemed very passionate on the beach idea; one dissent from her friend had already caused her eye to twitch. "Besides, you wouldn't have to be in the ocean the whole time."

All that got was a whiny little scoffing grunt and a look the other way.

Kurimu stepped up, glowing with hopefulness. "What Ami's trying to say is that you don't have to go into the water at all if you don't want to. There's lots of fun stuff to do at the beach even if you don't know how to swim!"

While Hejjiguchi winced, Ayato suppressed a snort. Mr. Positivity couldn't swim? And here he would have pegged him as the lifeguard type.

"Please?" Kurimu coaxed. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

Hejjiguchi was caught between a frown and a softened expression. Ami's and Kurimu's eyes were completely on him, much to Ayato's amazement. It occurred to him in a surge of pleasant surprise that he wasn't part of this conversation anymore. He reached for his book.

"I'll think about it," said Hejjiguchi, laughing nervously, "but that is way unfair. You know I can't say no to that face."

"Great!" Ami clapped her hands, startling Ayato. "What about you, Naoi? Can you say no to Kurimu?"

Damn, he'd been so close. And this was a double-edged sword, wasn't it? Of course he could say no to their group's little princess. But then that would help solidify his role as the "bad boy."

"Sorry," he said, deciding it couldn't be helped, "but I do have plans."

"With Yuri?" That was Hejjiguchi's voice.

Ayato glanced at them over his shoulder and shook his head. "With work."

Disappointment crept over Ami's face. Notably not over Kurimu's; unsurprisingly not over Hejjiguchi's. "What, all summer?"

A nod. "That's right."

"Well, pooh!" Ami kicked the air. She smiled at him sweetly; Ayato was beginning to suspect Yuri's theory about Ami liking him might have some validity to it. "We'll have to visit you sometime, I guess. Aren't you going to miss us?"

A bell rang, signaling that it was time to go. Ayato stood up, gathered his books, and turned to them briefly.

"Not at all!" he said, smiling back at her. With that, he gave them all a mocking invisible hat tip and strode out of the room. He may have heard Hejjiguchi laughing in the background, but he didn't care. Soon, he would have a respite from their absurdity.

He could very much do without them for a spell. Or ideally a lifetime.

Yuri was acting strangely happy as she walked him home on their last day. He supposed he would be happy too if his birthday loomed on the horizon (in an alternate universe where his birthday was a big deal).

Except for one thing… this was their last school-related excuse to have time together. For 40-plus days.

The voice in his head that sounded like Kimito said: She's thrilled to finally get rid of you.

He said to it: Bullshit.

Her birthday was coming. Her parents were going to be home to celebrate it. There was no way he was going to feel disappointment that she wasn't as bummed as he was. Or at least, he wasn't going to guilt her on it.

She did say she wanted to "figure something out" that would let him celebrate with her. He hoped she wasn't expecting something too fairytale-esque. Her fairy godmother complex could be rather worrying sometimes.

In the meantime, today he'd bought her Key coffee, and he'd helped his mom make a box full of the foods she most often sampled from his lunch. It didn't feel like enough, but Yuri had neglected to give him any other gift ideas besides the improbable beach invitation. Her level of confidence was something he doubted he'd ever reach.

Then again, there was something he was working on… if…

"—the last day, and you're not even listening to me."

Ayato blinked at her, mentally shaking himself out of his thoughts. But he had a quip ready for her anyway. "The last day, and you're not even sad."

"Yes I am!" She lightly thwacked his arm—he could tell she didn't use her full strength (his bruises thanked her). "Excuse me if I'd rather have fun on our last walk home from school than mope about it."

"I'm not moping," Ayato grumbled.

"Come on." Yuri stopped in her tracks and turned to him, making swishing gestures. "This, right here? It's like you've got a cartoon depression cloud raining over your head."

He quirked his mouth at her. "Need I remind you that my company after this point is going to vastly deteriorate?"

"Hey, I'll miss you too." She resumed walking ahead of him with a confident stride. "If all else fails."

"You'll have your parents," he reminded her.

She cast him a meaningful glance over her shoulder. "I'm not sure if you realize this, Ayato, but you're not the type of person who can easily be replaced."

Emotion rammed into his chest, and he swallowed back a few scrambled and unfinishable thoughts. God, he was going to miss her. 40 days was way too long. And with each day being 24 hours of Kimito, only interrupted by sleep? He was exhausted just thinking about it.

Something wet dripped down his cheek; he slapped a hand to it and wiped it away. The next one hit the top of his head, followed by another one or two or three. A pitter-pattering sound reached the trees.

Yuri took him by the arm, her grip snug but not overbearing. "Figures," she said. "Let's keep going."

They trekked through the drizzle, talking on and off about nothing and everything. She laughed hysterically at the goodbye message he'd given to Ami ("That's just going to make you more irresistible to them—you know that, right?") and they discussed the "threat" of them visiting him at work.

"It's a bluff, mark my words," she insisted.

Ayato didn't buy it at all. "I don't know. Ami seems the stalker type."

More laughter from Yuri. "I still say this is less about Kurimu's love life and more about Ami's."

"Nobody's arguing with you there."

"I mean, who would you rather have confess their feelings to you? That's the real question," Yuri continued, a curious sparkle in her eye. "Kurimu or Ami."

Making a face, Ayato switched his gaze to her. "Is there a third option?"

Yuri stared back at him, pressing her lips together in thought. Her nose scrunched up. "…Hejjiguchi?"

"You wench! You aren't funny!"

That didn't stop her from laughing at her own damn joke. "I'm just trying to make you miss me less!" she called over her shoulder as she pranced ahead of him.

"It's working!" he shot back.

It was actually doing the opposite.

He picked up the pace, trying to keep up with her but resenting the fact that she was closing the distance between them and the estate. The rain was refreshing on his skin, and he couldn't imagine why she would be in a hurry to get out of it. She liked a little dampness just as much as he did.

"You know what's making me miss you less?" Ayato announced as he rounded a curve and the back of Yuri's head reappeared. "The way you're trying to get rid of me so fast."

"I'm not trying to get rid of you, jerk." She spun around, looking happy. "Stop saying things like that. I'm just in a good mood because I've got an idea."

He blinked, for more reasons other than getting a raindrop on his lashes. "Yeah? What's that?"

"Well, I won't tell you yet. It's more fun for me if it's a surprise."

A surprise? As far as he knew, those were supposed to be for the one having the birthday. She had little excuse for being so mysterious. But these were the kinds of oddities he wanted to surround himself with for (please) just a little longer.

When they reached the clearing by the estate, he knew his time had run out. The sight of the workshop just a short jog away unsettled his stomach, even though he'd seen it ten million times. He'd just never known anything better before now.

"Well," he said, stopping and turning to her. Wet strands of wine-red hair clung to her cheeks and chin in an annoyingly endearing way. He resisted the urge to reach out and brush them away, shoved it down hard. "See you."

"See you," she echoed, nodding. "Soon."

Ayato wasn't sure about that. He opened his mouth to wish her a happy birthday in advance, just in case, but she shook her head.

"Don't bet against me just yet, okay?"

Their eyes locked and she held him there as if in a trance, making it increasingly difficult to doubt her.

"Okay," he agreed, after a beat. "Soon, then."

They both moved as if to head in their separate directions, but then Ayato changed his mind. Pivoting, he grasped her arm and tugged her back to face him. Surprise took ahold of her face. Her lips parted into an "o" as she let out a soft squeak as he pulled her into his arms.

She responded more quickly than he did during their last embrace – she was used to it, he guessed – and locked her arms around his back, pressing herself closer against him. She held him tight like a promise, one he knew she desperately wanted to keep. He'd try to take her word for it.

He spent a few more priceless seconds this way before sending her off. Minutes from now, her parents would welcome her home with the same warmth he'd be lacking for the next few weeks. She had left him wondering, even hoping, but Yuri vs. Kimito was a battle he could safely predict the end to. Even though they lived in the same town, there was no way to know for sure when he'd see her, much less by the 27th.

Ayato trudged up the walkway to his house without looking back or even lingering (the rain was getting to be too cold for him).

In the meantime, the memory of that hug would get him through at least five days of work.

Preview:

"What in the world is wrong with you people?!"

"Don't make me get the bucket."

"You don't want to keep your father waiting."

"I didn't even hear you come in."

"We all have our off days."

[Chapter 11]: Beginnings of Break.